AmaWaterways has suspended its remaining 2020 river cruise season including all regularly scheduled departures in Europe, Asia, and Africa. The line said in a press statement that it expects to resume sailing in spring 2021 as long as international travel restrictions are lifted and guests can travel safely.
One exception? This suspension does not apply to the current chartered river cruises on the Rhine River that have been operating on AmaKristina since July. Those charter sailings are for a German tour operator with German speaking guests onboard.
For passengers impacted by the the newly cancelled sailings, the line is offering a Future Cruise Credit (FCC) equal to 115 percent of the value of AmaWaterways purchased services, allowing guests to reschedule their river cruise in Europe, Asia, or Africa through December 31, 2022.
For added flexibility, the line also made the FCCs transferrable at any time prior to December 31, 2022 with the original owner’s written authorization.
Expressing her thanks for the patience and understanding of guests and travel advisor partners, Kristin Karst, executive vice president and co-founder of AmaWaterways said: "Although this year has brought many unprecedented challenges, it has also underscored the importance of facing these obstacles with flexibility and optimism." She's confident that the upcoming 2021 and 2022 river cruise seasons will create experiences and memories "well worth the wait."
In its statement, the river cruise company noted that it's "a debt free company in a position of financial strength." See Travel Agent's in-depth article last week with details about that debt-free approach, as well as what's new in onboard dining and new ship deliveries.
In 2021, the river cruise line will introduce two new ships to the Rhine and five new itineraries and land programs throughout Europe. In addition, AmaWaterways will return to the Nile River in 2021 with a new ship, AmaDahlia.
For more information, visit www.amawaterways.com.