Hollywood, CA

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Video Clip: Click to Watch

This November the premier river cruise line AmaWaterways is hosting a Wine Cruise from Amsterdam to Trier, Germany, and on board will the Travel Authority Blogger Jan Ross. Travel Authority is a chain of 50 travel agencies and Ross runs their blog, social media outlets and writes along with writing for a number of print publications. On August 25 she wrote a blog posting about her impending Wine River Cruise with AmaWaterways, which can be seen in its entirety below.

AmaWaterways President and co-founder, Rudi Schreiner, will be on board the Wine Cruise during which Jan Ross will be making daily blog postings which will then be pushed online through various social media outlets and Promotion in Motion, a PR firm working for AmaWaterways.

River cruising through Europe affords tourists a different look at the big cities and small towns along the river road, and this Wine Cruise should prove a fascinating journey for all concerned.

My travel bucket list keeps getting longer and longer. Not only do I keep adding new destinations and experiences, I keep visiting fabulous places to which I want to return, like Ireland and Hawaii because I didn't get to see and experience absolutely EVERYTHING while I was there. But the one thing on my travel bucket list? The completely BEST thing? The thing we have talked about doing for years and years? Is now at the very top. And can be crossed off.

Because a river cruise in Europe? Is happening in November.

Thanks to AmaWaterways, we are going on an exclusive 7-night wine cruise with private wine-tastings. We will leave Amsterdam, cruise along the Rhine and Mosel Rivers, visiting ancient villages, touring wineries and meeting esteemed winemakers, then end the trip with three fabulous days in Paris. On November 11, we will board the luxurious MS AmaLegro with Rudi Schreiner, the president of AmaWaterways; Jim Clendenen, Germany's Winemaker of the Year; and Archie McLaren, Founder & Chairman of Central Coast Wine Classic for the cruise of a lifetime.

We will experience private wine events at world-renowned vineyards, fabulous red and white wines with dinner every night, and guest lecturers. Everything possible is included in one price—the cruise, all meals with wonderful gourmet dining, a daily sightseeing program, the use of a large number of bicycles onboard and the services of a professional cruise manager.

Here's the itinerary so you can see for yourself just why I am so excited.

Day 1: Overnight flight to Holland

Day 2: Amsterdam. EMBARKATION

Welcome Cocktail & Dinner

Day 3: Amsterdam, Canal cruise & city tour

Day 4: Cologne, Walking tour

Cathedral visit

Day 5: Rudesheim, Wine tasting

Seigfried's Music Museum

Day 6: Mainz, City tour

Heidelberg

OR: Heidelberg city tour

Koblenz, Evening walk

Day 7: Cochem

Walking tour, Reichsburg Castle

Day 8: Bernkastel, Walking tour

Piesport, Trier city tour

Day 9: Trier

DISEMBARKATION

Luxembourg, Walking tour & transfer to Paris

Day 10: Paris, City tour

Day 11: Paris, Optional tours available

Day 12:Paris, Airport transfer



AmaWaterways owns and operates the newest, most state-of-the-art fleet of river cruise vessels in Europe. Since its debut in 2002, this river cruise line has redefined European river cruising with innovations that have set new standards in the river cruising industry.

The ship we will be on, the MS AmaLegro, debuted in 2007, joining several other ships which offer a number of features that no other European river cruise ship can match. Each AmaWaterways vessel carries 148 passengers in unequaled luxury, comfort and style and is staffed by a highly-trained professional crew, with an ongoing emphasis on personal service.

We are excited about every, single thing about this trip from the castles (my husband) to the shopping (uh, me OF COURSE) but one of the best things may very well be our fabulous outside stateroom. All staterooms and junior states are outside, and 82% of the staterooms on the MS AmaLegro have French balconies and they all have the innovative Infotainment System. This includes free Internet access on a large, flat-screen TV with keyboard, movie and music library and English language TV stations. Enter your stateroom to find a cozy sitting area, white-on-white plush bedding, and your own personal terry bathrobes—truly luxurious!

Although rarely found on European river cruise ships, Junior Suites aboard AmaWaterways are extra spacious at 255 square feet. They feature a comfortable sitting area with a sofa and two chairs, floor-to-ceiling windows with French balconies and luxurious, extra spacious bathrooms with bathtubs and showers. The suites sell quickly, so early reservations are recommended.

A nice amenity on this ship is the elevator, which very few river cruise ships feature. The elevator reaches four different levels: the Restaurant level, the Staterooms on the Cello Deck, the Lobby and Panorama Lounge, and the Staterooms on the Violin Deck.

We are kind of excited about the fact that the ship has plenty of bicycles onboard which can be used by passengers, free of charge, to explore the small towns we will be visiting. Apparently, most regions offer well-maintained bicycle paths along the river and you can cycle around the town or even cycle on and meet the ship at the next stop.

We are also pretty excited about the food. The culinary experience on a trip is a big part of our enjoyment, so the sophisticated menus comprised of wonderful soups, fresh produce, high quality choice cut meats, and fresh fish and seafood sound pretty wonderful.

Every day onboard starts with a lavish gourmet champagne breakfast buffet. Choose from a rich assortment of breads, croissants and pastries, a variety of fresh fruit, yogurt, cereals, and smoked salmon. Sample the delicious cheeses, cold cuts and local sausages, as well as daily regional specials. An array of traditional breakfast items is also available from the menu.

We'll return from our daily shore excursions to a delicious lunch. We'll start with mouth-watering hot or cold appetizers, homemade soups, then we'll choose from a selection of great entrees, finish off with a delectable dessert and complimentary cappuccino.

In the evening, we'll enjoy an elegant dinner or a traditional theme night with a feast of regional specialties. We'll sample delicious cuisine and complimentary free-flowing wines from the local vintners.

After eating all that wonderful food and imbibing of delicious wine daily, we will probably also visit the wellness area onboard. Located in the aft area of the Violin Deck, this generously designed space includes a glassed—in fitness room, massage and beauty salon and also has modern wicker furniture and French doors to enjoy the fresh river air.

So—relaxing, eating, drinking fabulous wines and touring wonderful locations while we only unpack once and have a beautiful stateroom—I can't think of a more fabulous trip.

If you agree, you might want to book the wine-tasting cruise with AmaWaterways on November 11. I would love to meet you!

If this sounds like the perfect trip for you as well, just book your trip with AmaWaterways through The Travel Authority to get the best price and personal service. Check with The Travel Authority online or call 1-877-AXP-1515 for information and details. Be sure to print out this post or mention the code BLAMA to get the best deal on your AmaWaterways cruise. I would love to hear your suggestions for future blog posts. And I would love to hear from you if you have cruise with AmaWaterways before. You can comment below or contact me by email at jan.ross@thetravelauthority.com.

Thanks for reading—I truly appreciate it!

http://thetravelauthority.blogspot.com/2010/08/wine-tasting-fall-cruise-with-ama.html

Safe travel!

About AmaWaterways:



AmaWaterways is the innovative industry leader, offering fine all-inclusive river cruise vacations in Europe, Russia, Vietnam and Cambodia. It's luxurious, state-of-the art fleet in Europe consists of the MS AmaDolce (2009), the MS AmaLyra (2009), the MS AmaCello (2008), the MS AmaDante  (2008), the MS AmaLegro  (2007) and the MS AmaDagio (2006). The line introduced Vietnam, Cambodia and the Riches of the Mekong in late 2009, featuring a 7-night Mekong River cruise on the beautiful new MS LA Marguerite. Due to the overwhelming success of the program, AmaWaterways is constructing a new 124-passenger vessel to be introduced on the Mekong in the fall of 2011.

AmaWaterways also offers destination cruises to the breathtaking Douro River Valley in Portugal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, on the MS AmaDouro and a Provencal sojourn on the romantic Rhone River in France aboard the MS SWISS PEARL. In Russia, AmaWaterways sails a spectacular St. Petersburg-Moscow "Russian Waterways" itinerary. In 2011 the line will introduce the newly-refurbished 212-passenger MS AmaKatarina, the most luxurious vessel to sail the Volga-Baltic Waterway.

For more information about AMAWATERWAYS, log on to www.amawaterways.com or call 800-626-0126.

For media interviews contact Promotion in Motion at 323-461-3921 or brad@promotioninmotion.net

For an overview of AmaWaterways go to www.amawaterwayspr.com

Brad Butler

Promotion in Motion

Hollywood, CA

323-461-3921

First Url: Jan Ross' Travel Authority Blog

Second Url: Official Website of AmaWaterways