Christmas Markets, Golf, Beer & More: The River Cruise for Every Traveler

Show Notes:

River cruising has officially gone mainstream — and a recent US News & World Report ranking proves it. For the first time, they ranked river cruise lines based on expert and traveler ratings, industry awards, pricing, and itineraries. AmaWaterways took the top spot, followed by Uniworld Boutique and Viking River Cruises. Ryan and Julie dig into what makes river cruising so compelling, and then go beyond the basics to highlight four specialty cruise experiences that match your interests — not just your dates.

Christmas Market Cruises
If you've ever considered river cruising, this has probably crossed your mind. AmaWaterways' Taste of Christmas sailings take you along the Rhine from Amsterdam to Basel, stopping in Cologne, multiple German towns, and Strasbourg, France — famously described as the real-life town from Beauty and the Beast. Each stop features multiple Christmas markets, onboard holiday celebrations, and seasonal local events. Pack an extra bag.

Golf Cruises
AmaWaterways' golf itineraries let you play up to five championship courses in Europe with a dedicated guide, luxury Mercedes transfers, club care, and lunch with beer and wine included at each course. Along the Seine, courses include Paris Saint-Germain Golf Club — ranked 14th in Europe and host to the French Open nine times. You'll go home with a scorecard and some serious bragging rights.

Oktoberfest & Beer Cruises
This seven-night Danube sailing from Germany to Slovakia weaves Oktoberfest experiences into every port. Think underground tours of historic beer tunnels, monastic brewery visits, cellar tastings, and — yes — a hike up to a castle (optional, apparently). The beer comes to you in Passau, Linz, Vienna, Bratislava, and Budapest.

Smithsonian Journeys
For the intellectually curious traveler, AmaWaterways partners with the Smithsonian Institution to offer sailings with two onboard Smithsonian experts for the entire cruise. Exclusive excursions include a behind-the-scenes tour of Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum, a visit to the EU Parliament in Strasbourg, and a guided tour of the UNESCO-designated Neuf-Brisach Citadel. Same river, deeper experience.

Where in the World? Ryan is sending a couple on an incredible Canadian Rockies adventure — Rocky Mountaineer, Banff, Jasper National Park, the Columbia Icefield Skyway, and Glacier National Park in Montana. A trip built for a photography-obsessed traveler and his wife.

Next week: stay tuned for another episode of All Things Travel!

Wonder and Beyond Travel → wonderandbeyondtravel.com

Transcript

Ryan 0:00

Hello and welcome to All Things Travel. River cruising evokes a type of vacation that's a balance of relaxation and curiosity. By sailing on a specialty cruise, you can further your appreciation of the best, these rivers have to offer. Today, we'll discuss these cruises that will really have you immersing in culture, activity, and maybe a little beer and wine

Julie 0:23

Listen in with travel advisors Ryan and Julie. He is your travel professor teaching you everything you need to know to have a magical vacation, and I am a Disney-loving Maryland mom of three and a specialist in family travel. we're discussing incredible destinations, top vacation tips, or sharing personal stories, it's always all things travel

Ryan 0:46

All right, Julie, so an article came out this week from US News World Reports. I know that's kind of the, the, the nerdiest way to start a podcast. Um, but I wanna tell you why this is important to this topic. So they will often do rankings. The US News World Reports will do rankings of various things, and sometimes they do travel rankings, the best of this, the best of that. And this year, for the first time, they had a ranking of river cruise lines

Julie 1:17

Not

Ryan 1:18

So their rankings were based on, ratings for both experts and travelers, the cruise industry awards, and what the different lines offer. And it considered things like pricing, itineraries, onboard activities. and I think this speaks to really river cruising's becoming more popular and, and interesting to folks, especially who are, who haven't been exposed to it except for maybe a Viking ad on Downton Abbey. The top three that came in were AmaWaterways, Uniworld Boutique, and, Viking River Cruises. We're not surprised by this. We know you've heard of Viking. If you've listened to this podcast for any length of time, you know, you've heard from me at least about AmaWaterways. Uniworld is a wonderful river cruise company that offers a really good luxury level of river cruising. overall, AmaWaterways got the top spot. really thanks to their wellness-focused amenities such as pickleball courts on some ships, and for their connection with, Adventures by Disney, offering family options for river cruising.

Julie 2:28

Mm-hmm.

Ryan 2:28

And they highlighted the, Magdalena River Cruises, which is in Colombia, as a noteworthy itinerary because right now AmaWaterways is the only company that's offering those in Colombia

Julie 2:42

Oh, wow

Ryan 2:43

So I'm excited today to talk about some specialty cruises, not only river cruising in general, but how can we really niche it down so that it's based on what we're interested and what we want to do Before we talk about that, Julie, what did we talk about last week that people should check out if they didn't listen to the episode?

Julie 3:04

Travel apps you need before your trip

Ryan 3:07

Travel apps you need before your trip, and no, it's not Amazon so that you can purchase all the things that you forgot on your trip. However, I have used that in the past. All right, so when we think of specialty cruises, Julie, One really comes to mind first, I think, for a lot of people. What is that? Tell us about this type of specialty cruise.

Julie 3:31

The Christmas market cruises.

Ryan 3:33

Ah

Julie 3:34

They're so, so, so, so popular. If you have ever been interested in river cruising, I am sure that this type of cruise has crossed your mind. And course, we re- recommend AmaWaterways Taste of Christmas cruises because they're a very special collection of holiday sailings that will capture that magic of the Christmas, and of course, you're along the rivers. so not only are you kind of like going from town to small town, and then being able to get off and go explore the markets, but there's also some onboard celebrations going on that just make this such a special experience so let's talk a little bit about this itinerary, you are gonna start in Amsterdam and you're sailing towards Basel. So you can obviously do that pre-cruise in Amsterdam, and a post-cruise in Switzerland, whether it's Lake Lucerne or Zurich. So Lucerne would be a phenomenal place to go and see even more of those Christmas markets.

Ryan 4:33

Yes

Julie 4:33

Amsterdam, you're gonna make your way towards Cologne, Germany, and many other places in Germany the German Christmas markets are really those ones that you think of where, there's Christmas lights everywhere and you can buy all sorts of little things to bring home with you. This is the cruise you need to pack an extra bag of things that you'll be bringing home.

Ryan 4:54

Absolutely

Julie 4:55

You're also gonna make your way over to France to Strasbourg and again, when I've heard Strasbourg described, from our river cruise representatives, they just describe it as the town that you think of from Beauty and the Beast, that small, quaint town that you're walking through. And in each of these towns you are getting, the tour of the Christmas markets and it's not like one Christmas market, it's like three or four Christmas markets. and again, you're ending your journey in Basel where you can add on that post-cruise excursion and check out some more Christmas markets

Ryan 5:30

I love it. And we are gonna be talking today about Europe options, but obviously, as we know, you can do specialty cruises all over the world. the second area I wanna talk about is golf cruises, and you can join expertly curated itineraries in Europe and enjoy a round of golf at up to five championship golf courses alongside a dedicated guide with club care and luxury transportation throughout. So, if you have a family where you have diehard golfers that aren't interested in the city tours or the small town excursions, but you could get them on a river cruise if they know they can play golf, this might be the way to do it. So I just wanna talk a little bit about what is included with these, and this is part of your cruise, so it's already included. and this is with AmaWaterways again, all of these that we're gonna talk about today are. You have concierge service including club care, luxury Mercedes transportation to and from the courses, club cleaning after each round. the golf experience is one round per golfer at each of the courses, one shared golf cart per round, one range token per round, and lunch at each of the course with beer and wine included. You're also going to have a welcome package for each of the golfers that have signed up for this. You get 12 Callaway Chrome Soft Tour golf balls, one pitch repair tool, a shoe bag, and course guides. And let me talk about the courses that are gonna be part of this So for instance, along the Seine, you're gonna be going to the Golf d'Estade Francais, which was designed by renowned architect Robert Van Haag and opened in 1991. You are going to Paris Saint-Germain, which ranks number fourteen in Europe for golf courses, designed by renowned English architect Harry Colt in 1920, and hosts the French Open nine times. But you need to note this is a walking-only course, so you get your, exercise for the day. You're gonna be going to, Golf PGA France de Vaudreuil, which was designed by Fred Hawtree in 1961, and is known for hosting the annual Vaudreuil Golf Challenge on the Challenge Tour. And this is just a few of them that you're going to be, able to explore. And what I really love about this is not only are you taking a fantastic river cruise, but you now get to have bragging rights when you go home and say, "I've played all of these courses around the world."

Julie 8:10

Yeah, really. That's amazing. I mean, know someone who loves golfing, this is it

Ryan 8:17

Yeah, the pictures, the experiences, absolutely. So before we go on with two more specialty cruises, Julie, I wanna talk about where in the world is Wonder Beyond Travel, and today I wanna highlight a trip that I booked that is coming up very soon.

Julie 8:33

I'm so excited about this one

Ryan 8:36

So, this came to me in an interesting way, and I want people to kinda think about this. this couple was a referral from a client that I've worked with several times, and they had recently booked Rocky Mountaineer, which we have talked about on the podcast several times. But the husband said, "You know, I usually do all the travel planning, and there's just so much that I wanna do around this trip. I need help with all of the logistics and the pieces. I've already booked the Rocky Mountaineer, but I need help with this, that, and the other thing, and I just don't have the time and the, the, you know, kind of the energy to do it." And the number of times that I've heard somebody say that, Julie, where it's, you know, "I'm used to doing this, I enjoy this, but I just need some help." So, you know, even if you've got ideas of cruises you wanna take, of trips you wanna take, we can help put all of this together. now I, I im- did go ahead and connect myself to the Rocky Mountaineer tour, but I would have helped this couple regardless with the different pieces I'm gonna talk about. So this is in August and September. They are flying from Chicago to Vancouver, and then their first full day in Vancouver, they are taking a tour over to Victoria and Butchart Gardens. So they're getting picked up at their hotel, they're getting taken to the ferry, the ferry's taking them to Victoria, then they have a private transfer to the gardens, and then reverse that back to their hotel. August 31st and September 1st, they are with Rocky Mountaineer. So they pick up the train in Vancouver, and then take that to Banff. And then this guy is a photography nut, so he wants to get as much nature photography beyond the train trip as he can. So they're staying one night in Banff, and then the next day Don't worry, we're not done with Banff. we're just coming back a little later. So they're spending a night in Banff, and then the next day they pick up their rental car, and they are driving to Jasper, Alberta, which is home to the Jasper National Park in Canada. They're spending several days there to explore, the Jasper National Park, take photos. We're gonna connect them with some local photographers. Along with this, while they're there, they're gonna do what's called the Columbia Icefield Skyway, which is basically a ledge of, glass walkway that goes over, the national park, so they can have a maybe terrifying but amazing view of it Then after three days, they're gonna drive back to Banff and spend several days in Banff. and this is where they wanted to spend a little extra money. so we are getting a very nice hotel. They are staying at the brand new Rimrock Banff, which will open just about a month before they get there, and it looks absolutely amazing. And so they're gonna spend three days in Banff. one of the things that I've organized is a wildlife, tour for them to take, to, to, again, get pictures And then they are driving down to Glacier National Park in Montana. so they are actually driving down. we found an Airbnb for them. They're spending three days at Glacier National Park, and then driving to Calgary, spending the night in Calgary, and flying home the next day. So this is a, a very immersive trip, to see so many things in Canada and at the Glacier National Park in the United States.

Julie 12:00

That sounds incredible

Ryan 12:02

Yeah, it was a really fun trip to put together and kind of, again, take what they had already planned and build kind of the bookends to, make that trip even better Well, we love hearing where our clients, are going and sharing the information before, during, and after their trip. We can't wait to hear about their trips when they get back. We just love travel, and whether it's Rocky Mountaineer, whether it's putting together a national park trip or exploring these beautiful, wildlife locations, I just love it

Julie 12:36

Yeah, I hear you

Ryan 12:39

All right, so the next one, Julie, has to do with beer, right?

Julie 12:46

this does not surprise me at all that this made the list

Ryan 12:50

Now, I would say there are definitely cruises that specialize in wine as well. and there's also ones that specialize in food, but beer is something you don't think about as much with these cruises, so I wanted to highlight these, and we couldn't do this without going to the Danube and experiencing Oktoberfest areas, right, Julie? Why don't you tell us what, Waterways has for us along the Danube?

Julie 13:15

This is such a fun cruise. So this cruise is going to be a seven-night and it goes from Germany down to Slovakia. Of course, along the Danube, like Ryan mentioned. You are gonna start by boarding your ship and having an exclusive Oktoberfest celebration, which kind of reminds me, I know, Ryan, at one point you talked about one of the cruises that you went on where there was like a celebration outside of the cruise and there was like locals there, and

Ryan 13:43

Yes

Julie 13:43

me of, of this exclusive celebration.

Ryan 13:46

absolutely

Julie 13:48

along the way as you set sail, you are in Passau, Germany, you're in Linz, Austria, Vienna, Austria, Bratislava, Slovakia, Budapest, Hungary. And as you're there, you're doing what those towns are known for, that you're seeing the castles, you're checking out the rivers. But along the way you're also doing some really fun Oktoberfest activities along the way in one of your stops in Germany, you're starting your day with an underground tour of the historic beer tunnels, and then, going to do a tasting of beer. So that, are just kind of sprinkled in throughout your cruise. In another stop, this is in Bratislava, during your morning tour, you are, also going to a monastic brewery. for a cellar tour, and then that's paired with tastings. And then after that you're hiking up to a castle. So I love this, the beer is interwoven into these excursions where you're getting to see the city, but then you are also stopping off and having a drink

Ryan 15:00

I've sailed with AmaWaterways to know that that is gonna be a really good stop to sample beer, and there's gonna be some snacks involved. And I'm not sure if I'm hiking anywhere to see a castle

Julie 15:13

You know, maybe the hike is optional.

Ryan 15:15

Well, the fourth type of specialty cruise we're gonna talk about today is AmaWaterways' relationship with the Smithsonian, and specifically their Smithsonian Journeys, program. And this is a travel program with the Smithsonian Institute, where they have Smithsonian folks on board with you. So each departure features two Smithsonian Journey experts chosen for their, expertise. These departures also include exclusive excursions and activities specifically designed for Smithsonian Journeys guests. and they have these folks that are with you the entire time. So think of this as your intellectual guide that's with you the entire trip. I'm sure on board, if you're interested, there's going to be talks and time to, get more in depth. But I just wanna talk about what one of these cruises would look like. So I'm looking at the Captivating Rhine. So essentially it's the same itinerary as a, regular Rhine cruise, but each of the stops has a Smithsonian Journey exclusive that's an option for you to choose. So for instance, in Amsterdam, you're gonna get a behind-the-scenes tour of the Rijksmuseum with one of these experts. When you are in Strasbourg, France, you are going to do an EU Parliament visit. that's something that you can't just do on a river cruise, so that sounds pretty amazing. And then when you are in, another stop in Germany, you are going to the UNESCO Neuf-Brisach, Citadel with your Smithsonian Journeys expert. So it just kind of adds that extra curiosity, that extra educational piece, if that's really what you love about river cruising

Julie 17:04

Yeah, and that's really fun. You know, river cruising is kind of geared towards guests who want to be educated a little bit more on their cruises, and this just takes it another step further. What a unique experience.

Ryan 17:17

And to be honest, Julie, as I researched this show, these four river cruise specialty options are just a few that companies like AmaWaterways offers. If it's wine, if it's food, if it's, family-focused, There's just a specialty cruise that will fit you, depending on where you wanna go and what you wanna see

Julie 17:39

The world is full of wonder and your next great adventure is waiting. At Wonder and Beyond Travel, we work with you to create a one-of-a-kind journey, taking the stress off your plate so you can focus on the joy of exploring and the memories that will stay with you forever. If you're ready to start planning or just want to dream a little bigger, head over to wonderandbeyondtravel.com. We'd love to help you get started

Ryan 18:03

We look forward to talking to you next week on All Things Travel