Welcome And Solo Travel Focus

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Hi, and welcome to the Steam Michelson Travel Podcast. This podcast is where we explore the travel industry through the lens of the independent traveler, through travel advisors, and travel vendors. I sure do hope you've been enjoying these short little podcasts on solo travel and you're about to get out there and you're all excited about traveling on your own. Now, up to this point, we've talked about safety, we've talked about destinations, we've talked about budgeting. But now I want to talk to you about how the different travel companies are catering to the solo traveler. And with that in mind, I will now bring in some guests.

SPEAKER_02 0:44

And just as I promised, I have Diane from Ammo Waterways with me, and we're talking all about the Solo Traveler. Now, Diane, Ammo Waterways does cater to the Solo Traveler, doesn't it?

Dining Design For Solos

Solo Reception And Community

Onboard Safety And Small Ships

SPEAKER_00 0:58

Absolutely. And I'm so glad to be here to talk to you about it because it's a big passion of ours, is making everyone on board feel comfortable and at home. And for the solo travelers with AMA, we've always recognized that, you know, when you travel as a solo traveler, sometimes you always feel like uh not as comfortable walking into a dining room, sitting down in the in the main dining area because there's everybody is coupled up. Well, with AMA Waterways, we've taken that all into account. So to give you some, for instances of some of the things we do special for our solos, one of the things we do is that we actually seat our dining room tables in the main dining room with only five seats. Oh, wow. Right. So rather than having six so that you sit down at the table and there's that extra seat next to you, that's taken off the table, haha. So to speak. And or the table for eight. Maybe we'll set it for just for seven. And so by doing this, it's just a really nice, subtle way for singles to feel at home. But in addition, we embrace single travelers from the minute they get on board on the waterways. So when you get on board and you're traveling solo, that's what we call the single traveler at AMA. Right. Is that we actually the very first, not the first night, but the very next night, we'll have what's called our solo reception. And we invite all the people that are traveling as a solo to meet us in the lounge area for a cocktail. And yeah, from the outset, you get to know, oh, they're alone. They're traveling solo as well. So like a meet and greet. Yeah, a meet and greet just for those guests, which is nice. And oftentimes we see they make immediate connections and they know that, you know, they're not the only one traveling on their own. And it just breaks the barriers down really subtly. Right.

SPEAKER_02 2:44

That seems to be some of the concerns with a solo traveler. How do I mix and mingle? Yeah. How do I feel safe? Now, what's the safety like when they're traveling by themselves?

Group Excursions And Choices

SPEAKER_00 2:53

Uh, well, it I at AMA safety is always a number one for us concern all over the world. So depending on what destination you're going to, we handle things differently, of course. But if you're talking about safety on the ship, that's a non-issue, really. Right. Our ships are small. We average about 160 passengers on our main ships in Europe. So it's a small, it's a community on board. Community. Yeah, I like to call it an a community. And so you really get to know each other. So there, when we are boarding our ships, we do have strict safety features in place. But because we're dealing with so much fewer passengers, it's very easy to control. So give us an idea of how many passengers are on. It's what the 160 is about for the European market. Uh in Portugal, we only have 100 on board our ships. In the international destinations, let's say such as the Mekong River, which is Vietnam-Cambodia, it's 124. And if you want to go in a really intimate experience, we have just the Zambezi Queen that houses just 28 passengers. Wow. So depending on where you go. But from the minute you get on board, we actually recognize who our guests are. So we know immediately for the onboard experience if you belong that week on our ship. Oh, nice. Now, when you go off the ship, you're also very safe too, because when you go off the ship, we have a mirade, you know, many choices of activities that you can partake with AMA. It's not just one single trip, like a city tour. It could be a biking tour, a hiking tour. It could be learning to make candy or go to a castle and drink wine and and I like that. Like that. That's my favorite. Yeah. Me too. But there's so many choices. And with AMA, because we're giving you choices, we it organically makes the group smaller, which is really nice too. So in the solo traveler world, trust me, you will feel so comfortable and at home, whether you're on the ship or whether you're off the ship with us.

Single Supplement Policies

SPEAKER_02 5:04

Now, a lot of solo travelers are concerned about budget. What does Emma Waterways do regarding that?

SPEAKER_00 5:09

That's a great question. And I will tell you that that's another thing that from the very outset of our company, we embraced the fact that we also didn't feel it was fair to double charge people just because they're occupying a cabin by themselves. So we've always had a policy in place where a single supplement is 50% more, 5-0. Right. However, that is actually the worst case scenario. Oh, wow. Because we all often have dates where we have single supplement discounting. We could either have it at only 25%. Wow. As little as 10%. Wow. And sometimes we even will waive it. Oh, nice. Nice, right? So with singles, they're not being gouged because they are traveling on their own. And sometimes, you know what? We even find that sometimes people may not be single people, but they're traveling alone on that trip for whatever the reason. Their husband couldn't go, their partner couldn't go, whatever the reason is. So couldn't get the girls all together. Right. Yeah. Or then you get people that go on girls' trips, for instance, right? And they just want their own space. They want their own bathroom. They want their own space. Right. So in those cases, too, we try to work with those groups that are really more solo traveler oriented.

SPEAKER_02 6:28

Now I always tell um all my listeners to contact a travel advisor and say, I'm a solo traveler and help me out with this. This is where I want to go. And they too can contact AMA Waterways and say, okay, I have a client who wants to travel solo. And they're aware of these 10%, 20%, 50% price points.

SPEAKER_00 6:49

That is correct. And it's really important that you brought that up because with AMA, we really do strive to do our business through our travel partners. Right. And the reason for that is because when you're booking a river cruise, it is a big trip. You're going on, you're going overseas, you're going to have a nice, it's a nice vacation, and you need somebody that's an expert to help you plan it. And with the travel agency community, what happens is not only do they are they aware of our solo offers, but they also, among their own communities, are members of other associations, which could also have other offers, which would apply. Right. And we are all about double dipping, triple dipping. We often use the ice cream cone as an analogy. Oh, okay. And we just keep putting the scoops on it until we don't have any room left.

Seamless Air And Transfers

SPEAKER_02 7:38

I know that's sometime is a big thing. Budgets are very big with solo travelers. Now, I know when they're traveling overseas, sometimes it can be a little scary, but you know, you can actually have somebody pick you up at the airport and bring you right to the ship, you know, things like that, correct?

Cruise Managers From Ship To Shore

SPEAKER_00 7:55

That is correct. And when you do a AMA waterways booking with us, you can either do it with air, without air, with transfers, without transfers, we can do it all for you. Correct. And the travel advisor that you're working with will help you through that process. Right. But it's seamless. And I will say one thing I would really recommend to single travelers with AMA that I think is really a bonus that we have is that our cruise managers are not only our cruise managers while on board the ship, they're also our land managers when we go on our off the off-the-ship pre and post land adventures. Oh, wow.

SPEAKER_02 8:32

So they're they're kind of with them the whole way.

SPEAKER_00 8:34

If they decide to do a pre or a post, they'll be with them. And it's seamless. And it's nice. And I will tell you from personal experience that when you get used to having that cruise manager helping you every day and oh, just giving you advice. So yeah, Diane, you need to buy something, go here, or or you'd like to go see something, I'll tell you where to go. If you disembark the ship and you are on your own on your own, then you really feel how valuable that is. And the fact, too, that you've got somebody taking you smoothly from the ship to a pre or post-land is just something I would highly recommend if you're a solo traveler. Right.

Company Story And Growth

SPEAKER_02 9:13

Now, both you and I are in the travel industry and both of us have traveled solo. So we are kind of used to it. Uh-huh. Um, but for people that aren't familiar with Ammo Waterways, give us a little idea of all the places that Amma goes.

SPEAKER_00 9:28

And who we are, yeah. So, well, Ammo Waterways was started almost 24 years ago. Now, on July 1st, it'll be 24 years. We were started as a family business. The gentleman that started us had been involved in river cruise business for many, many, many moons, but he wanted to have his own company. And he really, his name is Rudy Schreiner. And over the course of the many, many years that he has developed on the waterways, he's been come to be known as the godfather of river cruising. So we're pretty proud that he's ours. And and he he still oversees it. He's retired now, but not really. He's still on our board of directors and very, very involved in the company in that regard. And his wife, Christine Karst, who the travel advisors in the community all know and love, has been involved since the beginning as well. And she is still very much out there taking care of and just overlooking as our company is growing. Yes. She's everywhere. And she's very approachable and she's very down to earth. And our travel advisors love her because they can just go up and talk to her and and you know, pick her brain about anything. But the company has evolved now. When I started with the company, believe it or not, that was 18 years ago. We had two ships. One, two. Only two. Only two. That's it was really a whole different uh world back then. And that was in 2008. And now, fast forward to now 2026, I can't even say it. How did that happen? Uh now we're going to be by the end of this uh, we call it a decade, by 2030, right? We will be having 44 ships in place. 44 ships by 2030. Yeah, it's pretty crazy. Wow. Right now we have over 30. So it's a lot of growth we've sustained, but what is so meaningful to us is over that time, we've never deterred from what our mission was, which was to just to provide the best, most comfortable and home-feeling river cruise experience that there is today. Right.

Global Destinations Overview

SPEAKER_02 11:34

Now you've you you started in Europe. That's where it kind of launched. That's right. Now, um, just recently I understand that you're in South America now.

Colombia And New Ships

SPEAKER_00 11:44

We are in Colombia. We went to Colombia, we were so excited. So what happened over the course of these years that we're talking about is that we started in the European community. That will always be a place in our heart because Rudy and Christine, the origin the owners of the company, the founders of our company, they are the ones that come from that area. Rudy from Vienna and Christine originally from Dresden. Right. They've all they're Americans. Our company is in the United States here, but they have always said that's the core product. So that's where the majority of our ships will always be. Right. But outside of that, we expanded first to the Mekong River. Wow. We actually were in Russia once. I don't know if you knew that. Oh no. That's a little back to trivia. We had the Amakitarina. Even when I was with the company, we had the Amakatorina. We even started on the Nile all those years ago and then went away from it for a for a little season. But now we're back there. So what's my bucket list? Oh my gosh. It should be your bucket list. I'll tell you a story about that. But Egypt, we've got, we've got also the Chobi River, which is in southern Africa. Oh, okay. And that would be on the confluence of Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia. Oh, wow. Right about 50 miles from Victoria Falls. That is a beautiful, incredible African experience that combines river cruising and seeing animals really in their in their natural habitat in the water, surrounded by then going on land game viewing. So it's an incredible combination we put together. It's super popular. The ship only holds just 28 passengers. Oh, nice little family. Very nice family, but something to look into. And then what you mentioned, let me see. I did, I've I think I've gone through all the other destinations. So then we've got Colombia now. Columbia. And Colombia is so exciting to us. I mean, we were the first ones to go down there five years ago. We started to put together the program, build the two ships. There are two 60 passenger ships down there. There are two down there. Two. It they cruise on the Magdalena River. Okay. The first ship we see Ama Magdalena. The second the Alma Melodia. Because Ama, just so you know, came from the root of a Latin word meaning love. And so if you see Ama in front of a ship, that means we designed it, built it, and financed the building of it.

SPEAKER_02 14:07

So you said in 2030 you're gonna have 44 ships.

SPEAKER_00 14:11

Yeah. How many do you have right now? So right now we have just around 30. Oh. Um, yeah. So there's not that that long till 30, right? Right. Till 2030. That means in four years we'll be adding quite a few to the fleet. We're already in the process because we're already building a couple new ones for the European community. Um there will, there is, it's very possible we'll bring another one to Portugal. And we already have three there.

SPEAKER_02 14:39

Oh wow, on the Duro River.

Why River Cruising Fits Solos

SPEAKER_00 14:40

Yes, because it's so popular. Wow. Um, and then we have two in Egypt right now. So we will see. Oh, where and there'll be a new one next year in on the Mekong River in Vietnam. The Alma Maya will be coming out. So it just keeps growing. It just keeps growing. And even for the solo traveler that have all of these bucket list items, yeah, they can go with Ama. They can go and it's they'll feel so comfortable, so at home. Like I said, we really do welcome solo travelers. It's it's a great environment. If you've not been on a river cruise, you probably don't know that it's just an intimate, small environment. It's conducive to meeting people. It's not like a large cruise ship where you lose people. You see them one time and then you never see them again. It won't happen on a river cruise ship. So it's just it's a it's a great environment for that. It's a great environment.

SPEAKER_02 15:33

And I understand the food is to die for.

SPEAKER_00 15:36

Yes, it is. Yes. Well, the Shane Des Rock to Cher is designated us at AMA, which is very meaningful as a you know, a culinary association out of Paris, of course. And so we're very proud of our food service and what we've been able to accomplish. But we also have not just all the fancier dining, but also very comfortable dining. Like at lunch, if you want a hamburger or a pizza, we'll get it for you. Oh, nice. We can do it. So we want everybody, whatever their comfort zone is.

SPEAKER_02 16:06

And speaking of your comfort zone, I understand that you have different types of uh land excursions. We do data for you know, people that like to run, run, run and people that just want to kind of chill out and enjoy.

Food, Inclusions, And Comfort

SPEAKER_00 16:18

Absolutely. And those those short activities, because they're so diverse, it doesn't matter your age. I mean, the average demographic age on Alma Waterways is gonna be between 55 and 65. Okay. But that means we're getting younger people, we're getting older people. But we've, you know, curated a whole list of a variety of short activities so that they can really match whatever the passion is or the interest is of the individual.

SPEAKER_02 16:44

And what I like about river cruising is that uh unlike the ocean liner, yeah, uh the river cruise takes you right to those little ports and cities. So you're right there in the heart of that country.

SPEAKER_00 16:56

Yes, you're immersed in it. It's a great way to immerse yourself in a destination. And what's interesting is that you can cruise on an eight-day, seven-night cruise down the Danube. You can visit the countries of Germany, including Bavaria, Austria, Slovakia, and Hungary, and not feel rushed. It's a very comfortable way. Yes, you can't see the come countries in great detail, but you see the heart of them because when you cruise in on a river cruise, you're in the heart of the town. You're in the medieval town. Oh, and I guess that's we're in the town. Yeah, we're filming this town heart fest in a cute little town, aren't we?

SPEAKER_02 17:34

Right. We have the little church bells going up around us.

Immersion On The Rivers

SPEAKER_00 17:37

That makes me want to go to Europe because there's a lot of church bells in Europe, a lot of cathedrals over there.

SPEAKER_02 17:42

Cathedrals, castles.

SPEAKER_00 17:44

So you often hear the church bells like this when you're on your tours. So that's really and what's nice about the tours, there's no cost to them. They're all included. So no extra charge. That's nice. Um, also on board the ship, there's no charge for if you drink wine, beer, sodas during all the meals hours, that's all included.

SPEAKER_02 18:00

So beer wine, water soda is all included during like lunch and dinner.

SPEAKER_00 18:04

All the dinner. Yeah. Yes, very nice. First, you can have all the mimosas you want. I mean, it's just it's very comfortable. You just feel right at home.

SPEAKER_02 18:11

Right. It's relaxing. You kind of you're not nickel and dime.

SPEAKER_00 18:15

Yeah, you sail. If you haven't been on a river cruise, the best way I can describe it, it's like a hotel, a boutique hotel floating down a river. You unpack your bag one single time, and in a matter of eight days and seven nights, you've had the luxury of seeing multiple countries and not ever having to pack and unpack. Right. It's just so comfortable. My word for it is it's civilized. It's the civilized way to travel.

SPEAKER_02 18:39

Civilized way to travel.

SPEAKER_00 18:41

That's Diane Floyd.

Closing Thoughts And Encouragement

SPEAKER_02 18:42

Well, Diane, I appreciate you joining me today and talking about Ammal Waterways and how the solo travelers could really enjoy themselves and feel safe and comfortable. Yeah. And the best thing to do is if you are a solo traveler, contact your travel advisor, let them know what you want to do, where you want to go, and what you're looking at spending, what your budget is, or how much is it worth to you really to sell the country. So thank you again for joining me, and I'm sure we'll be talking again. I hope so. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 19:10

Hope to see you all on the rivers. Well, what did you think of that?

SPEAKER_01 19:13

Well, now remember, it is time for you to get out there and start exploring. If you've had solo travel on your mind, it's time. Now, in the coming weeks, I'll be speaking with additional travel vendors and I'll be talking with some other solo travelers and their experiences. So until next time, remember this you are capable, you are ready, and the world will meet you there. Thanks for listening today. I'm Z Michelson, and as I always say, reach for those stars. And if you can only get to the moon, at least you made the trip. If you like this podcast, feel free to subscribe. Z Michelson Travel Podcast. Have a great day and have a happy adventure.