AmaWaterways had a banner year in 2024, with record-breaking sales numbers and strong hints of continued success — 2025 bookings are tracking 31% higher than those during the same time last year.
To get his take on those sales numbers, plus Egyptian sailings, fleet expansions and the news that Celebrity Cruises is entering the river cruise market, we talked with Rudi Schreiner, co-founder and president of AmaWaterways.
Why do you think 2024 was so successful for AmaWaterways?
I think, especially after two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, people are spending more resources on experiences rather than on luxury goods. Travel has been booming overall, especially river cruising. You see it also on the ocean [cruising] side.
There's a lot of growth going on; I think it's recovery from the COVID-19 years, and I think there may be a change in thinking; [people want] to really go out and experience life, and see more of the world.
Can you share any specific sales numbers or insights with travel advisors?
We are having a fantastic year. We are up about 35% in revenue over last year, so 2025 looks excellent. [Sales for] 2026 are again several percentages stronger than 2025, so the future looks very bright.
Hopefully, with our current situation in the Middle East, Egypt will settle down and people will start looking at Egypt [cruises] again.
How are sales in Egypt right now?
Egypt was booming before the October attack in the Gaza area, and then it hit hard. Bookings dropped immediately. It went down initially to below 50% of capacity. We picked up again, and I think we ran it last year around 60-62% capacity. So, close to two-thirds full.
We are seeing a fairly nice recovery these last few weeks; I think the peace talks helped a lot. It might cause a full recovery very soon. So, it looks good.
What else are you looking forward to for 2025 and beyond?
On March 15, we start our initial Magdalena River cruise on AmaMagdalena. We have been anticipating this. It’s a project we have been working on for more than six years now.
We also have another new ship coming in April, in Portugal on the Douro River: the AmaSintra.
We are working on the 2027 deployment [and considering] what's happening now. Prior to the Ukrainian war, the lower Danube — from Hungary down to Romania and Bulgaria — was kind of the fastest growing river cruise itinerary in Europe. Now, it’s coming back very strong.
We also see a strong impact in France. I think the Olympics in Paris put France on the traveler’s map again, because during the Olympics not too many people wanted to travel there. Immediately after [the games], there was good recovery, and now France is doing very well.
Then, we are building a couple of new ships for Europe. The AmaMagna is kind of the largest ship on the rivers in Europe, and now we are building the AmaRudi for 2027. That has been a project I've been working on for probably a year and a half. It will be kind of a sister ship, though with new ideas and changes over the AmaMagna. But they are similar, and the same double size as all the other European river cruise ships. The hull is being built in Serbia and then finished in Linz in Austria.
We are building another ship on the Mekong as well, [called] AmaMaya. That’s probably coming toward the end of 2026.
What other programs can you tell us about?
We are developing more and more special interest programs. We started a few years ago with our Soulful Experience cruises, and they have been developing very well. So, we will do more of those in 2026 and 2027.
Currently, we have about 80 wine-themed cruises on various rivers in Europe, with mostly U.S. wine houses. And now we’re also starting to offer beer-themed cruises.
We have wellness hosts on every ship currently, but we will develop some very special wellness cruises with more activities from two wellness hosts onboard. [We will offer] hiking, extra bikes and so on.
What is the current status of AmaMagdalena?
It should be completed by March 15. Everything has been put in place, from shore excursions and restaurant management to onboard management. Now let's hope it works.
Usually, with a new destination, you will have a couple of shakedown weeks to learn all the nitty gritty details, but also exciting times to experience those initials startups. There will be some hiccups, but that’s part of it.
What are your thoughts on the recent news that Celebrity Cruises is planning to enter the European river market?
It didn't come unexpectedly. They have been in discussions. I know that Jason Liberty was very eager for the last five or six years, even before he became president, looking into the river cruise market, together with Richard Fain.
I think they also looked at the Viking model. They seem to be realizing that a lot of their clients are on river cruises, and they need to capture that market, too.
