Start Your 2026 Sales Strong with AmaWaterways’ Early Departures and Group Travel Opportunities

As travel advisors look ahead to 2026, AmaWaterways is offering a compelling reason to start the year strong: a lineup of February and March river cruises designed to spark early bookings and maximize group travel potential. These late winter and early spring departures offer a peaceful, crowd-free way to experience Europe’s seasonal transition while unlocking lucrative benefits for you and your clients.

Seasonal Highlights on the Rivers

Among the standout itineraries are the new Easter Delights cruises along the Danube River. These 7-night holiday sailings celebrate spring with onboard Easter traditions and visits to charming local markets, making it an ideal choice for families and multigenerational groups. Also available is Best of the Danube, a 7-night roundtrip journey from Budapest, Hungary that showcases the grandeur of the region’s capital cities, including Vienna, Austria and Bratislava, Slovakia.

But beyond the itineraries, AmaWaterways is doubling down on its commitment to group travel with enhanced incentives and flexible booking options that make it easier than ever for advisors to build and grow their group business.

Unlock the Power of Group Travel

AmaWaterways’ group program is designed to be both rewarding and accessible. Advisors can earn up to 18% commission on cruise fares, plus additional earnings on land packages, air, insurance and extra nights. Plus, groups of just five staterooms (10 guests) qualify for generous discounts.  

The program also includes Group Amenity Points, which can be redeemed for onboard credits, wine, chocolates or even a confirmed Travel Advisor escort at special rates. These perks allow you to tailor the experience to your clients’ preferences while adding value to the booking.

For those looking to create themed or affinity groups, AmaWaterways offers a variety of Specialty River Cruises. These include:

• Smithsonian Journeys | AmaWaterways: Featuring exclusive excursions and two Smithsonian Journeys Experts on each departure; ideal for educators, history buffs and art enthusiasts.
• Celebration of Wine River Cruises: Perfect for wine lovers. Departures feature onboard and onshore tastings, vineyard visits and a specially curated dining event.
• Celebration of Beer River Cruises: Designed for beer enthusiasts, these departures feature curated tastings and expert hosts.

These specialty sailings provide a unique opportunity to market to niche audiences and build groups around shared interests.

Flexible Booking and Marketing Support

AmaWaterways makes it easy to get started with group bookings. You can choose from three group types: Standard/Affinity, Custom, and Promotional/Speculative. Each type features flexible policies and low deposit requirements. Once a group is secured, AmaWaterways provides robust marketing support, including personalized flyers, resource-rich toolkits, postcards and virtual cruise event invitations. Advisors also have access to a dedicated Group Coordinator and their Business Development Manager to guide them through every step of the process.

2026 Upfront Stateroom Incentive: A Game-Changer for Advisors

To further support group sales, AmaWaterways has introduced the 2026 Upfront Stateroom Incentive. Travel advisors who create a new group contract and successfully reserve five double-occupancy staterooms on select Europe, Egypt or Mekong River departures will receive a complimentary stateroom for two on the same sailing. The offer is valid for new group contracts signed and deposited between October 1 and December 31, 2025.

This incentive is a powerful tool if you are looking to travel with your groups, deepen client relationships and experience AmaWaterways firsthand.

Start Planning Today

With serene early-season sailings, themed group opportunities and generous incentives, AmaWaterways is offering a golden opportunity to kick off 2026 with strong sales and to offer unforgettable experiences for your clients.

To learn more or start building your group, visit your Travel Advisor Portal or contact AmaWaterways Group Sales at 800.626.0126.

From the Sponsor

Founded in 2002 by pioneering river cruise executives Rudi Schreiner, Kristin Karst and Jimmy Murphy, AmaWaterways offers unparalleled river cruise experiences with 31 custom-designed ships cruising Europe’s major rivers, Southeast Asia’s Mekong River, Africa’s Chobe River, Egypt’s Nile River and more. The company was recently selected as “Best River Cruise Line” by one of the world’s leading cruise-review sites and is renowned for its warm and welcoming crew, innovative and sustainable ship design, wellness activities—including onshore biking and hiking tour options—and exquisite farm-to-ship cuisine paired with complementary fine wine. Modern, spacious and tastefully decorated, most AmaWaterways ships welcome an average of just 156 guests and feature amenities such as an inviting Main Lounge, The Chef’s Table specialty restaurant, hair and massage salons, Sun Deck walking track, and heated outdoor swimming pools with swim-up bars. AmaWaterways is at the forefront of river cruise innovation, as demonstrated by this year’s debut of two new ships and itineraries along Colombia’s Magdalena River.