River Cruise Newsletter

Dear Vacations To Go Customer,

AmaWaterways is a family-owned company that offers a range of enticing itineraries, from the famous waterways of Europe and Russia to exotic destinations like the Chobe in southern Africa and the Mekong in Southeast Asia. Guests can expect warm, personalized service on the line's small ships. A diverse menu of shore excursions -- including private wine tastings, culinary classes and bicycle tours, among other activities -- provide authentic, enriching travel experiences.

AmaWaterways is offering our customers several fantastic offers. You'll find them below -- click the links to see applicable departures.

Save 5% to 10% off the cruise price of select European sailings when you book by May 26.

Save $5,000 per couple ($2,500 per person) off certain departures of Stars of Africa when you book by June 30.

These offers must be booked by May 31:

Save $1,000 to $2,000 per couple ($500 to $1,000 per person) off select Douro River cruises.

Save $1,000 per couple ($500 per person) off applicable Mekong itineraries and receive a free upgrade.

Save $500 per couple ($250 per person) off select wine cruises in Europe, plus receive $300 per stateroom in shipboard credits and a complimentary upgrade. (Shipboard credits are as good as cash and can be used for onboard purchases like gift shop items and spa or salon services).

Companion cruises for free on select August departures in certain cabin categories on the Mekong River.

Save 30% to 40% off select holiday cruises.

Save with waived or reduced single supplements on departures in Europe and Southeast Asia.

In addition, the company has released its 2014 cruises on European waterways and the Mekong River. Vacations To Go customers can save 5% off these departures when you book by July 31.

This year, AmaWaterways enhances its onboard dining program: The line now offers complimentary wine, beer and soft drinks with both dinner and lunch on its European fleet (except for the AmaVida on the Douro and AmaKatarina on the Volga).

The brand-new AmaVida debuted this March. Most staterooms and suites on the 106-passenger vessel boast balconies, and all have flat-screen televisions and complimentary Internet access and Wi-Fi. The AmaVida also offers a heated swimming pool, fitness center and massage treatments.

The AmaVida will sail a variety of Douro itineraries through Portugal's wine country, such as Enticing Douro and Port Wine & Flamenco. These trips navigate the river through northern Portugal, past picturesque villages, ancient vineyards and dramatic river gorges. Enjoy a home-cooked meal at the 14th-century Alpendurada Monastery and sample port wine at a "quinta," a traditional wine estate.

The AmaPrima made its maiden voyage in April, and it will be joined by two sister ships, the AmaSonata and AmaReina, in 2014. Each carries 164 guests. Staterooms feature the line's signature twin balconies -- a French balcony plus a full step-out balcony. In addition to the main dining room, there are two wine bars, a casual al fresco dining terrace and the intimate Chef's Table restaurant, where a different tasting menu is prepared each evening. Travelers can enjoy a heated pool with swim-up bar on the sundeck, a fitness room, massage and salon services and complimentary Wi-Fi. The in-room Infotainment system provides free Internet access, Hollywood movies and a music library.

AmaWaterways has created a series of Wine Cruises. These include complimentary wine-themed programs that showcase the winemaking regions of the Rhine, Danube and Mosel in Central Europe, the Douro in Portugal and the Seine and Rhone in France. There are tastings at vineyards and cellars, chats with local vintners and onboard lectures by experts from U.S. wineries, including St. Francis Winery and Vineyards in Sonoma County, Trinchero Family Estates in Napa and Wilson Creek Winery in Temecula. Click here to see all Wine Cruise departures with AmaWaterways.

There is still time to book AmaWaterways' Christmas Markets Cruises on the Rhine and Danube. Centuries-old holiday markets are set up in towns along the route, in cities like Nuremberg, Regensburg and Vienna. Booths decorated in festive lights sell handcrafted items such as toys, glass ornaments, Nativity scenes and candles. Food stalls tempt shoppers with grilled sausages and sauerkraut, gingerbread, soft pretzels and mugs of hot, spiced wine called Glühwein. Click here to see dates and rates for AmaWaterways' Christmas Markets Cruises.

Finally, I'd like to highlight AmaWaterways' Mekong River cruises in Vietnam and Cambodia. The 16-day adventure includes two hotel nights and guided sightseeing in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. There's also an overnight stay in beautiful Ha Long Bay aboard a traditional Vietnamese boat known as a junk. During a three-night stay in Siem Reap, guests visit Angkor Archaeological Park, which is the UNESCO World Heritage Site that includes the stunning Angkor Wat temple complex. Highlights of the cruise portion, which takes place between Tonle Sap Lake and My Tho Port, include tours of a Buddhist monastery, a silk weaving village, the spectacular Silver Pagoda in Phnom Penh and the floating village of Cai Be. An eight-day, cruise-only version of this trip also is available. Click here to see AmaWaterways' Mekong River departures.

---

Here are this week's Top 10 AmaWaterways River Cruises. All prices are per person, based on double occupancy, and subject to availability.

1) Vietnam, Cambodia & the Riches of the Mekong, 8 days with AmaWaterways. Begins in Siem Reap and ends in Ho Chi Minh City with visits to Wat Kampong Tralach Pleu, Phnom Penh and Tan Chau. Companion cruises for free. Starting at $1,849. Departs August 26, 2013. Book now!

2) Enticing Douro, 8 days with AmaWaterways. Begins and ends in Porto with stops in Barca d'Alva, Salamanca and Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo. Save $1,000 to $2,000 per cabin. Starting at $2,849. Departs July 9 & 30 and August 6, 2013. Book now!

3) Stars of Africa, 16 days with AmaWaterways. Begins in Cape Town and ends in Victoria Falls with visits to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, the Kruger National Park area and Chobe National Park. Save $5,000 per couple. Starting at $9,945. Departs July 21 & August 4, 2013. Book now!

4) Blue Danube Discovery, 8 days with AmaWaterways. Begins in Budapest and ends in Nuremberg with stops in Bratislava, Vienna and Regensburg. Save 40% off the cruise price. Starting at $2,349. Departs November 20 & 23, 2013. Book now!

5) Culture & Wine Legacy of the Rhine, 8 days with AmaWaterways. Travels between Amsterdam and Basel with stops in Cologne and Rudesheim. Save $500 per couple off the cruise price, plus receive $300 per couple in onboard credit and a free cabin upgrade. Starting at $2,349. Departs November 15 & 22, 2013. Book now!

6) Great Capitals & Vintages of the Danube, 8 days with AmaWaterways. Travels between Budapest and Vilshofen with stops in Vienna, Durnstein and Passau. Save $500 per couple off the cruise price, plus receive $300 per couple in onboard credit and a free cabin upgrade. Starting at $2,349. Departs November 9, 11, 16 & 18, 2013. Book now!

7) Treasures of the Main and Rhine, 8 days with AmaWaterways. Begins in Nuremberg and ends in Amsterdam with stops in Wurzburg, Rudesheim and Cologne. Save 40% off the cruise price. Starting at $2,299. Departs December 25, 2013. Book now!

8) Christmas on the Danube, 8 days with AmaWaterways. Begins in Budapest and ends in Vilshofen with stops in Bratislava, Vienna and Durnstein. Save 40% off the cruise price. Starting at $2,449. Departs December 23, 2013. Book now!

9) Christmas Time Cruise, 8 days with AmaWaterways. Travels between Budapest and Nuremberg with stops in Vienna, Passau and Regensburg. Save 30% to 40% off the cruise price. Starting at $2,349. Departures from November 25 through December 28, 2013. Book now!

10) Magnificent Christmas Time Cruise, 15 days with AmaWaterways. Begins in Budapest and ends in Amsterdam with stops in Bratislava, Nuremberg and Cologne. Save 40% off the cruise price. Starting at $4,749. Departs December 18, 2013. Book now!

Finally, for a complete list of cruises by river, click any link below.

Amazon River Cruises
Columbia River Cruises
European River Cruises
Mekong River Cruises
Mississippi River Cruises
Nile River Cruises
Yangtze River Cruises

Once you've found a river cruise that interests you, call us toll free at 800-510-4002 (US and Canada) and a river cruise specialist will attend to your needs. Customers from the UK, please call toll free 0-808-189-1346, and customers from Australia, please call toll free 1-800-686-709. All other international customers, please e-mail or call us at +1-832-252-2494.

To search for a river cruise anywhere in the world, click here. To see our worldwide listing of escorted tours, independent tour packages, train tours and safaris, click here. For hotels and resorts in the Caribbean, Mexico, Hawaii, Bermuda, the Bahamas, Europe, Canada and the continental US, click here. For savings of up to 75% on ocean-going cruises, click here.

Please e-mail me your comments, suggestions and questions at alanfox@rivercruise.com and I will respond the same day.

To send a copy of this newsletter to a friend or friends, click here.

Sincerely,

Alan Fox
Chairman & CEO