River tips

Summertime in the Texas can really heat up. When temperatures spike, Texans and those who visit have two choices when they want to cool down. They can stay indoors and crank the AC, or head for water—if the drought hasn’t dried it up.

In honor of Global Travel Advisor Day, coming up on May 1, Riviera River Cruises is rolling out a series of booking incentives throughout the entire month of May.

This article originally appeared in the April issue of AGENTatHOME magazine.  Subscribe here to receive your free copy each month.

Uniworld Boutique River Cruises, the all-inclusive river cruise line with sailings for just 120 guests on average, is offering its first wave of a summer flash sale today, April 16, with select itineraries offering savings of 50 percent. 

AmaWaterways is delaying the launch of its new river cruises in Colombia.

Whether you're fascinated by American history, culture and cuisine, or you've enjoyed river cruising in Europe but are now looking to explore closer to home, U.S. river cruises are an easy and enjoyable vacation option.

Last month, five travel advisors from four Dream Vacations franchises headed to France for AmaWaterways' Taste of Bordeaux wine cruise. The women, who describe themselves as a "tribe," didn't take the trip together just for fun: They were gathering photos, videos, experiences and memories with which to sell a partial charter of the AmaDolce's October 2025 sailing of the same itinerary.

A new ultra-luxury cruise line wants to be the swankiest travel-by-river vacation option.

For centuries the Lea has been a vital artery for London, carrying drinking water and grain into the city and servicing the factories and gunpowder mills that grew up along its banks. Rising in Bedfordshire, it flows for 46 miles through Hertfordshire and north-east London, eventually reaching the Thames. It’s often described as London’s second river, but this unsung tributary gets little of the glory or recognition of the Thames.

Riviera River Cruises' decision to double down on departures exclusively for solo passengers is the latest example of travel companies catering to parties of one.

I am at the back of an inflatable kayak on Portugal's famously scenic Douro River, paddling wildly against the current, when it hits me: River cruising sure has changed.

Avalon Waterways is the latest river cruise line to launch sailings on the Douro.

River cruise companies are extending their European sailing season beyond high season by offering departures during the early part of the year and adding even more destinations other times of year. These itineraries offer even more products and alternatives for travel advisors to sell and they are seeing interest in off-peak bookings among their clients. Bob Bradley, owner of The Pampered Cruiser, an independent affiliate of Direct Travel (a Virtuoso agency) based in Stamford, Conn., believes the interest from clients in a 12-month European river cruise season will only grow.

AMSTERDAM -- The ASTA River Cruise Expo returned to Europe for its third year, featuring more ships, more travel advisors and an even larger venue.

I had barely unbuckled my seatbelt and was already wondering if I had driven six hours across Texas for nothing. A once-in-a-lifetime river adventure had seemingly evaporated with some disappointing news.

The American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) announced that its 2025 River Cruise Expo in Vienna, Austria next March has sold out.The news comes just two days after ASTA announced Vienna as the host city for the fourth annual event on March 12-15, 2025. A total of 1,500 attendees registered for next year's River Cruise Expo.ASTA is currently working to secure additional ships to participate in next year's expo to meet the demand. If successful and inventory is expanded, the organization plans to open spaces to individuals registered for the wait list in the order their name was added.Advisors can add their names to the list here."We are thrilled by the response to this unique event. We are even more excited to see advisors experiencing immediate ROI from attending," said Sarah Little, VP of Business Development at ASTA."Many of them have secured client bookings because of their social media posts while onsite. We are committed to creating more events that boost knowledge, relationships, and profitability."

River cruising is becoming an increasingly popular way to travel—and travel advisors are capitalizing on the industry’s success.

Demand for river cruising in the U.S. is rising and not expected to soften despite the sudden shutdown of American Queen Voyages, travel advisors say.

Riviera River Cruises will offer new, longer itineraries in 2025, with cruises ranging from 15 to 29 days long.

APT has announced two new river cruise ships, the APT Solara and APT Ostara, set for 2025, sailing along the Rhine, Main, and Danube Rivers.

When they debut in 2025, Riviera River Cruises’ two newest ships will sail the Danube and Douro rivers in Europe.