Adventures by Disney is expanding its partnership with AmaWaterways to offer new family-friendly river cruises on the Seine. They are also tacking on additional land packages to Disney Cruise Line voyages from San Diego. Plus, even more Star Wars Day and Marvel Days at Sea have been set for the Disney Fantasy and Disney Magic respectively.
New on the Seine River
In 2019, Adventures by Disney will take guests on 21 river cruises along the Danube, Rhine and Seine rivers. New on the latter French waterway will be 10-day, 9-night journeys beginning with two days on land in Paris followed by an 8-day sailing to Conflans, Vernon, etcetera. As in the past, AmaWaterways will continue as the brand’s preferred river cruise line partner.
Showcased during the itinerary will be the following:
• Interactive culinary activities such as a gourmet food tasting tour, local wine and cheese sampling and hands-on macaron-making demo.
• Guided excursions of Paris highlights such as Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre.
• Active tour options encompassing biking, canoeing, horseback riding, a ropes course and hiking on the cliffs of Etretat.
• Immersive regional experiences including Monet’s House and Gardens in Giverny, a hands-on painting workshop, an apple orchard visit with Calvados tastings, etcetera.
• Moving visit to the Normandy American Cemetery.
• Castle tours and engaging storytelling at Chateau de Bizy, Chateau Malmaison and Chateau Gaillard.
Of course, there will also be the opportunity to extend vacations to include the Disneyland Paris Resort as well.
Among the Seine dates will be two in the summer, ideal for families, and two in the fall, exclusively for epicurean adults. The latter two will showcase special food and wine-themed experiences onboard and off.
“Adventures by Disney river cruising continues to be an immensely popular vacation option for families, as well as adults looking for an exhilarating and immeasurably charming way to experience the rich culture of Europe,” said Ken Potrock, senior vice president of Adventures by Disney. “In 2019, we’re thinking bigger, expanding our river cruise offerings to include more departures than ever before. With the addition of new sailings along the Seine River, our guests now have a wealth of new destinations and experiences to enjoy in one of the most beautiful and romantic places in the world, France.”
Every river cruise is characterized by its variety and flexibility so that guests may customize activities to their hearts’ content.
Returning Rhine and Danube River Cruises
Also coming back in 2019 will be Adventures by Disney’s river cruises on the Danube and Rhine with AmaWaterways. Along the Rhine, travelers will visit France, Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands and enjoy such experiences as riding a toboggan in the Black Forest and discovering the storybook Heidelberg Castle.
Departures will be eight days and seven nights in length. Eight summer sailings will be perfect for the whole family, and two fall voyages will be geared exclusively for adults.
Meanwhile on the Danube, seven cruises will include five family-friendly varieties in the summer, a holiday-themed voyage for all ages in December and an adult-only Oktoberfest sailing in September.
Departures will also be eight days and seven nights in length stopping in Germany, Austria and Hungary. Experiences will encompass climbing above German treetops, making Austrian strudel and exploring quaint towns and villages.
My parents and I had an absolute blast when we personally sailed aboard the AmaKristina with Adventures by Disney. To get a taste for the experience check out the video sampler – including the aforementioned toboggan run – I produced in 4K Ultra HD for my Popular Cruising YouTube channel below.
San Diego Sailings
Besides the river cruises in conjunction with AmaWaterways, Adventures by Disney is also teaming up with Disney Cruise Line for some exclusive land experiences. ABD’s stand-alone 4-day, 3-night Southern California tour is now available as an extension to the latter’s roundtrip journeys from San Diego.
The guided group vacation option incorporates behind-the-scenes visits of The Walt Disney Studios, Walt Disney Imagineering and the Disney Archives to see props and costumes from classic films; plus VIP experiences at the Disneyland Resort like going to Walt Disney’s Disneyland apartment, etcetera.
The opportunity is available in the spring and fall of 2018 as a pre-cruise extension to Disney Cruise Line sailings.
Star Wars Day at Sea
The Disney Cruise Line itself will be bringing back its popular seven-night Star Wars Day at Sea offerings in 2019 as well from January to early March aboard the Disney Fantasy in the Caribbean.
Nowhere else in the world can fans of the galactic franchise find the likes of Jedi, Wookiees, droids, Stormtroopers and more on the ocean.
The celebration showcases an entire day of Star Wars activities such as an evening deck party with a breathtaking fireworks display, meet-and-greets with character favorites, family and youth fun, themed food and drinks and unique merchandise.
Star Wars Day at Sea will set sail nine times from Port Canaveral, Florida on January 5, 19; February 2, 16 and March 2, 2019 to the western Caribbean: Cozumel, Mexico; George Town, Grand Cayman; Falmouth, Jamaica and Disney’s Castaway Cay private island in the Bahamas; plus on January 12, 26; February 9 and 23, 2019 to the eastern Caribbean: Tortola, St. Thomas and Castaway Cay.
Marvel Day at Sea
Following the theme cruise trend will also be the return of Marvel Day at Sea in 2019 from January to early March aboard the Disney Magic‘s five-night voyages to the the Caribbean and Bahamas.
Just as the Star Wars franchise gathers on the Fantasy, so do Marvel comics, films and animated series assemble on the Magic along with the biggest collection of Marvel Super Heroes and Villains on a cruise ship.
All-day festivities encompass joining with your favorite characters from the Marvel universe before seeing them at a wonderful deck show. Also to be expected are fun children’s activities, special merchandise and imaginative food and beverages.
Marvel Day at Sea will be available on 10 Disney Magic sailings from Miami, Florida departing January 6 and 20, 2019 for the western Caribbean: George Town, Grand Cayman and Castaway Cay; January 11, 25; February 8, 22 and March 8, 2019 for the Bahamas: Key West, Florida; Nassau, Bahamas and Castaway Cay and February 3, 17 and March 3, 2019 for the western Caribbean: Cozumel, Mexico and Castaway Cay.
What do you think about all of these extensive Disney river and theme cruise developments? Tell us your opinion in the comments section below…
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