A Uniquely Up Close & Personal Experience

Enjoy an intimate week full of beautiful views, world class food, and the amazing Christmas markets of Europe (including the iconic Vienna market), in the company of your favorite musicians and a small gathering of friendly fellow jazz fans. See below for further details.

SOLD OUT - Wait List ONLY!
We will sail from Budapest on Monday, December 9
ending in Nuremberg on Monday, December 16, 2024 on AmaWaterways ship AmaVerde.

What’s Included?

All of the music, excursions, gratuities, port charges, taxes, and the standard AMA experience are included in your ticket price, including the following features and amenities:

  • Accommodation during the cruise

  • All gourmet meals onboard: early riser coffee and croissants; a rich buffet breakfast; a festive lunch buffet; afternoon tea & coffee with cake, cookies, & sandwiches; and a multi-course dinner

  • Free-flowing red and white wine from the local regions; beer or soft drinks for lunch and dinner

  • Sip and Sail happy hour nightly, one hour before dinner

  • Choice of dining options, including the main dining salon

  • 24-hour coffee & tea station, including ice water and iced tea. Cappuccino, latte and espresso can be requested during all meals

  • Captain’s Welcome Champagne Reception and Gala Dinner, and Captain’s Farewell Champagne Reception and Gala Dinner, plus several Theme Dinners

  • Bottled water, fluffy bathrobes, and slippers provided in each cabin

  • Use of the hot tub or swimming pool (as equipped) on the sun deck, and the wellness center inside, including fitness equipment

  • Use of the bicycles and helmets onboard

  • Onboard Internet (via flat-screen TV & keyboard in each stateroom, and wireless in our two lounges)

  • In-cabin movies

  • Elevator on board, operating between 4 different levels: Restaurant (Level 1), Staterooms (Level 2), Lobby and Panorama Lounge (Level 3) and Staterooms (Level 4); (elevator does not go to the lowest deck or Sun deck)

  • Nightly piano music, post headliner performance, and also during tea and coffee

  • Our daily shore excursion program during the cruise, with English speaking guides, including use of our QuietVox headsets

  • Services of our professional English-speaking Cruise Director

Danube River Route Map.

Itinerary:

Day 1, BUDAPEST – EMBARKATION. Board the ship for your Christmas Markets cruise. (D)

Day 2, BUDAPEST. Budapest is one of Europe’s most regal and storied cities—and many of its most iconic sights can be seen right off the banks of the Danube. Your tour through this sprawling World Heritage city offers splendid views from historic Buda Castle of the twin cities on both banks of the river. You’ll also visit Fisherman’s Bastion and see the marvelous Royal Palace, St. Stephen’s Basilica, Heroes’ Square and much more. Later, explore this beautiful city’s Christmas Markets. As an alternative, you can hike to Castle Hill, walking along Fishermen’s Bastion and take in all the iconic sites of Budapest with an active exploration. (B, L, D)

Day 3, VIENNA, AUSTRIA. The “City of Waltzes” offers a treasure trove of gems just waiting to be discovered. Join a tour showcasing its regal splendors, such as the majestic Opera House and the former Imperial Palace of the Habsburgs before concluding in Vienna’s historic city center. Afterwards, you’ll visit the Christmas Markets. If you prefer a more active adventure, then join a guided bike along the Danube River. During the afternoon, visit the Schönbrunn Palace with a giant sparkling Christmas tree. This market presents a glittering and stellar Christmas experience. Cap the day off with “Vienna by Night” Christmas Markets at the beautifully decorated Town Hall (Rathaus), Vienna’s largest Christmas Market. (B,L,D)

Day 4, MELK. High on a rocky outcrop lies the Melk Abbey, one of Europe’s most revered Baroque monasteries. Visit this magnificent Benedictine Abbey, which now houses a museum chronicling its history and a famous library with countless medieval manuscripts. Alternatively, go on a guided bike ride around Melk. During the evening, enjoy a scenic cruise through the Strudengau Valley. (B,L,D)

Day 5, PASSAU, GERMANY. Join a walking tour of this 2,000-year-old city, noted for its Gothic and Italian

Baroque architecture and St. Stephen’s. Go in search of Bavarian-style crafts at the Christmas Market. Or, for the active adventurer, join a guided bike tour along the Danube. Alternatively, you can travel through the serene Austrian Alps to Salzburg, birthplace of Mozart. Your full-day excursion in Salzburg includes a walking tour of the UNESCO-designated Old Town, its magnificent cathedral and its Christmas Markets, including the Hellbrunn Palace, where its inner courtyard is turned into a romantic backdrop for one of the most beautiful Christmas Markets in Austria. (B,L,D)

Day 6, REGENSBURG. Regensburg is one of Germany’s best preserved medieval cities, as well as a UNESCO

World Heritage Site. Join a guided walking tour showcasing the city’s architectural highlights, including the Old Town Hall and the Porta Praetoria, before visiting the Old Town Christmas Market. As an alternate option, sample some of Bavaria’s specialties—beer, sausage and pretzels. Or bike to the base of Walhalla where there is a neoclassical white marble temple inspired by the Parthenon in Athens. Later in the day, you’ll be treated to one of Bavaria’s most beautiful and romantic Christmas Markets at Thurn and Taxis, where you can watch artisans

make their unique arts and crafts. (B,L,D)

Day 7, NUREMBERG. Enjoy a scenic morning cruise as the ship crosses the Continental Divide via the Main-Danube Canal to Nuremberg. Join a city tour of WWII highlights and then walk through Nuremberg’s cobblestone streets to the Imperial Castle and 900-year-old city ramparts. Alternatively, you can taste your way through the city with a Franconian specialties tour, which introduces you to bratwurst, rotbier (red beer) and lebkuchen (gingerbread). Later, you can visit Nuremberg’s Christkindlesmarkt, one of the world’s largest and most famous Christmas Markets. (B,L,D)

Day 8, NUREMBERG – DISEMBARKATION.

How much will it cost?

See below for pricing packages and payment plans.

  • Credit card prices range from approximately $4202 to $6776 PER PERSON for cabins, and approximately $8115 per person for suites. This is an incredible, all-inclusive deal that is the same as average retail rates for cruises with first class entertainment! See rates below and please review all details before registering.

  • A non-refundable $1000 registration fee is required upon completion of your registration. Once your registration is complete AND the cruise is confirmed, our travel partner will contact you, and the cruise booking deposit of $1000 PER PERSON will be due immediately, with a credit of the $1000 registration fee paid.

  • See below for payment details.

  • Payments are due this far in advance, as we are chartering the ship, and our payments to the cruise line are due in mid 2024. We strongly encourage you to purchase travel insurance, which will be offered by our travel partner.

SOLD OUT - AmaWaterways ship AmaVerde
Ship and Layout (sailing December 9 from Budapest)

Click here to learn more about the AmaWaterways cruise ship AmaVerde. (WEEK ONE ONLY)

Pricing Packages

All cabins are priced for double occupancy.

ALL CABINS SOLD OUT!

Suites ** — $8115 per person

Cat AA+** - $7394 per person

Cat AA ** — $6776 per person

Cat AB ** — $6570 per person

Cat BA ** — $6364 per person

Cat BB ** — $6158 per person

Category C * — $5540 per person 

Category D — $4510 per person 

** indicates an outside balcony.

* indicates French balcony feature. French balconies open up to a railing—flush with the exterior wall—instead of a platform, so that you may enjoy fresh air and river views, without the risk of stepping out off the side of the ship.

We do not have any single rooms, but if you wish to reserve a spot as a single individual in any of our double occupancy cabins you must pay for double occupancy. Contact us to be waitlisted if we have an inquiry for a roommate.

Budapest at night.

Terms & Conditions

By registering, you understand and accept the following terms:

I understand that all prices are PER PERSON, based on double occupancy, and include administrative costs, taxes, gratuities, port charges, and fees for the cruise.

I understand that my registration is for TWO people in a cabin, unless I register for a single cabin (there are only two single cabins available on the ship) or indicate otherwise in the questions provided in the registration process. ONE registration is ONE cabin for TWO people.

I will be responsible for the cruise booking deposit, made either by credit card or check, within 7 business days, based on my total cruise payment choice (see above). If my cruise booking deposit is not received in 7 business days, my registration will be cancelled and my registration fee is nonrefundable.

If paying by credit card for the deposit and payments, my credit card will be charged by AMA WATERWAYS when I pay the deposit and all future invoices. These payments are for Rick Braun's River Cruise Getaway ONLY (i.e. the seven day cruise on the AmaReina - Week Two).

I understand that I will be responsible for all other fees for travel to and from the ship, and any other activities I chose to do while on this trip. NOTE: we will offer transfers and additional pre and post cruise hotel/activities, for an additional fee. These will be available about 12 months before the cruise is to sail.

All fees are nonrefundable, but can be used by another person. See specific payment terms above.

I assume full and complete responsibility for checking and verifying any and all passport, visa, vaccination, or other entry requirements of my destination and connecting points, and all conditions regarding health, safety, security, political stability, and labor or civil unrest at such destinations. Many countries require that the passport be valid for six months or more after date of entry. Some countries will not admit persons convicted of a crime. I assume full and complete responsibility for health-related requirements that travel suppliers and governments may impose from time to time, such as health affidavit forms, health screenings prior to departure or upon arrival, face coverings, vaccinations, or quarantines.

In case of emergency, lineup is subject to change.

Refunds & Cancellations

All payments made are non-refundable at the time of payment. To offset this risk, guests are urged to purchase Travel Insurance when the cruise is confirmed and your deposit is made. Our travel agent will be offering this to all our guests as an option when you make your cruise booking deposit.

NOTE: In the event that you cannot attend, you may transfer your reservation for a fee of $200 per person. The monetary arrangements are to be made between you and the person taking your place. We can pick up payments, if mid payment year, for a transfer.

What this means:

When you make any payment — the registration fee, completed cruise booking deposit, monthly payments, or the standard installment plan— that money is not refundable.

For example, if you pay your registration fee, we confirm the cruise, and you cancel, prior to completing your cruise booking deposit, you will lose the entire registration fee.

For example, if you pay your registration fee, make your cruise booking deposit, and then cancel, prior to your first regular due payment, you will lose the registration fee and the entire cruise booking deposit.

For example, if you pay the registration fee, make your cruise booking deposit, and one of the monthly payments, you will lose the registration fee, cruise booking deposit, and the first month's payment.