We have recently launched a new monthly email series called “News from the Rivers”. In it, we share some wonderful, heartwarming moments and delightful photos involving our guests and crew on board our ships and during their excursions. These short stories are as diverse as our guests – often touching on interesting personal backgrounds, unexpected connections to our destinations or spontaneous surprise and delight moments created by our crew.
“Ama” means love, and there are many loving celebrations taking place during our cruises that are made even more memorable by the personal touches added by our Cruise Managers, Captains and crew. Each story within “News from the Rivers” is shared with the permission of our guests and the photos are personal, capturing the events in a spontaneous manner.
One of my favorite quotes is from Maya Angelou: “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” How we make our guests feel is so important to us and the stories shared in “News from the Rivers” email are just a sampling of the many special moments that our Cruise Managers share each week with all our employees around the world. These stories remind us of the importance of human connection and the difference we can make in our guests’ lives.
Some of our favorite stories have touched on the joy of a grandmother traveling with her six grandkids, the help from our Cruise Manager in tracking down lost luggage in time for a wedding celebration, the surprise of finding the exact meeting spot where a couple met 52 years ago and the fun of an unexpected moonlight top deck dance party on the Douro River - just to name a few.
One Cruise Manager helped orchestrate a fairytale surprise engagement surrounded by the timeless beauty of Golubac Fortress during Gems of Southeast Europe cruise while another coordinated with our kitchen team to prepare a baby gender reveal cake to the delight of the expecting couple’s family.
These unplanned personal moments are very special to our guests, but they also bring a deep sense of fulfillment to our Cruise Managers and crew who have a true passion for service and a mission to create special memories for our guests that last a lifetime.
If you have had a special AmaWaterways experience that warmed your heart or a crew member that you’d like to acknowledge for going the extra mile, we’d love to hear from you and be able to share your story with the rest of your AmaFamily.
Our next “News from the Rivers” email will be going out mid-October. If you don’t receive it, please let us know and we will be happy to add you to the distribution list.
Please your send your story and photos to us at: [email protected].