Luftner-Amadeus River Cruises

"Amadeus River Cruises" (amadeus-rivercruises.com) is a brand of the German passenger shipping company Luftner Cruises (aka "Lueftner Cruises", lueftner-cruises.com). The company is based in Austria and ranked among the most-renown river cruisetour operators on the European waterways. Established by the Luftner family (Martina Lueftner and Wolfgang Lueftner) this privately-owned company operates only premium riverboats, most of which are "Amadeus"-named.

Luftner's Amadeus fleet operates along Belgian and Dutch waterways, also in France (Rhone, Saone) and up and down the rivers Main, Moselle, Danube and Rhine. In 2013, the Luftner-Amadeus itinerary program for the first time included Seine River cruises (roundtrips from Paris City).

The company's highest standards of amenities and services guarantee comfortable river travel vacations with voyages focusing on environmental and cultural awareness. Crew's outstanding service is marked by traditional Austrian hospitality. The company's partnerships with Atmosfair (climate protection group) and UN's Green Globe promote voluntary contributions, matching donations and environment-friendly tourism.

Standard amenities are the sumptuous breakfast and lunch buffets, 5-course gourmet dinner with table-service and menus using only freshest regional (locally sourced) produce. Regional wines and beers are complimentary and served at lunches and dinners. Midnight snacks and 24-hour coffee/tea are also offered. During meals, musicians play live Viennese Schrammel folk music. On all Amadeus riverboats are not provided (even to Suite passengers) any concierge services or morning coffee delivery to the staterooms.

Luftner-Amadeus ships have spacious Sun Decks fitted with Giant Chess Board, putting green (mini-golf course), shuffleboard, walking track, shaded seating areas (with tables and deckchairs), sunbathing areas (with loungers), Lido Bar (lights snacks and beverages).

The spacious staterooms are tastefully furnished and give the feeling of staying in a sleek hotel room with adjustable air-conditioning, flat TV, phone, en-suite bathroom. Most cabins are with large floor-ceiling and wall-to-wall windows opening to French Balconies.

Compared with other European river cruise lines, Luftner-Amadeus cruises are more a la carte and moderately priced. Shore excursions are optional - can be individually purchased or booked as part of various cruisetour packages. While ashore, all passengers can use the riverboat's complimentary bicycles and wireless audio guides.

Fellow passengers are experiential-minded, involved in authentic travel experiences (rather than passive touring), well-traveled, somewhat older (50-plus) and casual. Kids under 12 can't be accommodated as Luftner ships don't have special facilities or programs dedicated for children. The company also has a strict policy to allow only a limited number of minors (passengers under 18), who have to be accompanied and share the stateroom with an adult (parent or legal guardian). The Luftner-Amadeus cruise line is also not recommended for travellers with limited mobility or with pets.

Amadeus River Cruises 2019 voyages for millennial travelers

In 2019, Luftner launches a series of Amadeus River Cruises for millennial cruisers. The 6-day itineraries are on Rhine, Rhone, and Danube. Each voyage is hosted by a popular social media person and facilitates a themed program onboard. The programs are centered around trendy topics, such as healthy living, nutrition, diets, fitness.

The new voyages target younger clientele (under 30 yo) and were designed via a strategic partnership between Luftner-Amadeus and Zaven Global (US-based incentive travel and promotion company headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah).

On each voyage, a celebrity influencer serves as host while sharing the cruise tour experience with her / his social media followers. The influencer also organizes a special onboard program focusing on trendy topics (nutrition, dieting, fitness, weight loss, healthy living, etc). By this project, onboard dining times and food menus were changed, as well as the types of tours and excursions ashore. Among the changes implemented were the open-seating dinner (your-time dining between 6-9 pm), various healthy food menu items, mobile apps available for millennial passengers (to plan their own excursions), yoga instructors on the ships (leading outdoor / Sun Deck lessons, also acting as lifestyle guides), themed onboard activities,

The marketing campaign started in Spring 2018 with a Rhone River cruise on Amadeus Provence (2017-built). The selected social media stars will become public once they start sharing their onboard experiences with millions of followers.

For millennial-generation river ship travelers were specifically designed the new-class ships Amadeus Queen (2018) and Amadeus Star (2019). These riverboats have an indoor swimming pool (located aft on Deck 3, with a recessed sundeck area) and an adjacent Amadeus Club (company's new "wine cellar bar" concept). Luftner-Amadeus newest boats also include Amadeus Imperial (2020), Amadeus Cara (2022), Amadeus Riva (2023), Amadeus Nova (2024), Amadeus Amara (2025).

The following drone video shows the ship Amadeus Provence.

Luftner-Amadeus is Europe's second large river cruise company targeting younger clientele - after Uniworld. Uniworld's millennial-focused voyages were introduced in Spring 2018 with 2 riverboats operated under the new brand "U by Uniworld".

(Coronavirus crisis) passenger shipping pause 2020-2021

Due to the COVID pandemic, Luftner-Amadeus suspended its entire fleet's passenger shipping operations (all boats) by canceling all voyages with pre-scheduled departures in the period March 14, 2020, through early-June 2021.

All affected Lueftner-Amadeus cruise bookings received 115% refund with rebooking - transferred as FCC (Future Cruise Credit). For rebooking (up to 24 months / through December 31, 2021) are available all voyages scheduled for 2021-2022.

Amadeus River Cruises' homeports/departure ports are in Germany (Passau, Nuremberg), Austria (Vienna), Netherlands/Holland (Amsterdam), Hungary (Budapest), France (Paris, Lyon), Switzerland (Basel), Romania (Fetesti).

The Lueftner's Amadeus river cruise fleet currently includes the following vessels.

• Amadeus Brilliant (2011-built) - 7-day and 14-day Danube voyages with departures from Passau and Budapest
• Amadeus Diamond (2009) - 7-day Seine River roundtrips from Paris
• Amadeus Elegant (2010) - 7-day and 14-day Danube and Rhine from Passau, Nuremberg, and Amsterdam
• Amadeus Royal (2009) - 7-day Moselle and Rhine from Amsterdam and Basel
• Amadeus Silver (2013) - 6-7-8-9-14-day Danube from Passau, Vienna, Fetesti, and Budapest
• Amadeus Silver 2 (2015) - 7-day and 14-day Moselle, Rhine and Danube voyages from Passau, Budapest, Basel, and Amsterdam
• Amadeus Silver 3 (2016), Amadeus Imperial (2020), Amadeus Cara (2022), Amadeus Riva (2023), Amadeus Nova (2024), Amadeus Amara (2025) - 7-9-day Moselle, Rhine, Main and Danube from Vienna, Passau, Basel, Amsterdam, Fetesti
• Amadeus Provence (2017) - 7-day Rhone River roundtrips from Lyon
• Amadeus Queen (2018) and Amadeus Star (2019) - 7-day and 14-day Rhine and Danube leaving from Passau, Nuremberg, Budapest, and Amsterdam

Luftner's fleet also includes the older boats Danubia (1980), Amadeus (1997), Amadeus Classic (2001) and Amadeus Rhapsody (1998).

Note: You can see CruiseMapper's list of all river cruise ships and riverboats in the "itinerary" section of our River Cruises hub. All passenger river shipping companies and their fleets are listed there.