AmaWaterways Opens 2028 Sales With Four New Ships and Longer Douro Season

AmaWaterways has put its full 2028 program on sale, adding four new ships across Europe and Africa, a new Burgundy and Provence itinerary, and expanded pre- and post-cruise land packages — the clearest signal yet of the operator's plan to grow its fleet beyond 50 ships by 2032, as reported by Cruise Industry News.

Selling 2028 inventory more than two years ahead gives travel advisors a long booking window on fresh hardware, which in river cruising typically commands the highest early-season pricing and the strongest advance yields.

What goes on sale?

The 2028 deployment centers on four new vessels across three regions:

• The AmaMaria, debuting on the Rhine with 76 staterooms and the next-generation design and layout introduced aboard its sister ship, the AmaFiora, which launches in April 2027.
• In Portugal, the AmaGaia joins the AmaDouro and AmaSintra on the Douro River, alongside one further new ship — meaning four vessels on that river alone.
• In Africa, a new ship on the Chobe River will join the existing Zambezi Queen.

The Douro build-out comes with a commercial change for sellers: an extended sailing season running through November and December, opening shoulder-month inventory in a market where capacity has been the main constraint on growth.

Where is the new product concentrated?

The headline itinerary addition is a 10- and 11-night "Elegance of Burgundy & Provence" program aboard the AmaCello, available in July and August 2028. It sails the Rhône and Saône rivers with extended time in port across the wine regions, historic towns and culinary centers of Burgundy and Provence. For advisors, the longer format converts a standard one-week France product into a higher-ticket booking with more attached revenue per passenger.

The land program is expanding too. AmaWaterways is adding pre- and post-cruise packages on select itineraries:

• Three nights in Krakow and Brussels.
• Two nights in Nuremberg, Germany; Lyon, Aix-en-Provence and Dijon in France; Porto, Portugal; Basel, Switzerland; and Luxembourg.

Each land extension lengthens the total trip value and lifts commissionable spend per booking without requiring new ship capacity.

What did the company say?

CEO Catherine Powell framed the 2028 program as part of a continuous product push rather than a one-off expansion. "We're always looking ahead and thinking about how we can continue to evolve the AmaWaterways experience and bring our guests closer to the destinations they visit," Powell said.

She added: "Our 2028 journeys reflect that vision, with new ways to explore, discover and connect, both on board and on shore. We're excited about what's to come and the opportunities it creates for our guests to experience the world with us in new and meaningful ways."

How does this fit the growth plan?

The four 2028 debuts sit inside a stated ambition to take the fleet past 50 ships by 2032. The company has not disclosed berths or capacity figures for the Portugal and Chobe vessels, so the revenue impact of those additions remains unmeasured; the Rhine and Douro ships are the concrete, countable capacity in this release.

What should sellers do now?

The practical takeaway for trade partners is sequencing: 2028 inventory on new ships and the longer Burgundy-Provence itinerary is available immediately, and the extended Douro season creates winter-departure options that did not exist before. With the fleet target set for 2032, advisors can expect further deployment announcements in each coming season.