AmaWaterways has forged a new partnership with the global leader in family tracing platform Ancestry. The collaboration provides a unique opportunity for guests to discover details pertaining to their specific family history while enjoying a luxury river cruise experience.
“With an uptick in consumers embracing heritage travel, the special Ancestry Experience package allows travellers to further personalise and enrich their river cruise experience through pre-cruise private consultation and family history research, onboard presentations and curated excursions accompanied by an expert genealogist throughout the cruise,” AmaWaterways said.
The first cruise in the series, Heritage on the River: Your Personalised Ancestry® Experience, will depart on 30 July 2022, on board the 156-guest AmaStella. Guests will embark in Amsterdam on a seven-night river cruise along the Rhine River, visiting Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, France and Switzerland while tracing their roots and following along in their ancestors’ footsteps.
“At its core, Ancestry is a family history company, and we are constantly looking for new ways to help others uncover their own personal stories and to bring deeper meaning to their findings through genealogical research and heritage travel,” said Jon Lambert, Director of Global Client Relations for Ancestry. “We found this same passion for creating enriching life-changing experiences with AmaWaterways Co-founders Rudi Schreiner and Kristin Karst. Their European heritage and appreciation of cultural diversity fit perfectly with Ancestry’s mission to empower journeys of self-discovery to change lives.”
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Each guest who signs up will be matched with an expert from AncestryProGenealogists, Ancestry’s professional research division, who will conduct a call to discuss aspects of their family that are of particular interest. The genealogist will then conduct a five-hour consultation and research phase delving into family background and identifying places of interest that the guest may visit or pass by during their river cruise.
Once on board, a genealogist will offer presentations to provide insight into what life was like for guests’ ancestors and highlight the types of records that are available for them to learn more. As guests travel through different regions where their ancestors lived, the genealogist will explain the history behind those areas, providing an understanding of the past and a glimpse of their ancestors’ everyday lives.
Rounding out the experience, each guest will also receive a private onboard consultation with the expert genealogist to review their own family tree. They will also have the opportunity to participate in an Ancestry-specific group excursion with their expert genealogist. In certain cases, travellers can delve even deeper with an optional add-on of an Ancestral Home Visit accompanied by an expert genealogist, at an extra cost.
Reservations for the Heritage on the River: Your Personalised Ancestry® Experience are open, priced from US$5,399 per person twin share.
More at amawaterways.com/ancestry