AmaWaterways announced a new partnership with family history and consumer genomics company, Ancestry, in a collaboration that will provide an opportunity for guests to discover details about their specific family history while enjoying a river cruise.
As part of the rise of heritage travel, the Ancestry Experience allows travellers to customize their cruise experience through pre-cruise private consultation and family history research, onboard presentations and curated excursions accompanied by an expert genealogist throughout the cruise.
The first cruise in the experience, Heritage on the River: Your Personalized Ancestry Experience, will depart on 30JUL 2022 aboard the AmaStella. Guests will sail on a seven-night river cruise along the Rhine River, visiting Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, France and Switzerland.
“Having grown up along the legendary Elbe River in Germany, I am personally overjoyed by this new collaboration that provides our guests with a unique opportunity to connect with their European roots, through personalized research and specially curated experiences,” said Kristin Karst, executive vice president and co-founder of AmaWaterways. “Maintaining or creating cherished family connections is more important than ever, and this partnership with the industry-leading team at Ancestry provides the perfect setting to bring our guests’ treasured family stories to life.”
The experience begins as soon as cruise is booked. Travellers will be matched up with an expert from Ancestry’s professional research division, who will conduct a one-hour call to discuss aspects of their family that are of particular interest. Afterwards, the genealogist will 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 onboard the ship, 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.
To round 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 enjoy an Ancestry-specific group excursion with their genealogist. In certain cases, travellers can delve even deeper with an optional add-on of an Ancestral Home Visit accompanied by a genealogist.
Reservations for the 30JUL 2022, Heritage on the River: Your Personalized Ancestry Experience are now open, with prices starting from USD $5,399.
More information on the cruise and AmaWaterway's partnership with Ancestry can be found here.
