AmaWaterways Bordeaux Wine Cruise - Exclusive Group Opportunity with Ryan!

Join travel advisors Ryan and Julie as they dive into an exclusive AmaWaterways river cruise opportunity that wine and food lovers won't want to miss! Ryan shares details about his hosted group cruise through France's renowned Bordeaux wine region, sailing July 16-23, 2026.

Featured Cruise: Taste of Bordeaux Wine-Themed River Cruise

Ship: AmaWaterways AmaDolce
Dates: July 16-23, 2026
Route: 7-night round-trip from Bordeaux

Highlighted Destinations & Experiences:

• Bordeaux wine regions: Médoc, Saint-Émilion, Libourne, Blaye, Cadillac
• Exclusive wine tastings at UNESCO World Heritage vineyards
• Culinary experiences: Market visits with onboard chefs, truffle hunting, bread baking in historic windmills
• Cultural immersion: Castle tours, citadel visits, walking tours along scenic riverfront
• Special group activities: Wine and food pairing dinners, chef's table experiences

Extension Options

Pre-Cruise: 4-night Spanish Basque Country (Bilbao, San Sebastian) - $1,440/person

• Guggenheim Museum visit
• Michelin-star dining experiences
• Spanish pintxos tastings

Post-Cruise: 3-night Loire Valley & Paris - $1,590/person

• Fairytale châteaux visits
• Paris landmarks tour
• Romantic city exploration

Special Pricing (Through July 2025)

Triple Savings Promotion:

• $1,000 off per person
• Complimentary cabin upgrade
• $100 onboard credit per stateroom

Group Pricing:

• Category B (French Balcony): $5,848/person (upgraded to Category A)
• Category E: $4,348/person (upgraded to Category D)
• First two bookings: Additional 5% discount
• $400 deposit required per person

Why Choose This Cruise?

Ryan emphasizes the "relaxed, boutique onboard experience" that AmaWaterways is known for, comparing it to staying in a luxury boutique hotel. The itinerary focuses on authentic French wine culture, smaller off-the-beaten-path towns, and immersive culinary experiences that differ from typical Rhine or Danube river cruises.

Perfect for: Wine enthusiasts, foodies, couples, solo travelers, and anyone seeking luxury travel with cultural immersion.

How to Book

Contact Ryan at WonderandBeyondTravel.com - click "Work with Ryan" and mention "AmaWaterways Group" in your email.

Experience France's wine country like never before with expert guidance and exclusive group amenities!

Transcript

ryan_1_07-13-2025_192237: 0:00

Hello and welcome to all things travel. Imagine sipping Bordeaux, finest vintages, at their source wandering, cobbled, village streets, enjoying world-class cuisine and sailing the peaceful rivers of France. Have I got an opportunity for you? Today we're gonna discuss an itinerary that I'm hosting that's perfect for couples friends, solo travelers, and anyone who wants to combine luxury travel with immersive culture and culinary discovery.

j_1_07-13-2025_192237: 0:31

Listen in with travel advisors and destination experts, Ryan and Julie. He is your travel professor teaching you everything you need to know to have a magical vacation. And I am a Disney loving Maryland mom of three and a specialist in family travel. Whether we're discussing incredible destinations, top vacation tips, or sharing personal stories, it's always all things travel.

ryan_1_07-13-2025_192237: 0:56

So Julie, you know that I have sailed river cruises several times. I've sailed specifically with Amma waterways several times. We've talked about that on the show. When you think of a river cruise and sailing with Amma waterways, what types of things come to mind for you?

j_1_07-13-2025_192237: 1:14

Luxury, comfort, good food, peaceful rivers, little quaint towns.

ryan_1_07-13-2025_192237: 1:23

Absolutely. one of the things that I really want to focus my business on is river cruises. I like doing it all, but I specifically have fallen in love with river cruises. I reached out to Amma Waterways and I said. You know, I wanna do something special. I love wine and food. I don't know if you've gotten that when we've talked about travel, that, food and drink can be important to me. I love learning about how the culture and food and, and drink kind of, you know, together and. I am so excited. In fact, I wasn't gonna do this episode until later and I talked to you and I'm like, I've gotta do this episode now. I have an exclusive opportunity for folks. I've secured a special group space with group pricing aboard. I'm a aboard Amma Waterways taste of Bordeaux wine themed river cruise that sails. Almost a year from now, July 16th, the 23rd, 2026, aboard the Amad Dolce. And the best part, Julie, is I'm gonna be there with you.

j_1_07-13-2025_192237: 2:31

Well, not with me,

ryan_1_07-13-2025_192237: 2:32

Not with you, but with my guests. So I wanted to talk about it first on the podcast because I want to give folks the opportunity if they like what they're hearing on this episode, if this excites them about river cruising, I want them to have the first opportunity to join me. On this amazing trip, so I wanna talk about all of it today. I'm so excited. But first, speaking of going to Europe, if you did not listen to last week's episode, we talked all about tips for your first trip to Europe, Alright, so this Julie, this itinerary for me when I talked with Amma Waterways and I said I was interested in wine. you know, Jasmine and I are wine club members at our local winery. we're gonna get, married at our favorite winery in October. You and Steven are gonna be there. We're really excited about that. So wine.

j_1_07-13-2025_192237: 3:27

It's happening.

ryan_1_07-13-2025_192237: 3:28

it's happening. I said it. I wanted to do something around wine because I have a lot of friends that will connect with this. this itinerary is really a true celebration of French wine culture and cuisine, and it's perfect for anybody who likes to eat or drink and see amazing places, which, who isn't that person, Julie.

j_1_07-13-2025_192237: 3:50

Well, not me and my family

ryan_1_07-13-2025_192237: 3:51

Okay. Not okay, but, but soon. But soon. First of all, you are going to be sailing through. Some of Bordeaux's most famous wine regions. We're talking about Madoc, we're talking about Saint m Elian. We're talking a lot about La Bourne. Bly, Cadillac. and I'm sure I'm mispronouncing some of those, but when I go on the cruise and as I research more, it's gonna be awesome. On this cruise, then we're gonna have hosted wine tastings and excursions. So we are gonna be having a lot of excursions. And there are other things too. It's not just wine, but for those people that really want to get into it and taste it, it's gonna be there. We're gonna have experts with us and my group is actually gonna have some special onboard activities focused around, wine and food and what we're doing with the region. There's gonna be onboard food and wine pairing, dinners. Remember I've talked about that Special Chef's table dinner where they're gonna be focusing on the region. there's gonna be excursions like truffle hunting, baking bread in a historic windmill, going to multiple vineyards and sampling different types of wine, It's just gonna be an amazing trip. And like you said, amongst all of this, you're gonna have that relaxed, boutique onboard experience. I read through some of Amma waterways. Information about this cruise, and they use that term relaxed, boutique onboard experience. And I just think that nails it because it's not stuffy, but feels like you're in a boutique hotel it is just really, really cool. And for this cruise, Julie, if. You want to, you can extend it in several different ways. There's a pre cruise option that's a four night, stay in the Spanish Basque country. So we're talking about Bilbao, we're talking about San Sebastian. Or you can do three nights in the War Valley and Paris. You can do one of those. You can do both of those, or you can just join the cruise the way that it is.

j_1_07-13-2025_192237: 5:58

I'm so jealous that I can't come on this trip.

ryan_1_07-13-2025_192237: 6:02

Well, you have a year to find coverage. to put in your PTO time.

j_1_07-13-2025_192237: 6:08

Oh gosh.

ryan_1_07-13-2025_192237: 6:09

All right, so what are we talking about here with this cruise again? July 16th to the 23rd? 2026. We're gonna be on the Amad Doce. It's a seven night Round trip Cruise from Bordeaux. you can fly into Bordeaux or you could fly into Paris. Make your way to Bordeaux. There's several different ways, and if you're coming with me, if you're part of this group, I'm gonna help you plan all of this. So let's talk about the specific cruise you're gonna be exploring stunning French rivers with excursions through charming little towns, iconic vineyards, historical landmarks. So, day one, we're gonna be in Bordeaux, settling in. The first thing we're gonna do is have a welcome reception where everybody's gonna raise a glass of their favorite, uh, bubbly or wine or cocktail, and meet the crew. day two. you're in La Bourne a, you're doing a wine tasting at an esco, world Heritage Site vineyard. So right there, first full day you are in it. The third day you are in the same spot and you can do a, market visit with the chefs on board to help pick some of the food for dinner that night. Or you can go to several Chateau to see that classic French. Architecture, kind of country architecture, if you will.

j_1_07-13-2025_192237: 7:34

Wow.

ryan_1_07-13-2025_192237: 7:34

Then we're heading down to Bly and Borg, and you can go to an exclusive Amma Waterways wine festival in Borg. So at the end of the day, after you've done your tours, you do a tour of a Citadel The town hosts a wine festival for you before you get back on board. Day five, you're at the Madoc Grand Crew class, a wine tasting, and you are learning all about that special wine Day six, you're in Cadillac, you're going on a castle tour, and then you're doing another wine tasting What if I don't like that much wine? Ryan, that's okay, because there's other things that you can do. when I've been on Amma Waterways cruises before, there are always at least three different excursions that are included. None of what I'm talking about today is, is extra. These are all included With your crews. So if you would rather go on a city walking tour, if you'd rather go on a bike ride, if you would rather go off on your own, you can certainly do that. Day seven. Then we are ending in Bordeaux and doing a scenic walking tour or bike ride along the river front. Julie, this I just, I'm so excited about this. mean, think of, think of the. Pedigree you would get in understanding wine culture not even to be stuffy about it, but just to understand and appreciate wine picking out a favorite bottle from each vineyard, to bring home with you to remember your trip. I'm so excited about what this itinerary has to offer. when I think of river cruising, I've always done it in early spring, doing this in the summertime when you can get out on the bikes, when the sun's shining and you're in the vineyards. just sounds awesome.

j_1_07-13-2025_192237: 9:28

Sounds like a dream and. I appreciate that it's a lot of these like smaller, lesser

ryan_1_07-13-2025_192237: 9:35

Yeah.

j_1_07-13-2025_192237: 9:36

of off the beaten path towns because it feels like you're really being immersed in the area.

ryan_1_07-13-2025_192237: 9:42

when people talk about European River cruising, they're usually talking about the Rhine or the Danube. I was on the Danube this last spring and it was absolutely lovely. I would go back in a second and I'm sure that I will, but something like this really, caught my eye It's unlike any other river cruise, you're gonna come back and talk to your friends about river cruising, and if they've river cruised, you're gonna have completely different experiences from them to talk about

j_1_07-13-2025_192237: 10:08

this definitely has that boutique feel you were mentioning.

ryan_1_07-13-2025_192237: 10:13

and remember, one of the hallmarks of alma waterways is the food changes, the wines change. The offerings even at lunch change based on where you are. So you are really going to understand, you're gonna be immersed in the culinary and the cultural, aspect of this French region. So excited about it. So I want to talk about the pricing. I wanna talk about some other opportunities. But first I wanna talk about where in the world is all things travel. I was looking for an international, location this week. Julie, since we're talking about river cruising through France and Manchester England popped up, what is Manchester England known for Julie

j_1_07-13-2025_192237: 11:00

Soccer.

ryan_1_07-13-2025_192237: 11:01

Soccer or football? Absolutely. So. For me, I was trying to find a cool little hip spot, but you know what? I'm just gonna Embrace myself in the football culture. So I'm gonna go with our listener to ET the odd stadium, and then I'm also gonna go to the National Football Museum, which is in Manchester, England, so I'm just gonna soak it up. I've been to multiple soccer stadiums like that, and it is just. A lot of fun. So listener, we are so excited that you're listening all the way from Manchester, in England. Do me a favor, reach out to either Julie or myself. You can do that on Wonder and beyond travel.com because I would love to send a little thank you gift across the pond to say thank you for listening to all things travel. So I want to talk, Julie, about these optional land packages that you can use to extend your journey. the pre cruise excursion is a four night Spanish Basque country extension, where you're gonna be exploring the cultural and culinary treasures of Bilbao and San S. So that's going to include a visit to the world famous Guggenheim Museum. Tasting, Spanish pin chos and Michelin star cuisine. And pin chos are little appetizers, kind of like tapas, but it's a regional difference if you want to kind of think about it that way. ocean views, elegant boulevards and charming old town strolls over these couple nights, folks that were on my trip this spring that did the pre-trip to Prague, they felt taken care of the entire time they met their cruise director, was actually on the trip with them, so they already had that rapport. it sounded like it was a fabulous way to extend the trip. After the cruise, you could extend it with a three night, stay. In France, talking about the War Valley and Paris, so you can end your adventure and style with visits to fairytale chateau, and a day in the romantic city of lights with the iconic landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and the Mon Marra. So you're going to get your fix of par Grand Paris. all of these, packages, these extensions include luxury hotels, guided excursions, breakfast transfers, and like I said, you've got your cruise manager there Throughout the entire trip to make sure that you're, good to go. from talking to our cruise manager when we were sailing the Danube, this area of the world, these types of cruises are her favorites.

j_1_07-13-2025_192237: 13:37

So jealous.

ryan_1_07-13-2025_192237: 13:39

Alright Julie, let's talk about some of this pricing so we can tell people there different opportunities that they have when it comes to joining me on this cruise.

13:54

Okay, so I'm coming in a bit later here after recording with Julie because I wanted to check in on some special pricing to make sure that I had the exact numbers. And right now through the end of July, which I know is coming up soon, but through the end of July, we can take advantage of a really good deal. They have a triple savings promotion going on that's gonna be a thousand dollars off per person for this cruise. It's also going to include a complimentary one cabin upgrade. so once you book, so for instance, if you book a category B, you'll be upgraded to a category A. And it also includes a hundred dollars onboard credit per state room that you can use for anything on, the ship. You can use'em for your gratuities, you can use'em for drinks, you can use them for, the spa or different things like that. So. I've got some really good amenities right now for that. So let's talk about what that pricing looks like. So if we are in a category B, You're gonna price it out at a B, which is a French balcony room. Beautiful French balconies. You've heard me talk about that on the show before. If we take advantage of that triple savings, we're gonna be upgraded to a category A, which is a better room four. That we are looking at$5,848 So for double occupancy, that's$11,696. So a very, very good price for a cruise. this type, if we go down to a category, category E. So we'll get bumped up to a category D then that means we're gonna be paying$8,696 per couple. That breaks down to$4,348 per person. And again, you've heard how all inclusive. This cruise is so I'm really, really excited about that pricing, so I want you to take advantage of this pricing over the next couple weeks because this triple savings promo is about the best thing that Alma Waterways ever does when it comes to pricing. Now let's talk about the pre and the post options. So I talked in the show about the four night Spanish Bask package, which is the pre cruise, if we want to add that on. We're looking at$1,440 per person, assuming that we have a double state room, which you're gonna wanna have a double state room on a trip like this. It just makes economic sense and it makes travel sense too. So$1,440 per person to add on those four nights if we want to do the three nights Paris, post cruise package. We're looking at$1,590 per person to add on. And again, we can do one of those, we can do both of those, or we can just take advantage of the cruises. you can really mix and match the way that you want. I'm gonna help you all along the way when it comes to planning out this cruise, when it comes to planning out travel, when it comes to planning out travel protection, and really what's gonna be the best for you as far as state rooms. A$400 deposit is what's required per person But I do have an extra enticement here. The first two cabins that I book on my group, the first two cabins are gonna get an extra 5% off. They're cruise fair. So again, you've got savings upon savings upon savings that get you to a really good price point for a trip like this. So how are we going to. Talk to me about this. Well, it's very easy. Just reach out to me at Wonder and beyond travel.com and click on work with Ryan and include the Amma Waterways group in the email, and we will go from there. I'm so excited to work with you. I hope you're excited about this trip and you want to travel with me to France next year. Alright, back to Julie and me.

ryan_1_07-13-2025_192237: 18:24

Julie, there you go. I am so excited about this. This is something that I've wanted to do for a long time, I love traveling with a small group, and I think this is the right way to do this. I would love to have a group of our listeners with me experiencing the French countryside, a, a group of our listeners that want to really immerse themselves in France, immerse themselves in wine and food. Come along with me. let's do this. let's have an awesome trip next year.

j_1_07-13-2025_192237: 18:57

I'm so excited for you.

ryan_1_07-13-2025_192237: 18:59

So they are Julie, the ball's in your court. Now let's plan something fun for our listeners from your end of the vacation spectrum.

j_1_07-13-2025_192237: 19:07

Well, I'm not gonna compete with you, Ryan, but I will be on a Disney cruise at the same time

ryan_1_07-13-2025_192237: 19:13

Really. Okay.

j_1_07-13-2025_192237: 19:15

my med cruise is the same week.

ryan_1_07-13-2025_192237: 19:17

Oh, so we're both gonna be in Europe. Look out Europe.

j_1_07-13-2025_192237: 19:21

who's running the business that week?

ryan_1_07-13-2025_192237: 19:23

Look out Europe. All things travel is across the pond.

j_1_07-13-2025_192237: 19:28

Isn't that so funny?

ryan_1_07-13-2025_192237: 19:29

That is really, really cool.

j_1_07-13-2025_192237: 19:31

through the episode.

ryan_1_07-13-2025_192237: 19:33

Maybe we can share a transfer from the airport.

j_1_07-13-2025_192237: 19:37

The world is full of wonder and your next great adventure is waiting at Wonder and Beyond Travel. We work with you to create a one of a kind journey, taking the stress off of you so you can focus on the joy of exploring and the memories that will stay with you forever. If you're ready to start planning or just want to dream a little bigger, head over to Wonder and Beyond travel.com. I'd love to help you get started.

ryan_1_07-13-2025_192237: 20:02

We look forward to talking to you next week on All Things Travel. When Julie and her husband Steven talk about their recent trip to St. Lucia and Sandals Grand St. Lucia.