AmaWaterways announced that it has received five 2018 Travel Weekly Magellan Awards. The annual awards are determined by a panel of travel industry experts selected by Travel Weekly, honoring the best in travel. On top of that, Kristin Karst, executive vice president and co-owner of AmaWaterways, has been chosen as the 2018 Family Travel Association’s “Person of the Year.”
Travel Weekly award AmaWaterways the Gold Award in the Overall River Cruising category, recognizing the 20 ships in the fleet and the overall quality of the guest services onboard and the tours offered on shore. Additional Gold recognition was given to The Chef’s Table restaurants in the Luxury Ship Restaurant Design category and the Chobe River Safari Game Viewing in the Cruise Expedition – Shore Excursion category. The newest addition to its fleet, AmaLea, took the Silver Award in the Overall River Cruise Ship category and rounding off this year’s list of accolades was a Silver Award in the Luxury Ship Suite Design for AmaMagna.
“The AmaWaterways family is honored and extremely grateful to have received these awards from Travel Weekly,” said Kristin Karst, AmaWaterways’ executive vice president and co-owner. “We are particularly proud this year of the Gold Award in the Overall River Cruising category. This award recognizes the ongoing innovation that our teams bring to meet and exceed the needs of our active river cruise guests including the expanded offering of biking and hiking tours and newly introduced Wellness Program.”
In addition to these five awards, Kristin Karst was also selected as the 2018 Family Travel Association’s “Person of the Year.” She was selected for her vision and commitment in opening the river cruising category for families and for her role in developing key family-related initiatives like AmaWaterways’ thriving relationship with Adventures by Disney.
“I am especially honored to be selected for this recognition by the Family Travel Association as I have such a deep passion for travel and river cruising, stemming from my early memories of discovering the world with my own family,” said Karst.
The close collaboration between AmaWaterways and Adventures by Disney flourishes today, offering itineraries and excursions designed for all ages and lifestyles. In 2019, Adventures by Disney will host a total of 21 sailings on board AmaWaterways’ ships on the Rhine, Danube and Seine rivers.
“We are pleased to name Kristin Karst as the FTA Person of the Year,” said Rainer Jenss, president and founder of Family Travel Association. “Her passion is unmatched, and we believe that her dedication to providing family-friendly river cruise experiences has had a major impact on the travel industry and has created positive and long-lasting benefits to young people.”
These awards add to the accolades already received by AmaWaterways this year. Other notable wins so far this year include Best River Cruise Line from Virtuoso and being named The American Society of Travel Advisors’ (ASTA) 2018 River Cruise Line of the Year and Overall Supplier of the Year.
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