Luftner-Amadeus River Cruises

"Amadeus River Cruises" (amadeus-rivercruises.com) is a brand of the German passenger shipping company Luftner Cruises (also known as "Lueftner Cruises," lueftner-cruises.com). The company is based in Austria and is ranked among the most renowned river cruise tour operators on the European waterways. Established by the Luftner family (Martina Lueftner and Wolfgang Lueftner), this privately owned company operates only premium riverboats, most of which are named "Amadeus."

Luftner's Amadeus fleet operates along Belgian and Dutch waterways, as well as in France (Rhone, Saône) and along the rivers Main, Moselle, Danube, and Rhine. In 2013, Luftner-Amadeus expanded its itinerary program to include Seine River cruises (round trips from Paris City).

The company’s high standards of amenities and services guarantee comfortable river travel vacations with voyages focused on environmental and cultural awareness. The crew’s outstanding service is marked by traditional Austrian hospitality. The company's partnerships with Atmosfair (a climate protection group) and the UN’s Green Globe promote voluntary contributions, matching donations, and environmentally friendly tourism.

Standard amenities include sumptuous breakfast and lunch buffets, a 5-course gourmet dinner with table service, and menus featuring only the freshest regional (locally sourced) produce. Regional wines and beers are complimentary and served at lunches and dinners. Midnight snacks and 24-hour coffee/tea are also available. During meals, musicians play live Viennese Schrammel folk music. Concierge services or morning coffee delivery to staterooms are not provided on any Amadeus riverboats, even for Suite passengers.

Luftner-Amadeus ships have spacious Sun Decks fitted with a giant chess board, putting green (mini-golf course), shuffleboard, walking track, shaded seating areas (with tables and deckchairs), sunbathing areas (with loungers), and a Lido Bar (offering light snacks and beverages).

The spacious staterooms are tastefully furnished and give the feel of staying in a sleek hotel room, with adjustable air-conditioning, flat-screen TV, phone, and en-suite bathroom. Most cabins feature large floor-to-ceiling and wall-to-wall windows that open to French balconies.

Compared to other European river cruise lines, Luftner-Amadeus cruises are more à la carte and moderately priced. Shore excursions are optional and can be purchased individually or booked as part of various cruise tour packages. While ashore, all passengers can use the riverboat's complimentary bicycles and wireless audio guides.

Fellow passengers are experiential-minded, seeking authentic travel experiences (rather than passive touring). They are well-traveled, generally older (50+), and casual. Children under 12 are not accommodated as Luftner ships do not have special facilities or programs for children. The company also has a strict policy allowing only a limited number of minors (passengers under 18), who must be accompanied and share a stateroom with an adult (parent or legal guardian). Luftner-Amadeus is not recommended for travelers with limited mobility or pets.

Amadeus River Cruises 2019 voyages for millennial travelers

In 2019, Luftner launched a series of Amadeus River Cruises for millennial cruisers. The 6-day itineraries are on the Rhine, Rhône, and Danube. Each voyage is hosted by a popular social media influencer and features a themed program onboard. The programs focus on trendy topics such as healthy living, nutrition, diets, and fitness.

The new voyages target younger clientele (under 30) and were designed through a strategic partnership between Luftner-Amadeus and Zaven Global (a US-based incentive travel and promotion company headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah).

On each voyage, a celebrity influencer serves as the host, sharing the cruise tour experience with their social media followers. The influencer also organizes a special onboard program centered on trendy topics like nutrition, dieting, fitness, weight loss, and healthy living. As part of this project, onboard dining times and food menus were adjusted, as well as the types of tours and excursions ashore. Changes include open-seating dinner (your-time dining between 6–9 pm), various healthy food menu items, mobile apps available for millennial passengers (to plan their own excursions), yoga instructors on the ships (leading outdoor/Sun Deck lessons and acting as lifestyle guides), and themed onboard activities.

The marketing campaign began in Spring 2018 with a Rhône River cruise on the Amadeus Provence (2017-built). The selected social media stars will be announced once they start sharing their onboard experiences with their millions of followers.

For millennial river travelers, Luftner-Amadeus specifically designed the new-class ships Amadeus Queen (2018) and Amadeus Star (2019). These riverboats feature an indoor swimming pool (located aft on Deck 3, with a recessed sundeck area) and an adjacent Amadeus Club (the company’s new "wine cellar bar" concept).

Luftner-Amadeus' newest boats also include the Amadeus Imperial (2020), Amadeus Cara (2022), Amadeus Riva (2023), Amadeus Nova (2024), Amadeus Amara (2025), and Amadeus Aurea (2026).

The following drone video showcases the ship Amadeus Provence.

Luftner-Amadeus is Europe’s second-largest river cruise company targeting younger clientele, after Uniworld. Uniworld’s millennial-focused voyages were introduced in Spring 2018 with two riverboats operated under the new brand "U by Uniworld".

In 2026, Luftner will expand onboard and ashore programs, including "AMADEUS Active" (additional cycling tours in Vienna, Amsterdam, Bamberg, new hiking tours in Linz and Oberwesel, a vineyard excursion near Bernkastel), "AMADEUS Taste" (land tours featuring regional specialties: wine tastings in Koblenz, Cochem, and Rüdesheim, an excursion to Lyon's "Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse" market hall, a truffle farm visit in Grignan), and the shipboard "AMADEUS Experience" (themed events like waltz courses, concerts, scenic night cruising with folkloric performances, and chanson evenings on select river routes in France).

(Coronavirus crisis) Passenger shipping pause 2020-2021

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Luftner-Amadeus suspended its entire fleet’s passenger shipping operations by canceling all voyages with pre-scheduled departures from March 14, 2020, through early June 2021.

All affected Luftner-Amadeus cruise bookings received a 115% refund with rebooking, transferred as Future Cruise Credit (FCC). Rebooking for voyages scheduled through December 31, 2021, was available for all 2021-2022 departures.

Amadeus River Cruises' homeports/departure ports are in Germany (Passau, Nuremberg), Austria (Vienna), the Netherlands/Holland (Amsterdam), Hungary (Budapest), France (Paris, Lyon), Switzerland (Basel), and Romania (Fetesti).

Luftner's Amadeus fleet currently includes the following boats (all named with the prefix "Amadeus"):

• Brilliant (2011-built) - 7-day and 14-day Danube voyages with departures from Passau and Budapest
• Diamond (2009) - 7-day Seine River roundtrips from Paris
• Elegant (2010) - 7-day and 14-day Danube and Rhine from Passau, Nuremberg, and Amsterdam
• Royal (2009) - 7-day Moselle and Rhine from Amsterdam and Basel
• Silver (2013) - 6-7-8-9-14-day Danube from Passau, Vienna, Fetesti, and Budapest
• Silver 2 (2015) - 7-day and 14-day Moselle, Rhine and Danube voyages from Passau, Budapest, Basel, and Amsterdam
• Silver 3 (2016), Imperial (2020), Cara (2022), Riva (2023), Nova (2024), Amara (2025), Aurea (2026) - 7-9-day Moselle, Rhine, Main, and Danube from Vienna, Passau, Basel, Amsterdam, and Fetesti
• Provence (2017) - 7-day Rhône River roundtrips from Lyon
• Queen (2018) and Star (2019) - 7-day and 14-day Rhine and Danube cruises departing from Passau, Nuremberg, Budapest, and Amsterdam

Luftner's fleet also includes the older boats Danubia (1980), Amadeus (1997), Amadeus Classic (2001), and Amadeus Rhapsody (1998).

Note: You can see CruiseMapper’s list of all river cruise ships and riverboats in the "itinerary" section of our River Cruises hub. All passenger river shipping companies and their fleets are listed there.