100 River Cruise Blogs--Comprehensive and Accurate River Cruise Content That is Ad Free

100 River Cruise Blogs—Comprehensive and Accurate River Cruise Content That is Ad Free

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

Here is a bold statement—we have the best river cruise blog for 3 reasons—it is accurate: comprehensive; and ad free.

After writing our blog for over five and half years, I started to reflect on why we write about travel.  I think it is a fair question to ask—why should you read our blog?  Most of you are very busy and often are overwhelmed by emails and online information about travel.

So, why should you take the time to read our blog—especially about river cruising in Europe?  Let’s explore this thought together and decide if you should or should not read our blog!

Some Stunning Statistics

A lot of folks these past 2 years year have visited our website.  Here are the totals from our Squarespace Analytics Report from 2022 and 2023:

• ·                                      2022                2023               

• ·Visits                           46,148             63,950            

• Unique Visitors        40,025             58,837            

• Pageviews                  55,860            75,201           

So, a lot of folks have visited our website and most come from search engines.  Why are they coming to our website?  The answer is our blogs and content on our website, and almost all is about Europe River Cruising (100 blogs) and Europe Travel (106 blogs), our 2 specialties. 

The Starting Point—What is the Purpose of Our Blog?

For me this is a simple answer—our purpose is to make you a better-informed traveler who may need our services.  Sounds simple but it really is much more complex in my mind.

I think there are 4 parts of making you a better-informed traveler. 

First, we want to teach about what good value travel is. 

Second, we want to inspire you and help you visualize your next trip.

Third, we want to provide objective advice, so you can make wise travel choices. 

Forth, we want to help you decide if you should trust Visit Dream Destinations, LLC to plan your trip?

So, let’s evaluate our blog and see if it is worthwhile for you to read our blog and if we deliver on the 4 parts of making you a better-informed traveler.

Our Role as Teachers About Good Value Travel

Good value travel is making the most of your travel dollars.  It is about memorable experiences.  It is about reduced hassles on the trip.  We write often about these topics.  The blog has 7 subtopics.  We write about Ocean Cruising, Europe River Cruising, Europe Travel, Europe Destinations, Best Value Travel, Travel Planning, and Veterans.  By far, the river cruise and Europe travel blogs are the best blogs, but our blogs about Veterans and the history of American soldiers rank very high in Google searches.

The River Cruise Blog Archives (this is blog 100) on our website is an excellent place to learn if river cruising is the right trip for your vacation.  The topics in this section are Our River Cruise Services, River Cruise Line Comparisons, River Cruise Routes, River Cruise Advice and River Cruise Reviews.  Our comparisons of river cruise companies and Europe River Cruise route Guides are especially strong—we are number 1 on Google (or close to number 1) for both topics.  Just remember to skip the ads (sponsored content) to get to the real content.

Most blogs are 2000 words or more and even have as many as 40 pictures taken by us.  This is off the charts content!

On our website we have all our blogs under these categories, so you can find travel or destination advice easily.  We try and write about the advantages and disadvantages of travel to help understand about the suppliers and their benefits to help you achieve your travel goals and how we can guide you to make wise choices.

There is one common theme in each topic –We try to write with the viewpoint of:  Do they care about me and what I need as a traveler? 

In our blogs, we try and establish what we consider as a good relationship with our readers.  We want our readers to think of us as friends who may become clients and help them decide if they need our services.

If we take the next step in our relationship to client and travel consultant, we still maintain the friend’s mantra.  We treat each of our clients as friends, because we don’t sell travel to clients—we sell travel to friends.  There is a big difference—how your trip goes makes a world of difference to us. 

We like to say we are small enough to deliver personalize service but big and experience enough to get you just the right trip.  We try to match you to just the right experience and make it logical, realistic, and affordable in your price range.

Don’t get us wrong—we do not sell on price—we sell on value.  We try to demonstrate how valuable you are to us in many ways but how many other travel professionals have a Traveler Hall of Fame?  We are proud we could help you travel, and we want to share with others your joy and satisfaction. 

Our Gems of SE Europe River Cruise Group on the AmaVerde April 2024.

St. Patrick’s Day during the 2023 River Cruise Expo in Budapest. From left to right. Diane, Jasmine, Hank, Anne Kristin Karst (Executive VP and co-owner of AmaWaterways and a Hotel manager from AmaWaterways.

Inspiration

We try in our blogs to help you visualize your next trip.  We often talk about our experiences during our travels so you can see if that trip would fit into a trip you might like to take.  There are many pictures in our blogs, most taken by us, to help you visualize the trip in your mind.  Many of you recognize the great pictures Anne takes to document our travels and that is perhaps the best feature of our blogs.  She really makes the places come alive!

Budapest Parliament at Night

Schönbühel castle is 40 meters above the Danube River. Its nickname is the “Watchman of the Wachau Valley. It is over 1000 years old.

The Entrance to Berg Eltz

Pfalzgrafenstein Castle by Kaub. It originally was a toll station. In the background is Gutenfels Castle. These are 2 of the 40 castles built on the Rhine Gorge and always a highlight of a Rhine River Cruise.

We have a truly unique feature on our website—121 Day-by-Day River Cruise Route Itineraries from the 7 different river cruise lines we follow.  If we have been to the port, there are our pictures, not stock pictures. Here are the 7 Links to Our 7 River Cruise Lines Routes:

Our emphasis is always the best possible experience within your price range, and we hope that these pictures will help inspire you to visit a new place or experience a new culture, help celebrate a milestone in your life, or have a bucket list trip you have always dreamed about—especially on a river cruise.

Objective Advice

I recently read that 88% of business bloggers outsource their blog (Source Findstack)!  I was stunned—their blog(s) may have good content but what that tells me is that they are too busy to provide first-hand information or worse don’t have the content to write a decent blog. 

How reliable and objective is that?  Trust me, we write our own blog and the only guest writers are our clients.  It’s funny to me that we get requests and offers from others to write about subjects that have nothing to do with travel to post on our blog—it is crazy that we would even consider this, but the pitches will continue.

Yep, I’m going to spend $10,000 to $20,000 dollars with an advisor who outsources their blog.  We have been on 24 River Cruises—whose advice are you going to trust?

On statistic reported is that most content DYI bloggers spend 6 hours or more writing their blog—we spend at least that or more.  We have several blogs and website first page rankings on Google and our 2000-word blog is slightly above the 1,447 words average (source 20 Business Blogging Statistics That Will Blow your Mind May 28, 2023).

We are about great, accurate content and we don’t use the constant annoying pop-up ads, or any ads which are almost insulting to intelligent readers.  Never fear--we are not like travel writers or even agents that get paid for ad clicks.  We are not desperate for money from our blog—we want to help you understand the confusing world of river cruising.

With over 29 years of experience selling travel to many satisfied clients, we know both what you need to make your travel experience better and the knowledge of what is available to match you with just the right vacation.  Although some authors, pundits and influencers believe that 16 posts are the correct number each month, we steadfastly believe that is massive overkill—Who wants a constant stream of information 4 times a week?  We prefer once a week with great content, as it is best for you and us—it shows our respect for your time.

We have extensive first-hand knowledge and do comprehensive research on trips.  We have planned hundreds of successful trips to delighted clients and we are eager to plan yours.  Would you like a little proof? 

Ask for one of our 50 Europe City travel guides—we wrote them, not some other person or company—just go to our website, click on the region of Europe you want to visit and then click on the city, and we will send you the guide (if you are not a current client there is a limit of 1 guide).  We have visited 45 of 50 cities we write about and have awesome pictures to go with these guides.

Or click on one of our many PowerPoint presentations on our web site or visit our Resource Section of our website to get travel tips (www.dreamdestinations.com).

We also have 51 river cruise port guides available on our website—they are also free only if you are current client.

There is one common thread here—almost 98% is our own pictures or written by us—in truth, it would be hard to find many travel professionals who have been to so many of the places we sell.  If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know we know our stuff.  As I used to say as a coach, when evaluating good football players, “he is the real deal!”  Well folks, we are the real deal!

Should I trust Dream Destinations LLC to Plan My trip?

Trust and integrity are valuable traits and, in my judgement, in short supply in our country.  Too many make promises they can’t or won’t keep. 

My whole life has been devoted to service after graduating from West Point—20 years as a US Army Officer, 20 years as a coach and teacher and 28 years helping others travel to the right location. 

Anne is equally dedicated to trust and integrity—she always thinks about what is best for our clients, every single time.  We think trust is the cornerstone of our relationship with you.

We try to under promise and over deliver a great travel experience for you.  We strive to make your travel experience better by helping you make wise choices, eliminate hassles, and help you get the best value for your money.  You are never on your own when you trust us to help you and ever year, we solve complex problems in the planning phase and during the trip.  I like to say we are just an email, text, or phone call away.

In short, while working with us, we want to provide a trip that will exceed your expectations.  I guess the best thing we can provide you is some comments by some of our clients.  All over the website is testimonials from our friends who we have helped travel through the years.

We are proud to have helped them and look forward to helping as many as possible in the future.

We don’t charge fees—we feel we are adequately compensated by our vendors and since the price is already built in, you basically get our services for free,

One final point—we expect you to be reasonable when you contact us—we have set procedures to ensure that you are properly advised about a potential trip, but some expect instantaneous responses, which is just impossible.  It will be a correct response but not hurried.  Great trips require time to properly plan and unless it is truly urgent, we will take the time necessary to do it right.

Our Final Thoughts

We hope our blog is worth your time to read.  As you can see, there is much more than these brief thoughts to describe the value of our blogs—especially for river cruising.

I think we help you become a more informed traveler by being good teachers, providing inspiration, providing objective information, and developing trust.  If our blog has helped get more knowledge about travel, then we have done our job and the blog is worth your time to read.

Thanks to the many who take time out of their busy lives to read the blog—we love you folks!

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts.  We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe.  We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you.  We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip.  You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience.  And you want someone who can help you with the decision-making process.  We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com.  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management.  Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry.  Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA.  Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations.  She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors.  An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 51 years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.   His other Certifications:

• AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

• Viking River Cruise Specialist

• Scenic River Cruise Specialist

• Emerald Waterways Specialist

• Avalon Waterways Specialist

• Brit Agent

Cruising AmaWaterways with a Wine Expert

Cruising AmaWaterways with a Wine Expert

By Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

www.dreamdestinations.com

National Wine and Cheese Day is celebrated on 25 July of each year in the United States.  It has been observed since 2014 in the US but for Anne and I, it is celebrated quite often in our household and during our travels—we started early in the late 1980s when we first met. I guess you could say we are trendsetters!

If all that were not enough, there is also the birthday of Champagne happening in the first few days of August.

So, it got me to thinking about the wonderful trips we have had in Europe, pairings of wine and cheese, and what it is like to travel with a wine expert.

So, I’d like to tell you about why I am so fascinated with wine and explain the joys of traveling with a certified wine expert.

I will begin with some introductory thoughts about wine and food pairings, then talk about champagne (Anne’s favorite drink) and finish with an interview of our personal wine expert to help you learn more about wine and how we have enjoyed our travels together on AmaWaterways.

So, grab a glass of wine, some cheese and let’s explore together!

Wine Pairings

I really like wine, especially when it is properly paired with food.

Wine is a complex subject but it doesn’t have to be—it really is about what you like and how you can best enjoy it.  I am sure part of the fascination for me is how it enhances food as well as how it is enhanced by food; but I also appreciate the complex process involved in making quality wine.  Wine producers wear many hats—entrepreneur, farmer, chemist, blender, and business person.

Perhaps winemaking appeals to me because there is so much work that goes on behind the scenes, much like my days as a football and track coach, that few get to see.  It is a process that yields varying results but when it all works out right, it is magical!

But just like game day, when you pull the cork to taste the results, opinions flow.  Thankfully, with wine, most become more joyful as they taste more, unlike some fans when we were having a bad day on the field, thought I was one of the worst coaches on the face of the earth.

Certain foods go well with certain types of wine.  In particular, cheese is one of the simplest  to pair wine with, but most foods are enhanced with a good wine, in my opinion!

Some of the wonderful cheeses onboard the AmaDagio during our 2013 cruise.

Instead of hearing my ramblings, I will let my wine expert help you learn more about pairings during our wine adventures on AmaWaterways. 

But before we do that,  I must tell you about a wonderful wine pairing Anne and I  had in Vienne, France and then I’ll talk about Champagne.

2 Stars in Vienne and a Courtyard Treat

We discovered Vienne, France while on an AmaWaterways River Cruise on the Rhone River.  We liked the town so much, we returned for a pre cruise stay in 2016 before joining a cruise group we were leading.

Anne found a wonderful place for us to stay with a 2 Star Michelin Restaurant, Patrick Henriroux's.  This gastronomic restaurant is located in La Pyramide, a 4-star Relais & Châteaux hotel.  What a meal—all was superb! 

As good as that was, the better find may have been our lunch in the courtyard with appetizers and wine.  Just look at this picture and you will understand how special this experience was!  Sometimes the “stars are right”, and while the dinner had amazing food and fabulous service, for us this courtyard was the most relaxing, perfect experience.

Our bottle of 2013 Viognier Wine—it paired so well with the cheese!

Champagne

Anne’s favorite drink is champagne.  When we think about Champagne, our thoughts go to the good life—it is elegant, sexy, cool, celebratory, and a luxury for most.  Champagne is in a class of its own—there are few alcoholic drinks you can start on early in the morning and not receive looks of shock.  Even better, when people see you celebrating with champagne, they know it is a special event.  We toast our successes, christen ships with it and generally celebrate life with it. 

So, on the supposed birthday of Champagne (August 4, 1693), I thought I’d write about Champagne in honor of Anne’s favorite drink.

Champagne (edited by Mark Thomas, Certified Wine Expert)

I’m no expert on Champagne, but like most wine, I really enjoy drinking it.  The good news for you is our wine expert, Mark Thomas, edited this portion, so your know it is very good information!

Wine is produced from grapes and the terroir or characteristics of the area (soil and climate are the most important items influencing terroir) in which the grapes are cultivated shapes the taste of the wine. 

However, still wine and Champagne differ in how they are made by the winemakers.  Without getting too technical, Champagne is created by trapping the CO2 gas that is produced during the fermentation process instead of allowing it to vent off like is done when making still wines.

We prefer dry Champagnes—Brut and Extra Brut in the lingo of Champagne.  This term refers to the sweetness of the wine due to the amount of sugar added during the fermentation process.  There are 4 main types of Champagne.  They are 1) Prestige Cuvee, 2) Blanc de Noir, 3) Blanc de Blanc and 4) Rose’.  Prestige Cuvee is a blend wine and the best wine produced by a winery.  Blanc de Noir is  produced by black or red grapes, typically Pinot Noir or Pinot Meunier.   Blanc de Blanc is  produced by white grapes, typically with 100% Chardonnay grapes.  Rose’ is a blend of white and red grapes.

Four great champagne wines we sampled in Lyon during the Ledson 2014 Provence cruise.

One of the hosts explaining to our small tour group from AmaWaterways about the characteristics of the Champagne we are about to sample.

What Glass Should You Use to Drink Champagne?

Now to the important part—what glass do we drink from?  There are two types of Champagne glasses—the flute and the coupe. 

The legend of the creation of the coupe is that it was modeled after a mold of the left breast of Marie Antoinette’s—great story, but probably not true.  Experts favor a flute (retains more of the bubbles) but who can argue with the elegant, sophisticated coupe? 

My advice—use both and drink more champagne!

Mark pouring champagne at his home. We are drinking Roederer and of course, with a wine expert, he serves it at the correct temperature and with the correct glasses!

Two  Fun Facts about Champagne. 

Legend says Champagne was invented by a Benedictine Monk, Dom Perignon.  There is no doubt he made significant contributions to the production and quality of Champagne, but he probably did not invent it  

Most folks know about him, since the best known of all Champagnes, Dom Perignon, the prestige cuvee from Moet & Chandon, is named in his honor.  He supposedly said upon tasting Champagne “Come quickly, I am drinking the Stars” but it possibly appeared in a print ad in the late 1800s (thanks Wikipedia).

The world’s best-known fictional spy, James Bond, is an avid Champagne drinker.  Do you know his favorite Champagne?  The answer is both Bollinger and Dom Perignon (we learned this on the trivia quiz on an AmaWaterways Wine cruise).

One way to have the good life, in my humble opinion, —drink more Champagne!

Champagne and Travel

There are many ways to enjoy Champagne when traveling.  Number one for Champagne lovers has to be the Champagne region of Northeastern France.  The area of chalk plains and gentle hills between Paris and Lorraine is  home to the most famous sparkling wines in the world. 

In fact, by European Union (EU) standards and most countries of the world, the term Champagne  is exclusively reserved for sparkling wines produced in the Champagne region of France.   

According to the website About France.com, it is possible to visit 51 Champagne cellars around the towns of Reims and Epernay.  Besides great wine tours and tastings around Reims, the medieval Gothic cathedral, with its exquisite rose window, is the location where the former kings of France were crowned—it is a site not to be missed.  

In Epernay, along with the wine tours, there is a Champagne museum and the Abbey of Hautvilliers, where Dom Perignon created his version of Champagne.

Anne’s favorite pairing is with a dozen oysters on the half shell—did I marry well, or what!

AmaWaterways has added trips to this region as an extension of their river cruises in France—do you think I need to go on one with Anne?  We would also be glad to help you visit in combination with an AmaWaterways cruise and maybe part of a group we would like to lead--please read on!

Cruising AmaWaterways with a Wine Expert

Since 2013, we have been fortunate enough to travel with two great folks, our Travel Chums, Denise and Mark Thomas.

Mark and Denise in their formal Scottish clothes on Christmas Eve 2018 with Santa. Anne planned our adventure to Kasteel Englelenburg in Brummen, Netherlands.

Mark is a certified wine instructor.  So, I thought I’d let you see what it is like to travel with your own personal wine expert.

Mark, can you briefly tell us about how you and Denise got interested in wine and your credentials as a certified wine person?

Denise celebrates her birthday at the Chef’s Table in 2018.

Mark and Denise in London 2019 on a Thames River scenic cruise.

My wife Denise became interested in wine in college and she sought out opportunities to learn more about wine by attending tastings, food and wine pairings, and winemaker dinners.  I became interested after high school when I was getting ready to join the Coast Guard.  In the military, there is a saying, “hurry up and wait”, so I had a lot of time on my hands to read.  And as a bachelor living in apartments around the country, I figured I needed to learn how to cook or starve!  So, what better way to enjoy food but alongside nice wine.  So, I read everything wine related I could get my hands on (Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast, Wine & Spirits Magazine, Food and Wine Magazine, etc).  I remember the first bottle of wine I ever truly enjoyed with a meal; a 1979 Robert Mondavi Napa Valley Pinot Noir.  I won’t count all the Boone’s Farm, Mateus Rose’, Blue Nun, and MD2020 I drank before that though!

As far as my credentials, when I retired from the Coast Guard in 2010, I went to work for Ledson Winery & Vineyards in Sonoma, CA.  I started out pouring behind the tasting bar, went on to work in wine club support, participated in tasting panels with the owner & winemaker, and accompanied him out in the vineyards learning all I could.  In 2011, I was promoted to General Manager and remained in that position until I moved to Colorado in 2017.  Today, I still work for Ledson from home doing wine club support, and I coordinate the entry of all of our wines into wine competitions around the country. 

I researched credentialing avenues and decided to go with the Wine & Spirits Education Trust, London, U.K.  I passed the Level 2 Intermediate course in Wine & Spirits with Distinction in 2018 and then completed the Level 3 advanced course in Wines with Merit in 2019.

What was it like to help host the 2014 Ledson Wine Cruise?

Mark preparing for a tasting during the 2014 Ledson wine cruise. Mark selected the wines and made sure they were served correctly for the tastings. Ledson wines are great and he and the crew did an amazing job!

It was a great experience!  The chance to interact with our wine club members as well as the other guests on the ship was a huge thrill for me.  To see their reactions as they tried the different wines we served onboard, hear their stories about wines they’ve enjoyed over the years, and places they’ve visited while enjoying delicious meals onboard was a life enriching experience for me.  It was also a great pleasure working with the crew onboard and how we all pulled together to ensure the tasting seminars, winemaker dinner, and tasting parties all came off without a hitch.

Captain’s Table on the Ledson 2014 Wine Cruise. Captain Danny (left), Denise and Mark.

What are the most important wines grown and produced in the Provence/Rhone region?

Wine Regions of the Rhone River. Map from AmaWaterways

In Provence, Rose’s dominate.  These delicious bold, crisp, fruity wines pair great with the local seafood dishes (Bouillabaisse, Fish soup, etc).  The red grapes that dominate the region include Mourvèdre and Grenache while the primary white grapes include Bourboulenc, Grenache Blanc, and Clairette, usually blended together in some form or another. 

As you head up the Rhone River from Arles toward Lyon, you first encounter the Southern Rhone region where the red grape varietal Grenache dominates.  Often primarily blended with Syrah, and Mourvèdre, these wines are rich, earthy, gamey, and full-bodied especially in the area of Châteauneuf-Du-Pape.  Other red blending grape varietals include Carignan, Cinsaut, and Counoise.  The delicious white varietals of the Southern Rhone are the same as in Provence

Moving into the Northern Rhone, you’ll find Syrah is king among the red varietals while Viognier in the appellation of Condrieu, along with gorgeous blends of Marsanne and Roussanne in the appellations of Hermitage and St. Joseph dominate the white varietals.

What were some of your best experiences on the Provence/Rhone River cruise?

Mark and Denise outside an awesome restaurant in Vienne, France

Wow, so many great experiences come to mind.  The town of Avignon, trip to the Pont-Du-Gard Aqueduct, the town of Les Baux, Olive farm visits, Truffle farm visits, Roman ruins, the lavender fields, the visit to the town of Grignon, tasting fresh nougat from Montilemar, sampling the food, wine, and cheese in every town we visited.  The warmth and hospitality of the local residents was another great experience for us.

Truffle Dog at work. This was part of the included tours on our 2013 Provence Rhone Cruise

What are the most important wines grown and produced in the Bordeaux region?

Bordeaux Wine Regions Map. Image from AmaWaterways

Some of my very favorite red wine varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot and various blended wines with these varietals in varying percentages. For white varietals, again some of my favorites: Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon with which some produce world-famous Sauternes.

 What were some of your best experiences during the Bordeaux cruise?

First, seeing some familiar faces among the Captain and crew.  Second, the beautiful city of Bordeaux, the food, the wines, the visit to the La Cite’ du Vin, dinner at La Tupina—Out of this world!  Vineyard & winery visits and tastings in Sauterne, Pauillac, the Medoc’, Saint Émilion, and the hike around Chateau Boutinet, and finally, being close enough to Amboise to do a post cruise visit to see Vouvray, Tours, and taste the food and wines of the Loire Valley (Anne planned a private tour for the 4 of us with the help of a France Specialist we work with and have sent folks on after AmaWaterways cruises).

On our A Taste of Bordeaux Cruise in 2017. The 3 Amigos—Hank. Miro (the Head Bartender) and our wine expert, Mark Thomas. We first met Miro in 2013—what a great guy and so typical of the outstanding crew on AmaWaterways ships

Dinner at La Tupina in Bordeaux—(from left to right) Hank, Anne, Denise and Mark

Oak Barrels in Saint Émilion on our Bordeaux cruise 2017

Pauillac Winery—we had a great tour and tasting here!

 What are your thoughts about the quality of wines served on board AmaWaterways cruises?

I think they are very good!  The wines vary based on what ship you are on and the wine regions you are in, and the wines change up each night based on the food served and the areas you are visiting. The ship also has a diverse wine list for those who wish to dive a little deeper into a particular wine region or varietal. The crew is also very intuitive and accommodating to those they see appreciate great wines; they will go out of their way to let you try other wines if they have them open.  They do their utmost to ensure you enjoy what you’re drinking with your meals.

Denise and Mark enjoying wine on our 2018 AmaKristina river cruise

What are some of your favorite pairings of wine & cheese?

 Keeping in mind that taste is a very personal and subjective thing, there are some classic wine and cheese pairings (although they may not be right for you), give them a try.  Some of my personal favorites are:

1) Goat cheese with any high-acid white wines such as Sancerre (Varietal: Sauvignon Blanc), Chenin Blanc, Chablis, etc.

2) Brie with Champagne or Chardonnay

3) Comte with Chardonnay

4) Taleggio with Condrieu (French Viognier)

5) Bleu Cheese with Cabernet Sauvignon

6) Stilton or Gorgonzola with Vintage or Late Bottled Vintage Port

Most cheeses pair best with white wines due to their increased acidity.  If you like, you may also try and pair these cheeses with lighter red wines like Pinot Noir, Gamay (Beaujolais-Villages), or Chinon (French wine: Varietal: Cabernet Franc).

What are some of your favorite pairings of food and wine so we can enhance our dining experiences during meals?

 I, like Anne love Champagne & Oysters on the half-shell. I also like to pair:

Grilled Salmon and Pinot Noir

Roast Duck Breast and Merlot

Grilled Rib-Eye and Cabernet Sauvignon, or a Bordeaux from the Medoc’, Pauillac, Graves, or Pessac-Léognan (Something Left-Bank that is Cabernet dominant).

Roast Turkey and Pinot Noir

Lemon Grilled Scallops and Sauvignon Blanc

Steamed Mussels and Pouilly-Fuissé

Dungeness Crab and Chardonnay

BBQ Ribs and Zinfandel

Braised Lamb Shanks and Syrah

Hearty Beef Stew and Petite Sirah

Question.  How can we best learn more about wines?

Read all you can and taste new and different wines.  We tend to gravitate to what we know.  The best way to learn about wine is to drink more of them.  Experiment with different varietals that you haven’t had before.  Take a wine course at your local college or a wine course online.  The ability to interact with fellow wine enthusiasts and foodies is exciting and eye-opening!

Question.  Would you like to lead a wine group for us during an AmaWaterways cruise?

I would love to!  Any chance to broaden my knowledge of the world, experience new cultures, and meet new people is a huge honor and privilege for me!

My Final Thoughts

What a great experience!  We would like to thank our wine expert, Mark Thomas, for his unique knowledge and sharing his ideas—as you can see, he ROCKS!

Please reach out to us if you would be interested in travel with Mark and us on a wine cruise in 2022.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com.  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 49 years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.  His other Certifications:

·        AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

·        Viking River Cruise Specialist

·        Scenic River Cruise Specialist

·        Emerald Waterways Specialist

• Avalon Waterways Specialist

• Brit Agent

Our 10 Best Europe River Cruise Blogs

Our 10 Best Europe River Cruise Blogs

By Hank Schrader, USMA ’71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

www.dreamdestinations.com

I have written 75 blogs about Europe River Cruising—this will be number 76.  I currently rank # 1 on Google in a search for “Europe River Cruise Blogs.”  About 18 months ago, I wrote a blog about our 5 best Europe River Cruise Blogs.

It is time to update and provide you a better look at our best work.  The goal is simple--to help you get a better understanding of a Europe river cruise vacation and experience.

To organize my thoughts, I thought I would first provide you a little background about how I write and research these blogs, and the goals of the blogs.

Next I will provide you my selection of the best blogs we have written.  In my selection process, I decided not to include company specific blogs or food, service or cabin blogs—these are great for more detailed looks at a specific company or aspect of Europe river cruises but not the best overall works about Europe river cruising. 

For each blog, I will provide a summary of the blog and then tell you why it matters—and provide a link to the actual blog.

Ready, to learn more?—let’s GO!

How I write and Organize Our River Cruise Blogs

Our blogs, by design, are much more detailed than most other blogs—usually 2000 words or more.  There are two types of blogs we use to help you understand characteristics of Europe river cruises.

In the first type, we try to tell the story of each topic in a way you can see yourself there—can we capture the experience for you? 

While some blogs easily fall into storytelling type of blog, others are designed as informational, data blogs. This is our second type of blog.

Both have immense value, in my opinion.  Sometimes you just need the data in a form you can understand and make comparisons.  But this alone is not enough—you need to know what you will experience on a Europe river cruise to get the full story.  A key element of these blogs is a clear separation of facts (usually there is a source) and our opinion.  When possible, we use many pictures in each blog to help enhance our descriptions.

As you can see from this blog, we break up our blogs into sub headings to make it easier to understand.  Often, there is quite a bit of research that goes into the content—we try to sift through the overwhelming amount of information and advertising to paint an easily understandable summary of each topic.  Most is first-hand information from our experiences, but some is news or research, or information facts (internet, blogs, books, travel publications, company brochures or other sources) you need to know to become a better traveler.

Our blogs have two goals—the most important is to inform you so you can decide if a Europe river cruise is right for you.  The second, a bit more subtle, is to help you decide if we are the right folks to help plan your river cruise.

Our Top 10 Blogs

Our # 10 Blog—European River Cruise Ports

Melk Abbey on the Upper Danube River

Summary—this is a very good way to learn about what you can see at the various ports on a specific route.  This a description about a section on our website under the River Cruises and it has great value for you in your search for accurate and useful travel information.  It is called European River Cruise Ports and provides you an easy way to get specific information about the many ports you can see while on a river cruise in Europe.  These are in a PDF PowerPoint format.  They are organized by rivers or countries to make it easier to find a specific port you might be interested in.

Why it Matters—making the best use of your time while on vacation is a key to having an extraordinary trip.  This is an unmatched resource—51 port guides to help you decide on what you want to see while in a particular port.  The best part is you can order any port guide or all 51 from our website.

So, why should trust us to provide you a guide about European River Cruise Ports?

We have been on 18 European River Cruises; between the both of us we have been traveling to Europe for 49 years; and we both have been in the travel industry for 24+ years of experience and helped dozens of satisfied clients, so we do have some very good credentials to let you know what you will see in a specific port.

European River Cruise Ports

Our # 9 Blog—The Great Value of a European River Cruise

Tournon Castle at night on the Rhone River

Summary—value is not just the cost of a trip, it is what you get for your money.  We have planned almost every type of vacation you might want to take.  However, no matter how many we plan, we just keep realizing more and more the exceptional value you get when you take a river cruise, especially in Europe.  

We try to travel to Europe 2-4 times a year, except maybe in 2020, (just like you, we are limited by travel costs and government restrictions) and have taken river cruise number 18 last year. I think that really makes our thoughts about river cruising even more important—we speak from experience.  Our experience is that for most trips, it’s hard to beat the features of a river cruise, especially if you take a pre and post land option along with the cruise.

So, let’s explore the value of a Europe river cruise!

Why it Matters—learning about if the cost of a river cruise equates to a good value is important.  For us, river cruising helps you escape the fast paced world we live in and have an experience you will always remember.  There is a good balance of public and private space on the ship.  You will usually be wined and dined in style.  You will see sights you never knew existed.  And most importantly, you will get a great glimpse of the culture of the area you are sailing through.

The Great Value of a Europe River Cruise

Our # 8 Blog—How to Get the Right Europe River Cruise for Your Next Vacation

Church in the Iron Gates Section of the Lower Danube River

Summary--Every time we plan a river cruise vacation, in some form or another, we have several steps we go through to get the right match for our clients.  Our goal is to get our clients the best river cruise trip possible, based on what is most important to them.

In broad terms there are really 5 factors we consider.  They are 1) the route (destination); 2) the desired activities during the cruise; 3) what do you want to see during the cruise? (We consider both while on the river and while in port); 4) time available for the vacation; and 5) what company do you want to sail with on your upcoming river cruise?

So, let’s explore these factors together to help you get the best possible river cruise for your next trip.

Why it Matters—after reading this blog, you should be able to objectively decide if the 5 factors we use are enough for you to get the right cruise for your vacation.  We believe that better information + understanding the nuances of each company = a great travel experience. 

Did we get it right and help you learn what to ask about during the planning process?

 How to Get the Right Europe River Cruise for Your Next Vacation

Our # 7 Blog—River Cruise Advantages and Disadvantages

The AmaCerto in Port

Summary—I write all the time about Europe river cruising and its value.  But there is no vacation option that is right for all.  Many who have never taken a European River Cruise, have no idea how much is included and the many benefits of this travel opportunity.  While for most folks, river cruises are a great choice, for some this vacation just is not right for them

Why it Matters—a vacation needs to be tailored to the best interests of the person who wants to travel.  For me, and most folks we work with, the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages.  If you can afford this type of vacation, most will be thrilled beyond their wildest expectations.

River Cruise Advantages and Disadvantages

Our # 6 Blog--Are We River Cruise Experts and Specialists?

Hank and Anne at the Captain’s Table on an AmaWaterways Cruise

Summary--Almost every blog I write starts with the byline—Europe River Cruise Expert.  Great sounding words, but are we really Europe river cruise experts?

According to the 2015 Census, there were 105,085 travel agents in the U.S.  To evaluate what constitutes an expert in the travel industry, I believe there are 6 good measures that can provide a comprehensive and objective evaluation to determine if a travel advisor is truly an expert.

Here are the measurement factors:  1) experience; 2) certification; 3) knowledge of the industry; 4) first-hand knowledge of the industry; 5) professional organization membership and 6) can you trust them?  You can use these 6 factors to determine the difference between travel advisors and help you decide—what makes us special about our knowledge of river cruises?  How do we use that knowledge to help you get a better river cruise vacation experience?

So, let’s explore what makes a travel advisor a river cruise expert and try to answer the question—Are we Europe river cruise experts?

Why it Matters—it is easy to claim to be an expert, but what backs up that claim?  The real important factor is can we use this expert knowledge and information to help you have a better river cruise experience. 

After reading this blog, do you agree we have unique qualifications as Europe cruises advisors and can we help you?

 Are We River Cruise Experts and Specialists ?

Our # 5 Blog—River Cruise Vibes 2

Budapest Parliament at night

Summary--I have wanted to write this blog for a long time.

Since 2009, I have studied Europe River cruising to try to learn all I could about the river cruise industry.  A few industry experts have tried to make comprehensive comparisons of the different lines.  Each has a slightly different approach.

We have taken a unique approach by creating a PowerPoint presentation.  Our 86 slide 2019 Comparison Guide is very good but even that lacks one factor—the vibe of the line and its ships. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines vibe as “the feeling that someone or something gives you.”  

So, here goes—my evaluation of the vibe or feeling you will get on 8 river cruise lines.

Why it Matters—there is little information of the company vibes in one place together available to the consumer.  Did we provide a good summary of each lines feelings?  Will that help you decide on which line best fits your desired vacation experience?

River Cruise Vibes

Our # 4 Blog—Our 11 Step Europe River Cruise Planning Guide

AmaKristina Lounge decorated on a Christmas Markets Cruise.

Summary—Have you ever wonder what you should consider when planning a Europe River Cruise?  I promise you, there is little clear cut information about what you should consider to get the best possible river cruise that is right for you.  This is the process we use to ensure every facet of your upcoming river cruise will provide you the best possible vacation.

Why it matters—using a proven process helps us provide the best possible river cruise for our clients.  We pride ourselves in making planning an art form—so let us provide you a step by step guide to ensure you will get the best possible river cruise for your vacation.  

So how do we do it?—we ask a lot of questions by having you tell us what is important to you.

Our 11 Step Europe River Cruise Planning Guide

Our # 3 Blog—Why Buy a Europe River Cruise from Us?

Anne and Hank at a SunDowners Party on a Scenic River Cruise

Summary--There are about 75.000 to 100,000 professional travel agents in business in the United States.  There are also the giants of the internet (Travelocity, Expedia, etc.) and wholesalers (Costco).  You can also buy direct from many travel vendors.  To be sure, you the consumer, have a lot of choices and ways to buy travel.

With the plethora of options, it got me to thinking—Why should you buy a river cruise or for that manner, any travel from us?—from Anne & Hank Schrader, of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC!

I will begin by answering this question by explaining what the Europe River Cruise Trends are and then talk about sellers of travel (travel agents and others).

For sellers of travel, my game plan here is to define our competition first, and then tell you who we are, what we stand for and who are customers are.

Finally, I will explain why you should buy a river cruise from us.

Why it Matters—you have lots of choices and deciding if we are the right folks to use is critical to your success.  Europe river cruising is a wonderful vacation but is often sold by agents who just don’t know enough about the product to make a good vacation an exceptional one that exceeds your expectations.  Did we convince you that we are the right folks to use to plan your Europe river cruise?

Why Buy a Europe River Cruise From Us?

Our # 2 Blog—What is the Best Europe River Cruise Route?

Europe Rivers Routes. Photo from AmaWaterways.

Summary--this blog covers the key rivers of Europe that are available to sail on for a vacation.  The purpose of this blog is provide you a comprehensive guide of the available Europe River Cruise Routes, so you can decide on which route will be the best for your next Europe river cruise vacation.

Why it Matters—destinations are the real key to river cruising.  River cruising is about the destinations, in my opinion, so the correct itinerary is critical to provide you the river cruise experience you desire for these special trips.  We hope this quick summary will provide you a good overview of what is possible in Europe river cruising.

What is the Best Europe River Cruise Route ?

Our # 1 Blog—Our New 2018-19 Europe River Cruise Comparisons

The first slide of our 86 slide presentation

My Ratings of 8 River Cruise Lines

Summary--As many of you know, we have one of the best, in-depth, Europe River Cruise Comparisons available anywhere on our website.  We have updated our 2016 version to provide even more accurate information on the ever changing Europe river cruise scene.

We want to emphasize all of these river cruise lines are good values and special trips.  Many have won awards and there is really no official ranking system to provide you a valid comparison method. 

To help overcome the lack of an official ranking system, we have found that The Berlitz River Cruising in Europe & the USA guide to be as fair an evaluation as presently available to the public.  This book evaluates individual ships in its rating system instead of entire companies, so we have decided to compare the best rivership from each company to determine a ranking system as our method of comparison.

We have also provided our own personal rankings of each line with comments.

Why it Matters—this is an excellent summary—it ranks always on the first page of Google (this is earned—we have never paid to boast anything on the internet).  Getting unbiased information about the various river cruise companies is difficult.  There is no one company that is right for everyone.  We believe we know enough to guide you to the right company that matches your travel style.  Did we convince you?

READ OUR COMPLETE 86 SLIDE PRESENTATION

My Final Thoughts

It is my sincere hope you agree with us, that we have met our two goals—great useful, information and we are the right folks to help you plan your river cruise.

Now it’s your turn!  What is your favorite river cruise blog?  Please let us know!  Also, don’t be shy, if we can do something better let us know your thoughts.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, especially a pricey Europe river cruise, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip.  You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience.  And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process.  We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com.  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 49 years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.   His other Certifications:

• AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

• Viking River Cruise Specialist

• Scenic River Cruise Specialist

• Emerald Waterways  Specialist

• Avalon Waterways Specialist

• Brit Agent

Quickly Learn About European River Cruises on Our Website

Quickly Learn About European River Cruises on Our Website

By Hank Schrader, USMA ’71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

www.dreamdestinations.com

Everybody wants to quickly and easily learn about any topic they want to know more about.  That’s why a section of our website, European River Cruises is so valuable if you want to learn more about European River Cruises.

We have an exceptional section on our website to gain a complete understanding of Europe River Cruising.  It contains a great overview about what European River Cruising entails , compares river cruise companies, provides a vibe of 8 river cruise companies, informs you of possible European river cruise routes and has a link to the 67 Blogs we have written about all aspects of European River Cruising.

So, this week, I’d like to write about the value of our website and why it is a great resource for you to quickly learn about European River Cruising.

Ready?—let’s go together and learn all about Europe river cruising!

Overview

Bratislava Castle

We have an excellent overview of European River Cruising.  It defines exactly what a European River Cruise is and a summary of the major cruise routes; provides a comparison of ocean cruises to river cruises; and uses our photos so you can see what a typical river cruise ship looks like.  For a person who has never been on a Europe River Cruise, it helps you grasp the key elements of this type of vacation. 

European River Cruises

Sailing into Passau, Germany on the Danube River

Company Comparisons

As many of you know, we have one of the best, in-depth, Europe River Cruise Comparisons available anywhere on our website.  We have updated our 2016 version to provide even more accurate information on the ever changing Europe river cruise scene.

This is an excellent summary—it ranks always on the first page of Google (this is earned—we have never paid to boast anything on the internet).  Getting unbiased information about the various river cruise companies is difficult.  There is no one company that is right for everyone.  We believe we know enough to guide you to the right company that matches your travel style. 

We want to emphasize all of these river cruise lines are good values and special trips.  Many have won awards and there is really no official ranking system to provide you a valid comparison method. 

To help overcome the lack of an official ranking system, we have found that The Berlitz River Cruising in Europe & the USA guide to be as fair an evaluation as presently available to the public.  This book evaluates individual ships in its rating system instead of entire companies, so we have decided to compare the best rivership from each company to determine a ranking system as our method of comparison.

Here is a sample of one of our slides in the Comparisons PDF Slide Shows

We have also provided our own personal rankings of each line with comments.

So, let’s explore these ranking together, by going directly to our full PDF presentation at this link:

READ OUR COMPLETE 86 SLIDE PRESENTATION

River Cruise Vibes

Since 2009, I have studied Europe River cruising to try and learn all I could about the river cruise industry. A few industry experts have tried to make comprehensive comparisons of the different lines. Each has a slightly different approach.

We have taken a unique approach by creating a PowerPoint presentation. Our 86 slide 2019 Comparison Guide is very good but even that lacks one factor—the vibe of the line and its ships.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines vibe as “the feeling that someone or something gives you.” So, here goes—my evaluation of the vibe or feeling you will get on 8 river cruise lines.

This really matters, since there is little information of the company vibes in one place that you can quickly determine the vibe or feelings you will probably experience on a European River Cruise. This blog goes beyond just facts—it tells the story of each river cruise line.

These pictures capture a little bit of these vibes—two great lines, AmaWaterways (first photo) and Scenic—we know the vibe of both and want to help you understand the differences!

AmaKristina Lounge 2018 decorated for Christmas

Did we provide a good summary of each lines feelings?  Will that help you decide on which line best fits your desired vacation experience?

River Cruise Vibes

Route Guide

Our comprehensive guide of the available Europe River Cruise Routes is the best single resource available for you to quickly learn about European Rivers. It is designed so you can easily decide on which route will be the best for your next Europe river cruise vacation.

Old Town Lyon—a port on the Rhône River—one of the Routes we describe in our guide

Europe has the distinction of the continent with the largest number of navigable rivers compared to other regions of the world.  They are often devoid of major obstacles such as waterfalls and rapids, and are usually wide and deep enough to allow a steady passage of people and material on all types of sailing vessels. 

Combine the easy navigation with captivating sights such as castles, vineyards, capital cities and small, quaint villages and it is clear to me why folks would want to sail these amazing rivers!

Europe Rivers Map from AmaWaterways

It will describe the river, point out a couple of highlights and why you might consider sailing on this river.  The routes may be very short or may cover larger distances.  While there are some variations, many lines essentially cruise the same route on the most popular European rivers.

Since most folks want to know what the best starting rivers are if they have never taken a European River cruise, by far the two most popular rivers are the Rhine and the Upper Danube, so let’s explore them first together.  Then will examine the remaining Europe Rivers you might want to consider for your vacation.

The Watchman of the Danube Schönbühel Castle

Sailing into Rüdesheim Germany on the Rhine

Ready?—Let’s cruise together!

Route Guide

River Cruise Blogs

If you believe Google, I am the number one Europe River Cruise Blogger.

Our blogs, by design, are much more detailed than most other blogs—usually 2000 words or more.  There are two types of blogs we use to help you understand characteristics of Europe river cruises.

In the first type, we try to tell the story of each topic in a way you can see yourself there—can we capture the experience for you? 

While some blogs easily fall into storytelling type of blog, others are designed as informational, data blogs, our second type of blog. This blog is more the informational type blog.

Both have immense value, in my opinion.  Sometimes you just need the data in a form you can understand and make comparisons.  But this alone is not enough—you need to know what you will experience on a Europe river cruise to get the full story.  A key element of the blogs is a clear separation of facts (usually there is a source) and our opinion.  When possible, we use many pictures in each blog to help enhance our descriptions.

As you can see from this blog, we break up our blogs into sub headings to make it easier to understand.  Often, there is quite a bit of research that goes into the content—we try to sift through the overwhelming amount of information and advertising to paint an easily understandable summary of each topic.  Most is first-hand information from our experiences, but some is news or research, or information facts (internet, blogs, books, travel publications, company brochures or other sources) you need to know to become a better traveler.

Our blogs have two goals—the most important is to inform you so you can decide if a Europe river cruise is right for you.  The second, a bit more subtle, is to help you decide if we are the right folks to help plan your river cruise.

Read More Blogs

We Are the Right Folks to Plan your Next European River Cruise

Our knowledge of Europe river cruises is exceptional.  We have been on 18 Europe river cruises, written over 60 blogs about all aspects of Europe river cruises, have 3 items on the first page of Google, we have 51 port guides (they are free) for you, and we have help dozens enjoy river cruising in Europe.  And if that we not enough, we have 50 free guides to most Europe Cities you might want to visit before or after your Europe river cruise.

My Final Thoughts

Wow—What a quick way to get exceptional information about European River Cruising We want to earn that trust from you to use us for your vacation needs.

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise experts, and Europe destination experts.  We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe.  We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you.  We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.  As you can see, our full service agency can get you to almost anywhere you desire to travel and provide you a great experience and vacation.

When you are spending your hard earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip.  You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com.  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 48+ years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.  His other Certifications:

• AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

• Viking River Cruise Specialist

• Scenic River Cruise Specialist

• Emerald Waterways  Specialist

• Avalon Waterways Specialist

• Brit Agent