AmaWaterways has opened pre-orders for its 2025 brochure as it reported “record-breaking sales” for the start of the year.

The line has attributed its strong start to 2024 to the demand it is seeing for travel during off-peak periods, particularly for March and April Europe departures, which it said have seen a “triple digit increase in sales” compared to the same time last year, which prompted AmaWaterways to introduce February sailings on the Rhine and Danube rivers for 2024 and 2025.

Festive cruises have also grown in popularity, the line said, as it reported 30% more guests are booked on a cruise departing over Christmas 2024 compared to 2023.

As a result, AmaWaterways has extended the festive season, with cruises departing between mid-November and January.

The line’s 2025 brochure, which is available for pre-order now via Tradegate, features sailings in Europe, Asia, South America and Africa.

“While river cruising during the peak months of May to October remains as popular as ever, more and more guests appreciate the benefits of travelling at quieter times of year,” said managing director

“We’ve seen record-breaking sales across the board in recent months, in part due to the additional demand we are seeing for travelling during the off-peak periods.

“Traditionally, the Christmas markets season only lasted a few weeks, however with growing popularity, many iconic Christmas markets have announced earlier opening dates starting mid-November allowing the introduction of a taste of Christmas markets cruises during which guests will enjoy an early start to the festive season on beautifully decorated ships, and visits to one or two Christmas markets.

“This move led to a 258% rise in bookings for November 2023 compared to November 2022, and forward bookings for November 2024 are following the same trend.”