Lüftner Cruises

Lüftner Cruises, also operating under Amadeus River Cruises, is a cruise operator based in Innsbruck, Austria that offers European river cruises.[1][2][3][4]

History

The Lüftner family has been involved in modern European river cruising since the 1970s,[5] having previously operated Lufter Reizen.[6] Lüftner Cruises was founded in 1994 by Wolfgang Lüftner and Martina Lüftner and remains a family business.[7][8] At first the company only used chartered ships. In 1997, it began to establish its own fleet with the construction of MS Amadeus. It is often credited with helping to launch the river cruise industry[9] In 2015, the company started calling at Australia.[10] In response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe Luftner suspended all river cruises from March 2020-June 2021.[11]

Amadeus fleet

As of 2024, Lüftner Cruises had a fleet of 16 Amadeus ships, which have been built by the De Hoop Shipyards in the Netherlands.[12][13][14] with the exception of Amadeus Star, built by GS Yard.[15] In 2020, the company placed an order for Amadeus Cara.[16]

Cruises

Amadeus ships cover many European countries (Austria, Slovakia, Serbia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Germany, France, Belgium and the Netherlands), various rivers (the Danube, Rhine, Main, Mosel, Rhône, Saône and Seine) and also Belgian and Dutch inland waterways. The company also runs themed cruises for golfers and fans of classical music.

Awards

• 2013: "River Ship of the Year 2013" (Flussschiff des Jahres 2013) for the Amadeus Silver II, presented by the Kreuzfahrt Guide[28]
• 2011: "Green Globe Highest Achievement Award 2011" (Cruise category) presented by Green Globe[29][30]

External links