Company type | Private |
---|---|
Industry | Cruises |
Founded | 1994 |
Founder | Wolfgang and Martina Lüftner |
Headquarters | Innsbruck, Austria |
Website | https://www.lueftner-cruises.com/en |
Lüftner Cruises, also operating under Amadeus River Cruises, is a cruise operator based in Innsbruck, Austria that offers European river cruises.
History
The Lüftner family has been involved in modern European river cruising since the 1970s, having previously operated Lufter Reizen. Lüftner Cruises was founded in 1994 by Wolfgang Lüftner and Martina Lüftner and remains a family business. 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 In 2015, the company started calling at Australia. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe Luftner suspended all river cruises from March 2020-June 2021.
Amadeus fleet
As of 2020, Lüftner Cruises had a fleet of 16 Amadeus ships, which have been built by the De Hoop Shipyards in the Netherlands. with the exception of Amadeus Star, built by GS Yard. In 2020, the company placed an order for Amadeus Cara.
Ship | Entered service | Length | Passengers | Flag |
---|---|---|---|---|
Amadeus Imperial' | 2020 | 135 × 11.4 m | 168 | DE |
Amadeus Star | 2019 | 135 × 11.4 m | 164 | DE |
Amadeus Queen | 2018 | 135 × 11.4 m | 162 | DE |
Amadeus Silver III | 2016 | 135 × 11.4 m | 168 | DE |
Amadeus Silver II | 2015 | 135 × 11.4 m | 168 | DE |
Amadeus Silver | 2013 | 135 × 11.4 m | 180 | DE |
Amadeus Provence | 2017 | 110 × 11.4 m | 140 | DE |
Amadeus Diamond | 2009 (renovated 2019) | 110 × 11.4 m | 146 | DE |
Amadeus Brilliant | 2011 (renovated 2020) | 110 × 11.4 m | 150 | DE |
Amadeus Elegant | 2010 | 110 × 11.4 m | 150 | DE |
Amadeus Princess | 2006 (renovated 2020) | 110 × 11.4 m | 160 | DE |
Amadeus Royal | 2005 (renovated 2015) | 110 × 11.4 m | 142 | DE |
Amadeus Symphony | 2003 (renovated 2014) | 110 × 11.4 m | 144 | DE |
Amadeus Classic | 2001 (renovated 2013) | 110 × 11.4 m | 144 | DE |
Amadeus Rhapsody | 1998 (renovated 2014) | 110 × 11.4 m | 146 | DE |
Amadeus | 1997 (renovated 2019) | 110 × 11.4 m | 146 | DE |
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
- 2011: "Green Globe Highest Achievement Award 2011" (Cruise category) presented by Green Globe
References
- "Luftner Cruises Professional Review- Luftner Cruises Cruises: Travel Weekly". www.travelweekly.com. Archived from the original on 7 July 2017. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
- "Donau im Feuerzauber lockte tausende Besucher nach Grein". Tips Online. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
- "Dr. W. Lüftner Reisen GmbH". Emmersdorf an der Donau (in Austrian German). Retrieved 31 July 2021.
- "Neues Schiff: Amadeus River Cruises tauft die "Amadeus Imperial"". cruise4news (in German). 24 August 2020. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
- Daniel, Diane (30 September 2014). "A River Trip in Tulip Season". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
- Harris, Ann Pringle (3 February 1991). "A Special Guide to Cruises Worldwide; A Cruise, but Not Smooth Sailing". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
...but Wolfgang Luftner, president of Luftner Reisen, said, "All vessels cruising the Danube were affected by the low water levels, with some individual differences depending on the specific draft of each boat." Even so, of 80 or more Luftner Reisen cruises in 1990, Dr. Luftner said that only about a dozen were re-routed. As it happened, however, my husband and I were on one of the dozen.
- "Our Story". Lüftner Cruises. 8 February 2021. Archived from the original on 29 January 2021. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
- Publishing, Berlitz (1 May 2018). Berlitz River Cruising in Europe & the USA. Apa Publications (UK) Limited. ISBN 978-1-78573-104-4.
- "Luftner Cruises' Wolfgang Luftner on the European river cruise season". www.travelweekly.com. Archived from the original on 11 March 2020. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
- Jones, Lucy (30 September 2015). "Amras cruises launches in Australia with Lüftner Cruises Amadeus fleet". Cruise Passenger. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europ
- "Schepen zoeken van a tot Z".
- Dekker, Martin (9 September 2020). "Amadeus Imperial: nummer 16 van Shipyard De Hoop voor Lüftner Cruises".
- "Shipyard De Hoop delivers innovative river cruise ship Amadeus Queen to Lüftner Cruises". Netherlands Maritime Technology. 10 April 2018.
- "Amadeus Star".
- ""Amadeus Cara" joins the Lüftner Cruises' fleet from 2021 – Late Cruise News". 9 January 2020.
- "Amadeus Imperial Christened in Amsterdam – Late Cruise News". 24 August 2020. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
- "Amadeus Imperial Cruise – Ship Review – Photos & Departure Ports on Cruise Critic". www.cruisecritic.co.uk. Archived from the original on 18 January 2021. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
- "Shipyard De Hoop completes third vessel in series for Lüftner Cruises". Baird Maritime. 26 May 2020. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
- "Just Back From Amadeus Star: The Austrian Line That's Making Its Mark In The U.K." www.cruisecritic.co.uk. Archived from the original on 17 October 2019. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
- "Amadeus Star: Bucking the river cruise trends". Cruise Trade News. 3 September 2019. Archived from the original on 31 July 2021. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
- "Amadeus Star".
- "Austria's Lüftner Cruises takes delivery of latest river cruise ship". Ship & Offshore. 23 April 2018. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
- "Amsterdam Cruise Port". Amsterdam Cruise Port. 26 July 2019.
- "Amadeus Queen prepares for christening in Amsterdam". Sea News.
- "MS Amadeus Silver III ergänzt ab 2016 die Flusskreuzfahrt-Flotte von Lüftner Cruises". Kreuzfahrt Blog (in German). 25 November 2015. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
- Dekker, Martin (25 April 2017). "Amadeus Provence is nieuwste aanwinst voor Lüftner Cruises".
- Bohmann, Johannes (6 November 2013). "Die besten Schiffe des Jahres: Kreuzfahrt Guide Awards 2013 verliehen". Presseportal. Archived from the original on 22 January 2021.
- Kabashi, Arton. "Green Globe Certification Announces Top Performing Sustainable Travel & Tourism Businesses for 2011". Green Globe. Archived from the original on 22 January 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
- "Lueftner Cruises committed to ecological principles". eTurboNews | Trends | Travel News Online. 5 April 2013. Archived from the original on 31 July 2021. Retrieved 22 February 2021.