Soulful Experiences with AmaWaterways

This travel journal is part of our TravelStore Passport Diaries Podcast. Watch the full episode below, and for more episodes, visit our Passport Diaries Podcast page or follow us on your favorite podcast platform.

One of our greatest joys at TravelStore is building long-term relationships with travel partners who not only deliver amazing travel experiences, but also nurture programs that amplify diversity and embody what travel really is: a way to connect people to the history and cultures of the world.

AmaWaterways is one such partner. In 2023 Ama launched its Soulful Experiences river cruise itineraries spearheaded by Jazzmine Douse. The itineraries celebrate Black and African culture and history through curated shore excursions, onboard celebrations, lectures, and culinary experiences.

The itineraries have been a massive hit, with the first Soulful Experience along the Rhône River selling out in just 45 days! Between Jazzmine’s passion and AmaWaterways’ deeply ingrained commitment to diversity and inclusion, Soulful Experiences itineraries have expanded to the Nile, Douro, Danube, Rhine, Seine, Magdalena, and Delta rivers. Starting in 2026, AmaWaterways will also launch a brand-new, 10-night Soulful Experience along the Mekong river, visiting Vietnam and Cambodia! We invited Jazzmine Douse from AmaWaterways and Dionne Harvey from TravelStore to join us on Passport Diaries to talk all things Soulful Experiences: what they are, where they go, and why they matter. Jazzmine shares where the impetus for the program development originated and how building and expanding the program has brought her so much joy as she moves into her second decade at AmaWaterways.

Read on for an excerpt from our video interview with Jazzmine and Dionne. Watch the full interview on our YouTube channel, or listen in on your podcast platform of choice!

 

Passport Diaries: After that first extremely popular inaugural Soulful Experience cruise in Southern France, you have really expanded to a lot of different rivers!

Jazzmine Douse: Yes, we have! And it’s because of the demand. I mean, you have these guests that are on board their current Soulful Experience asking, “When’s the next? Where am I going next?” We have clients who have already been on four or five Soulful Experiences in the short time that the program has been out, and so once you start realizing the loyalty that’s there and that you’ve got their attention…you need another river to provide to them! You don’t want to stop the journey and it’s a fun problem to have, you know, it’s a good problem to have.

 

Passport Diaries: How do you choose where to next develop a Soulful itinerary?

Jazzmine Douse: We take a look at the itineraries that we have that have already been amazingly curated and identify where some of those stories might exist of the Black and African diaspora. So first was the Rhône River, naturally the next one was Egypt because it’s there on the continent of Africa and there are so many stories to be told. And that was a hit! That one is probably one of the top itineraries that the travelers give us feedback about. Then we went over to the Douro River in Portugal where there’s a lot of history when you think about the Moors and how they’re connected to the African diaspora and how Portugal really played a huge role in the transatlantic slave trade. So not only are you looking at the African diaspora, but also like the Black American experience as well.

Those are like the core three and then we realized: they’re coming back! What’s the next river? Where do we take it next? And so from there, I believe it was Colombia because the Afro Colombian experience is unique in itself, but it is woven into the core and the foundation of all of Colombia. And then we have an extension into Panama, which is phenomenal.

“It’s the community that’s created and the friendships that exist well beyond the voyage…you end up leaving feeling like you’re all part of one big family. It feels like a family reunion.” – Jazzmine

Passport Diaries: When people think about cruising, they might picture the big ocean cruise ships with thousands of people. What are the group sizes going on these river cruises with AmaWaterways?

Jazzmine Douse: In France, they’re looking at about 150 guests, that’s what you would mostly expect. When you’re looking in Egypt, you’re looking at about 80 guests there, so you’re looking even smaller. When you’re looking to Colombia, you’re looking at 60 guests. And then our smallest – we don’t have a Soulful there yet – but our smallest vessel is on the Chobe River in South Africa. That particular ship only holds 28 passengers. The largest you can go with Ama is 196 guests; that’s the biggest we go.

Passport Diaries: I have to imagine when these groups are there for a focused interest and the ships are only between 60 and 150 people for the most part, passengers become buddies real quick, don’t they?

Jazzmine Douse: That is the beauty of it! It’s the community that’s created and the friendships that exist well beyond the voyage. You’ve got couples, you’ve got families, you’ve got girlfriends, you’ve got groups, you’ve got people from all different walks of life, you’ve got multi-generational travel, we’ve had some youngins that have been on board with us… and you end up leaving feeling like you’re all part of one big family. It feels like a family reunion.

“’The oceans take you to countries, but rivers take you through them.’ River cruising is that floating boutique hotel that’s taking you to these different destinations and allowing you the time to pause and to immerse and to explore the local culture…” – Jazzmine

Dionne Harvey: What’s the best way for us as travel advisors to explain the Soulful Experience to clients so that they understand that it’s more than a themed river cruise?

Jazzmine Douse: I always say to first start off with explaining river [cruising] because many people aren’t cruisers, especially within this community – and this is more of a majority and overarching thing. Obviously, we do have people who love cruising and we see more emphasis on fun and sun and things like that within the Black community. However, when you look at river cruising and it being in the luxury space, that luxury space tends to not have that very prevalent representation.

So, the first conversation I always say is talk about river cruising and why it’s so different than ocean or why it is a great way to cruise. One of my favorite quotes is: “The oceans take you to countries, but rivers take you through them.” Right? And I just love it! I think it just shows the perfect relationship between the two and why ocean cruising and river cruising are not the same. River cruising is that floating boutique hotel that’s taking you to these different destinations and allowing you the time to pause and to immerse and to explore the local culture and even taste the local culture when you get back on your ship. It just becomes a succinct experience that allows you to explore so much more. And so much deeper.

 

“There are river cruise companies out there, but there’s only one river cruise company who’s decided to put a spotlight on Black stories.” – Jazzmine

Jazzmine Douse: Then, we talk about the fact that there are river cruise companies out there, but there’s only one river cruise company who’s decided to put a spotlight on Black stories. When we talk about the Ama difference, there are so many things that we know that make us different. When we’re talking to this community, one of the biggest Ama differences is the fact that they said “Yes” to this project and there is no one else that is doing it. That alone, I think, captures that attention, the dedication, and the commitment of the company and it being willing to support and explore and expand as we continue to see it do year after year.

From there, you can take a look at the itineraries that AmaWaterways offers. The itineraries have already been wonderfully curated to highlight the most special things in these destinations and are done in a unique way with walking tours and biking tours and hiking tours and tours like “Cooking with Mamie”, which is a pastry class in France. And then you look at Soulful, and what you realize is that we’ve added a layer on top of these existing itineraries where we’ve focused on the onboard experience.

Through the onboard experience, we focus on the entertainment. Each night, it’s a lively experience with music – because we love a good party! You also have the food, the culinary experience; There’s a Juneteenth dinner that we do on board. We partnered with James Beard award-winning chef Alexander Smalls. He prepared a menu that tells stories that connect to our heritage with the recipe and the ingredients that are used. We also have lectures that highlight and center the diaspora, and learning opportunities to connect the destination to our heritage.

Jazzmine Douse: Of course, you’re also there with likeminded individuals as far as travelers who want to celebrate the diaspora. As long as you wish to celebrate it, you are welcome and you are invited. Not only are you welcome, you are invited to be there!

And then you have the “ashore”. You’ll typically find during the cruise one to two tours that are focused on the diaspora, or more depending on where you are, depending on the destination more stories exist. There is also a mandatory Pre- or Post- hotel stay that. That hotel stay is typically in our larger cities because those larger cities usually have more of our stories; we’ve made a larger impact in those areas and we are part of the reason why some of those cities became those larger cities. So, we mandate those Pre- and Post- stays to ensure we deliver an experience focused on the Soulful, and to have those tours guaranteed that are focused on the Black and African diaspora.

And so that’s essentially the presentation of it! It is: how do we tell these stories in an authentic way without forcing them, but know that it’s still about river cruising. It’s still about immersing into the local destinations and learning about those local stories and the history and the modern day while also finding ways to connect it to us and center our heritage while we’re traveling as well.

 

Passport Diaries: What was one of your favorite experiences on the Colombia Soulful Experience cruise down the Magdalena River?

Jazzmine Douse: Oh my gosh, there are so many tours with Colombia! I don’t even know where to start. I would probably say it was in Cartagena. This was the first tour, it was on the first day, and we actually partnered with a tour operator who delivers tours there in Cartagena called “The Real Cartagena Tour.” So, it wasn’t just about the Walled City and the general history that you learn about the region, but it really dove a bit deeper into the Afro Colombian history and how so much of that history is part of the main history of the city. I mean, we were taking salsa dance classes right in the middle of a town, we were tasting fresh mangoes that were just freshly cut for us – the sweetest mangoes that we had! -, then, of course, you’re learning about the history, looking into some of the fashion of the region… it was just a robust tour and it was just a great way to kick it off. Everyone was just extremely excited about what was to come.

 

“People want to see themselves. And when they see themselves, they realize it’s possible for them. And that’s the focus; that’s the idea of representation.” – Jazzmine

Passport Diaries: Why does diverse representation and creating Soulful Experiences matter in the grand scheme of things?

Jazzmine Douse: We always say that marketing is a direct reflection of who you wish to welcome into your brand. It’s who you see utilizing your brand and supporting your brand. So anytime you market, that is essentially what you’re telling the audience. And so, by not having Black faces or faces of any underrepresented communities, those individuals have to imagine seeing themselves there. They can’t see themselves in those pictures and they have to use their imagination because the media doesn’t show them. And that’s where the gap exists and that’s why we say representation matters. People want to see themselves. And when they see themselves, they realize it’s possible for them. And that’s the focus; that’s the idea of representation.

It brings me so much joy. I remember getting ready to go into my 10th year at Ama, and I was like, “Wow, it’s been 10 years. Are you looking forward to another 10 years? What’s that going to look like?” And then Soulful came, and it feels like I just started all over. They [Ama] encourage that entrepreneurial spirit, and I felt like once I really leaned into that and was able to create something like this, it just gave me like that second wind, right? I’m so fired up.

We just were on Martha’s Vineyard promoting Soulful and we had over 450 people come out and be just enamored by the idea and the concept. We’re supporting the Black travel professional organizations that have been developing over the years and it’s been a beautiful way to build the network, support advisors, and really just fall even deeper in love with Ama. It’s been an amazing journey.

Curious about sailing with AmaWaterways on a Soulful Experiences itinerary? Contact Dionne Harvey to hear more about the rivers and how AmaWaterways will make your trip the best it can be.

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