ONBOARD THE AMAKRISTINA -- The tears came early on the AmaKristina, on Day 1 of the inaugural Soulful Epicurean Experience cruise, AmaWaterways' first Black heritage river cruise itinerary.
Crystal August, the cruise manager hand-picked to lead the line's groundbreaking itinerary, had just finished a speech introducing Jazzmine Douse, director of national accounts at AmaWaterways, during the welcome reception.
August's remarks centered around perseverance, and in this lounge full of African American travelers, many knew all too well, collectively and individually, what it meant to persevere.
"When you have someone who is brave enough in the office to say, 'Something needs to be changed, and we have to do things differently,' it doesn't come without its challenges. There's going to constantly be people telling you that it can't be done," August said, overcome with emotion as she recalled yearslong efforts led by Douse; Janet Bava, AmaWaterways' former chief marketing officer, now at Windstar; and the group of travel advisors onboard who were behind the idea to launch the sailing and who helped craft its itinerary.
The energy was palpable as August, who is a Black South African, addressed a room filled with faces she said were similar to hers, a sight she had never seen before on an AmaWaterways ship. Midspeech, her voice began to crack.
"But you have to get up and you have to keep going and persevering until that thing comes to life," August continued. "And that's the Soulful Epicurean Experience."
With those words, the tone was set for the journey that would unfold on the Rhone River and later in Paris, over the next 11 days.
We belong here, I thought to myself. We belong everywhere.
Something new on the river
Guests and travel advisors onboard knew this sailing would be unlike any other the brand had hosted.
Sure, it was the line's -- and for that matter, the industry's -- first river cruise itinerary dedicated to Black history in France. And, yes, the sold-out ship made up of Black travelers was an uncommon sight in the overall river cruise industry, which has traditionally catered to a predominantly white clientele.
Crystal August (left), AmaWaterways cruise manager, introduces Jazzmine Douse, AmaWaterways director of national accounts, during the Soulful Epicurean Experience cruise. Photo Credit: Nicole Edenedo
But there were less obvious and more surprising signs that this cruise was going to be different.
And the first clue proving as much came when several waiters brought out birthday cakes for two guests on the first evening and, as expected, sang the traditional version of "Happy Birthday."
The waiters hadn't finished the song's final note before the dining room, without missing a beat, erupted into Stevie Wonder's Motown "Happy Birthday."
Outnumbered by the sonorous roar of a song sung proudly in many African American communities, the waiters, many hailing from Eastern Europe, looked on awed as their initial confusion eased into cracked smiles that eventually subsided into laughter; Who was singing to whom now?
Sharing songs and hard truths
Nightly live music performances, from lively jazz bands to a flaming hot flamenco act, were nearly always accompanied by dance parties -- particularly with dance numbers everyone knew the steps to.
But this wasn't "Y.M.C.A." or the Macarena or any other dance centered around arm movements; the key to success on this dance floor was all in the hips and staying light on one's feet to hits like DJ Casper's "Cha-Cha Slide" and Bruno Mars' "Uptown Funk." We all cheered a senior woman whose nimble dance moves put everyone else's to shame.
Afternoons were every bit as stimulating, as well.
Guest lecturer Boris Klein, a history professor and local tour guide, gave an honest and multifaceted talk about the role France played in the transatlantic slave trade, colonialism in Africa and the country's relationship with the Black French community today.
Travel Weekly's Nicole Edenedo (right) sits down with Joyce Montague, a guest onboard the AmaKristina. Photo Credit: Nicole Edenedo
His candor was refreshing as he wasted no time addressing the elephant in the room: Who was this white man lecturing a room full of Black people on slavery and the African diaspora? But Klein was passionate about teaching the historical truths of France's relationship to its own Black history, something he said is not taught in schools.
The lecture roused many side conversations and thoughtful follow-up questions. Klein even had a spirited one-on-one discussion with a frustrated guest who disagreed with some of his presentation, spending more than half an hour speaking with her to hash out what was eventually, and mutually, deciphered as a misunderstanding.
Would such conversations happen on any other river cruise?
It was said once or twice during this journey that the Soulful Epicurean Experience is not an itinerary -- it's a movement.
"We did it," Douse said. "If there was ever a question as to whether there was a space for this, demand for this, whether this particular demographic would ever enjoy these types of experiences in a way that our core demographic does, I think it's very clear: River cruising is for everyone."