AmaWaterways
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With nearly 20 years of experience on the world’s rivers, our family-owned and operated company has remained focused on what we do best: providing our guests with innovative and unforgettable travel experiences. Our visionary leaders were the pioneers of modern luxury river cruising and have received numerous prestigious awards and accolades. However, we are most fulfilled by the positive feedback we receive from our guests, whom we have always considered a part of our family. Join us, stay awhile and discover Europe, Asia, Africa, or Colombia with us – one river at a time.
Reviews 83
KESwan
Nov 11,2024We just returned from a 2 week cruise on the Danube on the AMA Verde with land extensions in Prague and Romania. (Pre-trip October 18, ship sailed October 21) This was our first river cruise and we were very pleased with the quality of the tours, guides, food, accommodations, and especially with all of the staff on the ship and the cruise directors who went above and beyond to make sure that everyone had a wonderful trip. We especially want to give praise to the people who are sometimes behind the scenes-- the housekeeping staff who worked tirelessly and kept the ship and our staterooms in perfect condition-- always with a smile and a friendly word.
William White
Oct 13,2024They say you should rate a company on how they deal with things when the go wrong and that is this review. We recently went on a river cruise down the Danube on the Amamagna. We also took the option of 2 days in Munich before and 2 days in Budapest after. Munich wasn't a great experience, the hotel was billed as a 5 star and at £700 a night i expected luxury. Instead I got a room in an annexe that hadn't been refurbished in more than 20 years. I approached Ama and the best they could do for me was pass on my comments to the hotel. The cruise itself was nice as was the hotel and stay in Budapest but Munich tarnished what was supposed to be a holiday of a lifetime.
D Neunaber
Sep 24,2024First AMA trip on Danube was great. Recent Duoro cruise was quite unremarkable. Ship seemed cramped. They were two great, fantastic staff—Christina the sommelier was absolutely fantastic as was the hotel manager. Excursion guides were also great. The front desk and lounge crew never made eye contact, never smiled, and seemed to lack English language skills. Made the whole experience seem lackluster and ordinary. Very different from my previous AMA cruise. I wouldn’t go on another AMA Douro cruise if it was free. I would not recommend this cruise. Maybe try the Danube instead.
Angela Butt
Sep 19,2024After an amazing holiday in 2019 with AMA travelling the Mekong river when we decided to cruise the Danube AMA was our first choice but could not believe we could possibly get the same level of care and service we had before. It must be the company policy and the way staff are trained as customer care, the service and friendliness of all the staff was just as amazing. Unfortunately I broke my wrist on the second day and the staff were a great help in particular Jasmina who accompanied me and my husband to hospital incase of language difficulties. Please pass on our thanks to all concerned. Wouldn’t hesitate to holiday with AMA again hoping to go on the Rhine next year. Angela and Davi’s Butti
Tamra Oliver
Aug 26,2024We cruised the Danube on the Amabella August 2024 and had a wonderful experience. We appreciated that all the excursions were included in the price. The staff was amazing. For us, the highlight was how hard the culinary staff worked to assure that my daughter had her significant allergies addressed. She was able to eat without fear of using her epipen. They even made food that looked just like others so she didn’t feel singled out. This is so unusual and very hard to do. If there was a choice of more stars than 5… for us it would be a 10.
DJB
Jul 27,2024This was our first European River Cruise and it exceeded our expectations. The ship was lovely, the food fantastic and the staff and service was excellent. Our cabin was on deck 4, we opted for one with a balcony which we didn’t use that much, we were on the port side and quite frequently when docked another boat moored alongside us. There are plenty of chairs/loungers on the sun deck to sit and take in the scenery when sailing. The excursions were well planned and cater to all levels of fitness, we opted for the gentle ones as we both have dodgy knees. The local guides were informative and interesting. The AMA Waterways app was great for booking the free excursions and accessing the daily cruise itinerary. I would have no hesitation in booking another AMA cruise
Gayle Koch
Jul 14,2024My husband and I have just done the Douro River cruise on Ama Waterways. Ama has a good reputation and we were perhaps expecting too much. When we arrived on the ship to check in, we were told to sit in the lounge for 1 1/2 hours. They charged us for drinks. We were sitting right next to a massage stool where the masseuse was massaging people's necks and backs. We felt that this was not appropriate and should have been done in private. The cabin was extremely cramped with very little storage. The doors of all the cabinets were very difficult to open (nail breakers) as they did not have knobs. The carpet and the windows were dirty. The TV channels were very limited. We were able to watch Wimbledon on a TV in the lounge in very cramped conditions as so many people wanted to watch. The food was okay. Breakfasts were very good, but we sent back the tuna as it was overcooked and tough and my husband could not even cut the duck. On the plus side, Ama does have great employees. The cruise director, Caterina, did an excellent job as did Christina, the sommelier, and the wait staff. The daily excursions off the ship were wonderful, interesting, well organized, and we really enjoyed them. Our conclusion is that we would probably choose another company for our next river cruise, or we would make sure that the ship was newer or recently refurbished.
John Osborne
May 03,2024My wife, Julie and I recently cruised the Netherlands and Belgium on AMA Lucia Tulipmania tour in mid- April 2024. We had another great experience on this our 5th AMA Waterways tour. We were provided with excellent service by Captain Henk and all of his crew throughout the week. But a special shoutout is reserved for one of the best Tour Directors:( John Riley) that we have ever had on our many river and ocean voyages. Mr. Riley went over and above his call of duties, and was always available for sage and sound advice to us on the optional tours. We are looking forward to our next AMA Waterways tour in 2025.
Steve Moose
Apr 17,2024"Cruise" dates: Apr 5, 2124 - Apr 13, 2024 Normandy to Paris, "Impressions of the Seine" Ships: AmaLyra and AmaDante Be aware that climate change is causing unusual extremes in the water levels of the Seine. Thus, we never got the "Scenic River Cruise" experience, instead being tied at anchor first in Le Havre then at Paris. All we got were bus rides ("Ama Busways"?). And we will not get any money back from Ama, whose motto seems to be "We got your money - see ya". But what all went wrong? Well: 1) This is sold as a high-end gourmet experience. It definitively is not. The food was unexceptional (except for the very excellent "Chef's Table", the ONLY dinner I got that was good). 2) The wait staff (on a "cruise" full of American Tourists) did not speak adequate English, so that what you ordered was rarely what you actually got. Several of my fellow passengers mentioned the same thing, so not just me. One such was "Florian" on the AmaLyra. After one dinner where he brought me two items I had said "No" to, (and having him then question why I wasn't eating them!), he screwed up my dessert order. I am 74 years old, and have never faced off with a waiter over service issues until I met him. Also, the wait staff was arrogant, often questioning my menu choices and giving "eye rolls" and other expressions of Gallic disapproval. Entirely inappropriate. It cannot be their job to critique my food choices to my face on a "cruise" I was paying for. On the AmaDante, I had run-ins with Yanko Stoychev (sp?) who took it as a personal affront when I asked for the meat to be cooked a little more. It is apparent that on Ama, beef and pork come only as "Blood Rare" or "Shoe Leather". In one meal, I asked for the pork (blood rare) to be cooked a bit more, and Yanko came out with what looked like a burnt offering and literally stood over me - not taking "no" for an answer - until I took a small byte. Made me very uncomfortable. One lunch, I tried to get a cheeseburger with "No mayonnaise". It was delivered thoroughly slathered top and bottom with a sauce - not listed on the menu - consisting of ketchup and...mayonnaise. I had to walk away from that one. At another dinner, I ordered my steak medium well (since "medium" was also way too rare), and the waitress gave me an amazed look as if I were an idiot, and asked if I was sure? She then proceeded to serve mine to another passenger and gave me the usual (bloody) one he had ordered (so we were both annoyed). When I asked for a re-do, Yanko got involved again (again taking it personally) and proceeded (without any request on my part) to bring me another order which was shoe leather (par for the course with him), and insisted I try it. I did, and sent it back again. Third time was no charm, as he brought me yet another one overdone, at which point I gave up and told him it was fine - the only way to make him go away. Again, in all my years of dining out, I have returned a meal only twice; I beat that total in one meal here. 3) Ama advertises ship-board Internet but delivers only very low speed spotty service which was frequently unvailable. So if the Internet *might* be important to you, be advised that you will be stepping back in time at least 12 years to when such service was more normal. Also, one morning after breakfast (with only 20 minutes to go until the bus tours were to leave), all the toilets on board stopped working. Was not fun, I assure you. I was later told that this was rectified fairly quickly. 4) The Cruise Director ("Dragan") was a great guy and a very good director; however, the immense number of changes in venues caused by the situation made him frequently unavailable. I feel genuinely sorry for that guy in such a no-win situation. And the situation caused some of the excursion options to become unavailable, so again, what I got was not what was advertised and paid for. So, this experience was very much not as advertised. I will never book anything with Ama based on this experience, and suggest that if you are seeking a good cruise vacation, look elsewhere. This was, to be polite, stressful; our once-in-a-lifetime splurge vacation pretty much ruined. Update 4-17-2024: "Ama cannot find me in their database". So how was I given an ID card on board the two ships to access my room and to check on and off board?
Millie Fischer
Apr 13,2024Basel Switzerland to Amsterdam Netherlands on Amaprima. With many many Ocean cruises behind me both high end and medium. Large to small of 125 ppl. I can honestly say this Rhine River cruise w AMA was a true adventure. The cabins, layout of the ship, dining, music and ALL inclusive excursions both active and gentle. This maybe our first but not our last. Crew is remarkable, as well as tour guides. Modern new buses from one location to another. Small charge for laundry well worth it. I can’t sing their praises enough. Planning our next for 2025
Adrian Carran
Mar 29,2024The pre and post cruise trips were excellent, the organisation, the cruise manager, local guides and hotels were all exceptional. I would rate these as 5 stars. The actual cruise on the Mekong River aboard the AmaDara was not up to a standard that we were expecting. The ship was tired and felt in need of a refurbishment. With the exception of the chefs table, one evening, the evening meals were very poor. Hot food should be hot and not tepid, menu choices were not great, my wife had to have Salmon 4 out of 7 nights from the always available menu. The fruit selection at breakfast was the same day after day and a poor selection. I ordered the avocado on toast with a poached egg, both times they were cold. Lunch was also a buffet with a reasonable salad choice, without doubt the best food on board. The staff on board the ship were all excellent, they were very friendly, polite and extremely helpful. Apart from one full day cruising when we crossed the border there seemed very little cruising between stops. The views of the land when cruising was dull and boring with nothing really to see. Without a doubt the highlight of the trip was Halong Bay, Angkor Wat and the Chu Chi tunnels in Hanoi, Seam Reap and Ho Chi Min City respectively. Meeting new friends on this trip was also a highlight. Personally we would prefer the trip to be a little more expensive and remove the need for tipping and paying extra for certain drinks.
customer
Nov 20,2023We had a lovely cruise. We started on the Amamora but due to high water levels we had to leave our boat and transfer to the Amaserena. The latter was slightly older. We preferred the staterooms in the Amamora. The staff on both boats were exceptional, nothing was too much trouble. Everything is very well organised including the boat switching! The food presentation was superb tho some dishes tasted a little bland. Overall I would recommend Ama Waterways.
Consumer
Oct 18,2023We booked a cruise and pre-trip to Egypt departing next year but had to cancel because my wife fell while in Japan in September and broke her femur. Even though we cancelled 9 months before the trip, AMA charged use the full insurance premium even though we had only made a 9.8% deposit on the trip. We were aware of the contractual penalty but not the forfeiture of the 91.2% of the insurance for which there was no risk. The difference was over $3000 so no small change. No one from the company ever discussed this issue during booking process other than to say insurance would be 13% of the trip cost. Seems fraudulent and have reported issue to State Insurance Commissioner.
Rosemarie
Sep 07,2023Despite your reply to my complaint on here earlier, and an email to Customer services as you suggested....I still have had NOTHING from you. No I would never travel with you again.....your staff are downright rude and untrained. We paid alot of money for this which was our last holiday abroad as my husband has Parkinson's disease and Dementia. I thought this would be perfect as everything was included....your cruise Manager fell down in his duties.
S Saleh
Aug 22,2023Took a 7 day cruise with extended family in a larger group. The furnishings on the ship are gorgeous and comfortable, the excursions lovely and Maung who did our housekeeping was second to none. That’s where any positives ended. The rest of the staff varied between ultra friendly to downright hostile so much so that I often avoided ordering a drink - and I am someone who often gets told that I’m the smiliest person people have ever met. Food, although very well presented, was mediocre and the 2 vegetarians in our group were served meat on more than one occasion (wrong order). For their Chef’s table evening, they were served bland salad and chewy spring rolls as alternatives. Most of our group, as with most passengers were American. Being British myself, in a conversation with Dinu, hotel manager, I told him that my father was originally Lebanese and he responded ‘I’ve been there, Lebanese are great - they are nothing like Arabs which makes them great and which is what I like about them and some even have blue eyes’. Telling someone so openly something this racist was shocking and I needed to calm my partner down who wanted to complain about this comment - this is the hotel manager who should know better. He then went on to say ‘My favourite place is Israel in the Middle East, and they are better than the Palestinians who just cause trouble’. I couldn’t believe this man was getting political with absolutely no exchange of a political nature from us. Finally, by the end of the cruise, at least half the passengers were showing signs of sickness and on the last morning we found out that staff knew of Covid cases and didn’t provide tests, masks or warnings. Given most of the passengers were elderly and a few who had recent cancer treatment, this kind of outbreak should be taken more seriously. Our whole group tested positive a day or two following the end of the cruise.
Jane Callanan
May 21,2023After taking a wonderful cruise down the Danube, five years ago, my husband and I decided to take another cruise with Ama waterways. This time we took the Rhine cruise from Basil, Switzerland to Amsterdam, with a pre-cruise trip in Lake Como. I am sad to say, that we were both incredibly disappointed. It seems that AMAwaterways has drastically changed… The food was terrible, absolutely inedible. The menu was completely unappealing, and it was difficult to find anything that you wanted to order. The rolls that were served on day one were fresh…. with each day, the rolls became harder and staler. I am gluten-free, and they gave me a piece of gluten-free bread with each meal by day three the bread was so hard and so stale that I could not eat it. And even though I told the company I was gluten-free two months ahead of the cruise as I filled out their long, required paperwork, they were still unable to provide so much is a cookie at snack time that would be gluten-free. Every day the cookie jar was put out and I was told by my husband and friends, that the cookies were as hard as rocks and tasted like cardboard. But the most disgusting food were the hamburgers! They were filled with gritty substances and fellow diners needed to use their napkins to take large pieces out of their mouth. It was revolting. The ship’s entertainment was cringe-worthy….(an accordion player). The cabins were immaculate as was the ship….the staff could not have tried harder to please, or worked harder….but they were understaffed in the dining room and meals were super long…sometimes, there would be 20 minute gaps between courses….painful! The price for AMA is much more expensive than Viking and other most other competitors….I would not recommend AMA. If Tauck is the equivalent of The Four Seasons….AMA charges Marriott prices and feels more like a Holiday Inn Express. (Serving food that is not up the standards of a BurgerKing).
R. E. Janus
Apr 06,2023Even though we were impressed with the ambiance and itinerary, I never thought I would be dealing with bed bugs on our cruise boat. Mentioned my concerns to staff and even though apologetic, my cruise experience was a disaster. I will never cruise with this company again. Also food was served cold.
David Olsen
Mar 30,2023We booked a Nile Cruise with AmaWaterways and we’re told that the deposit would be refunded if we had insurance. We took out insurance. Before making the final payment Covid was still a concern so we thought it better to cancel. The insurance company, AIG, refused to issue a refund! We always enjoyed AnaWaterways and had four great cruises but based on our recent experience we will never book a cruise with them again! Our advice to anyone considering booking with AMA, DON’T BOOK! David Olsen
David Andrews
Dec 23,2022We booked a Danube Christmas river cruise, along with another couple, on the AMABella on 2/11/20, departing Budapest on 12/5/22. We took advantage of a cabin upgrade offer and were both booked in AA class cabins. We heard nothing further from Amawaterways (except confirmation of our final payment) until we boarded 12/5/22. Before heading to the ship on 12/5/22 we were told by another passenger that the ship had been changed to the AMAStella. We never did get any notification from AMA of the ship change and several passengers taxied around the dock area for some time trying to find the AMABella. Upon boarding we were informed that both bookings had been downgraded 2 cabin levels to category BA rooms (smaller sq ft). Ours was ultimately only downgraded 1 level to a AB class cabin. The other couple remained in a BA class cabin. No one on board could explain why we had been picked for the downgrade. All we heard was talk to corporate. Some crew members told us the ship change had happened more than a week ago. We had been on another AMA cruise, same itinerary, pre-pandemic. And we were told by the AMAStella hotel manager that all covid restrictions had been lifted. On this cruise there was no breakfast buffet. If you wanted water with breakfast you had to order it and it was delivered in a small glass. If you wanted more, same process. They did not refill water glasses in the morning. There was no dessert table at lunch or dinner. On the past cruise there was a dessert table you could go to make an ice cream sundae or pickup whatever dessert you wanted. Not anymore. We felt the menu was overly embellished, more style over substance. Portions were small. Steak entrée was small and tough. Chicken entrée was smaller than amount of chicken in their classic salad. It was like the whole dinning experience had been cheapened. On the positive side the staff tried to do a good job. The tours were good. The ship was clean and well maintained. We had booked directly with AMA. I called our booking agent about the cabin problem on 12/5/22. He was unaware of the problem but ultimately said "it would be made right". Ultimately AMA Guest Relations made us a settlement offer that we felt was insulting. Given the cabin downgrade, the the fact we were not notified of the downgrade before boarding and hence not given the opportunity to cancel or change our booking, and the meager settlement that was offered, we will no longer be cruising with AMA. Clearly we were not valued customers of AMA given that cabin priority was given other guests even though we had booked over 2.5 years ago. Ignoring the cabin problem, in our opinion the cruise was simply not good value for the money.
daisy schudmak
Jan 24,2025We enjoyed an exceptional experience on our AMA Nile cruise this week. We have taken about 20 cruises in our lifetime and this experience far surpassed all others. We are now AMA cruisers for life! The service was unparalleled and the touring opportunities were perfectly executed. We were guided each day by highly qualified egyptologists who expertly designed our experience. We were well cared for from the time our plane landed in Egypt to the moment we had our tickets in hand to fly home.