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
Edith Anstead
Oct 13,2022We just returned from a Amawaterways Romantic Danube trip. We had an exceptional TA. From the moment we stepped on board everyone was so friendly. We did the pre cruise in Prague where we met our cruise director Nocoleta, she was fabulous. They are all about Health and Wellness so all the food was perfectly proportioned. They did have an exercise guru who although I didn’t take his classes help me get a yoga mat each day for private yoga time. I felt like all the walking tours was enough exercise. I was in the gentle tours because I need a knee replacement, they really made sure we were well taken care of. And yes there was some ship noise but really very little, usually when they docked early in the morning and had to use the thrusters. Nicoleta was like a magic elf she seemed to be everywhere herding all her sheep, and I know it was like herding cats. They hired really knowledgeable guides who covered ancient history and current economics for all these countries. All the castles are amazing and yes some you had to take a bus to some out in the country, but what a beautiful countryside, they provided comfortable buses. Our ship the Amalea is well decorated, and comfortable. This cruise was comfy clothing the whole way. The staff, the wait staff the housekeeping, the Captain, Jerry our hotel manager and Chef Garrett were all very available, very friendly and super nice. Many of the different ships dock next to you, after seeing some of those ships , we were happy to have picked the Amalea.
Dawn Lang Spiekerman
Oct 10,2022This river cruise line was recommended by our TA and we were very disappointed all around with our first river cruise. The food was marginal at best, service could have been better (except for 3 outstanding employees) and the woman working the front 'welcoming desk' was not happy to be there; we heard others voice feedback about why is she working there! As for the excursions, they were pretty packed and many required hour long bus rides to cities. Then we had to deal with 'slow walkers' who didn't pay attention to the 'active tour' detail versus taking the 'gentle walkers' tour. The the average age of passengers on this particular cruise was over 70 - we weren't expecting a 'floating senior citizen home' !! And last item, for any of you readers thinking of choosing AMA and this particular route, the only night we (and quite a few other passengers) got a good night's sleep was when the ship was stationary; the captain increased the speed at night (obviously when he thought many would be asleep) but the walls of the cabin and the bed were rattling and vibrating all night making it impossible to get to sleep; and we were on deck two near mid ship! If we ever decide to try another river cruise, it will be with Tauck or Uniworld and a different itinerary. p.s. and the entertainment was pretty much 'non-existent - one night they brought on board a singing duo - they were fun but the rest of the nights consisted of 'elevator music' by a man playing an electric piano - disappointing there also!
Brewl
Sep 28,2022My wife's parents took a trip with this company where they departed 9/24/2022. They unfortunately contracted COVID by the time they arrived in Bilbao, Spain, and had to return to the US on 9/27/2022. AmaWaterways booked them a flight on Lufthansa/United from BIO to MUN to ORD to DEN for $2,800/person in economy. I did a quick search online and a round trip, with departure the same day, on the same airlines, with one fewer stop - BIO to MUN to DEN was $1,100/person. This seems like they were scammed out of thousands of dollars. I would like AmaWaterways to respond to this exorbitant charge.
Darcie Town
Aug 31,2022We were very excited to rebook our Covid cancelled river cruise. Unpacking for 8-10 days and seeing the sights. Not to be…due to the drought, the Rhine was too low for the boat to travel the whole way. Mid week we had to pack up, take a bus for 10 hours(!!!) and get on another boat. We ended up missing parts of the journey that we were really looking forward to. We had even treated ourselves to a suite because we were celebrating our 30th anniversary. I’m pretty sure river boat captains are well aware of the weather and the river situation‘s. Pretty sure they would’ve known that the Rhine was not going to be acceptable for the boat. A whole day on a bus?? Cancelled ports and excursions? I feel that Ama waterways should be reaching out to all passengers and offering them A credit for future use. That’s what a good company would do.
Dan Doll
Jan 23,2022We have toured with AMA twice. We were happy with the service. In June 2021, my wife and I booked a land/river tour from Madrid to Porto with AMA. They wanted $400 per person deposit. A final payment of $5308 per person due February 2022. As the deadline approached, we were very concerned about the pandemic outbreak in Europe. I have a compromised respiratory system and I fear being infected while on our tour. AMA rules for cancellation are ridged. If we decide to cancel within 120 days of departure we lose our $800 deposit. I spoke to a AMA agent concerning recovering our $800 deposit. She said if we pay an additional $175 ($350 total) per person, we would get a $800 credit toward another AMA tour. This made no sense. I read through the fine print of the contract online and found a section about terms of cancellation. It said "...unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances are...significant risks to human health such as serious disease...which make it impossible to travel safely" One problem: this clause is for UK guests only. Why are they treated differently? They are not separated on the tour boat. After numerous emails and calls, AMA decided to refund us half ($200 pp) of our original deposit of $400 pp. They refused to issue a credit toward another river cruise for the remaining $400.
Cheryl L Carr
Oct 03,2021Amawaterways is a great riverboat group.
Barbara Neu
Jan 07,2020I've taken two river cruises with Ama- the Danube Christmas Markets and Tulip cruise. Had a wonderful experience both times. Good food and great service. A wonderful way to travel and see marvelous sights.
Pam
Oct 13,2019I have travelled with AmaWaterways for years now. I am leaving with some friends for our fourth trip with them in November. I cannot recommend this company enough! They are first class all the way, unbelievable value for your money! The food, service and experiences are all five star. River cruising is the "only way to travel." You can trust this company with your travel dollars 100 percent!
Antoinette McKinney
Aug 27,2019We enjoyed the Medieval Treasures Wine Cruise very much. The excursions, food and service on the boat were very good. AMA scheduled our flights from the US. There was one major problem on our return. We were not aware that the Customs Office In Toronto, Canada closes at 9 pm. We missed getting home with our luggage by 5 minutes. Unaware of this, we were quite dismayed after traveling all day from Nuremberg to Frankfurt to Toronto. We missed the flight to Philadelphia, where our car was parked. It took four days to get our luggage from Air Canada! My recommendation for AMA is avoid scheduling so many transfers and to allow plenty of time in case of flight delays, bad weather and long lines in security. Also avoid flights in the late afternoon in Toronto which are overbooked and leave no choice but to stay in a hotel when flights are delayed.
Lauren M
Jul 26,2018I have taken two cruises with AMA. The first was the Tulip Time cruise on the AMA CERTO in April of 2017. Everything about that cruise was 5 stars or more. The second cruise was this past December on the AMA PRIMA. It was the Christmas Markets cruise and was the last cruise of the season. The service was about three stars and the food less. I think the problems were that the entire crew was ready for their vacations. For this reason, I would not recommend booking the last couple of weeks of the year. I will be cruising with them again in October of this year on the Mekong. Since my first cruise with them was so good, I wanted to give them another shot.
Edward Kirkpatrick
Aug 25,2016The whole experience from our arrival and stay in Paris through the river cruise on the Mosel, Rhine, Main, and Main Danube Canal, and finishing with 2 days in Prague was glorious. Every detail was first rate. The tours were very informative and extensive. The food and wine were spectacular. Donna and I highly recommend AMA Waterways.
Anna
Jul 25,2016Third time AMAWaterways customer. Disappointed in our cabin at the stern and over the engines. Other than that it was another five star trip.
BROESTL, JAMES
Jul 22,2016The cruise was first class in all categories: excellent food, excellent service by all the staff, excellent shore excursions and excellent ship with the best cabins and amenities.
LIPPMAN, ELLYN
Jul 08,2016everything top notch vip all the way !!
CONGDON, LACHLAN
Jul 01,2016Everything was wonderful. The cabins, the staff, the cruise director and even the other guests combined to make our vacation one of our best.
PEAKE, WILLIAM
Jun 29,2016We had planned this trip with 3 other couples (college friends) and it far exceeded anything we could have imagined. The only hiccup was one friend was injured from a fall, but the entire crew went above and beyond to assist him and his wife to get him medical attention and unfortunately, an early departure from our trip . The staff was amazing, as was every meal. Our tours and guides were marvelous and seemed excited to have us and be a part of our adventures. All we had ever heard was "Viking," but our friend who is a travel agent suggest AMA and told us we would not be disappointed. We definitely were not. We are already talking of doing another cruise - this time the Danube at Christmas time! Loved it all and highly recommend it.
SANDRA
Jun 28,2016The size of the ship was perfect for us. The staff was above average with great personalities. The Chef Table is a lovely touch and a great experience. We felt special! The most notable for us was the daily selection of tours with good descriptions of the activities. We have already recommended the tour. We hope to be joining you again in the not to distant future. Thanks for all your work.
TAYLOR, EDWIN
Jun 27,2016Could not have asked for more or better! The boat was beautiful and excellent and the accommodations fresh, clean and comfortable. The food was constant and always delicious. But the very best thing was the crew, from the Captain to everyone else. A true team effort in every endeavor and great to watch. They attended our every want and need. Traveling with a group of 8, we encountered a couple of "incidents" neither of which were the fault of the ship or crew. On one occasion, the crew literally went overboard for us (one of our group dropped her purse overboard and the 2d captain literally jumped in the Rhine to try to retrieve it). Also, a member of our group fell and hurt his leg. The crew jumped into action and took him to a hospital in the middle of the night, acted as interpreter and did all in their power to make him comfortable for the rest of the journey. This accident required multiple visits to medical facilities in different towns and the crew was always there, making things as easy as possible--always at his side. I take pleasure in recommending AMA to everyone and could not have asked for more in any respect. I have cruised numerous times around the world but AMA will be my "go to" for all future adventures on the water. Thank you AMA and all the crew on AMACerto! Excellent. See you next time.
Barbara
Jun 26,2016This trip covered a long distance, so most of the time is spent on the water. If you want to just cruise down the river, fine. However, if you travel to see the towns and countryside, forget it. We saw about 5 cities for a total of about 1 1/2 days on land. Each tour involved running to keep up, rushing through a castle or a cathedral, with NO time to wander or explore on your own. I booked this trip because of a previous good experience with AMA on the Danube. I would now think twice before booking with AMA again. The tour director was young, giddy, and not very professional. It was very little for a lot of money.
Nancy Shugg
Nov 04,2022I have traveled on AmaWaterways last year on the Danube and this year on the Rhine. I enjoyed both ships. However and this is a big however, the food is mediocre at best. Breakfast the same every day and definitely lacks in variety. Special of the day such as Pancakes came in a pair the size of silver dollar and they were cold. Fresh fruit now sliced. No cereals. It was atrocious. They try to be a gourmet priority which comes up short because they fail miserably. Ordered Chicken Schnitzel and it was a piece of chicken breaded thinly and served hard. Steaks were also thin, tougher to chew and a disappointment as well. They include wine and beer and champagne with lunch and dinner. If you want a diet coke in mid-afternoon they charge for it. This is hardly a 5-star recommendation. I will never travel AMA again and I had 2 other cruises booked for my 3rd and 4th. If their food service was even halfway between Celebrity and Regent they would have something to brag about. Dismal.