AmaWaterways

The AmaWaterways Seine River cruise was amazing. Starting in Paris taking us north into Normandy passing historic sites. All excursions, meals, wine included. Stopping by Monet’s famous lily ponds to historic D Day military beaches. The staff were excellent and took care of your every need. Gourmet meals paired with excellent wine choices. Can’t go wrong with an AmaWaterways cruise. See The World Travel Group

Pros and Cons of the Amawaterways Romantic Danube Cruise: PROS: We had Suite 306 - pricy but worth every dime. Great location, tons of room and storage and came with great perks like free laundry, wine, etc plus lovely gifts. Ship is pretty and small so easy to maneuver about. Nice top deck. Good choice of ports. Staff is fantastic. They even prepared an early departure breakfast beginning at 3 AM and sent someone to help at the airport. Bus drivers were great. Knowledgeable tour guides, multiple excursion options including biking tours. Older active travelers, none of the mega-ship chaos. Health instructor offered multiple classes daily. Everything included in price. Lots and lots of free wine and beer and nightly cocktails. Last night on board had wonderful entertainment. Meals look like works of art. CONS: Ship is a little too small at times, dining area and lounge got cramped on occasion and servers were overwhelmed causing delays at dinner. Food that looked like art, could be lackluster in taste and most days there were only 2 main choices to pick from (Plus daily steak, chicken or vegetarian options). Excursions could have been described better. Hiked to top of a hill to see a castle and there wasn't a castle - it was where a castle used to be - or visiting an abbey but you did not get to go inside. Wish there had been more entertainment similar to the last night. OVERALL - gave this trip 4 stars.

I discovered Ama Waterways from AAA in 2016, when I took my first river cruise on the Seine River, starting in Paris and ending in northern France, including Normandy. The second river cruise is the Duoro River, which will take you to Portugal and Madrid, Spain. Both cruises are enjoyable. They have a small number of people, excellent food, and accommodations.

I did the 7 day Rhine River Cruise with Kristian our cruise director. It was an amazing experience. The excursions we did were all wonderful, we enjoyed the bike rides with local guides and our city tours. The food on the ship was all amazing. We especially enjoyed the themed German lunch. Our server was personal and wonderful, the entire staff was kind and very helpful!! The chefs table was a fun night with food so pretty you hated to eat it, but then you tasted it, and it was amazing! The rooms were clean and daily detailed itinerary sheets were given, which was helpful as we planned the next day, choosing which excursion (all included!) we would take. Multiple announcements each day clarified our options as well. The caption has been piloting for 40 years and steered the ship with excellent skill, I usually get motion sick on ocean cruise but didn't feel anything on this calm river. AMAWATERWAYS SPECIFICALLY HAS THE BEST PORT PARKING SLOTS! One local guides mentioned that Amawaterways usually gets the best parking spots at each port. Some are right next to the heart of the cities and others require a ten minute bus ride, on our cruise we got the closest boat slots available, which slides us freedom to was to the city with ease. This was my first river cruise and I look forward to many more! It was completely luxurious, and made me forget the long flight to get to Europe!

This was my first river cruise Amsterdam/Tulip trip. Most expensive cruise i have taken (Roughly $5500pp) my expectation was high. Many pro's and con's. Pro's - Rooms are comfortabe with all amenities (safe, makeup.mirror, robe/slippers, wifi, tv, free bottled water, fridge). Staff/service.was amazing and nice. Food so-so. Breakfasts are amazing with full buffet, made to order omelets, fresh fruit smoothies, or order from a menu for things like Eggs Benedict. All excurions with great guides are included. Bikes are available for free. Ship is not crowded like larger ships. Con's- rooms are tight with no place to store your luggage. Often other boats are moured alongside your boat obstructing your view, your balcony is no usable. You can actually be looking at someone in their cabin on another ship. Often there was a sewer smell in our room as they were doing a boat pump out. Or docked alongside a dock with no ventilation. Food, lunch needs work. Options of food choices limited. The burger meat.tasted as if there is filler in it. Need to offer a simple option sandwich like a BLT. Dinner was hit or miss. Some nights it was good,.other not. The captains dinner was the best, filet mignon but they served only 2 oz of meat, we asked for another slice. Wine is included but selection of wine was lower to my taste. You can buy bottles of wine but even that list was limited. For a company headquartered in Calabasis, Ca they should.offer 1-2 wines from California. They offered a french Chardonnay that tasted closer to a Sautern to me. Most white wines were from Germany. Happy to buy a bottle but didn't see much id even buy here at home! For the price of this cruise i was disappointed in the wine selection. Age of cruisers is definitely older, I am 64 and felt like a young'un. Also if i do. River cruise again i will choose to do during a summer so one can use the balcony and top deck. Otherwise those are useless.

As a travel agent, I have had the opportunity explore various river cruise lines, and I can say firsthand that AmaWaterways has always been a favorite for my clients as couples, solo travelers, and large groups. This is a clean, luxurious line with fantastic food and a staff that bends over backwards for you. Enjoy these photos.

We board the ship in my pho port. From Saigon, where the city hums and sweats, to Cambodia, where the temples loom, the river was the lifeblood. The journey wasn’t rushed. It couldn’t be. The Mekong decides the pace. We could talk about room and food but you can read about it on other reviews. We want to deep dice into the mystery of the mekong river. The air was heavy with spice and heat. Villages clung to the banks, their stilted houses watching as the boat passed like a visitor in their world. Children waved, bare feet kicking at the dirt. Markets floated beside you, selling mangoes, fish, and the smell of life itself. Onboard, the days passed in quiet ritual. Mornings were coffee and mist. Afternoons meant the sun slicing hard through the water and the hum of insects loud enough to drown thought. Evenings, the river softened, the sky painted itself in fire, and the world slowed to nothing but the sound of paddles and laughter. At Phnom Penh, the past waited. The killing fields, stark and real, reminded you that beauty and darkness are neighbors here. But the river pulled you onward, past temples carved with gods and demons, toward Siem Reap. It was a journey to be felt, not simply seen. You understood why they called the Mekong a mother. She gave everything. You only had to let her.

Let me start off by saying that I was still able to enjoy my trip but I experienced several issues. First, the toilet did not work a good portion of the time. In fact in the middle of the first night a system issue ended up affecting half the ship and we had to share one working public toilet (1 seater each for m/f for about 40 people). After the repair, our toilet still had issues and required pressing 5/6 times before it would flush. Then we had water outages. Twice in fact. Thank goodness I had hand sanitizer because I had just used the bathroom. Once it even happened while my cousin was in the shower. Next, I have a severe food allergy and at every meal, despite being there a whole week and it being a small ship, I had to ask multiple times if the food was safe to eat. More than once I saw the item in my food and had to send it back. At one point they even brought me a “death omelet” covered in the item I am allergic to immediately after telling them my allergy. I wasn’t asking to avoid cross contamination, I was just asking not to add the item as garnish or to tell me if a food contained it. Shouldn’t be that difficult. Almost as bad as this was the fact that the cruise touted their farm to table cuisine. It was the whole first page of their menu. It was not. My cousin asked the chef about the produce and he kind of stammered and inaudibly answered to which she asked where the beef came from. He responded with “Argentina”. We were in Europe. The food was not what one would expect when paying several thousand dollars per person. It was edible but wasn’t what I would call good. The soups were almost always consommé with an tiny chunk of vegetable and a froth on top. Other passengers that had been on different cruise lines were also disappointed with the cuisine. And no, I did not complain to the cruise line. I don’t want cruise credit and don’t intend to ever sail with them again. Just hoping that this will help others in their decision.

I've taken two cruises with Amawaterways and I'm already dreaming of a third. With one exception (which I'll discuss later) they're the perfect cruise line for me. The short version of this review is that this is the company that Disney has partnered with for European river cruises. That should immediately let you know the high quality you can expect from them. I can't compare Amawaterways river cruises to ocean cruises. With my personality an ocean cruise is about as appealing as a trip to the dentist. I don't want to be on a boat with a huge number of people. Well with a standard Amawaterways ship they cap the number at 158 guests (other companies squeeze in more people on their river cruise ships). I don't want to have days when I'm out at sea and can't get off of the boat. Well with a river cruise every day you wake up in a new exciting place to explore. Your boat is more like a floating hotel. I also don't want to be cut off from the Internet (yes, I know what you're thinking). Amawaterways ships have free WiFi throughout the ship, not just in the lobby. The connection sometimes won't work when you're in a lock or moving between countries, but that's to be expected. Amawaterways ships are beautiful inside and out. When you board on the right side is a large lobby area where you'll relax and have briefings from the cruise manager. Below the lounge is the restaurant that can seat all passengers at the same time. To the left are multiple floors of guest rooms. You absolutely should spend the extra cash to get a room with a french balcony. You really can't understand how relaxing and wonderful a river cruise is until you experience it. Being able to wake up, go out and sit on your balcony, and watch the most amazing sights float by is so incredibly relaxing and fulfilling. When weather permits it's also fun to sit on top of the boat in one of the lounge chairs. The ships are staffed by such hardworking crews. All of them were polite, but on each cruise you'll have some "superstars" that really make your trip. By the end of the first day they're calling you by name and by the end of the week you'll have shared so many laughs and good times with them. I had never spent more than a few hours on a boat so the obvious next step was to live on a boat for a week. I was concerned with how small the bathroom would be but it ended up being better than my bathroom at home! You've got a standard and rain shower option and the water is hot instantly. The toilets have the power/speed of an airline lavatory when you flush them. The only thing I thought was completely bizarre is that there is a large frosted window in the bathroom facing the rest of the stateroom that can become clear if you flip a switch. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are all included with the cruise price. I have severe food allergies so going to a country where I don't speak the language is fraught with peril. If I eat the wrong thing it can at best ruin several days of the vacation or at worst put me in serious jeopardy. Amawaterways gets the highest marks for food safety from me. Before the cruise you meet with the maitre d' to inform them of your allergens. All of the menus have codes that list the allergens. If there are snacks/desserts available in the lounge they have cards describing them that list allergens. The wait staff will always be watching out to make sure you don't eat the wrong thing. It was such a weight off of my shoulders to not have to worry about that issue during the vacation. The only thing I was really unhappy about is that a poor job was done offering alternatives. For example, at the boarding party there were brownies, cookies, cakes, and pastries and I couldn't have any of them because they all had nuts in them. It was the same way with the tea service on the second day. It wasn't until the third day that there was ONE item put out I could have. At dinner if everyone was having chocolate cake I would be served lemon squares as a substitute because, you guessed it, the chocolate cake had tree nuts in it. Our chef on our boat was completely obsessed with tree nuts. I don't expect the chef to change everything for people like me but give us some options! If you put out multiple cakes it's not hard to have one without tree nuts. I give AmaWaterways the highest marks for food safety but as for offering alternative food options they could do so much better. I wrote a complaint and actually received a very nice response from customer relations that I am happy with. They assured me they're working with their ships to avoid this in the future. So far I've spent two weeks living on a river and I'm ready for my third. Thanks AmaWaterways!

I am a solo traveler, very independent and seasoned travel wise. I took the Sonata on the Danube in September. The ship is too small to find an alcove, a movie theatre, a bar or lounge for daytime snacks to meet people . We were rushed in and out of the main dining room, the only room, where there was no provision for solo guests, no tables for one or two. I felt like an intruder, coming up to families or groups traveling together to ask if I might join. They might consider how to be more pleasant to single travelers. The food was stingy and uncreative. Tea time was a bowl of stale cookies. Fish at night was a small strip of something unidentifiable. Stops at towns mostly consisted of Disneyland versions of what the town used to be. Never the real town. Expensive and disappointing.

Do not ask for information from this company or they will bombard you with brochures forever! Ordered information from them 5 to 6 years ago now and no matter how many times I have called and asked politely to be removed from their mailing list I am still getting brochures at least once every couple of months.

The absolute worst cruise experience I have ever had. As an experienced cruise person and having recorded at least 30 cruises, I feel very confident in my ability to objectively critique my cruise experiences, and suffice it to say that my experience with AMA Waterways was the absolute worst.

A+ company. A friend of mine (Nanor) that works at this company was talking to me a little bit about this company. I was looking to book a trip for my parents because they always wanted to experience a river cruise trip and so I did. When they returned, my mom was showing us all the pictures of her experience and speaking to us how great the customer service was! I had looked years ago to do this for them through Uniworld, however....they were kind of rude and quick to try to sell me on a trip and I never felt comfortable with them. Ama waterways is the way to go! They are already looking to make another trip to a different destination. Thank you Nanor and Amawaterways!!!!!!

staff tried, but if you're looking for a vegan meal go elsewhere. Being stuck on a ship for over seven days without adequate vegan meals is ridiculous. Got on my Delta flight after a week on the ship and had Dal with rice pita and greens. Delta save me.

The cruise was okay but the food was awful. It's been a lot of money on this trip to find some food. Unedible

Never again. Boarded Ama Duoro 21 May. Tested positive for covid so could not go. Upon return to the States, called...and called...and called, on hold for hours with the reservation department, the only one who could help me. I needed a letter saying I was not allowed to board and that I had not received any refund, so I could collect travel insurance. I was promised call-backs, emails, letters, none of which were forthcoming. Still waiting. Still no refunds. Lots of money down the tube. Never again. There is NO customer service with this company. (BTW, our traveling companions, who did go, complained that this was the worst river cruise they had taken.)

We did the Southeastern European cruise with a post cruise in Istanbul on AmaVerde in April 17th. We did the Danube cruise with Ama before and we liked it and that is why we did this one with them as well. We were recommending and even encouraging others to go on AMA. It was a big disappointment as far as the cabin accommodations and food. The cabin had a funky smell like there's mold because it was musty. I have a bad asthma and we were worried that I could badly sick. My wife told to the reception crew about it and if there's anything they could do including getting a paid upgrade. Disappointingly, they did not do anything or suggested what can be done to alleviate the issue. Worse thing, they never talked to me or showed any concern. I guess they don't care about the welfare of their customers. I told my wife that I could get off the cruise in Belgrade to return home rather than get sick. She did everything to masked the smell by spraying Lysol and other stuff. My CPAP helped during my sleep but nothing was really done by the Ama. I felt bad for my wife and so I just endured it and just prayed that I don't get badly sick although my asthma got worse and worse. I don't think they prep the boat well or did good upkeep of it. It's hard to understand how they could ignore their customers. The food was not what we expected and very disappointing. The kitchen did a bad job preparing the food particularly the fish dishes. The selection was not only bad but also very limited. Were they cutting costs on food? Maybe. But at least the preparing could be better. I'm trying to find anything good about the food but unfortunately, there's none. The crew in the restaurant was very good. Excellent if I can say. The housekeeping crew was also very good given the situation and condition of the boat and cabin. I should say they post cruise in Istanbul was excellent. The tour guide we had was excellent and took care of us very well. The hotel was very nice. The transfer provided was very good. At least Ama did well with this one. It's the crew's service and Istanbul experience are the reasons I gave 2 stars. Or it would have been negative stars. I tried to do the review on AMA's app after our post cruise was the app won't let me. I wanted to finish everything before doing a comprehensive review but could not do it. It's unfortunate they would not read my review because I was hoping they can make improvements so that other customers will not suffer or be disappointed. Hopefully, our coming cruise on Oceania in October would be a better one. Hard to imagine something worse than this last one with AmaVerde.

We 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.

15941 Choose another cruise line! Review of River Rhine Pending review First experience on AMA Waterways (Ama Stella) and so disappointing! Lets' begin with 'we will never do an AMA Waterways river cruise again'! And try finding a way to write a review on their own website... impossible unless they 'approve that it's positive' before posting. We took the Amsterdam to Basel trip and the only good part, was the day we spent cruising among the old castles. As for the excursions, most all will require a 'long' bus ride to get to the locations - when these are written up, you are led to believe you will disembark very close to these charming towns - also wrong! Then we continued to have slow walkers on each tour when they specifically tell you up front, to choose the tour applicable to your own physical abilities - that never happened, thus always waiting for the slow pokes to keep up became a real pain! The food was mediocre, nothing special and the entertainment ... well there was none except for the 'elevator pianist' who played every night except for one night when they had a talented singing couple on board; and they were pretty good. For heavens sake, we had a better 3 day cruise on Carnival (which we despise) than this river cruise on AMA! And we would cruise quietly during the day to see the sites, then the captain would 'crank up the speed' every night to make up time and our cabin beds and walls would shake and rattle making it impossible to sleep!!! dead tired the next day! And the staff was also mediocre also - our cabin person changed twice and we did have one that was very good! We always tip the person(s) who we interacted with and were deserving rather than 'providing amount they suggest'.... that's what tips are for!

We booked a trip to Africa (Stars of South Africa) for October 2020 and gave AMA a deposit of $4800. We had to cancel the trip in June 2019. Ama failed to live their stellar reputation. They were totally unwilling to refund the full deposit . When we booked the trip only 2 suites were still available. Sure they will have no problem rebooking our cabin, as it is in the fall 2020. Ama thought it was more than appropriate and gracious to allow us a $2400 credit ( of our money) to book another cruise.Customer satisfaction is irrelevant to them. A 'store credit' for cancelling something 16 months away is nuts. Also not a way to treat a prior customer.

All we can say is that our experience was exceptional. This was the Four Seasons on the Rhine River. The service, attention to detail, friendliness and approachability of the staff, quality and diversity of cuisine plus the fine local wines and beers all made this cruising experience the best we've ever undertaken. We saw case after case of the staff taking care of self-inflicted customer issues without placing blame or attitude - very can do! We have been on a few ocean cruises and even though they were good experiences for the most part, an AmaWaterways river cruise is many notches above. Big shout out to our cruise director Dragan Reljic. He took care of all our needs, anticipated what any of our concerns might be and proactively stepped in to alleviate them and/or inform us of our options. We always felt that everyone involved on the AmaKristina had our best interest in mind. Pampered is an understatement. We will definitely be taking another river cruise in the near future and without a doubt we will book with AmaWaterways. Bravo!

I used luxuryonly.com for the arrangements. I found the representative to be useless. I cannot recommend luxuryonly.com or Amawaterways .com. Throughout the planning process, the luxuryonly representative did the minimum. I asked about hotels, in some of the cruise destination. He said that Amawaterways has two choices. I found dozens of wonderful choices, at a fraction of the cost. I asked for flight arrangements. The representative, obviously, did nothing more than check the Amawaterways options. When I use a travel agent, I want someone who knows the destination and the best, and most cost effective, way of enjoying the destination. LuxuryOnly.com failed to provide anything helpful.

I went on their cruise on the Danube. The staff and food was more than I expected. Tours so so, but no major complaints. It was a once in a life experience for me with the price, but who knows. The only bad things was that the bed was fairly uncomfortable. Does not seem like a major expense to replace a mattress, but there you go. I would go on another cruise if I has the money. Gay couple and everyone accepted us which was not expected.

I just called Ama waterways and sad to say they are NOT requiring passengers and employees get COVID vaccine.. Reminder this is just at this date. Things could change I hope.

Overall, the cruise was a big disappointment. 1st river cruise after more than 20 ocean cruises. New boat, but of course very small. Upgraded rooms (double balcony, full size shower) only about 200 square feet. However, clean, modern, adequate air conditioning. Arrived at dock approximately 6 hours before embarkation. Staff was outstanding, allowing us to wait on board until checkin. Location of dock in Amsterdam was not conducive to exploration of the immediate neighborhood (industrial warehouses, mounds of rotting garbage, homeless, extensive graffiti). However, 15-20 minute walk would get you to the old town historic area. Mostly elderly guests (average age approximately 75 plus. We are in our early 50's). On board, dining choices were fine. Staff was again outstanding. We are not a fan of open seating, but most of the time the same tables were available (with the same staff). Breakfast and lunch were buffet style, with some menu only items. Any/all alcoholic beverages were included at meals and Happy Hour. Otherwise, pay as you go. Extremely scaled down menu available in the lounge at lunchtime. Do not expect any onboard activities on a ship this size. Following dinner, music/dancing is available in the small lounge. On three nights, outside entertainment came aboard, but after 1-1.5 hours, they were rushed off. Little about the experience matches the brochure. The Rhine is an industrial river. Aside from a single day passing through the Rhine Gorge (and seeing many castles you cannot visit), the shore is dotted with warehouses and businesses. Because of the heat, very few guests could use the top deck. However, the small pool was an oasis. At no port could you walk off the boat and easily access the town/village/city. A 30 to 90 minute bus ride was required for most excursions, with a mostly unorganized guide babbling in disjointed stream of consciousness. Following the tour, you were given 1-2 hours to explore the area, then it's back on the bus. In one port, guests were allowed off at 9:00 am and the ship sailed at 1:00pm. Overall, an extremely structured cruise, with little time for getting to know the towns. Do not take the cruise in the summertime. Blistering hot in each port. Most shops and restaurants are not air conditioned. I can hear the complaints of "spoiled americans", but for the cost or the trip, and where we live (New Orleans), we were looking forward to a break from the heat. Many active shore excursions (biking, active hiking) were cancelled by the tour guides due to the heat. Each excursion visited a cathedral or castle/fort, but most of the tours consisted of small tourist shops filled with Chinese manufactured trinkets. Shopping is definitely off the list, with prices ranging from 2-3 times the cost in the U.S. Post-cruise travel to Luzern was the best part. Skip the boat and stay there for 7 nights. Zurich is just another large city. Nothing special. In conclusion, do not expect the history filled, romantic getaway described in the literature. Though not the "voyage of the living dead" of an Alaska cruise, it's very close.

My husband and I just completed the 14 Amsterdam to Budapest river cruise. We were celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary. We had upgraded to a suite. This is anything but a luxury cruise. Even the decor was dated. The service was awful, food was no better the only saving grace was the tours guide were good( they were outside people) I have never wrote a negative review before but feel the need to save others making the same mistake by booking Ama Waterways. Such a shame all they could come up with was excuses for such an awful experience

The AMA Waterways website listed a Mekong River Cruise for August 2019 for $1299, and when we called to book it, the travel agent told us it was sold out. The next day I received an email with the same offer. I spoke to someone in their customer service office, and they told me their marketing dept. doesn't keep up with inventory. She was quite pleasant on the phone, and apologetic, but offered no recourse other than her apology. No other cruise line I've experienced or shopped does such a sloppy job of their marketing. And worse yet, I consider this bait and switch, and if they treat customers like that before the cruise, I'm sure not going to ever sail with them. Too many better choices in the market.

We had a dreadful experience in October on AmaWaterways. We were on the Danube River and the water level was so low that we had to be bussed everywhere. I suffer from back pain and when I returned home I had to have back surgery from sitting on those dreadful buses. They lied to us about the conditions on the river and never offered us a good solution for the trip from Vienna to Budapest. We ended up getting a hotel rather than riding the bus all the way back to Vienna (we would have had to return from Vienna to Budapest by 7 am the next morning to make our flight home). They claimed they would refund us for the hotel but they never sent a refund after receiving our hotel receipt. After returning home, we read an article in the New York Times about the low water level and all the gracious things that OTHER cruise companies did to accommodate their guests. Nothing was ever done for us and it was the worst vacation we have ever had. I would never go on another cruise with this company.

Prior to dissembarking the Amawaterways river cruise on October 14, 2019 I checked my luggage and backpack for contents and placed required tags for Amawaterways staff to take my luggage and backpack to my airport transportation. As I was dissembarking from the river cruise ship and boarding my taxi to the airport I was handed my backpack from my cruise manager Henrique which somehow got separated from my luggage even though I placed both my luggage and backpack together. Once I arrived at the airport I had to remove my tablet which was in my backpack in order to go through security, I must have spent a good 5 minutes trying to find my tablet but it was not in my backpack. I remember last seeing the tablet in my backpack before placing it outside my cabin door. From the time I left it outside my door and the staff taking out to my taxi someone removed my tablet from my backpack and stole from me its value, photos, and media content some of which cannot be replaced. Upon returning home I immediately contacted Amawaterways customer relations (Melanie Wolstrup) who could only offer me as a consolation a credit toward a future river cruise. I found it unacceptable and requested a full refund for the value if my property. Amawaterways customer relations was dismissive of my request and even though the company refers to its consumer as family member I honestly did not receive that sort of feel I was treated like a total stranger irregardless of the fact that in the last three years I have spent well over $20,000 dollars with them. All I was asking for was the cost to replace my tablet, tablet case and mini SD card (valued at $500.00). Never again will I use them.

My husband & I, along with two other couples (all in our early 60's) went on an AMA River Cruise down the Rhône in France, spring 2019.We'd not done a river cruise, and heard excellent reviews on AMA. We were underwhelmed with our experience. Things were OK, but not the quality as was touted and certainly not a good value. The ship we were on was tired, and there clearly wasn't attention to detail to spruce up the interior. Little orchids on each table that were way past their prime. (We began watering them & trimming dead pieces to help them. It became a joking point among guests) Silk plants for decoration in broken pots. Both things that seemed a simple fix if anyone cared. And most the staff was seeming much more interested in positioning themselves for tips than carrying out their job professionally. The lack of sincerity from most employees was disappointing. Food was good. The various port tours we could choose from were also good and easy to be a part of. All & all an ok experience, though we all shared we'd not choose AMA again. And frankly we were surprised there was zero follow up from them after the cruise.

My wife and two cousins had booked a trip to Vietnam and Cambodia beginning the last few days of March this year. In February, as the pandemic began to take hold, my cousin who is in his late 80's became very concerned about travel to SE Asia. flights to Vietnam have to connect thru Korea or Japan or other hubs. We queried AMA in late February about whether the trip was going to be cancelled; they said no. They also said that if we cancel we could get 50% of our money back and the balance as a credit. If we waited we would get little to no money back. We were left with little choice, so we took the 50% offer. Shortly after that they cancelled the trip, and had we waited a bit longer we would have gotten 100% of our money back. It was a form of extortion in my opinion. When i complained they gave me an additional 15% credit. My cousin is 88 years old; the odds of us being able to make this or any other trip of this magnitude is slim to none. I realize this is a family run business with a good reputation. But in this case, they are taking advantage of clients like us. My name is Harvey Silver, I live in Marine del Ray Ca... is anyone out there interested in joining forces in an effort to get out money back. my email is my name at me dot com if you want to reach out to me.

My husband and I just returned from a one week wine cruise on the Danube. This is one of the best trips I have been on in a long time. The cabins were first class. The crew and managers over the top excellent. The restaurant staff and cabin attendants were great. We had Monika as our Cruise Manager and she was fantastic. She has such a soothing voice that when she talks in the early morning it is very pleasant to listen to her as well as through the entire cruise. She is very professional and always makes her talks very interesting. We also did the Prague extension and had a 5 star hotel and great tours. I would not hesitate to do another cruise with AMA. They are the best. Thank you AMA Elaine and Jeff

Exceptional "wine cruise" on Amalyra from March 30-April 8th. Superb staff, bartender, waitresses, waiters, room steward "Raoul" and John Riley land tour director. Wonderful entertainment. The difference here from Princes and Holland is that there is no fleecing going on. No mandatory daily tip fund, no extra costs for ground tours, no suggested rip off company owned stored to be directed to, just simple relaxation and leave it to them. We only had 90 on board. I cannot express my appreciation for the effort made from the Captain to the Laundry Room staff, the tour guides, and the unending care and attentiveness. Paris to Normandy and back to Paris: Beyond 5 stars. And we voluntarily tipped generously without being forced to. I will never set foot on another big ship again. From now on, I am an AmaWaterways only passenger. Thank you so very much. John & Judy

My husband and I were fortunate enough to have experienced such an incredible cruise line. We had originally thought about sailing with Viking however I choose AMA on the itinerary. Thankfully we had made the right decision. I heard nothing but the best from many of our fellow travelers who have sailed with both companies. AMA doesn't have as many boats as Viking so AMA truly goes well above and beyond with providing exceptional top level of service from everyone in the crew to the upper management. In particular a special thank you to Bala'zs K. for mitigating and facilitating to provide a flawless experience in a matter out of his control with the lower water levels. This company is truly a well oiled machine that obviously has stringent requirements and standards. A truly remarkable experience and can't wait to sail with AMA again I highly recommend them to everyone who is interested in a river cruise they will not disappoint.

My husband and I went on a Ama river cruise down the the Danube in August. What a wonderful experience. A+ service, very friendly staff. Our cruise manager Boyon was exceptional. We couldn't have asked for a better experience.

We took the Romantic Danube Wine Cruise in November 2017 and although it was a bit cold , it was still exceptional The food, the attention given to all the guests , and the ports and excursions were amazing. If anyone is planning to go to Vilshofen the night before the cruise , it is an awesome little town with lots of charm. Do have euros with you as most places, especially to dine, only take local cash. It is worth the train trip from the Munich airport to Vilshofen, an easy and fun trip, and by ALL means stay at the Hotel Wittelsbacher Zollhaus. It is walking distance from your ship, less than two blocks-downhill. The included breakfast is amazing with so much to choose from. The owners and employees are sooooo helpful and friendly. We loved this little town and highly recommend this cruise with a night in Vilshofen. Maybe pick a warmer time of year but worth it no matter what month you choose. We were not aware of the Christmas Markets in Europe but they are really amazing. We were there just as they were opening in the towns we visited. That in itself made the cruise that much more fun. If you enjoy Christmas Markets DO choose to take this cruise during the season.

We bought our Budapest to Nuremberg cruise through a charity auction, paying close to $6000. The cruise started on a Sunday, with stops in a new city each day. Due to low water in the river, our first stop was on Thursday in Vienna. On Friday, the two tours offered were 8-9 hours each (Salzburg or two towns with castles), too long for my wife and myself, so we stayed on the ship and cruised up the river. Saturday was a bus to Nuremberg and a hotel night stay. All through the cruise, the cruise director said Ama is fully aware of the problems we've faced and you will receive fair compensation. After we got home, we were offered $675/each for a future cruise on Ama [they based the figure on the low amount the charity paid, not what we paid]. Our travel agent appealed to the home office but was turned down. The ship, food and staff were nice. But $6000 to see Vienna for a few hours is, to turn a phrase, a river too far.

They are falsely representing their trip: the only picture on their website is a big picture of Ha Long Bay as the destination advertisement for their Vietnam and Cambodia river cruise, that never was the case and it was misleading for the passengers as I talked to them in the cruise.

My friend and I booked an Ama cruise from Amsterdam to Basel on Dec, 1 2018.Two weeks prior to departure we were notified that due to low water levels of the Rhine,we were given the option to cancel and receive our funds back or join the cruise and enjoy an alternate itinerary.To quote Ama"We sincerely hope you decide to travel with us and experience the itinerary we ultimately cruise as well as take advantage of joining us on a future Ama Waterways cruise of your choosing."We decided to join the cruise,based on our travel advisor's advice of this awesome"2 for 1" offer from Ama.In Amsterdam we were told we would be able to cruise the Rhine,however it was questionable if the entire original itinerary would be possible.With some changes we ultimately arrived in Basel.The uncertainty of this trip and the stress of whether the trip was sailing or not was only quelled by the fact that we would have the opportunity to take an Ama trip complimentary in the future.On Jan, 11, 2019 we received a letter from Ama,rescinding their offer of the complimentary cruise,stating our cruise had been completed as scheduled.Attorneys consulted agree the offer was presented and should be honored by Ama.Those of you who received the offer,please join us in letting other travelers,friends etc know via social media that Ama Waterways does not stand behind their promises and with many competent companies that offer the same trips and excellent customer service,there is no reason to choose a company that does not honor their commitment.