This review is for the ship AmaDara and the cruise "The Charms of the Mekong" which we did in September 2026. This was my first river cruise and first times in Vietnam and Cambodia. We did the pre and post cruise land packages as well. The spouse reached out to Ama for booking but was instead contacted by a third party travel agent. Communication and booking accuracy could've been better. A lot of personal homework was needed on our end. PRE-CRUISE: 2 nights in Ho Chi Minh City at the beautiful Reverie Hotel and shore excursions. AMADARA: The ship seems older but well kept. Creaking teak flooring throughout. Three floors of rooms including 2 restaurants, lounge, small gym, massage room, pool deck with bar, lounge chairs, sofas and tables. STATEROOM: We stayed in a suite on level 3 which had a bit more real estate that included a jetted tub, more room on either side of the bed and an additional desk area space compared to a standard room. Amenities included wireless ear pieces for your excursions, safe, stocked mini refrigerator, robes, slippers, bath products, hair dryer. Power outlets are few and are type A. EXCURSIONS: Bring an umbrella because it's hot with unpredictable rain. I didn't use sunblock at all. Excursions happen twice daily with varying intensity levels, all-inclusive and are easy to change at the last minute. It definitely feels like you're always on the go if you do them all. Bring either USD or local currency to tip bus, tuk tuk and rickshaw drivers. All tour guides were excellent and spoke English well. SERVICE: I've been on a few ocean cruises with Carnival and Celebrity. Needless to say, because of my Asian heritage, I've been mistaken as being staff BY the staff on each ocean cruise. Not here. Everyone, I mean EVERYONE was next-level. So gracious, professional and from the heart. From ship staff to tour guides. Hands down, THE best in the business. Special shoutout to cruise director Mr. Tung, tour guides Rose, Fin, Thomas, Punloeu & Tek. Bar staff Narong, Det, Lucky & Tuna who kept us well "hydrated". Restaurant staff Maria, Jacky, Sophea, Nop and everyone else were on top of everything and remembered our names. The spouse had a birthday while on cruise with mine a few days later during post cruise. He got a clever towel "cake" and a card in the stateroom and a cake/singing at one of the dinners. I received a cake at a shore hotel and another at a shore restaurant. Thank you! PROS: - High end hotel stays - Small ship meant short walks everywhere - All rooms are exterior-facing with balconies - WiFi throughout the vessel - Daily cleaning and nightly turndown - Included health classes (tai chi, etc.) - Beer, most mixed drinks, soft drinks and coffees were included - Food was good, especially the seafood, noodles, eggs & cheeseburgers - Multi option coffee machine, cookies & fruits available 24/7 - Specialty dining at The Chef's Table is limited to once per stateroom - For-fee laundry service available until your last full day; slightly pricey - Cell service was good everywhere except for Halong Bay CONS: - No elevator - Food hours were limited to one seating time and open for just an hour for lunch & dinner (breakfast is two hours) - No 24-hour food options - Wines were horrible and odd-tasting - Salad dressings were weak & watery - Main dining room had just two tables for couples - The specialty dining, The Chef's Table, is right above the ship's engine room so there was a constant humming throughout dinner - More power outlets are needed - No medical staff onboard - No airport transfer unless air is booked through Ama NEUTRAL: - Spotty WiFi when sailing - TV has a good selection of channels and streaming platforms - Disregard the 11pm curfew in Phnom Penh; as long as you take a tuk tuk, the driver will get you in past the guard - Entertainment at night isn't a strong point but the crew talent show and farewell night was worth checking out POST CRUISE: 2 nights at Sofitel Angkor in Siam Reap, 2 nights at Metropole Hotel in Hanoi, 1 night aboard the Paradise Elegance 2 ship in Halong Bay, all with shore excursions. OVERALL: Recommended. read more

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This was my second cruise with AMA, the first at startup after Covid I gave them benefit of doubt. This one on the Rhine was during the drought. I get that. We should have been offered the opportunity to cancel for future travel. They did not. We were forced to sail. 7 days prior they gave an alternative to sail the canals then board a bus for a relatively short distance then re-embark. Fine plan but once onboard they changed it then they changed it again. Result - the first 4 days of the cruise we spend less than 9 hours in any port. To give you a glimpse at how bad it was on our "bus" day they did not provide lunch or restroom compensation except for money we had to use in their gift shop! To make it worse we were on a bus where the "guide" showed up an hour late so there would be no stops for pictures or anything. I was in a suite. I never met a butler - so forget that. They did not even make up my room6 for the first 36 hours even after I requested directly to the hotel manager. I had to go find a maid to get my room made up. Never once during this whole cruise was I addressed by name, not once. I am sugar free. What was served as a dessert were embarrassments. A glob of chia pudding with a strawberry on top and that was at the chef's table. Other things presented to me as sugar free were tasted and left for the garbage. They had no enrichment talks - not one. They had a solo musician as the entertainment onboard and he was the ONLY entertainment, no games, no talks, nothing. They had one night of "cultural " entertainment and that was good. They had one tours were walking tours and since we had no set itinerary often were quickly put together spiels. The one tour we enjoyed was a bus trip where we planned our own day. We have sailed for decades and with many lines and many, many cruises. This is the first time I can say this cruise line is not a good choice . I cannot recommend. read more

Hello we are 2 couples, who travel several times a year. We have taken more the 20 cruises and usually in suites. We decide this time to take a River cruise and wanted Amawaterways to be our first River Cruise company to try. We booked our cruise in Oct 2025, 2 rooms on a March 2027 cruise from Amsterdam. Just last week we received a email that was titled "Cruise Update". The email simply stated that they have decided to cancel our cruise due to deciding to book a private charter for our cruise. We are incredibly disappointed that our vacation was cancelled for a corporate charter. AMA are willing to rebook on different dates, in the same room category, but we need AmaWaterways to step up and move us to Suite's to make this right. We have booked first class flight from the USA for a lot of $$$$, we now will have to be rebooked at a up-charge. We have already booked hotels, drivers, tours for our pre and post travel, all of which have to be changed. This cancellation was done solely by AMA for FINANCIAL gain. This private company offered AMA waterways more money, so all the people that were already book (10 months ago for us) were cancelled. We have found a replacement cruise that has 2 open suites and when calling AMA yesterday to discuss this we were told " There is no supervisor here to approve a upgrade and they might not be here on Monday either because of the holiday" he also stated "I'm not sure they will do it if it cost the company money". Are you kidding me right now AMA!!! You have costed us a lot of stress and money to change flights, hotels, tours and we have nothing from your company in compensation. Their staff act like it's o big deal and can not understand why we are upset. This vacation was more the $25,000 between, flights, cruise, hotels and tours. This is absolute BS. This was not done for a unforeseen, uncontrollable reason this was done for FINANCIAL reasons only. read more

This cruise line is the absolute worst. I have not even left for my first AMA cruise and l would never book with them again. The customer service is the WORST. We are already in country leaving for our cruise and there are last minute changes due to low water levels (no problem out of AMA control), however how is it possible they can give you ZERO info about said changes. I've been on hold with customer service for 2 hours -they keep transferring me from one person to the next, nobody knows a thing and they transfer me to someone else. They want to bus us to a new port, in a new country for embarkation on a greyhound bus (which I can't ride) yet nobody knows the location of the new embarkation so I can arrange a private ride or any other detail about the changes so we can decide if we want to do them or not. So frustrating. This is what I expect from Carnival not a luxury cruise line. So disappointing read more

Disappointing Vegan Experience on an Otherwise Wonderful Cruise My Rhine River cruise with AmaWaterways was a tale of two very different experiences. First, the positives. The crew and staff were exceptional--warm, friendly, attentive, professional, cheerful, helpful, and genuinely eager to make guests feel welcome. Every interaction was met with a smile, and their dedication to customer service was outstanding. My stateroom was always immaculate, comfortable, and thoughtfully maintained. The service throughout the ship was truly first-class. Unfortunately, the dining experience was the exact opposite. I booked this cruise nearly a year in advance and specifically asked my travel agent whether AmaWaterways was vegan-friendly. I was assured that they were very accommodating to plant-based guests. I also completed the dietary preference forms and, two weeks before sailing, responded to an additional detailed questionnaire about my vegan diet. Given all that advance notice, I expected that suitable meals would be prepared. Instead, my first meal consisted of a salad. The soups were usually unavailable because they contained cream or were otherwise not vegan. Main courses often amounted to additional vegetables, and vegan desserts were virtually nonexistent until the final days of the cruise. Day after day, I found myself eating salads and side dishes rather than complete, thoughtfully prepared meals. I was not the only guest experiencing this issue. Another passenger with dietary restrictions struggled similarly throughout the cruise. What was most disappointing was that after repeatedly expressing concerns, we were asked to create our own menus. While I appreciate the effort to accommodate us, planning my meals is something I do every day at home. On vacation, especially one that costs the same as any other guest's experience, I expect to be provided with meal options rather than being responsible for designing them myself. Today, plant-based dining is no longer a niche request. Restaurants, hotels, airlines, major sporting events, and international venues routinely offer creative and satisfying vegan meals. Yet AmaWaterways seemed unprepared despite having extensive advance notice. Only during the last two days of the cruise was I offered a separate menu from which I could choose items. While many of those options were vegetarian rather than vegan, it was at least an acknowledgment that guests with dietary needs deserve choices as well. I believe AmaWaterways needs to reconsider how it markets itself regarding plant-based dining. Based on my experience, the company was not adequately prepared to serve vegan guests despite repeated assurances that accommodations would be available. It is especially disappointing because everything else about the cruise was wonderful. The crew, service, accommodations, and itinerary were excellent. However, dining is a major part of any cruise experience, and when one of the most basic daily needs is not met, it significantly impacts the overall vacation. This was the first vacation where I actually lost weight because I was often limited to salads and vegetables. Sadly, despite the excellent staff and beautiful cruise experience, the food situation was frustrating enough that I would not choose to sail with AmaWaterways again unless significant improvements are made to their vegan offerings. What made the situation even more disappointing was the response I received when I raised my concerns. While many crew members tried their best to help, I felt that some members of the management team were dismissive of my dietary needs rather than understanding of them. As a guest who had provided extensive advance notice and paid the same fare as every other passenger, I expected my concerns to be taken seriously. Instead, there were moments when I felt like my choice to eat a plant-based diet was viewed as an inconvenience rather than a legitimate dietary preference that AmaWaterways had previously assured me they could accommodate. No guest should leave a conversation feeling unwelcome because of how they choose to eat. read more

I contacted Ama Waterways and asked that they reach out to me about taking a river trip with them. A woman called me the next day. She DID NOT work for Ama Waterways but for a travel agency. Within 10 minutes, we were no longer talking about Ama - we talked about everyone BUT Ama. She researched some things for me but ghosted me the next day - and I was ready to book! After researching her, I realized that she was a one-woman office and she could dump me because she didn't care. She was looking for the biggest commissions. read more

Recently took our first cruise with Ama. The ship was beautiful, our room was perfect, the food was great and the staff could not have been better. Will defeintely be cruising with Ama again read more

I feel like this company is a SCAM! We booked a trip for Christmas 2026 and have been trying to cancel and get our deposit back for over 2 months. We keep being told the check is in the mail. We really need the money back. Additionally I was very surprised to hear we are supposed to only received 1/2 of the deposit ($600 of the $1200) we put down when the cruise is so far away. Customer service is very poor. I have reached out over 5 times inquiring about our refund:( I will not use them again. read more

AmaWaterways River Cruises - Still waiting on refund :( - Travel Services Near Me - Calabasas, California

Not a luxury cruise. Food was not up to par for the price, they had difficulty dealing with food allergies and the toilets worked intermittently. read more

We sailed the Danube on the AmaReina, which seemed like a very new and beautifully outfitted boat. I'm not sure what all the complaints are about. Everything was sparkling clean, and the daily cleaning crew was outstanding. In fact, all the staff were outstanding. The service was beyond impeccable. The food ... well, the chef tried and there were some good dishes. Breakfast was excellent. The food was prepared well but it was almost always bland, often to the point of tastelessness. You'd order a soup with saffron or a fish with a lime sauce but you could taste zero saffron or lime, etc. It seems hard for them to stack vegetables; I craved a lot more vegetables. But they were happy to try to customize the meal for you. I'm sure they have many people who need or prefer bland food, but they needed some better-seasoned and/or spicier offerings for the rest of us. The people on the boat tended to be pretty bland as well, which isn't Ama's fault, but they do need to set up more tables for two so that people who want to eat singly or as a couple can do so. Keeping up a convo with some of those folks was a struggle. There's just so much I want to hear about someone's passion for hunting or about their ethnic chauvinism. Most of the tours were well done, but they are predictable touristy outings. Show more than just the picturesque old town .... these are real cities with real people, but you never see that on an Ama tour. They should visit some museums or interesting neighborhoods. We did Vienna and Budapest on our own, and having two days in each city was a real help. So while other passengers were riding in horse-drawn carriages in the most tourist-laden parts of town, we were exploring a city's Holocaust past or Freud's office and home or a fascinating neighborhood -- still beautiful and historic, but more interesting. Ama could go a long way in arrangeing more worthwhile outings. It also should stop at the beautiful city of Krems, with its fascinating early-12th-century castle ruins, rather than at Melk, which has nothing to see aside from the brief tour of the mildly interesting Benedictine Abbey. More hike offerings would be nice, too. So why am I giving Ama this good a rating? It pretty much delivered what it said. Beautiful boat, halfway decent food, superior wines, a gorgeous cruise through the Wachau Valley, a reasonable cabin (we upgraded to a cabin on a higher floor with an openable door that they call a French balcony, but it was still the smallest one and there were several more expensive types), truly fantastic service and crew. They even arranged everyone's transport back to the airport at the end, no matter when or how people were going. A cruise delivers because it's nice to get to see various sights and towns while just unpacking once. I don't think we'd do another river cruise, but if we did do one, Ama would be among those we would choose, definitely more than Viking. There were a few travel agents on board and they all said they would not cruise Viking, that it has gone decidedly downhill. read more

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. read more

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

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!!!!!! read more

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. read more

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! read more

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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.) read more

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. read more

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! read more

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. read more

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. read more

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! read more

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. read more

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. read more

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. read more

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. read more

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 read more

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. read more

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. read more

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. read more

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. read more

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. read more

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 read more

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 read more

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. read more

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. read more

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. read more

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. read more

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. read more

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. read more