Discover all you need to know about doing a European river cruise with AmaWaterways. In this video I explore the 8 Things you really need to know before cruising with them. Things like who they are, what type of river cruising experience they offer, what the fare includes and excludes, dress codes, facilities, dining options and excursion choices.
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Note: I travelled as a guest of the cruise line before making this video
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32 Comments
Sounds similar to Viking we did.
Can you suggest some european tours that allow for children ?
In my experience. all of these river cruise companies offer mostly the same trip and level of comfort and service. Some ships have dedicated secondary restaurants (a waste of valuable real estate IMO), fitness rooms or not, and other extras. They are all well-staffed, wine with evening meals, etc. Always a value-packed experience. Danube water levels may be a problem at the end of a dry summer, but the tour operator will get you there by land if need be.
are there chances for free exploring on your own, given river cruises are much nearer, closer to destinations than ocean cruises? just going on your own, knowing departure time, and mastering public transport, which are the must see, visit sights?
Poor sound quality
We have traveled twice on Avalon but have tied up to Amawaterways each time. When we have passed through we have been very jealous to see the splendor of the Amawaterways. I really like the double balcony idea, Avalon eliminates the balcony, which gives you more room and then the windows open fully so you still get the view and a balcony feeling. I'll have to get Amawaterway information for our next cruise and make a comparison on prices. Thanks for this great videos.
THANKS, I’ve been on two Ama cruises—this is a phenomenal upscale operation,
I would NEVER book another River Cruise company.
Great value for your money.
Today I booked an Eastern trip on the AMAMAGNA for July 2021
Hopefully virus restrictions will be lifted by then.
which lines sail guadalquivir, Loire, Elbe, Main, most if not all lines seem to offer danube rhine; how is seine, douro, rhone saone? which places are better by river cruise vs land bus train tour packages or rental car?
in other words would you rather visit dresden or prague by elbe river cruise or land bus tour; seville granada cordoba by guadalquivir river , bus train tour or ocean cruise?
do you know any river cruises which visit Leipzig Bergamo Madrid Zwickau Eisenach Pesaro Siena Padova Ravenna Orvieto Halle
Do river cruise excursion include art galleries tickets , palaces admission or ancient ruins? or museum tickets?
Couldn't agree more with your assessment of AMA Waterways–their products, service and accommodations are all terrific! We have traveled with them 3 times now and continue to be impressed by their ships, their itineraries, food and service. One aspect that we appreciated (and that you briefly pointed out) is that for the excursions they run different caliber groups depending upon skills/abilities. We loved having a "Fast Walker" option as it did weed out individuals who had certain mobility limitations, while providing "Gentle Walker" options for those who might require it. The Captain's Table dinner is also a huge treat for guests that can be accessed once during one's voyage. All in all, a GREAT experience.
That should be "high crew to passenger ratio," I think.
another great video, thank you
9:31. The chess set is set up wrong. The white corner square should be on your right.
I’m so excited for our Danube Cruise 2021!!
Looking forward to all of it!!
Thanks Gary bring U.K. based thinking of a European river cruise next year. AMA look lovely particularly food and casual attire!
Do they let you take booze on board? My husband likes a whisky at bedtime.
Do you use booking agents for river cruises? If so can you provide recommendations for companies? Thank you
Great video, as are all of yours that I've seen. I love ama ❤️. Am going on the Rhine Christmas Markets Cruise in a few weeks.
I was recently contracted by NCL as a Sous Chef and I have been watching many of your videos prior to beginning my first contract. I just wanted to thank you for being so inspiring! I rarely get to interact with guests, as I am in back in the kitchen. So it is lovely to connect a real guest, and hear what they expect and appreciate, to my new position. I can't wait to start this new adventure!
Very helpful….. Thank you!
You have convinced me. I am going to investigate their offerings.
Just finishing 7 day cruise on Douro river in Portugal. Very nice. Had a good time. One thing that really spoiled the trip was having a cabin on the starboard side. Going up the river we also docked either against the wall or another ship. Using our balcony was not possible. On the way back down the river they still chose to dock to starboard because of the current. I would highly recommend to future travelers on the Douro river to book cabin on the port side. Cruise director said they dont have any control over which side of the boat they dock to but dont accept that. I know from owning a boat myself that you usually dock the boat into the current.
I was just on an AMA Rhine river cruise. On day 3 my wife and I both tested positive for Covid (we may have picked it up in Amsterdam before embarking the ship). I advised the Cruise Manager of our test results. While attempting to be courteous, the Cruise Manager advised us to "depart the ship immediately" and within an hour we were escorted off the ship with no plan on what to do next. AMA called for a taxi and made a reservation for a hotel in Mannheim, Germany. We were sick (and old) with no plan how to get back to Seattle. We thought AMA could have been more helpful. We're likely NOT to travel with them again. AMA is advertised to be "a cut above" other cruise operators. Frankly, we didn't see it.
Thanks very much, you provide a GREAT service and a comprehensive thorough presentation 👍
Very informative – just the info I need – btw, there is sound only on the right channel 🙂
After seeing this video I asked my AAA travel agent her opinion of cruise lines and she absolutely recommended Ama. It was wonderful!
I’ve been on two AMA cruises. The best, and no complaints. Fabulous time. Can’t wait to do it again.
Gary, is there a slight reduction in fare if a couple absolutely does not drink wine, beer, and sodas?
We have just returned to Australia following an AmaWaterways cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest. I totally agree with all your comments Gary. Every aspect of the cruise was exceptional and I can't recommend them highly enough for their attention to every detail. Interestingly, on our cruise, the water levels were very high, preventing many cruise ships from passing under low bridges at the time. We heard that some smaller companies had to bus and hotel passengers for the remainder of their trip, unfortunately. AmaWaterways arranged to transfer all passengers and luggage via bus to a sister ship where the river levels were not a problem. This only took a short time with very little inconvenience to the itinerary. Would definitely choose AmaWaterways for any future cruising trips. Many thanks for your reviews.
Thank you for the information this looks like the perfect river cruise for me, and my wife … I'm a baby boomer I'm going to look into one of those central Europe cruises…. The ships look to have a larger variety of places to go on the ship…. I like the idea of having a balcony and the ships look more classy in the interior….
Went on AmaWaterways on the Danube from Budapest to Nuremberg with my mom and my brother and his wife some years ago. Loved it. Would do it again.