AmaWaterways Anmeldelser 91

We had a lovely cruise. We started on the Amamora but due to high water levels we had to leave our boat and transfer to the Amaserena. The latter was slightly older. We preferred the staterooms in the Amamora. The staff on both boats were exceptional, nothing was too much trouble. Everything is very well organised including the boat switching! The food presentation was superb tho some dishes tasted a little bland. Overall I would recommend Ama Waterways.

We booked a cruise and pre-trip to Egypt departing next year but had to cancel because my wife fell while in Japan in September and broke her femur. Even though we cancelled 9 months before the trip, AMA charged use the full insurance premium even though we had only made a 9.8% deposit on the trip. We were aware of the contractual penalty but not the forfeiture of the 91.2% of the insurance for which there was no risk. The difference was over $3000 so no small change. No one from the company ever discussed this issue during booking process other than to say insurance would be 13% of the trip cost. Seems fraudulent and have reported issue to State Insurance Commissioner.

Despite your reply to my complaint on here earlier, and an email to Customer services as you suggested....I still have had NOTHING from you. No I would never travel with you again.....your staff are downright rude and untrained. We paid alot of money for this which was our last holiday abroad as my husband has Parkinson's disease and Dementia. I thought this would be perfect as everything was included....your cruise Manager fell down in his duties.

Took a 7 day cruise with extended family in a larger group. The furnishings on the ship are gorgeous and comfortable, the excursions lovely and Maung who did our housekeeping was second to none. That’s where any positives ended. The rest of the staff varied between ultra friendly to downright hostile so much so that I often avoided ordering a drink - and I am someone who often gets told that I’m the smiliest person people have ever met. Food, although very well presented, was mediocre and the 2 vegetarians in our group were served meat on more than one occasion (wrong order). For their Chef’s table evening, they were served bland salad and chewy spring rolls as alternatives. Most of our group, as with most passengers were American. Being British myself, in a conversation with Dinu, hotel manager, I told him that my father was originally Lebanese and he responded ‘I’ve been there, Lebanese are great - they are nothing like Arabs which makes them great and which is what I like about them and some even have blue eyes’. Telling someone so openly something this racist was shocking and I needed to calm my partner down who wanted to complain about this comment - this is the hotel manager who should know better. He then went on to say ‘My favourite place is Israel in the Middle East, and they are better than the Palestinians who just cause trouble’. I couldn’t believe this man was getting political with absolutely no exchange of a political nature from us. Finally, by the end of the cruise, at least half the passengers were showing signs of sickness and on the last morning we found out that staff knew of Covid cases and didn’t provide tests, masks or warnings. Given most of the passengers were elderly and a few who had recent cancer treatment, this kind of outbreak should be taken more seriously. Our whole group tested positive a day or two following the end of the cruise.

After taking a wonderful cruise down the Danube, five years ago, my husband and I decided to take another cruise with Ama waterways. This time we took the Rhine cruise from Basil, Switzerland to Amsterdam, with a pre-cruise trip in Lake Como.
I am sad to say, that we were both incredibly disappointed. It seems that AMAwaterways has drastically changed… The food was terrible, absolutely inedible. The menu was completely unappealing, and it was difficult to find anything that you wanted to order. The rolls that were served on day one were fresh…. with each day, the rolls became harder and staler. I am gluten-free, and they gave me a piece of gluten-free bread with each meal by day three the bread was so hard and so stale that I could not eat it. And even though I told the company I was gluten-free two months ahead of the cruise as I filled out their long, required paperwork, they were still unable to provide so much is a cookie at snack time that would be gluten-free. Every day the cookie jar was put out and I was told by my husband and friends, that the cookies were as hard as rocks and tasted like cardboard. But the most disgusting food were the hamburgers! They were filled with gritty substances and fellow diners needed to use their napkins to take large pieces out of their mouth. It was revolting. The ship’s entertainment was cringe-worthy….(an accordion player).
The cabins were immaculate as was the ship….the staff could not have tried harder to please, or worked harder….but they were understaffed in the dining room and meals were super long…sometimes, there would be 20 minute gaps between courses….painful!
The price for AMA is much more expensive than Viking and other most other competitors….I would not recommend AMA. If Tauck is the equivalent of The Four Seasons….AMA charges Marriott prices and feels more like a Holiday Inn Express. (Serving food that is not up the standards of a BurgerKing).

We booked a Nile Cruise with AmaWaterways and we’re told that the deposit would be refunded if we had insurance. We took out insurance. Before making the final payment Covid was still a concern so we thought it better to cancel. The insurance company, AIG, refused to issue a refund! We always enjoyed AnaWaterways and had four great cruises but based on our recent experience we will never book a cruise with them again! Our advice to anyone considering booking with AMA, DON’T BOOK!
David Olsen

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.

I have traveled on AmaWaterways last year on the Danube and this year on the Rhine. I enjoyed both ships. However and this is a big however, the food is mediocre at best. Breakfast the same every day and definitely lacks in variety. Special of the day such as Pancakes came in a pair the size of silver dollar and they were cold. Fresh fruit now sliced. No cereals. It was atrocious.

They try to be a gourmet priority which comes up short because they fail miserably.

Ordered Chicken Schnitzel and it was a piece of chicken breaded thinly and served hard.

Steaks were also thin, tougher to chew and a disappointment as well.

They include wine and beer and champagne with lunch and dinner. If you want a diet coke in mid-afternoon they charge for it. This is hardly a 5-star recommendation.

I will never travel AMA again and I had 2 other cruises booked for my 3rd and 4th. If their food service was even halfway between Celebrity and Regent they would have something to brag about. Dismal.

We just returned from a
Amawaterways Romantic Danube trip. We had an exceptional TA. From the moment we stepped on board everyone was so friendly. We did the pre cruise in Prague where we met our cruise director Nocoleta, she was fabulous. They are all about Health and Wellness so all the food was perfectly proportioned. They did have an exercise guru who although I didn’t take his classes help me get a yoga mat each day for private yoga time. I felt like all the walking tours was enough exercise. I was in the gentle tours because I need a knee replacement, they really made sure we were well taken care of. And yes there was some ship noise but really very little, usually when they docked early in the morning and had to use the thrusters. Nicoleta was like a magic elf she seemed to be everywhere herding all her sheep, and I know it was like herding cats. They hired really knowledgeable guides who covered ancient history and current economics for all these countries. All the castles are amazing and yes some you had to take a bus to some out in the country, but what a beautiful countryside, they provided comfortable buses. Our ship the Amalea is well decorated, and comfortable. This cruise was comfy clothing the whole way. The staff, the wait staff the housekeeping, the Captain, Jerry our hotel manager and Chef Garrett were all very available, very friendly and super nice.
Many of the different ships dock next to you, after seeing some of those ships , we were happy to have picked the Amalea.

This river cruise line was recommended by our TA and we were very disappointed all around with our first river cruise. The food was marginal at best, service could have been better (except for 3 outstanding employees) and the woman working the front 'welcoming desk' was not happy to be there; we heard others voice feedback about why is she working there! As for the excursions, they were pretty packed and many required hour long bus rides to cities. Then we had to deal with 'slow walkers' who didn't pay attention to the 'active tour' detail versus taking the 'gentle walkers' tour. The the average age of passengers on this particular cruise was over 70 - we weren't expecting a 'floating senior citizen home' !! And last item, for any of you readers thinking of choosing AMA and this particular route, the only night we (and quite a few other passengers) got a good night's sleep was when the ship was stationary; the captain increased the speed at night (obviously when he thought many would be asleep) but the walls of the cabin and the bed were rattling and vibrating all night making it impossible to get to sleep; and we were on deck two near mid ship! If we ever decide to try another river cruise, it will be with Tauck or Uniworld and a different itinerary. p.s. and the entertainment was pretty much 'non-existent - one night they brought on board a singing duo - they were fun but the rest of the nights consisted of 'elevator music' by a man playing an electric piano - disappointing there also!

My wife's parents took a trip with this company where they departed 9/24/2022. They unfortunately contracted COVID by the time they arrived in Bilbao, Spain, and had to return to the US on 9/27/2022. AmaWaterways booked them a flight on Lufthansa/United from BIO to MUN to ORD to DEN for $2,800/person in economy. I did a quick search online and a round trip, with departure the same day, on the same airlines, with one fewer stop - BIO to MUN to DEN was $1,100/person. This seems like they were scammed out of thousands of dollars. I would like AmaWaterways to respond to this exorbitant charge.

We were very excited to rebook our Covid cancelled river cruise. Unpacking for 8-10 days and seeing the sights. Not to be…due to the drought, the Rhine was too low for the boat to travel the whole way. Mid week we had to pack up, take a bus for 10 hours(!!!) and get on another boat. We ended up missing parts of the journey that we were really looking forward to. We had even treated ourselves to a suite because we were celebrating our 30th anniversary.
I’m pretty sure river boat captains are well aware of the weather and the river situation‘s. Pretty sure they would’ve known that the Rhine was not going to be acceptable for the boat. A whole day on a bus?? Cancelled ports and excursions? I feel that Ama waterways should be reaching out to all passengers and offering them A credit for future use. That’s what a good company would do.

We have toured with AMA twice. We were happy with the service. In June 2021, my wife and I booked a land/river tour from Madrid to Porto with AMA. They wanted $400 per person deposit. A final payment of $5308 per person due February 2022. As the deadline approached, we were very concerned about the pandemic outbreak in Europe. I have a compromised respiratory system and I fear being infected while on our tour. AMA rules for cancellation are ridged. If we decide to cancel within 120 days of departure we lose our $800 deposit. I spoke to a AMA agent concerning recovering our $800 deposit. She said if we pay an additional $175 ($350 total) per person, we would get a $800 credit toward another AMA tour. This made no sense. I read through the fine print of the contract online and found a section about terms of cancellation. It said "...unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances are...significant risks to human health such as serious disease...which make it impossible to travel safely" One problem: this clause is for UK guests only. Why are they treated differently? They are not separated on the tour boat. After numerous emails and calls, AMA decided to refund us half ($200 pp) of our original deposit of $400 pp. They refused to issue a credit toward another river cruise for the remaining $400.

Amawaterways is a great riverboat group.

I've taken two river cruises with Ama- the Danube Christmas Markets and Tulip cruise. Had a wonderful experience both times. Good food and great service. A wonderful way to travel and see marvelous sights.

I have travelled with AmaWaterways for years now. I am leaving with some friends for our fourth trip with them in November. I cannot recommend this company enough! They are first class all the way, unbelievable value for your money! The food, service and experiences are all five star. River cruising is the "only way to travel." You can trust this company with your travel dollars 100 percent!

We enjoyed the Medieval Treasures Wine Cruise very much. The excursions, food and service on the boat were very good. AMA scheduled our flights from the US. There was one major problem on our return. We were not aware that the Customs Office In Toronto, Canada closes at 9 pm. We missed getting home with our luggage by 5 minutes. Unaware of this, we were quite dismayed after traveling all day from Nuremberg to Frankfurt to Toronto. We missed the flight to Philadelphia, where our car was parked. It took four days to get our luggage from Air Canada!
My recommendation for AMA is avoid scheduling so many transfers and to allow plenty of time in case of flight delays, bad weather and long lines in security. Also avoid flights in the late afternoon in Toronto which are overbooked and leave no choice but to stay in a hotel when flights are delayed.

I have taken two cruises with AMA. The first was the Tulip Time cruise on the AMA CERTO in April of 2017. Everything about that cruise was 5 stars or more.
The second cruise was this past December on the AMA PRIMA. It was the Christmas Markets cruise and was the last cruise of the season. The service was about three stars and the food less. I think the problems were that the entire crew was ready for their vacations. For this reason, I would not recommend booking the last couple of weeks of the year.
I will be cruising with them again in October of this year on the Mekong. Since my first cruise with them was so good, I wanted to give them another shot.

The whole experience from our arrival and stay in Paris through the river cruise on the Mosel, Rhine, Main, and Main Danube Canal, and finishing with 2 days in Prague was glorious. Every detail was first rate. The tours were very informative and extensive. The food and wine were spectacular. Donna and I highly recommend AMA Waterways.

Third time AMAWaterways customer.
Disappointed in our cabin at the stern and over the engines. Other than that it was another five star trip.