AmaWaterwaysReviews of amawaterways.com

Amaprima, Basel to Amsterdam on the Rhine sailing 19 November 2025 Accommodation. Excellent, we upgraded to a 200 grade stateroom. The 100 grade is on the waterline and we wanted a good view. The room was compact but very comfortable, and housekeeping was excellent. Food. Excellent quality and service. We booked the Chef’s tasting table for our Golden Wedding anniversary evening which was perfect. We were presented with a chocolate gateau with Happy Anniversary on. Excursions. Lots of choice and very well organised. Sometimes a little rushed as we found delights that deserved more exploration but had a schedule to follow. Entertainment. The onboard entertainer was a very accomplished pianist with no feel for the floor. A little too much christmassy tunes and no DJ skills to create a dance opportunity after dinner. Two excellent visiting groups performed during the week. We missed being able to have a dance. General. This boat had a very ergonomic layout with reception sited in the middle, accommodation on three levels aft of centre and restaurant, lounge, (with entertainment) forward of centre so our room, level two, three cabins from stern was quiet. Fellow passengers. As an American company, there was a majority of Americans onboard. One group appeared to be repeat travellers and were very noisy all week but particularly during the safety briefing which was disrespectful and disruptive. Could have been managed better…. Would we go again? Yes, but perhaps on another river to discover new places. It is a very civilised way to travel.

I am always suspicious of reviews which eulogise over trips, but I can honestly say that our cruise on the Mekong and the additional visits within Vietnam and Cambodia were quite exceptional. From the moment we met cruise director AK we had nothing but superb service. My husband managed to leave his tablet on the plane so the first thing AK did was to help us get it back arranging for an AMA rep to meet us the airport when we went to retrieve it. The one thing he kept emphasising was that we were all part of the AMA family and that's just what it felt like. Within an hour of us arriving on the boat, the staff knew our names and used them. Everyone from Jenny who served us in the restaurant to the young man who gave out the water when we were going on a trip greeted us with a smile. The food was great with a superb choice at every meal - something to do with the Welsh chef perhaps? The guides were outstanding telling us not only about the places we were going to see, but also gave us an insight into their lives and their families. We enjoyed some very special entertainment from the dancing in Siem Reap and the water puppet show in Hanoi to the 'talent competition' put on by the staff who also did a farewell presentation. But it was the attention to detail which was second to none - nothing was too much trouble and that came across so clearly. Unfortunately the trip came to a bit of an abrupt end when I fell down the stairs on the boat in Halong Bay and broke my elbow, and I cannot thank AK enough for his diligence and care.He was with my husband and me for the journey to the hospital, talked to the doctors and nurses and visited several times to check up I was OK. The AMA staff got into gear while I was stuck in the hospital and helped my husband with all the arrangements for getting us home. AMA reps stepped in wherever they were needed from taking us to the airport to organising a wheelchair when we got there. When you are far from home and don't speak the language you feel very lost and I was so grateful AK was there. AMA should be very proud of their staff. It was good to be part of the AMA family for a couple of weeks, we will certainly be travelling with you again - maybe try and avoid anywhere with stairs? PS My fall was an accident, but maybe the dark stairs would benefit from better illumination?

We did the River to Rails journey with Amawaterways June 6-19. The most standout part of the trip was the Ama trip coordinator Delia. She is a shining star and perhaps the best Tour Guide I have ever had and I visited more than 120 countries. We started our trip in Cape Town and despite rough weather we had an amazing experience. The flight to Botswana was uneventful and the logistics were so simplistic because of Delia. On June 9, we joined the Zambezi queen cruise with some extra passengers. Two of the passengers were a couple celebrating an anniversary, and the lady (M) unfortunately could not be pleased by anything. I've never seen someone so miserable ever. I'm being specific with the dates of our trips because I suspect she's going to go out of her way to write bad reviews, and I want to be sure to counteract those. As I feel they will be dramatic and dreadfully inaccurate. The Zambezi queen was a lovely boat. Of course it's not a new European river boat, but for an African river boat, it was spectacular and the crew was wonderful. Emilie was an amazing cruise director and the staff were all amazing including Moses and Gift. Everyone was kind. The food was great and it was overall a wonderful experience. Following the boat, we went to the Victoria Falls hotel, which was also spectacular and such a lovely experience. The falls were gorgeous and the evening train ride was very special. We wanted a special crossing by foot into Zambia and Delia arranged everything for us. It was spectacular! Following this, 10 passengers went on to the Rovos Rail. It's worth noting the Rovos rail Crew takes over at this point as the Amawaterways portion has ended. However, Cynthia with Amawaterways did a great job of coordinating and making sure we were seamlessly transitioned between the Ama portion and the Train. The one thing I will tell people is that you don't board the train until about 4:30 and the only place to wait is a room at the Victoria Falls Hotel with limited snacks. I wouldn't be in a rush despite what Ama may tell you to get back and wait for the train. The train itself was lovely, but I personally learned I wouldn't want to do it again. The meals are served from a galley kitchen and in two cars. We sat at the back of the second car which meant we were one of the last ones served and each meal (lunch and dinner) was a more than two hour event. Don't forget to bring clothes to dress for the occasion too! (That was the fun part). Also, There were only two choices the main meal or a vegetarian option. Don't give me wrong, it was great food, but just too slow for my taste. It was also challenging to sleep on this train. I've never slept on any other train, but this train in particular was very wobbly and quite loud. This was my first Amawaterways trip and I was entirely blown away. I do intend to travel with them more. The attention to detail was second to none! Thank you Delia! Love from Florida.

We just returned from a 2 week cruise on the Danube on the AMA Verde with land extensions in Prague and Romania. (Pre-trip October 18, ship sailed October 21) This was our first river cruise and we were very pleased with the quality of the tours, guides, food, accommodations, and especially with all of the staff on the ship and the cruise directors who went above and beyond to make sure that everyone had a wonderful trip. We especially want to give praise to the people who are sometimes behind the scenes-- the housekeeping staff who worked tirelessly and kept the ship and our staterooms in perfect condition-- always with a smile and a friendly word.

After an amazing holiday in 2019 with AMA travelling the Mekong river when we decided to cruise the Danube AMA was our first choice but could not believe we could possibly get the same level of care and service we had before. It must be the company policy and the way staff are trained as customer care, the service and friendliness of all the staff was just as amazing. Unfortunately I broke my wrist on the second day and the staff were a great help in particular Jasmina who accompanied me and my husband to hospital incase of language difficulties. Please pass on our thanks to all concerned. Wouldn’t hesitate to holiday with AMA again hoping to go on the Rhine next year. Angela and Davi’s Butti

We cruised the Danube on the Amabella August 2024 and had a wonderful experience. We appreciated that all the excursions were included in the price. The staff was amazing. For us, the highlight was how hard the culinary staff worked to assure that my daughter had her significant allergies addressed. She was able to eat without fear of using her epipen. They even made food that looked just like others so she didn’t feel singled out. This is so unusual and very hard to do. If there was a choice of more stars than 5… for us it would be a 10.

This was our first European River Cruise and it exceeded our expectations. The ship was lovely, the food fantastic and the staff and service was excellent. Our cabin was on deck 4, we opted for one with a balcony which we didn’t use that much, we were on the port side and quite frequently when docked another boat moored alongside us. There are plenty of chairs/loungers on the sun deck to sit and take in the scenery when sailing. The excursions were well planned and cater to all levels of fitness, we opted for the gentle ones as we both have dodgy knees. The local guides were informative and interesting. The AMA Waterways app was great for booking the free excursions and accessing the daily cruise itinerary. I would have no hesitation in booking another AMA cruise

My wife, Julie and I recently cruised the Netherlands and Belgium on AMA Lucia Tulipmania tour in mid- April 2024. We had another great experience on this our 5th AMA Waterways tour. We were provided with excellent service by Captain Henk and all of his crew throughout the week. But a special shoutout is reserved for one of the best Tour Directors:( John Riley) that we have ever had on our many river and ocean voyages. Mr. Riley went over and above his call of duties, and was always available for sage and sound advice to us on the optional tours. We are looking forward to our next AMA Waterways tour in 2025.