Having never been on any cruise and not wanting to be herded along, we were cautious about selecting a river cruise. We were three couples traveling together and knew where we wanted to go after some research. We chose AmaWaterways because it seemed to offer the most variety in tours. We were not disappointed. We booked almost a year ahead and included flights, transfers, and extra days in Prague. Everything was well planned from embarking to the flight home. The ship was well appointed and the cabins in a good location. All the staff was friendly, making me feel guilty for all the service. Meals were wonderful and the portions allowed you to eat everything but not feel overstuffed. The shore excursions were led by very knowledgeable tour guides at every place. We tried a hike, my husband a bicycle tour, in addition to the regular tours. The onboard entertainment was very good and the excursions fun. Our cruise manager Dragsn was professional and organized. It was a wonderful experience to visit Central Europe. Read Less

We chose the 2 week cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam on Amawaterways due to the reviews and they had the best options of tours for us. What we didn't know was how wonderful the service would be, The staff knew our names and preferences by the 3rd day and we felt pampered the whole time. There were no issues, everything went extremely smoothly. All of the guided tours were on time, with excellent guides. I learned so much history and understood the culture of each country better because of the guides. The food was really very good and there was a lot of variety for each meal. The on board entertainment was good quality and there was a nice variety, from Rock and Roll to folk dance and even a beautiful classical male quartet. When we booked the cruise, the tour I was least interested in, was to Siegfried's Mechanical Musical Cabinet Museum but it was one of the best and most interesting tours we took. I loved the tours of The Residenz, and Melk Abbey. Our Cruise Director, Sebastien LeRoy was amazing. He was helpful, and arranged everything to perfection. He even got up to make sure that our taxi, that he arranged for us, was there and helped us with our luggage at 4:30 am to get us to the airport on our last day. I am in a service profession and I know the energy it takes to make people happy. Amawaterways does this to perfection. Thank you for a great trip to all of the staff on Amaprima. Petar, Vladimir, Hendru, Josep, Aurel and all the rest, you were fantastic Read Less

This cruise, "Melodies of the Danube", was chosen by our travel agent. Upon entering the AmaCerto, we were so impressed by the elegance of the foyer and the lounge. The cabin was well-appointed with adequate space for clothing storage. Even though this cabin was not a suite, we had two balconies. The bed was comfortable, the bathroom very adequate with a great shower, and the entire cabin was scrupulously maintained by the Amacerto housekeeping staff. The cruise manager, Nikola Grujin, was fantastic! Humorous and exceedingly helpful. Nikola was there for all of us in planning the trips to care of an injured passenger. Due to no fault of the Ship's crew, a passenger hurt her finger. All this is to say that Nikola accompanied the injured guest to Vienna hospital. Message to us: Ama Waterways staff will go the extra mile in the care of its passengers. Food & Drink: For all three meals, passengers can choose from the abundant buffet, or order from the menu. One of our friends ate vegetarian; a special elegant breakfast, lunch, and dinner was served to her. This was a wine-tasting cruise with Dr. Doug Garman, wine expert, that gave special lectures and wine tastings for all passengers. Touring & Entertainment: The guides were very well informed supplied by the local population. Choice of gentle to vigorous touring were offered. Opportunities for biking trips were for the younger folks. Since we are an elderly couple, we chose the more moderate excursions. Our favorite entertainment was a special concert of Mozart and Strauss at the beautiful Vienna Konzerthaus. We were entertained by Wiener Hofburg-Orchestra under the direction of Svetoslav Borisov; operatic solos and duets by soprano Ella Tyran and baritone, Michael Havlicek. Classical ballet pieces and Vienna folk dances were also included in the program. Every evening hours: beautiful music was provided by pianist, Gabor. A special onboard musical vocal duet of Vienna music was delightful. Even an Octoberfest beer celebration was provided by the local population. Disembarkation was professionally accomplished. All passengers were carefully delivered to the Munich airport. I cannot believe any other longship river cruise could offer a passenger more enjoyment. Don't miss a fabulous opportunity for a river cruise. Select Ama Waterways to be guaranteed fabulous experience. Read Less

We have wanted to visit Portugal's famous Douro for many years. We couldn't have chosen a better way to explore this gorgeous wine producing region than our wine river cruise aboard the AmaVida. This ship offers everything: fine dining, outstanding daily excursions, spacious accommodations and a superb staff that anticipates the guests' every need. Each day was an exciting new adventure and by the time we departed the ship, we felt we had really come to understand and love the Douro and surrounding areas. While we chose to participate in each excursion, some friends in our group decided to stay on board and enjoy relaxing poolside. Their experience was just as special as ours. Whether you choose to immerse yourselves in Portugal's fascinating culture by joining the AmaVida's outstanding guides as they conduct their daily tours or simply explore the charming towns that are the overnight port stops, you can't go wrong. After this introduction to river cruising, we can't wait to explore other AmaWaterways wine river cruises. Read Less

My wife's grandparents were born in Budapest & Vienna areas, and was our initial interest in this river cruise on the Danube. The crew on the AmaSerena was excellent, and went out of their way to make everyone feel like family. The cabin was very comfortable, and having an outdoor Balcony made it very convenient to be outside without going up on deck. The crew provided 1st class service and dining was excellent, with both "Chef's Choices" and anything on the menu offered at all meals. The dining highlight was the intimate dinner at Chef's Table, with many courses included over a leisurely pace. The special dining room offered views from 3 sides. All excursions offered included up to 5 levels of walking difficulty, and provided detailed history, which covered many centuries, dating back to Roman times. The use of very knowledgable local Certified Guides provided a top notch experience. The night-time cruise thru Budapest offered a stunning view of all the city lights, including the Parliament building. One of our most memorable excursions was an intimate evening concert in Vienna. Read Less

We had been on a river cruise before with another company and very much enjoyed this kind of experience which you cannot get on an ocean cruise. We were not disappointed this time around. From the shuttle service which took us to the airport from a hotel in Paris (only four of us in the bus!), we knew we were in the hands of a company that was intent on providing first class service. The food was divine - for lovers of seafood this cruise is a paradise! Snails, mussels, and oysters on the last day! - the wine flowed freely, the staff were super-hospitable and attentive, the shore excursions were well-organized with several options for each venue depending on interest and the level of fitness of the travelers. The cruise director, Helene, is perhaps the greatest asset of this ship, so effervescent, funny and enthusiastic, that I don't think there was a soul on ship who didn't fall in love with her! Add to that the unique pleasure of a river cruise, where you can relax and appreciate the beauty of the scenery along the way and where the small number of passsengers - we were less than 100, I believe - creates a more friendly and intimate atmosphere which enables you to make friends more easily. And of course the beauty of Normandy and of Paris, for those like us who decided to extend our trip by a few days. I cannot think of anything negative to say about this cruise other than the fact it was over too soon! We will definitely go with AMA Waterways on more river cruises, perhaps next time to Vietnam and Cambodia. Read Less

We did a Rhine River Cruise on the AMACerto in May of 2016 and loved it. We booked this longer cruise soon after. The 2016 cruise was all on the Rhine and only 7 days. This one was on the Rhine, Maine and Danube, 14 days. We requested that the same Cruise Manager be assigned to our cruise and she was! AMA crews are the best. Everyone without exception is dedicated to making sure you have the best possible time. Cruise Manager Martina Valachova makes everything always the best. As she admits, she always says that, but, "This time I really mean it!" Captain Vlad, Hotel Manager Daniel, Purser Cristine, Reception host Adam, Matre'd Alin, and all the servers and operational crew always went out of their way to meet every need. We had the same suite that we had in 2016, but there were some upgrades: free laundry (only in the suites, but fees for others are very reasonable), personal butler (again only for suites). People in the other cabins were uniformly pleased with their accommodations, too. As usual, way too much great food and beer and wine included at lunch and dinner. One seating and open seating, so you can find a private place or sit with 8 or 10 other passengers. And vary it as you feel like it at the time. Maximum of 164 passengers and we only had 133. So it is never crowded. We didn't do all of the entertainment, but the several we did attend were terrific. The entertainers all come from the area we are in at the time. They hop on and off at the nearest locks or piers if in town. The shore excursions are mostly included, but their are several optional ones that you can sign up for for an extra fee if you want to. The included ones are all led by local guides who are pros at it! If you have never taken a river cruise or never on an AMA ship, do it at the next opportunity. Only one thing, these are not oriented toward families. There is very little for young kids to do. But for adults who want to see and learn about some part of the world, a river cruise can't be beat. Read Less

AMAWaterways provided the perfect experience for us and our friends to enjoy a vacation in Europe together! We were 4 couples from all over the US. We wanted time to visit and party together but also have time to persue our own interests. Personally, this was our third AMAWaterways River Cruise in two years. We have enjoyed the Seine and the Mosel, Rhine and Main previously. The "floating hotel"/ship was fantastic. Our room was comfortable and spotless. The food was award-winning and always delicious. We seemed to eat continuously. The crew was superb, friendly and culturally diverse. The excursions were delightful! They thought of everything, thank goodness!! The local guides were top notch. Entertainment on board included an in-house musician who played the piano beautifully. Local entertainers were quality vocalists, musicians, and folk dancers. Fun, fun, fun!! The only problem any of us could think of was it was just 7 days long. Read Less

So wonderful to unpack once and ride the Rhine for 7 days. The staff were all very nice, helpful. The food for all three meals was excellent by their chef. Our table waiter was Deyan and he is the best, very jolly! Mimi cleaned our room daily and we loved her; she is so sweet! Other staff who did a wonderful job were Kata(tour guide wunderbar!), Guido(cruise manager), Alex(reception), Eliza(reception), Captain Rudi, Eduardo, and Marianna. Checkin was good and they offered us snacks and champagne. Each lunch and dinner was free wine and beer from the local towns we stopped in. We went from Amsterdam to Germany, France, back to Germany, then extended our stay 4 nights in Lucerne and Zurich Switzerland. Each city stop there were usually 3 optional tours included in cost. Tours were for slow, medium and fast walkers. Modern buses met us at docking to take us on tours. Every afternoon 3-4 was afternoon snacks and drinks. Ordering drinks outside of lunch and dinner at the lounge bar were reasonable like 6-7 Euros average. There is open seating(7-9am breakfast; lunch time varies; dinner usually 7-9pm but can vary). Late breakfast for those who sleep in. A very nice touch when we got to airport in Zurich on our last day, one of our local Swiss tour guides we had the day before (Marc) met us there and helped with bags and routing to our gate! A river cruise is much better than an ocean cruise; we are hooked. Our anniversary so they gave us a small cake and sang to us. Our favorite cities? Riquewihr France(beautiful medieval buildings) and Lucerne Zwitzerland. Read Less

This was our second AmaWaterways cruise and our third river cruise. We have done over 25 ocean cruises. River cruising has become our preference. The small number of people, the exceptional service and outstanding food are all very attractive features vs. an ocean cruise.Our travel agent contacted us just before Christmas with a very attractive offer on this cruise, and we took it. It was over Easter week, which seems to be a slow period. The ship was not completely full and some of the guests were travel agents and others not paying full or any fare, I believe. Nevertheless it was a great group. Our Cruise Manager was Victor, who although seemingly a bit gruff at first, got to know everyone by name and gave very personal service to each individual. The crew were fabulous and uniformly friendly. One of our favourites was Anton, a waiter in the area where we normally sat in the Dining Room. The excursions included in the fare were all fantastic and we especially enjoyed Honfleur, Monet's Gardens at Giveryney, and the World War 2 beaches and cemeteries in Normandy. Canadians and British (there were no British on this cruise) got their own separate tour to our own WW2 beaches and the Americans went to theirs. The ship, although built in 2009, was in terrific condition, and looked like it had been refurbished in its winter layover. It is shorter than the newer vessels, and so carries a few less people. But I liked the dining room layout better than the AmaSonata we had been on previously. It has quite a few tables for two, which we greatly prefer. An exception is the Chef's Table alternate restaurant at the stern, where everyone is entitled to one meal during the cruise. It seats 24 people, but they are all at tables for six. We did not enjoy this especially, being seated with people with whom we had little in common. I did not enjoy the food here either and would probably skip it next time. Embarkation and especially disembarkationn was flawless. We bought an Ama transfer to the airport at the end of the cruise and it was great- including being met by someone at the airport to guide us through checkin. This kind of personal attention, including Victor coming our to our luxurious van to say goodbye, is long remembered and is such a contrast to ocean cruises where they typically can't wait to get rid of you at the end of the cruise, and where you are on your own once you step off the ship. We will definitely sail on Ama again. Read Less