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AmaWaterways

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AmaCerto

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Zambezi Queen

Magical Time on AmaMagna

Fanning Island

We stayed at Marriott prior to trip.  No one reached out to let us know we were not going on boat due to water level.  We happened to reach out concerning transferring luggage.  It was that moment that we learned that we wouldn’t board ship.  There was a meeting to discuss issue.  We were not initially invited.  We rushed over and caught end of the meeting.  We were lost. First day was a Budapest tour.  At the end, we were dropped at Marketplace and told to find food.  The places on second floor were packed.  I was extremely blown away with the way we were treated.  That day we expected to eat on boat and explore.  We lost that option and felt like it was our fault.  I cannot believe this was a last minute decision.

We were bussed to Vienna….it sucked!  I envisioned more time on boat.  I felt it was a floating motel and we lived on buses.

The restaurant and service individual were very nice and responsive. I enjoyed most of the food.  The entertainment was weak if not poor.  The introduction to all staff really 2 days apart felt like a tip reminder.  We tip anyway.  I felt it was silly.

At the end of the day, I enjoyed seeing that part of the world.  Most of my tours were good.

I filled out a review and delivered on boat.  I have not heard a thing since.

Coordinator, Social Media

Poor communication 

Overall we had a great experience on the Danube, but we had a couple of minor complaints that prevent me from calling it a five-star cruise. 

Staff - the staff were truly 6/5 stars, and would do everything in their capacity to make the trip as enjoyable as possible. The fitness instructor Angie was amazing as well. However, there was always at least one (sometimes up to 6-7) staff smoking in the crew area at the rear of the sun deck. It was not enjoyable walking past it each day, and sometimes the smoke could be smelled further towards the front of the ship. Given that they said during the briefing on the first day that it was a non-smoking ship, this was a bit frustrating.

Cabin - very nice cabin with plenty of storage space. Was pleasantly surprised at how huge the shower is. However, the wifi in the cabin (and throughout the ship) was very, very spotty and overall unreliable. I've been on ocean cruises with better wifi. 

Dining - again, 5/5. Although it's worth nothing that they definitely cater to the "country club" food palate (which makes sense given the demographics of the ship) so do not expect anything truly revolutionary or exciting. The quality is there though. All of the restaurants on the ship were great, with the exception of Jimmy's, which just felt like a kind of weird concept to me that needs some refinement.

Excursions - 4/5. Loved the variety of activities available at each stop. The tour guides we had were all great except for one, which we addressed with the Cruise Manager. All of the "normal" excursions were great; the "Spitz Wine Event" and "Oktoberfest Celebration" felt a bit cheesy / not up to the same standard, however.

Families - there were probably ~5 guests under the age of 50 on board for what it is worth.

Great Experience Overall - But Not Perfect

Exceptionally friendly and helpful crew. Shout out to cruise manager Frederico, cabin steward Joysa, and server Robi who all provided exceptional service. Crew members worked extremely hard yet were always smiling. We enjoyed meeting Captain Neils who is a charming and very impressive young man.

The SA stateroom was by far the best on a European river. 350 sq. feet with generous storage space including 2 large closets with ample hanging space and shelves, and a large dresser with drawers. The bathroom included a separate water closet, 2 sinks, generous shelving and drawer space and a large shower. More furnishings included a desk, large couch and night stands. The lighting system is complicated until you've figured it out and should come with written instructions. A directory of how to reach the front desk or your cabin steward should be provided by the phone. We found the beds to be extra firm as we sleep on a memory foam mattress at home. Excellent sound proofing although we did occasionally hear a jogger on the sun deck.

Dining ran the gamut from good to exceptional. We enjoyed having ala carte breakfasts and lunches. We especially enjoyed the Captain's dinner and the Chef's Table. Some of the food in the dining room was under seasoned for the American palate and the vegetables a minute or 2 undercooked. 

The tours were good and almost all of our guides were both informative and entertaining. We visited Eastern Europe during a very warm early September and often found that being hot and tired after a tour we would have appreciated transportation back to the ship instead of free time. This view was seconded by several of our fellow passengers. Some of us did not appreciate time to shop in cheap souvenir shops or we didn't want a coffee mid-afternoon. We would have also appreciated a shorter Salzburg tour that did not include 2 hours of free time or another half day option instead of a walking tour of Linz.

The Intercontinental Hotel in Budapest and the Marriott in Prague were excellent.

Extraordinary service and crew and best staterooms on the river

If you are thinking about a river cruise, no need to look further than AMA Waterways and the Magna.  The ship is beautiful, service and food are terrific and the Budapest to Vilshofen itinerary is beautiful and intersting.  We had an A/B Suite. If traveling as a couple, this is a really good choice as the bath features dual sinks and a seperate toilet.  

For a river ship, Magna offers a lot of dining choices.  MDR has the largest menu selection including an evening special.  The special is served at Jimmy's each night, family style.  The Chefs Table is the fussy 7 course venue --the same menu each evening.  We really liked Al Fresco, it is in the bow of the ship so views are great and it serves a Mediterranean menu.  

We especially enjoyed the excursions, did several bike and hike trips and a guided tour of Pest.  On the bike trips, Vienna was our least favorite as there is a lot of weaving through traffic.  The rides from Durnstein and Lintz were terrific 12-15 miles through nearly flat paved paths alongside the Danube and through vineyards and forest.  Highly recommend.  

Overall, this is a terrific vacation experience.  AMA Magna is expensive but everything is first-class and when you take into consideration that alcohol and excursions are included, this is a compelling value.  We were so pleased we signed up for a future AMA cruise before we left the boat.

Completely Awesome Do it!

The AmaMagna is a beautiful vessel and deserves the designation as flagship. The place has a special feeling and is warm and inviting. The excursions were plentiful but somewhat routine - more specialty outings would be welcome. The 4 restaurants were a great feature, seating and availability never an issue, Sadly, the cuisine overall was uninspired while imaginatively presented. It just lacked pizzazz - spice things up a bit for starters. Our cruise manager, Luis was THE best, always there, always supportive, friendly, willing to go the extra mile. The crew were very efficient, friendly and professional. Nice entertainment on board. It was overall a wonderful experience. There were two unfortunate incidents, however. Firstly, we had to leave Budapest several hours ahead of schedule because of lock maintenance upriver. Secondly, the ship had to do a refitting on the sundeck because of the installation of solar panels. Because of this we lost two days use of the sundeck. The captain made nothing of this and seemed indifferent to the loss of this vital space.

Not there yet

I'm thankful that AmaMagna was my first. However, my expectations are extremely high for any future river cruising. I can't imagine sailing with any other cruise line. Ama certainly knows how to make you feel like family. What a wonderful crew!!! Our Cruise Mgr. Kriss was gracious, welcoming and always available to help. Our Hotel Mgr. Robert was a true professional and always easy to talk to. The Captain was the cutest - forgive me for not remembering his name. Food, dining service, steward service, and cleanliness unmatched! Tours were amazing! Thank you for doing my laundry like I was the only guest on board! We didn't book any specialty dining and only used the main dining room every night and we were NEVER disappointed. The food was ALWAYS more than enough and always tasty. *** When we arrived in Budapest they had an AMA WATERWAYS employee help us get transportation to the port. I couldn't find that information anywhere before we left.   I could go on...but instead....I'm going to go on another AMA cruise!

AMA-MAZING! First River Cruise

The MAGNA was exceptional! The superb service, the attentive and friendly crew, high-quality accommodations, top-notch organized excursions, and the interesting itinerary were all magnificent! Our cruise from Budapest to Prague included pre and post add-ons and was incredible. Because the ship was relatively new it was in remarkable condition. We have absolutely no complaints about the ship, the crew, the accommodations, the service, or the food (which was EXTREMELY good). We would eagerly sail on the MAGNA again without reservation! In fact after being spoiled on the MAGNA with it's larger-sized staterooms and ship amenities, it would be difficult for us to sail on a smaller AMA ship in the future! We absolutely LOVED the experience and can't wait to return. If asked to provide recommendations for improvement, we have three: (1) We agree with many passengers who voiced the same thought - one day in Vienna was definitely NOT sufficient. An overnight stay in Vienna with a noon departure the following day would have provided more time to fully appreciate and enjoy Vienna. Our stay in Vienna included a morning tour excursion of the exterior of historic sights, and an afternoon limited tour of the Schoenbrunn Palace, with little private time. We gladly would have forfeited a smaller town along the cruise to make up for extra time in Vienna. (2) Another suggestion shared among 12 other co-passengers was disappointment in the lack of daytime cruising to enjoy and watch the beautiful scenery. The AMA itinerary cruised at night, arriving at the next scheduled port early the next morning. Each morning you basically awoke to find yourself moored to a dock in a new port, to have breakfast then begin your selected excursion. The lack of "sail days" prevented persons from appreciating much of the beauty we were passing. Only one afternoon were we permitted the luxury of sailing through the locks (it was raining but was still quite a marvel to behold, commanding everyone's attention). (3) A VERY IMPORTANT CRITICISM is that AMA doesn't fully disclose specific details in advance to clients purchasing the pre and post "add-ons" as to what you actually will visit. Travelers wishing to arrive early or remain after a cruise in a specific city (in our case Budapest and Prague) and wishing to purchase advance concert tickets or advance admission tickets to historic sights are unable to ascertain in advance what exactly AMA includes and what it does not. Advance tickets are frequently required, especially during the summer months, well in advance of an event, so this became a problem. Details were included within our travel documents which were received 7 days before sailing, but we already were in transit and this precluded the ability to purchase the best advance tickets. Even phone calls in advance of sailing to AMA Headquarters could not answer whether we would just "see" a sight or actually "visit and enter" the sight. Two couples double-paid for sights because of this AMA oversight. One couple arrived early in Budapest and toured St. Matthias Church at their own expense only to find it was included later in an AMA excursion. We purchased advance evening concert tickets in Vienna not realizing the same concert was included in an AMA excursion. The cruise itself on MAGNA was exceptional! These other factors could be improved upon.

Exceptional ship, magical cruise, superb crew and staff.

This being our 6th AMA cruise we decided to try out the new larger ship and it didn't disappoint! The extra space was super nice however the feel was still intimate like their other ships. We loved having four restaurants to chose from, each one with a different menu and ambiance. We played Scrabble in the game room with a nice fireplace something not available on the smaller ships. The crew were the best in the industry making us feel very pampered. We loved the fitness classes and the swimming pool. One super nice feature on the Magna was the laundry room (detergent included) where I was able to press my dresses after unpacking and wash our clothes before our return home. The ports and excursions were interesting and picturesque. 

I would highly recommend this wonderful ship and AMA in general.  We look forward to our next cruise which will once again be Amawaterways.

The AmaMagna is ALL THAT and more!

Despite bad weather - rain and wind and cold throughout the cruise, which is certainly not AMA's fault as it was throughout Europe - this was a wonderful cruise.  AMA does everything well - food, service, entertainment - all top notch.  We were on private excursions at each port because we prefer those, but the one that we did with AMA to Golubac Castle was fine.  The AMA Magna is a beautiful ship.  The one thing we did not like was that, I presume because of its unusual size, we could not always line up with other ships at port so that we could walk through the other ship's lobby.  In Belgrade, despite being docked next to another AMA ship, we had to walk up the outside stairs and over the other ship and then down the other side.  This was only a real issue because it was raining and so windy that it was very unpleasant, but it is also a problem for those who have trouble with stairs, so something to be aware of.  Nonetheless, we loved the cruise!  The staff could not be better.

Fantastic cruise

When researching our first cruise, we wanted something that was kid friendly, and the first cruise ship that came up was the AmaMagna, and after seeing that they had Christmas Market cruises, we knew this was the one for us to choose. We didn’t know all of the perks offered, but after having cruised AmaWaterways, we will utilize them all in the future. 

Pros:

* The AmaMagna is amazing. Tons of room, very well decorated for the season, and plenty of options for dining while on board. We moored outboard another ship in Budapest, and walking across their sun deck gave us an immediate indication on how large our ship truly is. 

* Hotel Manager - Robert Komesz has done a phenomenal job with his team. Everyone was willing to exceed our every need or expectation. We had to want for nothing, and Robert was a large part of why.

* Cruise Director - Luis Riberiro is fantastic. He was very informative for what to expect while on board, and what every excursion included. I don’t believe this cruise would have been nearly as fulfilling as it was without his leadership and guidance. Speaking with other passengers, they expressed how grateful they were that Luis was the cruise director because he was on their first cruise, and he was amazing then as well.

* Housekeeping - The young lady that took care of our room everyday, and we nicknamed her the ninja, because we would leave our room for breakfast, and when we returned our room was completely made up. When we would go to dinner, we would return and our room was turned down. Amazing service.

* Attention to our son - Our young guy is on the spectrum, but he had the time of his life on this cruise. Seemed every crew member learned his name, and constantly asked if he was having a good time. He is highly picky on what he eats, and we would walk into the main dining room and they had already ordered his pizza, for breakfast his pancakes were made to perfection. Even when eating at the Chef’s Table, they made him his pizza, while my wife and I enjoyed our wonderfully prepared and presented 5 star meal.

* Vow renewal - My wife and I renewed our vows after 21 years of marriage, and it was proceeded over by Captain Rene. It was a memorable event, and was witness by Robert and Luis, which meant even more to us. In a week it was almost as if they were family, even getting a hug from Luis as we disembarked. 

* Excursions - All excursions were included in the price of the cruise fare, with the exception of tips for tour guides and drivers, which I am guessing is standard based on other tours I have done. The tours were extremely informative, and the ship provides a Quiet Vox to all passengers so there is no trouble hearing the tour guides. We paid for the optional orchestra in Vienna, which was a special treat to see in a city with such a legacy regarding music at such a magical time of year as Christmas.

Cons:

* My lack of planning. I should have chosen the post cruise stay over with AmaWaterways in Budapest because it is such a beautiful city.

* Need more time in Vienna. I have been to Vienna twice, both times for 1 day, and that just isn’t enough time for a city as large and magnificent as Vienna.

* (notice none of the cons had to do with AmaWaterways and their level of service)

Ask about:

* Optional excursions

* Pre and Post Cruise Land Packages

* Transfers and what they entail

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