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Fanning Island

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 an 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 guess 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.


Coordinator, Social Media

Amawaterways - Never Again

We flew into Zurich, Switzerland for the first 2 nights on our own and had a driver transport us to Basel, Switzerland where the AmaStella was waiting.

We were told you could check in early and leave luggage but actually check wasn't until 3:00.   We arrived at 1:00 and were greeted with by Jessie the Crew Manager and 2 guys taking our luggage and inviting us in.

They had a lite lunch ready for us to eat while our rooms were still getting ready.

We were on top level for rooms I believe the AB. We had a inside and outside balcony which made our room feel a lot bigger.  The size was good and the bathroom was decent size for the room and everything was clean and spotless.

Our daily service by Melina was impeccable. She was super nice and we loved her!!!!

We loved the food and everyone was extremely nice at all times and willing to help if something was needed.  The service in dining was always  fantastic as well as all the food options.  We especially loved Vlad who was our wine server every night and our bartender in the lounge after dinner.  He always had a smile!   In fact, everyone always had a smile!

The excursions were good, could not complain, except on last day in Amsterdam our guide was always trying to be funny and it came across very caddy.  We didn't care for his style at all, would have done better walk around on our own and take pictures, which is all my daughter wanted to do anyway.

One night we had a trio of classical men and they were fantastic and another night Poppy field, a husband and wife combo singing the latest tunes and oldies to dance to,

We have never done a cruise of any kind and I was a little worried.  But it was fantastic and the best vacation we have every done.  We are from the states so we loved the history and sights on all the excursions.  It made it more special by being Christmas on the Rhine, so everything was decorated, even on the boat. Which made it festive and fun.

I have to say the people on this boat really made this trip so good.  Jessie was our crew manager and cannot say enough things about her.   She was absolutely the best and felt like a family member when we had to leave her.

Hands down would do again and have already told every one we know to do this cruise!!!!

Christmas gift

10 passengers in our family chose this cruise for the Christmas Markets.  We departed from Amsterdam on the 22nd of December for Basil.  We noted a small notation on the website that many markets closed on the 22nd or 23d, however the itinerary listed several markets to visit.  On board, our updated schedule listed an added market.    What this cruise company failed to mention was all markets were closed on Dec. 25th and 26th.  They also failed to note that markets did not open until 11:00a.m.  At one port our excursion was scheduled to leave at 8:00 a.m. for a short walk and then visit the Christmas Market.   During the walk our local guide advised us the market didn’t open til 11:00 a.m.  the problem, our ship was scheduled to leave port at 11:00 a.m.  so, we missed one of the open markets.  When we complained to our cruise director about this, she replied “it is not my fault”.

In addition our embarkation on the ship was delayed til after 6 p.m. because of some problem they experienced on the previous cruise and extra sanitation was needed..so we sat in a hotel lobby for several hours.

“Award winning” cuisine was featured in the promotion of this cruise line and this ship.  Actually, the food was modest and most of the food service slow.

The ship has a capacity of 160 plus.  There were only 86 of us on the cruise, and we were the last cruise for the season.   The entertainment was zero and the very limited lectures or discussions were from a brochure.  

I note in AmaWaterways website advertising Christmas Markets cruising late in December for 2020.   Beware.

Missing Christmas Markets

Our second cruise with AMA Waterways. We enjoyed our first cruise so much we decided to try a second. And, it met our expectations. Beautiful venue on the Danube, great stops and tours of the area. We also enjoyed the great service and crew and our cruise manager made sure everything met everyone’s expectations and that everything went off without a hitch. 

Our start in Budapest gave us ample time to experience Hungary and its rich history. We very much enjoyed walking through the area along the Danube and into town for shopping and experiencing the local atmosphere.

Our stop in Bratislava was very enjoyable and gave us the opportunity to experience a taste of Slovakia.

Vienna and our other stops in Austria were very enjoyable, getting to experience the countryside and local crafts, food, wine and the opportunity to lean more of certain European history of the region.

Our final stops in Germany and Ama’s Octoberfest was a great ending to our trip.We are looking forward to our next cruise.

Wonderful Danube River Cruise 

Jost Van Dyke

Our trip on AmaStella’s 14 day River cruise of Europe was our first river cruise. We arrived early morning on day one and waited 45 minutes at the airport for our transfer to the ship.  We were told that room check in was in the afternoon so we did not expect a reception…..but it took some time before we were acknowledged by a few men in Ama uniforms who approached us, took our luggage, and led us onto the ship.  Since we had plans to meet a private tour guide in Amsterdam that afternoon, we picked up our key cards and left to enjoy the rest of the day in the city.

Our room was small but comfortable.  Luggage storage under the bed and enough hangers (there was very little shelf space) kept our clothing organized. On a river cruise the humidity in the room is a bit higher and the air conditioning in the room didn’t dehumidify, thus hand- washed clothing stayed damp and the room had a slight dampness that I didn’t like.  Erika, our housekeeper was fantastic.  Always greeted us with a smile and was quick to put the room in order, keeping it clean for the entire trip. She was very fast at helping us resolve an air conditioning problem.  The TV services were only available on an Apple computer screen:  streaming television shows were inconsistent; various shows would stop for 20-30 minutes at a time making it frustrating to watch. In addition, show availability was limited to mostly reality TV reruns.  

Excursion offerings were divided into regular pace, active pace, and biking.  Every guide on each excursion we took was excellent.  Kata, the cruise director, was available to help guide excursion choices.  In some cities we participated in two excursions because of the time allowed;  in others we had time to explore museums and sites on our own.  We chose this cruise, in part, to see a variety of cities of Europe and we were not disappointed.

Food and dining were a huge disappointment because of the lack of service in the dining room, a lack of variety of vegetarian options for dinner, and generally tasteless entrees.  Vegetarian options had to be suggested by us,  fish dishes had no flavor, and one night’s meat entrée tasted “gamey”. Rarely did the dining room manager make his way to our table to ask about our experience.  Often refills on beverages (tea and coffee) had to be requested along with replenishing the butter on the table. There were 149 passengers, one dinner seating at 7:00 or sometimes 7:30 pm (which was not to our liking) and yet attention to customer service fell short.

Finally, this river cruise had some unpleasant surprises.  The sun deck, one of only two public places on the ship, was closed for 4 days because of low bridges along the river.  Locks on the Rhine and Main plunge the ship into a damp darkness, one misses daylight as the ship slowly passes through each one.  As many of the locks were traversed during daylight hours, one’s ability to sit and enjoy cruising on deck was impossible.  The locks also prevented opening of the room’s door wall, sitting on the sundeck, or seeing anything out a window from the interior of the ship. The second public room, the lounge, was the location of a daily light lunch, afternoon entertainment (an electronic piano keyboard player), and drinks at 5:00 to “lubricate” readiness for dinner and after dinner entertainment.  It was neither a comfortable nor quiet place to sit and reflect on the days sightseeing.

Several staff members were quick to point out that this is a “5 star” cruise line but we found the trip inferior, especially given the high price.

Magnificent Europe

We had first river cruise in Europe, and we fell in love with it! The food was outstanding, our ship is beautiful and comfortable. Cabin is very clean with the best service ever. The food is absolutely delicious, everyone enjoyed it, and appreciate it. There are a lot of fresh vegetables and fruits served daily and creative menu, which is also variety of wonderful food. The service is awesome, they are polite, kind, welcoming, friendly. Entertainment and activities were very nice with different musicians on board. We would like to see some shows in the future. Service was excellent, very organized, detailed. Ports and Shore excursions overall were very good, only first one in Amsterdam was very short and less informative, also the last one in Freiburg was very short. We traveled with a 10 year old child and she really enjoyed it, we would do it again and again!

WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE!

My first river cruise experience was pretty good, They include wines and beers at dinner. The wines are not all of good quality but they are not bad. They include a happy hour an one hour before dinner, but the bartenders don't know how to make drinks. They are very bad preparing drinks and they get upset if I return the drink. Better change for beer or wine before returning the drink. The gym is very small, but nobody uses. 

Only 2 bicycles and a machine, not weights. The breakfasts are good and the staff serving the restaurant are excellent. We travel with a group of 44 people, so we had a great time on excursions. We paid on the cruise to see a folk dance that would be in an opera building, but the dance was done in a super small room with uncomfortable chairs and without air conditioning, The truth is not worth paying at the dance show cruises in the opera buildings because they only accommodate you in small rooms.

The same thing happened to us in the Baltic cruise, it pays dearly for what they give.

The room service was quite bad, even one day they put broken sheets on the bed.I had to look for soap because they never left another soap in the bathroom

The dinners are very good. DO NOT pay for the Cheff Table, it is not worth paying, even the wine served was three dollars. 

It is a totally different experience than sea cruises.

Very expensive cruise for what they offer.

First cruise river experience

The AMA Stella is a great ship with an even greater staff. We thoroughly enjoyed all aspects of this cruise. The shore excursions were well organized & there was a good variety of them. Food was generally quite good although the osso buco left something to be desired.  I will give a shout out to Michaela from Romania who is a great bartender/waitress. All wait staff was friendly & did a good job. AMA provided many extra nice touches such as welcome gifts & candy or other treats brought by Boyan the cruise manager to the guests while on shore excursions. Boyan also deserves a shout out!  The one hour open bar before dinner was an extra we haven’t had on other cruises.  Everything was first class even though we were in one of the least expensive cabins. We have already put a deposit down on a future cruise.  So we will be traveling with AMA again soon!

Lovely Experience 

This cruise was chosen because of an interest in the history of the Netherlands and Belgium and the tulips. In advance of the cruise, I spent three days in Amsterdam where I explored the city, visited the Anne Frank House and the Van Gogh Museum. I met the AmaStella at the pier in Amsterdam. Everything was perfect onboard ship and with the excursions planned for the journey. The staff/crew on the ship were amazing and attentive to all needs and foresaw the desires of all onboard. The cruise director was visible and accessible at all times. He made everyone feel like a family member and made sure that everyone was informed and looked after. The ship was beautiful, clean and functional. The bed and bedding were so comfortable that it was difficult to leave it the mornings. The food was excellent and the dining room service was outstanding with attention to every detail. The evening activities were perfectly suited for the journey and the guests onboard. There is absolutely nothing that I would have changed about this adventure. I would go again in a flash.

The cruise line also initiated an app for this cruise which allowed us to follow our route and check information about each port. Further, we were able to add our pictures to this app and then share them with family and friends while we travelled.

Nothing Overlooked

This was our first river cruise. We will definitely do it again, and based on this experience AMA will be our first  choice. Everyone on this ship went out of their way to be friendly and helpful, from the captain to the cruise and hospitality directors, to food service personnel, waiters and bar attendants, and to housekeeping staff. Food was excellent, particularly the Chef’s table which was served with pride by the chef and his staff in the special eating area at the ships stern as we happily took in the (sunny) view of the picturesque waterways. Activities were well organized and interesting with enthusiastic local guides. Was particularly impressed with the cruise director who proved to be a great entertainer while bringing us all up to date on upcoming events and schedule. He seemed to always be there to interact with guests or solve problems. Amazing how he also made challenges of scheduling of supporting transport and guides invisible to ship guests. Appreciated the security of on board entry and the concerns of local guides to always have the right number in the group or safely avoiding the crazy Dutch cyclists and cars. Entertainment highlight was a classical trio who were fantastic. Other entertainers were comfortably appropriate for guest demographics. Judging by the age of cruise guests, this cruise was most frequented by 55+ folk. Often they retreated to cabins after dinner. Despite fitness leader, not a big draw except for small number who usually took more active cycle tours. There were a few kids on this cruise but with much walking and historical focus, probably not best for kids. 

I have written reviews for trip advisor on several occasions but have never had the opportunity to be so positive about a trip experience. Keep it up AMA, we’re looking to do this again next year! 

A final word on the weather. It was cold and damp for early April so bring warm clothes and rain gear. Fortunately only one day was rainy but our umbrellas saved the day. Despite the weather Keukenhof was beautiful, as was the Florillia flower show that AMA arranged access to before the show opened a few days later. Btw, when in Bruges, make sure to get your chocolates from Dumont’s.

Exceeded Expectations

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