The Christmas markets were lovely and the food was good. Cleanliness is a concern-found someone else’s sock under my bed at check in. Despite asking to have it he room vacuumed and the stained coverlet and curtain changed out for clean ones, it took 2 days and numerous discussions to occur. The often haughty cruise director gave misleading pricing (different numbers to different people) about upgrades. She spent time with only a few passengers and insured the tipping was OFTEN mentioned and provided separate envelopes for her own tips. She suggested we provide reviews with all 5’s while onboard. The excursions were great except that often you were herded into the living room to be overdressed awaiting your color to be called. One awful excursion included a chop chop train that was packed like sardines and overheated with no purpose except to transport passengers to a cold bench where you had a “wine tasting” which was really a sales pitch. The dining room was nice but I saw a waiter pick up a passengers fork from the floor and place it back on the table. Also, there wasn’t enough seating on the dining room at times despite the ship not being full. Read Less

My first River Cruise and while I always thought this was for the old, not with AMA Waterways. I have cruised many ocean voyages but thought I would try this. I was so happy I did that I cannot wait to see where I want AMA to take me again. No lines, no pushing or waiting. When we arrived at the time requested, we were the only people there, they took our luggage and walked us from the dock right to our room. Our room was beautiful we did have a balcony and even in the month of November we used it multiple times a day. What I loved was you had a choice of excursions, this was included in the price, wine/beer choices with all meals, included. The service and meals were amazing. No one trying to sell you something, or loud announcements . The stops were great, we chose the walking tours, you could bike through Europe if you choose or even hike through the Black Forest. The tours ran smooth and it was wonderful, you were greeted when you cam back with some beverages and warm towels. I know many want to know about night life, well there was some, you were able to talk with your fellow cruisers and they had music. While there is no casino, water slides or skating rinks on board. The social time with people was great. The ship was absolutely beautiful. The service , I even had 2 massages and my hair done with very reasonable pricing (much more affordable than the large cruise lines) I know that some River Cruise Companies are not the same, do not compare this with some of the other companies that may Market themselves. AMA Waterways is the best river cruise company out there. You will not regret it. I cannot wait to book again. Thank You AMA!!!! Read Less

I have done 13 ocean cruises, all in North America, but I love land travel to Europe and this seemed like a great way to see many different countries/cities. I was not wrong! The AmaMora is a gem of a small ship. From the moment you step onboard you’ll be enchanted with its fixtures. We stay at the Venetian and Bellagio in Vegas frequently, and my biggest complaint when spending more on hotel rooms is that they don’t compare. This ship, though scaled down in size from the ocean liners, is chock full of beautiful fixtures. The only issue I noticed was a strange smell of sewage that seemed to emanate from the public bathroom near the main dining room. It was potent and lingered to nearly the day of debarkation. It was puzzled by this, as the ship and staff were absolutely first class. Oh, well, the AmaMora was only a few months old so I guess it had a technical issue to work out. The cabin had the French/regular balcony. It was tiny. I mean TINY. But the fixtures and amenities were luxurious. My friend, Karen, and I simply coordinated the times we used the bathroom to get ready for the day, and absolutely kept our clothing and “clutter” to a minimum. Also, their lighting system was super high tech. So high tech that we had difficulties with it (we were too excited to listen to our steward when he checked us in the first evening). So we would plunge the place into darkness or light up everything on a random basis. haha Dining: simply the BEST food I have ever had on any cruise, hands down. The main dining room was so delicious that the “chef’s table” experience was not that much better to me, which says a LOT! And the wine...did I mention the wine? The waiter in the dining room kept it flowing at all times, and I am pretty sure no one on board had ever had that much to drink in one week before in our lives. I would caution those who have had or do have a drinking problem here. Ama does include alcohol with all meals and does a pre-dinner cocktail hour. I love that (I hate being nickel and dimed on the bigger ships), but anyone with alcohol issues should come up with a plan prior to sailing and stick to it. For instance, speaking with the dining room staff about your preference, which they will respect. Attention to detail on this journey was second to none. That said, there were some evenings the staff seemed a tad harried (“in the weeds” is restaurant lingo) and service was slow. That seemed to be towards the end of the trip, though, and everyone had made friends by then and could certainly overlook a lengthy dinner. Entertainment and activities in the evening were less than what you would expect on an ocean vessel, with their gigantic show venues, multiple bars, and casinos. However, the company and intimacy were first class. The DJ, Petah, on this trip loosened up the second night and after the first sedate evening the lounge was jumping with (usually) retro disco tunes and even a country music night (which wasn’t as big a hit). I feel sure all the wine at dinner contributed greatly to this, as well as new friendships. Gah, I truly miss some of my friends from this adventure. Fabulous people! One word of caution: if you are older and like to retire early, I would recommend a cabin towards the aft of the ship. I can imagine the sound coming from the lounge would keep you up late if you were nearby. Some nights they shut things down *well* after midnight. Our cruise included Halloween, and the staff brought out complimentary hats, masks, etc., for the guests which was fun for all. The service on this ship was literally second to none. I am NOT a morning person by any stretch of the imagination, and I don’t drink coffee. On morning one, in order to get down to breakfast in enough time to eat prior to getting on the bus for our excursion, I had a desperate case of jet lag. My friend and I had to get up by 6:30 a.m. in order to get showered and to the dining room. I was cranky and half asleep, and asked for two Coke Zeros (included) for their caffeine. The next morning, as I was getting ready and Karen had coffee, one of the dining room staff came to my cabin to deliver two Coke Zeros! Wow!!! I was both touched and impressed. The same could be said for the entire staff. Could not say more about their attention to detail and wonderful attitudes, from the cruise director to the cabin stewards. Ama shines in customer service. Ports and shore excursions: First off, a choice of 2-4 were available daily at nearly every port. All were included in the cruise fare (yay!). However, even on the days they had “late risers” excursions (meaning 10:00 a.m. departures versus 9:00 a.m.), the dining room shut down at 9. Yes, there were cold danishes and offerings in the lounge, but I love “real” breakfast. So, every day, we had to get up at 6:30-7:00 a.m. in order to make breakfast and meet the buses. This seemed like a LOT of work on vacation, not going to lie. Unlike an ocean cruise, there are no sea days. You’re in a new city every day, so you get up early every day. Ugh. Did I mention I am not a morning person? Pair that with jet lag and it wasn’t my favorite part of the trip. Most of the excursions are a bus ride from port, as you’re on the river, but points of interest may be a ways from it. Without fail, each tour guide on the various buses felt it his/her duty to give information non-stop from the time you sat down on the bus until you got back on the ship. This became too much for me, so I resorted to headphones on the morning bus rides. I am super independent, and I don’t like having the Audio Vox in my ear while following a guide with a “lollipop” waving in the air. I like free exploration time. Towards the end, I skipped an excursion (Cologne) and took in the city on my own, at my leisure that day. Also, one of the neat things about river trips is if you overnight in a city at the city center (Cologne and Amsterdam), you can get off the ship and check out the city by yourself or with small groups of friends you met onboard. I used Uber in Cologne to go to the cathedral at night, then met some locals who were in town for a hockey game. We became fast friends and shut down a pub. I had fun learning what they thought of ‘Merica, and learned about their worlds. Best night of the trip! Only problem is that when I left the ship I didn’t think about where to go back. The Rhine is, err, a long river with many places to dock. Fortunately, I had the ship’s number on the back of my room key and between the concierge and my taxi driver, we managed to figure out where to go. Funny part of that was I don’t speak German, taxi driver didn’t speak English (rare), Google Translate failed me, but he and I both spoke SPANISH and it saved the day! haha Such a “tourista,” I am. Who knew four years of high school Spanish would come in handy decades later with a German taxi driver? I didn’t take my teens, and I think they might have been a tad bored at night. Wifi can be spotty on the river, and the entertainment (Petah and, sometimes local musicians) would not have appealed to the younger crowd. However, if your kids love history and food, there was enough to do during the day/early evening to make it worthwhile. After the trip was over, I would say one word about it: INTENSE. Seeing a new city every day, and getting up early to boot, was a lot to take in. I could not have loved a trip more than that one, despite a few small drawbacks. I would go again at the drop of a hat! I would definitely stay loyal and cruise with AmaWaterways every time. When you find the best, you don’t have to go anywhere else. I even made the deposit on this cruise for my next one, which allows you to book up to two years out at a slightly lower “loyalty” rate. I would probably choose a different itinerary, just because I’d experienced the Rhine, but would certainly go back on another Ama cruise. This company knows how to treat its guests. Well done! Read Less

We chose this cruise because primarily because it fit our schedule. We flew to Amsterdam Sunday night, arriving around 5:30 Monday morning. We cleared Immigration, got our bag, and had a quick bite to eat and a coffee at the airport. I didn't find any AMA reps that early, but I asked a Viking rep and she showed me on Google maps exactly where the AmaMora was docked that morning. We took the train from the airport to Central Station. 25 minutes and 11 Euros for two people and then walked the 15 minutes to where the ship was docked. We boarded around 8:15. Boarding was a little chaotic since the previous cruise passengers were still on board. But we dropped our bags offs, washed up a bit in a restroom on board, and went out exploring and returned to the ship around 3pm when our stateroom was ready. We showered and got ready for the Captain's reception which started at 6pm. Learned a little about the ship and the crew and settled in for dinner at 7pm. Most evenings, cocktails were served at 6 or 6:30 and dinner at 7 or 7:30. The food was excellent though the portions were small. We were always told that ordering a double portion, or even three was acceptable and a few nights, I found myself doing just that. After dinner, we had an onboard musician who played the piano or there were guest musicians we would pick up and drop off during the evening. All were fantastic. Breakfast and lunch were more buffet style meals and my only complaint was having to reach over food items to get to the back food items. It didn't seem hygienic and most things didn't have the glass shields on them I have seen on larger cruise ships in the buffet areas. People were coughing and sneezing and that was all taking place in close proximity of the open food containers. We enjoyed all the excursions though we wished we had more time at each stop. We did acancal cruise in Amsterdam, a walking tour in Cologne, a Gondola ride in Rudesheim, the Philosopher's Hike in Heidelberg, a walking tour in Strasboug, and the Black Forest Hike for the last day. We chose all our excursions about two weeks before departure but there was an opportunity to change your choices on board. All in all, the cruise was fantastic. The ship was beautifully designed and well appointed and as a runner, I was happy to see a small running track on the sundeck. Even though it was 12 times around for a mile, I enjoyed not having to run on the treadmill except the last day when the sun deck was closed because of us going thru locks with low doors. We will definitely return to AMA for a Douro and Danube cruise in the future. Read Less

Ama Waterways came highly recommended. It bit more pricey than others (including Viking). The was one of the newest ships, small number of passengers. We had such a wonderful experience, met great people, crew, captain, and cruise director were so friendly and helpful. We enjoyed all of our excursion, well planned and timed. When we did use a bus for transportation or for a tour, excellent bus lines. Tour guides for all of the excursions were very knowledgeable, many were locals! Modifications were made for those with mobility limitations. For those more active, bikes and hikes were offered. On board life was excellent! Food never stopped with great menus. Lunch time homemade ice cream was offered every day, at least 3 or more flavors, many that never repeated! You can eat as light and health or as heavy and unhealthy as you like! There is a special dining room in the back of the ship with a fixed menu. All guests were offered to make a reservation - Chef's dinner! Really enjoyed that evening! Most evenings there was some entertainment, although after a full day we didn't always have the energy to participate! If you like to work out, there is a gym, track up top on the deck, and a fitness director with classes. I personally didn't participate but my husband did most days, attempt to offset the eating and drinking calories! River cruises seem more expensive then ocean cruises but that is because it is all inclusive, all of your excursion (sort of prepaid). Every day their was cocktail hour, hosted. Not the best cocktails but I think we are used to our crafty local places with amazing drinks! Wine and beer is included with meals. Sparking wine with breakfast. Most of the wines for us were just okay. We live in California with many wine clubs and are a bit picky when it comes to wine. That is the one thing I would do differently next time, buy wine at the various stops and enjoy on our own. But many seemed to drink the wines and enjoy. Beer was the better staple over all! We definitely plan to do another river cruise with Ama in the future! Read Less

We had been on many ocean cruises, but never a river cruise. Booked a Baltic Sea cruise that ended in Amsterdam and decided, since we had made the trip across the Atlantic anyway, let's try a river cruise. We knew nothing about river cruise lines, and, in fact, looked for a Viking river cruise simply because we had traveled on Viking ocean cruises. Viking had nothing available, so the travel agent convinced us to try AmaWaterways. The AmaMora happened to be available on the dates we needed. In other words, we lucked into a great experience. I can only rate our experience on this ship and have no other river cruise to compare it to, but don't know how any other ship on any other line could have been as nice. The food was great; there was a choice of included excursions, and our choices worked extremely well for us and were great. We knew the ship was new, but when we booked the cruise and got the itinerary, nothing was included about a christening cruise. AmaWaterways ownership apparently decided the cruise we took was at the right time to christen the ship, so that found its way into our itinerary. A bonus for us. The food was much better than on the ocean cruise we had just left. The ship was immaculate, the service was perfect, and the staff all wore a perpetual smile on both their faces and in the voices. (You can read my review of our ocean cruise on the Holland America Rotterdam and find that I don't always offer rave reviews.) This was a truly exceptional experience. Read Less

We read many reviews and for our first river cruise experience, we decided AMA was the way to go. It was a bit more costly than Viking but I can tell you it was worth it. The food and the service was impeccable and there were only 150 guests on board opposed to Viking which I believe has over 190 on each boat of the same size. Nicola, the Cruise Director was a delight and very helpful and oh, so funny. We met some lovely people on our trip. We were only the fifth group of people on this new boat and it was gorgeous. So clean and roomy. The rooms were cleaned every morning and there was turn down service at night. You received the itinerary and schedule for the next day in your room while you were at dinner. The restaurant and hotel staff were incredible and all were very helpful and friendly. The wine pours are very generous. Happy hours feature a special drink of the day as well. We did book the Chef's table for dinner and it was lovely with excellent service. Small portions but it was 7 courses. I would highly recommend AMA Waterways and the AmaMora for your Rhine river cruise. Read Less