This was our first AMAWaterways cruise. We typically ocean cruise with Seabourn and when we decided to try a river cruise we asked our travel agent, Which river cruise company is closest to Seabourn? Without any hesitation she said AMAWaterways. We choose the Flavors of Portugal & Spain because we had never been to Portugal and the website touted great food and wine while sailing the Douro. Based on our TA's recommendations and various reviews on Cruise critic and other sites, we booked this itinerary.

The cruise wasn't bad. It was perfectly fine. But there was also nothing particularly memorable about it either. With the exception of the Cruise Director (Marcia) who was exceptional, and a couple of the dining room staff, (Alberto and Alexandre) the rest of the team was adequate but we never felt any sense of going the extra step.

Tours were fine, though the quality of the local guides varied by location and by which bus you were assigned to. Maybe it was the itinerary, but there just didn't seem that there was that many things to see or do in the towns we visited. The website and the crew told us that the River Douro itself was the attraction. That's fine, but then why not cruise the river instead of overnighting in Porto, Regua and Pinhao? Read more