AMA Waterways River Cruises

Old Dec 18th, 2014, 05:24 AM
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AMA Waterways River Cruises

Anyone ever take a river cruise with AMA?
Looks a bit better than some others but after reading several bad reviews of river cruises I don't know if it's for us.

The reviews on cruise critic seem to be better than some other river cruise lines but I'm counting on my Fodorite friends to give me the scoop.
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Old Dec 18th, 2014, 07:43 AM
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I think it depends on what you're looking for in a river cruise. AMA is a good company, but there a lot of good companies out there doing these cruises. I noticed a couple of weeks ago that our Viking group was considerably younger than an AMA group we attended a concert with. I'm not sure if that's a consideration for you.

People do have problem when rivers are non-navigable, and they complain a lot (and loudly). That's not really within the line's control, and they sometimes don't know until the last minute when high or low water will be an issue for a specific cruise, so they are very hesitant to cancel a departure (which also disappoints and inconveniences passengers). There's no doubt it's a bummer to have to take what ends up being a bus trip instead of a leisurely river cruise.

So what I urge is that you buy insurance that will allow you to cancel for any reason. That's the best way to make sure you don't have to take a cruise you're not happy with.

My second recommendation (irrespective of whether you end up booking AMA or not) is to consider booking your own airfare. Air routes that are added on to cruises can have inconvenient routing and departure times, and the best way to control that is to pick the times that work best for you. There are pros and cons to this, the biggest con being you often have to provide your own airport to port transfers. But if having a specific flight and seat is important to you, it may be worth it to do your own airline booking.

Buy full insurance and your own air tickets, and you have dramatically improved your chances of having a great trip.
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Old Dec 18th, 2014, 08:02 AM
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We did an AMA cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam last holiday season.The ages appeared to range from 14 to a confirmed 94. That said, there were few activities that interested the younger passengers who seemed to spend most of their shore time on bicycles or in local shopping.

The staff was exceptional, the food good, the wine service generous if not of an outstanding quality, and the included shore excursions were done in small enough groups so as to be manageable and pleasant.
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Old Dec 18th, 2014, 08:08 AM
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Good advice.
The flight is a big deal with us. Must be direct on a decent airline. We've been burned twice on European flights with American with old planes, very few drop down TV's with 1 movie, and headsets that didn't work---Live and learn! Getting our own transfers is not a big deal with us.

We know 2 different couples who have taken several river cruises with great success and are going back for more in 2015.. I just don't know about taking a chance on high or low water but your suggestion of insurance is a good one.

There are so many wonderful places to see in Europe that it's hard to choose. Fodors is always the place to start your research.
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Old Dec 18th, 2014, 07:59 PM
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We took a Mekong River Cruise
( Cambodia and Vietnam)with AMAWaterways and thought everything was of a higher quality than our two Viking river cruises ( Russia and the Danube) we had gone on in Europe.
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Old Dec 19th, 2014, 04:05 AM
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Thanks Jeff801 and HappyTrvlr------Hands on info always helps.
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Old Dec 22nd, 2014, 12:14 AM
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What I recently found about the AMA ships is that almost all of them are charters - meaning they have different owners, and Ama Waterways is only an operator line. This is an interesting business concept, that allows regular fleet renovation without the necessary multimillion new ship building.

As to the experience, cabins and amenities on AMA ships are similar to those on Viking ships. The onboard bicycles are a great idea for a shore excursion fun, and the line's new ships have an amazing design. The top deck swimming pool is another great thing that is rarely found on river ships.
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Old Dec 24th, 2014, 05:27 PM
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A friend has taken 2-3 cruises on AMA and really enjoys this line. We recently took a Danube River cruise on Uniworld (River Beatrice), and were impressed with the ship, crew, food, excursions, the whole experience(much more intimate than on ocean cruises).
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Old Dec 26th, 2014, 06:24 PM
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We took an Avalon river cruise in 2013 and enjoyed it so much we have booked another for 2015. First was Prague to Budapest. Next is Munich to Basel. We do the 'aquarium' lower level room. Saved a lot of $$ and we thought it great.
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Old Dec 17th, 2015, 11:55 AM
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Just returned from a Budapest to Prague cruise on the AMABella from November 26 to December 7, 2016. We have also done Viking cruises. We are also scheduled for AMALotus in Vietnam and Cambodia in early 2016.

We think both cruise lines are good and very similar. The cabin on our AMA ship was laid out better than the new Viking ship.....Forsetti...that we used last year in Bordeaux. The room was the same size but had a better balcony and better designed bathroom.

This time on the Danube some of the Viking ships got delayed due to water levels on the Danube. Our AMA ship was built differently and we were never delayed. This is always something to check before you go on any river cruise.

The food was good, but I would not call it exceptional. The dining room layout was done better than Viking as it was divided in the middle to give you a more intimate feel at dinner. The service was also good from everyone in the staff.

One item of which you have zero control: Our cruise was filled with one group of 20 women traveling together without spouses and another large group of women doing the same thing. This made a different atmosphere on the ship as the women all stuck together and there were few men and less couples. As I said, you will not be able to control this but it did make it a different type cruise. We were traveling with another couple and enjoy meeting new people.

Bottom line: We will do AMA again and would also do Viking again if the itinerary was somewhere we wanted to go.
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Old Dec 18th, 2015, 01:40 PM
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traveldawg----thanks for the update. I still would like to go on a river cruise but my husband is a hard sell. He thinks it would be too slow.
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Old Dec 23rd, 2015, 05:49 AM
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Hi TP,

>He thinks it would be too slow.

It's supposed to be slow.

Maybe his doctor can give him some Prozac.

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Old Apr 13th, 2016, 12:38 PM
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Another update: After our great experience with AMA from Budapest to Prague (see above) we did the Vietnan/Cambodia trip in February 2016 with AMA. The trip itinerary was great. The AMA Lotus was a major disappointment. The ship had a lot of deferred maintenance. It almost looked like they were either going to sell it or send it in soon for a major remodel.

We had numerous problems with our cabin......no air conditioning in room on arrival so had to call repair guys, TV monitor had to be completely replaced, bad plumbing and cabin decks so small you could not seat two people at same time.

They even put AMA Dara name tags on our cabin luggage instead of AMA Lotus. That should have been a clue the ship was going away.

As for the comments about being "too slow". This trip had so much to see and do the word "slow" never came up. Very packed and fun agenda.

My advice: Check out the age of the ship you are looking at. The AMA Lotus was not good. If this had been my first AMA trip it would have been my last. As it is I will use AMA again with no problem. If they have a good ship they treat you very well.
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Old Apr 14th, 2016, 07:52 PM
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Friends of ours did an AMAWaterway cruise on the Rhine for Christmas markets last year, and liked it so much that we were convinced to do it this year. We have done many ocean cruises, and are looking forward to this first river cruise.
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Old May 9th, 2016, 01:27 PM
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Wow, the AMALotus aged fast. Sorry to hear. Itvwas in very good condition four years ago when we traveled on it on the Mekong.
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Old May 16th, 2016, 06:07 PM
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Has anyone travelled on the AMA Prima recently, and can report on its condition?
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