I am a solo traveler, very independent and seasoned travel wise. I took the Sonata on the Danube in September. The ship is too small to find an alcove, a movie theatre, a bar or lounge for daytime snacks to meet people . We were rushed in and out of the main dining room, the only room, where there was no provision for solo guests, no tables for one or two. I felt like an intruder, coming up to families or groups traveling together to ask if I might join. They might consider how to be more pleasant to single travelers. The food was stingy and uncreative. Tea time was a bowl of stale cookies. Fish at night was a small strip of something unidentifiable. Stops at towns mostly consisted of Disneyland versions of what the town used to be. Never the real town. Expensive and disappointing.
Do not ask for information from this company or they will bombard you with brochures forever!
Ordered information from them 5 to 6 years ago now and no matter how many times I have called and asked politely to be removed from their mailing list I am still getting brochures at least once every couple of months.
The absolute worst cruise experience I have ever had.
As an experienced cruise person and having recorded at least 30 cruises, I feel very confident in my ability to objectively critique my cruise experiences, and suffice it to say that my experience with AMA Waterways was the absolute worst.
A+ company. A friend of mine (Nanor) that works at this company was talking to me a little bit about this company. I was looking to book a trip for my parents because they always wanted to experience a river cruise trip and so I did. When they returned, my mom was showing us all the pictures of her experience and speaking to us how great the customer service was! I had looked years ago to do this for them through Uniworld, however....they were kind of rude and quick to try to sell me on a trip and I never felt comfortable with them. Ama waterways is the way to go! They are already looking to make another trip to a different destination. Thank you Nanor and Amawaterways!!!!!!
staff tried, but if you're looking for a vegan meal go elsewhere. Being stuck on a ship for over seven days without adequate vegan meals is ridiculous. Got on my Delta flight after a week on the ship and had Dal with rice pita and greens. Delta save me.
We did the Southeastern European cruise with a post cruise in Istanbul on AmaVerde in April 17th. We did the Danube cruise with Ama before and we liked it and that is why we did this one with them as well. We were recommending and even encouraging others to go on AMA.It was a big disappointment as far as the cabin accommodations and food. The cabin had a funky smell like there's mold because it was musty. I have a bad asthma and we were worried that I could badly sick. My wife told to the reception crew about it and if there's anything they could do including getting a paid upgrade. Disappointingly, they did not do anything or suggested what can be done to alleviate the issue. Worse thing, they never talked to me or showed any concern. I guess they don't care about the welfare of their customers. I told my wife that I could get off the cruise in Belgrade to return home rather than get sick. She did everything to masked the smell by spraying Lysol and other stuff. My CPAP helped during my sleep but nothing was really done by the Ama. I felt bad for my wife and so I just endured it and just prayed that I don't get badly sick although my asthma got worse and worse. I don't think they prep the boat well or did good upkeep of it. It's hard to understand how they could ignore their customers.The food was not what we expected and very disappointing. The kitchen did a bad job preparing the food particularly the fish dishes. The selection was not only bad but also very limited. Were they cutting costs on food? Maybe. But at least the preparing could be better. I'm trying to find anything good about the food but unfortunately, there's none.The crew in the restaurant was very good. Excellent if I can say. The housekeeping crew was also very good given the situation and condition of the boat and cabin.I should say they post cruise in Istanbul was excellent. The tour guide we had was excellent and took care of us very well. The hotel was very nice. The transfer provided was very good. At least Ama did well with this one. It's the crew's service and Istanbul experience are the reasons I gave 2 stars. Or it would have been negative stars. I tried to do the review on AMA's app after our post cruise was the app won't let me. I wanted to finish everything before doing a comprehensive review but could not do it. It's unfortunate they would not read my review because I was hoping they can make improvements so that other customers will not suffer or be disappointed.Hopefully, our coming cruise on Oceania in October would be a better one. Hard to imagine something worse than this last one with AmaVerde.
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 a 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 AMA Guest 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.
15941Choose another cruise line!Review of River RhinePending reviewFirst experience on AMA Waterways (Ama Stella) and so disappointing! Lets' begin with 'we will never do an AMA Waterways river cruise again'! And try finding a way to write a review on their own website... impossible unless they 'approve that it's positive' before posting. We took the Amsterdam to Basel trip and the only good part, was the day we spent cruising among the old castles. As for the excursions, most all will require a 'long' bus ride to get to the locations - when these are written up, you are led to believe you will disembark very close to these charming towns - also wrong! Then we continued to have slow walkers on each tour when they specifically tell you up front, to choose the tour applicable to your own physical abilities - that never happened, thus always waiting for the slow pokes to keep up became a real pain! The food was mediocre, nothing special and the entertainment ... well there was none except for the 'elevator pianist' who played every night except for one night when they had a talented singing couple on board; and they were pretty good. For heavens sake, we had a better 3 day cruise on Carnival (which we despise) than this river cruise on AMA! And we would cruise quietly during the day to see the sites, then the captain would 'crank up the speed' every night to make up time and our cabin beds and walls would shake and rattle making it impossible to sleep!!! dead tired the next day! And the staff was also mediocre also - our cabin person changed twice and we did have one that was very good! We always tip the person(s) who we interacted with and were deserving rather than 'providing amount they suggest'.... that's what tips are for!
Never again. Boarded Ama Duoro 21 May. Tested positive for covid so could not go. Upon return to the States, called...and called...and called, on hold for hours with the reservation department, the only one who could help me. I needed a letter saying I was not allowed to board and that I had not received any refund, so I could collect travel insurance. I was promised call-backs, emails, letters, none of which were forthcoming. Still waiting. Still no refunds. Lots of money down the tube.Never again. There is NO customer service with this company. (BTW, our traveling companions, who did go, complained that this was the worst river cruise they had taken.)
Amawaterways river cruises reservation department should be locked up and the keys should be thrown away.Booked a reservation. Gave them $800.00.Went to cancel And never returned my deposit.Do not book with this company.
I just called Ama waterways and sad to say they are NOT requiring passengers and employees get COVID vaccine.. Reminder this is just at this date. Things could change I hope.
I went on their cruise on the Danube. The staff and food was more than I expected. Tours so so, but no major complaints. It was a once in a life experience for me with the price, but who knows. The only bad things was that the bed was fairly uncomfortable. Does not seem like a major expense to replace a mattress, but there you go. I would go on another cruise if I has the money. Gay couple and everyone accepted us which was not expected.
My wife and two cousins had booked a trip to Vietnam and Cambodia beginning the last few days of March this year. In February, as the pandemic began to take hold, my cousin who is in his late 80's became very concerned about travel to SE Asia. flights to Vietnam have to connect thru Korea or Japan or other hubs. We queried AMA in late February about whether the trip was going to be cancelled; they said no. They also said that if we cancel we could get 50% of our money back and the balance as a credit. If we waited we would get little to no money back. We were left with little choice, so we took the 50% offer. Shortly after that they cancelled the trip, and had we waited a bit longer we would have gotten 100% of our money back. It was a form of extortion in my opinion. When i complained they gave me an additional 15% credit. My cousin is 88 years old; the odds of us being able to make this or any other trip of this magnitude is slim to none. I realize this is a family run business with a good reputation. But in this case, they are taking advantage of clients like us. My name is Harvey Silver, I live in Marine del Ray Ca... is anyone out there interested in joining forces in an effort to get out money back. my email is my name at me dot com if you want to reach out to me.
I used luxuryonly.com for the arrangements. I found the representative to be useless. I cannot recommend luxuryonly.com or Amawaterways .com. Throughout the planning process, the luxuryonly representative did the minimum. I asked about hotels, in some of the cruise destination. He said that Amawaterways has two choices. I found dozens of wonderful choices, at a fraction of the cost. I asked for flight arrangements. The representative, obviously, did nothing more than check the Amawaterways options. When I use a travel agent, I want someone who knows the destination and the best, and most cost effective, way of enjoying the destination. LuxuryOnly.com failed to provide anything helpful.
I had to cancel a cruise because I have cancer and cannot cruise because of the Caronavirus. Amawaterways insisted on the full deposit, as a penalty. I contacted the cruise line, which, again, refused to accommodate the unusual circumstances. Instead, they offered to sell me some type of insurance plan, for my next trip, on Amawaterways. There will, definitely, not be a next trip. I will stick with Oceania, which takes care of its customers. I cannot recommend Amawaterways.
Prior to dissembarking the Amawaterways river cruise on October 14, 2019 I checked my luggage and backpack for contents and placed required tags for Amawaterways staff to take my luggage and backpack to my airport transportation. As I was dissembarking from the river cruise ship and boarding my taxi to the airport I was handed my backpack from my cruise manager Henrique which somehow got separated from my luggage even though I placed both my luggage and backpack together. Once I arrived at the airport I had to remove my tablet which was in my backpack in order to go through security, I must have spent a good 5 minutes trying to find my tablet but it was not in my backpack. I remember last seeing the tablet in my backpack before placing it outside my cabin door. From the time I left it outside my door and the staff taking out to my taxi someone removed my tablet from my backpack and stole from me its value, photos, and media content some of which cannot be replaced. Upon returning home I immediately contacted Amawaterways customer relations (Melanie Wolstrup) who could only offer me as a consolation a credit toward a future river cruise. I found it unacceptable and requested a full refund for the value if my property. Amawaterways customer relations was dismissive of my request and even though the company refers to its consumer as family member I honestly did not receive that sort of feel I was treated like a total stranger irregardless of the fact that in the last three years I have spent well over $20,000 dollars with them. All I was asking for was the cost to replace my tablet, tablet case and mini SD card (valued at $500.00). Never again will I use them.
Overall, the cruise was a big disappointment.1st river cruise after more than 20 ocean cruises. New boat, but of course very small. Upgraded rooms (double balcony, full size shower) only about 200 square feet. However, clean, modern, adequate air conditioning. Arrived at dock approximately 6 hours before embarkation. Staff was outstanding, allowing us to wait on board until checkin. Location of dock in Amsterdam was not conducive to exploration of the immediate neighborhood (industrial warehouses, mounds of rotting garbage, homeless, extensive graffiti). However, 15-20 minute walk would get you to the old town historic area. Mostly elderly guests (average age approximately 75 plus. We are in our early 50's).On board, dining choices were fine. Staff was again outstanding. We are not a fan of open seating, but most of the time the same tables were available (with the same staff). Breakfast and lunch were buffet style, with some menu only items. Any/all alcoholic beverages were included at meals and Happy Hour. Otherwise, pay as you go. Extremely scaled down menu available in the lounge at lunchtime. Do not expect any onboard activities on a ship this size. Following dinner, music/dancing is available in the small lounge. On three nights, outside entertainment came aboard, but after 1-1.5 hours, they were rushed off. Little about the experience matches the brochure. The Rhine is an industrial river. Aside from a single day passing through the Rhine Gorge (and seeing many castles you cannot visit), the shore is dotted with warehouses and businesses. Because of the heat, very few guests could use the top deck. However, the small pool was an oasis. At no port could you walk off the boat and easily access the town/village/city. A 30 to 90 minute bus ride was required for most excursions, with a mostly unorganized guide babbling in disjointed stream of consciousness. Following the tour, you were given 1-2 hours to explore the area, then it's back on the bus. In one port, guests were allowed off at 9:00 am and the ship sailed at 1:00pm. Overall, an extremely structured cruise, with little time for getting to know the towns. Do not take the cruise in the summertime. Blistering hot in each port. Most shops and restaurants are not air conditioned. I can hear the complaints of "spoiled americans", but for the cost or the trip, and where we live (New Orleans), we were looking forward to a break from the heat. Many active shore excursions (biking, active hiking) were cancelled by the tour guides due to the heat. Each excursion visited a cathedral or castle/fort, but most of the tours consisted of small tourist shops filled with Chinese manufactured trinkets. Shopping is definitely off the list, with prices ranging from 2-3 times the cost in the U.S. Post-cruise travel to Luzern was the best part. Skip the boat and stay there for 7 nights. Zurich is just another large city. Nothing special.In conclusion, do not expect the history filled, romantic getaway described in the literature. Though not the "voyage of the living dead" of an Alaska cruise, it's very close.
We bought our Budapest to Nuremberg cruise through a charity auction, paying close to $6000. The cruise started on a Sunday, with stops in a new city each day. Due to low water in the river, our first stop was on Thursday in Vienna. On Friday, the two tours offered were 8-9 hours each (Salzburg or two towns with castles), too long for my wife and myself, so we stayed on the ship and cruised up the river. Saturday was a bus to Nuremberg and a hotel night stay. All through the cruise, the cruise director said Ama is fully aware of the problems we've faced and you will receive fair compensation. After we got home, we were offered $675/each for a future cruise on Ama [they based the figure on the low amount the charity paid, not what we paid]. Our travel agent appealed to the home office but was turned down. The ship, food and staff were nice. But $6000 to see Vienna for a few hours is, to turn a phrase, a river too far.
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