AmaLyra

River Cruise on the Seine - Paris and Normandy

October

Pros: Excellent service by all staff. Comfortable state rooms. Ample onboard amenities. High-quality excursions.

Cons: Small state rooms, which we have learned is typical. Not enough downtime. With two excursions daily, there was limited time to relax before dinner.

Recommended: Yes

Overall, we had a very nice time. The staff are excellent ambassadors for the AMA Waterways brand. They are THE reason we had a good experience….the staff that cleaned our rooms, served our meals, responded to our questions, etc. The staff are AMA Waterways most valuable asset and we hope they are appreciated, recognized and compensated accordingly! The local guides retained for the excursions were wonderful and extremely knowledgeable! The excursion to Normandy was awesome and very moving. Three retired Air Force veterans from our ship were invited to participate in the wreath laying ceremony, which was very special. A few comments: - Consider deleting the LaHarve excursion to allow more time in Honfleur. - Provide more details about each excursion at the time we need to select them! - Consider the feasibility of having a meal “in the community” during one of the excursions. There were a few changes related to the water level on the Seine, which impacted embarkation and de-embarkation. These changes, while inconvenient, were well communicated and regular updates were provided. The AMA Waterways app was fantastic. It was easy to use and updated daily. It was our “one stop shop” for information on how to prepare for the day.

Fabulous Trip

September

Pros: All pre paid and the 2 extra days in Oaris were awesome

Cons: Rain and flight was changed and we went from Delta to Air France.

Recommended: Yes

Wonderful treatment on Amalyra and Hotel Renaissance Republic.

Paris to Normandy and return to Paris river cruise - 7 days

May

Pros: Cruise director and entertainment on board were excellent

Cons: Cabins were noisy, Many of the destinations had little to see or do with the exception of the Normandy area and the Pre-cruise was not very interesting

Recommended: No

- People come to Paris to see the major attractions ie. Eifel Tower, Arch de Triumph, Versailles, and the Louvre. The 2 day pre-cruise included none of those iconic attractions. - Many of the excursion ports had few attractions of great interest. More days should have been allocated to the D-day beaches, cemeteries and museums and fewer to the small towns between Paris and the coastal area. - The cabins on the Amalyra were noisy. We could hear drawers being shut in adjoining cabins and toilets being flushed. Cabins need better sound insulation. - Meals on the ship were not up to what we expected on a high end cruise line. Too much chicken, and fish. - Bottled water provided for excursions was not cold. - Although good entertainment was provided several evenings it was held in the same lounge area as the bar and passengers who were drinking were shouting over the singers in order to be heard. Made listening to the entertainers very difficult. Don't know what could be done about this issue.

Excellent Trip

September

Pros: The ship was beautiful and the staff exceptional

Cons: No one can control the weather, it was cold, wet and windy. But the staff still made the trip comfortable and unforgettable!!

Recommended: Yes

Trip of a lifetime!!

Seine River Cruise

September

Pros: accomodations were wonderful, food and wine very good, lots of excursions to choose from. Enjoyed the flexibility of the schedule so you didn't feel rushed or no time to relax on your vacation like on a large cruise ship.

Cons: maybe would have enjoyed a pool for the days we were sailing or a larger, warmer hot tub but really no cons about our choice on this ship.

Recommended: Yes

We were hesitant at first to book with Amawaterways vs its well advertised competitor.... but are so happy with our choice. The ships were basically the same size, same amenities, but with less people and fewer staterooms which meant more room for us! The staff was all so very accommodating, interactive and cheerful that you truly felt pampered on your floating luxury hotel with amazing food, drinks, views, ports and the opportunity to meet new friends each day. We thoroughly enjoyed our cruise and will definitely use this cruise line on our next river cruise.

Our cruise on the Seine

September

Pros: The service, the excursions, the food, the comfort and luxory

Cons: The wines were a little less than I had hoped.

Recommended: Yes

This was our second cruise with AMA, and hopefully, not our last.

Rhine River Cruise and Switzerland

April

Pros: Excellent staff, especially Octavian & breathtaking Lucerne Lake Cruise.

Cons: Half of the passengers including myself and my husband got a very bad cold.

Recommended: Yes

It was unfortunate that we got sick on the river cruise and missed half of the excursions and activities. However, Octavian the maitre d' provided us with excellent care, bringing us lunch and dinner to our room and made sure that we were well taken care of. We really appreciated his attentiveness and care and that alone made our illness much more bearable. When we got to the Switzerland, we felt a little better and we were blessed with beautiful breathtaking cruise of Lucerne Lake. Csaba was also very helpful coordinating our airport transfers and giving helpful advice on the tour.

Amalyra-September

September

Pros: Convenient dockage, nice tours, great food.

Cons: A bit of busing, subject to low water conditions.

Recommended: Yes

Wonderful way to see historic cities on the Danube.

The Legendary Danube

October

Pros: You get to visit a number of cities in 3 countries and unpack/pack once. The cabins are small, but comfortable. You get to know your fellow passengers, as the ships are small.

Cons: Breakfast plates were ice cold, making the warm food cold. If you ordered a selection from the kitchen, the plate was warm, so the food was too. Because traffic is increasing on river cruises, you may find your ship double or triple parked at the dock. You will have to go thru another ship to get to shore, or they will have to come thru your ship. This created a little confusion one morning. It also means that your stateroom view may also be blocked while in port.

Recommended: Yes

Overall, the food and selections were very good. I especially enjoyed the salad selections at lunch. I would highly recommend eating at the Chef's table. Service and menu were exceptional. Tour guides for the shore excursions were very good. They did keep us moving though. Probably because of a tight schedule. We enjoyed 3 optional tours - Weltenburg Danube Gorge, Salzburg, and Vienna Concert. I would recommend all of them. The Salzburg tour was 10 hours and well worth the trip. We saw the beautiful countryside of Austria while our guide told us about the history of the region. He talked to us almost the entire time -- very informative.

Danube River Cruise

May

Pros: Food, ship, tours, staff, itinerary

Cons: None

Recommended: No