River Cruises - All Cruise Reviews

The services by the Crew were outstanding.  The Ship is very well laid out, easy to get around and the stateroom is compact but comfortable. The food was good and plentiful.

The docking facility at Amsterdam was awful. It is located in an industrial area with cargo ships with no view of the City. Also in more than one instance no view was possible because other ships were joined together along side at the dock. The river(s) we traveled were along industrial corrirdors and because of the flat topographic nature of the land and lack of a narrative we never knew where we were or what if any landmarks we should have been made aware of. One of our optional tours was entitled 'Tulips and Windmills' and a promotional photo showed the historical Windmill and Tulips. It turned out to be a tour of a tulip bulb producing farm with no flowers and the windmill was a modern wind turbine.  This itinerary was not up to the 2 previous scenic Viking cruises on the Danube or Rhine.  

The best part of this cruise was the ship's staff and, in particular, the Program Director. He, Joey, could have been a successful stand-up comedian, but was also a very effective organizer and overall coordinator of activities -- even when unexpected problems (weather, ground transportation) threatened.

The food and drinks were very good despite lacking the variety (or quantity) of an ocean cruise. The staterooms (ours was a balcony stateroom on the upper deck) were rather cozy, but very clean; the room stewards very attentive.

One concern was what appeared to be a somewhat lax approach to security when the ship was docked at very accessible dock locations.

Bottom line - beautiful historic cities visited, magnificent scenery and sites along the Rhine River, and a terrific, friendly, ship's staff made this a memorable, enjoyable experience. 

From embarkation in bicycle-crazy Amsterdam until disembarkation in Basel, we had a wonderful week cruising the Rhine.  The entire staff of the Amalyra seemed totally focused on making the trip enjoyable.  The excursion guides were all terrific.  By the end of the cruise passengers who had been strangers were good friends!  

Really a great experience!

Just back from France after a fantastic cruise on the Seine River from Paris to Normandy. This is our second cruise with AmaWaterways and the Company continues to exceed expectations! We look forward to our next river cruise with

AmaWaterways.

This was our first river cruise, and Viking certainly lived up to it;s reputation of being one of the finest.  We were very happy with the ship, staff, itinerary and side trips.  From the time we were picked up at the airport by the Viking staff until our departure, we were well cared for both on and off the ship.  The cruise director, captain and crew, waiters, room stewards, and the entire staff did everything possible to make sure that we were enjoying our trip.  

Our visit to the Lazar Horse Farm outside Budapest was the perfect end to a wonderful vacation.  This was my new best friend, it was love at first sight.

This was our first-time ever on the Chesapeake Bay, and it won't be our last as there are just SO MANY excursions available...and not enough time. Unfortunately, a "once in a lifetime" winter storm hindered our willingness to venture out in the cold. It was safe, snug, and warm on board; and we spent a lot of time just enjoying the ship. Special kudos to Cruise Director Chris Roby for keeping us entertained throughout the days, and to Hotel General Manager Bill Cummings for always checking to be sure we were enjoying our voyage. All in all, a wonderful way to enjoy the Christmas/New Year's holidays.

The American Symphony was christened in 2022, it is a lovely ship with so many areas away from your staterooms which are larger than most and beautifully appointed, including a reading room, game room, and office with two computers, which came in handy when getting your boarding pass for your return home . A Christmas cruise promises to be lively. The ship was decked out for Christmas and the chef hosted classes on decorating gingerbread houses, and cookie decorating. We even had a gift exchange. From the minute we arrived at the ship the deck crew met and carried our luggage directly to our stateroom, no waiting. Unpacking when well with ample storage space and closet. Each stateroom comes with a balcony, two chairs and a table. Although the weather wasn't too conducive for sitting out in December, I did pop out to take several photos. The crew was amazing, from Mason the Hotel General Manager, to Colin the Cruise Director, Mikalla the excursions director, and the Housekeeping Manager Thania and her team which cleaned each room daily and dropped off the "ship to shore" daily calendar to the room each night while we were at dinner. Our executive chef and her crew of cooks and Alex our dining room manager and his waiters were simply wonderful, caring individuals who took the time to get to know the guests without being intrusive.

We didn't know Florida had rivers, a best kept secret. The rivers are relatively short thus there isn't a lot of time cruising, and a lot of time spent on excellent shore excursions. Do Not miss the Manatees!! The Entertainment Director Courtney, lecturer Mike, on-board artist Nancy, and great port tour guides all combined to give us a multi-dimensional perspective of the Great Rivers of Florida. Great memories.

This was a beautiful cruise and filled with lots of memories. The great staff and crew definitely enhanced every detail of our cruise. Our staterooms were comfortable and well appointed. Our meals were absolutely delicious. Each meal offered something for everyone. We got to visit and explore beautiful ports we had only heard of. Our excursions gave us many opportunities to explore and learn about the ports we visited and see this amazing river and some beautiful homes and structures. I think I could enjoy this cruise again many times over.

WOW! Where to begin. Great Staff and Crew definitely enhanced every detail of our cruise. Our staterooms were perfectly appointed and comfortable. Our meals were absolutely delicious. Each meal offered something for everyone. We got to visit and explore beautiful ports we had only ever heard of. Our excursions gave us many opportunities to explore the ports we visited.

Enjoyable and relaxing. Silver beverage package provided for a large number of intoxicated seniors trying to ensure they got the money’s worth on the last few days. Salsburg excursion was lengthly by bus. Nearly four hours. Needed time for bathroom breaks that tour guide did not want to provide. Food provided very mediocre. Not enough wait staff. Entertainment great.

Overall this cruise experience was fabulous. I had never traveled on an American small ship before. Comparing to the ocean vessels and the European river ships, this far exceeded my expectation. Thank you American Symphony

I am thrilled that we decided to take the American Revolution and Chesapeake Bay 10 day cruise! We boated privately on these waters for years but the experience is totally different ( and MUCH more relaxing) when you take an ACL cruise. We were able to pair our love for boating with our thirst for adventure and history. On top of that, we made wonderful new friends, couldn't resist the awesome and abundant food and were entertained nightly. I wish it could continue but I promise we will return - on this itinerary or on another exciting offering from ACL. Thank you for the memories!

The ports along the Hudson were very entertaining and educational, as is the rule on this cruise line. We couldn’t believe our eyes as we enjoyed mile after mile of fantastic fall foliage color. Although we live in the northeast, we have never seen such a display of nature’s splendor. All in all, I would take this cruise again, next year!

We are very experienced travelers and have been on over 30 ocean cruises including voyages on Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Princess, Holland America, Norwegian, Celebrity, Azamara, and others. We were very disappointed with our experience on American Cruise Lines. This was the most expensive cruise per day onboard that we have ever paid and it was the poorest ship experience. I would say that we paid a 5.5-star price and ACL provided a 2-star experience. The facility was in poor condition with stains on many rugs, many light bulbs burned out, unprofessional painting, empty Defibrillator station, etc. (see attached photos). Security on the boat was non-existent, with no reliable way to check who is leaving or entering the boat. There was no system in the dining room. Some of the waiters were terrible and others were fairly good, but not well trained. The kitchen was unreliable. Some days we waited 30 plus minutes for eggs in the morning and we got no fruit or anything while waiting. Some food came totally cold like waffles and French fries. Some meals had long delays such as 2 hour dinners. The trip was advertised to include stops at 12 cities/ towns along the river plus New Orleans when we paid more than $26,000 for the 2 of us. We only stopped in 7 of these 12 and 2 of the 7 stops were far outside of town. The trip, the management and the boat were a total disaster.

We were truly amazed at the spaciousness and cleanliness of our cabin and remained so throughout the duration of our cruise. There was a variety of excursions to choose from each day, the on-board enrichment programs were marvelous as well as the nightly entertainment. Every day we had the most delicious meals expertly prepared and followed by a variety of delectable desserts.

This was one of the most educational cruises we have been on, everything themed to the Lewis and Clark Expedition, Lectures, tours, evening entertainment, and even the watercolor art classes. Every town along the river contributed something to our understanding about this period in our history. The ship’s River Lounge were perfect for watching the Columbia and Snake Rivers’ scenery, the busy shore line and shipping and the impressive locks. The tour of the pilot house and conversation with the Captain about the running of the ship was one of the cruise highlights. The Cruise Directo on this cruise was outstanding with multiple activities scheduled every day, including a I-phone technical tips class. Evening entertainment was always lively and whenever possible included local musical groups.

This was our first Mississippi River Cruise. American Cruise Line was fabulous from the moment we stepped onboard. American Jazz was beautifully appointed. We so enjoyed the top notch nightly entertainment and daily cultural programs. It was so interesting to explore many historical landmarks on excursions led by local knowledgeable guides. The food was delicious and prepared from locally grown ingredients. The nightly cocktail hours were complimentary as were beer and wine at lunch and dinner. The ACL staff were not only professional and courteous. Guests are their priority! The crew worked well together to insure passengers were enjoying their stay and had everything they needed. I would highly recommend ACL, you won’t be disappointed!

We have done several European river cruises. This is much different and better. ACL continues to improve their service, and I believe with the new ships and itineraries will get even better.

This is the worst cruise of the 10 (or so) we have ever been on. This ship and this itinerary are not worth your money. And the cruise line will not work with you for unsatisfactory and unsanitary conditions (yes there was waste in the toilet) their disrepair/age caused.