River Cruises - All Cruise Reviews

The Mississippi River was at flood stage the whole trip, but it didn’t really affect this cruise too much. Except for docking tied to trees at one point! Interesting to see river at that stage.

This was our first river cruise and we enjoyed it immensely. We loved visiting various European locations and seeing a lot of countryside, vineyards, and castles onshore in between. We went through many locks on the river (maybe a dozen). Some of them were at night so we slept through those. This might have been our best vacation ever. So memorable.

First time river cruising, many many ocean cruises so was anxious to see how they compared. Very different experience but we will definitely river cruise again - and also do more ocean cruises! The staff were wonderful. The cabin was small but sufficient for our needs. The food was excellent. One thing I missed was finding a quiet spot to go to - with only one lounge on the AMADante there was no place to go except your room or the lounge. It was nice to have the excursions included. The tour guides were knowledgeable and friendly. I liked going to locations that only a river cruise could get to. The small German villages we saw were delightful. All in all it was a good trip. The weather was miserable - but we made the best of it. We may have to do the Rhine River Gorge again in hopes of seeing it with blue skies and not cold, gray ones! We had unseasonably cold and rainy weather - no one expects snow flurries in May!!

First river cruise after half-dozen ocean cruises. Different but we likely will do another. AmaWaterways does an excellent job with great staff and food, ship was in great condition. The concept of being on the river and seeing sights along the way, and stopping at small cities for sightseeing was a great way to get a view of this part of Germany. Not all sights are picturesque (like some industrial areas) but I didn't find this objectionable. You'll see barges and other river cruise ships along the way. The locks on the Rhine river are quite efficient and you get used to going 'dark' as the small ship descends (briefly) below daylight and all you see are brick or concrete outside the windows. Our weather did not cooperate, and we had rain many days and even snow flurries which kept us off the top deck for sightseeing along the rivers most of the time (except the Rhine River gorge), but the concept of being able to get up there to view the world go by was good. Ama takes care of everything, even if a lock was broken, they made quick arrangements to bus us ahead and then catch up with the ship later in the day. No worries. IT was a very busy week with no 'sea days' in between and you need to be prepared for a lot of walking, but this cruise is a great way to see Germany's rivers and castles!

This was my 2nd trip with AmaWaterways and 4th River Cruise (Amazon, Mekong and Yangtze). The Rhine did not disappoint. Adding the pre-dates in Amsterdam and Post-dates in Lucerne and Zurich only added to the experience

Why would a “Port Authority” tell Viking it could not dock in Amsterdam-but instead in Rotterdam? Viking is a huge river cruise line and has 44 itineraries that depart from Amsterdam. Have they NO clout?? When did Viking request this port of call? We made this reservation 2 yrs in advance and within 5 days of embarkation, Amsterdam ,which was a FEATURED,25% of the cruise gets changed???? How often does this happen to Viking. We are not talking low water levels but Port Authority says. We also had our return Amsterdam center port call changed to 5-10 miles away. Should we not have had consideration given for missing out on Amsterdam at the beginning? Let me know if this has happened to you on previous Viking cruises-not due to low water levels

I very satisfied with the cruise. The staff was excellent and very friendly. The food was delicious and most of the excursion were were good.

This was my first cruise ever and I honestly had no idea what to expect! Well I can say that the entire experience was fantastic, from the quickness of boarding to the food to the staff! Absolutely everything was superb. I had the nicest housekeeping man looking after our cabin, which I shared with my gran. He was friendly and informative and I am so glad to have had someone as nice as him around! I got lost multiple times on board and found a map of the entire ship as I was leaving but honestly it was actually kind of fun getting lost because I got to discover different areas of the ship that I might not have gone to ordinarily. The food was something else, if I had the stomach space I would have gone back for second and third helpings! I highly recommend trying everything because you can and because it's too good to not try! I only got to see one show and on my last night but wow, what a show it was!!! The dancing and aerobatic performances were incredible! They had us laughing, amazed and in the end we were absolutely in awe! I would highly recommend seeing a show every night! During the excursion we took a little boat off to the second island for seafood and this did not disappoint! We stuffed our faces with prawns and other seafood and then washed it down with R n' R's before heading back to the first island to float in the beautifully flat swimming pool like ocean and shopping and then back on the boat. I am sad to be home but so glad to have experienced as much as I could in the 3 days I was aboard! I would highly recommend this trip to anyone!

So we’ve done this trip before on another ship and we were looking forward to this. What a change. So, it seems that MSC have learnt from the other SA cruises and we found far less variety in the food choices. Lots of bacon, eggs, pizza etc but less choices in general. Not up to the standard of the first cruise and way less that the Mediterranean cruise ships. Maybe we were being critical but there was a noticeable adjustment to catering for the SA market.

Service was great, attentive staff. Tour guides were very informative.

We embarked Viking expecting a 4 or 5-star experience, this was certainly not what was delivered on board. Cold, unimaginative food, refelcting many of the staff who were serving. Drink stocks running out and not replenished as it was the end of season - poor excuse given the price we paid. Most of the crew seemed to be going through the motions without any care, which I put down to this being the last voyage of a long season, so they were probably worn out & ready for their break & to see their families. Entertainment was woeful, with one man playing a keyboard & half-singing an assortment of songs from the 50's, 60's and early 70's. 'Next day' overviews were held in the one lounge area before dinner so that the bar staff could push drinks. We had a couple of quiz nights with the usual embarassing tat-prizes - all very Butlin's in it's bad days.

The only negative, which I discussed with the cruise director, was a lack of communication at times. We nearly missed seeing a magnificent basilica while cruising during dinner one night because we had no idea it was coming up and many people stayed up to see the lights of Budapest as we entered when the hotel manager knew, he had told me and a few guests, that the lights would not be on as we were getting in after midnight. A guide with highlights and when they would be visible would be very helpful.

Not as much to see on this river but will definitely be doing another Viking cruise

There is nothing that compares to a River Cruise. Ocean cruises take you to a country, River cruises take you through multiple countries. The smaller ship makes for a more personal and intimate experience. You get to actually meet and socialize with the people you cruise with. We met so many wonderful people. The included Excursions were led by extremely knowledgeable, local guides who walked us through every city we visited.

Terrific sailing. Ship is beautiful. Crew was helpful and kind.

This was by far the best cruise I have ever been on. We loved the intimate environment and exceptional service. They communicated at every turn and did there best to accommodate and anticipate every need. I'm sold on river cruising and cruising with Ama!

Cruise was very relaxing. Not a lot to do onboard but it is nice that they have tours already scheduled. Had to switch ships from the AmaStella to the AmaKristina due to water levels but Betti - the cruise manager, did an amazing job handling it and the cruise - very minimal impact. Not as much food as on the big ships and not available at all time. Food was really not up to par. They need to realize that not everything needs to be cooked with alcohol. Some people don't or can't have alcohol.

From the time we got on the ship until we left, the crew and staff made us feel at home. enjoyed the excursions as i got a chance to really get a feel for different cities. Even when there are issues, the crew worked diligently to get it all take care of! Absolutely enjoyed it all!!

First time on the boat and it was TERRIBLE!! had to stand in rows to get food. The ship was understaff. Food bowls was not full quickly enough for all the people. Food was not so great. No available chair or tables at the pool area as well at the food. People don't use it for the right purpose

On November 10, 2018 we concluded what we consider to be the worse cruise we have ever taken This cruise did not conform to what was sold to us in the Viking advertising and agreement. This was a bus trip with overnight stays at floating hotels, minimal river views, missed excursions due to significant time wasted in bus travel, and blocked views once on board due to Viking’s standard practice of double docking. Only a few days before departure did Viking disclose that our cruise could be impacted by low Danube water levels. However, evidence obtained once on board the Egil, Gullveig, and the Bragi from Viking employees and leaders clearly indicated that Viking leadership knew of adverse river conditions going back at least to July 2018 and never shared this information with us or others. A cruise line that is ethical and committed to business integrity values would have shared such impactful information with booked travelers and offered either to reschedule, or cancel with a full refund of monies paid. Clearly based upon our experience, Viking is NOT an ethical cruise line committed to business integrity values. We do not recommend Viking for ANY cruise, anywhere based upon this experience. Cruise details… 1. Our Danube River cruise was not a cruise experience; rather it was a bus/road trip where substantial vacation time was lost getting from point to point to arrive at the next floating hotel (i.e., VIKING ship Gullveig and then Bragi). Accordingly, many of the planned and promised cruise encounters were missed, including (but not limited) failure to see the Wachau Valley Austria, failure to dock in Pasau Germany proper (although many other similar sized ships were docked there as part of their on-going journey), and failure to cruise into glorious Budapest. In lieu thereof, we were forced into bus travel to move on to meet the next ship. This was not a river cruise by any shape of the imagination. 2. As a result of a late arrival, we could not participate in the rescheduled 4 pm excursion to the Gottweig Abbey as it would now be conducted after dark; we were concerned about safety. As it turned out one of our travelers had a serious fall and was injured due to the dark/unsafe conditions surrounding the exterior of the Abbey. 3. Instead of spending seven nights on the Gullveig as booked and unpacking once, we were on three ships for seven nights with multiple unpackings, repacking’s, and two four-hour bus trips each to meet the next floating hotel. Also, instead of docking in Passau, we docked in the remote village of Staubing and had to travel to Passau by bus for more than 90 minutes with a similar return trip (again more lost vacation time – more stress). Also, more time was wasted waiting on the bus as the Gullveig was late arriving into Vienna. 4. Even with the limited time on board the ships, our French Balcony view was fully obstructed frequently due to VIKING ship double docking where all we could see was another ship flush against our balcony within 12 inches. This created a dismal feeling of being imprisoned and clearly precluded river and shore views. 5. We had clearly communicated to VIKING and again aboard ship that I had dietary restrictions, not withstanding this prior communication staff continued to provide me with normal/undesirable meals. 6. Interviews with staff and employees of all three ships clearly revealed that the river conditions that VIKING sighted as the basis for non-performance were known by VIKING senior leadership at least as far back as July 2018. 7. VIKING knew that they could not provide the cruise experience they promised yet continued to operate in gross disregard to known conditions. VIKING leadership knew that it did not have or was unlikely to secure local governmental authority to pass through needed river locks to continue the journey it had offered to its’ customers. Yet it continued in gross disregard to this prior knowledge. Also, VIKING on board ship senior leadership boasted to passengers in an open meeting that there was no need to worry about “ship swaps” as it had perfected the “famous ship swap process” over many months. Another example demonstrating significant advance prior knowledge of the operational problem, and failure to inform booked passengers early on to afford a cancellation opportunity. 8. Instead of this vacation being a pleasant stress relieving experience, it caused significant stress and was a source of constant anxiety. As noted above, there was a significant gap between what was offered/promised by VIKING and what was provided. Overall this was a bus excursion road trip at best, certainly not a river cruise. It was totally stressful, and fully lacked the relaxing experience one would expect from being on a river cruise. We do NOT recommend Viking to anyone for any cruise based upon this experience and their lack of ethics and business integrity.