River Cruises - All Cruise Reviews

    This was both my first time in Europe and also on a River cruise and I was beyond blown away! Because it was the last sailing of the season we got to still experience some of the Christmas Markets while enjoying a festive atmosphere on board the ship. The staff was amazing and the cruise director, Viktor, worked tirelessly to ensure that we missed nothing due to having to change the itinerary a bit to accommodate the low river. 

     Best Advice I can give:

     Talk to the cruise director to find out the hidden spots for food and shopping, they are a fountain of knowledge! AmaWaterways was great at having a map of the area each day so you can find your way around after the tours, take the time to walk a bit and enjoy the sites, you can find some of the best souvenirs off the beaten path. In Heidelberg I found a great little store a short walk from the Cathedral that the tour ends in that sells amazing Schnapps and Whiskey, and they give free samples!

          Make sure that you have 1 night set aside for the Chef's table as it is included in the sailing and a wonderful meal!

     My one big Do Not is don't attempt to walk from the train station in Basel to the dock where the ship is at, it may "look" like a 5 minute hike but with luggage and a lot of little paths it turned into a 30 minute workout!

After arriving at Basel Airport , we made our own way to the pier to catch the Ama Certo on it's 7 night journey from Basel to Amsterdam . When arriving at Basel Airport make sure that you exit the Swiss side and not the French side . We had a BB Category cabin on the Middle Deck and despite being the cabin next to reception , there were no issues with noise .

The first night is the Captains Welcome Cocktail and Dinner , where you get to meet the Captain and most of the crew . There is also a short demonstration about putting on a lifejacket , should you happen to fall in the Rhine .

Each day there are a variety of included excursions and your pre-boarding packet of documents will tell you what they are . For instance on the first day , there is a choice of going to Riquewihr , Breisach or Colmar . We chose Colmar , and despite the cold weather it was a very pleasant market town in France .

Each night in your room there will be a " Daily Cruiser " leaflet which will tell you what you will be seeing and doing the following day , and this is also where you make your choices for the following days excursions .

At the moment , the water level in the Rhine is very low and if this continues then your itinerary can be changed so that the Captain can navigate safely thru the low water .

This did happen to us as we could not dock in Strasbourg because of the low water and had to go all the way to Mannheim , before being bussed back for our excursion to Strasbourg .

This situation was excellently handled by everyone at AMA , and the passengers were kept fully up to date with the situation and the alternative itinerary that resulted meant that a restaurant in Strasbourg had to accomodate all 120 of us at short notice .

Our cabin onboard was spacious enough for 2 people and there was enough storage space in the cabin for a week long cruise .

The food onboard was a very good standard , and the dining room is big enough to seat everybody at one time . There are several selections for each course , but if you have any allergies it would be wise to let them know ahead of time so that you can be accomodated . I would say that the wine selection could have been slightly better , but they tried to serve wines from the local region to enhance your cruising experience .

I would recommend the Chefs Table at least once , this is located at the other end of the ship and can seat up to 28 passengers and you get to see the chef prepare your dinner . The night we went it was full so book early .

There is entertainment after dinner in the Main Lounge , which ranged from a singer singing Tunes from the Musicals , an ABBA tribute band and a classical recital , so something for everyone .

The Main Lounge is big enough for everyone at once and they also serve ' Lite' breakfast and lunch for anyone who just wants a snack .

The Main Lounge has floor to ceiling windows which gives you a great panorama of the scenery when it is too cold to go outside .

If you are considering this itinerary for your first river cruise , you will not be disappointed . Wonderful scenery , great places to visit and a great crew made this a really memorable experience .

The true measure of a company's quality of service is determined not when things go right, but when they go terribly wrong. Viking River Cruises promises unconditional support when you join their trips, but offered none whatsoever when my mother in law fell inside the bus provided by Viking and broke her foot, ripped open her elbow, and painfully bruised most of her body. One can argue that she fell because she was not paying attention; others can make a stronger case that she fell because the step located on the longitudinal corridor inside the bus was not marked and was camouflaged by the black carpet. Putting aside blame for the fall, the only issue that prompted me to write this review relates to what Viking did (or better yet, didn't do) to help us after the fall; they did absolutely nothing. My mother in law and my wife joined me on a trip to Portugal 7 days ago for a Viking River Cruise in the Douro River. On day 1 of our trip, while touring Lisbon by bus, my mother in law fell inside the vehicle once it came to a full stop and it was time to exit for a short walk to Torre de Belém. It was quickly evident - by the bruising and the swelling - that she had broken something. Our local guides agreed, called a taxi, and told us about 2-3 nearby hospitals that we could use. And that was it: they called a taxi.

From that point on we were on our own. We had to navigate through the unfamiliar health care system in Portugal alone; we had to make multiple trips to the hospital and pharmacies without support; we had to deal with TAP Air Portugal and the required medical release forms without guidance. We spent 3 full days taking care of everything related to the accident without a single Viking representative being involved; without a single phone call from Viking; without a single offer from Viking to help us. We did not even get the Viking hotel rate for the additional night we had to stay at the Tivoli Hotel. In fact, while in the hospital waiting for my mother in law to be done with the medical care, we realized that we needed to call the local Viking staff to cancel the upcoming $300 dinner we had just joined the day before. We called Viking headquarters (the only number we had) and they could not find or provide a number for the Lisbon staff. A Viking representative took our number, and promised they would call back. Eventually, we gave up and managed to get the Viking local guide contact thanks to the wonderful Portuguese staff of the Tivoli Hotel.

We are now safely back in the US and still no one from Viking has called us, even if just to find out how my mother in law is doing. The level of indifference, disregard, and disrespect displayed by Viking is truly heartbroken in any circumstances, but especially vicious when you realized they promised unconditional support and had no problem taking tens of thousands of nonrefundable dollars from us. It’s even more disgusting when you realize that they cater these trips to seniors citizens, some well into their 80s.

For us, what was supposed to be a dream trip turned into a living nightmare. While Viking’s conduct was shameful and disgraceful, we managed to deal with the unfortunate accident in great part due to the incredible caring nature of the Portuguese People. The hospital staff at CUF Infante Santos was amazing and more professional than anything I’ve seen here in the US. Dr. Carolina went beyond her assigned duties to accommodate my requests related to the bureaucratic documents required for my mother in law’s transatlantic flight back to the USA; she did it without charging us anything. The staff at the Tivoli Hotel treated my mother in law with the love and respect she deserved. Felipe – one of the managers at Tivoli – offered me his personal contact for anything, and secured and provided a wheelchair for our entire stay with them at no additional cost. TAP Air Portugal upgraded my mother to Business class at a nominal cost, and took care of her as if she was their very own mother in law.

In all this, the only entity that failed was the very one that advertised (and made us pay for) the opposite: Viking River Cruises. By the way, to this day we are still waiting for the phone call Viking promised to provide us with the Lisbon staff contact number. So, while Viking seems to be able to deliver a great service when things go well, they magically disappear when something goes wrong. The true “Buyer beware” business model; shameful!

The sad news is that this was the Ama Dagio's last sailing.  We escorted 28 family and friends on this wonderful AMA adventure on the Rhone river.  It all started with a fabulous CAVA tasting with Tapas lunch at Pere Ventura winery in Barcelona.  A must do event.  The river cruise, with AMA's "This is your home" attitude could not have been better, even with the strike by the French Lock keepers.  Camille, our cruise director & her staff never missed a step in getting all of us through the crises.  The food, wine,  entertainment, and excursions were all first class and better.  We are planning our next 2017 cruise with AMA.  Can't wait.

Viking cruise line has it all!  This was our first and definitely not out last.  From the minute you step on the ship until you leave the red carpet was rolled out.  The staff were so friendly, helpful and special.  They made you feel like you were the on,y one on board.  The from Lee, the Program Director to Janka our housekeeper there was never anything anything but smiles and caring ways.  Royan with his knowledge of wines to Mariana making my special mixed drink to head chef and to Jo the concierge, professional all the way.

Thank you Viking Cruise.  We will be back

Hi, the cruise was very good.  The staff very friendly. Rhia was  extraordinary  trying to help me with the meals. There were not to many options for vegetarian people. Some times nothing veggie  in the menu . The excursions are good   

Great cruise. First Viking cruise. Crew was first class. Ship was very good. Food/ wines were excellent. Tours were good. Normandy was emotional and worth the entire trip.

Best cruise vacation we've been on and arguably our best vacation ever.   Viking is superb with cuisine and staff.  Shore excursions were stimulating and well prepared.   Very impressed with level of service.   Would recommend cruise line enthusiastically   Look forward to our next opportunity

This was one of my favorite cruises. It was expensive, but I thoroughly enjoyed every moment.

The best cruise ever! Food was excellent and staff very helpful. very nicely decorated Ship!

The internet was a little slow or impossible at times but glad to have it free.

The boat and cabin OK. Staff rather abrupt, probably as it was at the end of their 8 month contract and they could not wait to finish. Food nothing special and very limited wines with the evening meals. Liked the places visited very much and the other passengers were a good mix. As a single person no effort made to help me at meals etc and would certainly not recommend to singles.

What a great way to see northern France and especially Normandy. I would have liked to spend more time there and in Paris but with all there is to see I don't know how you could do it in a week. All the amenities on the boat were top notch except for the internet, possibly Viking could have hard wire connection when in port and satellite when cruising. The staff was excellent! 

The venue, going from Amsterdam to Basel down the Rhine River was beautiful.  The cruise and it's excursions we're well run.   The meals were good and the entertainment was OK. We enjoyed the people we met - it seemed to be a younger group of folks from similar backgrounds as ourselves.   I would recommend Amawaterways to others if they want to go on a river cruise versus some of the other options that are available.

Great food, helpful crew, well kept ship. My only suggestion is to hand out up to date city maps. I  like to use trams, trolleys, and subways to see cities. several did no have the latest public transits, so be sure to get the latest on the Internet or major transmit hubs. 

I liked the way they took such good care of us, seemed to always be there to help.

Everything was first cabin, rooms, food, and service!

They should have a small coin op laundry for the guests that want to do their own!

This is our 4th Viking Riverboat Cruise, and this one did not disappoint us!  Portugal is a beautiful country!  Put on some comfy walking shoes and go w/ the flow!

Wide, spacious cabins, public rooms. Great freshly cooked food and personalized services. Most variety of complimentary tours on new coaches that carry Nespresso machine. Free drinks including alcohol throughout the voyage. Nespresso in cabin. High-tech iPad used in room to control everything, including service request to personal butler...24 hours. Automated toilet seats. Mozart even offer a free meal with 1 star Michelin either in Budapest or Vienna.  There's also a private tour of The Belvedere with classical music concert for just Mozart guests.  Crystal Mozart sets a new high standard in the river cruise industry...that's for certain!

AmaWaterways is a first class cruise company with beautiful modern ships, excellent service, and great itineraries. While I think the Danube River trip had more interesting ports, the Rhine River was outstanding as well, particularly if you are into wines.  One of the nice benefits of Ama is that they have bikes on board that you can use while you are docked, and there are fantastic bike paths directly next to the river. Some of the rooms are a little tight, so I would recommend upgrading to a balcony room which has extra space. Free Wi-Fi on the ship is also nice for keeping up on work and/or communicating with family and friends as you sail. I would definitely sail with them again.

Love the people on the cruise.  Kong Lee is the Best tour manager ever.  He is so passionate about his job, takes good care of all the details on our tour.  Very funny!  We missed him already

This was our first River Cruise and our honeymoon.  Viking took care of every detail - they thought of things we hadn't even considered (but that's what they do all day)!  The meals were like a 5Star Restaurant every night.  The Viking cruise director recommended places to eat & drink in the towns and even gave you warnings of tourist traps to steer clear.  I can't say enough about how wonderful the trip was....the only recommendation I would give Viking is that they need to provide accommodations for more active seniors like bicycles or walking tours - not everyone is 80 or can't walk too far, especially after all those wonderful meals!