AMA Waterways is a great way to cruise the Danube

AmaStella Cruise Review to River Cruises - Europe

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 73

Overall rating:

5 out of 5
Verified Review
AmaStella

7 Night Romantic Danube - Wine Themed (Vilshofen To Budapest)

Sail date: April 05, 2017

Ship: AmaStella

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 319

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 7 years ago

Review summary

The entire experience AFTER the air travel portion was great. Our cruise manager was just that. Nicola was not the typical "entertainer" that you get on an ocean cruise. He truly manages the whole experience and shows up during many of the excursions to verify all is going well.

 

The food was great and the staff was wonderful.

 

Ours was a wine cruise and thus was busy all the time between the normal excursions and the tastings added in.

 

The cabins on the third deck are subject to noise from the sun deck/walking-jogging path. Even though the cruise paper work said it should not be used between 10 pm and 8 am.

 

You will meet a few new friends as with only 170 passengers maximum you will have the chance to meet almost all your fellow travelers. 

 

Before booking any river cruise check the age of the ship. AMA Stella was new in 2016. We saw lots of other ships from other lines that were much older and a few that just looked warn out.

 

RE: "After the air travel" comment above. We were booked on British Air for most of the trip. Their "business" section is NOT the same as business on Delta, KLM or American. Much smaller seats, same higher cost. Get your travel agent to show you the seats BEFORE you pay extra for this when you will be on British Air. It was not worth the cost to me.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
We never felt that we were a burden to any staff member. If we were they were not about to let us see this. Very professional and very good at their jobs. Many went above and beyond what I usually see/get on ocean cruises.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
Typical cruise ship bathroom. Bed, bedding and pillows were better than most other ocean cruises. Cabin was very clean and service was always prompt yet invisible to us. The combination balcony/french balcony was nice. We were there when temps were cool (April 5-12). I can see where the balcony in warmer times would be a great place to sip a glass of wine and watch the world go by.

Ship tip

Leave your formal clothes at home. Pack light. We always seemed to dock in the perfect spot to allow easy access to the city/village we were in. Stop in at the bridge and watch the captain handle the ship. Also, if offered, take the engine room tour. Book the Captain's Table restaurant EARLY.

Ports of call

Vilshofen, Germany

5 out of 5

Passau, Germany

5 out of 5

Linz (Salzburg), Austria

5 out of 5

Weissenkirchen, Austria

5 out of 5

Krems, Austria

5 out of 5

Vienna, Austria

5 out of 5

Budapest, Hungary

5 out of 5
We were surprised by the use of English in most places. We always try to learn a few key phrases and words (please and thanks and also hello/goodbye) but Hungarian was a challenge for us. We were able to navigate the city on our own and never felt uncomfortable.
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