Atmosphere: We love Ama. The ships are elegant without being stuffy and the crew experience is incredible. This family owned business has been sailing for 19 years and has been instrumental in creating the river cruise experience. Their innovative ships include twin balconies and more suite options than other lines. They were the first cruise line to offer a fleet of bikes and wellness program, both of which are included in the fare. Their ships hold 156 people on average, less than many of the traditional river cruise ships.
The European cruises offer a variety of excursion options in most ports with plenty of time to continue on your own.
Their latest ship, the Ama Magna, continues their innovation of river cruising. The ship is twice as wide as other river cruise ships with only an additional 50 passengers offering more dining options, a wider variety of leisure opportunities with most cabins starting at 355 sq feet.
Entertainment and Activities: As is typical on most river cruise lines, entertainment is minimal on river cruises. Most of your time is spent off the boat on a river cruise so entertainment is limited to lectures, speakers and cultural events related to the destinations you are traveling to.
Dining: Most of your meals will be in the main dining room and will vary from day to day. They try to have a variety of local favorites as well as typical American dishes. Most of the ships have a captains dinner that must be reserved but is still included. Their newest ship, Ama Magna, offers quite a few additional restaurants. Regardless of which dining you choose, the nice thing about Ama is if you want something made a little different or would like something you don’t see on the menu, just ask. If they can do it, they will.
Who sails on Ama Waterways? River cruises are still the most popular with those 40 and over and that holds with Ama. The option on Ama to take bike rides, hikes and other active adventures though attracts a slightly younger crowd or at least those more athletic. Their new ship, Ama Magna is attracting more families because of their connecting staterooms.
Number of Ships: 25
Avg Number of Cabins: 80
Avg Square space of Cabins: 210 sq feet
Number of passengers: 156
Destinations: Europe, Vietnam, Cambodia, Portugal, Africa and Egypt. Latin America is coming soon.
Included Amenities:
Drinks: Beer & wine during lunch and diner. Full drink packages are reasonable.
Dining: All dining is included. Expert chefs prepare locally sourced cuisine as well as Western favorites. Each ship also has a Chefs table, an intimate specialty restaurant.
Wifi: included
Gratuities: Not included. Recomendation for crew gratuities is 100 Euros for a 7 night cruise and 25 Euros for the Cruise Manager. Additional nights would be extra.
Ground Transfers: transfers are included when purchasing flights or extensions and can be purchased for all other situations. May not be available if booking last minute.
Flights: can be purchased through Ama Waterways or may included in with a promotional price.
Excursions: Most port have a variety of included excursions. A city tour, a specialty excursion and an active excursion which may include bike or hiking tours. You will also have free time in most of the cities after your scheduled excursion.