I had not sailed with AmaWaterways since 2014 and was anxious to step back onboard one of its ships to see how things have changed, for better or worse. What I can say with no reservation is that AmaWaterways delivered an excellent river cruise experience in every way: Ship. Service. Cuisine. Itinerary.
I chose to sail in November because it is a shoulder season between the crowds of summer and the crowds of the Christmas markets. That way I could actually see and enjoy things other than other people while enjoying a slower pace. The compromise is cooler temperatures (they averaged in the 50s, but did get down into the 30s by the end of the journey) and some rain. But if you are willing to accept those compromises, it is a good option. I definitely made the right choice for me.
Here are my prior articles about this journey:
It is important to note that my expectations of a river cruise ship are not the same as they area for an ocean cruise ship. This is for a number of reasons. The first of which is the size of the ship, not only in length, but width and height. Most river cruise ships are restricted in these dimensions so that that both fit in the numerous locks and fit under the numerous bridges. The result is that there must be compromises in stateroom/suite size, galley operations, storage (for guests and ships), etc.
Note, however, that most river cruise ships are actually the same size, so don’t fall for the hype that Viking’s “longships” are any longer or larger. They aren’t and they carry about 25% more passengers than AmaWaterways ships. That is just one of the important benefits of sailing with AmaWaterways. (There are exceptions for some ships that are restricted to sailing the Danube River, such as AmaWaterways’ AmaMagna and Riverside Luxury Cruises’ Mozart). AmaWaterways has taken the approach of uniformity, so most of its ships are very similar; exactly what I found between my 2014 AmaCerto experience and my 2025 AmaStella experience.
The tours really impressed me, not only because of the variety, but the quality and flexibility. You are told you can sign up for tours about 60 days prior to sailing on the My AmaWaterways app. That wasn’t the case and led to a bit of frustration. However, about four weeks prior the tours were listed and available. Ironically, that frustration was totally unnecessary for any tour other than the bike tours, as AmaWaterways was extremely flexible as to which tour you actually go on. At last on my two week cruise, it was just a matter of you picking up a small colored card for the tour you ultimately decide upon a couple of hours beforehand.
More impressive than the flexibility in tour selection, is the number of tours that are available. On average there were three or four tour options (bikes and hikes up to 15 miles, history, culinary, beer, general city walks and more). Within a number of those there were regular and gentle options and, on occasion, active options. With so many options tour group sizes were generally 10-15. The smaller group size allows for the guides to truly interact with the guests. Compare that to Viking that generally offers only one included tour, and the group size can be up to 50 people.
The tour qualities ranged from excellent to “I gotta go on my own”. Fortunately, most were either excellent or very good. The difference was very tour guide dependent. I am not sure of being the off-season some of the better guides were taking a break or it was just luck of the draw. Overall, I was more than pleased with my tour experiences.
Being off-season we went the entire two weeks without having to raft up with another ship. That is highly unusual and welcome. Waking up to the windows of another ship, or spending your quiet time unable to use your balcony is not ideal, so that was a plus. On the other hand, I have the feeling that some of our docking positions weren’t the best (i.e. walking into town wasn’t always an option). Did that truly affect me experience? If it did, it wasn’t by much.
AmaStella is actually a nine-year-old ship, but she looks brand new, from carpets to furnishings, bedding to bathrooms. My AB stateroom, one of the largest, doesn’t have ocean cruise size real estate, but a large bed, a large desk, three chairs, and plenty of storage, along with a twin sink vanity and fairly large two-showerhead shower was quite comfortable. I also liked its location a half-deck above the nearby reception area. (If you are sensitive to noise, you can faintly hear entertainment in the lounge. If so, have a suite a few doors further aft.) The bath amenities were fine, as were the towels and provided bathrobes. The internet was also quite good most of the time, but I did supplement it with my Starlink Mini. I never used the in-room computer system for anything but watching a couple of movies, but apparently it is full of information, and you can review your onboard charges along the way.
My stateroom came with two balconies, one comfortable outside with two chairs and a side table, and one French balcony where the two occasional chairs are located.
When the weather on this cruise permitted sailing with the French doors open while lying in bed watching the shores of the Rhine River sail by was wonderful. I wish the weather allowed for better use of the outside balcony.
The interior public areas are really limited to the Lounge and attached smaller “Library”, the Restaurant and the Chef’s Table. The upper deck has numerous areas to enjoy including upscale all-weather wicker furnishings with cushions, lounge chair, tables and chairs, and a dipping pool. Unfortunately, on our cruise the weather really didn’t allow for it to be used by other than smokers, who could only smoke in a designated area far aft. Again, it was a compromise that I felt was well worth it.
AmaWaterways has a hybrid beverage policy that may sound a bit restrictive, but in practice is quite generous. Sparkling wine and mimosas are included with breakfast. Wine and draft beer are included at lunch and dinner. (The included wines and draft beer are inoffensive, but acceptable. Premium wines and beers are always available.) There is also Sip & Sail, an open bar for an hour before dinner. Well spirits are included and premium spirits are at discounted price. Outside of those times you pay as you go, but the prices are very reasonable: Beers for about $4 and premium spirits around $14. (During S&S they are about half of that.) So, it pretty hard to run up a significant bar tab! Also have to give props to the staff for heading out and finding lots of rose wine for a group that drank the ship’s supply quickly.
On my cruise the bar team had to work overtime as this sailing was a Beer Cruise. Over the two weeks there were a number of beer tastings (usually three at a time) before Sip & Sail, specialty beers during Sip & Sail, paired Beer dinners, and numerous beer tours. I am no beer connoisseur, but I did not find most of the beers to be particularly notable and the beer dinners to miss the mark (not the food, but the pairings). I was told about fifty percent of the guests booked this cruise (either the first or second week or both) because of this no extra cost experience. And, while I believe that, overall, it confirmed to me that “just because it is craft beer doesn’t make it good beer”, I didn’t hear many complaints from those onboard for it and the beer tastings, tours and dinners were all enthusiastically attended.
AmaWaterways brought on hundreds of additional glasses for the beer tastings. With about 130 guests onboard and three glasses per person per tasting), that comes out to about 400 additional glasses to be set out, serviced, washed, and stored multiple times. How they got all that done with limited staff, glass washing machines, and storage is remarkable and, to me, shows a level of competence, commitment, and guest service that is worthy of praise.
While that was going on, at the beginning of the second week, it was “all hands on deck” to, well, Deck the Halls, Lounge, Restaurant, Doors, etc. of the ship, I could not believe not only the amount of Christmas decor, but the staff’s diligence in putting all of it up, obviously long after the guests went to bed. Each day I thought, “That has to be all of it” and then there was more, and then more. Again, a huge compliment to the crew and staff, as their level of service to the guests never waned.
The cuisine on the ship was solid. Breakfast and lunches are buffet. Dinners are plated. For dinner there are always a few choices plus some “always available” items. I was impressed with what the relatively tiny galley could produce, but while it overall it was at the higher level than, say premium ocean cruise ship, it wasn’t on a luxury level. (There were also some curious preparations, such as an excellent Caesar salad being garnished with bacon and tomatoes in addition to anchovies.) I did enjoy a couple of Bistro Lunches (light lunches served in the lounge every day) and they were solid. The hamburger and steak fries were some of the best I’ve had on a ship. All that said, I have to acknowledge that I had limited my dining experiences for a few reasons, the primary ones being I only eat a light breakfast, I prefer to have lunch in the city I am visiting, and I am taking some medicine that significantly reduces my desire to eat in the evenings.
The final area is the most important: The Crew. My experience was, in a word, “nice”. Virtually every crewmember was, at a minimum, nice and with a smile. Some were quite friendly, but never overly so. Our cruise director was a true wealth of knowledge and shared it in a warm, unassuming, manner. He definitely “read the room” when offering advice to myself and others. For me, he was more direct and explained why Tour A was better for me than Option B because it was, for example, more immersive. For others, who were more concerned about the number of things they saw, he would guide them accordingly. Seemingly always available, he made it personal. Bravo!
I know. I know. As I bring this article to a close, you are wondering: Why isn’t Eric being more critical? I am critical in my observations and, honestly, AmaWaterways provided an excellent experience.
