You're about to discover eight things that I think you really need to know if
you're thinking of, or planning, going on a river cruise in Europe with AmaWaterways
Hi, I'm Gary Bembridge and this is another of my tips for travellers.
AmaWaterways is a family-owned company that was established in 2002 and is
still run by the families. It was set up by Rudi Schreiner,
Kristin Karst and Jimmy Murphy. a AmaWaterways is very much a luxury river cruise line
operating in the more premium area, and their ships, service and the
quality of what they offer is very highly rated. For example, the Berlitz
River Cruising Guide ranked over 300 river cruise ships and their top ten
were all AmaWaterways ships. They operate in the Mekong and also on the
Chobe River in Africa but around 20 of their ships are actually either in
service or are about to come into service in Europe, and they cruise very
extensively in Europe. They operate on the Danube, which is where about 80% of
all river cruises take place, on the Rhine, the Douro in Portugal,
the Main, Moselle, Seine, Rhone, Bordeaux and the Dutch waterways.
And they're keep adding more ships and more options. I like to
focus on what River cruise lines do that's different, unique or they do
better than other river cruise line companies to help you decide if they are
right for you. I think there's probably six things that really struck
me that AmaWaterways do that are unique, different or they do just much better.
First of all, because they are a more luxury cruise line, they offer more space
per passenger. They have slightly less passengers on board their ships
which means that cabins can be a little bit bigger and also, very importantly,
they have a higher crew to passenger ratio - roughly about one crew member
for every three passengers. The second thing they do, which they do talk a lot
about, is their twin balcony cabins. One of the challenges is when you go on
a river cruise you like having a balcony because there's such beautiful
scenery. But, of course, that reduces the size of cabins which are
already relatively small. So, what they introduced are these twin balconies.
You have a French balcony which means that you have more the space in the room,
but you can open it and get the fresh air and the views, and then an actual
balcony. About 80% of the cabins onboard AmaWaterways are
these type of cabins, and I really like that solution to having both the space
and also having access to the outside very easily.
The third thing they do, which is pretty impressive, is their wellness program.
They are the only, or certainly they were the first, to have a dedicated
wellness person on board. They run programs from early morning stretches or
yoga, then they might have Samba or line dancing classes, they might give some
lectures and they might have more classes in the evening like circuit training or other
gym classes. They also have in pretty much every port an active
hiking tour and they have bicycle tours in all of the ports where
it's possible to have one. Also because they carry bikes on board you can also
then just take the bikes and go off and explore by yourself. They
have a walking track on the sundeck, so if you are cruising you can still
keep active. They have a fitness room on board and also they have healthy and
more lighter dining options within the menu. Another thing which I think
they do very well is they have a speciality dining restaurant, which is
called the Chef's Table. It's a special menu where the chef's are
actually right in the restaurant cooking and they explain what the dishes are
and also there's wine paired for each of the courses. It's included within the
fare, and all you have to do is book because it's a relatively small cozy
venue. Another thing they do, which really appeals to me as a traveller, is
technology. They have an App, which you can download before cruising, and it has things
like the daily program on, it tracks the voyage so you can see where you are with
various port guides. The one thing which is fantastic and I haven't seen on any
other River cruise ship, is their whole interactive system in the cabin. This
is an Apple iMac based system and on here you can do things like watch
television, you can stream videos and music and it has internet access so you don't have
to bring a laptop with you. You'll do things on here like the survey at the
end of the cruise on that system. Embracing technology was really
great to see. The other thing they do is they are very innovative when it comes
to pushing what's possible on the river. I spoke about some of
the software things they do like wellness but they also, for example, have the
AmaMagna. This is a ship which is double the width of other river
cruise ships which means they can have much more facilities, much more space,
much more choice and this is very unusual on board river cruises because there are
relatively constrained. It does mean that they're only able to use this ship
on the Danube. So, those are things that I think that they do that's unique,
different or better. Pretty much all of the European river cruise lines
talk about being all-inclusive, but every single cruise line has different
definitions of what all-inclusive means. Let's take a look at what the AmaWaterways
fare includes and excludes. First of all obviously your
accommodation is included. All of your dining is included, so you have breakfast
lunch and dinner which is all in the main dining room. There are a number of
alternatives. Already mentioned the Chef's Table, but if you want an early or
late riser breakfast they do have some options up in the lounge. There's
also a light lunch served in the lounge and Tapas available
during the day, and then in the afternoon around about 4 o'clock there's normally
an afternoon tea service and even late nights snacks. What about drinks?
Some drinks are included at lunch and dinner where you have a range of wines, beers and
soft drinks. Every evening they'll have a Sip and Sail cocktail hour, where all the
cocktails, wines and spirits are all included. They have
a 24-hour tea, coffee and hot chocolate station. Internet access is included. The
entire wellness program is included and, of course, excursions are I included with
at least one in every port. So, what's not included? Well,
obviously drinks outside of those times that have already mentioned are not
included. Gratuities are not included. Additional services like the laundry is
also extra. In my view river cruising is still very much more of a
baby-boomers type of activity, just because the nature of the places that
river cruises call on, the sights visited and the other passengers.
In my view AmaWaterways is perfect for that baby boomer audience, so
an adult audience in 50s 60s 70 s and above. That's really the heart of river
cruising and I think AmaWaterways is really perfectly suited for. Now saying
that, when it comes to multi-generational travel and families AmaWaterways is
encouraging, or making it easier, to bring families onboard. For example, on some
of the newer ships they are doing things like having more inter-connecting cabins and
in some of the bigger cabins they have a sofa bed so third
person or kids can sleep within there. Very important it's also English
speaking and all of the services, all of the excursions and everything on board is in
English. One of things that's very important for river cruising, and I think
this is also true of AmaWaterways, is it's not really ideal for people with
really limited mobility and particularly people in wheelchairs. Part of the reason
for that is the ship's often dock next to each other and you
have to go through or over various ships to get to the land side. In some cases
there can be very steep ramps to get on based on where you've docked.
Once you get off you'll often find there's cobbled streets and lots of steps so
if you have limited mobility and if you use a wheelchair, going river cruising
can be very challenging. AmaWaterways do try and make it easier for people
with limited mobility, so for example they have elevators and on some ships they
do have some cabins which will cope much better with limited mobility, but approach
with caution and certainly speak to AmaWaterways or your agent if you do have
limited mobility and check that you will have the right facilities, the right
ship and the right itinerary if you're considering it. In every port that
you call on there's going to be at least one excursion included within the fare,
and within these you're gonna have a couple of options. There will normally be
a fairly traditional tour that goes and see the key sights, and that will normally
split into gentle walker and regular walker options. There
normally will be some kind of active option, so either a hiking or a brisk
walking option and then a biking option. On some sailings they
will also have a late riser option, so excursions which will go a little bit
later. Every one of the tours is run by local tour guides. In some ports
they will also offer special interest tours which do tend to have an extra
charge. What about their overall ambience and the dress code on AmaWaterway?
First let's talk about the dress code. It's pretty relaxed and you'll find
that most people during the day will wear jeans or two slacks or if
it's nice and warm then wear shorts. In the evenings again it's relatively
casual. They suggest that "country casual" / smart casual approach for
dinner. In fact there's quite a mix on most evenings for dinner and some people
might just wear jeans, polo shirt or slacks. On the more formal
nights, like the Captain's Farewell Party, people will tend to dress
a little bit smarter. The whole experience is a pretty relaxed
experience overall, so not lots of formality. It is open seated dining, so
you can sit with whoever you want to. A very high level of service because of that
high passenger to crew ratio. So, if you like a relaxed informal
approach but with some nice touches in terms of premium luxury, it's a really good
balance I think of those two things. What sort of facilities can you expect
on an AmaWaterways ship within Europe? You'll have a Sun Deck which
will normally have lots of seating, they do have a swimming pool on board which
is a pretty decent size.The next level down, which is normally
known as the Violin deck, is really the heart of the ship. There is the
lounge which where people meet in the evenings for drinks like the Sip and
Sail, you'll have all your briefings in here, if there's evening
entertainment you'll have it here. There is a gift shop and the 24-hour coffee
and tea making facilities. You have the reception and at back of the ship you also have
the Chef's Table and, depending on the ship, this is also where you might have
the fitness centre, the massage area and the hairdressers. On some of the
ships that's been moved down to the lower level. On the Cello deck is where
you have the main dining room. What's very important with AmaWaterways ids that all
of the ships have different decor, so they all have a different look and feel.
So, even though the structures are fairly similar, layouts are fairly similar
you'll find that the decor on all the ships is different. There is a range of
accommodation onboard. You do have some suites onboard but, as I already mentioned,
80% of the cabins are the twin balcony. These are the cabins which always
sell out fastest on board. There is another option which is on the Cello
deck which are cabins which are more below the water level and just
have a window higher up. However, if you're going on a AmaWaterways
cruise in Europe I recommend if you possibly can get one of those
balcony cabins, because you have scenery all of the time around you and
it's just a beautiful way of just enjoying the sights around you.
AmaWaterways operates at the luxury end, the more premium end, of river cruising and they
have a product which I really liked. I really like the ships. I like
the style. I like the feel of the ships. I really love the
twin balcony cabins. The food was excellent. The service was great and I
really was very impressed with the product. So, if you're looking at going
cruising or you're trying to decide which River cruise line you want to go
around Europe, take a look at AmaWaterways. I hope you found that helpful
and I'd love it if you watch many more of my Tips For Travellers videos because
they're designed to help you make much more of your precious travel time and
money on both land and at sea - and of course on rivers!