26 Things to Know Before an AmaWaterways River Cruise | European River Cruise

26 Things to Know Before an AmaWaterways River Cruise to ensure you get your very best European River Cruise Experience

I recently has the pleasure of a hosted cruise experience with AmaWaterways on their new route, The Flavors of Burgundy!

I had never done a river cruise, and honestly didn’t know what to expect on a River Cruise, and my world was absolutely rocked in all the best ways!

There were things I wish I knew before hand, here are some of them! I really hope this helps you get your very best AmaWaterways River Cruising Experience!

If you have been on AmaWaterways, please leave a comment with YOUR tips and tricks to help out everyone. I really think an AmaWaterways river cruise is something everyone should do once in their, it will spoil you rotten.

When I first showed my fiance this video, he kept saying OMG EVERY GIRL ON THE PLANET SHOULD GET THEIR BOYFRIENDS TO TAKE THEM ON THIS! And it’s true, AmaWaterways can be VERY romantic!

That being said, I took this AmaWaterways cruise as a family trip with my mom. Our observation is that this is also an amazing European river cruise for seniors!

Let me know what you think and make sure you click follow!

Chapters:

00:00-00:47 Welcome to AmaWaterways
00:47-01:41 AmaWaterways Cruise Manager
01:41-02:31 AmaWaterways Staterooms
02:31-03:55 Bathrooms on AmaWaterways
03:55-04:31 AmaWaterways Housekeeping
04:31-5:00 Wifi on AmaWaterways
05:00-05:20 AmaWaterways Reception
05:20-06:00 Main Loung AmaWaterways
06:00-06:36 Sip & Sail AmaWaterways
06:36-08:49 What is there to do on AmaWaterways
08:49-09:52 Dining on AmaWaterways
09:52-10:28 Dining Hall on AmaWaterways
10:28-10:52 Boarding AmaWaterways
10:52-11:11 Potable Water AmaWaterways
11:11-12:27 What to Wear on AmaWaterways
12:27-13:20 What to Pack for a European River Cruise
13:20-14:04 Special Surprises on AmaWaterways
14:04-14:39 What Language do they speak on AmaWaterways
14:39-15:02 Sustainability on AmaWaterways
15:02-15:42 Number of Guests onboard AmaWaterways
15:42-18:05 Shore Excursions on AmaWaterways
18:05-19:16 Bike Tours on AmaWaterways
19:16-20:06 The Daily Cruiser
20:06-22:11 What’s inlcuded with the cost of AmaWaterways
22:11-23:48 Mobility Friendly AmaWaterways
23:48-25:02 Family Friendly AmaWaterways
25:02-25:40 Friendly Team on AmaWaterways
25:40-26:39 Final Thoughts About AmaWaterways

welcome to amama waterways hi I’m Megan a tour guide and travel content creator and it’s always my goal to help you get your very best travel experience my mom and I have just enjoyed AMA waterways flavors of burgundy cruise and it has been an absolute dream there are a few things that I wish I knew though mostly amazing surprises but I wanted to share them with you so that you could have your very best cruising experience but before we get started make sure that you click subscribe so you never miss a travel [Music] minute from the moment you step on to an Amma waterways Cruise you already have a best friend and that best friend is your cruise manager in this case it is the wonderful Simon your cruise manager is here to help you really with anything if you have a question about how to get from the last place that the boat docks to the train station if you have a question about any of the shore excursions like on any given day there might be three short excursions that you have to choose from and you’re like which one should I do the the cruise manager knows they’ll be able to give you that information give you information about food they are your best friend and where can they find you they can find me right here at the cruise manager desk on our ships just in front of reception so treat your cruise manager well because they are amazing thank you a thing I wish I knew and what would have caused me so much less stress is how welld designed the rooms are yes the rooms are small because they’re cruise ship rooms but they’re so welld designed that they feel perfect in terms of size let’s take a mini tour of our stateroom balcony a lodging on AMA waterways amello it had everything we needed including a desk chairs a great view super comfy beds and well planned storage for our clothing and suitcases it had lots of hangers and a safe and lots of mirrors so we could make sure we all looked beautiful and of course our own private bathroom that had everything we needed and bathrobes we need to talk about the bathrooms on Alma waterways because that was my number one stressor before I came on this cruise I was really worried because I take really long showers and I like my showers to have a lot of pressure and for the water to be really hot and I was all prepared like have to hurry up and take a super quick shower because the water wouldn’t stay hot it would maybe be a trickle I’ve never taken a cruise before I didn’t know this shower is amazing look at that that’s nicer than my shower at home and we’ve had zero issues with the water turning cold during our showers so I’ve been super impressed the showers also come with conditioner body wash and shampoo there is a second little shower head here there’s a handle there’s a little place if you want to put your razor or some extra soap and there is a clothes line it also comes with some moisturizer and some soap and I really enjoyed the towels I thought the towels were good quality here so my biggest surprise was that the bathrooms work and they work well housekeeping on Amma waterways is incred incredible every day we would go out for our short excursions come back and our rooms had been cleaner than I think my room has ever been in my life they would also clean the rooms again when we went out for our afternoon excursions I don’t know where they found this cleaning staff but they are top of the line also there is a laundry service I have not used the laundry service but several guests have so it’s good to know that you can do laundry on board something that I was very relieved to discover on Amma waterways is that the internet works I was able to do everything that I needed to do on the computer on the internet which included downloading some pretty large files and sending them via email back to the US and it all worked so you can rest at ease you can use the internet because on amama waterways it works it should give you great peace of mind that in addition to your cruise manager as soon as you walk onto the boat reception is here to help you with literally anything that you might need every single person I’ve interacted with at reception is so friendly and so professional and will help you get your very best cruise experience the main Lounge is sort of like the living room of the ship it’s where you can come mingle with other passengers and whenever there’s a speci special event on the ship it’ll most likely take place in this main Lounge also every night we had different entertainment there’s a live pianist traveling with us on the ship but we’ve also had a lounge singer a wonderful classical musicians and even a band it was like a 1970s 80s style band and everyone was dancing on the dance floor and whenever you’re in this main Lounge there’s also light bites snacks and beverages for you to get the main Lounge is also where Sip and sale happens Sip and sale occurs every evening 1 hour prior to dinner there’s free champagne free cocktails free soft drinks free juices premium Liquors will be charged to your room but everything else is included in the cost of your Amo waterways Cruise it’s a great chance to mingle with the other passengers as well as a moment when the cruise manager will come and talk talk to you about anything important that you need to know for your cruise for example shore excursions that are happening the next day one of the things that impressed me the most about the amello boat with Amma waterways is how much there is to do at any point in time so just here on the top deck we have cornhole this giant chest game there’s mini golf I’m such a pro of course you can just Lounge outside we had so many super sunny days where you could just take in all of that warmth and sunshine and if you’re someone who prefers shade they have a covered area with the seating as well on this boat the amello the top deck features a Whirlpool I went in super super wonderful and There are towels in these little baskets so you always have a way to stay nice and dry when you get out of whirr pool for anyone who loves shopping you’ll be happy to know that there is a little shop on board where you can buy um a waterways gear but you can also buy things like jewelry and essential oils and different fragrances so it’s a it’s a cute little shop for anyone who is more dedicated to physical fitness than I am there is a fitness center with a few machine that all seem really new and clean and wellmaintained there are weights there’s workout mats a big red ball there is a personal trainer on board his name is Adrien for this journey he has led classes people have all loved the classes when they have taken them a lot of them have been very early in the morning and then if we come around to the other side right here we have a sauna where you can get warm and relaxed after your workout or on a chilly day there’s also a beauty salon and an area where you can get massages we have not taken advantage of that this trip but I did get to peek in and it looked really really wonderful so if you want to have a even more relaxing time you can always come here and book a massage one thing that I was in no way prepared for was the amazing food and how much food there is so much abundance of food so every day for every meal you get a menu there is a different menu every day for every meal so there’s always something exciting to look forward to you’re never going to get bored of the food on board and every single item that we have had has been incredible so come with an empty stomach cuz you’re going to want to put all that food in your face every single meal has had this incredible shakery spread where you have amazing French cheeses different relishes different breads and it has just really added so much to every single dining experience that we’ve had between meals they always have little snacks out fresh fruit little cookies and of course water to drink the AMA waterways amello dining room is superb I think it’s late out so wonderfully and it’s laid out wonderfully in the sense of there are tables for two people tables for four people tables for six people tables for eight people so if you want to sit with a very large group you can if you want to sit just with you and your one travel partner you can you can mingle with other guests meet new best friends perhaps that’s really good if you’re a Solo Traveler cuz it’s very open and welcoming and you can easily join another table as this is my very first cruise I did not know that every time you leave the ship and every time that you come back on you have to check in and out with your key card so you just simply go like this and then they know that you’re off the ship and that way in the rare occasion that you don’t get back on time they know to go looking for you and then you come back on and they know that you’re supposed to be on the ship because you can just swipe back in on the ship the water is not pable the water that comes out of the sink but never fear they give you so many bottles of water and there’s water every time you go off the ship for an Excursion that you can grab and then of course in the main Lounge in any of the dining area you have a selection of beverages so what should you wear on an Alo Waterway Cruise in general the cruise is pretty relaxed you don’t need to dress up I know that I’m kind of dressy right now but there’s no need you can dress very casually there are events where you can dress up and get a little fancier for example the chef’s table and the captain’s farewell dinner but for the most part the most important thing is bring comfortable shoes a lot of the shore excursions involve a lot of walking and a lot of walking on uneven ground on cobblestone streets on Stone streets on dirt roads so you want really comfy shoes I personally am a huge fan of hokas I have worn my Hoka sneakers every single day but speaking of Footwear you’re not allowed to walk around the boat Barefoot so I would also bring something easy that you can slip on so if you want to just run out of your stateroom into the main Lounge you can do that super easily and also if you wanted to use the whirlpool upstairs perhaps you want to bring some sort of shoes that you would normally wear to the pool but no matter what bring your comfiest walking shoes when it comes to packing for your Amma waterways cruise I feel like a lot of that’s going to depend on the exact route that you’re doing and the exact time of year now I was traveling in early may just some observations that I have first of all I definitely pack too much remember that at least for this cruise I was there for seven days but it does get a little bit cooler in the evening so you’ll definitely want to bring some sort of a jacket especially if you want to go enjoy the Sund deck at night while the boat’s moving because while the boat’s moving it might be a little bit breezier so it might be a little bit chillier but we’ve also had some really hot days we’ve had days where it got to be 80° Fahrenheit so you want to bring both warm weather clothing and cool weather clothing I don’t want to give too much away but one of the things that surprised me the most about Amma waterways is all of the special extras that they give you so of course you have everything that’s on the itinerary but then they throw in even more for example we had a surprise crepe and ice cream party and also a macaron making demonstration and then the very first day that we had shore excursions we left for our morning Shore Excursion and came back and found these beautiful beautiful scarves on our beds and these are fabulous scarves I’ve already worn them several times on this excursion if you’re watching this video my guess is that you speak English and if you speak English you’ll be happy to know that ama waterways is an English language Cruise Line yes the crew is international we’ve met crew members from Hungary crew members from Romania crew members from Indonesia but they all speak English and all the shore excursions all of the wine tastings have been in English so if you speak English you’ll be able to communicate throughout your entire time on Amma waterways something that is so important to Amma waterways is sustainability they’ve even won awards for their sustainability out on the river everything from their use of bicycles to the engines that they use in their boat help reduce their impact on the environment and Lead the Way in sustainability one of the things that guests here in Alma waterways have told us time and time again is that one of the things that keeps them coming back to Amma waterways is the number of guests on board now depending on the ship the number May Vary slightly on this specific boat the maximum capacity is 142 but in general the ships tend to average at 150 people per cruise and that small number ensures that you can get the personal attention that will make you feel like royalty and get that quality care that ama waterways is so well known for one of the things that really drew me to the Amma waterways flavors of burgundy tour was the shore excursions I love history I love Europe and I love food so the fact that Amma waterways offered a huge choice of shore excursions that all dealt with history or food and they were included in the cruise price it wasn’t like you had to look at the different options and one of them might be $1,000 extra one of them might be $150 extra no all of the shore excursions are there for you to choose from with the price of the crew so I was super excited about these shore excursions and they all lived up to expectations another really wonderful feature of the Amma Waterway shore excursions is that they offer different Paces there is a gentle Pace a medium pace and an active Pace that means if you feel really active really physically fit you really want to walk and cover a lot of ground you can but if you’re someone who’s feeling maybe a little tired perhaps you have mobility issues you can choose the gentle pace and feel right at home not feel stressed the important thing is to be honest with yourself about which pace is going to make you the most happy this is not the time to you know see if you can walk super fast because you have the option you can choose that gentle Pace you can choose the medium pace or you can choose the active Pace my mom and I actually did all three Paces during our cruise and we got a lot out of every single one cuz you’re really just getting valuable information and you’re really absorbing everything that each little town has to offer I also just want to mention that the active Pace tour did Cover a lot of ground but it wasn’t you know super marathon had to be the height of physical fitness it just meant that we walked a little faster and we stopped a little less so it is best for those who are feeling active but don’t expect to you know be scaling up the side of mountains if you do want more of a physical Rush um a waterways also offers bike tours I believe there was at least one Bike Tour every single day and some of them were what I would consider to be really long bike tours of 3 hours and people were doing them and loving them something that really surpris urised me about shore excursions I thought oh I’m going to feel like I’m really missing out because there’s multiple shore excursions to do and I can’t do all three of them at once I found that I loved every single Shore Excursion that I chose and then it was really fun at lunchtime or dinner time to sit with someone who had done a different short Excursion and exchange stories compare and contrast and I found that every single time we each thought that we obviously had the best shore Excursion and the other person massively missed out so to me that says all of the shore excursions are really fabulous and you will have a great time and it’s a great way of bonding with other guests and making new friends how do you know what you’re going to do every day on Amo waterways especially since there are so many choices well one of my favorite features of our Alo waterways Cruise experience was the daily Cruiser now the daily Cruiser is available on the Amo waterways app and they also printed out a hard copy that was very neatly laid out on our beds every evening and the daily Cruiser literally outlines minute by minute all of the activities that you have to choose from on a given day another thing that I loved about the daily Cruiser is it gives you the weather forecast for for the day it also gives you where you’re docking that way you can make the most informed decision about you know what to wear and what you want to do I do want to stress over and over and over again how special it is that so much is included with the cost of your cruise the fact that every single Shore Excursion is included I was looking at other cruises and I saw that shore excursions were not included and they ranged from between $100 for a Shore Excursion to up to $33,000 per Shore Excursion and when I really added that up over the course of a week or over the course of 10 days for two people the cost of those shore excursions could really really add up and the fact that my mom and I could wake up any morning we had the choice of at least three excursions in the morning and three excursions in the afternoon we could change our mind last minute if we want and every single experience was included with the cost we didn’t have to worry like oh the couid experience is going to be $1,000 where the city tour is only going to be a hundred so let’s take the less expensive tour because that’s what we can afford no every single thing was included so you can do whatever it is that you want to do and really not have to worry about that again there are three meals including with the cost of the tour an all day menu the Sip and sale where you can get alcohol you can get cocktails you can get champagne you have the alcohol included with your meal premium Spirits are extra but you can get champagne you can get wine during the course of your meal pretty much every single thing is included and I I feel like that spoiled me I would really want that out of every single cruise and I think that was possibly the most amazing best part of this experience that and the fact that we woke up with choice I love being able to wake up and have a choice about what to do I often get questions on my video asking about how a location is for people who have mobility issues so I wanted to talk about mobility issues and amama waterways now at least on the cruise that I took the general ages of of the guests tended to gear towards seniors and some of them did have mobility issues so I asked them how was this experience for you and they all seemed really positive about it and one of the reasons why is because the short excursions do offer different walking Paces it’s also important that you’re very honest with yourself and your abilities if there are any tools that you need for example a can or a wheelchair make sure that you bring those on the cruise because that’s going to help you have your very best experience this would be a challenging time to really try to push your limits so make sure that you bring the tools that will help you have your very best Mobility the crew I was told was all very helpful very accommodating the ship itself is ADA Compliant wherever there are stairs there are elevator options there are handrails in the bathroom for example we were also told that medical insurance is a must if you have mobility issues this medical insurance could literally be a lifesaver so several of these guests ask that I tell you to make sure that you get medical insurance Alo waterways in my opinion is really great for families I chose to travel on Amo with my mom I guess they call that intergenerational travel so I’m an adult traveling with my adult mom and we had a blast at every single turn I asked our tour manager if this is good for kids because there aren’t any kids on this specific cruise and he said that it is good for kids a lot of people travel with you know the grandma the mom the grandkids sometimes even great grandkids especially because Disney has taken over some of these Amma waterways cruises so you have Disney and Amma waterways pairing up and when that happens there’s a whole disn ification of the boats the specific Cruise was the flavors of burgundy so we did a lot of wine tasting wine was very much a center of this Cruise so that might not be the best for kids it’s really fabulous for adults but because they have so many options you can definitely find an AMA waterways cruise that is familyfriendly I don’t think I could have ever imagined how friendly every single person on the Amma waterways team is everybody from the people serving our food to the captain to the cleaning staff to the hotel manager to the cruise manager went above and beyond and made every single person on this Cruise feel like royalty this was truly one of the most special travel experiences I’ve ever had and it’s truly because of the people that make up the Amma waterways team I hope that this video has helped give you an idea of what to expect when you take an Amma waterways River Cruise I know that I was certainly blown away I didn’t know what to expect it was really a fabulous fabulous thing to do with my mom we did this together we explored Europe we had a brand new experience we got to do things that we never thought that we would do like learn how to make barrels for wine go to wine tasting at Vineyards together and just experience the camaraderie of a cruise ship I really feel like I’ve made friends for life so I strongly encourage you to come and visit Amma waterways if you have ever taken an Amma waterways river cruise what did you think let us know in the comments and make sure that you click subscribe if you like this video because it helps me bring you more content like this thank you so much for watching and happy travels