Why should you cruise on AmaWaterways?

Since Berlitz began publishing its guide to river cruises, AmaWaterways has dominated their rankings of top ships.

In its 2016 edition, Berlitz's list of "Top 10 River Cruise Ships" was again filled exclusively by AmaWaterways vessels.

You may incorrectly translate that to mean Ama costs considerably more than other lines.

AmaWaterways admittedly costs a bit more than some other lines including Viking, but that difference isn't significantly more, and sometimes Ama wins the price match game for specific departures when their availability is better.

Julie and I recently had the pleasure to cruise the Danube aboard AmaCerto from Vilshofen to Budapest, and the line lived up to its reputation and press coverage.

Comfortable as well as beautiful, the ship decor made us feel right at home, as did the crew.

One Evening's Dessert in the Regular Dining Room

Dining throughout the voyage proved excellent, beginning with our gourmet meal at the Chef's Table the first night.

This intimate venue for two dozen guests delivers course after course of the chef's specialties, paired with the perfect local wines.

Serving one of the best meals you may ever enjoy in your life, this specialty restaurant comes with no additional charge, and each guest on the ship has the opportunity to dine there at least once during the cruise.

Vineyard by Dürnstein Fortress Near Port of Linz, Austria

The local wines at other dinners and lunches were inevitably stellar, but if anyone enjoyed a wine from a prior night or perhaps wanted sparkling wine instead of the usual red or white choices, our beverage server Carmen happily brought those alternatives to the table.

A Unique Feature of Ama is a Refreshing Pool That's Perfect on a Hot Day.

Beer and soft drinks were also offered with lunch and dinner at no additional charge.

While a point in favor of the higher priced Uniworld is unlimited drinks of any kind throughout the cruise, quite honestly we really had plenty to drink on AmaCerto.

In fact, as I wrote on post cards (which are provided at no cost and even mailed free of charge by AmaWaterways), I occasionally found too much to drink.

Slap Dancing at "Oktoberfest" in port of otherwise placid Vilshofen

The first evening, AmaCerto's crew hosted an Oktoberfest-like party at the port of Vilshofen, with two beers or sodas per person.

An Oom-pah-pah band and slap dancers made it into a small version of the famous Munich harvest celebration.

After that great party, the Captain welcomed us with champagne in the lounge.  Our amiable cruise director Federico went on to give us an overview of the cruise including available excursions before we went off to dinner.

As mentioned previously, we dined at the Chef's Table that night, having received the invitation from Head Waiter Alex when he happened to be the crew member to lead us to our room the first day.  He and George delivered the courses with good-humored flair, and the wine went down all-too easily.

An evening of two beers, two champagnes and who knows how much wine had the predictable effect.  The next morning came with a headache, but a couple of ibuprofens and fresh cappuccino had me back in the game before the delectable breakfast.

Illuminations Cruise in Budapest, Hungary

On another evening, when we returned from an optional concert excursion in Vienna to hear wonderful chamber music by Strauss and Mozart in a small, palatial venue at which there was complimentary champagne, Ama hosted a late night buffet of beer with sausages and goulash that I forced myself to pass on.

I also skipped free beer during another German celebration one morning between breakfast and lunch.  All the food was terrific throughout, but there's a limit to how much I can eat and drink without negative consequences.  As Clint Eastwood said, "A man's got to know his limitations."

Anyone who didn't have enough to eat or drink on this cruise must not have been paying attention.

By the way, it should be noted that whether in the dining room, the lounge or the sun deck, there are always more than enough seats, so you never have to arrive early or elbow for room.

At meals, AmaWaterways also gives a thoughtful nod to single travelers, who may relish the opportunity to travel solo if pricing isn't prohibitively high.

Vienna, Austria

Many of the tables have five seats rather than four, so a single traveler need not feel like the odd-woman out.

One such single traveler, Vivian from Manhattan's Upper West Side, was delightful company for us one evening.  She was always thoroughly engaged in this wonderful vacation any time our paths crossed.

From the outset, AmaWaterways makes their intention to welcome singles clear: standard window category D and E rooms are often available without single supplement, which makes Ama offerings actually cost less for single travelers than many other river cruises.

There are select instances where single supplements are waived for balconies and higher categories, but those are rare.

The staterooms are comfortable and include free internet plus interactive TVs featuring extensive movie choices and music catalogs (Mozart, Moody Blues and many more).

Each dual balcony room features a small traditional veranda just large enough for a cafe table and two chairs, plus a separate French balcony (sliding glass door opens so that you can stand by a railing without leaving the comforts of your room).

View of Converging Rivers from Fortress in Passau, Germany

That way, if it is a chilly day outside but you still want to take in some fresh air without cooling the entire room, you can go on the veranda, but on the other hand, you can just open up the room to the river breezes any time you prefer that instead.

After partnering with Disney for select river cruises geared toward families, Ama has remodeled some rooms to accommodate triples and even added some adjoining rooms.

By the way, the Category E room (non-opening windows only) that we had was quite comfortable.

Our room steward Nicola kept our room impeccably clean in a very unobtrusive manner, and when we saw him, he always shared a smile.

We spent little time in our room, however, preferring the top deck on sunny days and the lounge at other leisure moments while cruising.

Julie in Salzburg

And, of course, this being a river cruise, most of our time was spent in the quaint villages and historic cities along the Danube.

This brings up another defining aspect of river cruising, the approach to shore excursions.

While all river cruises feature at least one introductory excursion per port, AmaWaterways frequently has full day excursions including lunch or the opportunity to take multiple excursions on the same day at no additional charge.

AmaWaterways also makes a point of having excursions available for different tastes and fitness levels, such as easy-walkers, late-risers or active travelers.

I thought perhaps "active" would be something of a joke on walking and hiking tours but was proven wrong repeatedly.

Bratislava, Capital City of Slovakia

Active guides took us at truly fast paces.  We saw quite a bit in a short time, giving us free time at highlight spots, which the younger (at least in our minds) set of river cruisers greatly appreciated.

Immaculate new buses manned by remarkably skillful drivers ---parallel parking a motorcoach in a space with only a couple of feet to spare?  No problem! --- and knowledgeable guides whisked us to more distant starting points, so we didn't have to trudge meaningless miles trying to find our way to remarkable sites.

Afternoon ride to Klosterneuberg Abbey in Vienna

Ama also offers bicycle excursions at no additional cost, and I was quite surprised by the speed of the ride I took.

We rapidly covered 7 1/2 miles to visit a very cool monastery, although from what I heard, we happened to be an unusually fast group of six (plus two guides) on that particular excursion as compared to larger groups that slowed down to accommodate some stragglers on the prior day's 22 mile bike excursion.

Our new friend Roberto from Brazil, who wasn't much younger than me, continually drafted our athletic guide Wolfgang, as if he were out to win the Tour de France and pushing the pace.

The ride back was even faster.

I would have needed some of those Lance Armstrong "vitamins" to keep up, but the leaders would occasionally pull over and wait for the rest of us.

A second guide trailed the group to make sure all of the dogies got along safely.

If you want to cycle without the structure of a tour, there are bikes with locks and helmets available at no charge throughout the trip.

On our particular cruise, there was actually a Backroads bicycle tour group imbedded within the guests.

Bratislava Church Stained Glass and Statue

Backroads Tours (yes, we represent them, too) cost more than a standalone river cruise, but their guests basically bicycle all the time in shore and sometimes parallel the route of the ship as she makes scenic cruises through castles and forests.  The ship serves as their nightly lodgings.  You know if this type of trip would suit you.

We had dinner with a very nice couple from Minneapolis who were on the Backroads trip.  They personally had special bikes with electric motors (furnished by Backroads) that could be kicked on to supplement their leg power and enable them to keep up with the more hardcore cyclists.

AmaWaterways should be on your short list of river cruise choices no matter who you happen to be, but if you are single or an active traveler, give them special attention.

"Better service leads to better trips!"

Are Other River Cruises Better Than Viking?

If you go online to learn about river cruises, you'll probably not only be confused but likely misled into believing something that is simply not true.

To correct this, of course, I am writing one more online article, which I'm sure you will treat as the definitive article so that you never need to consult another.

Let me start with the elephant in the room: Viking River Cruises.

Watching TV commercials and judging by their success, you logically conclude that Viking River Cruises must be pretty awesome.



You are correct, sir or madam.

Yes, indeedy-do.

Viking does an excellent job.

Then why do you also find articles that seem intent on denigrating Viking?

In trying to differentiate other lines for their unique marketing propositions, they position Viking, as the best known company, as an able foil.

For example, Uniworld is more inclusive, easily proven by their standard pre-paid gratuities, unlimited shore excursions and open bar with top shelf liquors.  Crystal undoubtedly provides more anticipatory service than Viking, but while they include the open bar like Uniworld, they don't have unlimited free shore excursions, so in that way they're more like Viking.



AmaWaterways and Avalon Waterways have larger rooms than Viking, but also larger than Uniworld, in most cases.

If you definitely would appreciate any of those specific advantages of other lines, then the alternatives should definitely be on your radar.

In the final analysis, none of that should make you think you wouldn't like Viking River Cruises, especially if you've never been on a river cruise before.

Make no mistake; a Viking River Cruise is not some bottom of the barrel experience.

There are lesser lines than Viking, to be sure, most geared for markets with less discerning tastes than well-traveled Americans, and you would be well-advised to avoid those, unless you happen to be more at the back-packing through Europe stage of life, which most likely you're not.

Once you factor in what is not included on those sub-Viking lines, not to mention what the average river cruise customer seeks, you may be surprised to find that the bottom line savings aren't as great as you initially believe, especially when air promotions pop up for Viking.




Nonetheless, many times price is more significant as a factor than we like to let on. We all want good value, and of course, we want to get the most out of our valuable vacation days.

While there are exceptions based on specific promotions, for the most part it is hard to beat Viking on price for a great river cruise at the base River View level.

If you're only going to cruise the Romantic Danube once, however, you'll want to do it right for you. Perhaps you insist on suites on ocean cruises or always stay at Ritz Carlton Hotels; then another line might be a better choice for you personally. Even then, however, finding a cruise that aligns with your schedule may take priority, and make Viking or another line the obvious choice.

I personally think many lines provide value as good as Viking, especially for those who appreciate larger rooms, though usually at higher price points.

For example, let's say you have a very discerning palate for fine wines and dinner, or if air promotions aren't in favor of Viking --- whether because you pick a specific date where AmaWaterways has one or when Viking doesn't --- then pulling the handle for AmaWaterways might be an obvious choice.

Never forget that timing of when you book can make a huge difference. Knowing when to book can be as significant as knowing what to book.

The bottom line is that your best way to choose a river cruise is to enlist the assistance of a knowledgeable travel consultant to help you make an informed decision on all fronts.

Boarding AmaCerto in Vilshofen

Julie and I arrived in Vilshofen by train, and as tends to be the case when arriving anywhere, those few miles from the platform where we stepped off the train to the doorway of our new temporary home created the most stress.

That's why cruise lines and tour companies deserve compensation for seamless packages with transfers than you might pay when you travel by the seat of your pants.

AmaWaterways has a wonderful pre-cruise package in Prague, featuring a comfortable hotel with daily breakfast, your choice of a city tour or guided hike to Prague Castle, and a friendly expert at your beck and call throughout your three-night stay.

Their representative will pick you up at the airport and whisk you to your hotel upon arrival, and after three terrific nights, take you on a comfortable bus to Regensburg for a tour of that UNESCO World Heritage site.

After lunch, it's on to Vilshofen to board your ship for a 7-night Romantic Danube cruise.

You have zero stress, and most people who can afford a river cruise believe these land add-ons to be well-worth the price.

Instead of going that route, Julie and I went cheap and potentially stressful, booking hotels and tours through our vendor Travel Bound, with all the arrangement gaps that entails (although TB does actually offer private transfers, like those we had at the airport in Prague, if we had splurged for them).

Our hotels were not as lovely or perfectly located as those used by AmaWaterways or other river cruise companies, but for us, they sufficed.

And while those gaps in the arrangements and gaffes getting around can be tedious and tiresome --and fortunately, as Julie pointed out, were not so in this case --- we always seem to have enough energy to muscle our way through in order to save some money.

Of course, others may prefer a la carte travel to stay in complete control, and they purchase private transfers as well as advance train tickets to smooth the way, even if it costs more.

To each his own, but for most of you considering a river cruise (or any pre-cruise travel arrangements), don't underestimate the value of the cruise line taking care of everything for you.

Walking from the train station, we found ourselves following some other independent travelers dragging suitcases in the general direction we believed the ship would be.

Not being certain, however, we didn't want to assume they knew where they were going, so Julie pulled out her trusty map, printed off some internet program weeks before we left home, and surveyed it.

With her keen sense of direction, she pointed like Sacajawea and I followed like Charbonneau.

Before long, we found the other suitcase-draggers were now following us.

About 20 minutes later, we arrived at the small village street that is the heart of Vilshofen but still weren't exactly sure exactly where we were heading until a young Asian man saw us approaching and asked, "AmaCerto?"

We nodded, and he said he was heading there and to follow him.

By now, the pack had fallen pretty far behind us, as we tend to be fast walkers, so Julie waited for them to catch up so she could show them the way, while I followed the guy we assumed to be a crew member to find the ship.

He led me to a tent pavilion that obstructed our view of the ship, and that turned out to be the site of our first excursion, an Oktoberfest-like celebration, which I wrote about in my overview of AmaWaterways.

Before our "Oktoberfest," we had a complimentary snack on board and then wandered back into town.

Some of our fellow bag-draggers were already back ashore eating ice cream, which as in Regenburg seemed to be a preferred activity of locals and tourists alike.  Soon we headed back to the ship to enjoy the lovely views of the river and the small airstrip along the hillsides on the other bank.

It was a beautiful place to rest up from all the stress of our pre-cruise travels.

We had time to wander into town the next morning, and then at noon we began cruising the Romantic Danube while we enjoyed a delicious lunch on board.

Confronting the Nazi Past in Linz

The most infamous and reviled political leader in history is Adolph Hitler, which when you consider the casual disdain of voters for most politicians including in the USA, a free country with representative democracy, is really saying something.

Hitler wreaked havoc throughout Europe with his Blitzkrieg victories followed by freedom-suffocating rule on those conquered lands

Hitler and his Nazi henchmen reserved for Jews a special hell, the "Holocaust," imprisoning, torturing, starving and even gassing those born under the Star of David.

If you were of the proper "Aryan race" and were willing to ignore Nazi atrocities, however, then you could prosper under Hitler's evil scheme.

When traveling through the beautiful countryside and villages of Austria and Germany, encountering highly cultured and well-educated residents of these regions, it's easy to forget that their grandparents with similar traits turned a blind eye to Nazi aggression and devastation of those less fortunate souls.

In 1944, Russia's scorched-earth retreat cost advancing Nazi forces dearly on the Eastern Front, while simultaneously American soldiers led by officers like General George S. Patton joined the British to finally effectively push back at Nazi Germany from the Western Front.  Hitler's empire was crushed within a year, thank God.

Nazi war criminals were hunted down, put on trial and sometimes punished, but lots of ordinary soldiers as well as civilians who had turned a blind eye simply went back to work rebuilding their lives in cities and villages ravaged in battle.

First they just survived day by day, and then, aided by American money in the form of the Marshall Plan, they re-built and eventually prospered.

They were, after all, still intelligent, hard-working people, easily among the most systematically organized on the continent, with that incredible human innate ability to learn, adapt and, when necessary, forget.

In 1996, the Linz City Council determined it would make Linz the first Austrian city to confront its Nazi past openly.

It was a logical place to start.  After all, Adolph Hitler spent his formative years between 9 and 18 years old in Linz, a city he considered his home town.

When he came to power, Hitler made a point to help Linz become an industrial powerhouse, including manufacture of the backbone of heavy industry, steel.

He envisioned re-building Linz into a "German Budapest," the newest and finest metropolis on the Danube.  When he had achieved final victory, he planned to retire in style in what he considered his home town.

Linz had benefited greatly from National Socialism's largesse, in  architecture and artistic projects --- Hitler considered himself an artist --- as well as industrial production, all of which meant employment and economic growth for the area.

This, of course, was financed with wealth confiscated from Jews and conquered people.  At the same time, the unspeakable horrors of Mauthausen-Guse concentration camps unfolded just 12 miles east of Linz.

Linz's "culture of remembrance" includes renaming streets and constructing monuments to honor victims of National Socialism as well as sponsoring scientific studies, presentations and lectures.

Our late afternoon tour through Linz went at a hurried pace, because it came after an all-day tour and cruise passengers, of course, don't want to be late for dinner.

On a brighter note, we saw Count Thun's mutli-arched palace where Mozart composed his 36th Symphony, known as the Linz Symphony in 1783 during a three day stopover on a trip from Salzburg to Vienna.

We also passed another building where our guide said Mozart played a public concert in October of 1762 when he was just 6 years old.  If so, that must have been during a stopover on a much earlier trip to Vienna from his childhood home in Salzburg.

Mozart's more significant performance that month would have been the concert in Vienna on October 13, 1762, for Empress Maria Theresa.  Following that show, "Wolferl jumped on the empress' lap, put his arms around her neck and kissed her vigorously."

By then, the child prodigy had already been composing for over a year.

While the sites of Linz wouldn't prove to be as beautiful or fascinating as other ports, the fact that AmaWaterways made certain we had the opportunity to see it for ourselves should not be undervalued.

When trying to calculate how to justify AmaWaterways over a competitor, you would be wise to consider how many small extras they do include.

Something I haven't mentioned previously is that before the trip when we received documents, inside the cloth pouch we found not only beautiful embroidered luggage tags but a small guide book for Danube River cruises.

Throughout the trip, AmaWaterways found small ways to exceed our expectations, not the least of which were shore excursions well beyond the usual two to four hours per port.

Bicycles, Space Ships and Beyond

Having firmly established that yes, Viking River Cruises does a great job, why might you consider a different line?

That's a valid question, one that comes down to what is important to you personally.

For example, do you think you would enjoy riding a bicycle on your own around a quaint village after you had done your morning tour?



Then you might be more inclined to choose AmaWaterways, Uniworld or Avalon Waterways.

Want a larger room than the standard Viking, which tends to be efficient but tight?

You could step up to beyond River View and French Balcony to a Veranda or Suite without leaving the Viking line, or you might want to go to Avalon, AmaWaterways or the "Space-Ships" of Scenic, a more exclusive product demanding higher pricing than Viking.

Someone like me spends as much time in port as possible, but some really appreciate more luxurious accommodations as a primary reason for choosing a particular cruise.



There's also another factor that seems obvious but may not be quite so clear: itinerary.

You have general regions like the Rhine, Danube, Elbe, Moselle, Main Provence, Burgundy, Portugal, Russia, Italy, China, Southeast Asia, Egypt, African safari or even the USA, but within those regions the different cruise lines take different approaches, including ports they choose to complete their tapestry and adding pre- or post-packages designed to appeal to you.

Just as significantly, not all cruises embark at the same time. It frequently comes down to which cruise works best with your overall vacation schedule. The greater your flexibility, the more possibilities that may work.

Salzburg, Austria

Our transportation from Mondsee to Salzburg wasn't quite as joyous as the alternative transportation in the "Do Re Mi" clip from "The Sound of Music" above, but it was certainly pleasant.

Ama's modern air-conditioned bus was comfortable, and our guide provided interesting commentary.

Among other tidbits, she told us that traditional clothing like dirndl dresses for ladies and lederhosen for men are still very fashionable for Austrians when going out on the town.

Even though she had actually been born in South America and moved to Austria after studying abroad in Europe, our guide said she liked to wear dirndls too.

In every Austrian city or village we visited, we saw traditional Austrian clothing that filled apparently prosperous stores dedicated to that style.

Modern fashion not unlike in America was nonetheless how most people we encountered were dressed for casual street wear, so you won't need a new --- make that old --- wardrobe to fit in.

By the way, I should mention that my leather lederhosen that I bought at Huntington Beach's Old World Village for Oktoberfest in 1986 are much shorter than what is now fashionable, much in the way basketball uniform shorts have gotten considerably longer over the last thirty years.

Ladies wear has undoubtedly been updated too, but I dare say the dirndl I bought for our oldest daughter Gina when she was 6 years old would still work for our granddaughter Emma as a festive outfit, although it is long gone now.

After dinner on this same day following our extended excursion to Mondsee and Salzburg, AmaWaterways brought aboard a troop of singers wearing traditional Austrian clothing to perform all the hits from "The Sound of Music" beautifully.

As we walked through lovely palace gardens, our guide pointed to different locations used in that iconic American movie starring English singer/actress Julie Andrews.

Austrians, however, take far greater musical pride in their greatest composer and wunderkind, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who is celebrated far and wide, but no place more so than his native Salzburg.

Our guide shared stories about Mozart as we drove and also when we walked past the mustard yellow "Hagenauer House" where he was born as well as the less picturesque pink "Dance Master's House" where Mozart's family lived for eight years after his burgeoning international fame required larger space for entertaining guests.

In Vienna, Prague and other cities throughout Central Europe, Mozart is also venerated, and throughout our vacation guides frequently pointed out houses where Mozart performed as a boy or wrote a symphony in three days when he arrived without his sheet music.

Multiple concerts featuring Mozart's music seem to attract large audiences in several cities we visited.

Street vendors and pamphlets promote organ concerts, string quartets and full orchestral performances in the same wayCozumel promotes snorkel trips.

We decided to wait for Vienna, where we knew AmaWaterways offers an optional, much-vaunted excursion to hear a chamber orchestra perform in a palace.

For a fascinating glimpse into the life of Mozart, I highly recommend the movie "Amadeus" starring the young Iron Man himself, Robert Downey, Jr.

As we drove and continuing once in Salzburg, our guide also told us about the history of Salzburg, which has been a city in Austria much less time than it was part of Bavaria or essentially an independent city-state.

Like many cities, the site was first home of Celts who gave way to Romans.

In the eighth century, barges transported the essential commodity salt along the Salzach River.

The Salzach River cuts through Salzburg, providing an opportunity to collect tolls, as was a custom of the time throughout Europe and could help fund a community, and of course a castle to protect the prosperity. Thus, Salzburg got its name, which translates as "Salt Castle."

The historical city center of Salzburg is another UNESCO World Heritage Site --- it seems like everywhere you turn on the Danube is one --- and many of the businesses still hang metal signs that graphically display their wares to a public.

I'm guessing McDonald's wasn't in the same location 1200 years ago, but as for other businesses, there's a wrought iron sign to identify the home of the Big Mac.

We did have lunch, but not at McDonald's.

Then again, we also didn't go to a beautiful, ancient restaurant recommended by our guide which would have cost considerably more.

We sat at a sidewalk cafe outside the building once owned by Mozart's widow and her second husband, but we didn't get served quickly, so instead we strolled around to find another place.

I saw a sandwich sign for Leberkäse, something I've seen my friend Norbert, who was raised in nearby Germany, order at Alpine Village in Torrance. 

It turns out to be very much like a thick slice of bologna, served on a kaiser roll.  At only about 2 Euro, it was a tasty and filling lunch.

Julie held out for chocolate torte and coffee and cappuccino at a little bakery cafe.

Even chocolate cake in Europe isn't as sweet as what our American taste buds raised on Twinkies and Baby Ruths have become accustomed, but it was good.

We didn't go up to the castle in the funicular, instead opting to just roam around the village below.

An ancient graveyard turned out to be one of the most beautiful areas.

After a full day in which we had toured Mondsee as well as Salzburg, we still weren't done.

The long drive back to the Danube was again scenic and relaxing, at least until we hit the rush hour traffic of Linz in our tour bus, which our masterful driver negotiated flawlessly without any help from us.

Our guide asked if anyone was interested in touring Linz, and a few of us said we would, so she said we would consolidate with others from alternative tour buses.

This was quite a treat, because we thought we had sacrificed seeing Linz, theoretically only offered as a morning tour, in order to take our full day tour, but that will need a post of its own.