09/01/2026
Travel Tip Tuesday!! Here’s another cruise/ship review from one of our agents that just returned from a European River Cruise. Pam and her husband sailed on AMA Waterways AmaViola and the sister ship AmaLea.
Setting the Stage
This was a very different experience than we had ever done. And it was exciting to try something new!! We tried to sail up the Rhine River from Basel, Switzerland to Amsterdam, Netherlands. However, there’s a drought in Europe and the rivers are down to historically low levels. So we sailed 3 days then boarded a bus to go to another ship to continue our cruise. It was a very well run transition and we still enjoyed new cities that we’ve never been!
Food
There were two options for each meal as far as where you could eat. There was a lounge with a few finger type foods available. For breakfast you had scrambled eggs, bacon, and pastries. For lunch and dinner your options were sandwiches.
There was also a dining room for each meal. For breakfast there was a buffet or a menu to order from. For lunch and dinner, there was also a menu to order from. The menus consisted of an appetizer, soup, 3-4 main entrees to choose from and 2 desserts. There was also a Chef’s Dinner that was one night of our choice. This was an 8 course menu that was prepared by a chef.
All meals included water, juice, soft drinks, b**r, or w**e.
Shows
The shows were held each evening after dinner in the lounge and was some sort of musical entertainment. There was a disco night; a 70s, 80s, 90s night; a musician onboard that played familiar hit songs of all genres; and several musicians that came onboard to play classical music.
Kids and Teens activities
There were no kids or teens on this ship and typically are not on this type of cruise. There were no scheduled activities for them.
Adult activities
There were plenty of activities to do on the ship each day. There was a fitness center and spa. There were also daily fitness activities including a walk on the walking track on the top deck after each meal, yoga classes, and circuit classes to name a few. All classes were included in the cruise rate. There was a large hot tub, corn hole game, lounge chairs, and deck chairs with tables all on the top deck.
Room
Our cabin was on the 3rd deck and had a French balcony and regular balcony. The bathroom was big for a cruise ship and had a large desk to get ready and 2 chairs. The tv in the room also could be used as a computer.
Excursions
All excursions provided by the ship were included in the cruise rate. There were several to choose from and different activity levels within some of the option. At each port there was usually a walking tour (gentle, regular, or active), a bike tour, and a hiking tour.
Ship’s Layout
There were 4 total decks on this ship. The ship holds 152 guests and 50 crew. On our cruise we had 109 guests. We could sit on our own or meet new people and sit with them.
Elevators
There was one elevator that serviced floor 1 and 2 but not the 3rd or 4th deck.
Cleanliness
These ships were super clean and had great space to spread out. There were many places to read a book or enjoy the scenery or places to gather with newly made friends.
Embarkation / Debarkation
Both were super easy and seamless! We did not purchase transfers with the ship to get to the port. We ordered an uber and walked into the ship with our luggage and went right to the front desk. We were met by the captain and our cabin stewards who immediately took all of our bags and took us to our rooms along with our bags after checking in.
Debarkation was very simple! Two days before debarkation, the Cruise Director had everyone complete paperwork and we could request a taxi for pick up to our next location whether it was the airport or into the city. The Cruise Director ordered our ride. We put our luggage outside our room an hour before our ride was to come and claimed it at the curb where our taxi met us!
Final Thoughts
Cruise vacations are not for everyone and river cruises are vastly different from ocean cruises! River cruises take you through the country while ocean cruises take you to the country. They are much smaller and more intimate. You get to know just about everyone on your ship including the crew. You can see both banks of the river from most of your cruise. I loved our river cruise but I’m not sure if I loved it more than an ocean cruise. Guess I’ll need to go on another to find out!!
