AmaCerto Cruise Reviews - Reviews

Our cruise manager, Camille was absolutely fabulous. Friendly, organized and fun, all of the people in my party loved her!

I celebrated my 60th birthday with 3 of my Gal Pals. We were called the Texas Group - Boots and all!! Every one was wonderful, food was wonderful. We even had the Hershey Wine company on board.

We were not disappointed with your river cruise in and around Holland.  The choice of excursions was excellent:  we were stunned by the Airborne Museum/Cemetary at Arnhem.  The guide was very informative.  The flower garden visits were spectacular and at the height of their glory.  The ship was in top shape.  The state rooms were very carefully attended to.  The dining staff were great.  Our Cruise Manager, Sonja, was very helpful and accommodating.

Altogether, we have a great vacation - despite the very cold weather - but that, unfortunately, is beyond your control!

The cuisine was amazing. My cabin was comfortable and attractive. Crew members were friendly and helpful. The excursions were well organized and interesting. The ship itself was a jewel - and the cruise smooth and memorable.

We enjoyed our first river cruise experience very much.  AmaCerto was an excellent ship and had a great crew.  Everything was first class from the food and services to the excursions.  It was a very pleasant trip. We would highly recommend Ama Waterways and the AmaCerto.

The staff were wonderful and very helpful.  The stateroom was very nice.  The trip was relaxing and stress free.  The food was very good.  I tried some foods I had never tasted before.  The evening entertainment was enjoyable.  The informational talks helped making the various tours more meaningful.

When I did my evaluation on board for AMAWaterways, I commented that the expected attire needed to be clearer.  Two days before the conclusion of the cruise, it was announced that the next evening's attire would be formal.  They must have received some negative responses for the next afternoon it was announced for women to wear their little black dresses.

While Gerri and I were on the cruise, we decided to extend on optional tour for another day.  We asked the cruise manager if he had received the needed material from Doug.  He said that he had and that evening we would get the update.  That was a day before we disembarked.  We asked the next day and were told we would receive it that night.  We finally received the material the night before we flew out the next day.  I did not like knowing the time of our flight until the night before we left.  

Going into this cruise, we had no idea what to expect other than what we read in the brochure and online.  Overall we were completely blown away!  The cabins are nicely appointed.  We are were on Cello deck and had a balcony as well as french balcony.  Since it was December, I thought we wouldn't spend much time out there.  We were pleasantly surprised the weather was quite nice and it was great to sit out there in the morning and evening.  The room was nicely appointed with a good size shower, more like what you find in a boutique hotel.  There was plenty of closet and drawer space as well.  The best part and most memorable on-board was the food and service!  The soups were to die for!  Overall the food was fantastic at every meal with lots of local favorites and truly something for everyone!  The staff across all areas of the ship were superior with warm, friendly smiles and greeting us by name.  It always amazes me that they can remember our names.  The ports of call or should I say, stops along the river were interesting and a nice selection of shore excursions are included.  Again, there is truly something for everyone.  We are in our 40's and among the youngest on-board, but there were several families with kids mostly high school and college age.  I would highly recommend AMA Waterways to anyone interested in river cruising.  It's the right balance of luxury without being stuffy.  We can't wait to book our next river cruise on AMA! 

Everything was taken care of for us. Our cruise director was right there all the time and everything seemed so well planned. Our room was kept spotless by our conscientious and friendly house keeper, and the food was superb.

I totally loved this cruise. I had done a Viking Rhine river cruise last year and enjoyed it enough to book another cruise for this year. But if I were to compare the 2-the AMA waterway experience on the AMA CERTO was superior-the cruise director, the attentiveness of the staff, the variety of excursions each day with very few additional costs except in Vienna were exceptional. Of the two, I think the AMA cruise in the long run was the better value.

Beautiful cruise. Excellent service. Saw too many churches and I like churches. The WW II tours were the most meaningful. The guides really knew their stuff and it's an experience we should all remember. 

Wonderful cruise. Great Crew, and Cruise Director - Victor! The Captains and Crew really adapted to the low waters on the River, and made sure we still had an immersive experience. The Captains worked over time to get us up the river and for the cruise to continue for the full 7 days.

We had to be bused to Strasbourg, which was an hour away. Due to this, Victor called ahead to a local restaurant and provided us lunch for the day...on their tab. 

Dress in layers, and be prepared for changing conditions. If you aren't adaptable, or have adversity to the cold, this may not be the cruise for you.

    This was both my first time in Europe and also on a River cruise and I was beyond blown away! Because it was the last sailing of the season we got to still experience some of the Christmas Markets while enjoying a festive atmosphere on board the ship. The staff was amazing and the cruise director, Viktor, worked tirelessly to ensure that we missed nothing due to having to change the itinerary a bit to accommodate the low river. 

     Best Advice I can give:

     Talk to the cruise director to find out the hidden spots for food and shopping, they are a fountain of knowledge! AmaWaterways was great at having a map of the area each day so you can find your way around after the tours, take the time to walk a bit and enjoy the sites, you can find some of the best souvenirs off the beaten path. In Heidelberg I found a great little store a short walk from the Cathedral that the tour ends in that sells amazing Schnapps and Whiskey, and they give free samples!

          Make sure that you have 1 night set aside for the Chef's table as it is included in the sailing and a wonderful meal!

     My one big Do Not is don't attempt to walk from the train station in Basel to the dock where the ship is at, it may "look" like a 5 minute hike but with luggage and a lot of little paths it turned into a 30 minute workout!

After arriving at Basel Airport , we made our own way to the pier to catch the Ama Certo on it's 7 night journey from Basel to Amsterdam . When arriving at Basel Airport make sure that you exit the Swiss side and not the French side . We had a BB Category cabin on the Middle Deck and despite being the cabin next to reception , there were no issues with noise .

The first night is the Captains Welcome Cocktail and Dinner , where you get to meet the Captain and most of the crew . There is also a short demonstration about putting on a lifejacket , should you happen to fall in the Rhine .

Each day there are a variety of included excursions and your pre-boarding packet of documents will tell you what they are . For instance on the first day , there is a choice of going to Riquewihr , Breisach or Colmar . We chose Colmar , and despite the cold weather it was a very pleasant market town in France .

Each night in your room there will be a " Daily Cruiser " leaflet which will tell you what you will be seeing and doing the following day , and this is also where you make your choices for the following days excursions .

At the moment , the water level in the Rhine is very low and if this continues then your itinerary can be changed so that the Captain can navigate safely thru the low water .

This did happen to us as we could not dock in Strasbourg because of the low water and had to go all the way to Mannheim , before being bussed back for our excursion to Strasbourg .

This situation was excellently handled by everyone at AMA , and the passengers were kept fully up to date with the situation and the alternative itinerary that resulted meant that a restaurant in Strasbourg had to accomodate all 120 of us at short notice .

Our cabin onboard was spacious enough for 2 people and there was enough storage space in the cabin for a week long cruise .

The food onboard was a very good standard , and the dining room is big enough to seat everybody at one time . There are several selections for each course , but if you have any allergies it would be wise to let them know ahead of time so that you can be accomodated . I would say that the wine selection could have been slightly better , but they tried to serve wines from the local region to enhance your cruising experience .

I would recommend the Chefs Table at least once , this is located at the other end of the ship and can seat up to 28 passengers and you get to see the chef prepare your dinner . The night we went it was full so book early .

There is entertainment after dinner in the Main Lounge , which ranged from a singer singing Tunes from the Musicals , an ABBA tribute band and a classical recital , so something for everyone .

The Main Lounge is big enough for everyone at once and they also serve ' Lite' breakfast and lunch for anyone who just wants a snack .

The Main Lounge has floor to ceiling windows which gives you a great panorama of the scenery when it is too cold to go outside .

If you are considering this itinerary for your first river cruise , you will not be disappointed . Wonderful scenery , great places to visit and a great crew made this a really memorable experience .

AmaWaterways is a first class cruise company with beautiful modern ships, excellent service, and great itineraries. While I think the Danube River trip had more interesting ports, the Rhine River was outstanding as well, particularly if you are into wines.  One of the nice benefits of Ama is that they have bikes on board that you can use while you are docked, and there are fantastic bike paths directly next to the river. Some of the rooms are a little tight, so I would recommend upgrading to a balcony room which has extra space. Free Wi-Fi on the ship is also nice for keeping up on work and/or communicating with family and friends as you sail. I would definitely sail with them again.

The AMA Certo was only a year old and it was immaculate.

This was our first cruise of any type and it lived up and beyond our expectations. Everything we asked for was received with a big smile and a very gracious manner. We enjoyed the entertainment on board and thought the optional night in Vienna was wonderful.

First river cruise, and it’ll be hard to beat. AMA provides a first class experience — fantastic meals, memorable excursions with extra touches other cruise groups weren’t getting (biggest surprise: tour of Serbia’s Royal Palace included an impromptu meeting/photo with the Crown Prince), comfortable accommodations, and a staff that works hard to ensure you have an unforgettable vacation. Our cruise manager, Bojan, managed every detail with a smile — and made it look easy. We’re already planning our next AMA cruise.