Compare and review AmaWaterways vs Viking

Decided to post here a few notes about our AMA river cruise experience and how it compares to Viking. Hopefully it’ll help future river cruisers to choose the right option and not regret it later.

So let me start from the ship:

I am comparing new AMA ships (AMASonata, AMAPrima, AMAReina) vs Vikings Longships.

In my opinion AMA wins hands down:

1. Less passengers
   
2. AMA ships have fitness center and swimming pool
   
3. Lounge has enough space to accommodate all passengers
   
4. No noise issues on the first floor staterooms
   

Dining and food

Pretty much the same selection with only minor differences. However few things not to be missed:

1. AMA does not do barbecue lunch on deck even in the summer
   
2. Lunch on AMA is pretty much limited to the dining room. They do serve a few snacks in the Lounge but it is not comparable to Viking which has almost a full menu there
   
3. AMA does not offer any cheeses/sausages etc… tastings in the Lounge. They do let’s say German dinner in the dining room but Viking does it too
   

Entertainment:

Definitely a Viking win. AMA invites musicians onboard as well but very limited: 2-3 times per cruise. And unlike Viking they do not offer any entertainment during the lunch. No theme talks either: e.g. history and culture in every country, European Union etc. No demonstrations either. For example with Viking we had a very interesting clogs making demonstration in Amsterdam.

Excursions:

Again Viking wins hands down:

1. Tours are much better organized. Water and spare quietvox devices are provided even on a bus after tour starts. At AMA we were asked to pay 1 euro to the driver to buy a bottle of water.
   
2. Cruise director and all tour stuff at Viking wear the same easy identifiable jackets with Viking sign. No such thing at AMA: losing a few people on a tour is a common situation, happened few times with us.
   
3. AMA does not offer bridge/engine/kitchen tours at all. Viking offers and does them for free.
   
4. AMA does not offer shuttle bus service to the city center. Sometimes they do offer late pickup from the tour but only once and a specific time.
   

And on top of that very important note: I assume everyone knows Viking owns best dock locations on both Rhine and Danube. So if you are let’s say in Budapest on AMA ship – expect to be docked in the public river port which is kind of far from city attractions: e.g. parliament or St. Stefan’s cathedral. On the other hand Viking’s docking spot is much better and closer.

Another thing I still do not understand: why AMA or let's say Avalon are priced higher than Viking? :eek: They are offering the same product in the same category.

Hope it helps.

I have just returned from the AmaReina on APT. (Part owner with Amawaterways). We were always docked close to Viking. Ships did not look appealing from the outside. This was commented on by a number of people. In Budapest we were on the Pest side only a few minutes walk to the shopping and City Market, as were other Amawateways ships

There was never a hiccup with any tours. Alway extremely well arranged. Colour coded, always knew which bus to go on. Tour quides always identifiable. Had spare Quietvox for people who forgot theirs after numerous reminders to bring them. Fridge in room was always full with bottles of cold water, at no charge. We always had five in our fridge, and we were in Aquarium class, (NO NOISE).

A light lunch was served in the lounge. This consisted of soup, hot sandwich of the day,

a hot dish from the days specials, salads, cold cuts cheeses and desserts. A good selection for someone who wanted a light lunch. Amawaterways has a Chefs Table restaurant which all quests got to go to twice. A five star experience.

The dinners were excellent, a starter, soup, main course, dessert and cheese if you wanted it. I have seen Vikings menus and they seem to only offer a three course meal, (or I may be misreading it. It seems to be starter or soup, main and dessert). Wines were excellent, changing daily with the country we were visiting.

My husband did the bridge tour. Kitchen tours are not done on AMA for hygienic reasons.

We had a sausage tasting in the lounge one morning. It also included German meat loaves with German breads. Amawaterways has a baker on board who makes all the breads. Brilliant selection at breakfast. Amawaterways said they were the only river ship making all their own breads.

We had a good selection of entertainers come on board. Very broad selection, plus resident piano player/singer, plus went to a castle for dinner, with entertainment, an opera recital with champagne during the Opera house visit, a concert in Vienna just for APT quests, with champagne. The Vienna concert was first class in a private room in the Leichtenstein Palace. All at no extra charge. Had someone come on board and give a morning talk about the European Union, and also a we had a talk on the building and working of the locks. A glass blower also came on board one morning.

Although this was an APT tour, all ship staff are Amawaterways, just the itinerary varying for us New Zealanders and Australians who want a one price holiday with no extras. Fully inclusive including spirits and cocktails from the bar.

This cruise could not be faulted.. I had high expectations for this cruise, as it was my first, but they were exceeded. I never did consider Viking when choosing this trip. It did not appeal, I narrowed it down to three, Avalon, APT and Uniworld. I ended up on APT because the tour on Avalon was sold out.

The Amawaterways new ships are beautiful, and spacious. I find nothing appealing about Viking.

... We were always docked close to Viking. ...

There was never a hiccup with any tours. Alway extremely well arranged.... ... Had spare Quietvox for people who forgot theirs after numerous reminders to bring them. ... I have seen Vikings menus and they seem to only offer a three course meal, (or I may be misreading it. It seems to be starter or soup, main and dessert)....

We had a good selection of entertainers come on board. Very broad selection, plus resident piano player/singer, plus went to a castle for dinner, with entertainment, an opera recital with champagne during the Opera house visit, a concert in Vienna just for APT quests, with champagne.

...

Although this was an APT tour, all ship staff are Amawaterways, just the itinerary varying for us New Zealanders and Australians who want a one price holiday with no extras. Fully inclusive including spirits and cocktails from the bar.

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Good for you. I can only say it is very different from what we've seen and experienced. Although unlike you I can compare Viking vs AMA since we've sailed on both lines. And just for information: this is not a review of a particular cruise but rather a comparison.

The Amawaterways new ships are beautiful, and spacious. I find nothing appealing about Viking.

Agreed. Have done 7 with three more river cruises booked and have seen their boats in port for years, as well as taken a tour of the interior of two of the longships. Very generic and utilitarian. We have no interest whatsoever in sailing with Viking. Especially with their record of customer service in difficult situations.

The OP has a clear preference for Viking based on their posted cruising history. Perhaps the comparison will be helpful to others but

we did not have any of the issues or complaints the OP has regarding AMA and have sailed on three generations of their boats so far.

In Budapest, we were right in the heart of the city and walked from our hotel to the boat with luggage for embarkation. This was the same in most ports we visited on three different itineraries.

We liked the variety of tours offered and mostly did the Active level tours, biking tours and Limited Edition tours. We also did DIY quite a bit as we enjoy that. AMA provided shuttles in those ports where a bus ride was needed. These were at scheduled times.

Staff and crew were top notch on all of our AMA cruises.

On the occasion of very low water conditions in 2011, when the Viking boats were parked and empty and the trips converted to bus tours, our AMA cruise continued without interruption.

Erlebnis was delightful on AmaCerto and AmaBella. Impeccable service, wonderful food, lovely ambiance. A lovely inclusion.

Continental breakfast was offered daily in the lounge, as well as a light lunch. They offered a German sausage tasting one day in the lounge. Their artisinal cheese board at lunch and dinner was my favorite and each of our AMA cruises had wonderful breads. The overall quality of food and wine on AMA was very good.

We can compare AMA to Avalon as that is the only other line we have experienced (4 cruises). We have never looked back since we discovered AMA. It is a very good fit for what we enjoy. Others like the OP will have their own preferences. One man's trash is another's treasure.

I'm sure many may find the comparison interesting, It appears that the conclusions are drawn from one AMA cruise vs. numerous Viking.

I can only speak to our one recent sail on the AMA Prima, and would like to address a few points:

While many Viking passengers were stranded due to low waters on the Danube at the end of June, beginning of July, we were not impacted at all.

We had more than snacks offered at lunch in the lounge. It was a light lunch such as pizza, pasta, salad, sandwiches, soup.

Water was offered onboard and you were free to take as many as you wanted on tours. We not only had a German dinner, but other featured cuisines as well. AMA is the only cruiseline that has been recognized by a prestegious culinary award (sorry, name escapes me now).

The chef's table restaurant is a true gem - intimate specialty dining experience.

Our tour leaders always had spare audio devices to replace any malfunctioning.

Engine room tours were offered and were free.

No one got "lost" on a tour. The AMA signs were easy to spot, especially if you're short and can't see a jacket.

As far as dock space. "Prime" spots is totally subjective. In Budapest we were close to the Marketplace, Gellert Hill, etc. At least once, we rafted with a Viking Ship.

Speaking of tours- what we loved about AMA was the wide variety - gentle walkers, late-risers, fast-paced, optional excursions, bike tours and limited edition tours.

I think it is wonderful that you seem to have found a river cruiseline that meets all of your expectations. I don't think it is fair to represent this comparison as one that encompasses all of the AMA new ships after sailing on one. Some of us have had different experiences.

Any way, thanks for taking the time to exprtess your views.

Thanks to ALL who posted. We are doing AMASonata Christmas cruise in December (guess that is obvious ;)) and friends are on Viking next month. Will be fun to compare the two. Both first time river cruisers so we have no comparisons but both equally excited!

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Water was offered onboard and you were free to take as many as you wanted on tours. ...

I never said the water was not offered before the tour. However it was not available later or offered for a fee.

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Engine room tours were offered and were free....

Interesting. It was never mentioned in AMA Dailies and I have all of them in front of me. Or you have to ask specifically about such tour? Viking posts all information about such tours and even schedule in their daily paper.

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we loved about AMA was the wide variety - gentle walkers, late-risers, fast-paced, optional excursions, bike tours and limited edition tours.

Same with Viking. Although I have to admit Viking lacks bike tours and those are a big plus.

Intersting thread! Thanks for your review...

We are newbies, (in just a couple of weeks) but we chose AMA because we cruise Royal Caribbean in the Caribbean and have found while they offer a great on board experience at a terrific value price, but woe betide anyone with a customer service problem :( Because we've been to the Caribbean many times, if something goes awry on one of those cruises, we roll with it and figure, we didn't pay much so no biggie,

When choosing other trips to places we've rarely or never been (and may never get to return to) we chose a company who can be trusted to treat customers right when there are problems. So I made my choice after reading threads here for a number of years. I took into account what the loyal customers of each line had to say about their treatment by the lines when there were issues- flooding, low water, political unrest etc. After a while I got a sense of what would make me feel most comfortable with my investment and selected accordingly.

Hopefully, I won't encounter any problems, :D but for this trip I was happy to pay a little extra for the assurance that the lines customers are largely satisfied with how things are handled when a problem occurs.

I forgot to ask one question; are you saying that the Viking Lounges can't hold all passengers? So the shows, talks, etc., that are such a plus, may be missed by some passengers because of lack of seating?????

ID EST

Just curious, what ship was your AMA cruise on , and what was the itinerary.

I forgot to ask one question; are you saying that the Viking Lounges can't hold all passengers? So the shows, talks, etc., that are such a plus, may be missed by some passengers because of lack of seating?????

I've never seen someone missed a show due to the lack of seating: they usually add additional seats. Also Viking manages it very smart: at the same time something else is being offered or you can even watch a show/next day port talk etc on a TV from your stateroom.

Just came to mind another thing totally absent on AMA: no so called "orientation stroll" which is usually done by Viking cruise director or some of the stuff familiar with the city the ship is docked in.

We enjoyed our AMA Rhone river cruise. AMA was excellent. Haven't done Viking. I always compare prices and Vantage wins just about every time.

Vantage has great Russia and China cruises/tours.

I've never seen someone missed a show due to the lack of seating: they usually add additional seats. Also Viking manages it very smart: at the same time something else is being offered or you can even watch a show/next day port talk etc on a TV from your stateroom.

Just came to mind another thing totally absent on AMA: no so called "orientation stroll" which is usually done by Viking cruise director or some of the stuff familiar with the city the ship is docked in.

There was another post recently that stated that people were unable to attend an early briefing on a Viking ship because there isn't enough capacity in the lounge for all passengers. Apparently this eased later in the cruise because people stopped coming (or found out they could watch it on TV).

Our AMA cruise did indeed have an orientation tour. You are making very broad statements about AMA based on one cruise, which doesn't seem to have been representative of other AMA cruises.

ID EST

 

Just curious, what ship was your AMA cruise on , and what was the itinerary.

I am curious as well. Care to share?

We are about to go on our 3rd AMA cruise and have been on 4 Viking trips.

Have always felt that the size of tour groups on AMA were smaller, never had to pay for water and always the guide was prepared for voxbox breakdowns.

There have been those wonderful small touches, a rose given by the Captain at the first nite welcome and a vase to keep it in was in the cabin. Also a lovely tray of cookies was in our cabin--Aquarium class. We sailed during the very low water winter of 2011. Our boat was like the little engine that could--made every port. The port of Budapest was closed to all river traffic. We were bused to the next town to get on the boat. The next day instead of a half day tour of Budapest, we had a full day tour and time at the Christmas markets and were given money for lunch.

Nitely entertainment was the best of 19 river cruises.

We lost a bow thruster going into Regensberg. Part was delivered and we were only delayed 3 hours leaving the port. We were supposed to sail during dinner. CD made an announcement that we all need to go to the lounge after dinner. He told us about the delay and then offered free after dinner drinks.

Viking China is in a class by itself, very well organized and ver yon time. Our trip from Antwerp-Basel on the Sun was not great. Again in Aquarium class, the shower was backing up when not in use and you could here all the toilets flushing. When there was a forum with various ship departments, I mentioned this. Engineer told me all boats were like that. Told him that we had not experienced it on our other 8 cruises. He then said that I was wrong. Viking Russia had a CD who sat at the reception desk and never mingled. Food on that trip was horrible--very heavy and greasy.

So you see there is bad and good with all the lines. Pat

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Our AMA cruise did indeed have an orientation tour. You are making very broad statements about AMA based on one cruise, which doesn't seem to have been representative of other AMA cruises.

Viking does orientation strolls in many cities, not just one orientation tour you had sometime ago. Btw, we had none.

You are making very broad statements about AMA based on one cruise, which doesn't seem to have been representative of other AMA cruises.

It appears to me that several people are posting on this thread to praise the superiority of AMA with NO experience on a Viking ship. The OP posted this thread as a COMPARISON of his experience on Viking and his personal experience on an AMA ship.

Those who love AMA don't seem to understand that it is OK for another person to prefer Viking, including it's lower cost, when compared to their own experience on AMA. Are you trying to convince him and others reading the thread that AMA really is superior in every way? If he is happy with Viking, why risk the extra $$$ to give AMA another chance?

I appreciate the information shared by the OP! IMHO those who want to tell us how good AMA is should do so on another thread, with a different title. People who have not cruised on Viking can not offer a comparison of the two lines.

I am curious as well. Care to share?

No, if I do, it'll turn into a cruise/ship review which is not the purpose of my post. Ship name does matter either since all 3 AMA ships have the same design.

But do not get me wrong: I am not complaining. I am comparing: feel the difference :)

In fact we had a very good cruise and will cruise with AMA again if they offer competitive pricing. The problem is IMO they are highly overpriced comparing to Viking.

It appears to me that several people are posting on this thread to praise the superiority of AMA with NO experience on a Viking ship. The OP posted this thread as a COMPARISON of his experience on Viking and his personal experience on an AMA ship.

 

Those who love AMA don't seem to understand that it is OK for another person to prefer Viking, including it's lower cost, when compared to their own experience on AMA. Are you trying to convince him and others reading the thread that AMA really is superior in every way? If he is happy with Viking, why risk the extra $$$ to give AMA another chance?

 

I appreciate the information shared by the OP! IMHO those who want to tell us how good AMA is should do so on another thread, with a different title. People who have not cruised on Viking can not offer a comparison of the two lines.

Others may indeed find these AMA experiences to be valuable and credible, even if you do not.

This is a public forum and everyone is free to post exactly what they choose, as long as posting guidelines are not violated. Those who choose not to read particular posts are certainly not forced to do so.

I do find it odd that the OP chooses not to mention the boat and itinerary.

Those, myself included (and speaking for myself and not for others) who have had very good experiences with AMA and had none of the issues the OP described want others to be aware that the OPs one experience is not the only one to be considered.

His one experience is apparently not the norm based on so many others who have posted that they did not encounter the same SPECIFIC issues the OP claims to have had. Apparently these issues were isolated to this one unnamed AMA cruise and itinerary. :confused:

It appears to me that several people are posting on this thread to praise the superiority of AMA with NO experience on a Viking ship. The OP posted this thread as a COMPARISON of his experience on Viking and his personal experience on an AMA ship.

 

Those who love AMA don't seem to understand that it is OK for another person to prefer Viking, including it's lower cost, when compared to their own experience on AMA. Are you trying to convince him and others reading the thread that AMA really is superior in every way? If he is happy with Viking, why risk the extra $$$ to give AMA another chance?

 

I appreciate the information shared by the OP! IMHO those who want to tell us how good AMA is should do so on another thread, with a different title. People who have not cruised on Viking can not offer a comparison of the two lines.

I have no problem with OP comparing his experience on Viking with his personal experience on AMA. What I do have a problem with is OP trying to claim that his experience on one AMA cruise is definitive of all AMA cruises, or even of the general AMA experience.

I think that my personal experience of an AMA cruise is just as valuable as OP's personal experience of one AMA cruise. I did not experience any of the deficiencies OP complains about. Why is my experience less valuable to you than OP's?

I have no problem with OP comparing his experience on Viking with his personal experience on AMA. What I do have a problem with is OP trying to claim that his experience on one AMA cruise is definitive of all AMA cruises, or even of the general AMA experience. I did not get the impression that OP was claiming that his experience was definitive of all AMA cruises - he is comparing his personal experience on AMA - albeit one single experience.

 

I think that my personal experience of an AMA cruise is just as valuable as OP's personal experience of one AMA cruise. I did not experience any of the deficiencies OP complains about. Why is my experience less valuable to you than OP's?

This is a public forum and everyone is free to post exactly what they choose, as long as posting guidelines are not violated. Yes - however, some people are rude when they do not agree with a particular post, making an original OP feel it is necessary to defend their personal opinion or experience.

I do find it odd that the OP chooses not to mention the boat and itinerary. As someone said, "This is a public forum and everyone is free to post exactly what they choose, as long as posting guidelines are not violated.":

OP has tried repeatedly to emphasize the fact that he was COMPARING his experiences. He did not deter me from every trying AMA and I don't think that is what he was trying to do. If price and itinerary were what we were looking for, we would certainly consider AMA.

AMA fans immediately became defensive and now you are even questioning the validity of his experience, because he does not choose to name the ship/itinerary. I have not been reading this board as long as many of you, but long enough to know that the OP has been posting here for quiet awhile. I can see no reason to question his experience and appreciate that he came here to share it. He did NOT post this as a thread to warn anyone against AMA.

One thing AMA and Viking cruisers have in common - they recognize another boat where people are having fun. On separate occasions we rafted up with Viking and AMA ships. We chatted with those cruisers while getting fresh air on the sun deck . . . they thought we were all an affinity group since we were having such. Good time together. That's a big reson we re loyl to our preferred river cruise line . . . great staff that get the pax having an enjoyable trip together.

No, if I do, it'll turn into a cruise/ship review which is not the purpose of my post. Ship name does matter either since all 3 AMA ships have the same design.

But do not get me wrong: I am not complaining. I am comparing: feel the difference :)

In fact we had a very good cruise and will cruise with AMA again if they offer competitive pricing. The problem is IMO they are highly overpriced comparing to Viking.

In all fairness to AMA, the ships may have similar layouts, but the crew can make for a very different experience. I've had vastly different experiences on the same ocean ship from one year to another. I'm sure the same could be said about river cruises.

How was you experience with Viking on the Elegant Elbe? My cousin travelled with Viking this past June and had a horrible experience with Viking on the Elbe and it's taken several months to get sorted out.

In July we sailed with Avalon and yes we were docked in an out of the way location in Budapest but were given a night time sail after dinner to see all of the lights of Budapest, what a great treat that was, something I NEVER saw viking do. Also the location of the Viking dock in Budapest was busy, guests were overlooked by everyone at night on the Chain Bridge. We had two bottles of water in our cabin every day and we could get more by asking. We picked up a Quite VOX receiver every morning as we went out on tour.

In all fairness to AMA, the ships may have similar layouts, but the crew can make for a very different experience. I've had vastly different experiences on the same ocean ship from one year to another. I'm sure the same could be said about river cruises.

 

How was you experience with Viking on the Elegant Elbe? My cousin travelled with Viking this past June and had a horrible experience with Viking on the Elbe and it's taken several months to get sorted out.

 

In July we sailed with Avalon and yes we were docked in an out of the way location in Budapest but were given a night time sail after dinner to see all of the lights of Budapest, what a great treat that was, something I NEVER saw viking do. Also the location of the Viking dock in Budapest was busy, guests were overlooked by everyone at night on the Chain Bridge. We had two bottles of water in our cabin every day and we could get more by asking. We picked up a Quite VOX receiver every morning as we went out on tour.

We sailed into Budapest about 10:30pm on our Viking cruise. It was one of the highlights of our entire trip. Just spectacular! Then we docked by the Chain Bridge. Can't imagine a more perfect location to spend 2 nights in Budapest!