Which is Better: Uniworld or AMA Waterways?

[GeriatricNurse]

The current edition of Conde Nast Traveller rates the top 50 small ships, including river boats. This magazine TOTALLY DISAGREES with you.

 

The AMA Amadaggio rated 25 out of 50. However, the food received a rating of 82.4 compared to 96.2 for GCT Bizet and 90.9 for Uniworld River Duchess. To be fair, there were several Uniworld ships that got only fair marks for food (Uniworld River Empress (79.7) and Uniworld River Ambassador (80.6).

 

Most of the GCT ships received Excellent to Outstanding marks for food. Uniworld ships varied much more widely, from Fair to Excellent. However, the AMA Amadaggio is the only AMA ship to even make the top 50, and it gets an average rating on food.

 

Regarding service, the GCT Bizet received a score of 98.1, while AMA Amadaggio received a score of 87.9. Uniworld ships received scores ranging from 91.7 to 98.1.

 

When comparing GCT, Uniworld, and AMA Waterways, AMA Waterways finished in the rear of the pack.

 

 

 

Don't always believe what you read!

By the way we cruised on the Amalegro not the Amadagio! (you mispelled it with two "gg" as Amadaggio)!

I repeat, both the food and service, (as well as everything else), onboard the Amalegro, with AMA Waterways, during our cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam, was EXCELLENT!!!

[pacmom]

Personally, I would take what Conde Nast prints with a grain of salt. According to them, one of the best small ships out there is a ferry in the Baltic. BTW, I am one of their survey completers. Food is so subjective. What I might rave about another wouldn't touch. We are foodies and former restaurant owners. Never, never a bad meal on Uniworld or Viking--one or two less than stellar on Vantage Christmas cruise. Really think Trekkie is angsting too much about something that might happen in the next year or two. Pat

[WIT]

Perhaps a better approach for someone who had no river cruising experience would be to read the reviews of varied individuals who have cruised various lines, then give weight to the opinions of those who seem most like oneself.

 

WIT

[webfoot]

Another things to remember is that the crew assigned to the ship (especially the chef) can have a large influence over how good or bad the cruise may seem to a traveler. A ship that was great one year may have a different crew the following year. That can really make a perception difference.

 

I go with the attitude that I'm there for a good time. I don't expect super gourmet food but if we have a few meals that are not the greatest, I will include it on the evaluation sheet that we turn in after the cruise.

 

One of the jobs that I had prior to retirement was process improvements for IT departments. It was a lot of fun ... and that's how I look at the cruise. My evaluation includes suggestions on how something may be improved upon ... but I do not let any problems diminsh the wonderful time we are having on the cruise.

[ChefPeg]

Don't always believe what you read!

By the way we cruised on the Amalegro not the Amadagio! (you mispelled it with two "gg" as Amadaggio)!

I repeat, both the food and service, (as well as everything else), onboard the Amalegro, with AMA Waterways, during our cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam, was EXCELLENT!!!

 

Hello,

 

I was on the Amalegro in December. I found the food anywhere from very good to excellent. DH and I ate very well.

 

The service was exceptional!! The crew and captain were top notch.

 

I do agree that food is subjective. Everyone has different tastes. I certainly would never, ever go by what I read in a magazine. Even the here on CC, not everyone can agree with everyone.

[webfoot]

The one thing that really impacts my decision is the layout of the room and the beds. My DH has severe back problems and does not do well on any pullman-type bed (we had those types of beds on a Russian train .. I know that's not quite the same ... but) ... so that rules out Viking and GCT for us ... but when I started to look for cruises this year, I looked at Uniworld, AMA, and Avalon ... Avalon had the itinerary that we were looking for ... had the hotel beds ... and gave us a 2 for 1 offer ... our next cruise after this may well be with AMA or Uniworld ...

[nordski]

There are a lot of good suggestions in this thread as to how to avoid establishing some arbitrary standards that aspire to be "objective".

As has been pointed out by Pacmom taste in food is very subjective but I, like others, would go further. It seems to me that much of the river cruise experience is an aesthetic one and it ranges from the physical ambience of the boat, atmosphere created by the crew and fellow travellers, the beauty of sites seen the and skills of both CD's and guides etc.

 

These are largely intangibles but are crucial to our enjoyment. Wit makes a great point that you should read the posts, identify how similar you are to that person in sensibility, and let that guide your choice. For example, the Premicon Queen may well be a 5 star experience for some people, but that experience would only make me feel distinctly uncomfortable.

 

Because of this subjectivity, I think care is warranted care in attempting to be too definitive in our judgements. Perhaps most valued are the thoughts of those who have travelled with more than one line.

 

Excuse my post if it just states the obvious, perhaps I'm just trying to organize my own thoughts.

[pacmom]

Well said, Nordski!!!! WIT has some very good thoughts about river cruising. Most of us usually really like the first line we cruise with mainly because we don't know any differences. Now that we've travelled on 4 different lines, we see differences. They have all been wondeful experiences and some better than others. I wholehearted agree that a good CD can make the trip. Safe travels. Pat

[nordski]

Well said, Nordski!!!! WIT has some very good thoughts about river cruising. Most of us usually really like the first line we cruise with mainly because we don't know any differences. Now that we've travelled on 4 different lines, we see differences. They have all been wondeful experiences and some better than others. I wholehearted agree that a good CD can make the trip. Safe travels. Pat

Thanks Pat,

 

Most of what I've learned has been gleaned from reading other posts by experienced cruisers. Perhaps the most important lesson has been that, as in real estate, there are three important rules: not location but itinerary, itinerary and itinerary. A friend has travelled with AMA and loved it, but I just can't find an itinerary that works for us.

 

This should be dealt with in a separate thread but I have a question for you. How did you become one of the people that Conde Nast polls? I'm curious as to how the polling samples are created and, therefore, are some polls more valid than others.

[pacmom]

Nordski,

We were given a year's subscription by Viking after taking a cruise with them. Then an e-mail came along asking if I would like to join their panel. Said yes and have been receiving surveys ever since. They ask about certain airlines, cruise lines and even ads in the magazine. They ask about clothes and jewelry buying habits---am totally out of their leagus there. It is interesting. When they decided that ferry to be better than a real cruise line, I started taking the results with a grain of salt. My e-mail is momcooney@woh.rr.com If you want, I can send you some questions from the next one. Pat

[StarTrkGeek]

Personally, I would take what Conde Nast prints with a grain of salt. According to them, one of the best small ships out there is a ferry in the Baltic. BTW, I am one of their survey completers. Food is so subjective. What I might rave about another wouldn't touch. We are foodies and former restaurant owners. Never, never a bad meal on Uniworld or Viking--one or two less than stellar on Vantage Christmas cruise. Really think Trekkie is angsting too much about something that might happen in the next year or two. Pat

When did they rate a ferry as one of the best small ships? In the current readers' poll, there are no ferries. Instead, they reviewed: GCT, Sea Cloud, Oberoi, Uniworld, Seabourn, Regent Seven Seas, SeaDream, Viking River, Majestic America (Queen of the West), Silversea, AMA Waterways, Peter Deilmann, Lindblad Expeditions, Windstar, Avalon Waterways, and Abercrombie & Kent. There's not a single ferry listed!

 

Also, keep in mind that these ratings are based on surveys completed by fellow cruisers.

[nordski]

Nordski,

We were given a year's subscription by Viking after taking a cruise with them. Then an e-mail came along asking if I would like to join their panel. Said yes and have been receiving surveys ever since. They ask about certain airlines, cruise lines and even ads in the magazine. They ask about clothes and jewelry buying habits---am totally out of their leagus there. It is interesting. When they decided that ferry to be better than a real cruise line, I started taking the results with a grain of salt. My e-mail is momcooney@woh.rr.com If you want, I can send you some questions from the next one. Pat

Thanks for the reply Pat, I may well take you up on that offer.

 

On the polls I've seen regarding river cruises (not just Conde Nast) I've found it difficult to discern the exact nature of their methodology. For example, are they polling a discrete population, say subscribers, and how many responses regarding a specific line are required to be considered a valid sample?

 

None of these concerns totally negates the value of a poll, it just helps me put it in perspective.

[Bobblsc]

Don't always believe what you read!

By the way we cruised on the Amalegro not the Amadagio! (you mispelled it with two "gg" as Amadaggio)!

I repeat, both the food and service, (as well as everything else), onboard the Amalegro, with AMA Waterways, during our cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam, was EXCELLENT!!!

 

Why do you yell loudly? The guidelines for posting indicate that this is lacking in good taste.

 

If you have a vision problem, I apologize.

 

Bob :cool:

[pacmom]

Found the answer to my thoughts about the ferry. It was voted one of the best medium size ships with the best shore excursions. As soon as I figure out how to transfer the info to this board I'll post it.

 

Maybe Geriatricnurse is used to older people needing thinks in bold print or maybe this is her way of getting her point across to people. It is rather jarring--makes me take off my glasses.

 

Pat

[pacmom]

Here is the website!!

 

http://www.cruisebusiness.com/cbr ol...20090204184715

 

Sorry for saying it was a small ship. Pat

[Suitcase Ready]

The locks on the river limit the maximum size of the river boat. Given this fact, having more room for an actual French balcony also means having less space somewhere else on the boat - perhaps fewer or smaller rooms. Most pax found the viewing better in the front or aft lounges or the top deck. A French balcony mid ship on a lower level might be close to the water level and unable to enjoy the views of those in better positions.

 

WIT

Just came back from a Viking cruise on one of their newest boats....long boats....and we had their new two bedroom suite. The suite was fantastic with two caveat - one is the limited storage space and two the Viking cruise overall left much to be desired. It does have a balcony with two chairs and a small table. The way that is done on the boat is as we see it an unequal amount of space on one side of the hall to the rooms. That allows the rooms to be larger on one side. Not noticeable on board. We did two Uniworld cruised and one Viking. Winner is Uniworld. Also....seems to be some questions about drinks...wine, soda and beer were flowing at lunch and dinner on the Viking cruise.

[texastart]

Have been on Uniworld three times, Avalon once and AMA once on the Douro River.

Out of all three, we prefer Uniworld.

All three are similar as far as the accomodations and you would enjoy either. The difference for us came in the dining room. We are picky eaters...don't care for fancy food and cannot eat seafood. We were able to get the most wonderful french fries every night at our table.

They were happy to provide us with any requests, if possible. It's the little things on Uniworld that make the difference, not the big things. But having said that, Uniworld's prices have gotten way too high compared to the other companies.

We are easy going and don't let the little things bother us. If you feel the same way, you'll have a good time on any of the three above.

[swamp1sg]

We have sailed on Uniworld, Viking and AMA.

 

First: Viking only has pullman style beds in the lowest category. We usually do the 2nd category and Viking beds were fine, as were AMA and Uniworld. The bedding was similiar and the bath products the same, although Viking seemed to have a few extra products.

 

Second: For us the food on AMAlyra was the best with Uniworld a close 2nd. They all had similiar breakfasts. Lunch on Uniworld was a buffet and on the other 2 a combination. I liked Uniworld the best for lunch because they had 6 or 7 desserts not 2 or 3. AMA had the fanciest food presentations. All served wine. They all offer a standard list of substitutions if you didn't like what was on the menu. Viking's menu was the smallest (one soup, one appetizer, vs. 2). Viking's deserts were usually some form of ice cream.

After you were served AMA kept coming around offering seconds of several items so you could often try something else. Viking really needed more wait staff.

 

Third: English was the only language spoken on all the lines. We liked meeting people from other countries and would find only sailing with Americans a negative.

 

Fourth: All the crews and guides on the tours were excellent, but I would give a slight edge to Viking. However, I am only comparing 3 ships. One night I was sick and the Maid're D and Hotel manager on Viking brought soup and bread to my room.

 

Fifth: The extras: Loved, loved the glassblower on Uniworld and my pocketbook reflected it. AMA was the only line that had a giftshop that carried more than stuff with the ships logo on it. AMA was easily decorated the best (Christmas) and offered several wonderful activities and little touches. For one thing, each cabin had a platter of cookies and candies. All the cabin doors were decorated. As a mixer, the passengers decorated 3 trees in the lounge. One night we left our shoes out for a gift from St. Nick(a huge chocolate Santa). There was also a Christmas party where the crew sang caroles and Santa brought us all gifts. Viking had an afternoon showcasing the food of Normandy. We had an accordian player and hard cider.

 

Sixth: Entertainment: About the same. They all had a piano player, but for me AMA was the best (personal preference for the songs he played.)

 

BOTTOM LINE: We would sail any of them again. We will be adding Avalon to our lines as we are taking a Christmas cruise with them this year.