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January 10, 2024

For over 35 years, ive followed the global ocean-going passenger shipping scene, the highs, the lows, the surprises, ships coming and ships going – sometimes too soon. It is a fascinating industry. What I have thus far failed to understand in any real depth is river cruising.

A couple of years ago I built a database of Cruise Ships and Ferries, once completed I decided to have a look at river cruise ships, and I was astounded by just how many there are and how they multiply at a staggering rate season after season.

About the same time British singer and documentary star Jane MacDonald started a new series of programmes, Cruising with Jane MacDonald and in one of her episodes in season 1 and again in season 2 she took river cruises.
Compared to the standard of accommodation I was used to on ocean ships, the staterooms on river ships looked far bigger and more elaborate. With less than two hundred passengers and a healthy crew to passenger ratio, the idea of trying one of these trips certainly appealed. But with children at home, it would have to wait.

Fast forward to October 2023 and it was finally time for my wife and I to sample river cruising. Not really clued up enough on which ships or lines to chose we went to a cruise show and listened to a talk about Amawaterways. It was quite an easy sell to be fair. Later in the week, my wife spoke to the travel agent and taking into consideration times and prices we operated for a cruise on the Danube on the AmaViola. Booked and paid for, I bought a book about river cruising to understand the vibe and see where the ship rated compared to others. Very highly was the answer, number 5 in the world out of over three hundred ships and with a twin balcony stateroom we were in for quite the treat.

We flew from Glasgow to Munich via London with British Airways and joined the ship just over the Austrian border for our sail east through Austria with stops in Linz, Vienna, Weissenkirchen, through to Slovakia stopping at Bratislava and on to Budapest, the capital of Hungary.  To me this is the perfect itinerary for a first river cruise, much in the same way that I tend to encourage people to visit the Western Mediterranean for a first ocean cruise, there is a lot to see and do and you get a truly immersive cruise experience.

On arrival in Munich, we were greeted by a representative of Amawaterways who told us that she would contact the bus driver and get him to come round and pick us up and take us to the ship because the other couple were already at the airport! Now on an ocean cruise with transfers there is a fleet of coaches taking hundreds of passengers to the ship. It was the first pleasant surprise of the trip. The bus in question was an upmarket Mercedes Sprinter and the driver sped us down the Autobahn at a brisk speed to get us to the ship.

We boarded the AmaViola in Engelhatszell and got our card key from the reception and headed the few steps to our room, the second surprise, the scale of the ship was unlike anything I had seen before, everything was close at hand. River ships generally have a restaurant and lounge forward and cabins aft arrangement.

The quality of the décor in both the reception area and corridors and beautiful with marble stairs and lots of wood surfaces, subtle lighting, and actual embossed walls. It felt more like an upmarket hotel than a ship. We were immediately impressed but even more so when we looked in our stateroom which was twice the size of any cabin, we have had on any ocean cruise. Naturally the fit out was superb and of a very standard. The novelty of having a French and traditional balcony felt a bit unnecessary to be honest and I would not go out of my way to specifically book one again.

We had a traditional Oktoberfest welcome in the main lounge which was a clever way of getting to know each other over beer and pretzels. Then followed the first of many excellent meals. Never have I simply ordered the chefs recommendations, but in every single meal I had, I went straight for everything they recommended. All food is delivered daily fresh to the ship and there is no frozen food other than Ice Cream. This means largely that the food is local and seasonal, bread is baked onboard.

On one night during your cruise, you can dine at the Chef’s table which has the same menu every day, but it is made from scratch in its own dedicated kitchen and is a gastronomical delight. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Each course is paired with a suitable wine. After dinner there is usually some form of entertainment which is often a local act brought on specifically for that evening, and they leave the ship once they are done. In Vienna, there is an optional excursion to the opera which is the only excursion that was an additional cost. On our trip it was €99 per person. We thoroughly enjoyed it, and would highly recommend going.

With just one main lounge onboard one quickly gets to know one’s fellow passengers and lasting friendships are formed with passengers getting to know each other by name so its always a friendly good morning, Bob, John etc and of course you get to know your fellow passengers on the excursions. These can range from 1 hour wine tasting in a local wine bar to a full day excursion to say Salzburg. I am a huge fan or excursions and the fact that these are included in the price is a real bonus. I was off ship on at least one trip every single day. It really made for an immersive experience seeing things one would not likely find without a guide. You really get the feeling you are making the most of your time.

The ship provided quitevox radio handsets and headphone so that you can ‘tune in’ to your guide discreetly. These were extremely useful and again added to the experience. I must say that all the guides we had were excellent, knowledgeable, friendly, and warm. Tours are conduced in English as most passengers are North American or British with just a handful of other nationalities on board. On our cruise it was 40% American or Canadian, 50% UK and 10% other.

All meals are accompanied by wine, Prosecco at Breakfast and fine local and international wines flow freely at Lunch and Dinner. After returning to the ship after an excursion, there was mulled wine to enjoy and before dinner there was a complementary cocktail hour. The only drinks you really pay for are the ones after dinner in the bar. The range on offer is rather good, although space on board precludes an extensive menu. Light snacks are available all day in the lounge, breakfast is also available from a small buffet selection which gives way to various cakes and biscuits before light lunch items, afternoon tea and a small selection of late-night snacks. Tapas is available throughout the day from the bar.

A river cruise ship is a completely different beast to an ocean going ship in terms of construction, I noticed a lot more wood onboard, the windows were typically double glazed panels instead of the thick glass used on Ocean ships, the bridge and masts were of much lighter construction, all signs of a ship that was never going to experience the vagaries of blue water cruising.

Most of the ceilings onboard were single piece panels rather than the planks of steel used in many cruise ship cabins. The build felt much more like hotel than a ship. The stateroom bathrooms had proper porcelain fittings and tiled floors and walls. Close the curtains and you could be in a high-end hotel.

As we were approaching Christmas, many of our destinations had Christmas markets on which really added to the atmosphere. In Vienna, we were given a voucher to obtain a complimentary glass of glühwein which went down a treat. The overall quality of goods, good and drinks on offer at all the markets we visited was excellent. On board the ship, the second night of our cruise, we had a Christmas Tree decorating and they remained decorated until the last day when they were stripped ready for the next passengers.

As a waterway, the Danube is fascinating. In addition to scores of river cruise ships there are many cargo ships which operate on the river, as well as barges being ferried by small motor vessels. It is a busy route, a marine motorway taking goods from the black sea, right through to Germany. Because of the geology of the area, the river can run high after heavy weather which can cause problems for navigation, particularly where there are low bridges. Sometimes, ships simply cannot proceed upriver. This was the case on our trip with localised flooding in Passau, Germany.

The locks on the river are fascinating, most are double width but allowing two vessels to going through at the same time. Some are even larger and can accommodate four vessels, but for the smaller locks, the maximum length of vessel that can transit is 135m, the width of the locks is generally 24m. They seem to lack people manning the locks, in terms of rope men, the ships tend of take care of themselves. Locks are open 24 hours a day for navigation, and it was interesting to wake up in the night to find us in a lock. The most visible sign being the bright lights on the shore which penetrated subtly through the curtains. I often found myself getting up to see if we were alone.

Another interesting thing about river cruise ships, is that they often double or even triple berth. Limited space alongside medieval cities means that by double berthing more ships can get alongside. If you are on a ship that is on the outer side facing the river, to get off you must go through the neighbouring vessel, which allows you a minute or so to have a look at their set up. Similarly, if you have a balcony cabin and it is in the side of the ship which is alongside your neighbour yet get a look through to their accommodation. It makes for an extremely straightforward way to assess the quality of other vessels.

At our first port of call, a few of us managed to go aboard another Amawaterways ship, the AmaMagna, a double width ship and the highest rated river cruise ship in Europe. She was a delight, the advantage of the additional width meaning she had more space onboard for additional eating venues and the staterooms were notably much larger. A ship that I could find myself on in the future.

Overall, my cruise experience was superb, the crew were friendly, the food superb, the ship immaculate and comfortable and the destinations visited were breath taking. My wife is completely sold on river cruising, preferring it to ocean cruising. Having done one, I am also sold on the concept and look forward to more river cruising in the future, which said – next stop for me, an Ocean cruise from Singapore to Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam!

Don’t miss more updates, news and reviews about AmaWaterways on Cruising Journal.

Christopher Brindle

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