Essential Guide to a Bordeaux River Cruise with AmaWaterways

Table Of Content

• Itineraries and Ports of Call
• Dining options on AmaWaterways vs. Viking
• About TravelAge West
• AmaWaterways Review What Makes AmaWaterways Different? What We Like About AmaWaterways
• Reasons Emerald Cruises Yachts are Ideal Caribbean Escapes
• More to love about an Ama Waterways cruise
• Uniworld Boutique River Cruises Announces New Riverboat for 2026

Overall it was an overall excursion that still left me with time to relax on the boat in the afternoon. Did you know that amawaterways has multiple activities offered for each port? Most AmaWaterways river cruise ships have a professionally trained Wellness Host on board who leads complimentary yoga, Zumba, and other fitness activities throughout the journey. Active shore excursions, including guided bike tours and hikes, are also offered in ports of call.

Itineraries and Ports of Call

So we can be a bit picky or critical when it comes to talking about food and if that isn’t you, take what I say with a grain of salt. Right next to the cruise manager’s desk, off the entry atrium, there is a small library. The library has a selection of books and games that can be borrowed and enjoyed on board.

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Dining options on AmaWaterways vs. Viking

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The line has a fleet of 26 ships, with three new vessels launching in 2024 and 2025.

About TravelAge West

Guests have the freedom and flexibility to choose from a range of guided tours. Executive Vice President, Co-Founder and Co-Owner Kristin Karst brings extensive experience in luxury travel, river cruising and customer service to AmaWaterways. Rudi and Kristin partnered with Jimmy Murphy, a brilliant travel entrepreneur who built Brendan Vacations. His son Gary now carries on his father’s tradition in his role as Vice President of Sales.

As regular readers of River Cruise Advisor know, AmaWaterways is a multi-awarded river cruise company. Not as well known among RCA’s readers, Backroads bills itself as the world’s #1 active travel company. The combination of cycling and river cruising was a match made in heaven, and a perfect way to travel for this father and son duo. AmaWaterways masterfully delivers experiences that all can enjoy, no matter what ages, interests or mobility levels. Celebrating 20 years in operation, the innovative river cruise company boasts beautiful ships plying the waterways of Europe, Asia, Africa and soon, Latin America.

Reasons Emerald Cruises Yachts are Ideal Caribbean Escapes

As with most river cruises, onboard activities are limited, as the focus is on excursions. In the case of AmaWaterways, and the AmaSiena in particular, bike tours are a highlight. However, there’s always plenty of flexibility while in port for adventures, from wine tastings to museum visits. After cruising up the river from Lyon, the AMAKristina docked at the town of Villefranche. We were given the choice of a bus tour of the Beaujolais countryside in the southern part of Burgundy.

More to love about an Ama Waterways cruise

AmaWaterways’ culinary team crafts menus with the finest and freshest local ingredients. Selections change daily, featuring locally-inspired gourmet cuisine and traditional favorites. In Southeast Asia, AmaWaterways sails Vietnam & Cambodia’s Mekong River. In Africa, the company operates the 28-passenger Zambezi Queen (pictured) sailing the Chobe River. In Egypt, AmaDahlia operates Nile River Cruises and will soon be joined by a second ship AmaLilia, in 2024. AmaWaterways will begin cruising in Latin America on a new ship, AmaMagdelana.

If you’re a traveler seeking to delve deeper into Lisbon’s history and culture, AmaWaterways has an enticing offer for you. Embark on a Douro river cruise and extend your journey with an optional land package in Lisbon, immersing yourself in the city’s colorful old quarters, lively squares and architectural marvels. Headquartered in Calabasas, CA, AmaWaterways was founded in 2002 by Rudi Schreiner and Kristin Karst, a husband-and-wife team with much river cruise line experience, and the late Jimmy Murphy, founder of Brendan Worldwide Vacations. It’s highly inclusive, strikes a balance on included beverages, has dedicated wellness hosts, and so much more. Rüdesheim am Rhein is one of Germany’s most picturesque wine areas. Guests can soar above the vineyards on a gondola ride to the hilltop Niederwald Monument, join a wine tasting, visit the unique Siegfried’s Mechanical Music Cabinet museum, and take a guided biking or hiking tour.

Uniworld Boutique River Cruises Announces New Riverboat for 2026

The only difference between them is the river cruise ship's direction and the order of the towns you visit; the itinerary and towns you stop at are the same. In the morning, we boarded the coach to visit the impressive Castle of Roquetaillade. This amazingly preserved masterpiece of medieval military architecture has been owned by the same noble family for 700 years. Alternatively, we could have gone wine tasting to the Sauternes wine region, but since neither of us are fans of sweet wines, we chose the castle instead. The AmaDolce has a capacity of 144 passengers but on our cruise, there were only 63 passengers onboard.

Advisors should be aware that the marina and its aquatic toys — which were once mentioned a lot in ship promotions — are not currently being utilized. Amsterdam is home to 165 canals, and a scenic canal cruise along these tree-lined waterways is a fantastic way to see the city’s centuries-old historical center and beautiful attractions. There’s so much to see and do in Amsterdam, so plan to spend several days here before or after your cruise. During our extended time in Amsterdam, we took a fabulous canal tour and visited the Van Gogh Museum, the Rijksmuseum, and the Floriade Expo, a world-renowned horticultural exhibition occurring once each decade. I enjoyed sampling local wines and viewing the terraced vineyards, but one of my favorite experiences was exploring Rüdesheim after dark. We strolled around the Old Town and down Drosselgasse, a narrow cobblestone street lined with restaurants, wine bars, taverns, and boutiques.

For lunch and dinner, indulge in fine wines distinctive of the regions visited, beer and soft drinks, and be treated to a Sip & Sail daily cocktail hour. Our included tour of beautiful Heidelberg was a fabulous experience. This well-preserved city is set along the scenic Neckar River and is home to Germany’s oldest and most renowned university.

On our last day we had lunch in Bordeaux at Avant Comptoir du Palais and they served the most amazing French butter with silvers of sea salt throughout and we were in heaven. Lunch and dinner would typically start with a salad, which always had fresh greens and vegetables. This would be followed by a soup course, which I typically skipped because it was often cream-based, but my husband enjoyed them. This was followed up by an entree/appetizer plus main at dinner or just the main course for lunch.