AmaWaterways Rhine River Cruise – An Enchanting Experience

AmaWaterways is a luxury river cruise line renowned for its award-winning intimate ships, personalised service, exceptional dining and immersive excursions that go far beyond standard bus tours. Blending luxury with culture, guests can expect a standout experience sailing along iconic rivers, including the Rhine, Danube, Mekong and more. Our Customer Support Advisor, Sally, recently returned from AmaWaterways 7-night Enchanting Rhine river cruise and described her experience as nothing short of amazing. Keep reading to discover what made her journey so special.

Day 1 – Embarking AmaWaterways AmaLucia

I checked in at British Airways Terminal 5, ready for my flight to Basel. Before we knew it, we’d landed. On arrival in Basel, we went through immigration. It was my first time travelling to Europe since the new EES system had started, so I had to place my hand on the electronic pad for fingerprints and have my photo taken. It only took a couple of minutes, and then we were free to enter the country.

We headed into the arrivals hall, where we were met by the AmaWaterways representative. On arrival at the ship, we checked in by giving our names and were handed our cabin key cards. I was sharing with my colleague Rachel, and we had a twin cabin on the Piano Deck. The room was well appointed with a mini fridge, coffee maker and all the usual mod cons, plus plenty of sockets for charging phones and devices. There were lots of lovely amenities too and I was pleasantly surprised to find body lotion in the bathroom. The products were so nice I used them instead of my own all week.

We then went to the lounge for a coffee and had a walk around the ship. I was amazed at just how beautiful it was and how easy it was to find your way around. The weather was gorgeous on arrival, and I had my fingers crossed it would stay that way for the rest of the week.

We both freshened up before dinner. There is a Sip and Sail cocktail hour every evening before dinner, and drinks are included, with both alcoholic and non alcoholic cocktails on offer.

Our first evening meal was delicious. I started with Consommé Célestine, a clear beef consommé. For my main course, I had Sea Salt Crusted Black Angus Ribeye with mustard crème fraîche, fingerling potatoes, sautéed wild forest mushrooms and truffle jus. It was absolutely delicious. Dessert was Blackberry Amarena Cream, which was equally lovely, all washed down with plenty of Chardonnay. The waitress kept topping up our glasses whenever we wanted more.

After dinner, Captain Henk presented all of the ladies with a red rose, which we placed in the vase in our cabin. A really lovely touch.

Day 2 – Breisach

I headed to the dining room for breakfast, where there was plenty on offer, from cereals to a full cooked breakfast, along with fruit juices, smoothies and endless coffee.

We docked in Breisach for the day. We had already booked all of our excursions on the AmaApp, MyAmaCruise, before arriving on the ship, so we knew exactly what we were doing each day.

I popped to reception to collect tickets for either the regular or gentle excursion coach and picked up a bottle of water for the trip. Then it was back to the cabin to collect the Quietvox personal audio system for the shore excursion commentary. These were excellent. You charged them overnight, and the over-ear headset stayed comfortably in place while the narration came through crystal clear.

I chose the Colmar walking tour, which took us through the beautiful town of Colmar. The weather was lovely again, and we saw storks nesting in the trees and on top of one of the churches. We also visited the museum dedicated to Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, the designer of the Statue of Liberty.

After the excursion, we headed back on board for lunch before spending a few hours on the top deck enjoying the sunshine and scenery.

Soon it was time to freshen up for Sip and Sail before dinner. Once again, the food was outstanding. To start, I had Gioga Beet Tartare and Goat’s Cheese Quenelle, followed by Celery Root and Apple Cream Soup. For my main course, I chose Herb Roasted Grass Fed Chicken Supreme with wild mushrooms and for dessert, a Chocolate Mousse Dome. It was a very filling meal, and I tried dishes I wouldn’t normally order, but they were definitely worth trying.

Later in the evening, we returned to the lounge for drinks and dancing before the ship departed for Strasbourg, our next port of call.

Day 3 – Strasbourg

The following morning, we woke up in Strasbourg, where we had booked the Gem of Alsace tour. After a good breakfast of porridge and plenty of coffee, we boarded the coach for around an hour before arriving in the city.

Once again, we were blessed with beautiful weather as we explored another stunning destination.

We popped into a coffee shop for cake before heading back to the ship for lunch. We ate in the Italian restaurant at the back of the ship, which also doubles as the Chef’s Table restaurant in the evenings.

After lunch, we relaxed and caught up with our fellow travellers for a few hours before Sip and Sail cocktails and another fantastic evening meal.

Tonight I had carrot and ginger soup followed by Hereford beef fillet with Périgord truffle and dauphinoise potatoes. This was probably my favourite meal of the trip. Dessert was Mousse au Chocolat Grand Cru.

The meals were incredibly filling and the wine flowed freely. A perfect end to another lovely day.

Day 4 – Ludwigshafen

The next day, we arrived in Ludwigshafen, where we joined the Romantic Heidelberg tour.

Breakfast this morning was Eggs Benedict with juice and coffee before a coach journey of around 1 hour and 45 minutes to Heidelberg.

We visited Heidelberg Castle, which sits high on the hillside overlooking the old town. The views from the castle were incredible. Afterwards, we headed back down into the town, where we walked along the river before finding another great viewpoint looking back up towards the castle.

Back on board for lunch, we returned to the Italian restaurant, and once again the food was fantastic. Tomato soup to start, followed by Arrabbiata Piccante pizza and ice cream for dessert. Afterwards, I headed up to the top deck to enjoy the sunshine. There was a slight chill in the air, but the ship provided blankets on deck, which was a really thoughtful touch.

I also collected a couple of complimentary postcards from the reception and wrote them to my husband and mother. The reception team posted them free of charge, another lovely little extra that made the experience feel special.

Soon it was time for Sip and Sail and our evening meal.

I started with Consommé Paysanne followed by Traditional Viennese Schnitzel and my absolute favourite dessert of the trip, Viennese Apple Strudel.

Very full afterwards, I headed up to the top deck to watch the sunset.

We departed Ludwigshafen at 8pm and sailed overnight towards Mainz.

Day 5 – Mainz

The next morning we arrived in Mainz ready for our excursion to Wiesbaden.

By now, I had settled into a routine of waking early for porridge and coffee before heading out for the day. The weather was beautiful once again as we boarded the coach for the one-hour journey to Wiesbaden.

We tried the water from the hot springs, which tasted strongly of sulphur. Safe to say it wasn’t for me. We also learned about how the Romans used the springs in the past. One thing I wasn’t expecting was the number of wild parakeets flying around Wiesbaden. They were very loud but quite funny to watch.

We returned to the ship for an early lunch as we were setting sail that afternoon. I opted for something lighter today with a ham and cheese toastie and chips.

That afternoon, we cruised through the Rhine Gorge.

What an incredible experience. I hadn’t realised just how many castles we would pass along the Rhine. The scenery was spectacular and so peaceful. The Cruise Director gave a running commentary on each castle as we sailed by, and we were served coffee, which I’m fairly sure contained a splash of brandy.

Some members of our group visited Lahneck Castle that evening. I decided not to go as it was later in the evening, but the photographs looked amazing. Apparently, the castle was lit by candlelight, which sounded incredibly atmospheric.

Before dinner, we enjoyed another Sip and Sail cocktail hour. I had Sweet Potato and Smoky Chipotle Cream Soup, followed by the always available chicken dinner and Hazelnut Praline Tart for dessert.

An early night tonight, as we had a full day in Cologne ahead of us and the ship was departing at 1am.

Day 6 – Cologne

The next morning, I treated myself to pancakes for breakfast instead of porridge, along with plenty of coffee.

We had booked the full-day walking tour of Cologne. As we had docked in Monheim, there was a coach transfer of around 1 hour and 45 minutes to reach the city.

We were glad we booked the full-day excursion as it gave us around four hours of free time to explore. We visited Cologne Cathedral inside and out, did some shopping and stopped for lunch. Some of our group bought local cheese and mustard to take home.

After a long day, we headed back to the ship, which had moved to Düsseldorf. Time to freshen up before Sip and Sail and our evening meal.

Tonight I had pumpkin soup to start, followed by Black Angus ribeye steak and Mango Cloud Mousse for dessert. Everything was delicious. Diamond, one of the serving staff, kept our wine glasses topped up all evening and always did it with a smile.

Time for bed after a long but brilliant day.

Day 7 – Amsterdam

Today we woke up in Wijk bij Duurstede, where we would be visiting Utrecht and Amsterdam.

After breakfast, we headed out for another busy day before returning to the ship for lunch. In the afternoon, we enjoyed an Amsterdam canal cruise, which was a fantastic way to see the city.

Back on board that evening, we had Chef’s Table. The menu had been specially adapted for me as I don’t eat seafood, which the head waiter had discussed with me a few days earlier.

How I managed to finish everything, I still don’t know. The food was incredible, and once again the wine was flowing. We spent the rest of the evening chatting in the lounge before calling it a night.

Day 8 – Disembarking AmaWaterways AmaLucia

The following morning, it was sadly time to disembark, and we noticed AmaVenita docked alongside us. After our final breakfast on board, AmaWaterways had organised our transfer to the airport. Details had been delivered to our cabin a couple of days earlier, so everything felt very organised and stress-free.

We placed our suitcases outside the cabin by 8am, ready for collection before disembarkation. At 10am, our car arrived to take us to Schiphol Airport, all overseen by Cruise Director Rolf.

When we arrived at the airport, there was an AmaWaterways staff member waiting to escort us to the correct check-in area, which was a huge help as Schiphol is enormous. We checked in almost immediately and were through departures before we knew it.

What an amazing time I had on board AmaLucia.

My Top 5 AmaWaterways Highlights

• The itinerary was fantastic and we were so lucky with the weather. My favourite part was cruising through the Rhine Gorge. It was peaceful, scenic and unlike anywhere I’ve visited before.
• The food was outstanding throughout the trip. I tried dishes I would never normally choose and the Chef’s Table tasting menu was a real highlight.
• All excursions were included and visited some really interesting places. Don’t forget to collect your complimentary water before heading off each day.
• The ship itself was so peaceful with plenty of quiet areas to relax and enjoy the scenery.
• The AmaWaterways staff were exceptional and couldn’t do enough for us. The evening turn down service after housekeeping had already cleaned the room earlier in the day was another lovely touch.

A few days after arriving home, I received a postcard from AmaWaterways thanking me for sailing with them and saying they hoped I had enjoyed my time onboard. It was signed by Hotel Manager Florica and Cruise Director Rolf and was such a thoughtful final touch to end an unforgettable trip.

You can view all AmaWaterways cruise deals here.