5 Things I loved about AmaWaterways by Judi

When my husband requested a family trip to Normandy, I checked into several trip options including self-guided tours, land tours, and river cruises. I have always been intrigued by river cruises and when I saw AmaWaterways’ Paris and Normandy cruise on the Seine River, I felt it was a great opportunity to try a river cruise first hand.

When we’ve traveled in the past, there were usually offers and opportunities to put a deposit towards a future trip but we never did. We had the opportunity during our first ever river cruise with AmaWaterways to take advantage of a future cruise benefit and jumped at the chance! Here are 5 reasons why we loved our cruise on the AmaLyra and decided that we were definitely going to sail, again, with AmaWaterways.

1. AmaWaterways offers complete packages including roundtrip airfare, transfers, travel protection, and even better, pre or post stays in certain destinations. It was awesome having all our travel arrangements done in one neat package. Plus, our cruise started and ended in Paris, so we took advantage of the offer to have a two night pre-stay in Paris before the cruise began. We took used the extra time to tour The Catacombs of Paris, and the Eiffel Tower (plus a quick one night trip to Disneyland Paris, which is a story for another day!) An optional excursion was included in our package for the second day in Paris. Another reason we loved the two day pre-stay in Paris was that it allowed us the chance to get a little used to the five hour time difference between there and home.

2. I loved the intimacy of being on a small ship. The AmaLyra’s maximum passenger count is 140 guests with 45 crew members. Our sailing, believe it or not, had only 66 guests! We loved getting to know not only fellow guests, but interacting with ALL of the crew members. Ferran, our amazing crew director, met us at the Maison Astor Hotel on our first day in Paris. He was super helpful and very entertaining during the entire trip. We met Captain Alex as soon as we boarded the ship and interacted with him every day. I have Celiac Disease, so Christian, the Maitre d, watched out for me at every meal, and personally took my food order. Vinnie, Tanya, and Mary, were the bartenders in the lounge and served the wine at every meal. Vlad served our meal at the Chef’s Table and served us other meals in the dining room. We would have coffee in the lounge every morning and talk to one of the crew members that worked in maintenance. When you are used to sailing on a cruise ship with 5,000 people and then experience a small group sailing, trust me, you will want to go, again and again!

3. Another thing I was super excited about was all the included meals while on the cruise. It wasn’t even the fact that all our meals were included, it was the quality of the meals! In 2011, AmaWaterways was extended membership in the Chaine des Rotisseurs, an invitation-only organization for individuals and institutions possessing world-class culinary acumen. I am not a foodie in any sense of the word, but let me tell you that every meal was delicious! From locally sourced cuisine, fresh baked bread every day (even gluten free), to delicious main courses, we never left the table hungry. I could spend an hour talking about the delicious desserts, even the gluten free ones such as crepes, Normandy Apple Tart, and more. I had mussels, escargot, Beef Bourguignon, veal Ossobuco, and more. My husband and daughter are finicky eaters, they were excited with the steak and burger options. Complimentary and unlimited wine, beer, and soft drinks were served every day with lunch and dinner. And then there was the Chef’s Table Restaurant, a limited seating tasting menu featuring three appetizers, a champagne and sorbet intermezzo, three main courses and three desserts. Each course is paired perfectly with a hand-selected regional wine. When you board your AmaWaterways River Cruise, make your reservation and don’t hesitate to get put on a waiting list for a chance to enjoy the Chef’s Table a second time.

4. Every day, even the first full day in Paris, we had included excursions! When I say included, they were already included in the price of the package. During a 7-night cruise with AmaWaterways, there are up to eight included excursions to pick. There were even days that we had an excursion in the morning and one in the afternoon. You could pick different activity levels, such as regular or gentle, pick a hiking or biking excursion. Oh, yes, the bikes were even on the ship! There were even different options for excursions. For Normandy, you could choose the U.S. Landing Beaches, Normandy British and Canadian Landing Beaches, or Full-Day Pays d’ Auge. The excursions were so well planned that you would be back on the AmaLyra for lunch, and if you had an afternoon excursion, you were back in time to get ready for dinner. When we had a full-day excursion, the staff prepared boxed lunches for us.

5. Another reason that I loved our cruise on AmaWaterways, were the extras that were included with our trip. For example, every day before dinner, we had a Sip and Sail Cocktail Hour in the lounge. The bartenders would feature an alcoholic drink and a mocktail and provide snacks. There was entertainment every evening. Mike was the regular entertainer, playing piano, guitar, harmonica and singing. The night before Normandy, they brought a World War II expert onboard. The next night, the Swing Birds (the French version of The Andrews Sisters) performed. On another night, they brought a Cabaret show on the ship! Luka, a Wellness Instructor, held Yoga classes every morning. Everyone had free access to a small gym.

I could go on and on about the reasons I loved my river cruise on AmaWaterways. All the ladies were gifted a beautiful scarf that could be worn as a pashmina with evening wear. The men were given a ball cap. Every year, the design of the scarf is different, we were so excited that our scarf is based off a Van Gogh print since Auvers-sur-Oise was one of our excursions. On certain ships, there are specially designed single-occupancy staterooms with French balconies, without additional fees for a solo traveler. The AmaLyra had two of these staterooms, so my daughter stayed in one of them.

Did you know that “Ama” means love? I hope you try an AmaWaterways cruise and fall in love with the experience the way my family and I did. In fact, we are already planning our next river cruise, Iconic Christmas Markets, for December of 2026 on the Danube River. I would love for you to join us!

Ready to start planning your next adventure?