AmaWaterways - AmaDouro Reviews

We loved the relaxed atmosphere of this trip. We sailed most of the day and did shore excursions in the afternoon. My husband, who is a go-go-go type person, actually loved sitting on one of the rocking chairs on the bow, in the am after breakfast to view the river trip. He was fascinated by the train that paralleled the river. (he is a board member of a local train museum, hence his interest). We are already booked for our next cruise this December (Bucharest to Budapest along the Danube).

Very good itinerary. We saw a lot. It’s a smaller ship because of the river constraints. The bathroom was very cramped and the beds were to be 2 twins and were made up as a king and it took 3 requests to get it resolved (about 10 pm day 1). Also the food was good, but not as outstanding as other AMA trips that I have been on.

What a trip! It was filled with beautiful sites, weather, and people (AMA staff and other guests). We kept ourselves busy with all the activities during the pre-extension in Lisbon and throughout the cruise. However, for those that are more interested in relaxing, you could say NO to some of the excursions. One of our favorites was lunch at the estate with Countess Maria. If you've been there, you will agree. We tended to go for the active tour options and certainly got plenty of steps in every day. Portugal is a very hilly country so keep that in mind if your mobility is limited. AMA's hospitality is unmatched in the industry. The food is exceptional, but my only complaint is that there is too much of it. There are also plenty of opportunities for hydration (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic). The Portuguese are experts when it comes to various types of wine and spirits!

AmaWaterways has impeccable service. They handle everything and go the extra mile. I found a couple of things that we a little disappointing. The coffee in the restaurant, for me, was not good. I used the machines to get coffee. It must just be the Portugal coffee they serve. The dining room in the evening when everyone was having dinner was very loud. We could not hear each other at the table. Well, it's an older ship so maybe that was the reason for this.

For the most part everything and everyone was great! I enjoyed Lisbon, and our guide Tiego, was superb. I enjoyed the venues, and our hotel was very nice. We had a few glitches on our boat, but nothing serious. The biggest disappointment was being tied up to another ship EVERY night and on 5 of the 7 nights we were looking straight into another stateroom on another boat instead of having the beautiful views we should have had. We had no privacy in our room when we were docked and therefore had to keep our curtains drawn all the time. I am visually stimulated and therefore crave windows where I can look out, but our windows and balconies were worthless whenever we were docked and that really detracts from our enjoyment. Ricardo was very good, but our AMA guide for the week, Maddie, was very nice, but extremely weak as a guide, especially after Tiego in Lisbon, and our Porto walking guide. Maddie was boring, read her material directly from her notebook, and was difficult to understand. Again, as a person, she was very nice, but she was a very mediocre guide because she didn’t know the material and therefore didn’t talk passionately about anything. She needs to spend a month or more with Tiego and learn how to be prep for where she’s taking us and she needs to sho enthusiasm for what she’s showing us. She just needs to be better trained. All in all, I LOVED the trip, I loved the people, I loved the Douro valley, and I hope to return to Portugal again one day. Some of my best times were up on the sundeck just enjoying the amazingly beautiful hillsides of vineyards and Quintas. It was breathtaking!! Thanks so much

Great trip! One of the bus rides was too long for one particular day trip. Otherwise excellent trip!

The tours that were arranged in Lisbon were excellent. I had hoped to be able to walk the Alfama area, but the rain was torrential, and the wind was blowing at 30 mpm sideways. It was impossible to walk anywhere in the city. Once on the river, we could not travel beyond Requa due to turbulent waters. I was very disappointed to miss the excursion to Salamanca. However, the crew handled the situation with professionalism. The food was also excellent.

Beautiful!!! One of our favorite river cruises. Small ship that makes it easy to have fun at every stop. Cruise is during the day, which was unique to us since most cruise at night and you wake up in a different port. This allowed us to see the beauty of Portugal landscape. Excursions, and our guide Raphael, were great. Our Cruise Director, Ricardo, was the best!

The AMA Waterways trip on the AMA Douro did not disappoint. From beautiful vistas cruising on the Douro, to visits to vineyards at local quintas, to exploring Porto and Lisbon, we had a fantastic time. Andres was a great cruise manager who was able to keep our group organized and entertained throughout the cruise. The chef and the cruise food preparation team did a fantastic job in offering delicious and creative meals. We will be back for a future AMA cruise.

My husband and I had a wonderful time on AmaWaterway's Douro River Cruise - enjoyed many tasty Portuguese dishes plus excellent wines and Port. Highly recommend.

Perfect!! Loved it!!

The Portugal River cruise and Lisbon pre-trip was wonderful. The AMA staff provided excellent service , wonderful food & great excursions. One area of improvement: we had to wait in the airport for our transfer over an hour. The AmaWaterways staff was concerned about a missing passenger. One of the staff members could have taken us to the bus & the other could have waited for the other passenger. Dawn, our travel agent was profession, pleasant & provided us with everything we needed prior to our trip.

Had a lovely time visiting the Duoro. A great 7 days with fantastic weather to help us along.

As the ship was parked between two ships for 5 of the 7 nights in port, we were never able to use our balcony for evening cocktails or coffee in the morning. In fact one morning when we opened our curtains, we were greeted by an eldery woman getting dressed. Not the best visual to wake up to.

The drinks were poured short and cheap, bad house liquor.

Fabulous cruise, staff on board was terrific, excursions were great, we had a great time

Loved the sites and the people. Very interesting and relaxing. Impressed with Andre and his staff. Always helpful and accommodating.