All Ama cruisers!!! Share expierences and ideas

[coevan]

now I'm confused, we were told tips were $20 a day pp or $280 and you also tip tour guides. My rep said everything else is all inclusive. We were never told to tip the wait staff, assumed it was included in the tips. 

[musiclovingmom]

Here is the link to AMA’s FAQ. It explains the gratuities there. Does that help? https://www.amawaterways.com/river-cruise-frequently-asked-questions

[knitter]

44 minutes ago, coevan said:

now I'm confused, we were told tips were $20 a day pp or $280 and you also tip tour guides. My rep said everything else is all inclusive. We were never told to tip the wait staff, assumed it was included in the tips. 

I was including the whole staff in "tips", not to individually tip. Except cruise director.

[beachbumsns]

56 minutes ago, coevan said:

now I'm confused, we were told tips were $20 a day pp or $280 and you also tip tour guides. My rep said everything else is all inclusive. We were never told to tip the wait staff, assumed it was included in the tips. 

On our last river cruise, which was a 7 day, we paid $326 for both of us on our invoice as we prepaid our gratuties.  We like to tip extra to bartenders, our room attendant and some waiters from time to time for the excellent service. We also tip the tour guide/bus driver who usually share the tips.  But for convenience of not carrying a lot of extra cash, we pay the full gratuties up front on our total invoice as part of the cost of our trip and it includes everyone.  Sorry if I confused you.  

[coevan]

13 minutes ago, beachbumsns said:

we pay the full gratuties up front on our total invoice as part of the cost of our trip and it includes everyone. 

 

 

13 minutes ago, beachbumsns said:

We like to tip extra to bartenders, our room attendant and some waiters from time to time for the excellent service.

 

Other than off the ship tips, You sound like these 2 comments contradict each other. I am, was, in the hospitality industry my entire life and generally a pretty generous tipper. Our last land based trip to Europe it seemed tipping like the U.S. 20% is frowned upon. We want to do the right thing and not appear cheap. Do you tip the bartenders for every drink like a bar in the states? 

[beachbumsns]

1 minute ago, coevan said:

 

 

 

Other than off the ship tips, You sound like these 2 comments contradict each other. I am, was, in the hospitality industry my entire life and generally a pretty generous tipper. Our last land based trip to Europe it seemed tipping like the U.S. 20% is frowned upon. We want to do the right thing and not appear cheap. Do you tip the bartenders for every drink like a bar in the states? 

No just a few times throughout the cruise.  Definitely not for every drink. 

[mdroho34]

3 hours ago, knitter said:

Gratuities question- can you charge them on board or do you need cash? I'm guessing cash for the cruise director, but not sure about the stewards, wait staff, etc. Thanks.

BTW: We got a very good air fare thru AMA for a our Normandy cruise next month. Still awaiting documents, however.

Sandy

There is a suggested amount per day per passenger. That covers all the staff on board. You can pay in advance or on board  with cash or credit card. We chose to some small bills on hand throughout the cruise to tip our fav bartender as well as some cash to tip the guides. Clearly that is not what everyone does though as many did not tip them at all. 

[MrsP_29]

3 hours ago, beachbumsns said:

We had our travel agent add them to the bill and paid in Canadian funds.  We tipped extra to wait staff during our cruise.

I thought our TA said we can't add them in now. It's worth asking again just in case I misheard.

[AF-1]

Can you use on board credit for your tips?

[coevan]

I know you can on ocean cruises.

[notamermaid]

Happy news from the ship spotters on Binnenschifferforum. The AmaSiena was caught on camera in Bratislava as a "Kaskotransport", meaning here she was being towed alongside another ship as she cannot propel herself being only  a hull. The ship that is doing it is the Vigila 2. She is supposedly currently near Passau. The AmaSiena will be turned into a proper ship at Boven-Hardingxveld in the Netherlands.

 

notamermaid

 

[MrsP_29]

On 2/16/2020 at 4:13 PM, Annie11455 said:

I thought our TA said we can't add them in now. It's worth asking again just in case I misheard.

Update: I was able to pre-pay our gratuities about two weeks ago. It was $300US for 2 of us on a 7 day cruise.

[Cellagirl]

52 minutes ago, Annie11455 said:

Update: I was able to pre-pay our gratuities about two weeks ago. It was $300US for 2 of us on a 7 day cruise.

I went to Amawaterways website and their recommendation for a 7 night cruise is 100E per person. This does not include the cruise director .  Why did you pay $300.00?

[MrsP_29]

9 minutes ago, Cellagirl said:

I went to Amawaterways website and their recommendation for a 7 night cruise is 100E per person. This does not include the cruise director .  Why did you pay $300.00?

I went to their site as well. We prepaid for the crew and the cruise manager. That's 125€. Convert euros to US dollars and it's roughly $141 on xe.com. We paid $150/person. Can't choose the exchange rate and I'm not going to quibble over $9.

[AF-1]

Annie11455;  I get it;  you are good to go;  have fun out there

[CUTTERSAM]

On 2/16/2020 at 2:09 PM, coevan said:

 

 

 

Other than off the ship tips, You sound like these 2 comments contradict each other. I am, was, in the hospitality industry my entire life and generally a pretty generous tipper. Our last land based trip to Europe it seemed tipping like the U.S. 20% is frowned upon. We want to do the right thing and not appear cheap. Do you tip the bartenders for every drink like a bar in the states? 

 

[CUTTERSAM]

I always leave a little extra if its in one of the time periods that drinks are included, Sail Away and lunch time wine.  At the end of the week if a particular server has stood out I may give him or her extra.  I was once in the hospitality industry and very aware what effect tipping and NOT tipping has on service.  

[JohninAult]

We have a Rhine River cruise booked on Ama in June and are following the issues with the coronavirus quite closely.  In reviewing the recent Cruise Critic article about the temporary cancellation policies that the cruise lines have put in place, I noticed two things.  First, Ama Waterways was not included in the comprehensive list of cruise lines mentioned, just as it has no dedicated board.  Why is that? 

 

Second, it appears that almost all of the other cruise lines are offering cancellation capability with credit for a future cruise at no additional cost.  Ama Waterways is offering what appears to be the same cancellation capability but are charging $175 for it.  Given Ama's reputation for customer service I would have expected them to be leading the way in this area, not charging customers more for the same thing other cruise lines are offering for no charge. I wonder why they decided to charge for this.

[CruiseGal53]

I’m wondering this too. My husband and I have a Danube cruise booked with Ama in April. Since the corona virus is spreading in Europe, we will almost certainly postpone the cruise and reschedule for 2021. We reluctantly purchased the $175 per person waiver that Ama is offering, but are very disappointed that this is the best Ama can do. We have another cruise booked with Viking Ocean leaving Sept. 30 of this year and Viking’s temporary cancellation policy is much more flexible and customer-friendly, and involves no additional fees or costs. 

[Cellagirl]

My question is IF ppl from North America are not allowed to fly into Europe ,how will Ama handle this scenario?  Will we forfeit the cruise with no credit for future cruise???

We have no intentions of canceling our May 1,2020..We are hoping things will be calmer and panic mode gone.   What do you do with your airfare??  Pay the ticket change fee?What are your thoughts?

[JohninAult]

1 hour ago, Cellagirl said:

My question is IF ppl from North America are not allowed to fly into Europe ,how will Ama handle this scenario?  Will we forfeit the cruise with no credit for future cruise???

We have no intentions of canceling our May 1,2020..We are hoping things will be calmer and panic mode gone.   What do you do with your airfare??  Pay the ticket change fee?What are your thoughts?

A couple of questions.  Were you offered and did you purchase the recently offered $175 travel waiver which allows you to cancel for any reason and receive a credit for a future cruise?  Did you purchase your airfare from AmaWaterways as part of the cruise package or buy it separate?  Did you pay directly or through a credit card?

 

Those with the travel waiver will receive a credit for a future cruise which includes the airfare if purchased through Ama.  If you purchased airfare separately, the airlines are currently waiving change fees and allowing full credit against a future flight within one year.  If you did not get the travel waiver, I would contact your travel agent to see why it wasn't offered to you.  If you turned it down, then it could be more difficult.  If you charged it to a credit card, they may be able to help with a refund of some sort.

 

Obviously if the government restricts flights to Europe or puts a hard ban on cruises then AmaWaterways will, in my opinion, have to accommodate their customers in some way, since the customer has no control over the cancellation.

[CruiseGal53]

Ama posted this Travel Advisory on their website today:

 

We would like to take this opportunity to inform you about the latest information regarding upcoming river cruises with AmaWaterways. The health and safety of our guests, and the wellbeing of our staff and crew, are of the utmost importance and we must be vigilant and responsible in ensuring your safety during these uncertain times. As a result, we are voluntarily suspending the operations of our European river cruise fleet and cancelling all of our Europe river cruises through April 25, 2020.

With this in mind, we want to assure you that your long-awaited travel plans will be protected. We are therefore providing these options for you.

1. FUTURE CRUISE CREDIT:

We are offering you a Future Cruise Credit (FCC) equal to 115% of the value of your AmaWaterways purchased services, redeemable on any Europe or Mekong River sailing through December 31, 2022.

2. FULL MONETARY REFUND:

If you prefer, you may elect to instead receive a full monetary refund on all services purchased through AmaWaterways.

Should you have any questions or concerns regarding your river cruise cancellation, future cruise credit or refund, please contact your travel advisor as we are in direct communication with them regarding current developments on our policies. If you choose to contact us directly, please note we are experiencing a higher than normal call volume, as expected.

Travel with Peace of Mind

APPLICABLE FOR SAILINGS EMBARKING AFTER APRIL 26,2020

In light of the recent global events and uncertainties around travel, we wish to offer our guests additional flexibility and peace of mind so they may continue to safeguard the wonderful plans they have made for their much-anticipated river cruise with AmaWaterways. As a result, we will offer for a limited time, special provisions which allow guests with new or existing reservations to purchase AmaWaterways Travel Waiver Plus*. AmaWaterways Travel Waiver Plus provides cancellation for any reason, up to 24 hours prior to the start of their AmaWaterways booked services (cruise, pre-cruise land extensions, air etc.) 

Should guests decide to cancel their cruise for any reason, they will have the following options based on date of cancellation:

• Cancellation received up to 7 days prior to start of AmaWaterways services: 
  Future Cruise Credit** covering cancellation penalties, and the balance will be refunded based on our standard cancellation policy for services purchased through AmaWaterways.
• Cancellation received between 6 days to 24 hours prior to start of AmaWaterways services: 
  Future Cruise Credit** issued for 100% of AmaWaterways services to be used towards any sailings within 24 months of cancellation date 

For all new or existing reservations (deposited or paid in full), the Travel Waiver Plus may be purchased up to 48 hours prior to the start of AmaWaterways purchased services.

Travel Waiver Plus price:

• $80 per person – for those who purchase AmaWaterways Cruise Protection Plan*
• $175 per person – if purchased without AmaWaterways Cruise Protection Plan* or if you have purchased travel protection independently

 

To purchase AmaWaterways Travel Waiver Plus, contact your Travel Advisor or AmaWaterways at 1.800.626.0126.

 

 

[AF-1]

My river cruise departs May 11;  I personally don't believe it will go.  I think AMA will cancel all cruises thru May

[VirginiaTraveler]

2 minutes ago, AF-1 said:

My river cruise departs May 11;  I personally don't believe it will go.  I think AMA will cancel all cruises thru May

I suspect you are correct.  I wish AMA was as accomadating as almost all other cruise companies who have been generous about canceling for future cruise credit without additional 'insurance charges".  Frankly, I'm surprised at AMA Waterways' position given the worldwide uncertainty.  AMA has always been a leader...but I guess not this time.

 

[AF-1]

I agree with you.  Why should we have to purchase additional insurance to go along with our already high priced travel insurance.