The pre and post cruise trips were the highlight of the trip. The pre and post cruise trips were excellent, the organisation, the cruise manager, local guides and hotels were all exceptional. I would rate these as 5 stars. The actual cruise on the Mekong River aboard the AmaDara was not up to a standard that we were expecting. The ship was tired and felt in need of a refurbishment. With the exception of the chefs table, one evening, the evening meals were very poor. Hot food should be hot and not tepid, menu choices were not great, my wife had to have Salmon 4 out of 7 nights from the always available menu. The fruit selection at breakfast was the same day after day and a poor selection. I ordered the avocado on toast with a poached egg, both times they were cold. Lunch was also a buffet with a reasonable salad choice, without doubt the best food on board. The staff on board the ship were all excellent, they were very friendly, polite and extremely helpful. Apart from one full day cruising when we crossed the border there seemed very little cruising between stops. The views of the land when cruising was dull and boring with nothing really to see. Without a doubt the highlight of the trip was Halong Bay, Angkor Wat and the Chu Chi tunnels in Hanoi, Seam Reap and Ho Chi Min City respectively. Meeting new friends on this trip was also a highlight. Personally we would prefer the trip to be a little more expensive and remove the need for tipping and paying extra for certain drinks.

Choose another company or at least, itinerary This river cruise line was recommended by our TA and we were very disappointed all around with our first river cruise. The food was marginal at best, service could have been better (except for 3 outstanding employees) and the woman working the front 'welcoming desk' was not happy to be there; we heard others voice feedback about why is she working there! As for the excursions, they were pretty packed and many required hour long bus rides to cities. Then we had to deal with 'slow walkers' who didn't pay attention to the 'active tour' detail versus taking the 'gentle walkers' tour. The the average age of passengers on this particular cruise was over 70 - we weren't expecting a 'floating senior citizen home' !! And last item, for any of you readers thinking of choosing AMA and this particular route, the only night we (and quite a few other passengers) got a good night's sleep was when the ship was stationary; the captain increased the speed at night (obviously when he thought many would be asleep) but the walls of the cabin and the bed were rattling and vibrating all night making it impossible to get to sleep; and we were on deck two near mid ship! If we ever decide to try another river cruise, it will be with Tauck or Uniworld and a different itinerary. p.s. and the entertainment was pretty much 'non-existent - one night they brought on board a singing duo - they were fun but the rest of the nights consisted of 'elevator music' by a man playing an electric piano - disappointing there also!

TRY OTHER RIVER CRUISE LINES...LIKE UNIWORLD. I have traveled on AmaWaterways last year on the Danube and this year on the Rhine. I enjoyed both ships. However and this is a big however, the food is mediocre at best. Breakfast the same every day and definitely lacks in variety. Special of the day such as Pancakes came in a pair the size of silver dollar and they were cold. Fresh fruit now sliced. No cereals. It was atrocious. They try to be a gourmet priority which comes up short because they fail miserably. Ordered Chicken Schnitzel and it was a piece of chicken breaded thinly and served hard. Steaks were also thin, tougher to chew and a disappointment as well. They include wine and beer and champagne with lunch and dinner. If you want a diet coke in mid-afternoon they charge for it. This is hardly a 5-star recommendation. I will never travel AMA again and I had 2 other cruises booked for my 3rd and 4th. If their food service was even halfway between Celebrity and Regent they would have something to brag about. Dismal.

My Wife Wasn’t the Only One Sharing the Bed With Me! Even though we were impressed with the ambiance and itinerary, I never thought I would be dealing with bed bugs on our cruise boat. Mentioned my concerns to staff and even though apologetic, my cruise experience was a disaster. I will never cruise with this company again. Also food was served cold.

Never Book with AMAWaterways! We booked a Nile Cruise with AmaWaterways and we’re told that the deposit would be refunded if we had insurance. We took out insurance. Before making the final payment Covid was still a concern so we thought it better to cancel. The insurance company, AIG, refused to issue a refund! We always enjoyed AnaWaterways and had four great cruises but based on our recent experience we will never book a cruise with them again! Our advice to anyone considering booking with AMA, DON’T BOOK! David Olsen