This was very helpful. I’ve cruised Avalon years ago and was quite pleased. We are more active travelers so will likely stick with them but will consider AMA if the price and itinerary is better. As a frequent ocean cruiser, a balcony is a must but on a river cruise, it is not a priority. On a river cruise you have no sea days, spend little of your waking hours in your cabin and likely will wake up one morning to find your balcony is 3 feet from the balcony of an adjoining river boat tied along side while in port. I prefer to save on the cost of an upgraded cabin and spend it on pre/post cruise extensions.
Paul thank you for your great comments. AMA has also added a staff member on most ships for yoga and more active excursions. Last week Uniworld announced a partnership with Butterfield and Robinson to add more biking tours to a group of sailings. They are going to include upgraded bikes with preloaded maps with GPS and support vehicles that go with the gorup.
Great video. You didn't mention anything about Entertainment. Your thoughts? I recently sailed on Avalon and loved the Panoramic Suite. Avalon has something called a Panorama Bistro Menu for dinnertime. It's on the lounge level. It's great for dining a lighter meal and has most of the same dinner menu items served more like Tapas. Does Ama have this? Thanks !!!!
I think the entertainment is pretty much the same. I was just on another AMA in May and they brought on local entertainment 4 nights of the cruise. Ama does not have a light dinner menu. They do have the TAPAS but not really dinner. But they have the Chefs Table which Avalon does not have. Ama does have a light lunch each day.
Thank you for this comparison video. I have a group going on Avalon and I only toured and didn't sail on it. So I'm very happy to hear that it is very similar to AmaWaterways.
I have done the cruise on both ama and uniworld. I think of all the lines uniworld is my favorite. Some my not like the decor, but I think it is fitting for this itinerary
@@luxurycruisetips I'm doing research for my very first river cruise and really liked everything about Uniworld; however, most of the decor seems too gaudy (especially in the cabins, with matching patterned walls, beds, and bedding, which feels like overkill 😵), so I'm kind of turned off. I like the way their S.S. São Gabriel is designed, so if I cruise with them, it'll have to be on that ship.
@@KayHamilton247 Kay, their idea is the decor should match the area. I have done the Duro twice and am planning on doing it again. It is a very special area. It can also be very hot during the summer. I have sailed Uniworld many times and I think their food is the best. Ama has great tour offerings. If you need help let me know jack@vacationeeze.com
I agree that I like the smaller ships. For ocean cruises you can try Windstar, Silversea and Seabourn as they have smaller ships that I have had a great experience on.
oh god...I've traveled on both. Ama Waterways is far superior. Avalon was the worst. On Avalon, we were only informed on the first night of our 2-week river cruise that, due to water levels, we would be bussed and hoteled for the second week. I would never have gone had i known that, and Avalon knew this well before the cruise. We were bussed at the crack of dawn, housed in substandard hotels, and only offered hotel buffet fare. It was HORRIBLE On the other hand, Viking was faced with the same problem and actually moved their passengers to another ship for their 2nd half. Avalon was deceitful and horrible. My Ama Waterway river cruise was WONDERFUL, albeit it was for their Christmas Market cruise.
@@luxurycruisetips Our cruise with Avalon on the Rhine River was blocked by a Viking ship and a river barge. They both got stuck on a sand bar due to low water level. We swap ship with another Avalon ship and vice versa and was able to continue our cruise/tour. We also got a refund of one full day for the inconvenience. Thank You Avalon Waterways!!
Hi, thank you for this comparison of the 2 river boats. We just booked with Emerald for 2025 after checking out all the tour companies. We liked the idea the all gratuities were included. Could you tell me approximetly how much a spirit drink costs since I don"t drink beer or wine?
I am sorry to say I have not cruised Emerald and am not sure of the cost of their drinks. My experience on AMA, Viking and Avalon is the drinks range in price from $6 to $10. I found them pretty reasonable compared to ocean cruises. Have a great river cruise.
