I’ll admit it. I’m not a fan of mega ship cruising. I’ve sailed on the major cruise lines, but I’ve always preferred the intimacy of smaller ships. The excursions have tended to be higher quality (and included in the price of the cruise), the service has always been impeccable, and the food has been top-notch.
This past Christmas, my family and I tried a new form of small ship cruising: river cruising with AmaWaterways. While similar to our other experiences with companies like Alaskan Dream and UnCruise, river cruises do differ in some ways.
Here are 10 things to know before booking a river cruise with AmaWaterways.
1. Some river cruises have age restrictions and recommendations
It’s no secret that river cruising typically draws an older crowd. Even so, families with kids of an appropriate age are welcome. On AmaWaterways, there is a minimum age to sail, depending on the location. For Europe and Southeast Asia, children under 4 years old are not permitted on board. In addition, AmaWaterways doesn’t recommend the cruises for children, ages 4 to 7. For Africa, there’s a minimum age of 12 years old, due to safety precautions.
In my opinion, I think that the sweet spot for river cruising with kids is age 7 through 13. Kids of this age have a natural curiosity about different cultures and are more likely to embrace the history-focused excursions. They also still enjoy spending time with you, their parents. That being said, if you’re traveling with a multi-generational group (think Grandma and Grandpa), I think kids of all ages would enjoy the family time.
2. Your family may need more than one cabin
As is the case with most small ships, the vast majority of the rooms only accommodate two passengers, meaning a family of four likely would require two cabins. On AmaWaterways, all guests under the age of 18 are required to bunk with an adult. In our case, my oldest son is 19 years old, so my boys could stay together. Ships offer a limited number of triple-occupancy cabins where a child (age 4 to 10) can sleep on a fold-out sofa. You’ll want to talk to an AmaWaterways representative for specifics.
3. You won’t find child-specific programming
While AmaWaterways ships have plenty of programming in terms of on-shore excursions, you won’t find any activities specifically geared to kids. And you won’t find a kids’ club, arcade, climbing wall, go-kart track or swimming pool with corkscrew slides.
KidTripster Tip: Most AmaWaterways ships do have a small, heated pool on their sun decks.
KidTripster Tip: Adventures by Disney does operate river cruises that are geared to kids, and those cruises actually sail on AmaWaterways ships; however, these Disney cruises typically come with a higher price tag.
4. You’ll want to choose the most active excursions
On AmaWaterways, every day comes with an offering of on-shore excursions. For city tours, you’ll be given a choice between a relaxed, regular or active pace; always choose the active pace. Better yet, if a more physically-exerting activity is offered, pick that. I have two teenage boys, and they much preferred the days when we were hiking or biking. Frankly, I did, too. It’s the only way that I could justify the amount of food that I was eating on the ship!
5. It’s okay to ask for seconds
The food on AmaWaterways is – without a doubt – the best that I’ve tasted on any cruise line that I’ve sailed. If you have big eaters like my teenage sons, don’t hesitate to order extra food. You want two appetizers? Sure. A second entrée? No problem. Three desserts? Knock yourself out. It’s perfectly fine. Me? I was perpetually stuffed.
KidTripster Tip: In addition to breakfast, lunch, and dinner, there are small tapas and snacks in the main lounge throughout the day. My boys never went hungry!
6. Yes, there’s WiFi, but…
While there is free WiFi available on AmaWaterways ships, I’m going to suggest a radical idea: consider unplugging. Yes, your kids likely will protest loudly at this suggestion, but I urge you to give it a try. Amazing things happen when you spend downtime together without screens. You may rediscover your love of chess. You can impress your kids with your mad Scrabble skills. They may read a book with paper pages. Or… I’m going out on a limb here… you may have an actual conversation.
Don’t believe me? Read why one of our KidTripster Teens advocates for tech-free vacations by clicking here.
KidTripster Tip: The best way to get buy-in from your kids? Lead by example. That… and I’m not against bribery.
7. Be prepared for downtime
We found that we had more downtime on our river cruise than on previous cruises. If the weather would have been better, I’m sure that we would have spent more time on the top deck swimming in the pool or sitting in the loungers. Instead, we spent most our time in the lounge and the small gym.
KidTripster Tip: Our ship had playing cards and board games to borrow, but the one Scrabble game was always in high demand. Consider bringing a few travel-sized games of your own. You do have movies available on your cabins’s television or plan to download options for your personal electronic devices before you board.
8. Don’t expect to see a lot of other kids
Ok, this cruise isn’t the type where you drop your children at the kids’ club to play with other kids and then pick them up three hours later. Nor is it the type of cruise where your teen disappears for hours to hang out with his new best friends. First, as we’ve explained, there are no clubs for kids or teens. And secondly, with only 156 passengers on board, there likely will be very few other kids.
Our Christmas cruise had a total of 135 passengers. Of those, I’d estimate that there were about 18 people under the age of 22. You’ll find the most kids on board during traditional school holidays: spring break, summer, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
KidTripster Tip: If your kids do want to connect with other kids of a similar age, do it on the first day. You’ll need to make a concerted effort, as the cruise director doesn’t organize any mixers specifically for families.
9. Good option if you’re traveling with grandparents
I think that river cruising is a particularly good option for families traveling with grandparents. Between downtime and meals, you’ll have plenty of time to spend together. But when it comes to on-shore excursions, family members can pick the best options for their particular interests and abilities. So if Grandpa uses a cane and needs a little extra time, he can select the relaxed pace city tour while the grandkids can opt for a bike ride. Then family members can reunite over dinner and share highlights from their day.
10. Weather is a factor
When my family and I booked a Christmas Market cruise along the Danube, I pictured in my mind sailing past quaint Bavarian towns with a dusting of snow on their red tile roofs. But the locals told us that – thanks to global warming – they haven’t had a white Christmas in years. Instead, the weather was blustery, cold, and rainy. On our 7-day cruise, we only had one day with blue skies. I’m not going to lie, the weather was pretty miserable, and those cold temperatures impacted how long we wanted to be outside exploring.
Despite the allure of the holiday season, I think that my family would have preferred this itinerary during the summer when the scenery would have been more picturesque and the activities could have been enjoyed under sunny skies.
To read our day-by-day account of a Christmas market cruise with AmaWaterways to see if it would be a good fit for your family, click here.
This writer received a complimentary cruise for the purpose of this review. However, all opinions expressed are her own.
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