My husband and I recently sailed with AmaWaterways on the AmaLyra from Paris up the Seine River and back to Paris, stopping along the way in Giverny, Honfleur, Caudebec, Rouen and Les Andelys. Between the two of us, we have been on several ocean cruises (Oceania, Royal Caribbean, NCL and Carnival) but this was our first river boat experience. I was a little unsure in initially booking a river cruise, but I ended up tremendously enjoying the experience and definitely will book with AmaWaterways again in the future.

From the moment we arrived at the dock in Paris, where we were greeted enthusiastically and our luggage whisked away to our cabin, to the day we departed, our expectations were met or exceeded. Our cabin was nicely appointed with a French balcony, king-sized bed with comfortable linens, comfy robes and slippers, and a bath with a shower, though not large, was fine for the two of us. The cabin had a flat-screen monitor and computer with WiFi included for surfing the net, or as I did most days when I was in the cabin, accessing a wide selection of classical music. They also had news, movies and documentaries to pick from too. Roxanne, our cabin stewardess kept our room in tip top shape. Additionally, the ship was impeccably clean from bow to stern. The crew members were very friendly, helpful and eager to meet every request. Because this is a riverboat with a passenger capacity of about 140, and with a crew of 45, there always were crew members everywhere we turned.

The food on the AmaLyra was delicious and well presented. The Executive Chef on our cruise, Bogdan Draghici, was serving as executive chef for the first time ever on our cruise having just recently been promoted. Many evenings he came around to our table near the end of dinner service with a special extra treat or just to make sure we enjoyed our dinner. AmaWaterways offers an extensive menu of choices, with a Chef’s Recommendation featured each evening. Most evenings the Chef’s Recommendation sounded so enticing that we ordered it precisely as it was presented. But it was easy to make other selections as well. Breakfast is a very ample buffet with many choices, including hot prepared foods, an omelette bar, cereals, breads and pastries, and other more European-style choices such as meats and cheeses to choose from. We also could order Eggs Benedict – which my husband indulged in most mornings -- poached eggs and a few other breakfast selections cooked to order. Lunch was a buffet with other selections available from the galley. Most days there was a theme and we especially enjoyed the Normandy themed luncheon with fresh mussels served in a savory and delicious mustard sauce with fresh baked French bread served on the side to soak up the sauce. Also, I need to mention that each day for lunch and dinner there was a featured soup. Soup is a great specialty for AmaWaterways. Bogdan our executive chef explained to us, when I complimented him on how delicious every soup was, that the line has many special soup recipes and a secret to their success is the amount of time they take in blending the ingredients. All I can say is that every soup was tres bon! Read more