We chose this cruise because Dr. Frank Winery was hosting it for their wine club members and their wines were featured. This was an awesome cruise experience. The staff was extremely attentive. The food was excellent. It was a new ship with all the amenities. Most everything was first class. Three of the nights' entertainment was outstanding! John Riley, our cruise director, was fabulous. He could turn a disaster into an apple pie! Every attention to detail was given. He was on call probably 16 hours a day. He was always available and approachable. He became a friend to all on board. Because the river was low due to lack of adequate rainfall, the ship could not sail the last leg of the trip so John had to arrange for travel and lodging for a night for all passengers at our final city. It was disappointing to not sail the last day/night, but John made the best of it and made sure we all were comfortable and attended to.

There are only two issues I believe that could be improved upon: First, the "in house" pianist was O.K., but not outstanding. He was fine for some light background pieces for lunch and late afternoon, but didn't really cut it for the night life. He was pleasant enough and personable, but just was not of the level we were expecting for this type of cruise. Second, it appeared there was no thought about lighting in the main bar/lounge area. Different lighting is needed for different functions/moods/situations. The lighting seemed helter-skelter. Whatever was on, was on. The staff didn't know how to adjust it and didn't seem to understand the differences in lighting moods.

All in all this was an outstanding trip for us and we look forward to once again sailing with AMA in the future.