Oskie3188

I wonder if AMAWATERWAYS owners and management are reading any of these comments and do they care?  Like I said before, I contacted them by phone, by email addresses on their website, by the email that they provided on this forum and through my travel agent.  They just don’t give a damn and want your money. To take the final payments and then within a very short period of time after receiving your money they cancel the cruise and tell you that you can only get a FCC.  I’m fortunate that I cancelled before giving them the final payment. 

I cancelled prior to paying the final payment due to all the COVID warnings and prior to AMA cancelling the cruise. In March they had different refund policies which changed online several times. These refund conditions differed from the paperwork.  In order to get the 115% FCC I would have had to pay the balance and take my chances that they could honor the credit and that they will be in business and that they don’t jack their prices more than 15%.  I felt there was too much risk.  

I too lost my deposit for a cruise this summer. I luckily didn’t make the final payment so my loss was only the $800. I wrote to them several times, I wrote to them using the email address they have provided on this forum and got no reply.  I was noticing that cruises were routinely being cancelled after the final payments were made and resulted only in Future Cruise Credits. Some cancellations were offered 115% credits but as many have stated, who knows if they will even be in business to honour those credits.  Who knows if the future cruise costs are even covered by 115% if they jack their prices by say 20%. I read on another cruise blog where the owner of this family-owned company bragged that he had no financial worries as he claimed all his ships were paid for and as his engineers and professional staff were from Switzerland and that Switzerland had some sort of compensation program for its citizens for lost wages during COVID 19 and as a result his company was not at risk financially. If this is all true, then why are they not refunding cruise fares? I had to cancel significant travel arrangements where companies were understanding and compassionate realizing that there will be future business and that they want me to return. AMAWATERWAYS was the absolute worst company to deal with demonstrating no loyalty to past customers by not making it inviting for them to return.  I had travelled with them several times over the years and was very happy with them. I am disappointed and disgusted with their attitude during this difficult and unusual time. I will never book with them again. 

** sorry for the font size, my system chose the small version **

They are cancelling cruises at their discretion and not refunding any money.  They are "offering" what they are calling special insurance so that after you pay for your cruise in full and pay them some more special insurance money and then decide to cancel, you can get a portion of your money back and the rest as a future cruise credit (FCC).  They want your money and they don't guarantee anything.  Yes, after they have your money for over two years they say you can get 100% of your money back assuming that they are still in business.  Any company who is operating as they are now clearly is in financial trouble.  They need your money to continue to operate but for how long? All other cruise companies whether they be ocean going or river when they are cancelling cruises are all offering 100% of the customer's money back and something towards a FCC.  AMAWaterways is completely off base with how they are treating their customers and they don't care.  I have sailed with them several times and this behaviour is indicative of a significant problem.  I will never sail with them again and recommend that if you want a river cruise, look somewhere else.  There are more reputable companies out there.  Stay away from AMAWaterways!

Also, you are right that not all cruise lines are offering full refunds but are doing much, much better than AMAWaterways. 

They are cancelling cruises at their discretion and not refunding any money.  They are "offering" what they are calling special insurance so that after you pay for your cruise in full and pay them some more special insurance money and then decide to cancel, you can get a portion of your money back and the rest as a future cruise credit (FCC).  They want your money and they don't guarantee anything.  Yes, after they have your money for over two years they say you can get 100% of your money back assuming that they are still in business.  Any company who is operating as they are now clearly is in financial trouble.  They need your money to continue to operate but for how long? All other cruise companies whether they be ocean going or river when they are cancelling cruises are all offering 100% of the customer's money back and something towards a FCC.  AMAWaterways is completely off base with how they are treating their customers and they don't care.  I have sailed with them several times and this behaviour is indicative of a significant problem.  I will never sail with them again and recommend that if you want a river cruise, look somewhere else.  There are more reputable companies out there.  Stay away from AMAWaterways!