JohninAult

I recently hosted a Meet & Mingle on the Noordam. We had a great turnout, almost 60 people attended.

I have been attending M&Ms for over 20 years now and this is the first time the ship did not send someone to the meeting. 

HAL was very accommodating in providing the meeting venue and providing some light refreshments, but said they were too busy to attend.

There were many first time HAL cruisers in the group. I thought HAL missed an excellent opportunity to promote the line and answer questions.

Post cruise is part of the AMA package. 

Have requested information from the travel agent. I asked on their Facebook page but they just quoted the during the cruise protocols and didn’t answer the question directly. 

I was wondering if anyone had some insight into what happens if, god forbid, we test positive for Covid at the end of our post cruise in Zurich and are unable to return to the US immediately.
Does AmaWaterways assist you with the process? If so for how long? Where do you stay and how long must you wait?
I'm not trying to be doom and gloom, just want to be prepared for this possibility.

We were supposed to leave this week for our Rhine River cruise.  Just checked in to rebooking for next May and the agent said the price is the same. We may upgrade to better cabins to use the extra credit.

On 5/12/2020 at 11:04 AM, danrob said:

We received our 65% credit plus 35% cruise credit this week after AMA cancelled our cruise.  Some other people who were booked by our travel agent also received a credit for the travel waiver plus they purchased.  I'm wondering how many of you were reimbursed for this?

I received a refund this week for the travel waiver plus I purchased for a June 8th cruise that was cancelled.

4 hours ago, AF-1 said:

I feel sorry for everyone.  If they do go bankrupt my trip insurance would pay me.  I have hope.  I accepted the FCC of 115% with AMA.  Will look to book something next year.  We shall see;  but I am not going to worry about something I have no control over.  

I think that is sound advice AF-1.  According to the recent article, Ama is supposed to be in a very good financial situation as they pay cash for their ships so no big debt there.  While they do have a small number of employees, most of their help is contracted as needed.

I guess I'm okay with the FCC.  The bigger point to me is do I want to do business with people who won't honor their original agreement.

1 minute ago, AF-1 said:

JohninAult,  my travel agent said I could get my money back and RadioPeri, I would think they would extend your FCC.  All the airlines and hotels are doing it.  I have Hyatt points that were expiring next month; Received email saying the points would be extended another year.  So I think you should be ok

My travel agent said I could only get a refund at the end of the two-year FCC period.  Any other refund is based on hardship circumstances, like too old to travel in the future or terminal illness, etc. and is decided on a case by case basis.  I just don't understand how they can completely ignore their passenger contract terms. I thought they were a highly reputable business.

According to my travel agent, Ama will only provide cash refunds at the end of the two-year expiration of the FCC.

Is anyone else hearing something different?

June cruises canceled.


Sent from my iPad using Forums

June cruises cancelled.

22 hours ago, coevan said:

We are schedules to sail 7/20. Our final payment is due in 2 weeks. We are a bit nervous to pull the trigger, any suggestions?

New policy from AmaWaterways

Call me naive, but I have to think Ama will have to honor the original terms and conditions and contract that were in effect at the time you purchased the cruise.  I think they would prefer to issue future cruise credits as that benefits them the most in terms of cash flow.  I have to believe some of what they are putting out now is posturing and trying to convince people they have no other options.  I just believe in the end, the original contract will have to be honored.

1 hour ago, AF-1 said:

So AMA cancels all cruises until Jun; and I don't know if I want to do another river cruise;  so I am out money?  Not everyone wants to rebook automatically.  I think once things calm down; let's take a look at this situation on Monday.

I agree AF-1.  This is another one of those wait and see things.  I find it difficult to believe that Ama would not refund money for canceled cruises as that is specifically what the remedy is in both their terms and conditions and the passenger contract.  I'm not familiar with Swiss law, which is where any disputes must be adjudicated, but I would be surprised if it is that different from our laws. 

Ama has not said they won't refund the money, they are just offering 115% as a future cruise credit. If some travel agent said they wouldn't refund the money, I would not consider that official AmaWaterways policy until they officially decline to do so, which would be a violation of their contract.

I could't find anything in either the terms and conditions or the passenger contract that said they could change the terms and conditions after the fact.

6 hours ago, Travelingx2 said:

Hi All,

We have been counting on the contract issued by Ama for refund in this event, foreseeing it for a few days now. We realize that they are in hard times but their future is in jeopardy if it's found they don't honour their own contracts. We will certainly be following this closely over the next few days and have contacted our T/A. Should Ama persist in keeping monies paid we will be contacting our Credit Card company as you have indicated. Hopefully a class action suit won't be necessary.

Class action lawsuits are prohibited by both the terms and conditions and the passenger contract that you agree to when booking the cruise.  Only individual lawsuits are allowed.

3 hours ago, VirginiaTraveler said:

I continue to be concerned about our AMA trip in early Jun, especially learning that European countries are closing their borders.  It's a wait and see, I guess.  Stay well everyone.

 

We're in the same boat.  We have a June 8 Rhine river cruise scheduled with Ama.  Am hoping things will have mostly resolved by then.  We did purchase the $175 per person waiver, but are very disappointed that Ama seems to be the only cruise line charging for cancellations.

It does seem so strange that AmaWaterways has elected to charge for this coverage. As far as I can determine, all other cruise lines appear to be offering cancellations for no charge. It would be helpful to understand AMA’s thinking. It seems out of character for them given their reputation for customer service. 

1 hour ago, Cellagirl said:

My question is IF ppl from North America are not allowed to fly into Europe ,how will Ama handle this scenario?  Will we forfeit the cruise with no credit for future cruise???

We have no intentions of canceling our May 1,2020..We are hoping things will be calmer and panic mode gone.   What do you do with your airfare??  Pay the ticket change fee?What are your thoughts?

A couple of questions.  Were you offered and did you purchase the recently offered $175 travel waiver which allows you to cancel for any reason and receive a credit for a future cruise?  Did you purchase your airfare from AmaWaterways as part of the cruise package or buy it separate?  Did you pay directly or through a credit card?

Those with the travel waiver will receive a credit for a future cruise which includes the airfare if purchased through Ama.  If you purchased airfare separately, the airlines are currently waiving change fees and allowing full credit against a future flight within one year.  If you did not get the travel waiver, I would contact your travel agent to see why it wasn't offered to you.  If you turned it down, then it could be more difficult.  If you charged it to a credit card, they may be able to help with a refund of some sort.

Obviously if the government restricts flights to Europe or puts a hard ban on cruises then AmaWaterways will, in my opinion, have to accommodate their customers in some way, since the customer has no control over the cancellation.

We have a Rhine River cruise booked on Ama in June and are following the issues with the coronavirus quite closely.  In reviewing the recent Cruise Critic article about the temporary cancellation policies that the cruise lines have put in place, I noticed two things.  First, Ama Waterways was not included in the comprehensive list of cruise lines mentioned, just as it has no dedicated board.  Why is that? 

Second, it appears that almost all of the other cruise lines are offering cancellation capability with credit for a future cruise at no additional cost.  Ama Waterways is offering what appears to be the same cancellation capability but are charging $175 for it.  Given Ama's reputation for customer service I would have expected them to be leading the way in this area, not charging customers more for the same thing other cruise lines are offering for no charge. I wonder why they decided to charge for this.

56 minutes ago, CaroleLee said:

AMA+air

Now that several US airlines have devalued their frequent flyer programs my"elite status" FF points are almost worthless for international travel so... Opinions and actual experience using AMA to book your air (JFK/NYC) to Amsterdam and return from Zurich. I also have my TA looking into several options.

Thx

Carole

We booked a Rhine cruise in June from Amsterdam to Basel.  AMA came up with the best price on the business class airfare that I could find by a couple hundred dollars.  Plus, once the reservation is made you can access it online through the airlines website or app and modify seating, etc.

1 minute ago, need2cruisesoon said:

We are looking at a first river cruise in the fall '20. AMA has caught my interest, not by itinerary but by boat. Specifically the Magna, very intrigued by this beauty. Love the fact it is double wide (and assorted dining venues) but high pricing for this boat in particular upgrading to a AB category seems like a stretch for a 7 day cruise.

 

Perhaps one of the other longboats might offer offer better value.

 

 

The Magna is the flagship of the Ama fleet and was new last year.  It was named Best River Cruise Ship by several different groups.  So, I'm sure there is a premium for sailing on her.  While you may get a cheaper rate (although I doubt it would be significantly cheaper) you won't find a better ship.  Although almost all of Ama's ships are rated very high.  

Thanks for your insights everyone.  We've decided to go ahead and book the post-cruise 4-night Lucerne/Zurich package.  It will be simpler and probably better value than trying to book things independently.  We were looking at staying at the Grand Hotel in Lucerne for two nights ($700 per night per deluxe lake view room) plus the transfers from the ship to the hotel in Lucerne and to the Zurich airport from the hotel (about $800 total for the three of us) plus whatever the cost of the tours we did.

We were just concerned about doing four nights after doing the cruise, but I guess while you there you should see what you can see.

The hotels we ended up with were the Astoria in Lucerne and the Sheraton in Zurich.  In my opinion, these are not "similar" to the Schweiserkopf in Lucerne which is what Ama advertises but certainly are nice hotels.

On 12/16/2019 at 2:21 PM, SkygirlSue said:

I've been on the AmaKristina twice this year. Just finished the Rhine in November.  I highly recommend that ship.  Absolutely an outstanding crew and named after one of Ama owners.  It is very new and the balcony cabins are almost all twin balconies.  The Rhine gorge is gorgeous, so be sure you get up early enough that morning.....don't want to miss any castles!!   Captain Jan is such a pro we never once bumped against the locks!  All Ama crews are wonderful but I believe these are the creme de la creme!

    Hope you enjoy your cruise!

Sue, did you do the post-cruise package in Lucerne & Zurich.  We're trying to decide whether to do that or arrange our own thing.  Most concerned about the hotels.  Thanks.

When I was on the Sun last month, I thought the quality of the ribeye was poor, made worse by over cooking it.

@karena0315  Here is the latest State Department travel advisory for Mexico.

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/mexico-travel-advisory.html