Cruisecritic has been on the Amalucia

[notamermaid]

Nice report from Jeri Clausing. I decided to put this in a separate thread as it addresses not only the sailing itself but also shows some recent changes for AmaWaterways, like the more or less end of buffets. Staff shortages in the industry. And it also mentions the recent low water levels.

https://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/articles.cfm?ID=7060&stay=1&posfrom=1

 

notamermaid

 

[CastleCritic]

Having done two post(?)-covid cruises with Ama...yeah there have been changes.

 

Buffet was totally gone on Rhine-Main last fall (where as I said in another thread, AmaLucia was also going through the Main the same week) but was back for breakfast on the Seine in May (lunch however was full service which is a change...though really its kind of not since the waiters just go get much of the same food from the still existing buffet stations).  What I do miss are the omnipresent cookies/snacks and much of breakfast/lunch in the lounges.  There WAS some light food available at meal times...but nothing like it had been before, not enough IMO to ever make a meal of.

 

I want to say even the water dispenser was gone last fall but was back in may..which is big for me as I don't alcohol.

 

But also these were 25% capacity cruises 43 and 52 people as I recall on a 135 and then 110m ship so throwing copious amounts of food out there doesn't make sense. (other than the location of the gift shop I really wouldn't have known it was a 110m ship or even an older one, they had made good use of the 18 months the ship (Amadante) had been down.

 

On both cruises despite the low passenger load the restaurant crews (AMA crews tend to be heavily Romanian) were definitely being stretched...still.  On the last one the maitre-d had been brought on the ship the same day we boarded to solve as he put it "a few dropsies" with the service.

Edited August 15, 2022 by CastleCritic