For many, the name Berlitz is known as one of the biggest authorities in the cruising world. Douglas Ward’s annual guide rates the top cruise ships in the industry to give cruisers an idea of which vessels are best for them.

Four years ago, Ward began to do the same for river cruising, releasing the first ever Berlitz Guide to ‘River Cruising in Europe’ in 2014. Another edition followed in 2016 and now a third has been released, this time with the added bonus of a spotlight on American river cruises too.

Up until now, AmaWaterways have dominated the ratings and have excelled in the four criteria of cuisine, accommodation, service and facilities. In both previous issues, Ama ships have been placed in all ten of the top ten spots, highlighting the luxurious and relaxed experience you can expect on board.

However, this time around, they haven’t had it all their way.

Having taken the step into river cruising in 2016, Crystal River Cruises has managed to gate-crash the top ten with four of their five vessels. Crystal Debussy, Crystal Ravel, Crystal Mahler and Crystal Ravel have all made a big impact with the first two being rated as joint third, Mahler coming joint fourth and Ravel being graded fifth.

Having said that, it still means that AmaWaterways has done a fantastic job to secure the other six spots and to, once again, boast the top-rated river cruise ship in Europe. This year, it is AmaKristina that sits at the top of the pile after performing outstandingly in the new criteria of hardware, accommodations, cuisine, service and miscellaneous.

In fact, Ward himself said that the ship particularly shone in the areas of service and food, stating that “AmaWaterways spends considerably more on high-quality food ingredients and wine and on hotel crew service training than any other river cruise company. The company is also known to offer the highest levels of customer care and friendliness in the river cruise industry.”

In total, after 320 ships were judged, 11 AmaWaterways vessels achieved the highest grade given to any ship this time around – four-star plus. These were AmaBella, AmaCerto, AmaKristina, AmaPrima, AmaReina, AmaSerena, AmaSonata, AmaStella, AmaVenita, AmaVerde and AmaViola, proving that whichever river you choose to sail you’re in for an unforgettable experience with Ama.

And this dominance looks like it’s set to continue. The 20th vessel to join the fleet, AmaLea, only made her debut in March and so she won’t be rated until the next edition. Plus, with the launch of ground-breaking new ship AmaMagna in 2019, we won’t be surprised to see AmaWaterways featuring heavily in the top ten next time too.

If you would like to book your river cruise on one of the highest-rated ships in Europe or you would like to know more about our Crystal or AmaWaterways river cruises, call us on 0800 954 0064. You can also send us an online enquiry by clicking here.