Europe river cruising is very popular right now, and I’ve had the opportunity to experience three river cruises within the last year. I sailed Paris & Heart of Normandy (from Paris to Normandy and back on the Seine River) twice within 9 months on two different river cruise lines, and I found the two options quite different!

I sailed the Viking Skaga in September 2024 and the AmaDante in July. Because I did them so quickly together with the same basic itinerary, I wanted to do a quick/short comparison and choose the “winner.”

Food: This was very close. On Viking, the head chef spoke to us each evening and explained what his recommendations were for dinner and the regional specialties included. On AmaWaterways, this was left up to the servers, but I felt the included wine selections were better on AmaWaterways. Viking has a lovely glassed atrium area that serves as an alternate casual dining location for lunch and dinner; AmaWaterways offers this, too, but just in their lounge. More than anything, AmaWaterways has the fabulous Chef’s Table which is located in the very aft of the ship with windows on three sides. Every guest has an opportunity to dine here one night, and it is a suberb multi-course tasting menu experience with an open gallery and gorgeous views. The Chef’s Table pushes AmaWaterways to the win. Winner: AmaWaterways

Ship: Viking Skaga is a much newer ship with both French balcony and full balcony options as well as window-only staterooms on the lower deck. AmaDante is well taken care of, but it is a little older ship and only has French Balcony and window staterooms. I felt the Viking Skaga was easier to get around with a better layout on the main deck with two entrances to the main lounge where everyone gathers. AmaDante holds fewer people, and it definitely feels like it. There’s plenty of space to sit in the lounge and in the dining room whereas Viking sometimes felt crowded. Due to the age of the AmaDante, Viking feels like the better choice between these two. Winner: Viking (but marginally)

Staterooms: AmaDante staterooms felt small and lacking in storage and the bathroom is tiny. Desk was barely usable with very little space; since this is also the only place you can plug in a hair dryer or curling iron, it was challenging. Viking felt more spacious overall even though the square footage is similar. Viking had more storage/drawers. The AmaDante only has French Balcony staterooms (doors open but you cannot step out) whereas Viking Skaga has full balcony options with chairs. Viking Skaga was absolutely a better stateroom overall. Winner: Viking

Tours & Itinerary: AmaWaterways does a great job with itinerary, and I LOVE that all the tours are included and you can choose whatever you want! Each port has at least 3-4 tours offered and some have even more choices, and you could choose any of them with no extra cost. Each port had a biking tour option as well! Viking typically includes just one walking or bus tour complimentary and any others carry an additional charge. Overall, I think AmaWaterways does a fabulous job with tours and itinerary. Winner: AmaWaterways

Embarkation Port: In Paris, Viking ports right in the city just steps away from the Eiffel Tower. Not only is this extremely convenient for trains or for those staying in hotels near the Eiffel Tower, it also allows for evening exploration of Paris and the ability to see the Eiffel Tower lit up at night! AmaWaterways ports outside of town and its disembarkation port is even further away. While it’s doable, it was extremely challenging with an Uber, and we had to rely on a long walk. Winner: Viking

Normandy: For the port of Normandy, the cruise lines use two different ports. AmaWaterways uses La Havre which is a heavily industrial port near the Atlantic Ocean. This city isn’t particularly picturesque and was heavily damaged during World War II. Viking uses Rouen which is a much cuter town. Touring the city of La Havre was the least interesting tour of the week on AmaWaterways.

Viking does an amazing job in Normandy--a guided tour through the huge D-Day Museum with some free time to explore on your own followed by a full plated lunch, a guided tour of the American Cemetery with a wreath-laying ceremony and some free time, and then a stop at Omaha Beach.

The biggest disappointment from AmaWaterways was in touring Normandy itself. AmaWaterways had us pack a sack lunch in the morning--sandwich, chips, snack bars, and we grabbed bananas from the buffet. In theory, there was nothing wrong with this, and it saves time from doing a full lunch. However, there’s not a dedicated lunch time or location. Visiting Normandy, they do not visit a museum at all. At the cemetery, we had very little guidance--some narrative walking to the wreath laying ceremony but then 15 minutes of free time with no information about what to see, important people buried here, the chapel, etc. Next stop was Omaha Beach with 15 minutes free time which was fine; guests ate their lunch about now on the bus in their laps. From there we went to an artillery battery (quite interesting but not much time to explore) and ended the day in Arromanches with about an hour for shopping. For me, this day was about exploring the history of the WWII landing beaches and recognizing the ultimate sacrifice of our service member—not shopping. Winner: Viking hands down if it’s important to you to see as much of Normandy as possible in one day.

While I really enjoyed both cruise lines and I will happily sail either one again, I do generally prefer AmaWaterways. Tours are better, food is good with the Chef's Table being outstanding, and overall good experience with the onboard staff. I sailed the Rhine River on AmaWaterways last year, too, and I want to do the Danube and Duoro likely on AmaWaterways, too.

I am not opposed to sailing Viking again. My experience with this ship was very positive, the staff was fabulous, and the itinerary was phenomenal.

If you have a high interest in visiting Normandy, World War II museums, and history AND only interested in a river cruise, Viking is the way to go in my opinion. The other option would be to consider one of the AmaWaterways one-way sailing options either to or from Normandy so you get more days in Normandy before/after the sailing. I wouldn't rely on Ama's tour of Normandy to "check the box,” and I felt it was lacking.

Final thoughts: One thing I always say about cruising is that there is an option for everyone. What is valuable to one person may not be a priority to another! Take all of my opinion with a grain of salt; instead, speak with your trusted travel advisor and allow him/her to help find what is best for you based on your interests, goals, and budget.

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