AmaWaterways Seine river cruise review: Paris & Normandy

What AmaWaterways offers on the Seine

AmaWaterways is a river-cruise line aimed at North American travelers, with a European site in euros as well. Its Seine program is called Paris & Normandy: seven nights, out of Paris and back. What sets it apart fits in two words: Le Havre. Where Viking turns around at Rouen, AmaWaterways ships sail on to the estuary and stay two nights. Among the American lines we cover, it is the route that goes furthest toward the sea, along with Tauck.

We have no partnership with AmaWaterways: you can't book this cruise here, and we earn nothing if you book it. This page describes the program as the line publishes it. After that, we show you what we do sell: sightseeing cruises in Paris, before you board or after you're back, and day trips in Normandy. The comparison of every line is in our guide to Paris to Normandy river cruises.

AmaWaterways Seine itinerary, day by day to Le Havre

The line publishes a precise program:

The order is unusual: the ship heads straight for the sea, stopping only at Les Andelys, then visits Rouen and Vernon on the way back. Two nights in Le Havre give you a real day for the beaches, without a dawn start for a long coach ride from Rouen. The trade-off: Honfleur isn't on the base program, because the ship moors in Le Havre, not in Honfleur's harbor. For a ship that docks in Honfleur, look at Scenic or Emerald.

AmaLyra and AmaDante, the two Seine ships

Two ships run this program, AmaLyra and AmaDante. Each is 360 feet long, about 110 meters, with 71 staterooms for 140 guests. AmaLyra's own page isn't consistent: its FAQ says 72 staterooms and 144 guests. Think "about 140".

Staterooms run from 170 sq ft (categories A, B and C, with a French balcony) to 225 sq ft for category A+ and 255 sq ft for the suites. A French balcony is a floor-to-ceiling door that opens onto a railing, with no room to sit outside: on a cruise where you watch the Seine's chalk cliffs slide by, the difference from a real balcony matters, and you pay for it.

In our view, the ships are standard for this river. What sets AmaWaterways apart isn't the ship, it's the program: the Le Havre stop and the bikes on board.

What is included in AmaWaterways cruises, and what isn't

Included, according to the line: all meals, beer and wine with lunch and dinner, a daily cocktail hour called Sip & Sail, Wi-Fi and excursions in every port, including bike outings. The line also states the port charges included: €213 to €252 per person depending on the departure date on the European site, $250 to $280 on the US site.

Not included: gratuities, premium drinks, optional tours, flights, transfers and land extensions. So no, AmaWaterways doesn't include airfare. For solo travelers, the supplement is 50% of the stateroom price, and 100% for a suite.

It is a model close to Viking's, with a cocktail hour on top: not the all-inclusive of Uniworld, nor Tauck's. Add in the gratuities before you compare.

No public price: how to get a fare

This is the big difference with the other lines: the itinerary pages show "From:" with no figure at all. When we last checked, in mid-October, AmaWaterways worked on a quote-on-request basis, in dollars on its US site and in euros on its European site. So we can't give you a reliable starting price, and we won't: only a quote from the line or your travel agent counts.

On dates, the line listed departures through early November, then from March for the following season, with themed sailings such as "Celebration of Wine" and "Smithsonian Journeys" departures. To request a quote: amawaterways.com. To place it, the line sits at the upper end of the American mid-market, between Viking and the luxury lines.

D-Day from Le Havre, and Giverny

The day at the D-Day sites leaves from Le Havre on day 4, after a first day exploring the city. That is the advantage of this program: the ship has moved toward the coast overnight, and you don't have to fit Rouen and the beaches into one stop. The program is designed for an American audience.

Giverny comes on day 6, from Vernon, with bike trails as the alternative. Monet's house and gardens normally open from April 1 to November 1, according to tourism sources: on a March or November departure, Giverny may drop out. On the last day, a visit to Château de Malmaison takes the place of the usual Paris coach tour.

Disney has chartered AmaWaterways sailings on the Seine in past seasons for its family trips; their current schedule is not known.

Who it suits, and our view

AmaWaterways suits English-speaking travelers who want to go all the way to the sea, like to ride a bike in port and prefer an excursion included at every stop. It is also a good pick for a less tiring D-Day beaches day.

It suits you less if you want to compare prices online, see Honfleur from the ship or pay nothing extra on board. And if you travel solo, the 50% supplement weighs heavily. For Rouen and Honfleur as day trips, see Rouen and Honfleur.

Your days in Paris, before or after the cruise

The Paris pier isn't given on the itinerary page: it is in your documents. River-cruise ships often dock in the 15th arrondissement, at Port de Grenelle or Port de Javel Bas, west of the Eiffel Tower. That puts the Eiffel Tower sightseeing piers close by: Bateaux Parisiens at Port de la Bourdonnais, pontoon 3, upstream of Pont d'Iéna, and Vedettes de Paris at Port de Suffren, downstream. An hour on the water costs around €20 online, and the boat heads upstream first, toward Notre-Dame and Île Saint-Louis. See our one-hour Seine cruise guide and our night cruise guide.

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Normandy as a day trip, and Le Havre by train

If you arrive or leave through Le Havre, trains link it to Paris in about 2 hours 10 minutes, roughly every hour: our page from London or Le Havre covers days in Paris from the cruise terminal. From Paris, Giverny is a train ride to Vernon-Giverny (45 minutes to an hour) plus a shuttle, from April to early November. In Vernon, a canoe or kayak outing on the Seine lasts an hour; in Honfleur, a boat trip out to the Pont de Normandie passes under the great estuary bridge.

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Prices checked on October 17, 2026