AmaWaterways cruise policies
AmaWaterways Policies: Deposits, Final Payment, Cancellation, Gratuities, Dress Code and Age Rules
Every booking rule that affects your wallet or your packing list, on one page: what you pay when you book, when the balance is due, what it costs to cancel, what the crew and your Cruise Manager expect in tips, what to wear at dinner and who can sail. Figures are AmaWaterways' own, from the booking terms that apply to river cruises booked in the United States, and cover its Europe, Mekong, Colombia, Egypt and Africa programs.
Deposit
The deposit is per person and depends on the region, not the length of the cruise. It is due by the deposit date on your confirmation and is refundable except for the $200 (Egypt $600, Africa $1,200) that AmaWaterways keeps on any cancellation. Book inside 90 days of travel and the full price is due at booking.
| Cruise length | Deposit |
|---|---|
| Europe, Colombia and Asia (Mekong) river cruises | $400 per person |
| Secrets of Egypt and the Nile | $1,200 per person |
| Africa Safaris and Wildlife Cruises | $2,400 per person |
| Transoceanic air booked through AmaWaterways | $350 per person in Economy or Premium Economy, $600 in Business or First, nonrefundable, due within 24 hours to ticket |
| Rwanda gorilla extension permits | $1,500 Mountain Gorilla permit and $100 Golden Monkey permit per person, nonrefundable |
Good to know
- The cruise deposit is the only part at risk until 120 days before travel: cancel 121 days or more before departure and AmaWaterways keeps $200 per person on Europe, Asia and Colombia bookings, $600 on Egypt and $1,200 on Africa, and refunds the rest.
- Air deposits become nonrefundable the moment tickets are issued; intra-Europe, intra-Asia, intra-Colombia, intra-Africa and intra-Egypt flights and the Amman to Cairo and Cairo to Tel Aviv flights are nonrefundable at purchase.
- Extra hotel nights ($50 per stateroom), the Bangkok land package ($200 per person), the Concierge Golf Program ($700 per person) and other custom arrangements carry their own nonrefundable deposits, advised at booking.
- AmaWaterways runs reduced-deposit promotions several times a year (the summer 2026 anniversary offer took $250 per person, Egypt and Africa excluded); the promotion's terms replace the standard deposit for bookings made in its window.
- Travel Waiver Plus, AmaWaterways' cancel-for-any-reason option, can only be added when you pay the deposit, never afterward, and requires its Cruise Protection Plan; it is not sold on Egypt or Africa programs.
Final payment
The balance must reach AmaWaterways no later than 90 days before the start of the first service you bought from it (a pre-cruise hotel or land package counts), or AmaWaterways can cancel every booked service. Book inside the window and the full price is due at booking.
Standard schedule
| Cruise length | Balance due |
|---|---|
| Europe, Colombia and Asia river cruises | 90 days before the first AmaWaterways service |
| Secrets of Egypt and the Nile | 90 days before the first AmaWaterways service |
| Africa Safaris and Wildlife Cruises | 90 days before the first AmaWaterways service |
| Flights booked through AmaWaterways | In full when ticketed, within 24 hours of the air booking |
Good to know
- The 90-day clock runs from the start of travel, not the cruise embarkation: with a Prague or Cairo pre-cruise stay the deadline moves earlier by the length of the stay.
- Promotional offers sometimes set an earlier fixed final payment date; your invoice is the authority and we put that date on our calendar.
- Published fares exclude optional land packages, visas, airfare and, for 2026 departures, gratuities; port charges are included. The Egypt visa-on-arrival pass bought through AmaWaterways costs $50 per person in 2026 and $55 in 2027 and must be ordered at least 21 days before departure.
- The Cruise Protection Plan can only be bought before final payment, and its premium is nonrefundable once purchased.
Cancellation charges
Charges are per person: a flat amount until 90 days before travel, then a percentage of the cruise and land price. They depend on the day AmaWaterways receives your written notice. A change of sailing date, a name change, substituting a guest or dropping a guest from the stateroom all count as a cancellation, and dropping to one guest adds the single supplement. Port charges are refunded with the rest of the fare; air booked through AmaWaterways carries its own airline charges.
Europe, Asia and Colombia river cruises
Every program except Egypt, Africa and the Seven River Journey Through Europe. Charges are per person.
| Cruise length | Days before sailing | Charge |
|---|---|---|
| Any length | 121 days or more | $200 per person |
| Any length | 120 to 90 days | $400 per person (the deposit) |
| Any length | 89 to 60 days | 35% of the cruise and land price |
| Any length | 59 to 31 days | 50% |
| Any length | 30 days or fewer | 100%, no refund |
Secrets of Egypt and the Nile
Egypt programs, including the Cairo stays and the Jordan extension. Charges are per person.
| Cruise length | Days before sailing | Charge |
|---|---|---|
| Any length | 121 days or more | $600 per person |
| Any length | 120 to 90 days | $1,200 per person (the deposit) |
| Any length | 89 to 60 days | 35% of the cruise and land price |
| Any length | 59 to 31 days | 50% |
| Any length | 30 days or fewer | 100%, no refund |
Africa Safaris and Wildlife Cruises
Zambezi Queen programs with their safari lodges and Rwanda extensions. Charges are per person.
| Cruise length | Days before sailing | Charge |
|---|---|---|
| Any length | 121 days or more | $1,200 per person |
| Any length | 120 to 90 days | $2,400 per person (the deposit) |
| Any length | 89 to 60 days | 35% of the cruise and land price |
| Any length | 59 to 31 days | 50% |
| Any length | 30 days or fewer | 100%, no refund |
Seven River Journey Through Europe
AmaWaterways' 46-night grand voyage. Charges are per person.
| Cruise length | Days before sailing | Charge |
|---|---|---|
| 46 nights | 121 days or more | $2,400 per person |
| 46 nights | 120 to 90 days | $4,800 per person |
| 46 nights | 89 to 60 days | 35% of the cruise and land price |
| 46 nights | 59 to 31 days | 50% |
| 46 nights | 30 days or fewer | 100%, no refund |
Good to know
- AmaWaterways accepts cancellations only in writing, during business hours or by email to its reservations desk, naming each guest, the ship, the travel dates and a brief reason; other forms of notice are not sufficient. Tell SmartCruiser and we send it the same day, and the charge is set by the day AmaWaterways receives it.
- A cancellation received within 24 hours of the start of travel is treated as a trip interruption: 100% charge, and once travel begins there is no refund for unused services.
- Moving to a lower stateroom category inside 90 days of departure triggers the cancellation charges on the difference, so downgrade before final payment or not at all.
- Transoceanic air deposits ($350 or $600 per person) are lost once tickets are issued, and intra-region flights are nonrefundable from purchase; airline change fees apply on top.
- With Travel Waiver Plus (bought at deposit together with the Cruise Protection Plan) you can cancel for any reason up to 31 days before your first AmaWaterways service and receive the cancellation penalty back as a Future Cruise Credit valid for sailings within 24 months. Cancel inside 31 days and the penalty is lost. It is not offered on Egypt or Africa programs or to residents of Quebec, and the premiums for both plans are nonrefundable.
- Refunds go back to the original credit card, or to SmartCruiser when we made the payment for you, and we pass them straight on.
Gratuities
Gratuities are not included in AmaWaterways' 2026 fares and are left to your discretion; AmaWaterways publishes suggested amounts, posts the figures for your sailing in the My Cruise section of its website, and lets you prepay them for the cruise and for most pre- and post-cruise land packages. Two tips are expected: one shared equally by the whole ship's crew and one for your Cruise Manager, who is not part of the crew and stays with you on any land extension.
| Stateroom | Daily gratuity |
|---|---|
| Ship's crew, Europe, 7-night cruise | 125 EUR per guest (about 18 EUR per guest, per night), shared equally by the entire crew |
| Ship's crew, AmaMagna, 7-night cruise | 145 EUR per guest (about 21 EUR per guest, per night) |
| Cruise Manager, Europe, 7-night cruise | 30 EUR per guest, plus 5 EUR per guest for each additional day of a pre- or post-cruise land package |
| 2027 departures | Included in the fare (AmaWaterways' 2027 prices are published inclusive of gratuities) |
Good to know
- Longer Europe cruises scale with the nights, so a 14-night sailing works out to roughly double the 7-night figures. Tips can be charged to your onboard account on most ships or left in cash in the envelopes provided on the last evening.
- AmaWaterways' guidelines for its Mekong, Egypt and Africa programs are set in U.S. dollars and posted in My Cruise once you are booked; the weekly totals reported in trade guidance during 2025 were about $110 per guest on the Mekong, $120 in Egypt and $140 to $175 in Africa, all per 7-night program. Ask us for the current figures for your sailing.
- Local guides and drivers on excursions are tipped separately, at your discretion, in local currency.
- Wine, beer and soft drinks with lunch and dinner, the daily Sip and Sail cocktail hour, Wi-Fi, specialty dining at the Chef's Table and an excursion in every port are included, so gratuities are the main onboard extra on a 2026 sailing.
- Promotional offers from time to time prepay gratuities or add onboard credit that can be put toward them; check the offer terms current when you book.
Dress code
No formal nights on any AmaWaterways ship. Dress on board is comfortable and casually elegant, day and evening, and AmaWaterways asks only that you bring something a little dressier for the Welcome and Farewell dinners.
Daytime and excursions
Casual: comfortable walking shoes, layers for changeable river weather, and shorts, sundresses and T-shirts are fine at lunch. Swimwear stays on the Sun Deck; wet clothing is not appropriate in the restaurants.
Evenings
Casually elegant: slacks or chinos with a collared shirt, a dress, skirt or nice trousers with a top. No jacket or tie required, and jeans in good condition are common in the main restaurant.
Welcome and Farewell dinners
Something a little dressier, the same for the Chef's Table and for evening concerts ashore: a jacket or a cocktail dress is the most anyone wears, and plenty of guests stay in smart casual.
Dress Your Best nights
| Cruise length | Formal nights |
|---|---|
| Any length | 0 |
House rules
- Pack one pair of dressier shoes for the Welcome and Farewell dinners and comfortable ones for everything else.
- Churches, cathedrals and temples on the excursions ask for covered shoulders and knees; in Egypt and other predominantly Muslim countries women should cover shoulders and arms and men should wear collared shirts and lightweight trousers, and shoes come off in mosques.
- Mekong, Egypt and Colombia sailings call for breathable fabrics, sun protection and modest clothing for temple and mosque visits.
- Smoking and vaping are allowed only in the designated area on the Sun Deck; smoking anywhere else is a material breach of the ticket contract.
Age rules
AmaWaterways welcomes children but sets a minimum age by program and has no kids' facilities, programming or child-minding on board. Age is counted at embarkation.
Minimum age to sail without a parent or guardian
| Departure | Minimum age |
|---|---|
| Every sailing, every ship | 18; anyone younger travels with a parent or legal guardian aged over 21, or with an adult carrying AmaWaterways' Parental Consent Guardianship Form signed by the parent or guardian |
Stateroom assignment
Every guest under 18 must share a stateroom with an adult and be supervised at all times; AmaWaterways will not assign a stateroom to minors on their own. A child under 10 at embarkation may share a stateroom with two adults only when the child can share the bed, because no extra bed is provided; triple staterooms exist on some ships and must be requested at booking. Balcony staterooms may be unsafe for unsupervised minors, and the adult in the stateroom is responsible for the child's safety.
Infants
| Sailing | Minimum age |
|---|---|
| Europe, Colombia and all other standard programs | 4 years at embarkation, unless AmaWaterways agrees otherwise in advance; children under 5 are not recommended on any program |
| Africa (including Egypt) and Southeast Asia (Mekong) programs | 12 years at embarkation, unless AmaWaterways agrees otherwise in advance |
Drinking age
| Departure or destination | Minimum age |
|---|---|
| Every sailing | AmaWaterways publishes no minimum drinking age in its terms, FAQ or ticket contract; the ticket contract lets the carrier refuse alcohol to any passenger for any reason, and the bar follows the law of the country the ship is in |
Good to know
- Guests who will enter their 24th week of pregnancy by the time of the cruise cannot be accommodated.
- AmaWaterways ships have no casino and no children's club; select Christmas Markets sailings and designated family departures add some family touches, but the minimum ages above still apply.
- Minimum ages are enforced at booking, so the embarkation-day birthday matters: an exception for a younger child must be agreed with AmaWaterways in writing before the deposit is paid.
- Guests must be able to board and leave the ship, often across other vessels docked alongside, and manage the walking excursions without assistance; AmaWaterways recommends travel protection on every booking.
How SmartCruiser handles the fine print for you
- We put your 90-day final payment date on our calendar, counted from your first AmaWaterways service, and remind you before it, so a booking never cancels by accident.
- Before final payment we watch your sailing for AmaWaterways' next offer and move your booking to it when the line allows, so you never overpay for the same stateroom.
- AmaWaterways takes cancellations and changes in writing only, so we handle cancellations, name changes and stateroom moves with AmaWaterways directly and tell you the exact charge before you decide.
- Prepaid gratuities, flights, the Cruise Protection Plan, Travel Waiver Plus (deposit day only) and pre- and post-cruise hotel packages go on your invoice if you want them, and your past-guest status goes on the reservation.
- SmartCruiser adds bonus onboard credit on AmaWaterways sailings on top of the line's own offers, not available booking direct. Ask for it when you call 1-800-444-1560.
Last verified October 14, 2026 against AmaWaterways's own pages: Booking and Sales Terms and Conditions (North America; the same terms are shown in Canadian dollars on the /ca site), Passenger Ticket Contract 2026-2027 (minors, alcohol, smoking, cancellation tiers), AmaWaterways FAQ (dress code, inclusions), Top FAQs for First-Time River Cruisers (gratuity guidelines), Travel Waiver Plus, Egypt preparation guide (dress, visas), Savings offer terms (2026 gratuities additional, 2027 inclusive), AmaWaterways U.S. deposit and cancellation policy, updated February 24, 2026 (Tern copy), AmaWaterways U.S. cancellation policy, updated July 18, 2026 (Tern copy), Cancellation schedule by region, September 2026 (iCruise). These deposit, payment and cancellation terms are AmaWaterways' Booking and Sales Terms and Conditions for reservations made in the United States through AmaWaterways, LLC (the North American terms also published on its Canadian site, where the same tiers appear in Canadian dollars). AmaWaterways' U.K., European, Australian and New Zealand sites carry their own booking conditions in local currency, and charters and part-charters follow the charter contract. Policies change; the cruise line's ticket contract and the terms on your booking confirmation govern.
Questions
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