Quick Answer
Choose Viking for a Christmas market river cruise if you want a consistent, adults-only, streamlined product with one strong included excursion in each port and little to decide once you are aboard. Choose AmaWaterways if you want a choice of several excursions each day, active options like hiking and biking, twin-balcony staterooms and a slightly more social ship. Neither is the wrong answer. They serve different travel styles, and the honest job of an advisor is to match you to the right one.
I am Melissa Yetter, an independent luxury river cruise advisor and an AmaWaterways Certified Specialist who also holds Viking certification. I have inspected ships from both fleets and personally sailed a Christmas Markets itinerary on the Danube. This comparison is part of my European Christmas Market river cruise planning guide.
First, What They Have in Common
Both lines sail the classic holiday routes: Amsterdam to Basel on the Rhine and Budapest to Nuremberg or Passau on the Danube. Both call at the major markets, Cologne, Rüdesheim, Strasbourg, Vienna, Regensburg, Nuremberg, and both dress the ship for the season with trees, gingerbread and glühwine on deck. Both include wine and beer with lunch and dinner, Wi-Fi and at least one excursion in every port. If you compare only itineraries, they look nearly identical. The differences are on board.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Factor | AmaWaterways | Viking |
|---|---|---|
| Ship design | Varied fleet; most Rhine and Danube ships carry about 156 guests | Uniform Longship design; about 190 guests |
| Signature cabin | Twin-balcony stateroom (French balcony plus step-out balcony) | Veranda stateroom with full step-out balcony, or French balcony |
| Excursions | Several choices per port: gentle, regular, active, plus biking and hiking options | One included excursion per port, with optional paid extras |
| Onboard activity | Fitness room, wellness host with classes, bikes, sun-deck pool or whirlpool on many ships | Quieter; walking track, library, lectures; no pool, no bikes |
| Dining | Main restaurant plus The Chef's Table specialty restaurant, included | Restaurant plus Aquavit Terrace casual dining, included |
| Age policy | Children welcome; family departures with Adventures by Disney on select dates | Adults only, 18 and over |
| Atmosphere | Social, energetic, mixed ages | Calm, understated, predominantly 55 and over |
| Air and transfers | Available as add-ons; frequent air promotions | Frequently bundled air promotions |
| Best for | Active travelers, couples who want choice, families and mixed groups | Travelers who value predictability, quiet and simplicity |
Ships and Cabins in Winter
This matters more at Christmas than in summer, because you spend more time on board. Days are short, decks are cold and the ship is your warm refuge between markets.
AmaWaterways' twin-balcony staterooms give you a French balcony and a small step-out balcony in the same cabin. In December you will use the French balcony far more, opening the glass for a few minutes of castle scenery before closing it again, and the extra square footage of the step-out is nice but not essential. Viking's Longships offer full verandas, French balconies and standard staterooms; the veranda categories are pleasant but, in my experience, are used less in winter than travelers expect when they pay for them. I go deeper on this in best cabin for a Christmas market river cruise.
Both fleets are well maintained. Viking's uniformity is a genuine advantage if you want to know exactly what you are getting. AmaWaterways' variety means ship choice matters, and it is one of the things I check for you.
Excursions: One Good Choice or Several Choices?
This is the single biggest practical difference.
Viking includes one well-run walking tour in each port, typically the market town's highlights with time to browse. It is easy and requires no planning. If you want more, optional excursions are available at an extra charge.
AmaWaterways offers a menu in most ports: a gentle-paced walk, a regular-paced walk, a "late-riser" option, and often a guided bike ride or hike, plus special-interest tours around food, wine or the markets themselves. For couples with different energy levels, or for travelers who want to hike the Rhine Gorge vineyards in the morning and wander a market in the afternoon, this flexibility is the reason to choose Ama.
Dining and Evenings on Board
Viking's food is consistently good and unfussy, with regional specialties woven into the menu and the Aquavit Terrace for a lighter meal. AmaWaterways adds The Chef's Table, a multi-course tasting dinner with an open kitchen, included once per sailing and often bookable more than once. At Christmas both lines add seasonal menus, glühwein and a Christmas Eve and Christmas Day program if your dates include them.
Evenings differ in energy. Viking leans toward a quiet lounge, a pianist and an early night. AmaWaterways is more social, with a livelier lounge and, on some sailings, dancing. Neither is a party ship; the question is whether you want a hum or a hush.
Families and Age
Viking is adults only. If you are traveling with anyone under 18, the decision is made for you. AmaWaterways welcomes children and runs dedicated family departures with Adventures by Disney on select dates, including holiday sailings in some years. For a multigenerational Christmas market trip, AmaWaterways is the answer. I cover this in more detail in my guide to multigenerational river cruises.
Price
Published fares overlap heavily and swing with promotions. Viking often leads with bundled air; AmaWaterways often leads with cabin upgrades or reduced fares on specific dates. Rather than compare list prices, I compare the total delivered cost for your specific dates, cabin and air, which frequently flips the apparent winner.
Melissa's Honest Take
- Choose Viking if: you want an adults-only ship, you prefer one good included tour to a menu of choices, you value quiet evenings and you like knowing exactly what the ship will be like before you board.
- Choose AmaWaterways if: you want excursion choice every day, you like to be active, you want a twin-balcony cabin, you are traveling with family or a mixed-age group, or you want a more social ship.
- Either is fine if: your priorities are the markets themselves and a comfortable cabin. In that case, the deciding factors become docking times, dates and price, and I would let those choose the line.
Keep Planning
This article is one part of my complete European Christmas Market river cruise planning guide, which covers Rhine vs. Danube, cruise lines, ships, cabins and timing in one place.
When you are ready to compare specific sailings, request a river cruise consultation or read more about how I work as a river cruise advisor. The cruise line pays my commission, so my planning help typically costs you nothing extra.
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to the questions travelers most often ask when they are deciding between these two lines.
