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knoxclone

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  1. AMA Lucia had a refrigerator in the stateroom as well as an ice machine near the reception desk and ice bucket in the room. or simply ask your room steward to make sure you have ice each afternoon.
  2. The other surprising excursion was Sigfrieds Mechanical Music Museum in Ridesheim. Totally charming and unexpected - it was fascinating...
  3. The provided hair dryer was very good - and not one of those mounted to the wall. There are a variety of "american" and European outlets in the room - as well as two usb ports on each side of the bed.
  4. Several people raved about the Technology museum in Speyer, and remarked that they could have easily have spent an entire day there. My favorite excursion was probably either Riquewihr as it was a beautiful sunny day, very few people and some we enjoyed some great pastries... or the visit to Dusseldorf, which had some interesting history, outdoor art sculptures some beautiful churches. I had no idea what to expect and really enjoyed it.
  5. Yes, AMA allows you to drop luggage and come back later as cabins are usually not ready until mid afternoon. They served a light lunch - soup.salad sandwiches on embarkation day.
  6. Yes, the AMA & Uniworld elevators both stop at all the levels ( with the exception of the sun deck), while the Viking elevator only reaches the 2 middle decks where the restaurant and lounge are located.
  7. Yes, I think so. I am originally from the upper Midwest, so I am much happier in the cold than the heat! I knew going in, there was not going be much in the way of scenic views while sailing & touring, other than architecturally and was ok with that as I have previously visited the Rhine area in summer and fall seasons. The weather actually cooperated nicely, once we left the rain in Amsterdam behind us, we had severally sunny days, and in fact toured Düsseldorf and Speyer with just a fleece jacket. The only downside might be for those who are avid shoppers ( of which I am not) is that because we were so early in the season, some of the shops and restaurants, especially in the smaller towns were not open yet - including the Kathe Wolfart Christmas shop in Rudesheim.
  8. I just returned from a week aboard the AmaLucia, and thought I would offer my personal opinions, as I travelled on both Uniworld in November and have three Viking river cruises under my belt recently. I am happy to answer any questions as well. I knew going in, that the weather was going to be iffy, but as I firmly believe that "There is no bad weather, just bad clothing" the price point, and smaller crowds appealed to me. Spent three days in Amsterdam pre cruise (not through AMA) and was able to leisurely tour the Van Gogh museum, and other attractions with minimal waits or crowds. AMS public transport has adopted the tap & ride system, so you just tap your credit card as your ticket when you enter and exit the buses or trams - including the train from the airport. I did notice that many, many place, including restaurants and shops "cashless only" now. There were only 72 guests on board, which in turn, allowed the excursions numbers to be very small. In fact, as I opted for the "gentle" tours, three of my four excursions were either myself and the tour guide - only one or two additional guests. All four tour guides were very good. We did see quite few Ukrainian flags and posters in windows and city plazas, addition to makeshift memorials to Alexei Navalny in major cities including Amsterdam, Strasbourg and Zurich. I will say, that of the three ships, Amalucia, Joie de Vivre and Viking longships, I prefer the Viking layout - as on Ama Lucia, the elevator was in the middle of the lobby and the front of ship (resturant and lounge) were offset from the back where the staterooms were located. Which meant that you ALWAYS had at least one flight of stairs, no matter which way or where you were headed. And the Joie seems much darker, probably due to the darker woodwork paneling and smaller windows. The ship itself was beautifully appointed, and seemed much more open and light filled than the Joie de Vivre. The lounge has areas with long couches and stools which allow larger groups to gather together. Like the longships, they had a small eating area at the front of the lounge area which allowed views and opened up in better weather. I was in the lowest & smallest cabin as I was traveling solo, which was actually wonderful for a single traveller. AMA does target to the solo traveler demographic and often offered no supplement sailings. They also have specifically designed some of the dinning tables to seat 5 or 7 guests. Bathroom was smaller and not quite as nicely appointed as Viking or Uniworld, and the shower was the smallest of the three, but great water pressure! I did have the chance to view some larger cabins and really like their layout, especially as they have cabins that feature both a small balcony and a juliet balcony which really makes the room seem larger. The staff was equally as professional and helpful as on Viking and Uniworld, although there where a few small dining room service glitches, (which was not surprising as it was only the second sailing of the season). And given the small number of passengers, staff addressed passengers by name by the first day and were very interactive with the guests. There was a small, but well appointed gym and the wellness staff member was visible throughout the cruise, offering daily classes, leading hikes and bike excursions. They offer a small spa/salon and massages are available - cost was reasonable - 80 euro for an hour. While I enjoy food, and consider myself a "foodie", (albeit not necessarily a gourmet) and I believe the majority of all my meals on Uniworld and Viking were very, very good, the food on the Amalucia was a bit more... the only way to describe it is maybe more adventurous, inventive or maybe creative? One example is the "make your Pho bowl" cooking station at lunch. They also provided AMAZING soups,(lunch and dinner), a different one was offered each day, with no repeats. AMA does not offer a beverage package, but between the wine and beer at meals, and the sip & sail cocktail hour (which featured a cocktail of the day, as well as a selection of cocktails, beers, wine and mocktails), it was not really needed. Drinks were actually on par or cheaper than many of my local restaurants. I paid 6 euro for a Baileys after dinner, and it was a generous pour. Lounge entertainment similar to others, with a keyboardist, but there was local entertainment three nights - a classical trio who were VERY good, a jazz singer (also very good) and I cant remember the last one because I did not attend. Demographics seemed to be on the lower end from both my Viking and Uniworld cruises - I would estimate mid- late 40s- 60s, with only one couple seemingly older, but very active. A few including myself, not above using walking poles 🙂 - AMA provides both the canes w a fold out seat, as well as walking poles for guests to borrow. I am happy to answer any questions regarding the three ships, differences, similarities or other...
  9. Are you actually wanting to visit Normandy, or simply enjoy a Seine cruise? Normandy is a big area and is if you are looking to do WW2 sites - know that for most cruise lines, there is a lot of bus travel involved, and a long day, and you must chose between the US or British/Canadian sites.
  10. I've stayed in the cabins across from laundry 2x and would happily do so again. Very convenient and there was no noticeable noise.
  11. We visited Keukenhof on a the Viking Tulip Time cruise in March of 2018. We arrived shortly after opening, and were provided two departure options. We started with a short guided tour, explaining the history, and layout or the site, and from there you could either stay with the guide or be turned loose with instructions on where to meet the guides to return to the buses.
  12. I recently returned from a Uniworld cruise on the Joie de Vivre from Paris to Normandy. My past river cruises experiences have all been on Viking on the Danube, Rhine and Tulips and Windmills. Personally, I normally prefer the clean Scandinavian vibe, however the Joie de Vivre had a fun French Belle Epoque style which totally fit the theme of the cruise. Overall, I was very pleased with the ship, the service and the staff. My experience may have been a little different as the entire ship was chartered by the National World War Museum, so all guests were offered the drinks package and the excursions were specific to WW2. Nevertheless, I will try to break down my thoughts in a couple basic areas and am happy to answer any questions. Stateroom – Cabin was Deluxe French Balcony at 194 sq feet, versus 205 sq ft in a Viking Veranda, and 135 sq ft in a French balcony. I loved the sliding electric window, and definitely prefer that type of French balcony over the Viking French balcony - which is a slider with a metal railing (on Viking, I had a fear of accidentally kicking something out the door!). There was great storage, including a drawer built into the end of the bed frame, which was great for storing shoes and bags, but still enough room to store suitcases under bed as well. Plenty of drawers and great double closet, along with a built-in shelves along one wall. While the square footage is larger than the Viking French balcony, I did feel that the room “seemed” smaller, most likely due to the padded upholstered walls darker colors. Biggest downside was no refrigerator in room, and there were limited USB ports and several of the outlets were "loose" and sometimes devices did not charge. Bathroom – the shower pressure was great, and it included a rain showered as well as a hand held. Shower included several safety rails and a built in shower seat. Bath featured wonderful Asprey brand toiletries - although I did not like the bottles mounted on the wall, because without my glasses I could not read the labels to see if I was using shampoo or body gel! 😊 Viking definitely wins on that! Like V, they have heated floor, and several drawers to store personal items. They did have a magnifying mirror which was appreciated, and a blue night light which was nice and unobtrusive. Food is always subjective, but I was very pleased with the food selections, presentation and service. Breakfast and lunch were served buffet style, and while the menu leaned towards classic and regional French cuisine, the menu always had chicken, steak, fish or vegan options available – and fabulous desserts and breads. Overall ship design, I think I prefer the Viking layout because of the windows and openness of the rooms. Uniworld has the bar and the smaller dining venue at the bow of the ship, and the dining room has half windows, as opposed to both the V restaurant and lounge which have floor to ceiling views. I also thought the pool and smaller bar towards the back was a waste of space, and the bar was rarely staffed. Uniworld did have a small glass covered area at the back of the ship with chairs and tables, along with cookies, and board games and books. I also appreciated the fact they had a wonderful 24 hour fancy coffee machine which also provided decaffeinated options. Finally, I was happy to have a self serve laundry available. which was very nice and soap was provided. Lots more, but am happy to answer any questions that I may not have addressed. Traveling on AMAWaterways in early 2024, so looking to see what differences they have. Based on itinerary, I would not hesitate to book again on Uniworld.
  13. I cant remember about the main pool, but I know the infinity pool is ladder only, because I had a little trouble navigating it.
  14. Congratulations -- so looking forward to "virtually" traveling with you! its a bucket list for me as well.
  15. We really enjoyed the Tortuga Canal boat tour, and the sloth sanctuary. We did the snorkeling in belize as well.
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