tribbs1

I am not sure if you can get it set up ahead of time, but on AMA you can carry on anything you would like to have, so if going straight to the ship from the airport stop by Duty Free and pick up a nice bottle of Champagne and bring it on with you.  You can carry on anything you want - wine, beer, etc.  They do not confiscate like ocean cruise lines. 

Shalandara - Viking offers 1 tour option in each port.  They do offer some alternative options that have an extra cost to them.  The other lines will offer you a choice of 2-3 excursions in each port. 

I have sailed the Seine Paris to Normandy with AMA and it was truly amazing.  We have spent time in Paris before so if you do I recommend securing skip the line passes to the Louvre or the Musee d’Orsay.  If you can swing it, Palace of Versailles is incredible. Our group spent 6 hours there - mostly wandering the beautiful gardens.  In Giverny you will go to Monet’s house and gardens which is iconic.  In Rouen you have the chance to find out more about Joan of Arc.  If you don’t mind hiking there is a hike up a hill at the top of the city that has wonderful views.  Honfleur was enchanting, but the highlight of the cruise was the Normandy beaches and the American cemetery.  AMA does a flower dedication at the cemetery and it was one of the most moving things I have ever been a part of.  

You really need to think about what you want from your river cruise.  Virtually every line will sail to most of the same ports.  Like others have said, AMA Waterways, Uniworld, Avalon, Tauck and Viking do cater to North Americans - or basically English speaking passengers.  The ships are essentially the same size but the guest to space ratio is better on certain lines.  All except Viking will have some active touring components such as biking and hiking options for included excursions.  All except Viking will generally give you a choice of 2-3 options for excursions in each port.  Food is subjective, but some lines will have better food.  As for getting to a larger city - most of these lines will offer pre and post cruise extensions.  On the Danube we started out in Prague for 3 nights (amazing city) and then we were taken to Nuremburg to start our cruise and we ended in Budapest and stayed an extra night there as well.  The pre and post options really help round out your trip, but be aware that they are a bit expensive for what you really get, but they are convenient. 

I have been on several AMA cruises and the only night I dress a little nicer for is the Captain’s dinner.  If I am out all day touring and walking I usually just go to dinner in what I had on that day.  Now, I cruised in the cooler months of October and April, so I wasn’t all sweaty like you might be if cruising in the Summer.  It is very casual. 

I have been on 4 river cruises with my 5th coming up on June 1st.  The first one we took 10 years ago on Viking when we were 50 and we were indeed the youngest on the ship.  If you have never cruised the rivers before Viking would be okay.  The other river cruises we have taken on AMA Waterways and we find them to be much more enjoyable.  We are active and like the opportunity to do the biking and hiking excursions and to just have a choice of excursions in general.  The food is much better and the ships carry less passengers than Viking.  When you have low water issues Viking really suffers as their ships keel is much lower in the water than the other river cruise lines.  People have been bussed for entire itineraries while their ship was stuck at one port due to low water (and yes I do have a colleague that this happened to on the Danube).  If you are looking for lively entertainment in the evening you will not be happy on a river cruise as the entertainment is often times local and cultural.  That being said, I did take a group on the Rhine and the cruise managers recognizing our age secured a Motown band one night and even paid for them to stay longer and put them up on the ship overnight.  

Hi ehall.  That is how American does it. Do not worry - it was done correctly with the information you gave them but American pushes the first and middle names together. 

I wish they would have some lime flavored sparkling water.  I use this with my vodka instead of tonic and add a couple of extra limes.  So, so good.  Sometimes I bring my own Crystal Light Raspberry Lemonade packets to mix with my vodka drinks. 

Has anyone sailed recently that has been able to use their non-Celebrity excursions?  The verbiage is so confusing as it says in Barbados you can get off and purchase an excursion with a government approved provider.  What if I already have one booked with a provider that is government approved.  Can I take that one and not have to buy one in port?  Thank you for any clarification you can give regarding your recent experience. 

2 hours ago, Plaidlulu said:

We are booked on our first Celebrity Cruise and I am struggling to find information.  I find their website to be lacking information I found easily on other cruise line sites.  Maybe Disney Cruise Line spoiled me...I have called them and and after significant holds they refer me to my TA, which results into another call and long hold only for the TA to have to call celebrity.  I am certain there is a resource somewhere I have overlooked.  If anyone has any suggestions I would appreciate.  The biggest piece of information I am looking for is what is a safe time to book our return flights.  Our cruise is Seattle to Alaska.  Thanks in advance.

That would depend on where you are flying out of on your return flight.  Is is SEA? 

If so, you should not purchase a flight that leaves before noon. 

There have not been any cancellation announced for Oasis.  Royal has stopped selling cabins on many of these cruises for the time being which is why you cannot see them when you search. 

You can log into your cruise online and it will either not be there or will say cancelled.  Screen shot that and you will be set.  Did you get the name of the person you talked to? Did you note the date and time you called?  I always do this in case they have to go back and listen to the recordings.  

We first tried cruising years ago with our children (now 29,28,28, 24) and they loved it then.  It gave us an opportunity to see some different islands and then go back to the ones we liked for a land stay .  For multi-gen families it offers something for everyone in terms of entertainment, shore excursions, food, etc.  Have sailed the Caribbean, Med, Alaska, and European Rivers (Danube, Rhine, Seine).  On the river we always added extra days on both ends so have visited Germany, France, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Hungary, Switzerland, Spain, Italy, Portugal.  We have traveled to Ireland two times on a fully escorted tour.  Have been to Mexico and the Caribbean to all-inclusive resorts about 20 times.  Most of the time we travel to see something new and historically interesting.  Upcoming trips: 

Celebrity Summit March 30, Costa Rica May 2019, Greece Aug/Sept. 2019, Germany, Switzerland, Austria & Oberramergau September 2020.... and I am sure it wont be long until I plan something else.  

Love to hear live music and see the shows.  On sea days just like to hang by the pool and read.  On the Reflection we participated in a trivia game (we had a Dr., engineer, financial analyst, nurse, artist, travel consultant) and got 2 out of 30 questions right.  It is definitely no fun if the questions are too hard.  Just saying!

what kind of evening entertainment is available on the Wind Surf?

Has anyone done the day tour to Caminito del Rey out of Malaga?

I wish there was an easy way to explain this to you, but there is not. It is apparent that you have sailed with Windstar quite a bit and may have more specific knowledge of that line than many TAs. A travel agent can give you the personal service which you already know. When you book with a local TA remember that you are also keeping your business local. Many travel agencies are members of a travel consortia (Signature Travel Network, Ensemble, Virtuoso, etc) Those consortia give travel agencies more buying power with the cruise lines in the form of group fares as well as special amenities given the members of the consortia by cruise lines (extra OBC, private car & driver shore ex, etc.) Most TAs will not kick back any of their commission to the client in the form of OBC as that is widely frowned upon by the cruise industry. Even though your booking might be 5K - keep in mind that TAs do not get 15% of that. There are non-commissionables, port taxes and fees that the TA does not earn commission on. Large OTAs do sometimes offer a better rate or more OBC but the volume they book is far greater than your local TA who cannot possibly compete with them and still stay in business.

Having only sailed on the Monarch of the Seas 100 years ago I can say that back then Royal's food was not good. Carnival's food was much better then. Having sailed Carnival last year for Carnival Live weekend I can say that their food is crap now too. Celebrity Reflection's food was very good, Holland America's is excellent, and I was quite surprised by the very good quality of NCL Escape's food. Food is subjective and cruising is not inexpensive, so having to substitute specialty dining to get decent food is really rather annoying. I will see how Royal's food compares in May on the Oasis.

I have cruised 3 times in October - mid to late - and it is chilly. I have worn a packable down jacket and gloves on each of those cruises. 2 were on the Rhine and 1 on the Danube.

We had a group on AMA and were receiving the group discount of $250 per person and then the cruise went on "sale" and we were able to get an additional $750 per person deducted from the cruise fare. So, it is possible to get your price adjusted. However if you are booking in the most popular times there will not be any cabins for them to get rid of so you will not see a sale. If you plan to cruise at the beginning of the season, or late in the season this could very well happen.

The river cruise lines will generally offer their best deals in the early booking phase. If a cruise is not filling up they might offer a better deal down the road, but river cruises fill up quickly due to the small number of passengers they carry. I would book earlier rather than later to make sure you get the cabin and itinerary you want.

I have been in aquarium class and in French balcony rooms. I didn't mind Aquarium class as I was not in my cabin. Also, I traveled on all 3 of my previous river cruises in October and the weather was not conducive to using a balcony. If I sailed in the summer, I would consider it. However, the cost differential is really not worth it to me because if the weather is nice, I can go on the sundeck and get a panoramic view. As others have stated, there really is not a lot of daytime sailing so relaxing on your balcony and watching the scenery go by doesn't happen.

I would recommend you find a travel agent who specializes in river cruising. They will know all of the different lines and what each one offers. I can tell you than I took a Viking Rhine cruise when I was 50 and I was by far the youngest person onboard. They only have one ability group to tour and I can honestly say that the pace was a bit slower than we liked. We did enjoy ourselves, but decided to try another line. Our next river cruise we sailed the Danube with AMA Waterways. We loved being able to take bike tours and being able to choose an ability group for our regular tours - gentle, regular and active. I took a group of 26 on the AMACerto last October - all were between 50-60 years old. They took advantage of the biking and hiking tours as well as used the pool and the fitness center. You can also take the bikes out on your own when the ship is docked in port. I am leaving Wednesday to sail on the AMALyra Paris & Normandy cruise and I cannot recommend them enough. They are a great line for people in your age range and offer great service, food, and tours.

I am sailing on the AMALyra next week so I will be interested to see if the Wellness classes are up an running. I will report back.

We had a fabulous time doing a jeep tour of Arikok National Park. We did it through Carnival in 2012 and it was a lot of fun driving over the boulders in the park. They also take you to a natural pool in the park and you can snorkel there, but most people swam. In Curacao we booked a private snorkel trip and the snorkeling was very good - we saw a bunch of Tarpon and they were enormous. Jolly Pirates in Aruba is okay, but the drinks they give you are lousy rum drinks and this is not the best outfit to snorkel with.