rahrah50

Thank you. The reviews of AMA were what made us decide. Well aware they are not perfect, but very difficult to find a bad review. The five us are all widowed and getting a little older, so we did like the idea of everything taken care of for us. May not be the least expensive way to do it, but it works for us. Four of us have traveled quite a bit and the Danube was an area we had not seen before. We all did a Viking China trip and loved it so we decided to try river cruising again. While Viking did a fabulous job on our China trip, we weren't comfortable booking them for the Danube after reading many reviews.

Thank you tribbs1. I am also a big believer in purchasing tickets ahead of time!!

Five of us will be taking our first European River cruise with AMA Waterways in May. Just a couple of questions....I so want to see Gustav Klimt paintings at the Belvedere in Vienna. Our plan is to take the ship tour in the morning then do our own thing in the afternoon. Should I purchase tickets online for the Belvedere? Don't want to waste a lot of time standing in line to purchase tickets. Also, one of us is flying in to Budapest alone. We purchased our airfares and hotels through AMA. Will there be a AMA person at the airport to meet us?

Thanks

Thank you kb0000!!!!! Great information for us!!!

Thanks for the info...I think we will have to really think about what we want to see. Sounds like too much for one day. Is it possible to do Schoenbrunn, Hapsburg, and Belvedere to see Klimt art in one day?

I forgot about Hofburg!!! I am leaning toward a private guide for the day. Hoping we can take in more places. If we are exhausted at the end of the day that is not a problem....we can rest!!!! We will have a meeting of the five minds and try to work this out.....

Thank you Got2Cruise and texastar!!! Exactly the info I was looking for. I will talk with our group and make a decision. I realize 24 hours in Vienna isn't enough....We will have to decide our priorities and go from there. I really want to see Schoenbrunn and the Klimt paintings.

We arrive in Vienna the night before on AMASerena. I don't believe we will arrive in time to do anything that day. The ship tour does not include the Schoenbrunn Palace or the Klimt art at the Belvedere.

We will be In Vienna in May of 2017 on AMASerena. We arrive the night before. We are trying to decide if we should do the ship tour or a private guide for the day. There will be 5 seniors in pretty good shape. We want to see Schonnbrun Palace, St Stephen's Cathedral, City Center, and Gustav Klimt art. This is the list so far. Looking for suggestions from someone who has been there, as none of us have been to Vienna.

Thanks

Thanks for the information!!! I just ordered a copy as I will be on the Danube next May!!!!

Have a wonderful trip!!!!! Glad you decided to go. I had pressure from friends not to go before I went to Paris and I was so happy I went.

If you feel apprehensive or frightened then it might be best to stay home. Personally I feel I have to think of the risk. Many daily activities have risk such as driving. I was in Paris after the bombings there. I felt safe. We can't predict where these awful things will happen, but I have chosen to continue with my travels. I won't be going to certain areas of the world, but I am not staying home. There is not a right or wrong answer. Do what is best for you.........

Thank you!!!!

Five of us will be on this cruise with the extensions in Budapest and Prague. We are unable to see the optional excursions until we have paid in full, which will not be for many moths. Could anyone who has done this cruise provide the info for the optional excursions????

Thanks

We are five widowed friends who often travel together. I feel so fortunate to have found these friends who love to travel as much as I do. We have been to Australia, River Cruise in China, and Baltic Cruise on Celebrity last May. We all loved the river cruising experience and I am sure we will love the Blue Danube Discovery by AMA. I am the researcher and planner for the group so I hover on the cruise critic site to learn all I can. Such a wealth of information!!!!

Thanks Dan4182. Too early for flights but I will keep that in mind. Is Frankfurt airport worse that CDG in Paris???

Just wanted to say thank you to this board and the river cruise info that is posted. Our group of 5 have booked our AMA Danube cruise for May of 2017. We all did the Viking China cruise and were sure we would use Viking again. So happy I read reviews and information here to realize that was probably not a good choice for us.

Thanks Marysb. I am downloading the maps app for Paris and I will try it out in Paris next month.

Yes it does make sense. Thanks...

Thanks everyone!!!!!

We have a group of 5, so we need a Danube river cruise that has a single room, that doesn't charge a huge fee for a single. We really like AMA, but I am having trouble finding info on single cabins. Any help would be appreciated.....

I have booked flights with the travel eraser and by calling Capital One to make the reservation. Both worked well and no difference in points.

Yes, my card is chip and signature. The only place I had a problem was in Paris at a kiosk trying to reload my Metro pass. Unattended kiosks require a chip and pin card and the chip and signature card will not work.

Chip and pin cards are difficult to find in the US. I did find one at Andrews Federal Credit Union and will be trying it out in Paris this spring. You are required to open an account but $10 will open a savings account.

I have used my Capital One card in many countries as there is no foreign transaction fee. I also charge everything I can to it as I use the points for flights. I just booked a flight to Paris. I researched the flights I wanted and called Capital One to book the flight I preferred. No black out dates. Works great for me!!!!

We were in Amsterdam in May. I would suggest you purchase your Rijks Museum and/or Van Gogh museum tickets online before you go. just go to the website for each museum to order the tickets. It will save you a lot of time.......

We were on Silhouette for a Baltic Cruise in May and they did lots of photos!!!