aldukenew

We leave in a week and are thinking about the optional tours offered. Looking for some feedback on the Mozart Strauss Concert, Salzburg, and the Folklore show in Prague. The idea of the Mozart Strauss concert is great, but I think I would prefer to spend my afternoon walking in Vienna, going to a coffee house, Klimt paintings and maybe dinner in Vienna. The Salzburg tour is a very long day......

We loved the concert, but it was at night. The Folklore show was touristy, but we enjoyed it and thought it was fun. We did not go to Salzburg.

Allyson

Traveling on AMA Certo May 14 for a Danube cruise. VIsiting Terezin is one of the half day tours offered. Does anyone have input? It's one I'm especially interested in but if the guides aren't knowledgeable or if more time is spent traveling than visiting perhaps another tour would be advisable.

 

We're going from Budapest to Prague. Any advise is appreciated.

We did the Terezin tour a year and a half ago and found it very interesting, although solemn. Worth it, in my opinion.

Allyson

Just returned from walking tour of Prague. Most skipped castle because of 40 minute wait to get through security. The tour we took was all down hill, but was about a 3 1/2 walk. It was chilly and rained on and off. Tonight is folklore dinner show.

 

 

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We enjoyed the folklore dinner show - touristy but fun.

Allyson

Allyson, our Seine trip begins on September 28. We are doing some independent European travel before going to Paris pre-cruise. I am concerned that our 3 nights in Paris will not be adequate, but we do not have unlimited time. My Paris "to do" list keeps growing - so much to see and do, and I am much better at making plans than trimming them.

You seem to be a big AMA fan. I have heard so many good things about AMA cruises that I have very high expectations, and hope that the Seine itinerary is as fantastic at the Danube.

ConnMom,

Yes, our time in Paris is limited, too, unfortunately - just 2 days. Actually, 2 1/2 days if we use the morning of the boarding day to keep going. I have been to Paris several times, and less than a week is not enough. More reason to go back! I have to get back to work to pay for the next adventure!

I'm not sure the Danube can be beat, I"m sure Ama will make it an enjoyable experience. I keep wondering what we should try next :).

Allyson

Like many others, I am trying to read everything I can about AMA. We are taking our first AMA river cruise in September on the Seine. I urge people who will be on the Lyra before us to write about their experiences. Our first river cruise last fall on the Danube with Tauck was amazing, and I expect another fantastic experience this fall with AMA, but am eager to hear specifics about both the cruise and Paris. We will be there for 3 days pre-cruise. Thank you, everyone, who has shared information.

ConnMom,

When in September are you on the Seine? We are leaving on the Paris to Normandy on 9/7.

Allyson

For those that have been on AMA before I have several questions:

1) Can we charge gratuities on a credit card or can they be put on our onboard account?

2) Can we bring our own wine on the ship?

 

Thanks!

(1) I seem to remember putting the gratuities on my account, which was charged to my credit card.

(2) You can bring whatever you want on board. :) Buying local wines in the ports is nice. And, you are not limited to wine, in my experience.

Allyson

Wow what an amazing week! Our first river cruise and it definitely won't be our last. There was so much to do every day that we feel in need of another week just to recharge haha. No rest for the weary, we're in France doing land now for another week.

 

I have the daily schedules which I'll post when we get home, with highlights of the week. There's multiple tour options daily for all activity levels - something for everyone. We took the bicycle tour in Rotterdam and regret not doing it in other cities earlier in the cruise.

 

Fantastic, attentive service from everyone - we were definitely spoiled. A shout out to Capt Ron, Ewe our cruise manager, Vladymer and Josip our waiters, Petar, Marius, and Robert who kept our glasses full (we joked we only had 1 glass of wine each meal as they never let them get below 1/3 full), Aurel our Chief Purser, Nadia who kept our room spotless, and Imola who entertained us all week with her outstanding keyboard skills.

 

More to come after we return to the States on Apr 21.

 

 

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We did this cruise on the AmaCerto in 2013. We had such a fabulous time that we did the Romantic Danube on the AmaSonata in 2015 and are on the AmaLyra Paris to Normandy cruise this September. Love Ama!

Allyson

I have not found anyone on our sailing of April 20th in over a year, however I have found some great info on this thread.

 

 

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I, too, have found great info on this thread. I read a lot of threads! Cruise Critic has been very helpful over the years.

Allyson

Thanks, I did start a roll call and there has been zero response. I know the river cruise roll calls are typically not very active compared to ocean cruises.

 

I was hoping that by posting on the more "generic" AmaWaterways 2017 Sailings, I would find others who are going on Douro River sailings, too.

I have had the same response - zero - to my roll call. It's just hard to have to read through all of the posts here. It is easier to meet people on river cruises and not as many people use the roll calls to set up tours, as they are included. Getting excited! Only 4 more months!

We've spent hours upon hours re-researching our river cruise, and have transferred our Dec 4th AmaSerena sailing to Dec 13 AmaStella instead. The dates end up working out better for the office, we are saving $, AND all Christmas markets will be open during this sailing...but now I'm even more excited about the Melk Abbey than I was before. :p

Melk Abbey is gorgeous! There is a great view of the river from there, too!

Allyson

Anyone else on the Port Wine & Flamenco Douro river cruise that embarks on July 25, 2017?

We're doing the pre-cruise in Lisbon and the post-cruise in Madrid.

You might try starting a roll call for your particular cruise in the All River Cruise Roll Calls section.

Allyson

Tips

 

 

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Yes, gratuities. There is a small shop on onboard :-)

My husband and I are considering the Ama Tulip cruise. My husband has a couple of questions/concerns. The first question may be the easier of the 2. Do they close the sundeck on this cruise. This was a huge disappointment on the Main River cruise.

My second question is does anyone know exactly which bodies of water this cruise follows, the brochure is a bit vague.

Finally, do people use the pool in March and April? I know it's chilly that time of year.

Thanks everyone

We did this cruise on the AmaCerto in April 2013 and enjoyed it enough to be going on our 3rd Ama cruise this September! We were up on the sun deck several times - very windy and chilly, but not closed. We never saw anyone in the pool. As mentioned, the waterways names were not well known, but it doesn't matter. We had a fantastic trip!

Allyson

Allyson

After many ocean cruises, this will be our first river cruise and we are definitely looking forward to it. The second half of the itinerary is a Wine Cruise, which should be fun.

Family members were on AmaCerto Prague-Budapest about 4-5 years ago and loved it. By coincidence, AmaCerto is sailing on the itinerary, and date that fit in for us.

We are doing our own pre (Bucharest), and post (Prague), but are comfortable travelling in Europe.

We were in Prague 25 years ago, so curious to see what has changed.

Mark

Mark,

I have been on 19 ocean cruises and my upcoming river cruise will be my 3rd. I can tell you that, while I enjoy ocean cruising, I find river cruising to be much more fulfilling. I will continue to do both as long as I can.

Allyson

Allyson

Thank for your comments with regard to your stop in Regensburg.

We are on the Aug 14 AmaCerto Grand Danube cruise and will disembark at Vilshofen. We will likely take the Ama transfer from Vilshofen to Prague in order to visit Regensburg.

Mark,

We were on the AmaCerto for the Tulip Time trip in 2013 - another amazing trip! Ama does it right. I think you'll love Regensburg. We are on the AmaLyra Paris to Normandy this September. Can't wait!

Allyson

Thank you so much for this! Do you remember how long they gave you in Regensburg? I know I want to go in the clock store as well as the famous hat store so I am hoping I have enough time. Definitely getting the mustard, thanks for that tidbit!

The visit to Regensburg was on the way to Vilshofen from Prague to board the ship. We had several hours there - enough time for the walking tour, some sausages, mustard shopping, a pharmacy visit, visit to an ATM for currency, some coffee at a cafe on the way back to the bus. Lovely.

Great to know Allyson! Do you have any tips from when you went? Any special souvenirs, things to bring back? Maybe somethings you know now but didn't until you were on the river cruise?

 

TIA

TIA,

We thought that both Passau and Regensburg were lovely towns. In Regensburg, most folks go to the Sausage Kitchen on the other side of the bridge. I heard it was excellent. However, our Ama tour guide suggested we keep going to the next large square and visit one of the street vendors selling sausages. Good choice! Yummy. Also the mustard made there in Regensburg, Händlmaier's, is very good and we both bought some to bring home. Of course there are nutcrackers to buy in Germany.

All of the tours were excellent. After the walking tour in Budapest, we walked down from Castle Hill over the Chain Bridge back to the ship. It took about an hour but was a very scenic walk. We took the tour to Cesky Krumlov and loved it. It is a beautiful place. We had a beer on the banks of the river and people watched. Lovely.

We enjoyed our days in Prague before the cruise as well. Ama put things together perfectly for us.

Allyson

Hi All! Just booked our 1st river cruise last week on AmaStella for 4/19 Romantic Danube. I'll be traveling with a friend and we both are so excited!!! This all is great info.

We took this same trip on the AmaSonata in September 2015. It was the best ever! We would do it again in a flash!

Allyson

Hi. We are just booked on AMAViola for April 12th. Romantic Danube. We found a lovely video on youtube which gives a good idea of what the ship looks like.

 

Now we are just looking into how to get from Nuremburg to Vilshofen - probably by train.

We are avid ocean cruisers (25+) and also cruised the Seine and the Nile many years back. We are looking forward to this one.

It looks just like the AmaSonata we took on this same itinerary in September of 2015. Beautiful experience!

Allyson

Does anyone have any info on the AMA Waterways "Happy Hour" program?Carole

Just saw this;

AmaWaterways unveiled a brand-new plan for Happy Hour that should make most folks very gleeful indeed.

Beginning in 2018, AmaWaterways will include a complimentary “Happy Hour” across all ships in the fleet, with soft drinks, beer, wine and spirits all available at no charge before dinner. The line currently offers up complimentary beer, wine and soft drinks with lunch and dinner, along with complimentary sparkling wines and champagne served up at breakfast and at select events.

The new Happy Hour is meant to bridge the gap between lines that have gone all-inclusive and those that have remained with the more traditional system that includes paid beverages. Karst noted that some of its guests don’t drink alcoholic beverages, and that the line is sensitive to guests who feel they might be paying for something they will not be able to take advantage of were the line to go all-inclusive.

Allyson

Allyson, Claude Monet's home and garden in Giverny are beautiful. The cities of Honfleur, Caux de Bec, Rouen, Conflans and Les Andelys are beautiful also.

 

The American cemetery at Normandy, the Museum at the British landing site and Pointe du Hoc where the American rangers climbed the steep cliffs are awe inspiring sites.

 

The french food on the Ama Legro was among the best that my Wife and I have had on any cruise. The french wines were pretty tasty also.

 

Enjoy your trip, make lots of memories!

Thank you. I have been to Giverny and Normandy but my friend has not. We love Ama and are sure we will not be disappointed this time. Did you take any of the optional tours or just the ones included? I have found that all of them have been great.

Allyson

TeaBag, you chose wisely! We have sailed on the Ama Legro (Paris to Normandy) and the Ama Prima (Vilshofen to Budapest). Both were excellent trips, great scenery and cities to visit, Ama is renowned for the quality of their food and wine. They also try to use locally sourced foods and wines wherever possible.

 

Have a great trip, make lots of memories!

 

 

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Dan4182,

We are sailing on the AmaLyra from Paris to Normandy in September - our 3rd with Ama. Any comments/suggestions about this trip?

Allyson

My best friend and I are booked on the AmaLyra from Paris to Normandy on September 7, 2017. This will be our 3rd AmaWaterways cruise, after Tulip Time in 2013 and Romantic Danube in 2015. Wonderful trips!

Allyson

Would love to chat for the next 14 months with all that are headed on a European River Cruise with AmaWaterways in 2017. Also, would love to hear about past and current AmaWaterways clients for advice and pros and cons.

 

We are sailing on The Legendary Danube April 16th.

 

Thanks,

Sandy

We did Tulip Time in April of 2013 on the AmaCerto - fantastic! We sailed the AmaSonata last September on the Romantic Danube - even better! We are booked for AmaLyra's Paris to Normandy in September 2017. We are big, big fans of AmaWaterways!

Allyson

We are sailing on Ama Serena June 26 Budapest to Vilshofen and would appreciate any recommendations! I'm sure we will love the smaller cities too. We always do! My husband and I sailed on Ama Legro Paris to Normandy two years ago and just loved everything. This time we are bringing our two college aged children. I can't believe it's just over a month away!

 

Scott and Teresa

We took the reverse route on the AmaSonata last September, with 3 days in Prague pre-cruise - loved it! Loved Cesky Krumlov and Melk Abbey. We are doing the Paris to Normandy cruise on the AmaLyra in September 2017. Any suggestions you have for that one?

Allyson