moesmrs

For clothing, yes its fairly casual. I am a very light packer so I usually go with a lot of black & white. For daytime capri's or shorts and at night a simple tunic with leggings and sandals with a scarf or jewelry. I only bring 2 pairs of shoes. I wear gym shoes on the plane & bring one pair of sandals. I can do 2 weeks in a carryon so I may be a bit abnormal as far as packing goes. Be sure to bring a light rain jacket. There are umbrellas aboard but if it's raining heavy its nice to have the protection of a jacket. Personally I like to pack "layers" pieces that can be worn together if its chilly and alone if the weather is beautiful.

We did the Danube 2 years ago in September (first half of the month) and had great weather but you will definitely need a light jacket or sweater if you will be sitting up top in the evenings.

We just returned from the Amacerto. July 20th thru July 27th. We liked the route and found the itinerary interesting. There was enough cruising time to relax and enough in port time to do the things you wanted to do. I would be happy to answer any specific questions you may have.

We took the train from Centraal Station and then rented bikes there to explore. Great day.

The bike tour is a included your. You would sign up for the bike tour instead of the daily city tour. There are no bike tours after the daily city tour, they all take place basically at the same time. You can ride bikes independently later in the day if you have time before the boat leaves.

The couple we traveled with went on 3 bike tours and liked them all. They cycle quite a bit and the only complaint they had was the bikes had coaster brakes ( as well as handle brakes). There are no bike tours after the regular tours but if time allows yo can take the bikes out independently.

We did Rigi based on a conversation we had with a very friendly conductor on our train from Basel to Lucerne. She had some excellent hike recommendations based from Rigi. Very easy to do from Lucerne take the boat to Vitznau then cog wheel train up Rigi. We went all the way to the top and then came back one stop to Kaltbad, went for our hike and then took cablecar from Kaltbad to the Village of Weggis and then boat back to lucerne. Lovely day.

One note about the bikes in Zannse- When you get off the train you will see a sign on the outside of a store in the station, don't stop there like I said earlier. Go down the stairs and through the tunnel. There is a man there who rents the bikes through the shop. They are all mismatched and look in poor repair. Lucky for us he was busy so we could see there was another bike rental a few steps away. We went down there and found brand new bikes (yes, a little more expensive but way worth it) she will help with directions and also adjust the bike to fit you so it's more comfortable.

Yes, the Rhine is low- I don't really know how to gage but you could see that the river levels were low. Didn't effect us but there is no way to tell as it changes. The weather has been very warm & dry, if that pattern continues it may become a issue.

We choose Riquewihr because our shipped docked in Breisach on a Sunday. In Germany all shops and most restaurants are closed on Sunday but the French Village of Riquewihr all the shops & restaurants are open. If you get a chance in Riquewihr have the Tarte Flambee and a nice Alsatian wine- delicious!

We did Amsterdam pre-cruise on our own and really enjoyed it. Just walked and discovered the city. Did Ann Frank house, bought tickets online which is a must months before, Zannse Schans by public transport which we really enjoyed. Rented bikes by the train station and rode out there. Very easy to do. Rent the bikes from the second lady after the train tunnel, her bikes were all brand new and she is very lovely and great to deal with.

We did a week post cruise in Lucerne, Zermatt & Montreux on our own so I cannot speak to Basel except for the train station which was as is most things Swiss, clean & efficient. ;)

DH, I & another couple just returned from our 2nd river cruise. This was the 7/20 sailing of the Amacerto from Amsterdam to Basel. The 2nd cruise was once again wonderful. We didn't enjoy the Rhine as much as the Danube for various reasons but the cruise itself was almost flawless. We had one dinner that was pretty awful (pork tenderloin cooked within a inch of it's life) but really that was the only hiccup of the whole week.

Tours & transportation were great, staff were all awesome, with the exception of our cruise director, who catered to two large groups aboard but did his difficult job adequately enough. The ship is beautiful and we enjoyed the pool since we had warm weather.

I have attached some photos of our room 227.

If anyone has any particular questions I would be more than happy to respond.

Thank you for keeping us updated Notamermaid!

We leave Saturday for a Amsterdam to Basel cruise with a week after in 3 different regions of Switzerland. To say that I am finding packing challenging is a understatement. Temps are all over the place. We live in Chicago so I am used to changing weather!

Do you expect Rhine levels to remain at the current levels for the next week or so?

Anyone have a current laundry pricelist for AMA? Starting to pack for a 14 day trip and looks like I'll be needing laundry service at some point. Thanks in advance!

We are on the AmaCerto leaving Amsterdam on July 20th. Leaving the U.S on the 17th for a few days pre- cruise on our own and then a week post cruise traveling thru Switzerland. Looking SO forward to this long awaited vacation.

We also stayed at The Archibald at Charles Bridge. Loved the location as well as the hotel. We walked everywhere and the restaurants located in the area by the hotel, even though I cannot remember the names, were all very good. We would just go out and walk until something caught our eye. We were never disappointed.

Walked to the funicular up to the petrin tower through the park where there was some very interesting modern sculpture. Took the tram to the castle (go past the castle and get off that way you walk downhill).

The location is right off the Charles Bridge so it makes it easy to get most anywhere you want to go but it is on a quiet side street along the river.

IMHO I think the choice between taking the ships post cruise it doing it on your own depends on what type of traveler you are. Prague from Budapest is easily done on your own.

We took a car pre- arranged by the ship to the train station and then a train into Prague. Then a tram to the hotel which was "The Archibald at the Charles Bridge". We took public transport or walked most everywhere.

We will do the same in Switzerland next month, taking trains throughout.

We feel that one week of guided travel via the river cruise is enough for us and then we like to go at our own pace for another week.

Prague is a easy city to see on your own. Public transport is good, it's very walkable.

Whatever you choose you will have a great time.

We are on our 2nd trip next month so we are far from "regulars" but our catalyst to book came from friends who all raved about their trips. Our first trip we did Nuremburg to Budapest on AMA with a pre cruise stay in Prague on our own. We liked the cruise enough to book another but we also like to do any pre or post trips on our own. We feel like it's the best of both independent & guided travel along with being a fair value.

Yes, we enjoyed picking up local wines and aperitifs along the Danube. We loved the apricot brandy we bought in Melk. We had every intention of bringing it home but it never made it! We are looking forward to the Rhine next month and hoping there will be some good wine gardens and cellars along the way to make some new discoveries.

Yes, there is a main bar right off the reception area. Don't worry there is no shortage of alcohol. :) You can also buy local beer, wine or spirits at the stops along your route and bring them on board to enjoy in your cabin or up top watching the scenery.

We are on the AmaCerto in the opposite direction starting July 20, 2015.

If you can wait until our return I would be happy to provide the info you want.

We are on the AmaCerto July 20, Amsterdam to Basel, after we disembark in Basel we are traveling for 1 week in Switzerland independently. We start with 2 nights in Basel, using Basel as a base we will also go to Lucerne. Next we take the train to Zermatt and stay 2 nights to hopefully, if weather allows, to see the Matterhorn. Then we finally take the train to Montreux on Lake Geneva to see the lakes region. We fly out of Geneva mid day on Sunday.

We realize that this will be a whirlwind and that by taking so much travel on it probably will not be relaxing. However, this could be our only opportunity to see Switzerland and we want to see as much as possible in the 1 week we have.

We love the cruise portion but after a week of organized tours we are ready to travel on our own.

We are taking this cruise in the opposite direction next July. We also cruised last year Prague to Budapest.

Last year we did 3 nights on our own in Prague, next year we will do 2 nights pre cruise in Amsterdam and 6 nights post cruise riding the rails in Switzerland. Basel- Zermatt- Montreux.

We are independent travelers, and while we enjoy the tours on the cruise itself, we think that 7 or 8 days of that is more than enough for us. The plus side of this is usually the cost of DIY is much less than purchasing it through the cruise company.

You could easily travel thru Zurich or Geneva and take the train to Basel. Zurich being geographically closer but I find the airfares (at least from Chicago) less expensive to Geneva.

We were on AMA last August ( Nuremberg to Budapest) in Vienna we we docked some distance to St Stephens (Stevens?) square. We took the metro which was an easy walk from the boat. The Train is clean, fast, easy & inexpensive. We had some folks who took cabs and heard it was in the neighborhood of $50 one way. the train IMHO is the way to go.

We took the train from Budapest back to Prague. It took about 8 hours but the journey itself was fine. Train station in Prague is modern, easy to navigate, just be aware of your belongings and the folks who will approach you about "cab" rides. Use only reputable cab companies, but don't stress over this it's really just common sense.

Don't cancel! DH & I went solo on our first river cruise last summer and we LOVED it!

We also travel regularly with friends but it was so nice to have the freedom to do exactly what we wanted to do without consulting travel companions.

Nap in the afternoon? Bloody Mary's on the sundeck? Stay up late? go to bed early? eat off the ship in town? stay on the ship all day? it was heaven only being concerned with each other.

We ate some meals with others, maybe 35% but the other 65% we were at a table for 2.

I wouldn't hesitate to do it again-JMHO.

Thank you all for your responses. I am still on the fence as to whether we will travel a day early or not. As someone pointed out, since the first day is a overnight in Amsterdam we have essentially a built in day for any snags.

I appreciate all the time you took to answer my question!

We are taking our 2nd river cruise, Amsterdam to Basel, next summer. We are spending days in Switzerland post cruise.

This cruise itinerary overnights the first night in Amsterdam (Monday for this particular itinerary). Most overseas flights leave Chicago in the evening and fly overnight. If we leave Sunday we will get to Amsterdam somewhere 8-11am Monday depending on the flight we choose. We plan/book our own airfare, we do not use the cruise line.

So finally. here is my question. Do we roll the dice and hope nothing happens ( this is O'Hare we're talking about here!) and get there the day of departure (we do have the safety net of being docked overnight in Amsterdam) or leave one day early and get a hotel?

When we did Prague to Budapest we did our extra days pre-cruise so it wasn't an issue.

Would like to know what others do. Thanks!

Hoyaheel- I love that blog! Great ideas & great style.

I too am a light packer. Done 10 days with a carry on and Vera Bradley "miller" bag.

The miller bag is essential to me but a backpack would do just as well. Any bag that will fit under your plane seat. I use this for personal items, electronics & jewelery.

I love Soma brand dresses. They are light, pack well, comfy and can be worn with different jewelery or scarves to change the look. They are also cool. They could be worn during the day for light touring. In a pinch they could be washed in the sink and hung to dry. Then its one pair of capri pants, 4 t shirts, underwear, nightgown & I bring 1 pair of black or neutral tone sandals.

I agree color is important- everything I take is color coordinated.

Also, I pile on the clothes to wear on the plane. The heaviest clothes I bring along I wear: jeans,a camisole or light t shirt, shirt and a light sweater or some light jacket along with a scarf. Then socks ( a must for a long haul flight IMHO) and closed toe walking shoes.