cruisingmad

Here’s a link to the slideshow I created for the Balkan river cruise on the Amacerto, Istanbul to Vienna, beginning May 29, 2013.

https://picasaweb.google.com/115520979706388828246/56AmacertoBlackSea52913?authkey=Gv1sRgCMz1urXYh6r6cg

You can view a photo at a time by pressing the “slideshow” button on the upper left hand corner of the website, and once the slideshow begins, you may adjust the timing between the photos using the navigation buttons at the bottom of the screen.

Sergio

This thread has certainly been interesting. I did not vote....I am actually

doing research and trying to figure out if a RiverCruise is in my future.

Seems as in all cruiselines, each one has people who love them.;)

I did notice one thing and that price is never mentioned....what would

be considered the "luxury line....mid line and lower line"?

I have received some information from AMA but that was because I

emailed them:)...they have 4 or 5 ships with single cabins...I always

sail solo and I know they were recommended to me by Caviargal.

 

Back to more research....any input would be fine with me too:D

Hi, Lois,

I've sailed twice on the Amadolce, one of those ships with single cabins. I also travel solo, and my only "problem" with the single cabin was the narrowness of the bed. The single bed was as narrow as half of the "double" bed on a regular cabin.

It wasn't a huge problem, but I do like to have more space to stretch during the night, but then I don't think that my situation was any different from that of a couple sleeping on the double bed.

I just came back from a cruise on the Amacerto, and I had a nice double bed all for myself, and I enjoyed having it. :)

A river cruise is a great experience, and AMA is excellent. I haven't sailed on any other river cruise line, but I have no reason to change now. AMA also has a nice loyalty program.

I would suggest an upper Danube (Prague to Budapest) or a Rhine/Moselle river cruise for your first attempt because of the beauty of the scenery and the towns along the way.

Sergio

Actually, I doubt that this has anything to do with Viking....

 

I went back and took a look at all of the "one-post wonders", and the results are as follows: Uniworld = 3, Vantage = 1, AMA = 1, Avalon = 1 and Viking = 4.

 

I did not receive any encouragement to cast a vote for Viking - although I have received e-mails to vote for Uniworld in various capacities. Viking does have more boats on the rivers, so it would make sense that more people have cruised with them.

 

Many people tend to be "brand loyal" in the cruising industry (IMHO) - and given that this is not a rigorous research question, I think that you can trust that the numbers are a fair representation of the people that have river cruised and are on CC.

 

Fran

Hi, Fran,

I doubt that Viking itself is responsible for the sudden surge in positive votes for that line, and I understand brand loyalty. This is just an opinion poll that is interesting, but it certainly would not determine which cruise line I choose for my travels.

But what seems peculiar is that overnight the results of the poll turned Viking positive in a rather dramatic fashion. And at least the posts that suddenly appeared overnight also praised Viking, most of them written by brand new registrants to Cruise Critic.

I don't know how you could tell who voted for whom to make the results so dramatically different in such a short period of time; I certainly couldn't, but I found the bottom line results rather odd.

Having said that, Viking is by far the largest river cruise line, and although I haven't sailed with them, I'm sure it's an excellent enterprise. Businesses don't grow and become so successful by being mediocre or cheating on their customers. I'm a passionate defender of laissez-faire capitalism and the free market. If only because of their business volume, I would have always expected Viking to come out "on top".

Regards,

Sergio

Judging from the recent posts from new CC members, i wonder if Viking is encouraging their customers to vote in this poll. Considering that Viking corners the market, it is interesting that AMA, the smaller company, was well in the lead prior to the new posts.

Just my observation, but I'm sure that we'll see "bragging rights" down the road. :)

I noticed the same thing, and also the low number of posts associated with the new posters.

Sergio

Thanks, Sergio. It's on the docket. The idea of it makes my head spin :) -- but you're absolutely right, it would be a good story and we'll have it by the end of summer.

 

Carolyn

That's great, Carolyn! If you're interested, and the deadline is "end of summer", I would volunteer to take on the task myself...

Sergio

Great point. For the most part, the mainstream itineraries -- Rhine, Danube, Seine, Rhone -- are operated by the cruise lines (though they may or may not own the ships). Where the experience can differ is when they put their pax on charters (for instance Avalon is selling American Queen Steamboat on the Mississippi but it's not operating the cruises, American Queen is). Egypt requires all international companies to have an Egyptian partner; this caused Uniworld some heartburn a few years ago with River Tosca. Russia's the same.

 

It's complicated.

 

Carolyn

Hi, Carolyn,

This might be an interesting topic for a Cruise Critic article... I'm thinking of a possible 2015 Russia river cruise (my 2014 trips are already planned), and it would be good to know all the pros and cons of the various arrangements.

Sergio

I will be going on my third river cruise with AMA Waterways (Istanbul to Vienna) in about a month, and I have already booked a Tulip Time cruise for next year with them. My previous cruises had been excellent in every way, and I see no reason to cruise with another line right now.

Their loyalty program for past passengers is also very good, which is a good incentive to sail with them.

Sergio

Fascinating review, written very professionally. Thanks for sharing.

I don't think that I would book this trip, but I was curious about what the experience might be like. You sure make it sound very tempting.

Thanks again,

Sergio

We did not have complimentary wine at lunch on AMA in November nor the year before. It is new indeed.

True, and the soft drinks at lunch are also new....

Sergio

I'm sorry about the access... Here's the link in case you're interested:

https://picasaweb.google.com/115520979706388828246/48Amadolce111111?authkey=Gv1sRgCJvhhp-AobOEAQ

Sergio

Thanks, Motown02, tassietravelers, franski, and SIdancer! I'm glad you enjoyed the photos!

Sergio

Love the pics on the Danube as far as the itinary. How many hours a daybdomyou actually cruise. And I'm going dec 2014. Do you think the river runs smoothly

Thanks for ur help

The actual cruising is done mostly at night, as you visit the various towns and cities during the day. There was a day or so during which we cruised down the most scenic portion of the river (I labeled that in my slideshow).

There is sailing done during the daytime as well, but mostly at night and prior to arriving to a town and when we sailed out after the visit.

Sergio

Thanks for the comments, I'm glad you enjoyed the photos. I love taking pictures during my travels.

 

I did go to the concert in Vienna, and I enjoyed it, but I don't remember how much it cost (probably around $60-$70 per person). Each is probably slightly different, mine consisted of 4 or 5 musicians and a couple of opera singers. Very worthwhile.

 

The excursion to Salzburg may not be worth it. I didn't go because I had already been there, although it's a beautiful town. The main problem is that you have to be on a bus for about 2 hours each way, leaving very little time to enjoy Salzburg, never mind the inconvenience of the long ride. I went on the alternate excursion to Cesky-Krumlov.

 

If you visit the AMA website, it will tell you all about the tip policy. They "suggest" $12 per person per day, and you can pay with a credit card when you settle your account at the end of the cruise.

 

The one excursion that I really enjoyed, and it was an unexpected surprise, was the visit to the Siegfried Mechanical Musical Museum. Very interesting, and they demonstrate the very elaborate musical instruments of 100 years ago. Very wonderful!!!

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

 

Sergio

Sorry, I got confused about the Siegfried Musical Museum... That's in my Rhine/Moselle cruise, also on the Amadolce.

If you want to see those photos, here's the link:

https://picasaweb.google.com/115520979706388828246/50Amadolce4412Cruise?authkey=Gv1sRgCI-r_ePItPmpLA

Sergio

Sergio,

Did you do the optional concert at the palace in Vienna? I am wondering how much it costs. Also wondering about the side trip to Salsburg's, cost. Can you tell me if tips are taken care of like ocean cruising? Charged to your cc, with envelopes to present? I have read the tips are $24 a day per cabin which is like ocean cruising. Appreciate any info.

Thanks for the comments, I'm glad you enjoyed the photos. I love taking pictures during my travels.

I did go to the concert in Vienna, and I enjoyed it, but I don't remember how much it cost (probably around $60-$70 per person). Each is probably slightly different, mine consisted of 4 or 5 musicians and a couple of opera singers. Very worthwhile.

The excursion to Salzburg may not be worth it. I didn't go because I had already been there, although it's a beautiful town. The main problem is that you have to be on a bus for about 2 hours each way, leaving very little time to enjoy Salzburg, never mind the inconvenience of the long ride. I went on the alternate excursion to Cesky-Krumlov.

If you visit the AMA website, it will tell you all about the tip policy. They "suggest" $12 per person per day, and you can pay with a credit card when you settle your account at the end of the cruise.

The one excursion that I really enjoyed, and it was an unexpected surprise, was the visit to the Siegfried Mechanical Musical Museum. Very interesting, and they demonstrate the very elaborate musical instruments of 100 years ago. Very wonderful!!!

Enjoy your cruise!

Sergio

boo-hoo -- taking this trip and the pics are gone

Sorry, Jaxon41... I put the pictures back on, just for you....

Here's the link:

https://picasaweb.google.com/115520979706388828246/48Amadolce111111?authkey=Gv1sRgCJvhhp-AobOEAQ

Sergio

and looks great,,,have a question re Cesky Kumov,,sp? sorry,,photos look nice,,but was it worth an excursion,,or inc.in cruise? What hotel did you have,,and your review? Thanks:)

Cesky-Krumlov was a ship excursion (optional - I don't remember what the price was) at one of the stops in the itinerary. The alternate optional excursion was to Salzburg, which involved a two-hour drive each way. Salzburg is beautiful, but I've been there before and did not care for the long traveling time, so I chose Krumlov.

It's a small, quaint, medieval town, with lots of shops and an impressive castle, etc., but it was very cold, and if I remember right it was a Sunday, so almost nothing was open at the time. Not even the castle itself, so we couldn't visit the interior...

I think it was worth the excursion, but it might have been better in a warmer month. The guide did tell us that in the summer the town is packed wall to wall, so you need to weigh the pros and cons.

A few of us ended up having coffee and pastries at one of the establishments around the small town square, just to get warm and kill some leftover time before walking down to the bus.

Sergio

Thanks, H2Otstr, mikemartha, pacmom, sheal, and laurmorr, for your comments.

I'm an early bird by nature, and that's the reason for some of the "crowdless" photos. Taking photos early in the morning is also a good practice, because the lighting is softer and more interesting, as is also true at dusk. I know it's hard for some of you "sleepy heads" to start the day early, but it's worth the effort (my humble opinion).

I never noticed if it's any different in other parts of Europe (early start), Sheal, but I actually enjoy walking around and taking photos early in the morning. I love taking photos.

The time of the year is also a factor. I suspect that some of the places have bigger crowds during the warmer months. That is true in Chesky-Krumlov, for example, according to our guide.

The bathroom was excellent, and yes, the shower had adjustable buttons, but I kept it at one setting. My only "complaint" (not really, just a reality) is that the single bed is quite narrow. I travel alone, and I had a single cabin, one of the "pluses" with AMA (less $$). A regular cabin is not much better, since the double bed is as wide as two of the single beds, but is occupied by two people.

I was very impressed with the service staff, as well as the food.

Any other questions?

Sergio

Excellent photo's! As we will be going on a similar cruise next December, it was a treat to have an advanced view of what we might see. As an avid photographer myself, may I ask what equipment you used for your photo's?

 

Thanks for sharing!

 

Cheers,

Hi, and thanks! I'm sure you will enjoy the Danube cruise. I don't mind the cold weather too much, but traveling during the warmer months would invite you to enjoy the upper deck more often than I did.

I don't have fancy photo equipment. My camera is a Panasonic Lumix LX5, a fine camera, with a great Leica lens, but still small enough to fit in my windbreaker's pocket.

Let me know if you have any questions about the cruise itself or anything else.

Sergio

I recently returned from a wonderful Danube cruise on AMA's Amadolce. The trip began in Prague (actual embarkation was Vilshofen, Germany) and ended in Budapest, with stops in Passau, Melk, Vienna, etc.

The weather was chilly, but the AMA staff was extremely friendly and professional, and Cheri, our Cruise Director, was extraordinary.

You can view my photos of the cruise by going to my Picasa website. You can use the "slideshow" option available by pressing the "button" on the upper left-hand area of the site. The timing between photos can be adjusted at the bottom of the screen once the slideshow begins.

https://picasaweb.google.com/115520979706388828246/48Amadolce111111?authkey=Gv1sRgCJvhhp-AobOEAQ

Regards,

Sergio

While Sailor Jack's threads are always amusing and a delight to read, was there a real purpose for resurrecting a thread more than a year old?:confused:

Bill, you may want to ask Dzcruisers who posted this reference in our roll call for September 3. Perhaps they just wanted us to get a laugh...

Sergio

SailorJack, I enjoyed your review tremendously! It's the funniest review I've ever read....

Your contribution was referred by another CC member in the roll call for the same itinerary you enjoyed, and which departs on September 3.

I'm really looking forward to this cruise!

Thanks again,

Sergio

Deck - 11

Cabin # - 585

Class – C2

Front Starboard, Front Port, Back Starboard, Back Port, Central Park, or Boardwalk - Central Park Balcony, towards the front

Bed near?(balcony or bath) – Middle between bath and balcony

Quiet Cabin (With comments on problems. Note if connecting. ) – Quiet

Balcony View - Give comments on view, noting if location of any obstructions or privacy was an issue– View of Central Park, Park Cafe, Front end of CP

Balcony Size? Normal or oversized for class? - Normal

Was wind a problem? No

Any specific problems with this cabin? No

Any other comments?More storage area than other ships, lots of places behind doors around desk