beachbumsns

1 minute ago, coevan said:

 

 

 

Other than off the ship tips, You sound like these 2 comments contradict each other. I am, was, in the hospitality industry my entire life and generally a pretty generous tipper. Our last land based trip to Europe it seemed tipping like the U.S. 20% is frowned upon. We want to do the right thing and not appear cheap. Do you tip the bartenders for every drink like a bar in the states? 

No just a few times throughout the cruise.  Definitely not for every drink. 

56 minutes ago, coevan said:

now I'm confused, we were told tips were $20 a day pp or $280 and you also tip tour guides. My rep said everything else is all inclusive. We were never told to tip the wait staff, assumed it was included in the tips. 

On our last river cruise, which was a 7 day, we paid $326 for both of us on our invoice as we prepaid our gratuties.  We like to tip extra to bartenders, our room attendant and some waiters from time to time for the excellent service. We also tip the tour guide/bus driver who usually share the tips.  But for convenience of not carrying a lot of extra cash, we pay the full gratuties up front on our total invoice as part of the cost of our trip and it includes everyone.  Sorry if I confused you.  

19 minutes ago, knitter said:

Gratuities question- can you charge them on board or do you need cash? I'm guessing cash for the cruise director, but not sure about the stewards, wait staff, etc. Thanks.

BTW: We got a very good air fare thru AMA for a our Normandy cruise next month. Still awaiting documents, however.

Sandy

We had our travel agent add them to the bill and paid in Canadian funds.  We tipped extra to wait staff during our cruise.

John, we did Medieval Treasures last year.  We live in Nova Scotia, Canada. We flew to Montreal and then had a flight to Zurich.  Upon arrival in Zurich, we walked across the street from the airport and booked our train ride into Lucerne.  We used an agent due to Language on the self buying machines.  We were a few hours on the train and arrived in Lucerne around 10:30 am.  Our hotel was Hotel Central Luzern.  One block or so from train station and a few blocks from the main area of Lucerne.  The hotel gives you a voucher for transportation.  Had a great hot and cold buffet breakfast.  Rooms were very modern and European.  We loved the location.  We took a bus to the gondola's for Mount Pilatus and did lots of walking and did a hop on hop on tour on the little train in Lucerne.  What a great way to start our trip.  Then we boarded train to Basil for 3 more days prior to leaving on the river cruise.  Basil was a wonderful city to walk around and once again, hotel gave us free vouchers for the transportation system.  We stayed at Hotel Restaurant Resslirytti , which was a great spot.  European rooms, you pay for your breakfast here but you can add a voucher to the cost of your hotel.  We were able to walk outside train station and get a van to our hotel, as there were 4 of us.  Near the hotel you can walk through a lovely park to walk to the river.  The scenery and walking here is amazing.  Lots of parks, etc and close to bistros and restaurants.  In this hotel in Basil there is a lovely Italian restaurant with faboulous food.  Don't have to leave the premises to get a fantastic meal.  We have taken two AMA river cruises so far and I book my own pre and post cruise hotels doing lots of research.  One thing to note, neither hotels were air conditioned but we went in April and May and didn't require it.  Highly recommend both locations and the train system in Switzerland.    Have a great cruise and hope that this information might be useful to anyone on this site.

We have been on two AMA river cruises and didn't have any issues with noise or any motion going through the locks.  The first night after departure, we did notice a bit of noise because it was a new sound for us, but after that nothing.  On the Medieval Treasures cruise we did we stay overnight and it was in Rudesheim and we had a wine tasting after supper and then had the morning to explore the town.  In some cases we sailed during the night but anywhere there was great scenery we would sail in the daytime sometimes arriving at noon or 2:30 or 3:00.  It really depends on your itinerary.   On the Danube from Vilshofen to Budapest, we had a few overnights.  I don't think you can really tell from the brochures how long the stays are in each port.  Perhaps others on this thread may have their itinerary guides provided from AMA for the particular cruise you have picked and can guide you on the stops and how much time you have in each port. 

22 hours ago, CHEVSTRISS said:

leaving tomorrow to get on AmaDante thursday out of Basel.  so excited!  our tour is called Medieval Treasures. I'm turning 60 tomorrow and we are usually pretty athletic, but I am still nursing a torn hamstring from April so I will be doing the gentler walks.

 

most people advise taking trains and public transportation from the airport into Basel but with an injury toting luggage I'm not sure that is a good idea.  I think the cost of a cab will be worth it to try to save my walking ability for tours.

We took a van from the train station to our hotel across the river and it was well worth it.  We were able to get the van taxi's business card and we arranged with our hotel to book him to take us to the ship.  Worked out well and was very reasonable.  We did the Medieval Treasures cruise as well and it was wonderful on the AmaDante.  Enjoy your cruise.  We stayed on the boat from Miltenburg to Wertheim and it was a lovely cruise.  We walked into the town for a very quick stop and then went back on the boat and cruised with it.  Only 20 of us onboard and it was a great afternoon and quite scenic. 

Enjoy, loved Strasbourg and we did Prague on our first river cruise, it is an amazing spot as well. 

We did Medieval Treasures which was a brand new itinerary on the AMA Dante May 2018.  It was a great.  One of the excursions was in Strasbourg, France which we loved.  It was our first stop and we booked the Strasbourg City Tour (Tour A).  If I was doing this trip again, I would take my own transportation into the town and go directly to Petite-France.  We did a lot of walking to get to this area, which was a highlight for us.  The ship's excursion spent a lot of time walking through the business district and Parliament buildings.  The park, Orangerie which is the town's oldest park, was nice but we really would have liked to have more time in Petite-France.  We found our time here very limited after doing the long walk to get here.  The Strasbourg Cathedral is worth seeing with the famous astronomical clock.  If you were doing this tour on your own, you would have much more time in these areas that what is allowed on the ships tour. On our ship, they brought a great entertainer on board to sing and play.  Enrico Novi, a one man band who sang/played all songs that many of us knew.  A great highlight of our trip.

 Rudesheim is a wonderful stop.  The wine tasting at night is great and interesting.  We stayed on the ship in this port overnight so the next day we took the Rudesheim Gondola Ride.  Very scenic.  We happened to have a local guide who was passionate and knowledgeable but also talked way too long on each subject.  We left the tour to go back down on the Gondola and spend some time in town enjoying a Rudesheim coffee.  I'm sure if you didn't want a guided tour, you could take the Gondola yourself and allow yourself much more time to enjoy the attractions in the town area.

When we got to Miltenburg, we had a short stop to let off the people on the tours.  3 of us in our group decided to stay on the boat and cruise with it.  We ended up having the most wonderful relaxing afternoon up on deck enjoying the scenery and going through all the locks.  It was one of the most scenic parts of our cruise.  This is a great itinerary and it was AMADante's first time on the Main River. 

We flew into Zurich overnight and took the train to Lucerne.  We spent 3 days here touring around and it was great.  Our hotel was two blocks from the train station.  It was called Hotel Central Lucerne.  Nice hot breakfast and comfortable rooms for a reasonable price.  You could walk all over Lucerne and your hotel gives you a pass for the bus system.  We also took the tour up to Mount Pilatus which included the boat trip on Lake Lucerne back to town.  Well worth our time here.  We then took the train to Basel.  We picked up a taxi at the train station and went across the river to our hotel which was called Hotel Restaurant Resslirytti.  It was very close to the bus system and the hotel again gives you free passes for this transportation which is so easy to use.  Hotel has a wonderful Italian Restaurant on site.  No breakfast included but you can purchase with your stay.  Very convenient location for walking along the river.  We actually could walk across the bridge to get to restaurants.   Taxi to ship on morning of embarkation.  Our Medieval Treasures cruise and our stay in Switzerland was one of the best trips we have ever had.  If I can be of any assistance on what we did to help you with your planning, please let me know.  I hope you enjoy this river cruise as much as we did.

Have you set up your account on the AMA Website for your cruise yet?  That will give you all the information about excursions.  When your tickets come, there is also a very nice Itinerary guide that is customized for you and your cruise.  If you haven't done so, go to this link and set up your account so you can view the information you are looking for.  Hope this helps.  https://www.amawaterways.com/my-trip/cruise-check-in

2 hours ago, gasusansays said:

We were on the boat last summer, Basel to Amsterdam.  No issues at all.  Cabin was 205.   This boat is specially designed and can handle the low water levels.  Some other lines were busing people from place to place or even canceling.  They are a class organization.  We plan to travel with them next summer on the Danube which I hear has even better scenery.

We were on AMASerena and AMADante.  Both times had Cabin 330 and 332.  The first night I heard engine noise but it was probably because it was a new noise to us.  After that we didn't hear it at all. 

1 hour ago, Got2Cruise said:

Exactly. I thought everyone “knew” those 2 for 1 rates, no matter which cruise line are a gimmick. 

Well the book price for 2 people with a balcony upgrade says $10,000.  Without any of the discounts AMA offers from time to time.  I have lots of friends that paid the full price for their river cruise and we were able to get the cruise for $5000 for both of us, which was exactly 1/2 of the full price that others have paid. 

For anyone who is interested, I heard today that AMA Waterways will be discontinueing their 2 for 1 fares at the end of January 2019.  There are still some available for this spring but it sounded like they will no longer be offering this option for river cruising.  Not sure what they will offer in its place if anything but this year they did have an airfare credit offered with their special deals.  Disappointing as it made river cruising so much more affordable.

You will love the AmaSerena.  Our first river cruise was on this ship.  Touring depends on when you stop in the port.  Sometimes you sail in the morning or sometimes its overnight.  If you have a full day stop then yes, you can go out on the tours, morning or afternoon.  We found that we had time in the ports on some days to go on a tour and then wander around on our own.  You will get an Itinerary Guide with your package after full payment is made and it will give you the sailing times and the tour times.  This will show you when the ship arrives in port.  AmaWaterways is great to give you lots of time to have your meals on the ship and get ready for your tours.  Wonderful cruise line, hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Thank you very much! This will help with packing, which will be minimal because we are traveling by travel both before and after the cruise. I could wear my dress for the captain's dinner and it would be fine? Is the farewell the last night, because I think we will be missing that dinner for a dinner in Amsterdam.

hbr777 from my two experiences, it didn't matter what time of year we went, people dress way more casual for dinner than on ocean cruises. Your outfits you describe would be perfect for the Christmas market time of year for cruising. Men and women dress very casual for dinner except for the Captains Farewell dinner night which is a little more dressy. But not over the top. We always had plenty of time to change for dinner and the cocktail hour before dinner. The only time we didn't have time was if an excursion ran a little late.

Hello fellow AMA cruisers! We leave the end of the month for AMA's Enticing Duoro, Portugal. While we have been on 4 other rivers with AMA, this cruise is a bit unusual as there is no night crusing and more bus travel to get where we need to be, which is fine. I have searched but find no "recent" reviews. If anyone can share their experiences, we would appreciate it. We are staying in Porto 2 nights after the cruise on our own. Thank you!

Have a great trip. We would love to hear your review when you return. This river cruise is on our bucket list.

Migelito -- thanks so much for sharing your photos and the other information. My friends and I are sailing the AmaDante Moselle and Rhine cruise November 2018. Looking forward to using the Ama app to organize photos.

 

For other Ama cruisers -- did you dine at the Chef's Table? How was the experience? I love that it is included in the fare.

We dined at the Chef's table on our first river cruise in 2017 and this year, we decided not to go. We liked the experience but wouldn't want to do it on each cruise. Our original thought was the Chef prepared the food in front of you, but he put it together in a little area a short distance from the tables. We did enjoy the experience and the wine pairing was lovely.

...yet a few more...

Beautiful pictures. You captured the cruise so well. I thought the Captain's duck collection was really cute. Did people go in the pool much on your cruise. It was too cold and wet when we went last year on this ship in April. Glad you had a great trip.

Is the sip and sail activity scheduled every night?

 

 

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Yes, it’s helpful. I booked directly with Ama and have a contact at their office who I contact to gradually pay off the cruise fare. Will he provide a price on the pre-paid gratuities if I ask?

 

 

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Yes, your agent at AMA should be able to tell you how much the gratuties are. Ours were $163 per person for a 7 night cruise. He should be able to add this directly to your balance owing.

We’re taking AmaStella next June on the cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam so we’re following this thread pretty closely. We’re pretty experienced ocean cruisers and this will be our first river cruise. How does it typically work with gratuities onboard? Also, I understand that there are usually excursions/activities arranged for the ports; I believe the majority of them are included in the cruise fare? For those that aren’t, what is typically available and what is a ballpark cost?

 

 

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We have prepaid our gratuties up front, as part of the cruise fare. The staff know that you have prepaid. We also like to tip a little bit more throughout the cruise to certain people that serve everyone so well. Like our wine stewart, the bar tenders, etc. We have checked out the additional special excursions and there is no additional cost. All in all, river cruising does not nickle and dime you like ocean cruising does. We usually walk away with a bill at the end of the cruise that is less than $100. The sip and sail is a great addition to the cruise before dinner. Lovely drink menu or drink of the day and beer and wine included with lunch and dinner. Hope this helps.

Well Dang, Sue

I just looked at your post again and realized that you most likely have gone already. ;p

 

We are going in 2019. This will also be our first river cruise, so any info or advise would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks

2zhaus, what information would you like to know. We have been on two AMA river cruises last two years and loved it. If I can be of assistance, let me know and I will gladly pass on any information on your questions that I can assist you with. Best way to travel ever. After 14 or so ocean cruises we are hooked on river cruising.

As a first time river cruiser, we are completing our research for our Melodies of the Danube from Budapest to Vilshofen next month. Do any readers who have done this itinerary have any suggestions as to which night would be the best for the Chefs Table. Thanks

For some reason on our last river cruise in May, the Maitre'd was asking people each day if they wanted to sign up at the Chef's Table. The attendance was low on this particular cruise for the Chef's table.

We were on Amacello 2 years ago and our bags would not fit in the "under-the-bed pull out storage bins." However, they did fit in the closet and you could put other things (i.e. shoes) in the storage bins. The rooms are small but if you put everything away it is definitely not a problem. And, unlike the big ocean cruise cabins, you truly are not in the room very much. There is always a tour each day or at least a scenic cruise where you want to be where you can see both sides of the river. We were only in our rooms for bathing, dressing and sleeping; otherwise we were on the top of the ship (weather permitting), in the lounge or on a tour.

I am on th AMA Cello in April. I have heard that the rooms dont have much room for luggage bags. Is there room for 2 large bags to fit under the bed?? Or do they fit in closet?

 

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There was lots of space under the bed for our two 30" pieces of luggage plus the pull out storage unit was great to put the extra blanket from the closet in and all our shoes. Gave us more closet space.