Minkey05

Thanks for the details. We are booked on the 8/20 trip from Basel to Amsterdam on Amastella. Was hoping to escape the heat of Florida but it does not look like that will happen. Warm/hot weather will certainly affect our final wardrobe choices. Sounds like shorts during the day...

 

Does the ship have AC?

Yes. The ac worked great in the ship. The shops and cafes in the towns...well, not so much.

Just returned from a week on board the AMAKristina - Amsterdam to Basel. I was going to post a trip report, but because of the heat wave (every day but one in the 90s!) I'm afraid (hope) my experience is pretty unusual. We had a couple of excursions cancelled because of it. I'm happy to answer any questions, however. We were a large group of 12, which also made our experiences different than most.

Because of the heat, no one had enough clothes (you just couldn't wear anything twice!) and I'm sure the ship's laundry was busier than normal. We were in a suite, and laundry was free, but the others said it wasn't very expensive.

It is a beautiful ship and the crew is friendly and efficient. The food was surprisingly good and the soups particularly were exceptional. They always had a seafood option and vegetarian option. Attire was all over the place. The guys in our group were jackets to the Chef's Table and the night of the Captains Gala Dinner, but only because that was there preference. Most did not and it was fine. And there was one guy that I swear wore the same pair of cargo shorts and a t-shirt all day every day. He was a nice guy, having fun, and no one cared what he wore.

I do recommend you bring bincoculars - we picked up a couple of pair at Dick's on sale for less than $30. They were small and light, so I didn't mind carrying them around in my backpack, though they were the most useful and fun on the "castle cruise" part.

The tour guides they used were all great, informative and great senses of humor, though sometimes they tended to march at the head of the group and sometimes seemed to forget they had people behind them. But when we would call to them they would immediately stop and answer any questions or concerns, usually while laughing at themselves for getting so involved in their spiel..

A couple of the days seemed rushed - especially Heidleberg, where we didn't dock until noon and had to be back to the ship by 5:45. By the time you took the bus to town, and then an excursion, there really was no time for seeing the town, or shopping. It didn't seem to make sense, since we didn't leave port the night before until after midnight. It would have been nice to leave earlier, dock earlier and been a little more relaxed. But I know there may be logistics that I'm not aware of that might dictate this schedule.

Please let me know if there is anything else