Torn Between Two...

Hi All. We are a looking at taking out first 7 or 8 day river cruise in the fall (September) of 2019. I "think" I have it narrowed down to two lines; Ama and Avalon. I know the two are very similar and both have things I like and some things I don't. I am not completely set on itinerary which I think is making it harder. I think we want to cruise, at the very least, the Rhine because we are really wanting beautiful castles and scenery. That said, there is a cruise on Ama that has the Rhine, Moselle, Danube and Main and I think it's called Europe's Rivers and Castles. I like this itinerary (again, I think) and I like the idea of adding on a couple days in Prague pre cruise and then going to London for a week or so post cruise. This cruise allows us to do that but the one thing I am unsure about is the ship. It is the AmaDante and it seems fairly old having been built in 2008. Also, the rooms on this ship are fairly small compared to the Avalon ships.

Now Avalon seems to have nicer and newer ships but the itinerary is not the same and they don't seem to offer the same itinerary I am looking at on Ama. I would look to do a panoramic suite on their ship which is 200 sq ft as opposed to a room with Ama that would have a french balcony and is only 170 sq ft on Ama. I am not opposed to just doing the Rhine Basel to Amsterdam and then flying to London from Amsterdam but I have been to Amsterdam before and not crazy about going back. Also, where could I go pre cruise? Is Basel a good city to spend a couple days in?

I guess I am looking for recommendations and thoughts. I am also open to hearing about other options. Just a quick background is it will be myself and my husband and we will be 50 and 48 years of age at the time of sailing. We will also be celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary. Any help, thoughts and tips are greatly appreciated!

Hi All. We are a looking at taking out first 7 or 8 day river cruise in the fall (September) of 2019. I "think" I have it narrowed down to two lines; Ama and Avalon. I know the two are very similar and both have things I like and some things I don't. I am not completely set on itinerary which I think is making it harder. I think we want to cruise, at the very least, the Rhine because we are really wanting beautiful castles and scenery. That said, there is a cruise on Ama that has the Rhine, Moselle, Danube and Main and I think it's called Europe's Rivers and Castles. I like this itinerary (again, I think) and I like the idea of adding on a couple days in Prague pre cruise and then going to London for a week or so post cruise. This cruise allows us to do that but the one thing I am unsure about is the ship. It is the AmaDante and it seems fairly old having been built in 2008. Also, the rooms on this ship are fairly small compared to the Avalon ships.

 

Now Avalon seems to have nicer and newer ships but the itinerary is not the same and they don't seem to offer the same itinerary I am looking at on Ama. I would look to do a panoramic suite on their ship which is 200 sq ft as opposed to a room with Ama that would have a french balcony and is only 170 sq ft on Ama. I am not opposed to just doing the Rhine Basel to Amsterdam and then flying to London from Amsterdam but I have been to Amsterdam before and not crazy about going back. Also, where could I go pre cruise? Is Basel a good city to spend a couple days in?

 

I guess I am looking for recommendations and thoughts. I am also open to hearing about other options. Just a quick background is it will be myself and my husband and we will be 50 and 48 years of age at the time of sailing. We will also be celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary. Any help, thoughts and tips are greatly appreciated!

Those were the lines I was between when we took our first river cruise in 2017. We ended up choosing Avalon and we loved it! Check out the Avalon itinerary called Central European Experience. It sounds similar to the AMA itinerary you are looking at. That itinerary offers pre-cruise in Prague and post cruise in Paris and London. Love the Avalon suite ships with the beds facing the windows! The ships are beautiful.

Lisa

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I have sailed on AmaCello and AmaDagio, both of the same design as AmaDante – and both times we had great cruises. AMA's newer ships have some additional bells and whistles, but the older ships are still very classy and very well maintained – and the staff and Cruise Director will deliver the same level of service on any of their ships. The standard cabins are very well laid out, so we never felt cramped – and the public spaces are large enough to accommodate all the guests. If that itinerary is the one that inspires you, go ahead with AMA without reservation.

If you decide to do Amsterdam to Basel, then you would have a choice of several AMA ships including their newest where most cabins are 210 and 235 sq ft. AMA also has one 7-day itinerary that combines the Moselle and the Rhine – with Paris on one end and Switzerland on the other. I highly recommend adding Lucerne at the end of any of these!

Just returned from our first cruise, we chose Avalon due to the fact that they seemed to "fit" us best. Both my spouse & I are very casual people who love history, but not fuss. AMA was just a bit more price wise when I looked, which is why we went to Avalon. We loved our cruise, the staff are one big family (literally, 2 twin brothers in housekeeping, and brother & sister in dining), and made us feel part of it. They had a slogan something to the fact that they "would rather see smiles on the guest's faces than white gloves on their staff", and I can say they mean it.

Don't choose the cruise based on the room. While we loved the panoramic suites with the big windows that opened (nice comfy chair & love seat to sit on while enjoying the view), you really don't spend much time in your room. We would be there for a while after breakfast waiting to go out, or getting ready for lunch or dinner, however most of the time is spent in the common rooms as you can see the view of both sides of the river. We took the train back along the river from Basel to Amsterdam, and it was nice to see some of the towns we missed while cruising during nighttime.

From being familiar with most of the places you would visit on the Amawaterways itinerary you have suggested I can say that this is a journey I would also consider. Many, many people love Prague, just remember that Prague to Nuremberg is a coach ride, so is Luxembourg to Paris. Seeing the four rivers (five if you take in the Vltava. Of the Danube, actually, you will see mainly the Canal only) is great and the Middle and Upper Moselle have some of my favourite river scenery (of the little I have seen so far in the world). Oh, I forgot the Seine, if you go post-cruise you will see that as well. However, you can stop in Trier and do your own thing post-cruise, of course. But back to the itinerary first: I like the active parts offered, like the bike ride from Mainz to Rüdesheim and I would love to see the Pretzel bakery. Here is the page on the Ama website: https://www.amawaterways.com/destination/europe-river-cruises/2019/europe-rivers-castles

Post-cruise, if you are not going to Paris, although your special occasion seems a perfect reason to go to Paris :), you could take the train back along the Moselle, which will take you to Koblenz from where you can take a train South (upstream) or North (downstream) to explore further places. If you go North to Cologne to can take high-speed trains to many destinations. I recommend the Thalys (first class) to Brussels (stay a day to see the Art Nouveau architecture and to buy some chocolate) and then the Eurostar to London. From Trier you could also go DIY to Luxembourg and take a high-speed train to Paris. It depends on what you would like to see. Perhaps you might explore some countryside instead of cities, in that case the Swiss lower Alps after a straight Rhine cruise to Basel is a good idea. There is also an itinerary with Ama that goes from Nuremberg to Basel, it is an alternative, but does not include the many castles in the Rhine valley. I find the one mentioned above superior.

Avalon also has an itinerary Luxembourg to Nuremberg which I find a little nicer compared to Ama, in that when you go westbound the ship goes as far as Remich for disembarkation. Luxembourg is suggested as an airport: https://www.avalonwaterways.com/river-cruise/central-european-experience-westbound/wnr/?nextyear=true

Have fun planning.

notamermaid

Those were the lines I was between when we took our first river cruise in 2017. We ended up choosing Avalon and we loved it! Check out the Avalon itinerary called Central European Experience. It sounds similar to the AMA itinerary you are looking at. That itinerary offers pre-cruise in Prague and post cruise in Paris and London. Love the Avalon suite ships with the beds facing the windows! The ships are beautiful.

 

Lisa

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Lisa! You are a life saver! Somehow, I missed this itinerary as an option on Avalon. With your help, I was able to find it and it is now our front runner of choices. The ship is newer and it looks like exactly what we are looking for. Thank you so much!

I have sailed on AmaCello and AmaDagio, both of the same design as AmaDante – and both times we had great cruises. AMA's newer ships have some additional bells and whistles, but the older ships are still very classy and very well maintained – and the staff and Cruise Director will deliver the same level of service on any of their ships. The standard cabins are very well laid out, so we never felt cramped – and the public spaces are large enough to accommodate all the guests. If that itinerary is the one that inspires you, go ahead with AMA without reservation.

 

If you decide to do Amsterdam to Basel, then you would have a choice of several AMA ships including their newest where most cabins are 210 and 235 sq ft. AMA also has one 7-day itinerary that combines the Moselle and the Rhine – with Paris on one end and Switzerland on the other. I highly recommend adding Lucerne at the end of any of these!

Thank you! I liked this idea as well but am hesitant on going to Amsterdam again (been there, done that) and I just can't seem to get Prague out of my head!

Just returned from our first cruise, we chose Avalon due to the fact that they seemed to "fit" us best. Both my spouse & I are very casual people who love history, but not fuss. AMA was just a bit more price wise when I looked, which is why we went to Avalon. We loved our cruise, the staff are one big family (literally, 2 twin brothers in housekeeping, and brother & sister in dining), and made us feel part of it. They had a slogan something to the fact that they "would rather see smiles on the guest's faces than white gloves on their staff", and I can say they mean it.

 

Don't choose the cruise based on the room. While we loved the panoramic suites with the big windows that opened (nice comfy chair & love seat to sit on while enjoying the view), you really don't spend much time in your room. We would be there for a while after breakfast waiting to go out, or getting ready for lunch or dinner, however most of the time is spent in the common rooms as you can see the view of both sides of the river. We took the train back along the river from Basel to Amsterdam, and it was nice to see some of the towns we missed while cruising during nighttime.

Thank you. I do always tell myself that rooms don't matter when I ocean cruise because we are never in them. I do feel like we might spend a bit more time in them on a river cruise. Overall, it isnt a deal breaker but 30 sq ft is fairly significant on a ship this size. I am happy to hear about such good experiences on Avalon and that is where I am leaning but I think I would enjoy both lines immensely.

Lisa! You are a life saver! Somehow, I missed this itinerary as an option on Avalon. With your help, I was able to find it and it is now our front runner of choices. The ship is newer and it looks like exactly what we are looking for. Thank you so much!

You are welcome! That was one of the itineraries I was looking at for next year. It looks fabulous. Have a great trip!

Lisa

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

From being familiar with most of the places you would visit on the Amawaterways itinerary you have suggested I can say that this is a journey I would also consider. Many, many people love Prague, just remember that Prague to Nuremberg is a coach ride, so is Luxembourg to Paris. Seeing the four rivers (five if you take in the Vltava. Of the Danube, actually, you will see mainly the Canal only) is great and the Middle and Upper Moselle have some of my favourite river scenery (of the little I have seen so far in the world). Oh, I forgot the Seine, if you go post-cruise you will see that as well. However, you can stop in Trier and do your own thing post-cruise, of course. But back to the itinerary first: I like the active parts offered, like the bike ride from Mainz to Rüdesheim and I would love to see the Pretzel bakery. Here is the page on the Ama website: https://www.amawaterways.com/destination/europe-river-cruises/2019/europe-rivers-castles

 

 

Post-cruise, if you are not going to Paris, although your special occasion seems a perfect reason to go to Paris :), you could take the train back along the Moselle, which will take you to Koblenz from where you can take a train South (upstream) or North (downstream) to explore further places. If you go North to Cologne to can take high-speed trains to many destinations. I recommend the Thalys (first class) to Brussels (stay a day to see the Art Nouveau architecture and to buy some chocolate) and then the Eurostar to London. From Trier you could also go DIY to Luxembourg and take a high-speed train to Paris. It depends on what you would like to see. Perhaps you might explore some countryside instead of cities, in that case the Swiss lower Alps after a straight Rhine cruise to Basel is a good idea. There is also an itinerary with Ama that goes from Nuremberg to Basel, it is an alternative, but does not include the many castles in the Rhine valley. I find the one mentioned above superior.

 

Avalon also has an itinerary Luxembourg to Nuremberg which I find a little nicer compared to Ama, in that when you go westbound the ship goes as far as Remich for disembarkation. Luxembourg is suggested as an airport: https://www.avalonwaterways.com/river-cruise/central-european-experience-westbound/wnr/?nextyear=true

 

Have fun planning.

 

notamermaid

Thank you for all the information!! I am definitely leaning now towards the Central European that starts in Prague. I think this itinerary will compliment what we are looking for. Been to both Amsterdam and Paris so not looking to do either on this trip. I am very close to finalizing this itinerary and adding on a week in London at the end since we have never been. I don't mind taking a couple motor coaches to get from Prague to Nuremberg and from Remich to Luxembourg. How long are those rides? Can I get straight from Luxembourg via high speed train to London or do I need to stop in Paris or Brussels to do that? Is it better to just fly direct from Luxembourg to London? Thanks for all the help!

Thank you for all the information!! I am definitely leaning now towards the Central European that starts in Prague. I think this itinerary will compliment what we are looking for. Been to both Amsterdam and Paris so not looking to do either on this trip. I am very close to finalizing this itinerary and adding on a week in London at the end since we have never been. I don't mind taking a couple motor coaches to get from Prague to Nuremberg and from Remich to Luxembourg. How long are those rides? Can I get straight from Luxembourg via high speed train to London or do I need to stop in Paris or Brussels to do that? Is it better to just fly direct from Luxembourg to London? Thanks for all the help!

Remich is not far from Luxembourg City. You can take a bus from the boat dock to the city or have Avalon call you a taxi to take you to the train station. When you book your cruise you could also ask if you can pay for the transfer from Remich to Paris and take the bus to Paris with the other Avalon travelers and catch the train to London in Paris. From Luxembourg City you can go to London by train via Paris or Brussels. Check http://www.seat61.com for info for on buying train tickets in Europe. It’s a great site! Very informative.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

We took the Remich to Nurembourg portion of an Avalon trip in May. This cruise is very flexible going either way. You can add pre or post Paris or London or Prague depending on which way you go and stay on the ship to continue to Budapest or do a day in Prague tour or Nurembourg before the cruise continues. We took a high speed train from Paris to Luxembourg (about 2 hours and tickets can be gotten online for either direction before you leave for the trip) and the next day (we wanted to see the city on our own though Avalon offers a tour of the city the next day) took the bus to Remich in the afternoon. You pay 2 Euros when you board the bus and it takes something like half an hour and you get off at the last or second to last stop.

We took this cruise for the Moselle which was really pretty and quieter than the Rhine. The Rhine (3rd time in scenic part) was not as busy as it will get as summer comes and the Main/Danube canal was also pleasant despite many locks. In other words, early May was a good choice this year. We took the Avalon Visionary which is a smaller older ship with the cheap down by the water rooms-fine for us as the viewing really was better in the public rooms. Our cabin was very nicely decorated and the crew in housekeeping, dining, and bar were wonderful and seemed happy. The walking tours and specials were good. One highlight was a wine tasting at Bernkastel. We were allowed to taste what we wanted of different Rieslings-dry, medium, sweet-with at least 40 choices (skip the reds). We are not great fans of Rieslings but came away with a real appreciation of the wine and some new favorites. For the Moselle part alone, this is a great cruise but the options for more travel make it even better. I would choose Avalon again the right itinerary. It was good value for what we paid.

My pleasure Relly rooly,

nice to read what the others have posted about Avalon and their experiences with the transfers. Just one thing, flying Luxembourg to London would surely be quick and possible, no doubt, but the fast trains in Europe are really comfortable (for the most part) and as you are still young and I sincerely hope able to pull lots of luggage I recommend trains. You see so much more and train stations can be interesting. The channel tunnel journey is certainly an experience and I love the Kent (the part of England where you come out of the Tunnel) countryside.

notamermaid

Thank you all for your thoughtful replies. We have decided on the Avalon Cantral European cruise from Prague. We are very excited. I am taking note of all the tips you have given me. Thank you again!

I am in Prague right now on the precruise with Avalon. We leave tomorrow via bus to Nuremberg. They said it was 3 hours with a stop midway. Prague has been wonderful! We travel to Budapest and then I am doing two days each in Amsterdam, Paris, and Edinburgh.

I am in Prague right now on the precruise with Avalon. We leave tomorrow via bus to Nuremberg. They said it was 3 hours with a stop midway. Prague has been wonderful! We travel to Budapest and then I am doing two days each in Amsterdam, Paris, and Edinburgh.

Awesome! What hotel did they put you in in Prague?

Avalon has us in the Prague Hilton, the one with the Casino I never saw! It is really nice and fairly close to everything including a grocery store across the street. Avalon has a hospitality desk downstairs for us as well.

Avalon has us in the Prague Hilton, the one with the Casino I never saw! It is really nice and fairly close to everything including a grocery store across the street. Avalon has a hospitality desk downstairs for us as well.

Ok, I've heard of them using the Hilton as well as the Intercontinental. Not sure what one we will be at yet but sounds like both are good choices. Is this the Hilton in Old town or the other one?

Ok, I've heard of them using the Hilton as well as the Intercontinental. Not sure what one we will be at yet but sounds like both are good choices. Is this the Hilton in Old town or the other one?

We stayed at The Augustine in Prague after our AMA cruise and LOVED it. In a former monastery near the Charles Bridge it is hard to beat.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

We stayed at The Augustine in Prague after our AMA cruise and LOVED it. In a former monastery near the Charles Bridge it is hard to beat.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Another strong recommendation for The Augustine. Great rooms, great hotel, great location.

Ok, I've heard of them using the Hilton as well as the Intercontinental. Not sure what one we will be at yet but sounds like both are good choices. Is this the Hilton in Old town or the other one?

No, this one is not in Old Town, though I wish it had been.

The trip to Nuremberg took closer to 4 hours, but it was very pleasant. We were split on 4 coaches and took a break midway. We were on the Autobahn! I am on the Avalon Illumination and so far it has been nothing short of fabulous😍 i am sitting in my cabin docked in Regensburg with a castle next to me!

We stayed at The Augustine in Prague after our AMA cruise and LOVED it. In a former monastery near the Charles Bridge it is hard to beat.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Unfortunately, since we are booking the Prague portion through Avalon, we don't have a choice as to what hotel they put us in. That said, it sounds like the ones they choose are fairly nice.

No, this one is not in Old Town, though I wish it had been.

 

The trip to Nuremberg took closer to 4 hours, but it was very pleasant. We were split on 4 coaches and took a break midway. We were on the Autobahn! I am on the Avalon Illumination and so far it has been nothing short of fabulous😍 i am sitting in my cabin docked in Regensburg with a castle next to me!

The Autobahn....wow!!! That sounds scary to me. I am looking forward to the ride to see some of the landscape. Wish it was 4 hours by train versus motor coach though!

The Autobahn....wow!!! That sounds scary to me. I am looking forward to the ride to see some of the landscape. Wish it was 4 hours by train versus motor coach though!

We took the Autobahn... I kept looking for people to flash by (they said the bus speed limit was held at 100km/hr), but didn't really see anyone. Just like a regular highway.

The coach busses have a much lower speed limit than automobiles on the autobahn. Don’t worry.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums