AMA optional tours

[EAGLESLOVER]

[COLOR="DarkGreen"]We will be on the AMACerto for the Jewish Heritage tour in Late October. There are a # of optional tours offered for a fee.

A 1/2 day trip to Terezin is offered while in Prague for 45 Euro. Has any one taken this trip? 1/2 day to me means 4 hours or less and I have been advised that 6 hours is needed to do this and see everything. We are trying to decide whether to book a private tour for this or go with AMA.

Also, a Mozart & Strauss concert is offered in Vienna for 70 Euro. Is this something we should do independently?

Any additional thoughts and advise from those who have done this itinerary regarding what not to miss and favorite restaurants in Budapest and Prague are welcome. Thanks in advance.

Sharon[/color]

[alexandra cruiser]

can use search engine to see.We did it and would do again,worth the price and convenient to go with group.

The concert we passed on,had been before,of course you can do on own if you can find one at right time/place,etc.But for money,this one was fine.You dock about 20 min.from Vienna,so must inc.taxi cost if you go on own.For us, after spending so much for whole trip,easier to go with AMA if its tour we want.Look at both options,everyone different.:)

[newfirsttimer]

We did the AMA tour to Terezin, it was amazing. Lots of time at both the facility as well as the Jewish museum in town. Well worth the money and we had a great guide on the bus and the guide at Terezin was wonderful.

[RachelG]

In Vienna, taxi fare was 10 euro each way from dock to downtown and back. We met some friends who were in Vienna and had dinner at a nice restaurant then walked around. Our friends who went to the concert said it was ok, but not something they would do again. For one thing, the concert hall was not air conditioned, and it was summer. That won't be an issue so much in October though.

[EAGLESLOVER]

Thanks newfirsttimer and RachelG for the advice.

 

RachelG - enjoyed your posts about your trip with AMA and also relied upon your advice for our first Regent Cruise last fall (Monte Carlo-Rio) so thanks for that also.:):)

[RachelG]

Thanks newfirsttimer and RachelG for the advice.

 

RachelG - enjoyed your posts about your trip with AMA and also relied upon your advice for our first Regent Cruise last fall (Monte Carlo-Rio) so thanks for that also.:):)

 

Happy to be of help. I went online today on the AMA website and was able to schedule to optional (but no extra charge) bike tours for our upcoming Budapest to Vilshofen cruise. Very easy to do online.

[jojocmcla]

RachelG, please tell me about the optional bike trips/tours on the AmaLyra Danube cruises. I think my husband and I would like to take one. He's a regular biker...me, not much; although we did a bike tour through the Loire Valley in France 4 yrs. ago. How long are these 'trips'...is the countryside where you ride pretty flat? How adjustable are the bike seats & handles...I'm only 4'10". I've really enjoyed reading your Danube review from 2011. We're booked on AmaLyra Legendary Danube in April 2014 and we're really looking forward to it. We cruised Tauck from Brussels to Amsterdam, after our biking trip; and, we really enjoyed it, though the countryside was much more industrialized than we had expected. Can't wait to cruise the more scenic Danube.

[RachelG]

We did a bike trip in the Loire valley about 10 yrs ago. If you can do that, anything along the Danube is a piece of cake. The bike trails are for the most part along the river bank. They are therefore relatively flat. They are mostly paved.

I thought the bikes were very straight forward and easy to use. The seats were definitely adjustable. The gears are on the handle bar, the type you just twist up or down.

Most bike tours are listed as 2-3 hrs, but not all the time is biking. We stopped several times along the way. And you can pretty much go at your own pace. It is really impossible to get lost.

[Host Jazzbeau]

You take the bike tour instead of the walking tour, right? Do you see what the folks on the walking tour see, or do you just pedal up and down the river bank?

[RachelG]

Sometimes the bike tour is in addition to the walking tour, other times instead of the walking tour. Just depends on the schedule. After you make final payment, you can go on their website, and it will show you all the optional tours and what they cover, plus what you will miss if you are doing it instead of the regular tour.