All Ama cruisers!!! Share expierences and ideas

[CaroleLee]

On 9/18/2019 at 12:51 PM, Anngid said:

We are doing the AmaSerena cruise Amsterdam to Basel, Sept 29th - October 6th. We have a flight back home from Zurich on Oct. 6th noon . We are a party of 4, Is anyone doing this cruise, interested in sharing a ride to Zurich airport , leaving the ship 08:30 ?

Please e-mail me : annette@013.net

 

Looking @ Rhine /Moselle for 2020 Would appreciate any hints /suggestions you might have

Have a great trip

Carole

 

[cazbg]

On 9/23/2019 at 11:47 AM, whynesnob said:

We did the Rhine cruise a couple weeks ago on AMA Serena, first river cruise and best trip ever. Here is an odd question. The last night we were invited to dine with captain at his table and I forgot to ask cruise manager or anyone else......why us?! Anyone know how they select the 3 couples? 

 

I have wondered the same.  We were invited on our cruise and while I suspected it was thanks to our AMA rep, she didn't confirm (nor deny!) it when I asked! Curious if anyone else knows the protocol?

[CupcakeNH]

We did Luxembourg to Basel last October on Moselle and supposed to be Rhine but the water level was too low.  The ship changed itinerary a bit and the last day we were bused on the Rhine portion to Basel.  It was fine.....our friends stayed on the boat that last night because they were flying out of Lux and it didn’t make sense for them to go that far down....originally they were going to train back but with the low water glitch the timing was off.  We LOVED the trip

[vacation baby]

We have booked AmaKristina, Amsterdam to Basel, for Aug.17-24, with pre-cruise in Amsterdam (2 nights) and post-cruise in Lucerne (2 nights) and Zurich (2 nights). Are there itineraries for the extra days before and after the river cruise?  Or are we on our own?  While in Amsterdam we want to visit Anne Frank's House.  Do we get our own tickets for this, or does Ama take care of the arrangements?  I haven't done much research on Lucerne and Zurich, so I don't really know what to visit in those cities.  We are new river boat cruisers and would really appreciate suggestions.  

Jackie and Alan

 

[AF-1]

vacation baby, if you go to Ama's website it explains the before cruise with 2 nights in Zurich and 2 nights in Lucerne.  It explains the cruise director will meet you and escort you to your hotel. Breakfast is included each day. There will be a tour of the cities. You will be on your own for dinner; and then you will take a bus from Basel to Lucerne, and bus to Zurich.  Or if you are doing reverse then just reverse the itinerary.  We are doing Zurich and Lucerne  precruise

[debway]

Got our documents in the mail for our October 20th cruise on the Danube river and can't wait. I'm going through everything and trying to maximize our experience in each port. Random question for you all, when the tour in Vienna says you will see Vienna Opera House, St. Stephen's Cathedral, Museum of Fine Arts, Hofburg Palace, etc. how much of those do you really see in a 3.5 hour tour? Just walk around and see the outside of them? Or actually go inside and visit?  I'm trying to figure out if we will want to go back and do more detailed visits anywhere in the afternoon. Also, for ports where we are in town at night (like Vienna), how hard is it to have dinner on the ship and then head back out to enjoy the city at night? And is dinner always at 7:00? How long does it usually last?

Thank you so much! Now that we are closer to our first river cruise, the details are becoming more clear and more unclear at the same time! 🙂

 

[gnome12]

1 hour ago, debway said:

Got our documents in the mail for our October 20th cruise on the Danube river and can't wait. I'm going through everything and trying to maximize our experience in each port. Random question for you all, when the tour in Vienna says you will see Vienna Opera House, St. Stephen's Cathedral, Museum of Fine Arts, Hofburg Palace, etc. how much of those do you really see in a 3.5 hour tour? Just walk around and see the outside of them? Or actually go inside and visit?  I'm trying to figure out if we will want to go back and do more detailed visits anywhere in the afternoon. Also, for ports where we are in town at night (like Vienna), how hard is it to have dinner on the ship and then head back out to enjoy the city at night? And is dinner always at 7:00? How long does it usually last?

Thank you so much! Now that we are closer to our first river cruise, the details are becoming more clear and more unclear at the same time! 🙂

 

 I'm not sure which cruise you are on, but my reading (and my experience with Uniworld in Vienna) tell me that you are on a bus for most of the sights, until you get to walk around a bit in the city centre. The only place that says "visit" on most of the Ama itineraries that I looked at is St. Stephen's Cathedral..

[ReaderGirl57]

22 hours ago, debway said:

Got our documents in the mail for our October 20th cruise on the Danube river and can't wait. I'm going through everything and trying to maximize our experience in each port. Random question for you all, when the tour in Vienna says you will see Vienna Opera House, St. Stephen's Cathedral, Museum of Fine Arts, Hofburg Palace, etc. how much of those do you really see in a 3.5 hour tour? Just walk around and see the outside of them? Or actually go inside and visit?  I'm trying to figure out if we will want to go back and do more detailed visits anywhere in the afternoon. Also, for ports where we are in town at night (like Vienna), how hard is it to have dinner on the ship and then head back out to enjoy the city at night? And is dinner always at 7:00? How long does it usually last?

Thank you so much! Now that we are closer to our first river cruise, the details are becoming more clear and more unclear at the same time! 🙂

 

We were on this cruise with AMA last September. IIRC, the included tour was a bus tour around the Ringstrasse, with a walking tour that went by the Hofburg and the Spanish Riding School and ended at St. Stephen’s. We went inside on our own and then circled back and toured the Hofburg, had some Sacher Torte at the Hotel Sacher, and then walked around the city. AMA has a shuttle bus that takes you from the city center back to the dock - Vienna was the one place where you couldn’t just walk off the boat and into the city or town center. Dinner lasts about an hour and a half and we did split the cost of a cab into the city center with another couple the night before so that we could enjoy Vienna at night. AMA also organizes a trip to a concert of Mozart and Strauss on the second night in Vienna which we enjoyed. But if that doesn’t interest you, you could go back into the city on the second evening as well. I think our ship left Vienna at about 11 pm.

[texasstar]

On 9/24/2019 at 6:43 AM, AF-1 said:

Assuming all AMA ship cabins have charging plugs; can anyone tell me how many charging plugs are in cabin, is there one by each side of the bed; and are there any usb charging ports?  I have int'l charging plugs I will be bringing on my trip; mine has two usb and one reg terminal.  Trying to figure out how many I will need to bring based on what's avail in each cabin.  And yes even though I am on a cruise I stay plugged in.  I will be charging; not necessarily in order, two ipads, two iphones,two cameras, one kindle, and one surface tablet.  I run a family blog with pictures for all my family who can not travel.  They travel on cruises thru my blogs.  Thanks

We just returned from the Ama trip on the Rhine and Moselle.  There is a power strip in the drawer above the refrigerator.

[texasstar]

On 9/24/2019 at 6:03 PM, vacation baby said:

We have booked AmaKristina, Amsterdam to Basel, for Aug.17-24, with pre-cruise in Amsterdam (2 nights) and post-cruise in Lucerne (2 nights) and Zurich (2 nights). Are there itineraries for the extra days before and after the river cruise?  Or are we on our own?  While in Amsterdam we want to visit Anne Frank's House.  Do we get our own tickets for this, or does Ama take care of the arrangements?  I haven't done much research on Lucerne and Zurich, so I don't really know what to visit in those cities.  We are new river boat cruisers and would really appreciate suggestions.  

Jackie and Alan

 

If you have time in Amsterdam to see the Anne Frank house, you will need to order tickets online, two months prior to the date you want to go.  It has some very steep steps if this is a problem.

[vacation baby]

19 hours ago, texasstar said:

If you have time in Amsterdam to see the Anne Frank house, you will need to order tickets online, two months prior to the date you want to go.  It has some very steep steps if this is a problem.

Thanks for the info.  We will definitely look into ordering tickets two months before our trip.

[darlu]

Hi All:

 

Would like your help.  We are going to book our first AMA river cruise (7 nights) in Europe for sometime in November or December of 2020.  Our previous river cruise was Viking in Bordeaux.  We are in our early 50s.  Which AMA Europe 7 night cruise for that time of year do you recommend and why?  Please do not include Bordeaux or Douro or one on the Magna.  Thanks for any feedback in advance.  Darin and Lucie

[SkygirlSue]

I suggest you book one of their Christmas Market cruises, which begin in later November.  They go down the Rhine or Danube. The Danube cruise from Vilshofen to Budapest is one of their most popular routes......absolutely beautiful. Once you've experienced Ama, you'll never go back to Viking.  They are stellar in every way.

Edited October 4, 2019 by SkygirlSue
Mispelling

[darlu]

Thanks Sue.  Will definitely check it out!  Do you still recommend a Christmas market cruise if we are not “into” Christmas.  Thanks again Sue!

[SkygirlSue]

The scenery on the Danube cruise is stunning, so anytime is good.  I went first week of June. I also did the Tulip Time cruise which was nice, and am leaving soon for the Rhine gorge cruise.  For what it's worth, Rick Steves thinks that cruising the Rhine Gorge is one of the top scenic cruises or train trips in Europe.  Ama is fantastic.  Just call them and I'm sure they'll help you decide. 

[KruznKimmie]

7 hours ago, darlu said:

Hi All:

 

Would like your help.  We are going to book our first AMA river cruise (7 nights) in Europe for sometime in November or December of 2020.  Our previous river cruise was Viking in Bordeaux.  We are in our early 50s.  Which AMA Europe 7 night cruise for that time of year do you recommend and why?  Please do not include Bordeaux or Douro or one on the Magna.  Thanks for any feedback in advance.  Darin and Lucie

We have done both the Rhine & Danube in Nov & we are also in our 50s.  We enjoyed both but for somewhat different reasons so we usually choose based on pricing & flight schedules.  Once you have done one then you can just return for your next cruise on the other itinerary.  If you have specific questions please feel free to ask.

[Host Jazzbeau]

We enjoyed both Rhine and Rhone on AMA.  Rhine has the day of sailing past the famous castles and the option of adding Lucerne and Zurich after (or before) Basel.  Rhone offers opportunity to visit Paris at either (or both) ends (via TGV) and has a nice combination of French cuisine (especially Lyon), wine and Roman ruins (and warm weather early and late in the sailing season).  Both great choices, with fewer low-water problems (in most years) than the Danube.

[CaroleLee]

On 9/24/2019 at 9:43 AM, AF-1 said:

Assuming all AMA ship cabins have charging plugs; can anyone tell me how many charging plugs are in cabin, is there one by each side of the bed; and are there any usb charging ports?  I have int'l charging plugs I will be bringing on my trip; mine has two usb and one reg terminal.  Trying to figure out how many I will need to bring based on what's avail in each cabin.  And yes even though I am on a cruise I stay plugged in.  I will be charging; not necessarily in order, two ipads, two iphones,two cameras, one kindle, and one surface tablet.  I run a family blog with pictures for all my family who can not travel.  They travel on cruises thru my blogs.  Thanks

The plugs are european. You will need an adapter plug (end)Voltage is 220- I Pads, phones etc will charge with an adapter.

[AF-1]

CaroleLee,  I have plenty of adapter plugs just curious as to where the outlets are located and how many total;  this will allow me to know how many adapters I will need.  Thanks

[SuzCruise]

Can we use our OBC for gratuities?  Our only other river cruise was with Crystal and we were able to use the OBC from our TA to tip the staff that had most impressed us.  Since tips aren’t expected on Crystal, and are on AMA, I would assume using OBC for gratuities would be common practice, but thought I’d check to make sure we have whatever cash is needed.  
 

Thanks!

[AJs Grandpa]

2 hours ago, SuzCruise said:

Can we use our OBC for gratuities?  Our only other river cruise was with Crystal and we were able to use the OBC from our TA to tip the staff that had most impressed us.  Since tips aren’t expected on Crystal, and are on AMA, I would assume using OBC for gratuities would be common practice, but thought I’d check to make sure we have whatever cash is needed.  
 

Thanks!

 

Sorry I don’t know the answer to your question. However, I thought I would use your post as the basis for discussing TA OBC. 

 

Two experiences on our Ama cruise earlier this year. 

 

1.  We met a couple whose TA awarded them OBC. Unfortunately, Ama converted the $US to Euros at a very unfavorable exchange rate, so they didn’t get the full benefit of the TA’s “gift.”

 

 

2.  Our TA mailed us a check after she received her commission shortly after we returned home. We got everything she wanted us to have. 

 

So, while any OBC is better than nothing, if possible, have your TA give you a rebate rather than OBC. 

 

Either way, I’m sure you’ll enjoy the Ama experience. 

[whynesnob]

On 10/12/2019 at 11:28 AM, SuzCruise said:

Can we use our OBC for gratuities?  Our only other river cruise was with Crystal and we were able to use the OBC from our TA to tip the staff that had most impressed us.  Since tips aren’t expected on Crystal, and are on AMA, I would assume using OBC for gratuities would be common practice, but thought I’d check to make sure we have whatever cash is needed.  
 

Thanks!

Yes you can. Last month I had some leftover OBC that they applied to my gratuity payment.

[marieps]

On 10/4/2019 at 2:54 PM, darlu said:

Hi All:

 

Would like your help.  We are going to book our first AMA river cruise (7 nights) in Europe for sometime in November or December of 2020.  Our previous river cruise was Viking in Bordeaux.  We are in our early 50s.  Which AMA Europe 7 night cruise for that time of year do you recommend and why?  Please do not include Bordeaux or Douro or one on the Magna.  Thanks for any feedback in advance.  Darin and Lucie

Curious as to why not the Magna.  We just booked her for 2021 as that schedule just dropped two days ago.  She seems stunning.

[gmaonboard4]

I agree with you about the Magna.  We much prefer the "regular" ships.  We loved the AmaLea, AmaLyra.   The Lyra sails the Seine and the Paris to Normandy is my absolute favorite cruise. The villages and Monet's Gardens are not to be missed.  And of course the D-Day beaches.  Then we sailed on one of the first voyages of the AmaLea and did the Tulip cruise....second favorite.  If you go in December, do the Christmas markets on the Rhine.  The Danube water levels are too dicey, as we learned the hard way.  We are leaving for our second Christmas cruise on the Rhine this December.  We have also done Viking, and I guarantee that you will love AMA.  There is no comparison.  AMA is tons better than any other line out there.  Fantastic food and personal service.  Have fun !!!

[Lois R]

I sailed on AMAStella back in 2016 and loved it.  I was just on Uniworld and loved it too.  I am now looking to AMA again.

 Prices for Uniworld for the spring are very high and I found a cruise with AMA on the Douro...…..new ship too. Ama Douro......

  I will be in Barcelona and will fly to Lisbon for 3 nights pre-cruise before sailing. Hoping it all comes together