Rhine and Moselle OR Rhone for next cruies???

[jakeconmag]

Hi Everyone! We are ready to try another river cruise after having a wonderful time doing the Danube - Prague to Budapest- on Amawaterways a few years ago. For a variety of reasons we are planning at the last moment (for river cruising that is!) For scheduling reasons our ideal time to go is in April and May. Of this year! I wanted to do a tulip cruise since April is an ideal time for it but we were unable to get a cabin on an Ama cruise - sold out! So after reading lots of "favorite itinerary" posts I came up with the following itineraries. The cost is pretty similar so that is not a deciding factor. Please let me know your thoughts!

Itinerary 1 - May 31st -

Day 1 - EMBARKATION – LUXEMBOURG CITY, LUXEMBOURG

Day 2 - TRIER, GERMANY – BERNKASTEL

Day 3 - COCHEM – KOBLENZ

Day 4 - KOBLENZ – RHINE GORGE – RÜDESHEIM

Day 5 - LUDWIGSHAFEN

Day 6 - STRASBOURG, FRANCE

Day 7 - BREISACH,GERMANY – BASEL, SWITZERLAND

Day 8 - BASEL – DISEMBARKATION

Itinerary 2 - April 19th - https://www.amawaterways.com/destination/europe-river-cruises/2018/colors-of-provence

Day 1- EMBARKATION – LYON, FRANCE

Day 2 - LYON

Day 3 - COLLONGES – VIENNE

Day 4 - VIENNE – TOURNON

Day 5- TOURNON

Day 6 - AVIGNON

Day 7 - AVIGNON - ARLES

Day 8 - ARLES – DISEMBARKATION

 

 

 

We plan on doing a land vacation next year and staying in Paris for a week and then do a driving tour afterwards that would include Normandy so I didn't want to do a Normandy cruise. We are open to other ideas as well!

Thanks!

Maureen

[Host Jazzbeau]

We did the AMA cruise from Lyon to Arles in 2015 and liked it even better than our AMA Rhine cruise. Lyon is an interesting city with great food, and Rhone is picturesque the entire journey, all of the stops are interesting and varied [Roman ruins, Valrhona chocolate, Van Gogh] -- and thanks to the TGV you can make Paris your gateway city on both ends.

[jakeconmag]

Thanks Jazzbeau! Checking flight prices and it is a much better deal to go in April as well. Do you have a preference for which side of the ship?

[Host Jazzbeau]

Thanks Jazzbeau! Checking flight prices and it is a much better deal to go in April as well. Do you have a preference for which side of the ship?

 

Here's the deal: ships always park facing upstream. So the question is which side of the river are the docking stations? I think they were mainly on the East side of the Rhone, which would be the starboard side of the ship facing upstream (North). Then it becomes a case of which view do you prefer -- the quay or the river? But of course if your ship is drafted, that would block the view of whichever side (or sides :eek:) are up against another ship. So bottom line for me: it doesn't matter. [i do pay for a French balcony even though you aren't on the ship that much in daylight -- the light, the view, and the opportunity for fresh air are worth it even if the opportunities for such are limited.]

 

BTW, check out my blog of the trip: AmaDagio Provence 9-2015

[jakeconmag]

I will definitely check out your blog! All they have left are balconies so that's settled ;-). They have one balcony on the violin deck (deck right under sun deck, cabin next to the Chef's table restaurant) or, for a total of $400 more, a choice of three cabins on the cello deck (deck below violin, midship.) Thoughts? It's the AmaCello btw!

[Host Jazzbeau]

I will definitely check out your blog! All they have left are balconies so that's settled ;-). They have one balcony on the violin deck (deck right under sun deck, cabin next to the Chef's table restaurant) or, for a total of $400 more, a choice of three cabins on the cello deck (deck below violin, midship.) Thoughts? It's the AmaCello btw!

 

AmaCello was the ship on our first AMA cruise -- basically identical to AmaDagio in that blog. I am always afraid of cabins below the sun deck (river or ocean) because of joggers and deck swabbing. Fore and aft are less important on river ships than on ocean (because the 'seas' are so calm), but far-aft cabins can have some engine vibration. For both these reasons I would pay up for the cello deck.

 

Other points: make sure you book the Chef's Table early (it's free but does fill up). Also check the website for 'Limited Edition' tours -- they are also free and also book up. We did the after-dinner visit to help a boulangerie bake their baguettes, and that was a hoot!

[notamermaid]

Hello jakeconmag,

 

Ludwigshafen?? That is an industrial city, more or less, it has only been in existence as an administrative entity, i.e. village then town, since 1853. I can only imagine they use it as a port for getting to Heidelberg. Other than that the itinerary is lovely but I would nevertheless gor for the Rhone in Spring.

 

notamermaid

[jpalbny]

Those are both nice itineraries. I would not be able to decide, as we enjoyed both very much.

 

We did the Rhine without the Moselle so our experience may not line up with yours so well. If you want to look at another Rhone blog, the link is in my signature. Neither trip will leave you unhappy.

[FuelScience]

We’ve done the Rhone with Avalon, and we’ve done the Moselle 3 times (Viking, Vantage, and Avalon) and the upper Rhine (Vantage). Here are a few thoughts. Do you want spectacular scenery? Then you definitely want the Moselle/Rhine with the beautiful Moselle and the Rhine gorge with all the castles. We found the views along the Rhone to be pretty mundane.

 

If you want to visit a more cosmopolitan city, then Lyon on the Rhone is a real plus.

 

Are you interested in Roman history? On the Rhone you’ll have the Roman amphitheater in Arles, the Pont du Gard, Lyon’s Roman museum, and Temple of Augustus and Livia in Vienne. Trier on the Moselle features Roman baths, the Porta Negra, its own amphitheater, and a great Roman museum (which generally isn’t part of the tours). I’d give the Rhone a slight edge on Roman history.

Getting to and from the ship shouldn't be a problem for either. For the Rhone you'll probably take a train from Paris and taxi to the ship. The train station in Arles is just a couple of blocks from where the ship docks. I assume that AMA would provide transfers from Luxembourg to the ship (typically in Remich). Rather than flying from Basel, I would consider taking the train to the Zurich airport (~1 hour) where you can get flights direct to North America rather than flying from Basel.

They're both great trips. I'm partial to the Moselle, but that's just one person's bias!

You'll have a fun time regardless of which one you take. Hope this helps.

[notamermaid]

Fully agree with you, Fuel Science. What made me say to the OP about choosing the Rhone over the Rhine/Moselle is mainly the time of year. I loved the Rhone in April on a land trip, but having said that, May on the Moselle will give you a similar "state of Spring". Tough decision. :D

 

notamermaid

[jakeconmag]

This is a tough decision! But...we are going on the Rhone and will put the Moselle and Rhine on our wishlist! I was able to get an amazing airfare deal flying into Paris and out of Nice. We are going to spend a couple of days after the cruise doing a land tour of the French Riviera! I will check out the blogs so I can make sure to pick great tours. Going on a cooking tour will definitely be my choice - I did that on the Danube cruise and loved it. Making baguettes will be fun!

[xmaser]

Early April on the Rhone should give you tulips and spring flower blooming. Not the same as The Netherlands, but still nice.