Ama Waterways - Captivating Rhine or Melodies of the Danube & Late June or September

[SallyM108]

Planning for a first river cruise in 2020 and have pretty much narrowed it down to either Ama Waterways Captivating Rhine or Melodies of the Danube itinerary.  Timing would be late June or September.  If we book the late June time we can get either free airfare or 2 for 1 business class.  We've been doing a ton of research on the ships, etc and have a pretty good understanding from that perspective.  Just curious to hear thoughts on which would be the best way to go.   For those who have traveled in the late June/early July time did you have any issues with crowds or very hot weather?  Any insights regarding any of these options would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks 🙂

[KruznKimmie]

4 hours ago, SallyM108 said:

Planning for a first river cruise in 2020 and have pretty much narrowed it down to either Ama Waterways Captivating Rhine or Melodies of the Danube itinerary.  Timing would be late June or September.  If we book the late June time we can get either free airfare or 2 for 1 business class.  We've been doing a ton of research on the ships, etc and have a pretty good understanding from that perspective.  Just curious to hear thoughts on which would be the best way to go.   For those who have traveled in the late June/early July time did you have any issues with crowds or very hot weather?  Any insights regarding any of these options would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks 🙂

We have done both itineraries & both are excellent choices but for different reasons.  

On the Rhine we enjoyed cruising the Gorge & viewing the castles.  Also we fell in love with Straubourg which was unexpected.  We also did travel to Mt Pilatus on our own following the cruise which was spectacular but Switzerland is terribly expensive.

On the Danube some of the highlights included the night tour into Budapest with all of the lights which was amazing.  And we truly enjoyed the bike tour in Passau which allowed us to bike from one city to the next & the boat met us at our destination..this is a must do if you love biking or exercise.  Also, the Melk Abbey was incredible. We extended our trip in both Budapest & Prague and both of these cities are worth at least several days.

We did not travel in the summer so I cannot speak to the crowd sizes.

I would give the Danube trip a slight advantage based on ports and having enjoyed Prague & Budapest so much on our own but either one would be a great choice.

Maybe choose one based on airfare pricing & schedules?

[SallyM108]

Thanks for taking the time to reply - great to get your perspective.