Review of Tulip Time cruise on AmaSerena, April 17–25, 2022

[Host Jazzbeau]

Here is my long-awaited review of our Tulip Time cruise on AmaSerena from April 17–25, 2022.

 

I was waiting to construct a blog on Wordpress with my full photo library for this trip, but sadly Wordpress has changed their rules and made it impossible for me to create new blogs in a format I like.  Therefore I am switching to Cruise Critic for my trip reviews.

[Host Jazzbeau]

01 Introduction

 

This is a blog of the Jazzbeaux Tulip Time cruise on AmaSerena from April 17–25, 2022.

 

AmaSerena

 

We flew from JFK to AMS on Delta, cruised through Holland and Belgium round trip from Amsterdam – then took the Thalys TGV train to Paris, cruised down and up the Seine, and ended with two nights in Paris before flying back CDG to JFK on Delta.

 

The second cruise is the subject of a separate thread that is posted here.

 

During the trip, Jazzbelle kept detailed notes and I [Jazzbeau] took lots of pictures.  After returning home, I revised the notes to remove names [to protect the guilty, as they say…] and put it in my voice to avoid confusion.  Jazzbelle became ‘DW’ in internet parlance [‘Dear Wife’].

In planning for this trip I used Rick Steves Amsterdam & Netherlands (2018) and Rick Steves Belgium (2018), as well as Trip Advisor [www.tripadvisor.com] and, of course, Cruise Critic [www.cruisecritic.com].

 

What follows is a day-by-day account of the trip, with a selection of pictures, followed by a Conclusion with a comparative review of AmaSerena and Scenic Gem.

[Host Jazzbeau]

02 Easter Sunday Apr 17, 2022 – On the Road Again

 

The limo picked us up at 3:45 pm and we headed to JFK.  We were there before 4:30 to check our bags.  That took a while as it was difficult to determine which line to stand on even after we found the Priority area.  We went through security with only a brief lecture from a TSA employee and no frisking this time.  Off to the Amex Centurion Lounge where we could unwind and enjoy a hot, light meal (miso apricot chicken thighs) before heading to our gate.

 

We boarded the Delta A330-900neo (their flagship, not!) on time.  Full plane.  Pilot got us to Amsterdam before our posted arrival time and it was a smooth flight.  We sat in Premium Select.  We were not favorably impressed by the amenities.  There was no lavatory in our section and we had to walk quite a ways back through the Coach section to get to one.  Food was awful.  Chicken marsala was dry and no Marsala had ever darkened the door of the kitchen where it was prepared.  Delta’s entertainment offerings are very good, but we each managed to sleep a couple of hours.

 

[This was our first flight with T-Mobile wireless, which is supposed to include free Wi-Fi on flights – but Delta had an apology that it wasn’t working on this ‘flagship’ aircraft…]

[Host Jazzbeau]

03 Mon Apr 18, 2022 – Keukenhof and AmaSerena

 

We got through Passport Control in 20 minutes and our bags came right out.  We had hired BagPoint.com to meet us at the airport and take our luggage to AmaSerena at the dock so we could go straight on unencumbered to the Keukenhof flower garden.  I had purchased our bus/garden admission tix online, because I had been warned on Cruise Critic that Easter Monday is a legal holiday in Holland and traffic might be bad.  We caught the 10:30 Keukenhof Express Bus 858 at Schiphol airport and were at the site in a half hour.

 

Keukenhof is amazing!  The tulips are magnificent.  Hundreds of varieties and as many different hues spread over dozens of layouts covering hundreds of acres!  There are some hyacinth and grape hyacinth mixed in but the tulpen dominate.  Once they stop blooming, Keukenhof closes.  We spent a couple of hours there dragging ourselves around as one flower bed after another enticed us.  We were wise enough to stop for lunch, sharing a spicy chicken sandwich and a fruit cup.  We visited the Beatrix pavilion which featured orchids.  Nothing unusual.  Mostly the variety any of us can grow on our kitchen windowsill after making a $20 investment.  And they paled next to the tulips’ vibrant colors and the hyacinths’ heady scent.

 

We made it as far as the Wilhelmina building and admitted we were too knackered to do Keukenhof any more justice.  So we headed for the bus.  We took a different line to the RAI station where we changed for the tram so we could be above ground to see Amsterdam as the tram made its way to Centraal Station.

 

We walked a few blocks to our ship and were in our cabin 207 with our luggage waiting for us.  We went to the lounge and enjoyed tea sandwiches and mini desserts.  Back to 207 to unpack.  Although the cabin was roomy enough for us, the storage space was limited.  We were creative.  The shower stall is roomy and doesn’t leak.  The shower heads give ample water pressure which can be adjusted to the individual’s preferred temperature. Only bathroom complaint is the toilet paper.  One step below sandpaper.  [Actually I think it might be SuperFine grit on a flexible backing…]

 

Before we knew it, we had no time for a much needed nap and had to get presentable to make our way to the lounge for the captain’s welcome address, etc.  There were flutes of champagne and juice with some hot hors d’.

 

We were told that we were all assigned to a table beginning with dinner and would remain at the same table with the same table mates for all three meals of the week-long cruise.  [We have never had ‘traditional dining’ on a cruise before, so this was somewhat scary – what if we didn’t like our mates? – but it worked out very well.]  We lucked out with a married couple from CA and a mom and mature single daughter from IL.

 

For dinner, we followed the chef’s suggestion and all ordered the beef strip loin. Each piece was prepared to level of doneness as we requested.  AMAzing!  DW had a salad to begin.  Four of us got the special strawberry parfait.  Yummy!

 

When comparing notes later, all six of us retired to our rooms and collapsed on our beds.  The two of us slept soundly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Host Jazzbeau]

04 Tue Apr 19, 2022 – Hoorn & the Zuiderzee Museum

 

We are cruising on the Ijsselmeer River from Amsterdam to Hoorn [pronounced Horn].  And we are getting used to navigating the lock system.

 

Breakfast buffets were available with limited self service.  There was an omelet station and you could order items like Eggs Benedict and pancakes from the menu.  The buffet had steam table trays of scrambled eggs and of bacon; cold buffet with small cups of fruit, yogurt, small pastries, bread; and there was a juice bar.  Crew members were on hand to assist.

 

I opted to sleep in and have coffee and Danish in the lounge.  I enjoyed my latte but I would have appreciated more variety in the baked goods.

 

DW went to a lecture on tulips and the history of speculative investment back in the 1600s [‘Tulipmania’]  Then upstairs 45 minutes later for Cruise Director Marcia’s PowerPoint presentation about all the upcoming shore excursion options.  We had pre-registered for most of them, but this was a last opportunity to change selections.  We decided to choose a different one for the afternoon.

 

We rafted next to Viking Ve in Hoorn.  [We rafted a lot on this trip, and it was apparent that there is no standard design for river ships as the lobbies rarely lined up – instead you had to walk up to the sun deck, go across a make-shift gangway to the next ship, and then walk down more stairs to the actual gangway.  It was fine for us, but really hard for the mobility challenged.]

 

Off to lunch.  DW had a salad and tried the white bean soup (blah!) [a real surprise, as we still talk about how good the cream soups were on our first AMA cruise back in 2013].  She did like the amuse bouche, a red pepper spread and the sliced duck breast.  However, the Gouda quiche was like rubber so she asked for a duck meatball to eat with her very tasty frites.

 

All of us seemed to be going in different directions for the afternoon – opting for three of the four tour options.  We opted for the Zuiderzee Museum (like a Dutch version of Williamsburg, VA).  It is an indoor and outdoor museum comprised of 140 historic buildings throughout the quaint fishing village of Enkhuizen.  Home to the largest collection of wooden ships in Holland, the museum offers visitors an authentic Dutch experience to learn about Historic Zuiderzee and old workshops of traditional crafts (blacksmith, cooper, basket maker…)

 

We took a van to a bus to a ferry to the property.  No time for a nap!  Our tour guide Else was very chatty but my QuietVox didn’t work so I separated from the group and took photos.  Else led the group for about for an hour and then released them for self exploration for the remaining 30 minutes.  Door plaques contained interesting and informative details about each building.  One was a one-room structure on a turntable with bed and chamber pot in someone’s backyard.  It was for TB patients to isolate them but also to freeze the bacteria out of them much like in the Trudeau Center in northern NYS.

 

We returned by bus and van to AmaSerena.  DW had enough time to go up to the sun deck and walk mini laps for an additional 3,000 steps.

 

There were only 5 of us at dinner.  One of the gals was too tired to come down.

 

Most of us got the beef Carpaccio as an appetizer – nice!  DW had salad and Barramundi with pineapple chutney.  Too much fish!  I had the fish, as well, but managed to eat it all…  All five of us got the Flying Dutchman dessert: coffee ice cream mit schlag and some coffee syrup and candies.  We all enjoyed it.  Then we chatted and closed the DR.

 

We have been blessed on both days with lovely weather—sunny and 60s.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Host Jazzbeau]

05 Wed Apr 20, 2022 – Middleburg & the Delta Works

 

We got up early as Marcia would start calling our tour before 8:30 am.  I tried the Eggs Benedict and was not disappointed.

 

More than half of the Netherlands lies below sea level.  You’ll never get winded climbing a hill in this low country. [Germans joke that the highest point in Holland is the dome of a traffic circle…]

 

We had an hour-long ride to reach the concrete box museum at the Delta Works.  We spent an hour inside with our guide who told us the history of the 1953 flood (he was born 9 days after it hit and lost 40 family members to it).  To keep everyone safe and to prevent a recurrence of the disaster, which took 1,836 lives as it brought water levels more than 18 feet above sea level, the Dutch created an impressive series of dams and with Dutch hydraulic engineering built barriers to hold back the sea.  Then we got back on our bus and went to a photo op at the Oosterscheld Barrier.

 

We returned to the ship in time for lunch and were famished.  We both enjoyed the spring roll appetizers with sweet chili sauce and then DW had a salad before we both had two entrees apiece—curried chicken and curried eggplant/potato.  And we did not skip dessert which was cinnamon ice cream.

 

DW took two short naps in the afternoon (and I one).  We both went to Marcia’s talk on Belgium and later went to the lounge for the AmaFamily Reunion Reception with other previous AMA cruisers.  Then DW walked up on the Sun deck before dinner.

 

We had no tablemates as they were at the Chef’s Table on the 3d deck enjoying 7 courses and wine pairings [our turn would come later].

 

DW walked some more after dinner and then popped into the lounge where the piano player had disco music keyed up.  A younger woman invited her onto the dance floor and she enjoyed doing her thing for a while and then returned to the cabin.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Host Jazzbeau]

06 Thu Apr 21, 2022 – Ghent [and/or Bruges]

 

We docked at Ghent, Belgium today.  Another sunny day in the 60s.  The tour choices included a full day in Ghent, a full day in Bruges, half and half, or a Belgian chocolate workshop.  We had wanted to do the half and half, to see the highlights of both Ghent and Bruges – but Marcia admitted that you wouldn’t see the newly restored Ghent altarpiece on that tour.  Then it turned out that not enough people signed up for the all-day Ghent to qualify for group tickets to the altarpiece!  But Marcia saved the day by buying tickets for the four of us who wanted to see it, so that we could stay in town after the walking tour.

 

We took a short coach ride to the Ghent town center for a walking tour in the morning with 3 other passengers and our tour guide Evy.  She introduced us to the charming medieval city of Ghent, the country’s 3d largest and one of the most prosperous cities.  Like other cities in the low countries, Ghent is laced with canals and bridges crossing them.

 

So we got to see canal-side architecture, the energetic streets (watch out for bikes, scooters, trams, cars…), the outside of some famous sights including the Castle of the Counts and Ghent Cathedral (St. Bavo), as well as beautiful Grasleiand Korenlei, medieval-era quays in which the stunning facades of historic buildings (including trade guild halls), cafes and shops are reflected in the water.

 

Amidst all these very old structures is the modern city pavilion or Stadshal, a large stand-alone canopy in the center of town.  Its construction was part of the city project to redevelop the squares and public spaces in Ghent’s historic city center.  So it is near 3 landmarks: the Church of St. Nicholas, the Belfry and the Cathedral of St. Bavo.

 

After Evy left us on our own, we headed for St. Nicholas and caught most of the 11 am Mass in Flemish.  We also did a bit of exploring using Rick Steves as our guide but made sure we were back to the Cathedral in time for our 12:20 tix to see the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb aka the Ghent Altarpiece.  It is a large and complex 15th century polyptych altarpiece begun around the mid-1420s and completed by 1432.  It is attributed to the Early Netherlandish painters and brothers Hubert and Jan van Eyck.  The folding triptych shows pilgrims clustered together to pay homage to the Lamb of God, a representation of Jesus.  We spent at least an hour in the cathedral in the pre-exhibit in the crypt wearing VR [Virtual Reality] headsets and then up to the altarpiece itself.  It was well worth dedicating our day.

 

Leaving there we went in search of an authentic Belgian restaurant that Evy recommended.  I found it but not where we expected.  And we were happy to finally sit down and have bowls of waterzooi.  It’s sort of a creamy soup/stew filled with potatoes and vegetables; each day it is slightly different and ours had small meatballs.  It was definitely tasty and filling.

 

We walked some more and saw Graffiti Avenue (a narrow lane where graffiti artists are encouraged to display their latest artwork rather than defacing buildings throughout Ghent) where a young man was in the process of blacking out someone else’s work so he could display his.

 

We walked past the Castle of the Counts, then got turned around in the maze of canals and small bridges when a local woman offered guidance.  Within seconds she had us on our way in the direction of the taxi stand.  At almost 4:00 we took a cab back to AmaSerena.  The ride took 15 minutes and cost 12 Euros.  DW napped and I worked on editing the photos.

 

Our dinner tonight was the special Chef’s Table up on the rear of the 3d deck in a special dining room.  Service was top notch and the menu was imaginative in concept but disappointing because of its blandness.  The cauliflower soup was blah as was the salmon trout.  The big hit was the Irish short ribs.  The slice was tender and tasty but the accompanying vegetables were tasteless.  Dessert was an imperfect (according to my tablemate who had taken a class on making the perfect one) macaron, with a tiny scoop of mango sorbet and a teeny tart filled with salted chocolate.  The other two couples at our table were pleasant and interesting.  We 6 were the last to leave.

 

DW walked the deck.

 

View from St. Michael's Bridge

 

Korenlei

 

Port House, Graslei

 

St. Nicholas Church

 

Mason's Guild House [and ... Tacos ?!!!]

 

City Market Hall

 

St. Bavo's Cathedral

 

Adoration of the Mystic Lamb

 

Groot Vleeshuis Restaurant

 

Belgian Philosophy

[Host Jazzbeau]

07 Fri Apr 22, 2022 – Antwerp & Floralia

 

Today was cloudy at times, threatening to shower but didn’t.  Low 60s.

 

We docked in Antwerp on the River Scheldt and could see ferries cross the river with pedestrian passengers in about two minutes.

 

We took a walking tour with Meik of this important seaport, second only to Rotterdam.  Seems the two ports are starting to merge with one another and they will have to decide on a new name.  Antwerp is one of the top diamond centers in Europe.  A pretty and charming city, it is a jewel in Belgium’s crown.  [See what I did there?...]

 

Our first stop was the outside of the beautiful Het Steen (Antwerp Castle) only steps from our ship.  It has been maintained and added onto as a Tourist Information Center.  There is folklore associated with the castle about a giant poltergeist Lange Wapper who seems to particularly terrorize locals who have overly imbibed.

 

We crossed a heavily trafficked street in order to pass the Butchers’ Guild Hall.  A tall building, they used to slaughter the animals there, with blood pouring down the steps.  Locals prayed for heavy rain to wash the stench away!  Not a real stretch as it rains in this area 260 days a year!  The outside of the building is done in red and white brick stripes so it resembles strips of bacon.

 

We continued on to a large public square to see the beautiful town hall with its statue of Mary (there are over 100 in the city) which Jesuits installed to replace one of a local hero Silvius Brabo who cut off the hand of an evil giant who had done the same to all ship captains who moored in the area and refused to pay his toll.  There is now a fountain/statue in the town square of him holding the hand, and local chocolatiers offer little chocolate hands among their selections of these fine confections.

 

Surrounding the square were many other guild halls.  Many were elaborate in their architecture and decorations – including gold-plated roof ornaments to distinguish one from another, e.g., a fox, an eagle…  As in other Belgian towns chocolate shops were plentiful.

 

We visited the centuries old Cathedral of Our Lady which features a UNESCO-designated belfry (over 400’ tall and undergoing restoration) and spectacular stained glass windows, and boasts 3 John Paul Rubens paintings including the Elevation of the Cross and the Descent from the Cross.  Huge, beautiful Gothic church!  Impressive!

 

We then stopped in Grote Markt (Great Market) Square where 3 transport unions were protesting peacefully.  [We later learned from a shipmate that many of them had abandoned the protest as soon as the pubs opened, and were convivially plastered when the tourists arrived for their Belgian beer tasting excursion…]

 

Back to AmaSerena for lunch where fish and chips came with ordinary frites, not the special ones we had been praising.

 

A quick turnaround and we were off on a coach with Meik for an hour’s drive (and nap) to a suburb of Brussels to see the Floralia Flower Show at the Kasteel (Castle) van Groot-Bijgaarden.  A beautiful display of more than a million tulips, hyacinths, and daffodils (but a more manageable size than Keukenhof) greeted us.

 

Most were in formal plots, yet the ones that enchanted us most were those that looked as if they had popped up and spread on a small hillock among weeds and stretched with no borders around trees.  There was a special Exbury section with rhododendrons, azaleas and exbury azaleas.  And a big surprise was a hothouse with flower arranging experts feverishly creating beautiful floral displays from perfect cut flowers—roses, hydrangeas, delphiniums, calla lilies, Gerbera daisies…  

 

The only downside to the visit here was a 50p fee to pee!

 

Our ride back took longer as it was Friday rush hour and another coach had broken down in the midst of traffic in Antwerp.

 

Dinner tonight celebrated AMA’s being a member of La Confrerie de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs.  We had salad Nicoise, delicious lamb, raspberry sorbet and a Belgian chocolate buffet.  [While much of the food on this cruise disappointed for its blandness, the meats were almost all superb.]

 

DW walked.

 

Antwerp Het Steen

 

Antwerp Butchers Guild

 

Antwerp Town Hall

 

Antwerp Silvius Brabo

 

Antwerp Guild Halls

 

Antwerp Nello & Patrache

 

Antwerp Cathedral

 

Antwerp Elevation of the Cross

 

Antwerp Descent from the Cross

 

Floralia

 

Floralia

 

Floralia

[Host Jazzbeau]

08 Sat Apr 23, 2022 – Rotterdam for Delft & Kinderdijk

 

We are docked in Rotterdam, back in the Netherlands.  With a central population of 650,000, it is second only to Amsterdam.  Tourism as a trade only hit Rotterdam around 5 years ago.

 

Known as the Gateway (and often the Manhattan) of Europe and celebrated for its history, art and architecture, it was destroyed by German bombs and ensuing fires during WWII.  The centuries-old city center rose from its ashes into a varied architectural landscape with groundbreaking buildings and an ever-changing skyline characterized by sharp angles and geometric shapes.  One skyscraper, designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano, was built on a slant.

 

We had views of these interesting buildings as our coach took us on to Delft, a 400 year old canal-ringed city where we had a walking tour of the old town, the bricked and leaning Old Church, the towering New Church and the lively market square.  We were left with some free time on our own and poked into several Delftware shops and cheese stores.

 

Then we rode out to the Royal Delft Porcelain Factory and Museum, the manufacturing base for the intricately hand-painted blue-and-white pottery known as Delftware.  Our guide showed us how to distinguish between authentic pieces and mass produced copies.  This factory was founded over 350 years ago.  Of course, everyone must exit through the gift store and despite high prices, there were lines of tourists waiting for cashiers.

 

The bus brought us back to AmaSerena for lunch where we ate something they called Beef Stroganoff but really wasn’t.  It was tasty but…  Our appetizers were duck breast, prosciutto and chopped Greek salad.

 

We had no time before the meeting re the rest of the day’s activities and upcoming disembarkation information.

 

A short break and then we were off to Kinderdijk, a UNESCO World Heritage-designated site of 19 astonishingly well-preserved windmills dating back to the 1500s and still operable.  However, for practical purposes they were replaced with water pumping stations around 1950, but could still be put into operation if need be.

 

We took a boat a short distance from the gift shop to one of the 3 museum windmills where an experienced (wind) miller took over the tour demonstrating how the sails are changed, the direction is changed…  He was raised by millers and trained for 3 years to qualify.  He still lives in a (different) windmill.

 

Back to AmaSerena around 6:30, which didn’t give us much time to get prettied up for the Captain’s farewell cocktail party and dinner.

 

Everyone at the table ordered the featured entrée Tournedos Rossini which is a large slice of a filet mignon with paté on top.  The beef was wonderful!  The paté seemed to have been half slices from a can.  Dessert of chocolate apple tart didn’t quite make the mark.  A strange combo of flavors!

 

Delft [yes it leans]

 

Delft

 

Delft

 

Delft

 

Royal Delft

 

Royal Delft

 

Royal Delft

 

Royal Delft

 

Royal Delft [I wanted to bring her home, but she was too expensive]

 

Royal Delft [I wanted to bring her home too, but DW said 'No!']

 

Kinderdijk

 

Kinderdijk

 

Kinderdijk

 

 Kinderdijk

 

 Kinderdijk

 

[Host Jazzbeau]

09 Sun Apr 24, 2022 – Keukenhof (again) and a Canal Cruise

 

Early morning!  8:00 am buses to Keukenhof to get there when it opened.  Once we were admitted with our tour group, we let the guide know we would meet her at the designated time and place but that we would go off on our own.  We were able to explore many of the areas we did not have the energy for the previous visit.  Some beds were fading but others were popping with new varieties.  And we discovered some pavilions with special indoor floral exhibits of numerous varieties of amaryllis, alstromeria, hydrangeas, Gerberas, calla lilies…  

 

Calliope music lured us to a small snack area near the more unstructured gardens.  [Not your typical hurdy-gurdy calliope music, but a huge selection of pop songs and classical tunes!]

 

Back to AmaSerena, we had lunch and time for a rest before we walked to the area near the Bimhuis (jazz hall) and the Muziekgebouw (concert hall) to board a scenic canal cruise for an hour to understand why Amsterdam is referred to as the Venice of the North.  The unique canal system offers one of the best vantage points to explore the city’s most famous sights.  We were able to admire the architecture of the homes lining the water and to see some of the canals’ 1500 bridges including the fabled Skinny Bridge.

 

Dinner this evening did not entice our tablemates who opted to go up to the lounge for a miss-the-mark bistro dinner which had slow service and didn’t quite deliver what they had ordered.  Meanwhile we had the special Bavarian dinner with sausage, pork belly, pork neck, pig’s knuckles, sauerkraut and potatoes.  Razvan informed us that he would not be with us for breakfast as it was his day off.

 

DW walked the sundeck, then we packed our suitcases for the morning.

 

Kuikenhof Calliope

 

 Kuikenhof Calliope in action

 

Kuikenhof

 

Kuikenhof

 

Kuikenhof

 

Kuikenhof

 

Kuikenhof

 

Kuikenhof

 

Kuikenhof

 

Kuikenhof

 

Kuikenhof

 

Kuikenhof

 

Amsterdam Canal Cruise

 

Amsterdam Canal Cruise

[Host Jazzbeau]

10 Mon Apr 25, 2022 – Amsterdam to Paris and Scenic Gem

 

The Fun for Less group (which numbered around 90) disembarked before 7 am, which left a pretty empty dining room.  

 

We had to be out of our cabins by 9 am but the lounge was available if we needed to wait for transfers to the airport, etc.   Around 10:15 we were told our taxi was waiting to take us to Amsterdam Centraal Station for the TGV to Paris.

 

The rest of the story is in this thread.

[Host Jazzbeau]

11 Conclusion

 

AmaWaterways has previously been our go-to river cruise line, in fact the only one we have tried.  I selected AMA for the first cruise because of favorable reviews on Cruise Critic and in the Berlitz Guide to River Cruising.  The draws were spacious ships (compared to Viking), quality of food and wine (Berlitz says that AMA spends more on food and wine than any other river cruise line, and continued that claim even when Crystal had entered the market), a wide range of shore excursion choices, and the fact that AMA is not all-inclusive (which in theory keeps the price down).

 

And we have enjoyed all 4 of our AMA river cruises:  Enchanting Rhine in 2013, Provence in 2015, Discover Africa in 2018, and this Tulip Time in 2022.  But this may be our last AMA cruise, because it was overshadowed by the Scenic cruise in almost every way.

 

A blog and review of that Scenic cruise is posted here, but I am including this comparative review section in both threads.

 

I read every post on the the River Cruising forum on Cruise Critic, and I had come to see that four river cruise lines stand at the top of the rankings:  Crystal, Scenic, Tauck and Uniworld.  Crystal never appealed because of their checkered entry into this market and is now defunct; Tauck has few ships and therefore limited itineraries and dates; Uniworld décor is so over-the-top that I’m afraid I would have nightmares [of Marie Antoinette losing her head while eating cake!]

 

That left Scenic; so when AMA’s Seine cruise dates didn’t link up with their Tulip Time cruises, I took a look at Scenic’s offerings.  And I was pleasantly surprised to find that in addition to the 7-night itineraries that are similar to everybody else’s Scenic also offers 10-night versions in the more popular areas.  Comparing Scenic’s 10-night Normandy and Gems of the Seine to AMA’s 7-night Paris & Normandy immediately impressed me with how many more places could be visited – and also how much more varied the excursion choices were.

 

As the Scenic cruise went on, we found that every comparison to AMA favored Scenic:  

•  wi-fi worked beautifully throughout the Scenic cruise [where AMA had driven me to use the T-Mobile hotspot from my phone];

•  breakfast pastries on Scenic were more varied and the quality of a Parisian pâtisserie;

•  the champagne and wine on Scenic were much higher quality and the range of choices wider; 

•  wine service on Scenic was as generous as we remember from earlier AMA cruises, not the stinginess on refills that we experienced this time; 

•  all-inclusive does make for a more relaxed atmosphere onboard [and Scenic’s prices aren’t higher than AMA’s so forget the argument that ‘I don’t want to pay for someone else’s drinks’];

•  Scenic had snacks (sandwiches, pastries and ice cream) available at the bar all day and evening;

•  the Scenic Captain was very visible (eating meals in the dining room, making brief announcements during CD presentation) while the AMA captain was invisible on this cruise;

•  the Scenic Exec. Chef & Hotel Manager offered suggestions for food and wine choices before each night’s dinner;

•  Scenic had printed USA News (and versions for other countries), Sudoku & Crosswords every day.

 

Other points of comparison:

•  the towels were nice on AMA, but we were impressed by how fluffy they were on Scenic (although that diminished as the cruise went now – maybe we started off with a new supply – and DW felt the Scenic bath towels were actually too large);

•  river cruise passengers tend to be ‘of a certain age’ (because river cruise prices are inherently high) but this crowd on Scenic seemed even older than our shipmates on AMA;

•  AMA’s Covid dining ruleswith assigned fixed table and tablemates worked out very well for us but could have been a disaster; on the other hand, not having a fixed table on Scenic made the first couple of dinners stressful until we found our soulmates and established a voluntary fixed table/tablemates arrangement for the rest of the cruise [no winner here, except that we lucked out both times!];

•  the toilet paper was scratchy on both, but AMA’s was worse (‘like sandpaper’).

 

I noted above that Berlitz says AMA spends more on food and wine that any other cruise line.  But the proof is in the pudding, and our experience was that Scenic provided better food at every turn.

 

The one big standout for AMA cuisine is roast meat – it was as good as the roasting on Scenic, and maybe a tad better [but I would gladly eat the Chateaubriand from either ship anytime!]

 

Another AMA plus is that they provide free postcards (and postage), and they sent us a thank you postcard after the cruise.

 

[The Scenic Cruise Director went above and beyond when I left my camera on a tour bus – she kept checking with the bus companies every day and finally just on four weeks it was found!  Sadly, this great news hasn’t yet resulted in the return of my camera.  The Scenic CD reported that their agent in Rouen had posted it at the French post office there, but tracking indicated that after a week it was returned to sender.  Apparently the customs label had fallen off.]

 

[Update:  I got my camera back today!  (Sep. 7, 2022)  The Scenic Gem CD kept bird-dogging it until the bus driver found it, the bus company returned it to the ship, the ship agent mailed it in Rouen, the French PO returned it to the agent for a missing document, and finally the agent posted it a second time.  Great props to Scenic for this 'above and beyond' service!!!]

 

The AMA Cruise Director made announcements throughout the day which could be heard in public areas and (faintly) in our cabin – we had to rush to turn on the TV bow camera to hear her clearly – and her ‘last call’ was always before the announced tour time.  The Scenic CD made NO announcements; she expected guests to follow the times in the printed daily schedule, and everything operated exactly on schedule (except when the buses were late).

 

COVID rules

•  AMA was much tighter about Covid:  assigned seating at all meals; Captain invisible; local guides not allowed on the ship (which made it harder for the CD, who had to go onto the quay to brief each one separately; however, local entertainers were allowed onboard [but not many, as there was much less entertainment on AMA];

•  Scenic:  open seating, Captain out and about; local guides came onboard (and Ben the Doughboy did an entire presentation in the lounge); and several entertainment groups came onboard.

 

So based on all the above, we have another Scenic river cruise booked (Unforgettable Douro, another of their unusual 10-night itineraries) and are giving AMA a rest.  Never say never:  maybe AmaMagna will tempt us when we get around to a Danube cruise…

 

Finally, a few observations not related to the cruise lines:

•  Dutch bicycle riders are kamikazes (and they don’t wear helmets);

•  the bathroom sinks on both ships and the Paris hotel had Grohe one-handle faucets, and the engineering on all of them was substandard – when you move the lever to increase water flow, the temperature should stay the same; but these all increased the temp with the flow and you could easily scald yourself;

•  river ships come with face cloths, but many European hotels don’t – so remember to pack them!

 

Bon voyage!