AmaWaterways Gentle Walker excursions

[NMTraveller]

I had some questions about the AMA Waterways Gentle Walker excursions.  How much walking is typically done on one of these excursions?  A block?  More?  It varies?  We have a couple of walkers that tire out after about a block.  What are our options?  Can they stay on the bus if needed?  Perhaps we would be better off having a taxi take them around the sites?

 

[whitbob]

We did the Taste of Bordeaux cruise a few years ago, and one person from our group used the Gentle Walkers excursions.  They provided a small mini van type bus, picking up the passengers close to the gangway and dropping them close to the sights we were seeing. In several towns, we walked from the ship up hill to the towns, did walking tours of the area along the way and would meet up with the gentle walkers already inside a church, chateau, etc.  as they were dropped off at the door by the mini van.  Most of the touring was close to the ship, so we didn’t get bussed long distances on that cruise.

 

Perhaps you can mention which cruise you are taking as others may have a better idea of the buses / transportation used for the specific cruise.  
 

Once on board the cruise director will be able to let you know what transportation and resources are used each day, so you can decide in advance what is manageable.  

[NMTraveller]

Thanks.  We are on the 14 day Grand Danube.

[CastleCritic]

I've only ever "done" one gentle walker excursion and it was the very first one I did with my mother (which is why we did it" and it was more about the pace than distance. (which in that case wasn't far just going from the ship a little down the dock in Amsterdam to where the excursion/canal boats picked us up.)

 

From a distance now 4 cruises in:  I would say my read on them is twofold.  

 

1. the ship will usually book some kind of wheeled transportation for the "easy" people as much as possible while the rest of us walk but keep in mind a LOT of the excursion isn't going to be on a road and the inside of some of the main attractions is a LOT longer than a block worth. and often it can be a block or more just to get to the road where the transport is (sometimes the guide will be at the bus, others right at the ship it just varies)

 

2. it really depends how many people are in that group, Ive seen it be 1 lady and the guide basically just did what that one person could do and that was it obviously. if there is a group that just wants to take it slow then I dunno if the limit is a block even the easy walkers group might not work.

 

As for the buses as a rule I would say no you cant stay with the buses. they often will go somewhere else after dropping you rather than wait, and often when they do stay put the driver leaves the bus as well and locks it.

 

Ive done the western Half of that trip already and scheduled to do the rest in about a month, I'll keep an eye out for "accessibility" on the budapest-bucharest leg.

 

Edited March 24, 2023 by CastleCritic