Black Sea Cruise

[Guest debbiejohncruise]

Has anyone done this one? We are interested in it as it is a part of Europe we haven't seen yet. Would like your recommendations on which line you went on and nicest river boats. Debbie

[rogerdawhip]

I did GCT's Eastern Europe to the Black Sea 2 years ago and loved it. All the boats on GCT, Vantage, Avalon and Amadeous are pretty comparable. Avalon and Amadeous has double beds but their trips cost more. Look at the itineraries of each and make your choise.

[p598738]

Also on GCT Budapest to the Black Sea in 2005. My wife said that it was her best trip ever !!! We had a great time. Budapest is wonderful and E Europe is a great value. Happy to answer any questions.

[WIT]

Has anyone done this one? We are interested in it as it is a part of Europe we haven't seen yet. Would like your recommendations on which line you went on and nicest river boats. Debbie

Debbie - We are going on the Amadeus' Amalegro Budapest - Istanbul this October. We had done Budapest-Prague Christmas Markets cruise last December with Amadeus and had a great time. When do you plan to go?

WIT

[Medic2012]

Has anyone done this one? We are interested in it as it is a part of Europe we haven't seen yet. Would like your recommendations on which line you went on and nicest river boats. Debbie

 

We're also doing the Amadeus trip (on the Amalegro) from Istanbul to Budapest in June. This will be our first venture into this area, and also our first River Cruise. I have intent on posting a review upon our return.

[Carhut]

Debbie, I did this trip a couple of years ago. I posted the following re: this trip a couple of months ago but will copy and paste here for you to look at.

Carole

 

Eastern Europe Pictures

 

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These are some of my pictures from my trip Eastern Europe to the Black Sea on GCT River Adagio in 2005. We started with 3 days in Prague, got bussed to Budapest and there we took the boat on the Danube to the Black Sea. From there we had a train ride to Bucharest. It was an interesting trip, but not particularly scenic. There we saw the evidence of the former 40 years of communism and also evidence of the wars this part of the world has endured.

 

http://picasaweb.google.com/Carhut/EasternEurope

[Guest debbiejohncruise]

Daughter is gettingmarried in October so we are planning on the spring. Thanks all of you for your information. Will look forward to reviews when you return. Having done ocean cruises (just back from Inaugural Emerald Princess in Eastern Med) - look forward to trying a river cruise. Debbie

[WIT]

We're also doing the Amadeus trip (on the Amalegro) from Istanbul to Budapest in June. This will be our first venture into this area, and also our first River Cruise. I have intent on posting a review upon our return.

Medic2012: I'm looking forward to your report as we do the opposite Amalegro itinerary in October. We enjoyed the Amadagio during our Christmas Markets Cruise last December and I am sure the Amalegro will be equally nice. I have some photos of the cruise at:

 

http://picasaweb.google.com/billwitowski

 

WIT

[Medic2012]

WIT:

 

We were hoping to our itinerary in October, but found it was sold-out as well! These things moved like hotcakes!

 

We're starting to get excited as we got our documents from Amadeus Wednesday, including a beautiful tote bag, "wallet", and document bag with "Danube 2007" and a nice screen print on it. Amadeus also provided a guidebook with details of sights on the river as well as detailed city descriptions, maps, and sightseeing/dining/etc tips. Of course, the ubiquitous luggage tags were also included.

 

I had to laugh -- we depart June 10 (2 additional pre-nights in Istanbul) and got our documents on the 16th of May. The "passport information sheets" were requested to be faxed back "no later than 30 days prior to the trip"! I guess for my next trip, I'll have to complete work on my time-travel machine prior to booking!!!

 

Great pics, BTW -- Thanks for sharing!

[ChefPeg]

Debbie, I did this trip a couple of years ago. I posted the following re: this trip a couple of months ago but will copy and paste here for you to look at.

Carole

 

Eastern Europe Pictures

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

These are some of my pictures from my trip Eastern Europe to the Black Sea on GCT River Adagio in 2005. We started with 3 days in Prague, got bussed to Budapest and there we took the boat on the Danube to the Black Sea. From there we had a train ride to Bucharest. It was an interesting trip, but not particularly scenic. There we saw the evidence of the former 40 years of communism and also evidence of the wars this part of the world has endured.

 

http://picasaweb.google.com/Carhut/EasternEurope

 

Thank you for posting your pictures. I enjoyed looking at Budapest as my family is from there.

My DH and I may be booking this cruise with GCT this evening. When he gets home from work tonight we'll finalize it.

 

Please tell me all you can about GCT. The prices are so good I hesitate to book it. Viking is about twice as much for the same cruise.

 

Any info would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks,

Peggy

[Carhut]

Peggy, I've done 3 GCT river cruises and have #4 & #5 booked with them. I have no complaints or I wouldn't be going with them again. I've thoroughly enjoyed my river cruises. Maybe others are fancier, but I can't find any fault with GCT. I know there have been others that did complain and maybe they had a legitimate reason, but I've had just wonderful experiences on my river cruises. What more can I say. I'll be glad to be more specific if you want to email me....... caesker@hotmail.com

Carole

[ChefPeg]

Peggy, I've done 3 GCT river cruises and have #4 & #5 booked with them. I have no complaints or I wouldn't be going with them again. I've thoroughly enjoyed my river cruises. Maybe others are fancier, but I can't find any fault with GCT. I know there have been others that did complain and maybe they had a legitimate reason, but I've had just wonderful experiences on my river cruises. What more can I say. I'll be glad to be more specific if you want to email me....... caesker@hotmail.com

Carole

 

Thank you very much.

 

I'll e-mail you later with some questions.

 

Peggy

[ChefPeg]

Carole,

 

You have mail!! And thanks!!

 

Peggy

[Medic2012]

Tried posting this once -- Apparently didn't take.

 

 

We're just back from the Istanbul-Budapest Itinerary on Amadeus Waterways' Amalegro. We were the first group going on this itinerary and "crossed paths" with the group going the reverse (they did cruise first and extension to Istanbul last while we did the reverse).

 

 

Some quick thoughts, as I will be formulating and posting a full, extensive, day-by-day review shortly. (I assume I should put that as a new post in this forum, as it is a "special interest" vs. just a Review)

 

 

• Air conditioner issues at every turn. Problems in the Ritz-Carlton (Istanbul), the Iberostar (Sunny Beach, Bulgaria), the "Green" bus, and of course, on board the Amalegro. Apparently they have discovered some AC "problems" on board which they were hoping to repair part-way through the trip, but without much help.
  
• The trip from Istanbul, Turkey to Rousse, Bulgaria (2 days) was a nightmare. Our bus broke down, spewed oil, went only 15 +/- MPH up hills, and lost AC... Not to mention the time of the trip under optimal conditions. This leg was brutal, and I don't recommend it unless they can come up with some serious improvements to comfort and reliability. In their defense, Amadeus wasn't fully responsible for the issues -- they used another bus company (Metro) for the "important" leg through the border, and they were the ones with problems.
  
• Surprisingly -- Few people complained about the situation. Almost everyone was understanding and dealt with the onslaught of issues with heads held high. Kudos to my fellow passengers for that!
  
• Excellent Cruise Director -- Nancy. She was a wealth of knowledge and truly ran her butt off "behind the scenes" to make things work. She was pleasant and responsive whenever issues occurred, and did her very best to ensure they were handled promptly and effectively. Things could have been much different without Nancy.
  
• Crew positive and did their job well. This was not "world class" service, but they did fulfill all reasonable expectations, and did occassionally go out of their way. The ship was also always clean and in good order.
  
• Food was, in our opinion, quite good. I suppose I am the exception to the comments posted here about Amadeus's food! The variations at dinner (and, to a lesser extent, lunch) were quite good, and everything was delicious. Often, the food would be representative of the country in which we were sailing. There was always "enough" for the active person, but second portions were always available and offered. The chef would frequently purchase his ingredients the same morning at market, and work his magic for dinner. He also had the earnest desire to receive our feedback, and wandered among the tables after lunch and dinner to hear our opinions. Breakfast was nearly identical from day to day, but was very acceptable in quality. Overall, I'd give the food a B+
  
• Destinations were wonderful. US School Education doesn't come close to explaining the effects and lifestyle under communism. Visiting these countries and getting a better understanding of why communism was empowered as well as overthrown was extremely enlightening. Every country was for a different reason, and the effects on each were also quite varied. I'd recommend this itinerary for this fact alone!
  
• Weather was great. Very little rain (one shower as we were boarding ship for the first time, and one overnight as we slept) and lots of sun. A little on the hot side (well into the 90s). There was a heatwave in Eastern Europe during our trip, the likes of which had not been seen there in many years, apparently.
  
• British Airways somehow "delayed" 1 of 3 bags on our return. I was assured on arrival it was in Heathrow and would be on the next flight, due in approximately 5 hours. Over 4 days later (and at 1:45 in the morning) it was finally delivered -- and was completely waterlogged. All of our souvenirs were in this bag, and quite a few (including anything paper based) were destroyed. Due to this, and another issue we had with BA on this trip, we have vowed to avoid them like the plague.
  

 

Overall, we were very pleased with Amadeus. They have a good product, and appear to be trying their darndest to make it better. They seem to want comments and criticism, and we intend to write a very lengthy letter to them including both positives and negatives encountered on our trip.

 

Someone posted in another thread that the Chef was an employee of "Sea Chefs". I wanted to confirm this, but extend it further -- it seems that practically all the employees are actually working for Sea Chefs. From the Chef, to the entertainment, to the Cabin Stewards. I am not sure about the head Navigational officers, and of course the CD is an independant, but it appears EVERYONE ELSE works for them, and NOT Amadeus. I suppose this could be good or bad, depending on how you look at it.

 

In any case, that sums up most of our generalized comments. I would be happy to answer any questions you may have, and will post a lengthy, detailed, day-by-day review when time allows me to compose my thoughts.

[WIT]

Medic2012 - Thanks for the encouraging report. We do the reverse itinerary in October so I hope the bus problems are resolved. Looking forward to whatever details you can share.

WIT

[CincyAL]

When the "Ritz" has a/c problems how are the commoners coping in mere 4 star hotels?

 

Can you further explain the 2-day bus leg? Brutual under normal conditions?

[Medic2012]

Well, the Ritz's solution to the AC leaking from the ceiling was to stuff a towel in it. Of course, that was after the tech took the ceiling tile down and drenched himself!! Very interesting Turkish concept of "fixing" the issue.

 

Brutal under normal circumstances? I would say yes. The trip to the border took quite a while (5 hours or so in our bus, we were told normally around 2 1/2 - 3), then you are held up at the border for quite a while (took us about and hour and a half, I think... Then the Bulgarian leg to Sunny Beach/Nessebar took another 3 1/2 or so for us. We were exhausted from just being on the bus by the time we got to SB. Next, the leg to Veliko Turnovo took the entire morning (Bus wasn't broken -- arrived for a later lunch), toured as quickly as possible, then continued onward for additional 1 1/2 - 2 hours to Rousse.

 

Again, excusing the AC problems, Cigarette smoke from the "resting" drivers being blown by the ventilation system, mechanical issues, and heat, I would still say putting folks in buses for this long could be termed brutal. Forewarned is forearmed, however, and I hope you can benefit from our experience. We took inflatable Cervical Pillows which (while useless on the airplanes as neck "stabilizers" were built into the seats) proved quite comfortable for the long ride. Is it survivable under "normal" circumstances? Sure -- long, but acceptable. But when there's a hitch in the getalong, it definitely shifts into the realm approaching miserable!

[ChefPeg]

Also on GCT Budapest to the Black Sea in 2005. My wife said that it was her best trip ever !!! We had a great time. Budapest is wonderful and E Europe is a great value. Happy to answer any questions.

 

Hi there,

 

DH and I are cruising the Black sea to Budapest next year. Have you posted a review? I would love to know about the countries/areas you visited.

 

Thank you,

Peggy

[Gunman]

My wife and I are booked through GCT for a reverse trip, Bucharest-Budapest, April 2008. This is our first river cruise, although we have sailed extensively with Ocean Cruises. I appreciate all who have taken the time to post their suggestions and experiences. We are sailing on the MS Adagio (sp?).

[Gunman]

Many thanks to Carhut for the link to his photos of the Danube River Cruise. Not only are we taking the same cruise (in reverse), but also the same ship, which makes it all so nice. All of the comments are appreciated, both the good and the bad. I guess all travelers have "horror stories" to tell, and hopefully they will benefit others who are starting out!

[ChefPeg]

All of the comments are appreciated, both the good and the bad. I guess all travelers have "horror stories" to tell, and hopefully they will benefit others who are starting out!

 

I agree Gunman, I take everything I read with a grain of salt. 10 people cruise together and we'll get 10 different reviews. But that's okay.

 

Yes, thanks Carhut, you are very much appreciated.

[WIT]

Medic2012 - We plan to arrive in Budapest with plenty of Hungarian Forints, but I wonder about ATM availability in the various countries downstream. Did the locals readily accept Euros or USDollars? I don't mind bringing a bit of each currency but ATMs would be easier if they are accessible. Thanks.

WIT

[ChefPeg]

Medic2012 - We plan to arrive in Budapest with plenty of Hungarian Forints, but I wonder about ATM availability in the various countries downstream. Did the locals readily accept Euros or USDollars? I don't mind bringing a bit of each currency but ATMs would be easier if they are accessible. Thanks.

WIT

 

I believe I read somewhere you can use US dollars in the markets. I may be incorrect about this.

I hope someone will enlighten us.:)

[CincyAL]

It's been about a month since a very negative review on Amadeus Black

cruise. Time for several trips each way, does anyone have "current" update?

[Medic2012]

Medic2012 - We plan to arrive in Budapest with plenty of Hungarian Forints, but I wonder about ATM availability in the various countries downstream. Did the locals readily accept Euros or USDollars? I don't mind bringing a bit of each currency but ATMs would be easier if they are accessible. Thanks.

WIT

 

Sorry about the delay in responding, WIT. ATM availability was very good to excellent. We never had any issue finding one quickly and easily, even in the smaller ports like Vidin, Bulgaria and in Veliko Tarnavo. In fact, we always used local currency. In our experience, most places would be reticent to accept dollars, and would certainly give you a poor exchange rate to do so. There were a couple of places that asked "Dollars?" when quoting prices, but as I said, they were not plentiful. The exception to the rule is Istanbul where they will accept practically any hard currency (USD, GBP, Euros, etc.) in the touristic areas. Also, be aware that the cruise line is unable to change money on board the ship.

 

Regarding bringing Forints: I'd really not worry much about it. You can hit ATM in/near your hotel on arrival or (I'm sure) at the airport. We flew out via Budapest, but I am quite confident that there were ATMs available there. We flew into Istanbul and the driver there was more than happy to take US $ instead of Lira.