On the Amadeus Christmastime Cruise 2007

[gr'aunt]

Greeting from the Amadeus!

 

Well, here I sit typing to you from my room on the B deck of Amadeus at almost 9pm German-time. We are preparing to pull into Passau in just a few moments, upon which DH and I will walk around town for an hour or so (depending on how cold it is!)

We left Los Angeles on 11-29-09 for a long flight to Frankfurt, then changed planes to go to Prague. Flying in economy is awful, and we will NEVER do it again on a flight exceeding 5 hours.

Prague was beautiful, clean, friendly...amazing. The President Hotel was nice, the room was modern, large, and clean, and close to all the things you will want to see in Prague. (The women were beautiful and stylishly dressed). The Christmas Market was large and crowded, as it opened on our 1st full day in Prague. Almost everything is printed in Czech and English, making Prague very easy to negotiate. The food, well...it was foreign-appearing with weird names, so I chickened out and only tried a sausage on a baguette at the x-mas market, which was very good! Lunch next door at the Intercontinental Hotel was good, recognizable (roast beef and cheese), but expensive. The breakfast at the President was good.

We took a tour around the city, but weren't too impressed with our guide as he couldn't really answer our questions...it's almost as if he had a script and couldn't deviate from it. We tipped him too much out of ignorance, but we learned our lesson.

Well, we just docked in Passau. I have more too tell (in detail) about the ship, the food, our room, the crew, etc., all the things you might want to know while trying to make a decision about what ship/itinery to take. Just a clue, I'm loving it!

Gr'aunt

[WIT]

Debra - Great to hear you are having a good time. If you are going to Salzburg tomorrow you will have a tour of the Old City followed by some free time. We used our time to have a snack (cheese, sausage, beer) in St.Peter's Convent Stiftskeller (serving since 803). When you are snapping photos of the fort above you will be across the courtyard from it.

 

If you are staying on board you will see a pretty stretch of the Danube. The city walk after dinner in Linz is pleasant also. If you happen to stop in Cafe Austria (going North off the square) please say hi to Fred the proprietor. He might remember a lady last year with a rose. (up to him to explain).

WIT

[WIT]

Where are you staying in Budapest? Lots to see there.

WIT

[Carolfay]

I'd love to hear more about your experiences. Are you on the Amadagio? My husband and I are set to depart Budapest via Amadeus on 12/30, and any comments and suggestions would be most welcome.

[steamboats]

Debra,

 

Great to hear that you have arrived safely and are enjoying your trip. Weather should be o.k. today (at least no rain) so let us know if you opted for Salzburg or not.

 

steamboats

[G.M.T.]

Debra,

 

Welcome to the city of three rivers - Passau.

 

Wishing you and family a wonderful cruise.

 

Ron

[Buckland]

Isn't it great to be on line while you are cruising? All your thoughts are fresh and more things come to mind as you write. I really enjoyed it while we cruised. If you go to Koblenz you will have another wonderful sausage experience.

 

Tell us more!

 

Buck

[trufflelady]

Hi Debra,

So glad to hear that you are having a wonderful time. We are getting excited since we leave in just 8 days to do the Danube Christmas Markets. I am getting my bags out. Can't wait to hear your experiences before we go. I am sharing these with my DH at night.

Sorry to hear that your Tour guide was not too great. He must have been from the city and they do seem to follow a script.

Keep on having fun and experiment with the cuisine. You will love it!! Promise.

Sue