On Board the AMA Amalyra

[Phoenix cruiser]

Thought I would start with a mid-cruise review. We are on the AMA Amalyra from Budapest to Prague. We went in a day earlier than the pre-cruise we booked through AMA, so we were rested and had an extra day of touring. The Kempinski is a fabulous hotel, high end and well situated. We pre-booked a Parliament tour through Viator for an extra $10 per person over the walk in fee, and it was well worth it. They picked us up at the hotel and we by-passed the long line of people waiting for individual tickets. The Parliament is a "do not miss"" and the included AMA city tour only drives by it. We also booked opera tickets in advance, so we got to see a wonderful production and see the inside of this miniature version of the Vienna opera house. The next day was the included city tour, mostly driving around by bus with stops at Heroes Square, near the castle for a scenic view and a walk through the palace grounds but no inside visit. It was OK but don't count on this being your way to see Budapest. On our last free mroning we saw the Dohany Street Synagogue and Jewish Museum. Pay the minor amount extra for a guided tour of the museum, our guide was a holocaust survivor rescued by the Swedes when he was young- lots of stories and very moving experience. Our trip by bus to the ship was fast and check-in was a breeze- hand over our passports, get our keys (already made up) and some paperwork to fill in at our leisure, and we were in our room 3 minutes after boarding. The room is ample (we are in 208) with lots of storage space and a shower to die for. As you can see Internet is free and faster than on an ocean cruise, but obviously not as good as at home. The crew is great, nothing but helpful. Breakfast is buffet (hot and cold items) plus eggs made to order or waffles, poached eggs or eggs benedict. Late risers can have pastries and coffee in the lounge. Lunch is buffet and/or order off a menu. Dinner is 4 courses with usually 3 choices for each course. Wine, beer and soda are free with dinner. We had a group of high quality female singers for entertainment one night and gypsy msuic at dinner one night so far. The lounge piano player is a lounge piano player. So far we have had stops in Brataslava, Vienna, Durnstein, Melk and Passau. We have not taken any other city tours or excursions besides the one in Budapest and the tour of Melk Abbey (since you cannot do it on your own without paying for tickets you have already earned through booking with AMA). We are very independent travelers and I did all the research in advance so we have enjoyed striking out on our own. The cities are all easy to navigate. We did not do Salzburg becuase we had been there before. Tomorrow it is on to Regensburg. Any questions? Ask away.

[WIT]

Dont' miss the small sausages at the Wurstkuche (at the base of the Regensberg bridge). Also if the Thorin-Taxis Castle has anything going on when you are there you might find it interesting. We had some wood-roasted duck from a vendor in their courtyard that we have yet to duplicate.

 

WIT

[caviargal]

Interested to read the view of this cruise from a fellow very independent traveler. We have a decision to make regarding a booking for a Christmas market cruise in late November of this year and my primary concern is being on the ship for too many hours when I know we will want to maximize port time.

 

When we travel to Europe, we do so independently and are very happy to get around on our own and see what we like to see at our own pace.

 

I'll be interested to read the rest of your review as this is exactly the itinerary we are interested in should we choose AMA for this trip.

 

Thanks!

[MVPinBoynton]

Phoenix Cruiser,

I am glad you are enjoying Amalyra. Those showers were nice. We just loved the staff. Say hi to Jozsef and Tina from Mike and Carol. Our Viator Parliament tour was cancelled for some reason. We were disappointed.

 

I agree with WIT about not missing the small sausages at the Wurstkuche. While in Regensburg see if you can visit the Old Church. It is absolutely gorgeous inside and very close to the cathedral.

[MVPinBoynton]

WIT,

I wasn't able to eat at your recommended restaurant in Budapest, but I did take a photo of it for you, so you can show people what it looks like.

[Carol28]

We are looking at another cruise on this line. We are looking at a ship called Amadolce (or something like that.)You mentioned that your room is very nice. Did you book a suite or a regular cabin with a French veranda? We have never river cruised before and are worried that 170 sq. ft. room may be a bit small. What is the bathroom like? Does it have both a shower and tub? Thank you.

[WIT]

We are looking at another cruise on this line. We are looking at a ship called Amadolce (or something like that.)You mentioned that your room is very nice. Did you book a suite or a regular cabin with a French veranda? We have never river cruised before and are worried that 170 sq. ft. room may be a bit small. What is the bathroom like? Does it have both a shower and tub? Thank you.

 

Carol - Here is a link to my photos of our regular room and bathroom on the Amadagio (as well as the overall cruise). The ship in this line are nearly identical.

 

http://picasaweb.google.com/billwitowski/BudapestDanubeBendVienna#

 

WIT

[WIT]

WIT,

I wasn't able to eat at your recommended restaurant in Budapest, but I did take a photo of it for you, so you can show people what it looks like.

Thanks, Mike - could you send it to bill_witowski at gmail dot com?

 

WIT

[caviargal]

172 sq ft is quite spacious by cruise line standards, ocean or river. We have stayed in Deluxe Balcony cabins that are 170 sq ft. on many lines.

[MVPinBoynton]

These cabins are very well arranged where we didn't feel crowded.

[MVPinBoynton]

Thanks, Mike - could you send it to bill_witowski at gmail dot com?

 

WIT

Bill,

My emails keep getting bounced. Can you send me an email I can reply to at mpreisman@comcast.net ?

[npphotog]

Hi WIT - just saw your photos re: Budapest, Danube, Bend and Vienna. Fantastic shots. Wondering what camera did you use? Willard

[CAPinBoynton]

Phoenix Cruiser, I would appreciate it if you could find out a name for me. The dark haired girl at the reception desk looks so much like my daughter-in-law. I think her name is Petra, but I'm not sure. Could you please ask her how to spell her name, and tell her hello from Mike and Carol. Thanks.

[WIT]

Hi WIT - just saw your photos re: Budapest, Danube, Bend and Vienna. Fantastic shots. Wondering what camera did you use? Willard

That's high praise coming from you, Willard. I used a Panasonic DMC TZ-1 which I got for its small size and ultra-zoom lens. My more recent albums were taken with a TZ-3 which has a 10X zoom and 28mm at the wide end. Getting adequate low-light shots has sometimes been a challenge, but its other features make it my preferred travel camera.

 

WIT

[Carol28]

It's me again. I hope all is well. How's the weather? I'm actually booked on a Greek cruise for next year, but am thinking of changing to a river cruise because Greece in the summertime may be just too hot.

 

I've never done a river cruise. This morning I was thinkng that our favorite port to sail out of was Stockholm as the archipelago was delightful. I'm wondering if you see land on both sides of the river as you sail along? Is it a busy river?

[LMD]

Phoenix Cruiser - sounds like you are enjoying your trip. We just got off AMA Amalyra the day you got on. We had such a wonderful time. We were in room 202. We too loved the shower!!

 

I agree with WIT and MVPinBoyton on those small sausages at the Wurstkuche - they were wonderful. Enjoy the rest of your trip.

[npphotog]

WIT - That's more amazing that you used that camera - not that there's anything wrong with it but I would have guessed a high end Canon or Nikon dslr. It's been said that it's the shooter not the camera. They are right. You have a good eye, keep it up friend. Willard

[CAPinBoynton]

We just got off AMA Amalyra the day you got on. We had such a wonderful time. We were in room 202.

 

LMD, do you by any chance know the name of the girl at the reception desk on the Amalyra?

[BAYWAY]

Phoenix Cruiser - sounds like you are enjoying your trip. We just got off AMA Amalyra the day you got on. We had such a wonderful time. We were in room 202. We too loved the shower!!

 

I agree with WIT and MVPinBoyton on those small sausages at the Wurstkuche - they were wonderful. Enjoy the rest of your trip.

 

Hi,

We will also have cabin 202. How did you like it???

We start out in Paris for a few days, then to Trier to get on the Amalyra, our first river cruise but regular large ship cruisers. We end at Prague with a post stay, then back to Atl. How are the steps on the Amalyra? My legs do not like steps that are really steep.

 

We usually like to do the tours on our own. What are your thoughts on the included tours?

 

 

Good to see someone has been in 202. I look forward to hearing about it!

[MVPinBoynton]

BAYWAY,

You will have an elevator except for the last 8 steps, which are not steep.

[LMD]

CAPinBoynton - I am sorry, I do not remember the name of the girl at the reception desk on the Amalyra.

 

BAYWAY - we really enjoyed cabin 202. It was the first door on the right as you came down from the lobby. The stairs were not steep at all. It was one short flight down from the lobby to our room, and then one short flight down from there to the dining room. We actually never used the public restroom as it was just as easy to go to our room. A very convenient location. Also, as MVPinBoynton mentioned, there is an elevator, but we never used it.

 

I thought the included tours that we went on were great. All the guides we had were quite knowledgeable. We did skip the last tour in Budapest and did the city on our own as we had been "toured" out by then. We also did Vienna in the afternoon on our own. We had a great time. We used the bikes provided by the ship and rode up to a really great park where the oldest ferris wheel in the world is, as well as a large amusement park. Also, the park continues on for about 2 1/2 miles where we could ride the bikes with out worrying about cars. Plus, most of the sidewalks have a path just for bikes which really works out well. We probably biked about 15 miles that afternoon and loved it. We did the optional tour to Salzburg. Unfortunately the weather wasn't that great that day but that was probably my favorite tour, and well worth the long day and extra cost.

 

It was our first river cruise, after many large cruise ships, and we just loved it. Enjoy your trip.

[Donray]

Have you read the review at http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1011045 that thought the food on the Amalyra is awful?

I was on the AWA Amadagio in April from Busdapest and thought the food and wine were very good.

Would like your opinion of the food.

[LMD]

Donray - I just posted a reply in that thread. I really enjoyed the food (except for the cheeseburger).

[CAPinBoynton]

Donray - I just posted a reply in that thread. I really enjoyed the food (except for the cheeseburger).

 

I thought that the food was very good. Naturally you don't have the selection you would find on a big cruise ship; but quality wise, I thought it was just as good and the presentation was excellent. I also enjoyed the style of serving breakfast and lunch. You could eat off the buffet, order from the menu, or have an omlette made. That's the best of all worlds, folks!

 

I got a big laugh out of the cheeseburger. I wish I had taken my camera to lunch that day. :D It tasted okay, but the meat was twice as big as the bun! They used a patty the size of a U.S. Burger King Whopper, but a regular size bun. I just cut the meat to fit the bun and ate the rest of the patty with a fork. :)

[Phoenix cruiser]

All- just back last night so will catch up and finish my review. We went through an Internet blackout the last 3 days of the cruise. Saw the bad food reviews- either it was an anomaly on that cruise or someone who could never be happy. We had 128 passengers who all gave the food great reviews- including people who had cruised on Cunard and Silversea. More later.