Such a long flight to get to a Danube cruise! Any suggestions on how to break this up

Any opinions on the land tour below? I'm looking at day 9 Lucerne and cobblestone streets and I start to have doubts about my mom handling uneven surfaces. We have got in the habit of her always holding on to my arm when we are walking together. She still gets out on her own with or without her walker with a seat. $1680 extra for each person.

DAY 8

BASEL, SWITZERLAND – DISEMBARKATION – LUCERNE

Disembark after breakfast for a city tour of cosmopolitan Basel. A longtime center for banking, commerce and trade, Basel’s glorious past is still evident in its medieval Town Hall and exquisite old homes. After free time for lunch on your own, depart for postcard-perfect lakeside city of Lucerne. You will visit the Lion Monument en route, a dramatic sculpture that honors the Swiss Guards who once protected the French kings. Arrive in Lucerne mid-afternoon and check into your hotel. (B)

DAY 9

LUCERNE

After breakfast, enjoy a walking tour of this medieval gem. You will see some of the city’s lovely cobblestone streets, monuments, fountains, public squares, covered bridges and colorful frescoed buildings. The afternoon offers free time to shop for Swiss-made watches, knives and delicious chocolates. (B)

DAY 10

LUCERNE – ZURICH

This morning, take a leisurely cruise across the tranquil waters of Lake Lucerne to Vitznau, here you will board a motor coach for a scenic drive through the countryside, passing Alpine Lakes and small villages. You will stop in one, Brunnen, where you will have a chance to explore and try local cuisine. Later arrive in Zurich, check into your hotel and spend the rest of the day at your leisure. (B)

DAY 11

ZURICH

Your morning city tour of Switzerland’s largest city, Zurich, includes Grossmünster Abbey (which offers exceptional views of Zurich), St. Peter (which boasts the world’s largest church clock face), Old Town, Town Hall and Fraumünster Abbey, home to five world-famous Chagall windows. The afternoon and evening are free for you to explore the town on your own. (B)

DAY 12

DEPART ZURICH

After breakfast, bid farewell to Switzerland and prepare for your return flight home. (B)

I have not been to Lucerne yet, but everyone I've talked to says it is gorgeous! I would definitely do that post cruise tour!

Any opinions on the land tour below?

We took this extension following our AMA Rhine cruise, and despite lots of people saying that ship extensions are overly costly we felt it was money well spent. The Cruise Director from our AMA cruise stayed with us for the extension, so it really felt like a seamless part of the trip [and we loved her, so it was great to stay with her]. Lucerne has a very compact old town, so I don't think the uneven paving will be too big a problem for your mother -- and I'm sure AMA will be able to make accommodations for her. If the weather is nice, consider using your free afternoon in Lucerne to go up Mount Pilatus [that was offered as an optional extra on our tour -- we decided to go DIY but in your case I would advise doing it with AMA]. We also did the Rhine Falls optional extra which was also nice. You can find details in my blog for AmaCello Rhine 8-2013 [link to all my blogs is in my signature]

Thank you all again for this wealth of information. I started a search for a travel agent Wednesday; found a name mentioned on an older post on trip advisor and she was the third person I called and left a voice mail for and she called within a few hours after 7 pm. She recently completed a AMA cruise. We talked after I got home from work yesterday and had two conversations way after the usual 5 pm quitting time which you just can't get with AAA. This is a bit of weight off of my shoulders. Right now I have two rooms on hold for a Rhine cruise. I will talk with her later today about insurance and air. I will see what I come up with also. Still need to decide if we will add some land days.

My mom said she was getting excited after I told her I had two cabins on hold. I reserved the cheapest they had for my dh and I which is on the piano deck. I hope there isn't engine noise down there; I read somewhere about someone having a horrible time sleeping, but I don't think it was AMA.

Wonderful to hear! I'm happy you found a river cruise specialist. Like yours, my agent is available nights and weekends, and I have her cell phone. She says that clients are traveling all over at all times, so only being available Monday through Friday from 9 to 5 is rather silly. I think you are on the right track now.

My mother took Transatlantic flights, around seven hours, alone until she was 92. She always flew economy, which suited her, mind you she was only five feet tall. She never minded the time in the air, but found airports stressful.

My feeling would be to do the flight in one go and get it over with, but maybe have an extra day or two before the cruise to relax and get over jet lag. We have family in Europe and North America, so fly over frequently, since we retired, up to four times a year. I think the prospect of a long flight can be daunting if you are not used to it, but thirteen hours from Japan last fall didn't really seem much longer than a Transatlantic. We are going to China later this year which will be a similar flight, in economy. We are in our mid seventies btw.

My mother took Transatlantic flights, around seven hours, alone until she was 92. She always flew economy, which suited her, mind you she was only five feet tall. She never minded the time in the air, but found airports stressful.

 

My feeling would be to do the flight in one go and get it over with, but maybe have an extra day or two before the cruise to relax and get over jet lag. We have family in Europe and North America, so fly over frequently, since we retired, up to four times a year. I think the prospect of a long flight can be daunting if you are not used to it, but thirteen hours from Japan last fall didn't really seem much longer than a Transatlantic. We are going to China later this year which will be a similar flight, in economy. We are in our mid seventies btw.

I also feel that it is better to get it over with in one go. Having to exit an airport, get to a hotel, and get back to me is much more tiring than just going straight through.

That said, I try to make my flights with only a single connection, although that is not always possible. Flying from Toronto, I definitely have an advantage, since we can get to virtually any major hub non-stop.

To the OP, can your mother walk for more than an hour unassisted? Even walking at anslow pace, if your mother really cannot do that then perhaps river cruising is not the best option for her. If she can manage it then check to be sure the extention includes a slow walkers group.

We took this extension following our AMA Rhine cruise, and despite lots of people saying that ship extensions are overly costly we felt it was money well spent.

I was just going to ask this question. I was just contacted by the TA who had made a mistake in telling me where we were starting from so the extension would be at the beginning. I wonder if we really need 4 days beforehand or if we should just come in 2 or even 3 days earlier? I do like the idea of being part of the group, but for 4 people this is a big chunk of change on top of the already big chunk of change.

If your mother has limited mobility 2 days would be enough, however, if you rent a car and use Lucerne as your base there are plenty of nice day trips from there that wouldn't require much walking. You could easily do the extension on your own, especially with a car rental. Switzerland is very easy and incredibly scenic driving.

We were told that our same CD had been with the pre-cruise people in Amsterdam too -- that's AMA's way of ensuring a continuous experience. Those people had already bonded before the cruise began, and seemed happy with their decision. IMHO you don't need someone to hold your hand in Amsterdam nearly as much as you might in Switzerland. If I were doing this cruise from Basel to Amsterdam, first river cruise and with the age issue -- and I could work out the budget -- I would definitely take the AMA extension. The itinerary is really nice, and you will arrive at the ship without agita or jet lag.