Photos - Amadolce Danube Cruise (Prague to Budapest) - November 2011

I recently returned from a wonderful Danube cruise on AMA's Amadolce. The trip began in Prague (actual embarkation was Vilshofen, Germany) and ended in Budapest, with stops in Passau, Melk, Vienna, etc.

The weather was chilly, but the AMA staff was extremely friendly and professional, and Cheri, our Cruise Director, was extraordinary.

You can view my photos of the cruise by going to my Picasa website. You can use the "slideshow" option available by pressing the "button" on the upper left-hand area of the site. The timing between photos can be adjusted at the bottom of the screen once the slideshow begins.

https://picasaweb.google.com/115520979706388828246/48Amadolce111111?authkey=Gv1sRgCJvhhp-AobOEAQ

Regards,

Sergio

Excellent photo's! As we will be going on a similar cruise next December, it was a treat to have an advanced view of what we might see. As an avid photographer myself, may I ask what equipment you used for your photo's?

Thanks for sharing!

Cheers,

Excellent photo's! As we will be going on a similar cruise next December, it was a treat to have an advanced view of what we might see. As an avid photographer myself, may I ask what equipment you used for your photo's?

 

Thanks for sharing!

 

Cheers,

Hi, and thanks! I'm sure you will enjoy the Danube cruise. I don't mind the cold weather too much, but traveling during the warmer months would invite you to enjoy the upper deck more often than I did.

I don't have fancy photo equipment. My camera is a Panasonic Lumix LX5, a fine camera, with a great Leica lens, but still small enough to fit in my windbreaker's pocket.

Let me know if you have any questions about the cruise itself or anything else.

Sergio

Beautiful photos !!! We went from Budapest to Prague in September. You have some great shots without all the crowds in your photos.

Thanks for sharing your pics. Some great shots. In Late April we will be on one of the new Viking ships from Amsterdam to Budapest. Our first river cruise and seeing some of our stops in your photos was a treat.

Wonderful pics. The boat looks like a clone of the one we were on, the Amalegro. Did you have the same fantastic, 3 shower head shower we had? We were also impressed with the staff, even received a postcard from the hotel manager,Artur, thanking us for sailing with them. Pat

Thank you for taking the time to post your photos. I appreciate the time you took to give a description too, especially for someone who has never been (like myself). The lack of crowds really allows one to enjoy the wonderful scenery. Were you out early in the morning or is it due to the time of the year? I know many places Northern Europe have later starts. Is it the same throughout Europe?

Sheal

thanks for sharing

Thanks, H2Otstr, mikemartha, pacmom, sheal, and laurmorr, for your comments.

I'm an early bird by nature, and that's the reason for some of the "crowdless" photos. Taking photos early in the morning is also a good practice, because the lighting is softer and more interesting, as is also true at dusk. I know it's hard for some of you "sleepy heads" to start the day early, but it's worth the effort (my humble opinion).

I never noticed if it's any different in other parts of Europe (early start), Sheal, but I actually enjoy walking around and taking photos early in the morning. I love taking photos.

The time of the year is also a factor. I suspect that some of the places have bigger crowds during the warmer months. That is true in Chesky-Krumlov, for example, according to our guide.

The bathroom was excellent, and yes, the shower had adjustable buttons, but I kept it at one setting. My only "complaint" (not really, just a reality) is that the single bed is quite narrow. I travel alone, and I had a single cabin, one of the "pluses" with AMA (less $$). A regular cabin is not much better, since the double bed is as wide as two of the single beds, but is occupied by two people.

I was very impressed with the service staff, as well as the food.

Any other questions?

Sergio

Thanks for sharing!! Your pictures are beautiful!! We too did the Danube with Avalon, reverse direction. From Budapest to Prague in November and it was just fabulous!! Hope to go back again soon. We don't mind the cooler temps and the crowds not as bad...... plus the added bonus of seeing some of the openings of the Christmas Markets.:)

and looks great,,,have a question re Cesky Kumov,,sp? sorry,,photos look nice,,but was it worth an excursion,,or inc.in cruise? What hotel did you have,,and your review? Thanks:)

and looks great,,,have a question re Cesky Kumov,,sp? sorry,,photos look nice,,but was it worth an excursion,,or inc.in cruise? What hotel did you have,,and your review? Thanks:)

Cesky-Krumlov was a ship excursion (optional - I don't remember what the price was) at one of the stops in the itinerary. The alternate optional excursion was to Salzburg, which involved a two-hour drive each way. Salzburg is beautiful, but I've been there before and did not care for the long traveling time, so I chose Krumlov.

It's a small, quaint, medieval town, with lots of shops and an impressive castle, etc., but it was very cold, and if I remember right it was a Sunday, so almost nothing was open at the time. Not even the castle itself, so we couldn't visit the interior...

I think it was worth the excursion, but it might have been better in a warmer month. The guide did tell us that in the summer the town is packed wall to wall, so you need to weigh the pros and cons.

A few of us ended up having coffee and pastries at one of the establishments around the small town square, just to get warm and kill some leftover time before walking down to the bus.

Sergio

Thanks for sharing the photos. We did the same cruise in reverse last July/August on Amadolce. We went to Munich instead of Prague at the end of our cruise. Prague is still on my list though. Nice job with the pictures. They bring back memories.

beautiful pictures, thank you. we have done 3 river cruises with avalon, all in spring/summer. would love to see that area in autumn, looks lovely.

Thank you for sharing! Loved your pictures.

I recently returned from a wonderful Danube cruise on AMA's Amadolce. The trip began in Prague (actual embarkation was Vilshofen, Germany) and ended in Budapest, with stops in Passau, Melk, Vienna, etc.

 

The weather was chilly, but the AMA staff was extremely friendly and professional, and Cheri, our Cruise Director, was extraordinary.

 

You can view my photos of the cruise by going to my Picasa website. You can use the "slideshow" option available by pressing the "button" on the upper left-hand area of the site. The timing between photos can be adjusted at the bottom of the screen once the slideshow begins.

 

https://picasaweb.google.com/115520979706388828246/48Amadolce111111?authkey=Gv1sRgCJvhhp-AobOEAQ

 

 

Regards,

 

 

Sergio

These are very nice photographs! Thank you very much for sharing them with us. We will be going from Amsterdam to Budapest next fall and your pictures show us some of the sights we're likely to see in some of the matching cities.

Beautiful photos...thank you for the grand tour! This river cruise is on my bucket list...

boo-hoo -- taking this trip and the pics are gone

boo-hoo -- taking this trip and the pics are gone

Sorry, Jaxon41... I put the pictures back on, just for you....

Here's the link:

https://picasaweb.google.com/115520979706388828246/48Amadolce111111?authkey=Gv1sRgCJvhhp-AobOEAQ

Sergio

Sorry, Jaxon41... I put the pictures back on, just for you....

 

Here's the link:

 

https://picasaweb.google.com/115520979706388828246/48Amadolce111111?authkey=Gv1sRgCJvhhp-AobOEAQ

 

 

Sergio

Thank you for sharing, great pics, I really enjoyed them.. we are travelling from Budapest to Amsterdam next month, can't wait!! :-)

Thanks so much, Sergio. Your pictures were just gorgeous!

Sergio,

Did you do the optional concert at the palace in Vienna? I am wondering how much it costs. Also wondering about the side trip to Salsburg's, cost. Can you tell me if tips are taken care of like ocean cruising? Charged to your cc, with envelopes to present? I have read the tips are $24 a day per cabin which is like ocean cruising. Appreciate any info.

Sergio,

Did you do the optional concert at the palace in Vienna? I am wondering how much it costs. Also wondering about the side trip to Salsburg's, cost. Can you tell me if tips are taken care of like ocean cruising? Charged to your cc, with envelopes to present? I have read the tips are $24 a day per cabin which is like ocean cruising. Appreciate any info.

Thanks for the comments, I'm glad you enjoyed the photos. I love taking pictures during my travels.

I did go to the concert in Vienna, and I enjoyed it, but I don't remember how much it cost (probably around $60-$70 per person). Each is probably slightly different, mine consisted of 4 or 5 musicians and a couple of opera singers. Very worthwhile.

The excursion to Salzburg may not be worth it. I didn't go because I had already been there, although it's a beautiful town. The main problem is that you have to be on a bus for about 2 hours each way, leaving very little time to enjoy Salzburg, never mind the inconvenience of the long ride. I went on the alternate excursion to Cesky-Krumlov.

If you visit the AMA website, it will tell you all about the tip policy. They "suggest" $12 per person per day, and you can pay with a credit card when you settle your account at the end of the cruise.

The one excursion that I really enjoyed, and it was an unexpected surprise, was the visit to the Siegfried Mechanical Musical Museum. Very interesting, and they demonstrate the very elaborate musical instruments of 100 years ago. Very wonderful!!!

Enjoy your cruise!

Sergio

Thanks for the comments, I'm glad you enjoyed the photos. I love taking pictures during my travels.

 

I did go to the concert in Vienna, and I enjoyed it, but I don't remember how much it cost (probably around $60-$70 per person). Each is probably slightly different, mine consisted of 4 or 5 musicians and a couple of opera singers. Very worthwhile.

 

The excursion to Salzburg may not be worth it. I didn't go because I had already been there, although it's a beautiful town. The main problem is that you have to be on a bus for about 2 hours each way, leaving very little time to enjoy Salzburg, never mind the inconvenience of the long ride. I went on the alternate excursion to Cesky-Krumlov.

 

If you visit the AMA website, it will tell you all about the tip policy. They "suggest" $12 per person per day, and you can pay with a credit card when you settle your account at the end of the cruise.

 

The one excursion that I really enjoyed, and it was an unexpected surprise, was the visit to the Siegfried Mechanical Musical Museum. Very interesting, and they demonstrate the very elaborate musical instruments of 100 years ago. Very wonderful!!!

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

 

Sergio

Sorry, I got confused about the Siegfried Musical Museum... That's in my Rhine/Moselle cruise, also on the Amadolce.

If you want to see those photos, here's the link:

https://picasaweb.google.com/115520979706388828246/50Amadolce4412Cruise?authkey=Gv1sRgCI-r_ePItPmpLA

Sergio

Love the pics on the Danube as far as the itinary. How many hours a daybdomyou actually cruise. And I'm going dec 2014. Do you think the river runs smoothly

Thanks for ur help