New to River Cruising - Have a few questions about AMAwaterways

We booked last minute and will be on the AMAViola on August 30th. We received electronic documents, so I can see what excursions are offered. What I don't understand is when do we tell AMA which tour we have decided to take. What is the procedure? And is there a chance that they fill up before we get on the list? I am not talking about a bike tour, or one of the "specialty tours." We were able to book on of those online. Seemed only two were available, though. Perhaps because we have booked so late???

Second question: We are sailing the Danube from Vilshofen to Budapest. Does it matter which side our cabin is located as far as seeing views while in the cabin? We are on the Starboard side with a full balcony.

And does it matter which side if there is a possibility that we may be tied up to another ship? That's something I recently discovered after seeing the following statement. Had no idea that ships would be connected or that we may have "odors", or have to walk through one to get to shore. :D

We had a tiny balcony, but really did not use it while in port. In fact, we were tied up to another ship several times, so we were unable to use it. This is my only complaint about the ship: When we were tied up to other ships while in port, our stateroom would have a very strong odor from the diesel exhaust and sewer gas. We noticed it as soon as we entered the room. I went to the desk that evening and told them, but they said it would get better. It didn’t. The next day, we were still tied up, and again, the room really smelled bad. Again, I went to the front desk. This time I asked the attendant to come with me and see for himself. He admitted that the smell was strong, and all he could do is apologize.

Third: On AMA, does anyone know the approximate dinner time and duration? I keep reading that there may be an evening "outing", but is this before or after dinner?

Last question (though I am sure I will have more before next week): I asked this on another thread, but will re-post here in case the other is overlooked. It's about soundproofing. How about the walls on AMAViola and other AMA ships. Are they soundproof? Especially the cabins that connect.

AMA only offers pre-registration for the few excursions they think might fill up and that can't be expanded. For all other tour options you choose onboard, generally after the Cruise Director's presentation the evening beforehand.

The preferred side of the ship will depend on several factors, most of which can't be predicted. The one basic idea is that river ships moor facing upstream, so that the current divides when it hits the sharp bow. If you look at a detailed map, you can figure out which side of the river each port is on and thereby determine which side of the ship will face port. What you can't determine is which view will be the better one: is it a scenic port-side or an industrial one?, is the river-side view [or the port-side?] going to be blocked by a rafted ship? On your itinerary you will be sailing downstream, so the ship will face the opposite way when sailing compared to when docked. All in all, my guess is that it isn't worth worrying about side of ship issues. Especially because when the scenery and weather cooperate, you will want to be on the top deck with 360 degree views anyway.

Dinner time on AMA is probably going to be 7 pm most days. After the afternoon shore excursions return they like to leave a little time to 'freshen up,' then the Cruise Director has a meeting about the next day's excursion choices, then everybody troops down to the dining room. AMA has open seating, but not open-time dining. This works very smoothly, as the kitchen is geared up to produce appetizers, then entrees, then desserts. And the wine server will keep you buzzed and happy while you wait! [Also AMA has the best bread of all the cruises we have taken -- baked on board fresh every day]

When there is an evening excursion it happens after dinner. One of the Limited Edition tours on our Rhone cruise took a small group of us to a boulangerie where we 'helped' the baker make a batch of baguettes. We each got to take one [fresh and warm] one home, and the rest were sold at half-price as 'apprentice loaves.' It was a blast! And despite it being after dinner, my loaf did not make it back to the ship :D

We never heard our neighbors [or anything else] in our cabins on AmaCello and AmaDagio. These were both among AMA's oldest class of ships. You are going on one of their newest class, with more features -- congratulations on that! Connecting cabins on any ship are sometimes a source of noise leakage through the connecting door, and cabins on the top cabin deck are right below the walking track. But in general I don't think you have anything to worry about re noise.

You have chosen a terrific itinerary on a new ship on one of the top river cruise lines. Bon voyage!

You have been so help...thank you so much!

Unlike on an oceanliner and wanting to have a good view port side, I really wasn't concerned about that with this type cruise. Just wondering if it made a difference when moving. However, having exhaust in the room does bother me, as I have asthma. :o

DH and I would simply like to be able to see things, in passing, when we are still in the cabin and can't/don't wish to go up top. Although, I believe most of our traveling will be during the night, there are some daylight hours that we will be moving. I will take a look at the map, but thought someone might have been on a similar route and would know off-hand if one side had better views than another.

We do have a connecting stateroom. Not wild about that, but that's what was given to us. Because the connecting doors are sliding doors, I don't have much hope that they are sound proof. We can stick a towel under at the bottom, if needed. And we plan to leave our luggage up against it. At least that will be a good place to keep luggage out of the way. The extra chair will stay under the vanity.

Interesting about signing up for excursions the night before a port stop.:confused: This river style cruising is going to be interesting. And we liked the traditional way of cruising in the past, so we will probably like the way entertainment and dinner is handled. Not sure about going out after dinner, though. Yet, again...on ocean cruises, we normally do not eat until around 8:00 - 8:30, maybe later! So we will probably not be so tired.

We booked last minute and will be on the AMAViola on August 30th. We received electronic documents, so I can see what excursions are offered. What I don't understand is when do we tell AMA which tour we have decided to take. What is the procedure? And is there a chance that they fill up before we get on the list? I am not talking about a bike tour, or one of the "specialty tours." We were able to book on of those online. Seemed only two were available, though. Perhaps because we have booked so late???

 

We just returned from our first time cruise on AMALyra. On the day of arrival we were given a form to request the tours we wanted to take. This was submitted to the front desk on the first evening of the cruise. On the day of the tour, we were given a colored card to indicate the tour and/or activity level and/or bus. Our cruise also included a night tour and it was lots of fun. It was the Rouen Illumination show. Everyone who wanted to go met up with the cruise director. She led us off the ship to the site (only a few blocks) and then (at our discretion) we made our way back to the ship on our own.

This process will suit us better! Thank you for the update. ;)

The mention of Rouen now has me looking into a day trip from Paris. Did I mention we will spend 3 days in Paris and 3 days in Prague before the cruise?

We were in Paris for 4 nights a few years ago, so looking for different things to see. We have seen Versailles, Normandy and Mont Saint Michel(another trip.) So I will look into Rouen or maybe Fontainebleau. Would love to see the Illumination show, but doesn't appear that would work for us.

Jazz - I also forgot to mention that we are on the Cello deck. Only staterooms above us. The crew rooms are below us.

This process will suit us better! Thank you for the update. ;)

 

The mention of Rouen now has me looking into a day trip from Paris. Did I mention we will spend 3 days in Paris and 3 days in Prague before the cruise?

 

We were in Paris for 4 nights a few years ago, so looking for different things to see. We have seen Versailles, Normandy and Mont Saint Michel(another trip.) So I will look into Rouen or maybe Fontainebleau. Would love to see the Illumination show, but doesn't appear that would work for us.

Jazz - I also forgot to mention that we are on the Cello deck. Only staterooms above us. The crew rooms are below us.

Consider Giverny, from Paris as well, if you haven't seen it. As far as what you may see from your cabin, you will have Durnstein and Weissenkirchen on your side, but Melk and Schonbuhel Castle will be on the opposite. The Wachau Valley and the stretch of river between Passau and Linz are really best viewed from "up too" though. Simply breathtaking

Robin

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Consider Giverny, from Paris as well, if you haven't seen it. As far as what you may see from your cabin, you will have Durnstein and Weissenkirchen on your side, but Melk and Schonbuhel Castle will be on the opposite. The Wachau Valley and the stretch of river between Passau and Linz are really best viewed from "up too" though. Simply breathtaking

 

Robin

I was going to suggest Giverny, but Iamthesea is sailing at the end of August so I wasn't sure how nice the gardens would be.

Consider Giverny, from Paris as well, if you haven't seen it. As far as what you may see from your cabin, you will have Durnstein and Weissenkirchen on your side, but Melk and Schonbuhel Castle will be on the opposite. The Wachau Valley and the stretch of river between Passau and Linz are really best viewed from "up too" though. Simply breathtaking

 

Robin

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

After posting above, I found Giverny. Rouen and Giverny will be on the bucket list for another visit, hopefully. :D We have decided to stay in Paris since our time is limited. Have booked a food tour for one day. A bike tour for the next. And a Skip the Line, Eiffel Tower sunset/Summit experience. The last time we were there, we did not go up into the tower. We will visit the Luxembourg Gardens this time. ;)

I was going to suggest Giverny, but Iamthesea is sailing at the end of August so I wasn't sure how nice the gardens would be.

I did check on the flower situation and the gardens have plenty of flower varieties in August. Though I do think late Spring would be the best time to visit. :)

After posting above, I found Giverny. Rouen and Giverny will be on the bucket list for another visit, hopefully. :D We have decided to stay in Paris since our time is limited. Have booked a food tour for one day. A bike tour for the next. And a Skip the Line, Eiffel Tower sunset/Summit experience. The last time we were there, we did not go up into the tower. We will visit the Luxembourg Gardens this time. ;)

 

 

I did check on the flower situation and the gardens have plenty of flower varieties in August. Though I do think late Spring would be the best time to visit. :)

I can definitely recommend Giverny, Rouen -- and Honfleur -- for a DIY driving vacation. Or of course they are highlights of the Seine river cruises!

Do River Cruise ships make actual stops in Giverny, Rouen, and Honfleur? Or what is the stop. Another RC is a great possibility to see those places. :) If we like the one we take, we will have an opportunity to save a little if we book onboard. :)

Do River Cruise ships make actual stops in Giverny, Rouen, and Honfleur? Or what is the stop. Another RC is a great possibility to see those places. :) If we like the one we take, we will have an opportunity to save a little if we book onboard. :)

For Giverny, I believe they dock in Vernon. We also stopped in Les Andelys (docked there, half day), Rouen (in town, for 2 nights), and for Honfleur, we were in Caudebec-en-Caux, and bussed to Honfleur. (I was on Uniworld)

Robin

Honfleur harbor is very small, so only the smallest river ships can actually dock there. CroisiEurope does, and I think one other. None of the big-name lines that market in North America -- they all dock in Caudebec or Rouen and bus in, which is a shame because Honfleur is lovely in the evening.

Thank you!

And on to my next question. All of my clothes will be packed in a suitcase and then must get hung in the closet. Does AMA supply hangars?