KruznKimmie

3 hours ago, SkygirlSue said:

You don't need to decide......each day, director will talk about next day's excursions. And you can't sign up for bike tours until you are onboard.  Almost all excursions are always available. Except for the special ones that charge a fee.  

Thanks, we are repeat AMA cruisers and understand the process.... I was just looking for someone who might have personal experience with these tours.

Looking for help from anyone who has done these excursions because we can't decide what we want to do while in these ports.  Has anyone done:

Trier Bike Tour

Amphitheater Hill Hike in Trier

Wertheim Castle Hike

Main River Bike Tour

2 hours ago, SCHappilyRetired said:

If taking the tour, does Ama have a meeting point once in town or do we need to return to the ship on our own?  Thank you.

There is usually not a meeting up point but what you could do is ask the tour guide if you could meet them somewhere & take the transportation back to the ship or you could get the tour guide's phone # & call them to determine where you might meet them.  But Uber is really cheap here...if you get an international SIM card & add it to your phone then you have international access.  We pre-purchase SIM cards online @ Amazon before we leave & install them before we leave the US.  Just make sure your cell phone is unlocked.

19 hours ago, SCHappilyRetired said:

Was the ship docked close to Petite area where we can get off and Do our own thing? Also, is the cathedral close to that area? Thank you.

When we were in Strasbourg the ship docked across the border in Germany & we took Uber from the port to downtown.  You could probably also have the ship call for a taxi.  Or you could go with your tour to the location in town & leave the tour & do your own thing.

4 hours ago, SallyM108 said:

Planning for a first river cruise in 2020 and have pretty much narrowed it down to either Ama Waterways Captivating Rhine or Melodies of the Danube itinerary.  Timing would be late June or September.  If we book the late June time we can get either free airfare or 2 for 1 business class.  We've been doing a ton of research on the ships, etc and have a pretty good understanding from that perspective.  Just curious to hear thoughts on which would be the best way to go.   For those who have traveled in the late June/early July time did you have any issues with crowds or very hot weather?  Any insights regarding any of these options would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks 🙂

We have done both itineraries & both are excellent choices but for different reasons.  

On the Rhine we enjoyed cruising the Gorge & viewing the castles.  Also we fell in love with Straubourg which was unexpected.  We also did travel to Mt Pilatus on our own following the cruise which was spectacular but Switzerland is terribly expensive.

On the Danube some of the highlights included the night tour into Budapest with all of the lights which was amazing.  And we truly enjoyed the bike tour in Passau which allowed us to bike from one city to the next & the boat met us at our destination..this is a must do if you love biking or exercise.  Also, the Melk Abbey was incredible. We extended our trip in both Budapest & Prague and both of these cities are worth at least several days.

We did not travel in the summer so I cannot speak to the crowd sizes.

I would give the Danube trip a slight advantage based on ports and having enjoyed Prague & Budapest so much on our own but either one would be a great choice.

Maybe choose one based on airfare pricing & schedules?

Am Ex had limited acceptance and VISA & MC were definitely preferred.  Also, something to consider is choosing a card with no foreign transaction fees or obtaining a new card with no foreign transaction fees as they can add up quickly.  

On 7/18/2019 at 7:30 PM, kjbacon said:

We are looking forward to it! We are red wine drinkers (when we aren’t having a martini) so might they give us a bottle of red at the cocktail hour so we can enjoy it on the balcony of our room without running back and forth to the lounge?

 

We are considering a AA+ room on the AmaPrima. Can anyone verify that there is more space between the bed and the wall/balcony than a AA room? The room layout diagram looks like it could be an extra foot or two, which would make a huge difference for my claustrophobic husband.

You can carry bottles of wine onboard so in most ports we would purchase some bottles and drink them on board.

14 hours ago, SuzCruise said:

We just booked our first Ama cruise from Nuremberg to Luxembourg in October.  We've only done 1 other river cruise on Crystal, so we've got some newbie type questions.  Our itinerary says we disembark in Luxembourg, but we'll actually be docked a ways outside of town, evidently.  Will Ama shuttle us in to Luxembourg as we disembark?  Is there a list or catalog of excursions that we see closer to our cruise or when we board?  We've seen the brief description of excursions in the itinerary, of course.  But if I recall correctly on Crystal there was a more detailed list of available excursions.  I've looked for something similar on the Ama website but didn't find anything.

 

Thanks in advance for any help!

We are on the same cruise the beginning of November & here is the info posted from the AMA tour book we received with our last cruise about the docking location close to Luxembourg.  We are renting a car & driving to Bruges but apparently Uber does not operate here so we will order a taxi to take us to the airport to pick up a car.  AMA will ask the night before you arrive in Luxembourg who will need a taxi & they can pre-arrange a taxi for your requested time of departure.

Just make sure you notify your credit card company when and where you will be traveling so the charges are not blocked.

On 7/10/2019 at 1:12 AM, whynesnob said:

I have been looking over our Rhine River cruise excursions. We are avid bikers and hikers. It looks like all biking tours need to be booked once on board. If you select an alternative excursion, does that exclude you from changing to a bike tour once on board?

 

For those who have done the Rhine cruise with AMA, what tours were your favorites?

We also love biking and did the Rhine with AMA.  On our cruise there was never a shortage of bikes.  In Strasbourg we did the city bike tour and it was very easy and a great way to see such a beautiful city that is very bike friendly.  The bike tour in Breisach was a much different experience as you ride through a small village then up the hills through the vineyards.  It was a beautiful ride but not easy but also not difficult.

On 6/18/2019 at 1:37 PM, twincheryl said:

Going on AmaDante to the Rhine/Moselle in late Aug/Sept.  Looking at excursions and wondering just how "active" the hikes really are.  I asked my contact at Ama whether the Level 5 (Active) hikes are labeled as such for active 30-40 yr olds or 70+ age group... and she said 70+.  Of course, at 65 yrs old, I know that there are many super fit and athletic folks my age, but would like a little info from people who have actually done one or more of these types of excursions. 

 

Our only other Ama cruise had no hikes offered, so we didn't have any experience with them.  Here's the description from Ama, which could be interpreted very differently depending on how many stairs/inclines/hills there are: 

4- Challenging (requires good physical condition): many stairs/inclines/hills/uneven ground 

5- Difficult (requires excellent physical condition):  long, strenuous hike with many stairs/inclines/hills

 

We'd love to do Ravenna Gorge in the Black Forest, Heidelberg Philosopher’s Path Hike, or the Petrisberg Hike but don't want to get stuck in something that is horribly difficult.  I guess the worst that could happen is that we would turn around and meet them back at the bus.  

 

Anyone have any comments one way or the other?  Thanks.

In Heidelberg we did the Philosopher's hike & my husband is in his 60s and he had no problems with the hike but we are very active @ home.  There was a younger couple in our group that struggled because I don't think he did any exercise on a regular basis.  I would rate this tour a difficulty of 4.  Of the 10 people in our group half of us were much faster than the rest of the group so we made our way to the top and the guide did go at the slower pace.  We waited at the top where there was an outpost and drank some beer while we waited on them.  The highlight of the hike was at the top where there was an ancient amphitheater & I cannot imagine how they got all those stones up the path hundreds of years ago.  

Thanks for all your help.. I determined what the problem was after calling Choice Air & United.  I was trying to upgrade my seats to Premium Plus but I could not until the ticket was issued which will not be until final payment is made since I have booked a refundable fare with Choice Air.  So, either I re-book airfare with a $200 fee to make changes or just wait and see what happens with the airfare prices.  Because the cruise is not until May 2020 I will set up google flight alerts & track the price and re-book if the price drops.  For now the price is very reasonable from CHS to DUB @ $701 RT.  So, many decisions.

On 4/6/2019 at 8:56 AM, mek said:

When I booked my one way from Dublin last year on United  through Choice Air I got a fantastic price, including no extra baggage fee and was then able to upgrade to their version of Premium Economy on the United web site.  Choice Air can tell you what the fare class is and then you can contact the airline directly before purchasing to see what if any restrictions apply.

 

I booked my open jaw air for our next cruise to Hawaii through Choice Air - great flights, great times - Cincinnati to Vancouver with one layover and Honolulu home with one layover, on Delta for $575 RT.  With my free bags it was a really great deal.

 

As with cruise prices, a little homework is necessary to ensure you get what you want.

 

I believe the individual links are provided by the airlines, not Celebrity

How long did it take your flight to ticket through United? I just booked a flight on Friday this week and the itinerary is showing in my United account but I cannot change my seats yet.

Set up fare alert at google flights so you receive an email with price drops.

Depends on what is important to you and how I think of choosing a cruise is either based on 1)Ports 2)Cost 3)Ship.  If ports are important then #1 would be my choice.  If cost is important then go with #3.  And if ship is most important go with #1.  Sometimes I pick a specific cruise based on the ports I have never seen but then again I have gone on cruises just because I have snagged a good deal not caring about the ports or ship and just need a vacation.  And sometimes (like a Celebrity EDGE cruise) I would choose just based on the ship.  

18 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Dont mean to burst your bubble, but that cabin is not 275 sqft. A spacious is only 15 sqft larger than a std balcony.

Bummer I see that now..guess you should not listen to some agents.  Oh well, but at least we have more space than 166 sq ft.

1 hour ago, Biker19 said:

Maybe since the policy is that Royal UP cabins are not supposed to be movable after assignment, many don't try. This is similar to the UK GTY policy where after assignment they are not supposed to be able to move - but you get the right CSR on the phone and they make it happen.

You never know unless you ask and maybe the CSR did not know better.

1 hour ago, John&LaLa said:

 

What midship balcony cabin is 275 sqft?

We will be in cabin 7338 and it is a spacious ocean view balcony.

11 minutes ago, molly361 said:

WOW  I think that's the first time I have heard about them letting you change cabins

Guess I got lucky this week x2.  I must then hit the casino in May on the cruise.

I took the plunge for the upgrade.  Originally booked GTY Balcony for May 25th Adventure sailing & was assigned category 6D so with only a 162 sq ft room I decided to bid on the spacious ocean view balcony and bid $80/person (thinking there would be many people to submit the lowest bid).  The minimum bid was $75 and I was successfully assigned to a category 6B with 275 sq ft.  However, the assigned cabin was in the back of the boat and I called the travel agent and she was able to get us moved to mid ship with the same cabin category.  The travel agent said RCI does not always move cabins in this situation.  The email I received from RCI came on March 11th & I submitted my bid the same day.  On March 18th I was notified my bid was accepted.

Now if I can just get rid of all those emails coming into my inbox wanting me to buy a drink package I would be happy🙂

20 hours ago, jeb_bud said:

Instead of starting a new thread on this topic I thought I would try resurrecting this old one. 

 

We selected the “Roma Express - Exclusive Train Transfer” excursion for our visit to Rome, and arrange our own touring. We decided to book entry to the colosseum and go there first then work our way back to the Vatican and our return train ride. 

 

For or those who have done something like this, what are the chances that we could make it to the colosseum in time for a 11:00 tour?  We’ll be in Rome on April 23, the Tuesday after Easter.

 

Does anybody know if there is a taxi stand at the San pietro train station?  It would probably save us some time heading to the colosseum from the train station rather than walking to the Vatican first. 

We arrived into the train station in Rome around 9:30am so you would have time to research and take a bus and the bus is at the bottom of the hill.  There is no taxi stand here but you can also take Uber. You should have plenty of time to make it to the Colosseum for a 11am tour.  

So, it sounds like the Roma Express train arrived at the train station in Rome around 9:30 or was it later as I am trying to coordinate with our driver what time to meet us at the train station when we arrive in Rome? Thanks

Thanks all for the quick replies as you know we have to use our credit for the next cruise:D

How long is taking for RCI to post refunds for cancelled cruises? Our Sept 13th cruise was cancelled & we have seen some random credits applied to my credit card but the full amount? Thanks

Well behaved children are welcome,it is the crying constantly babies or kids running around the lounge that irritate us.

 

Sent from my Kestrel using Forums mobile app

So very true...now maybe the thread will stray back towards the topic or maybe not:D