alexandra cruiser

double check,,,I "assumed" it was ok...so now DID call ea.airline and reconfirm I m booked and make seat assignment..did get insurance thru AMA.Will just have to hope for the best.It was either that "cheap" fare or cancel trip,,

This ordeal has been a real "learning"experience.Thanks for all the help.;)

found ones for $5400,,,on www.ch,,,,o.air...and I had just checked 3 wks ago and price dropped $2000,,,whew...

Yea,,,now I can go.

AMA quoted $8100,,,then called and sent another for $6302,,,but very long flights with long layovers,,,

Have now determined,,,wait till 11 mo minimum for airfares,,then book cruise,,so no surprises..;)

on own,,,have asked this before on other area,,,but was waiting for final quote from AMA,,,well,,,I got it,,and NOW $8100 for business round trip and was quoted $5400 when I called and booked it...I know it was just a quote,,,but a difference of $3000 is not manageable...tried on own on various sites,,and using travel agent who doesnt book air,,,(Know now about booking agents,not travel)_

Flyertalker gave IATA website and lowest I could find was $7800...so now faced with cancelling,,did buy that cancel for any reason insurance thru AMA.Now see they charge for that $700 if you use it .So will be out that.

REALLY want to take this trip,but economy air not option,,so any ideas??any lower websites to check,,??Just very upset and not sure what to do.Guess its cancel or pay??boo hoo.:confused:

due to all the great info here on cC,,then watched you tube,googled reviews,checked ea.website and determined,,FOR THE MONEY,,that was the best deal...

Booked the AMAlotus for Dec.2012 and had only 3 rooms left in category I wanted,,so do book early if want specific deck,etc.Even checked ea.hotel and looked top of the line..

Good luck.;)

as Terrys pics show,,very scenic,,,then tram takes up to top,,shown in pics,,for more views and photos...

Ship docks right in town and can walk on and off as desired,,tram is at tourist center 10 mins away.

Easy and wonderful town to wander in,,cute shops,great wharf area,,loved it,,even in a cool rain.We ended up seeing all they did on ships tour,,and much cheaper and less crowds.;)

you mentioned snafu in airport with transfer prob..did you book air thru AMA or own? Still deciding about this,,if you did,,was price similar,,time good,,etc...?? What airline did you use?

Looking forward to whole review.

and will check out all the places.Loved the video,Prague looks great.Going on AMA river cruise from there to Budapest.Any more people have ideas of photos to share??:)

use AMA air for this trip..my travel agent said its usually cheaper to do on own,,but price I was quoted,not firm..was MUCH cheaper than I could find. Hear they do offer transfers even if you book on own..but would just take taxi,I think.Ideas????I m booked on Dec.24th AMAlotus,so too early for me to get prices,but just wondering???:confused:

Have ordered a guidebook,but will be in city for 3 days in early June,before river cruise..What are the must sees? any can t miss restaurants?

We are staying in Old town area at Hilton,,any reviews?

Any hints appreciated,,till Rick Steves book arrives,,hahaha..thanks in advance.:)

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:)

asked this in another post,,but got lost.

When quoted,AMA gave me one that was less than I can find on own,,,wonder if this is firm??asked 3 times and said YES,,but my TA,,who only handles air thru cruiseline said,,,too early FOR SURE,,,can t find any fee to pay to have a say as to whats offered,,and DONT want to end up flying too long,too far,,etc...any ideas,,,?? as a last resort can pay more and book on own,,but ?????????????:confused:

since I m on constant diet,,it seems,,,no temptation,,,yeah,,haha,,and good idea about umbrella,,since I m from Fl...know about the quick downpours,,but would have forgotten small one for backpack...

Have to wait for AMA to give me airline options,,,anyone used them,,what was scedule like,,,airlines used???,,etc...will check on own,,but AMA price for Business quoted was less,,,so far...

Will take first AMA trip in May,,,booked the AMAcerto,,,with 2 balconies,,,looks great,,,now off to Regent cruise in Carib.on the 16th...will SOON need to check out 2013 cruises...like to plan ahead...thinking of Black Sea,,,;)

Doreen,,I also booked the AMAlotus,,,ex.for being a little loud at nite,,sounds good...

Did you book your own air,,or AMA? Got a quote from them,,,but will check out later when fares come out for next Dec.

Re..your DH sickness,,,did he take any meds ahead of time,,like some have said??Think I may get RX and be on safe side...

Good suggestion re.being active tour,,,from brochure you can t really tell,,but sounds good to me..the slower pace during walking may be a problem...both DH and I are FAST walkers and being from FL..the heat and humidity won t be a problem..just like home..

Good news re Cambodian visa,,,will just get Vietnam one ahead of time,,and take extra passport photo along..got a few guidebooks and will read up...thanks again,,:)

Did you upgrade to Biz air,,,with AMA before,,or at airport? How much?

Re.Cambodian visa,,,other posters have said that AMA handled this,,,am now confused,,,was planning on the Vietnam one on my own,,but was "assuming" AMA would handle this as mentioned before..NO???

Did you have AMA handle your air,,,on own,,,have looked at both and the AMA quote seems less,,but want the least amt.of hrs..??:confused:

contact info,,,re..above questions,,did you also not use balcony or ask for extra chair?? Now,,I m wondering if its worth it,,,if not able to keep open due to bugs,,and too small to really use?

Same experience,,I assume re buses,,,I m a RN and DH is a Dr.,,,so I guess Im always concerned about bodily functions and illness,,,haha,,sorry,,,have had a few experiences were buses had to stop on road for sick passengers,,like Egypt,,,even one when person threw up all over floor,,whew...guess we attract these??Even on planes,,,if they ask "is there a Dr.onboard"...tempted to hide now,,,we ve had 1 heart attack and one labor,,,luckily she waited to deliver...

Guess we will bring some RX to stop any digestive probs,,to be on safe side...booked this for next Dec..maybe you can give review of YOUR trip when you return,,,love all details...:)

We are presently on the Amalotus in Phnom Penh, great cruise, though dh has a stomach bug today, and lots of people have colds. Weather is great, though hot. Service is wondeful we were surprised that all beer is free, we thought it was only free with meals. Local tour guides are excellent and we are really enjoying seeing the local life before the area is inundated with tourists. Internet is good here, but has been almost unavailable until now ( we boarded Monday). We toured with Hanoi Kids -really good! The Hanoi traffic is amazing though the only traffic accident we saw was in Siem Reap.

Susan

and above poster said balcony only has table and chair,,,can you take a chair,,or get one,,,to replace table,,so 2 can sit??Also,re Hanoi Kids,,,did you take this tour with them AND one from AMA,,,how do I contact them...Re..tour operator mentioned,,,Zoom...same questions??Also,,you mentioned stomach bug,,did you take RX before?Seems most people get one,,Also,,can you keep balcony door open for fresh air,,or will mosquitos,or safety,,be a problem??Last,,on buses,,is emergency toilet onboard,,for those with digestive problems,,could be very uncomfortable??? Thanks in advance...

AMA lotus cruisers,,,do check Returncruisers review to be posted soon,,he sent me a copy ,,very detailed and packed with info...

The visa info very helpful,,,always so many options,,good to hear passport returned with visa, in 1 wk...guess will get AMA to do Cambodian one,,as some have suggested? Have to contact my TA,,and book it...thanks all.:)

guess I ll have to wait till Feb.to figure this out,when air details available,,since not sure what time I d arrive there,,,maybe early or late,,,but will keep info and email for later reference.

Have 7 day hold on Dec.25 AMA lotus sailing,,and waiting for reviews to be posted...sounds great so far...:)

just put hold on this cruise for next Dec...have a few questions,,,what airline did you fly ...how long,,did you go coach or Business,,,if so did seats recline,,asked this of agent,,but said must wait for details ..just a rough guess would be nice.

Also,regarding visas,,just says in brochure to contact your consulate,,how did you do this...will contact travel agent before my 7 day hold runs out,,but always like to know details to be sure..

Will be taking first AMA cruise to Danube in May,,,but wanted to book xmas one for next year just to be safe.Will print up your review and look at it in more detail.

regular river cruise lines,,I know and can book with TA,,since I checked BBB ratings of Vantage,,and has "no rating"...why take a chance..Others on similar post,,mentioned long phone waits and don t want any hassles.

Sure those of you will do fine on future bookings,,but I m still concerned and worry about ALL details..;)

Vantage as now sold 3 of it's newest ships which leads one to think the are in BIG trouble. They canceled a cruise we were to be on in October and were terrible to deal with to to get our deposit back. It took about 10 weeks....:mad:

I found this while googling,,,know its old,,but whats the status NOW?:confused:

can you read and help me out?also 2 balcony rooms?

Also, aussietraveler,,thanks for review,,glad to read good things,,after a few negative reviews on AMA...will be first time with this line in May,,and was starting to worry...:)

may be true on some sailings,,but not all,,,depends on cruise,,for instance,when we were in Caribbean,,they were at least 25 or more children ranging in age from infant to teenagers....they were all well behaved but did tend to take up pool a lot,,,so be warned...:(

but we ve been cruising since your ages,,,now Seniors,,but very active and LOVE luxury cruises on small ships...

I NEED a balcony,,,and larger cabin and bathroom,,pref..with tub for colder climates,,,so that eliminates SeaDream,,,went on ONCE and never again,,TOO SMALL,,,only 125 or so passengers,,,but little to do or change of dining venue...a little too "stuffy" ..

Then Regent,,,good mix of age groups,,only 700 passengers,,,large rooms with room service,,all the time,,balcony and tub,,with walk in closet...free excursions..might try that line.

Then,,my FAVORITE,,so far Seabourn Sojourn,,,just got off and had everyhing i loved...as listed above,,,but poor smoking policy,,allow it in room and balcony...so nothing PERfect,,but his was close.

Oceania,,not luxury,per se,,rooms not as large,small bathroom,no free excursions,,but nice ship,good food, and nice age mix...less expensive so might be worth a shot,,,

Lots of options,,try one then see if its for you,,can always try ANOTHER next time..good luck...

But dont focus on age,,,just pick ship,itinerary,dates you need,,etc...it will be up to you ,,not others,,whether you enjoy it,,as its said,,"YOU are responsible for your OWN happiness,,,"and I try to live by that,,,:D

and bus stop right in front of all museums,,no hassle with ferry ,,took credit card,,,saw all I wanted to see,,,all day,,for $35...no hassle,no walking,or getting lost,,,use them all the time...we were there from 9am till 10 pm...took whole city tour,,,saw museums,,then went back to ship for lunch and rest,,did rest in pm...bus right in front of port pier...;)