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dcl999

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About Me

  • Location
    tennessee
  • Interests
    Food-both cooking and eating, ballroom dancing, historic places
  • Favorite Cruise Line(s)
    new experience
  • Favorite Cruise Destination Or Port of Call
    new experience

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  1. I just saw that the onboard WiFi does not support VPN. How are people handling security on their devices?
  2. Perhaps it is time to stop in port and bring a bottle of your favorite onboard.
  3. Hopefully Israel will be relatively safe by then. It might be wise to book air through AMA or have refundable air and be aware that last minute bookings can be expensive.
  4. We’re sailing on the Journey in March. Where do we go to make dining reservations? When do they start taking bookings? I gather it’s one of the first things to do upon boarding.
  5. I failed to mention that slow walkers are not accommodated. This was definitely not for anyone that has mobility issues.
  6. There were several armed guards every block or so near the hotel. Since there are many embassies there I don’t think it was unusual. The security stops on the roads also seemed normal. In Cairo there was an unobtrusive guard - business suit and concealed weapon- on the bus and at some of the sites. We never felt unsafe.
  7. We were on this cruise over Christmas and New Year’s. This was our first experience with AmaWaterways. We have done quite a few river cruises with Viking and Scenic, including several that included land components. We are glad we went to Egypt. It was amazing seeing all the antiquities we have only read about. This was a good time to go to avoid the heat - between 70 and 80 every day. Staff and crew were all very helpful and friendly. 7 days on the ship was a good number of days-we had some time to enjoy the cruise-where else can you see camels grazing alongside cows along the riverbank. AmaDahlia is operated by Wings. They have a separate docking area for the various ships (4-6) they are operating. We were always on the outside but unfortunately we were in 408 and were always the side that was tied to another vessel. Frequently, there was a fairly strong diesel smell in the lower levels. We never noticed an odor in our room, the lounge or the restaurant. Beds were very comfortable and high quality sheets. There was little counter space in the bathroom but there were 4 storage shelves below the counter. Restaurant staff seated people at the same tables every meal unless you asked. I can’t eat bell peppers. They were very accommodating. Only once was I told one of the lunch salads was okay when it was not. Except for the French fries, food quality was disappointing. We thought the lunch buffets were the best meals. Dinner at the outdoor restaurant and the farewell dinner were the best dinners. Plenty of wait staff. Sip and sail drinks were too sweet for my taste. Best way to get a gin and tonic was to ask for the gin and then a can of tonic to mix yourself. We found the same in Morocco, so perhaps it is that drinking alcohol is not common in that part of the world. The Nubian show was very loud. The performers interacted with each cluster of people so the songs were very long by the time they got around the room. The show was very similar to what they did during the visit to the Nubian village. The other night of entertainment was considerably better. The whirling dervish performance was amazing. Our Egyptologist was very well educated. She had several doctorate degree and knew a lot about the sites we saw. We felt that she had an approved script for the sightseeing and did not deviate from it. Several times we noticed that the other two guides were still with their groups long after ours had given us free time. We have had much better guides to say on other trips. If you do not go into the pyramid, there is a 45 minute standing around, waiting for the people that did go inside. We chose not to go on the optional excursion to Abu Simbel. The only other activity for the day was the optional tea which was quite nice. We had planned a lazy morning breakfast. There were juice (oj tasted like tang) and pastries available in the lounge and we were allowed to order off the breakfast menu. Coffee was either instant or the size of a double espresso from the machine. They moved the felucca ride to the next day. The breeze is usually in the afternoon and we watched the boats zipping around. Unfortunately the next day when we went the river was so calm that we only progressed a short distance and had to be towed. The trip to Qena was by bus. (4 hours bus, 2 hour tour) The river was too low for the ship to make the journey. I heard someone say that happens in December January, and February. One afternoon there was a very interesting lecture about women in Egypt then and now. It would have been nice to have a few other lectures to tie everything together. The Four Seasons was a lovely hotel. We had a Nile view both times. Unfortunately, there is not a good place to walk along the Nile. The attached shopping mall has a lot of designer stores. The pool is heated. The gym and spa facilities were very good. The buffet lunches at the other hotels were very good. The new Egyptian museum is supposed to open soon. It is huge. We were always provided with plenty of water. Toilets were cleaner than I expected but I was happy I brought some looREADY packs. Buses had toilets. The cruise director recommended changing about $10-20. He could break large bills. Several ATMs at the hotel. All the logistics were efficiently handled.
  8. Totally agree with the plan to do a first river cruise to an exotic location, especially one that is much easier to do as a tour. Years ago our first one was on Viking to China. Our thinking was that if we didn’t like the cruise, China was a place where we would see things that were unique. We have since gone to Vietnam and Cambodia with Scenic and are scheduled for Egypt on AmaWaterways for December. Now that we can travel for a longer periods of time, we will sometimes do a European river cruise after some sort of land journey. Our travel style is not one where we would fly all the way to Europe just to do an eight or 10 day cruise. While it is delightful to only unpack once there are so many more things to see when staying in towns and cities.
  9. Does anyone know if the hand sanitizer onboard contains aloe? I'm allergic.
  10. Sorry still haven’t figured out how to undo a quote. There was not always a slow walker group. Sometimes only one group for an excursion. Guide would sometimes give a place to sit and wait for the group or explain an alternate route. Very good the night before talking about activity level. Also program director was very available at other times to talk about concerns. Laundry prices were less than prices in nice European hotels. People used their 50 euro credit. Heard second hand that someone was charged for excess weight. No problem at all for non alcohol drinkers.
  11. Last month we were on the 14 day scenic Zurich to Amsterdam. Overall it was a great cruise. Email documents can about a month before cruise. Nothing came by mail. Staff was all very friendly. They seemed a little short staffed and staff worked very hard. Captain was very happy to talk about himself and invited us to the wheelhouse for a tour and explanation of ship operations. Bartender Monica made great drinks and was good at suggestions once she knew your preferences. We used the ship board credit to buy earrings and a stuffed rabbit. Talked to others who used it for laundry or a massage. Much better than heavy backpack or messenger bag they used to send out. Food and drink were all good. Some food combinations were unusual. Only had one shore excursion guide that was poor. The day spent cruising on the Mosel was boring. There were no daytime activities available. Trip to the formula 1 racetrack and the delta storm barriers were a great change from the usual castle, town or winery visit. Not much available for those with mobility issues although there was sometimes extra transportation available. We climbed a lot of stairs and walks were not short. It was nice to be able to easily change shore excursions after the port talks. Huge complaint about electronics for tours. The guides connected through an UNSECURED local WiFi on your smartphone. They did have a limited number of phones to borrow. If you stood too close to the guide you get an echo. If you were too far away the signal dropped and often had to manually reconnect. My husband has hearing aids and very much appreciated the system. We also had a major complaint about the survey. It was only available online on the ship and only for one day at the end of the cruise. It was poorly designed and took a long time to complete. Many gave up. I managed to get about 3/4 done. Definitely not a pleasant end to a very nice cruise. We have gone on several Scenic river cruises and several Viking ones. We prefer Scenic but continue to cruise with Viking depending on itinerary and cost. Scenic is slightly more upscale and we appreciate the fact that it is totally inclusive. There is a choice of included tours and some different destinations for those of us who have traveled for years. Also like that the majority of passengers are usually Australian or British. Regular rooms feel slightly bigger due to “balcony” included in room. Storage is better on Viking. Viking does a much better job with before the cruise logistics (we book our own air so can not comment on the included air) and has the advantage of a large fleet which helps if the river is not navigable at a lock or bridge. The larger fleet is also a drawback when several Viking ships are docked at the same place. Hordes of Viking guests descend upon the popular sites. Viking generally does a good job with their slow walker group.
  12. Just got back from a scenic cruise. Hand laundry dried in one or two days, depending on fabric if the bathroom door is left open. We always pack hangers for shirts and pants.
  13. Does anyone have thoughts about what ports they wished they had more time in or things they missed going by ship instead of land? I’m noticing a few things I’d like to do in addition to the port stops listed. Thanks
  14. Which translation app did you use? We’ve used google translate with mixed results.
  15. Drebay-Thank you so much for all your informative posts. I hope once you get home and recuperate from your travels you’ll finish posting about the last few stops. I’ve been overwhelmed trying to figure out how to plan shore excursions. Also want to thank those of you who are just starting your cruises for sharing your port experiences. Most of our previous cruises have been with Viking. We’ve just had to think about options where the included excursion didn’t suit us.
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