Review of AMADolce Bordeaux Wine Cruise Aug 5-12th

Have just gotten back from our 1st river cruise. Since 2003 we have done 25 plus ocean cruises and have often talked about taking a river cruise and when we saw a Bordeaux wine cruise we decided to try it out. We didn't do the pre or post excursions with AMA but did spend 2 days in Bordeaux before the cruise and rented a car for a week after the cruise driving around the Loire Valley.

When we received our docs noticed we had been upgraded from a category E to a category B, the only difference being a fixed window to a French balcony, otherwise the cabins were the same. Kristin Karst, the vice president of AMA was on this cruise as was a film crew from PBS shooting for a travel show that will air next year. We heard that a travel writer was also on this cruise. We knew before hand that this might not be the best cruise for a 1st river cruise but we enjoy wine and wanted to increase our knowledge of Bordeaux wines. The wine expert on this cruise was Christopher DeSilva from California (we also went home with some knowledge of California wines) who was very popular and a lot of the guests had taken wine themed river cruises with him before.

We thought that the boat wasn't too full and I think there was only 80 people on it although it holds 146. There was never a line and you could easily find tables in the restaurant or in the lounge. The tours we took ranged from 12-18 people which was a great size but may have increased if the boat was full.

Before leaving for the cruise I had looked on this board to find out what clothes to bring. I ended up bringing a sundress with a sweater and another dress that was a notch above a sundress but nothing very dressy. Two pairs of capris with a few different tops and never once felt under dressed. Some people were quite dressed but lots were casual. The AC on the boat was pleasant, I was very comfortable in the evening with sleeveless tops. The weather was lovely but hot in the afternoons. I did learn that Bordeaux grapes love the weather in that area because the mornings are cool (12-14C)but by late morning reach in the 30"s. In fahrenheit temps that's 53 to mid 80's. In the morning excursions most had jackets or sweaters and you did need them.

to be continued

Day 1....Embarkation Day

We checked out of B&B at noon and got a taxi to the river port. As soon as the driver took out our suitcases, 2 staff from AMA arrived to take our luggage and escort us to the ship. We couldn't officially check in yet as it was only 12:20 and check in doesn't start until 3pm. We were welcomed and shown the lounge where you could help yourself to soup, sandwiches (3 different kinds) fruit, squares and cookies. The soup was pea and very good but I found all the soups on the salty side and after trying another one at dinner I stopped ordering them. As we were eating lunch a staff member came to tell us our cabin was ready and we could officially check in, this was about 12:45. We were escorted to the cabin and our luggage was already there. The cabin was very nice but we found the space a little tighter than a cruise ship. The suitcases fit under the bed and there was a big drawer that rolled out from under the bed to store things. Bathrobes and slippers were provided and the cabin was clean and bright with lots of light from the floor to ceiling window. We were unpacked by 1:45 and decided to go explore the riverwalk.

We had done a lot of exploring in the 2 days we were in Bordeaux but hadn't been to the river area. Walked around and had drinks and got back to the boat at 4pm in time for afternoon tea. There were sandwiches and sweets and a huge tray of macaroons and the onboard musician, Panche, was playing piano. We then looked around the boat and read the info brochure in the cabin. In it they say to make reservations by 2pm of the day you want to attend The Chef's Table. Make the reservation as soon as you get on board. We learned that night that there were only 2 spots left unless we wanted to go on the Captain's Gala or Wine Host Paired Dinner. We rushed to reception and the 2 spots were still open so we took them. The same applies to getting a massage. Do it as soon as possible or you won't be able to get an appointment.

The Captain's Cocktail Party was held at 6:30 where champagne and canapes were served and all the women were given a red rose by the Captain. Dinner was at 7:30 and the food was excellent. Had crabcakes, mushroom soup (salty), beef with all kinds of trimmings and apple tartin. Wine was flowing, a red and white. Ate with another couple and left the dining room late at 10:30. The entertainment that evening was Panche.

Most dinners I ordered the Chef's recommendations and as I already mentioned the food was excellent and always nicely presented. Passengers are asked to be at lunch within 20 minutes of the restaurant opening and to be at dinner as soon as the restaurant opens. There is also a light lunch in the lounge if you don't want to eat in the dining room.

We had received a note with our documents letting us know that because of tidal fluctuations some of our schedule had slightly changed so we remained in Bordeaux overnight instead of leaving for Cadillac.

A correction..the wine expert aboard ship was Christopher Silva, the CEO of St. Francis Winery.

Thank you for taking the time to write your review. Looking forward to reading about the rest of your vacation.

RB

Thank you for the review. Looking forward to more.

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.the wine expert aboard ship was Christopher Silva, the CEO of St. Francis Winery.

Our first AMA cruise was a wine cruise with Chris Silva on the AmaDante. It made us big fans of the line and the wine cruise experience.

Thanks for sharing :)

I will be on my first AMA river cruise in May.

Looking forward to more of your review.

We're on our first river cruise next June on AmaDante, which is a "sister" to the AmaDagio. Although a different itinerary, I look forward to your review.

One question about the cabin: is there a retractable clothesline in the shower for hand wash items? Thanks!

we're on our first river cruise next june on amadante, which is a "sister" to the amadagio. Although a different itinerary, i look forward to your review.

 

One question about the cabin: Is there a retractable clothesline in the shower for hand wash items? Thanks!

yes!

Day 2....Cadillac

The bed and pillows were very comfortable and the AC worked very well. We like a cool room for sleeping and turned the temp down as far as it would go and the fan at the highest speed and kept it there for the rest of the cruise.

Went to breakfast around 8:15 and by 8:30 the restaurant was almost empty. There are pastries available in the lounge before and after breakfast but we always ate in the restaurant. Lots of different items for breakfast, a lovely hot and cold buffet plus items you can order from a menu. Wonderful smoked salmon (and being from Nova Scotia I've had a lot of it) and sparkling wine if you wanted to have mimosa. I found the breakfast excellent as I like to eat fresh fruit in the morning and there was a nice variety of it, even fresh strawberries:) The bread, rolls and sweet buns are made on board and I was in heaven. My favorite when in Europe, since I don't drink coffee or tea is a mug of steamed milk and after this 1st breakfast the waitress always had it ready for me.

We do a lot of walking at home..8-10k (about 5 miles) and when we travel can do 15-20k a day and this is one aspect of the river cruise I didn't like, there wasn't any or very little walking. We went to the walking track on the sun deck but it was to small and some days when time permitted we'd walk 40-45 minutes around it but it was to small an area and not that enjoyable to walk.

Anyways, after a walk we went to a 9:30 talk given by Annie the Cruise Manager. At 10:30 we had docked in Cadillac and went to the market and walked around until returning to the ship at noon for lunch. It was a Seafood Buffet which had all kinds of seafood beautifully presented and so good. Dessert at lunch was homemade ice cream (3 different kinds ) which was really popular and had sauces and all kinds of toppings.

Our 1st tour was to the Roquetaillade Castle and then to a wine tasting of Sauternes. The tours were handled so different than on a cruise ship, so easy. A few minutes before the tour go to reception and tell them your cabin number, they give you a colored card and you leave the boat and go to the guide that is holding that same color sign. You take your Quiet Vox with you and that enables you to hear the guide when you are touring off the bus.You are only with a limited number on a tour, 18 I think was on this one.

Had a great tour of the castle and then went to Chateau Suduiraut where we tasted 3 different wines plus had canapes..goat cheese tart, blue cheese tart, an guacamole dip, ham and apricots, almond honey cake and small glasses of apple crumble. It was very impressive.

The boat docked again at Bordeaux and we returned there at 6:15. Met with a drink and cold towel. At 6:30 was the 1st wine tasting by Christopher (Zinfandels) and at 7:30 was a port talk on the next day's schedule followed by dinner at 7:45. We needed to freshen up so decided to have a shower and miss the wine tasting:(

Dinner was delicious, I was very impressed by the food. Started with a turkey-mushroom vol-a-vent, roast pork rolled in a pastry with gnocchi in a puff pastry, veggies and a cherry cobbler plus a few glasses of wine;) Got to the entertainment which were 2 violinists and a piano player and quite enjoyable. Then off to bed.

Day 3...Pauillac

After breakfast did our walk for 40 minutes. At 10:30 we were docking at Pauillac, which is a small town of around 5,000 people. Looking forward to seeing the town and doing a bit of shopping. The boat was late in docking however and didn't dock until 11 so we didn't get off until 11:15. This was a Sunday and everything except a few restaurants and 1 shop were closed. Bought a few things from the shop and at noon headed back to the boat for lunch. Lunch is a hot and cold buffet and there is also a menu you can order off of. Every day there were 4 or 5 different salads that were really good and all my lunches were salads ( and ice cream ;).

Our tour today was the Medoc Wine Tasting which started at 1:30. Just like yesterday, our tour guide was excellent and she let us know that in France stores usually close on Saturday afternoon and Sunday and Monday! So different from Canada and the U.S. We had a long but beautiful drive to see chateaus and vineyards. Then we went to the Chateau Gruaud La Rose to view the estate from a tower and then do a wine tasting. It was quite a disappointment compared to yesterday's wine tasting. We had 4 wines with bread and cheese but it was very disorganized. The guy who gave info from the tower was the same person who did the wine tasting. He didn't put on his part of the Quiet Vox so you couldn't hear him when he spoke. The guide went up to him, I assume to show him how it worked but he wouldn't use it. He then took us to the room for the wine tasting and again wouldn't wear the device so you couldn't hear any information he was telling us. He was pouring wine behind a bar and talking only to those people in front. We had no idea what wine we were tasting and you had to get around the people who planted themselves in front of the bar to get a glass of wine. The tour guide was going around trying to make sure everybody got each of the wine being poured but after yesterday's experience this was a disappointment.

We got back to the ship just after 5 and went to tea time for some snacks. Again , on coming back to the boat you are met with a cool drink and towels. The Privilege Guest Reception was held at 6:45 for repeat guests. A port talk was given at 7:15 and dinner was at 7:30. Tonight's dinner started with grilled veggies, chicken with risotto with veggies and a chocolate mousse cake. Again the meal was excellent and the weigh gain has started! The show tonight was Sweet Blend but it started at 9:30 and we didn't get out of the restaurant until 9:45 so went back to the cabin and had an early night.

Thank you so much for this review. We are going on this cruise September 16 and I have been looking for information on it. Your review is perfect and I am anxiously awaiting the rest of it.

Thank you so much for this review. We are going on this cruise September 16 and I have been looking for information on it. Your review is perfect and I am anxiously awaiting the rest of it.

Glad I can help you out with info about this cruise. I hope to finish it in the next few days. Still recovering from jet leg and once I do, will be able to write this somewhat quicker!

Day 4.. Blaye and Bourg

Had breakfast with another couple who were telling us what a wonderful experience their wine tasting was yesterday. I found out that the buses all went to different chateaux. I thought every group went to the same chateau for the wine tasting but at different times. We told them our experience and they suggested we tell Annie about how disorganized we found it, which we did. Annie told us she liked getting any feedback, both good and bad, so that they can make adjustments to the tours if they need too.

A few days ago, everyone had to fill out a paper picking out the tours they wanted to go on when there was a choice and that started on today's tours. You could visit the Citadel or take a bike tour in Blaye in the morning. In the afternoon we would be in Bourg and we had some free time in that village or could bike from Blaye to Bourg.

In the morning, we choose a tour of the Citadel at 10am which was very interesting. One of the facts we learned was that there are only

2 citadels in North America that are designed using the same principals as the one in Blaye. Both are Canadian, one is in Quebec City and the other in Halifax, Nova Scotia where we are from. The tour lasted about 35 minutes or so and then we had an hour of free time. We walked around the town and as this was a Monday, most everything was shut. We learned on our drive of the Loire Valley that most of the French take their vacations in August and it was amazing how many villages and towns we went through that were completely shut down. This may be another reason why so many stores were shut, it may have been somewhat different if it wasn't August.

Returned to the boat for lunch and had a wonderful lunch. Had beet salad, couscous salad, cucumber salad with bread and cheese and wine. The dessert was awesome. There is one other dessert at lunch beside the ice cream and today was crepes with chocolate sauce. I ended up eating 2 of them plus 2 scoops of sour apple ice cream.

At 2 pm there was a wine tasting with Christopher--2 wonderful red wines and a port. At 3:15 we docked in Bourg which is a wonderful, quaint, walled village and is officially known as an historic village. This village was a highlight. It has some very hilly streets and is great to walk around snapping pictures. We took a tourist train which I had hoped would point out all villages highlights but quickly went through the town and took us to view the vineyards outside of the town, by this point we had all seen enough vineyards! The Fete du Vin was being held at 5 pm in the village and we got back from the tourist train at 4:30 so I spent 30 minutes walking as fast as I could through the village snapping pictures. Returned to the boat as everyone was leaving to go to the Fete du Vin ( you could walk there or take a mini van), took a few minutes to freshen up and walked up to the Maison du Vin. White and red wine was being poured ( all you could drink ) and there was pate, cheese and bread plus entertainment. It was very nicely done. Back to the boat for a 7:15 port talk and the dinner at 7:30 was the Chaine des Rotisseurs Dinner.

This was the only meal that we didn't end up sitting with others. There are tables for 2 in the restaurant but the tables are close together and usually others will join you as tables for 4 are very close to the tables for 2. The meal was fantastic (as usual) but the wine service (at least for us) was off. Usually the wine was poured when your bread came but tonight the bread had arrived, our order had been taken and our appetizer had been brought out (foie gras , which was exceptional). We waited at least 10 minutes while he served wine to everyone around us, trying to catch his eye. Finally one time as he was going by, I held out my wine glass and asked for some wine. He asked if I wanted white or red and I said red but he poured white. He looked very harassed and I think he was doing the wine service by himself. We must have been overlooked because the wine service had always been excellent and after that he was very attentive. The meal as I said was wonderful. After the foie gras, we had a grape sambuca and a excellent rack of lamb with all the trimmimngs and floating island for dessert. Leaving the restaurant they were passing out delicious coconut balls. It was certainly a 5 star meal. The entertainment was a Quiz Night on France but we had too much food and wine, so walked outside for awhile. The boat stayed docked overnight in Bourg.

Day 5..Libourne, St. Emilion and Pomerol region

After breakfast, the boat cruised to Libourne. We had an hour before the next activity which was a wine tasting with Christopher at 10:30, so we spent the time walking on the deck. The wine tasting lasted for 30 minutes and since the tour of St. Emilion and wine tasting started at 1 pm, lunch was served at 11:30. Had more salads and the dessert lemon tart, which was so delicious that I had 2 pieces ( but no ice cream! ) There were 18 people on this tour and again the tour guide was excellent. St. Emilion is a UNESCO site and unlike the other places we visited, full of tourists and had open shops. Some of the streets are very steep and are called ''tertres''. We had a walking tour of it and then had 1 hour of free time. We then met again as a group to go inside the Underground Monuments, which were fantastic. We then left for a wine tasting at the Chateau de Pressac where we had 4 red wines along with salami and cheese. On the way back to the boat we drove by more vineyards and chateaux. The other excursion was a bike tour through the vineyards and a wine tasting. All the groups were back onboard at 6 pm.

There was a cocktail party at 7 Pm where champagne and canapes were served. The Captain's Gala Dinner was at 7:30. Had shrimp tempura, duck pate, salmon with pineapple salsa and risotto ( the salmon was the 1st time I didn't choose the chef's recommended dish and it was wonderful ) and a trio of strawberry desserts. We didn't leave the dining room until 10:30 and so missed the entertainment at 9:30 which was a modern day troubadour. Heard the next day that he was very good. The boat stayed over night in Libourne.

Day 6...Libourne and Bergerac

Today there were a number of tours. In the morning there was the Creon Bastide and Market Tour and the Chateau de Vayres, which was a limited edition tour. These both left a 9 am and we chose the Creon Market tour. It was about a 20 minute drive to Creon and our guide took us around the market to sample some food. We sampled 4 different breads, 3 different cheeses, 4 different hams ( one being the lining of cow's throat ) and a salami. We had had 30 minutes of free time to walk around the market, went to a bakery and had a almond pastry. On our way back to the boat, the bus went around Libourne to show us some highlights of the city and it looked very nice. We got back to the boat shortly after 11:30. Lunch started at 11:45 today but we weren't hungry so went to the light lunch in the lounge where I had a sandwich and potato salad (they also had pasta ) and delicious raspberry eclairs. Our next tour left 20 minutes after we ate. There were 2 limited edition tours this afternoon. One was a Fronsac Wine Tasting and the other was a visit to the Chateau de Montaigne (which we took ) where we had a guided tour of the chateau, tower and grounds and then a wine tasting. It was about a 40 minute drive there and we returned to the boat around 3:45. We finally had a little time to do nothing so went up to the sun deck and read. The boat left for Bordeaux at 4:15 and we will stay there until we disembark on Friday morning. Had free time until 6:30 when there was a briefing about disembarkation. The wine pairing dinner was at 7 and again it was very good. Had shrimp cocktail, duckling with potato, brussel sprouts and red cabbage in a pastry (which was excellent ) and a chocolate creme brule. Again we left the restaurant at 10:30, the entertainment was Panche playing dance music.

Today was an optional full day tour to Bergerac which I believe was at an additional charge.

I am loving the detai in your review and looking forward to your next installment. Though our tour is not billed as a wine tour I suspect the general itinerary will be much the same though we wil be missing some of the additional wine tour perks. Your review has helped me make some decisions about which tour to take on those days that have several options. I also love your description of the desserts--a girl after my own heart.

I am loving the detai in your review and looking forward to your next installment. Though our tour is not billed as a wine tour I suspect the general itinerary will be much the same though we wil be missing some of the additional wine tour perks. Your review has helped me make some decisions about which tour to take on those days that have several options. I also love your description of the desserts--a girl after my own heart.

Thanks. Enjoy writing about it as I get to relive the cruise again. Oh you will love the food especially the desserts, they were fabulous.:)

Day 7...Bordeaux and Cognac

After breakfast went back to the cabin and the menu for the Chef's Table was on the bed. It looked like we has some choice with what we order but you don't .They bring everything that is on the menu.

There was 3 tours today. A Bordeaux City Tour (which we took) and a bike tour. Both of these left at 9 am. You could also take a full day tour to Cognac, which was an additional fee and left at 9:30. That was a long tour as it was a 2 hour drive each way. That tour arrived back to the boat at 6 pm, whereas the other 2 tours arrived back at 1 pm and then you had a free afternoon. I was talking to a couple who had taken the Cognac tour and they enjoyed it and thought it was worth the extra cost.

Our bus only had 12 people on it and we were mixed with the gentle walkers but they had 2 tour guides on the bus, one for the gentle walkers and one for the rest of the group. We had spent 2 days in Bordeaux before the cruise started and had seen quite a bit of it. On the tour we saw everything we had already seen but we got the history and information that we didn't know before so we were glad we went on this tour. We were on the bus for about 45 minutes driving around the city (some sights here we hadn't seen before ) and then went on a walking tour for about 50 minutes. Love Bordeaux. Very easy city to walk around and I found it less intense than Paris. After the walking tour we went to the Cite du Vin which is a fairly new, interactive menu that showcases the history of wine. Your ticket also includes a glass of wine. Bordeaux is very proud of this but it gets mixed reviews from people that go through there. We were not impressed as were others that we talked to later but some others thought it was great and wished we had more time there. We spent about an hour there and were suppose to be back at the boat around 1 pm but a couple never showed up at the meeting point and we waited for them until the guide assumed they left and we got on the bus back to the boat. Lunch was at 1 today and we just got there ( they ask you to be at lunch not later than 20 minutes after it starts ) Had salads again and my last taste of ice cream. Took a nice long walk along the waterfront and then back to the room to shower and pack.

A few days ago, you had to give reception info on your departure ie if you were taking their post cruise program, their airport transfers or a taxi. Each group had a different colored luggage tag. They had the names of all the passengers and what group they were in and the time of departure. We counted only 78 people so I assume that was how many were onboard. Suitcases had to be put out the next morning, different times depending on what color you tag was and all cabins vacated by 9 am. Very easy and well organized. If you had a late departure you could stay in the lounge or sundeck.

At 7 pm there was a Farewell Cocktail Party and Crew Presentation. Our last champagne and canapies:( I was really surprised at how few crew there are. An example is that for some reason we always sat on the right side in the restaurant. I knew the faces of all the servers on that side and thought they just served that side of the restaurant. But they served the whole restaurants. There was only 1 baker who made all the wonderful breads and desserts, that was really surprising. One person who did the laundry. They all work very hard and do a wonderful job.

At 7:30 we went to the Chef's Table and I hate to say this but I was somewhat disappointed. I thought the Chef's Welcome and appetizer were excellent. The soup which was fennel cream, pernod and sauteed escargot was pleasant but too salty. The main course I was very disappointed in, there was cod fillet (didn't like the taste at all ) ox short ribs (found them to be tough and dried out ) and truffle Mousseline (which was good ) The dessert was a peach-lavender cake with fondant au chocolate which was wonderful. Of course the wine was flowing and that was good;) Everyone was out of the restaurant by 10 and went down to the lounge as we took an Illumination Cruise of Bordeaux.

tomorrow: disembarkation and some final thoughts about the cruise

Thank you for a great review. Ee are doing a similar cruise with Uniworld in april.

One question: we are looking forward to purchasing wines and sending it back to the States. Did you do this or were you aware of others who did?

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Thank you for a great review. Ee are doing a similar cruise with Uniworld in april.

 

One question: we are looking forward to purchasing wines and sending it back to the States. Did you do this or were you aware of others who did?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

Thanks, you'll have a great time! We couldn't purchase wine because our Canadian regulations are to complicated. The wineries wouldn't even deliver to Canada. I don't know anyone who did this but most if not all the wineries we visited had info about sending wine to the U.S.

Day 8 and some Thoughts

We had our luggage out of the cabin and went down to breakfast just before 8. Breakfast was served from 7-9 this morning but when we got there, a lot of people must have already had breakfast. Tables weren't cleared, they were out of a lot of items, very little fresh fruit left, salmon was gone and items didn't seem to be getting replaced. Said goodbye to the wait staff and checked out of our cabin by 9am.

We were asked to wait in the lounge and told that when our taxi was here a staff member would come and get us. Pastries were being put out in the lounge so if you were still hungry or hadn't had breakfast, you could still have some food. At 9:30 a staff member came over to where we were sitting and told us our taxi had arrived. Our suitcases had been placed outside and another staff took our luggage to the taxi. We were picking up our rental car at the airport; it was about a 30 minute drive and cost 50E.

Some thoughts about this river cruise:

When I first boarded I did a lot of comparison between a river and ocean cruise. I don't think it's a fair comparison, it's like trying to compare strawberries and bananas because they are both fruits. There's too many differences between a river and ocean cruise and I like them both.But if I was going to make some comparisons it would be this.

I think on a river cruise you get much more for the money. On an ocean cruise you hear a lot of people who feel they have been "nickled and dimed". There sure wasn't any of that on this ship. Food was excellent and top quality, wine was superb and if you didn't like what wine they were serving they would bring another wine. The champagne was much better than on ocean cruises. I enjoy it more than wine and after the cocktail parties ended would get my glass filled again and take it to the restaurant. You can also get a refill of wine in the restaurant as you are leaving and take it to the lounge and none of the staff gives you a second look. I have always found service on ocean cruises very good and service here was also the same. One thing that does seem a little different is that on a ocean cruise you get to know your cabin steward and here there wasn't the same interaction.

I was a little concerned as to what clothes I should bring but felt very comfortable in what I did bring. I didn't see any fancy dresses, there could have been some but I never saw any. The night we went to the Chef's Table there were more women than men, the sitting was 10 at 2 tables. I had on a sundress and most of the other women had slacks and blouses. The men I did see didn't have ties but did have a collared shirt. There may have been 1 tie and jacket on the other table but I don't know for sure. They keep pouring the wine and honestly after a few minutes I don't think anyone notices or cares. In most situations they'll be someone more undressed than you and someone more overdressed, so just be comfortable!

The tours were all great, the guides excellent and the numbers small. I don't know if that would change if you had a full boat. The Quiet Vox device worked great, you weren't straining to hear what was being said.

There constantly seemed to be food and all of it was fantastic. There was always a nice spread at the afternoon tea and each day had different desserts. Cookies always seemed to be available in the lounge ( I could always resist them, except the coconut ones ). Unfortunately for my waistline they also had a huge plate of those delicious French macaroons in the lounge from what seemed like lunchtime to dinnertime and who ever has just 1 or 2 of those?

Every morning in the library they were "newspapers" where articles were printed out for U.S., British, Australian and yes Canadian news so you could keep in touch with what was happening at home. There was I believe CNN channel on the TV in your room but that very rarely has Canadian news and it was a nice touch to be able to find out what was happening at home.

I think I covered everything. If you have any questions, let me know and if I think of anything else I'll post. We are already looking to see where our next river cruise will be!

Thank you for the detailed review. Sailing in August 2018 and your info is very helpful!!

Thank you for the detailed review. Sailing in August 2018 and your info is very helpful!!

Glad you found the review helpful. Enjoy your cruise, it will be wonderful!

Day 8 and some Thoughts

 

We had our luggage out of the cabin and went down to breakfast just before 8. Breakfast was served from 7-9 this morning but when we got there, a lot of people must have already had breakfast. Tables weren't cleared, they were out of a lot of items, very little fresh fruit left, salmon was gone and items didn't seem to be getting replaced. Said goodbye to the wait staff and checked out of our cabin by 9am.

 

We were asked to wait in the lounge and told that when our taxi was here a staff member would come and get us. Pastries were being put out in the lounge so if you were still hungry or hadn't had breakfast, you could still have some food. At 9:30 a staff member came over to where we were sitting and told us our taxi had arrived. Our suitcases had been placed outside and another staff took our luggage to the taxi. We were picking up our rental car at the airport; it was about a 30 minute drive and cost 50E.

 

Some thoughts about this river cruise:

When I first boarded I did a lot of comparison between a river and ocean cruise. I don't think it's a fair comparison, it's like trying to compare strawberries and bananas because they are both fruits. There's too many differences between a river and ocean cruise and I like them both.But if I was going to make some comparisons it would be this.

 

I think on a river cruise you get much more for the money. On an ocean cruise you hear a lot of people who feel they have been "nickled and dimed". There sure wasn't any of that on this ship. Food was excellent and top quality, wine was superb and if you didn't like what wine they were serving they would bring another wine. The champagne was much better than on ocean cruises. I enjoy it more than wine and after the cocktail parties ended would get my glass filled again and take it to the restaurant. You can also get a refill of wine in the restaurant as you are leaving and take it to the lounge and none of the staff gives you a second look. I have always found service on ocean cruises very good and service here was also the same. One thing that does seem a little different is that on a ocean cruise you get to know your cabin steward and here there wasn't the same interaction.

 

I was a little concerned as to what clothes I should bring but felt very comfortable in what I did bring. I didn't see any fancy dresses, there could have been some but I never saw any. The night we went to the Chef's Table there were more women than men, the sitting was 10 at 2 tables. I had on a sundress and most of the other women had slacks and blouses. The men I did see didn't have ties but did have a collared shirt. There may have been 1 tie and jacket on the other table but I don't know for sure. They keep pouring the wine and honestly after a few minutes I don't think anyone notices or cares. In most situations they'll be someone more undressed than you and someone more overdressed, so just be comfortable!

 

The tours were all great, the guides excellent and the numbers small. I don't know if that would change if you had a full boat. The Quiet Vox device worked great, you weren't straining to hear what was being said.

 

There constantly seemed to be food and all of it was fantastic. There was always a nice spread at the afternoon tea and each day had different desserts. Cookies always seemed to be available in the lounge ( I could always resist them, except the coconut ones ). Unfortunately for my waistline they also had a huge plate of those delicious French macaroons in the lounge from what seemed like lunchtime to dinnertime and who ever has just 1 or 2 of those?

 

Every morning in the library they were "newspapers" where articles were printed out for U.S., British, Australian and yes Canadian news so you could keep in touch with what was happening at home. There was I believe CNN channel on the TV in your room but that very rarely has Canadian news and it was a nice touch to be able to find out what was happening at home.

 

I think I covered everything. If you have any questions, let me know and if I think of anything else I'll post. We are already looking to see where our next river cruise will be!

Thx so much for your review. Booked this for next June & am looking for all the info I can gather. It will be our 3rd AMA cruise- Must say that AMA has been great in terms of service, food, excursions. Can't wait for next June

Carole

Thx so much for your review. Booked this for next June & am looking for all the info I can gather. It will be our 3rd AMA cruise- Must say that AMA has been great in terms of service, food, excursions. Can't wait for next June

Carole

Hope you got some useful info from the review. As you have experienced, AMA does excellent river cruises and the Bordeaux region is wonderful area to experience. You certainly have something to look forward to!