My First River Cruise.....OMG....

[Hydrokitty]

I agree with Jazz, you might check the S class cabin thread. It is at the

top of the Celebrity forum.

 

I actually meant what cabin did you have on your most recent cruise;)

 

Oh...we had an aft cabin, 7360, which I loved but I thought Eclipse would have same number of elevators as Infinity and they don't!!! I really had trouble walking to the elevator to the extent that I used a wheelchair on board. In November we're in an aft cabin (stern facing) but it's on Summit, which is M class so there should be elevators aft, mid-ship and forward. Instead of just mid-ship and forward. On TA we're in 2111 on the resort deck, which is close to the mid-ship elevators and I understand being on the "bump" has a larger balcony than the others. I spend a LOT of time on my balcony!!! :D

[Hydrokitty]

Did you check the S-class cabin sticky on the Celebrity Board? The first post has a link to the updated spreadsheet compiling all reports. All S-class ships are very much alike, except details on Reflection, so your cabin number should track across all ships.

 

Going there now!!!

[Lois R]

Oh...we had an aft cabin, 7360, which I loved but I thought Eclipse would have same number of elevators as Infinity and they don't!!! I really had trouble walking to the elevator to the extent that I used a wheelchair on board. In November we're in an aft cabin (stern facing) but it's on Summit, which is M class so there should be elevators aft, mid-ship and forward. Instead of just mid-ship and forward. On TA we're in 2111 on the resort deck, which is close to the mid-ship elevators and I understand being on the "bump" has a larger balcony than the others. I spend a LOT of time on my balcony!!! :D

 

When they built the S class ships they only put 2 sets of elevators on them.

God only knows why....it was a stupid omit (in my opinion).

Mid ship and forward. If you have an AFT cabin, you are correct, it is quite

away from the mid ship ones.

 

The M class ships all have 3 banks of elevators.

Edited April 24, 2016 by Lois R

[Hydrokitty]

Did you check the S-class cabin sticky on the Celebrity Board? The first post has a link to the updated spreadsheet compiling all reports. All S-class ships are very much alike, except details on Reflection, so your cabin number should track across all ships.

 

I agree with Jazz, you might check the S class cabin thread. It is at the

top of the Celebrity forum.

 

I actually meant what cabin did you have on your most recent cruise;)

 

Thank you both..I just finished looking at both cabins on the Summit (M class) and Silhouette (S class) and I am a very happy camper!!!

 

Lois, I told our booking agent about the elevators and she looked up the ship deck plan because she didn't believe me!!! We all agree they weren't thinking of the minimally handicapped...but they did have plenty of w/c and I had one to keep for the duration of the cruise, on and off the ship, so it didn't make any difference to me...of course DH and DSIL might think differently since they were the ones pushing me! :D But you would think someone would have noticed that. As for Summit in Oct. I almost jumped up and down when the reviewer described AND included a photo of the balcony... :D:D

[bama4cruisin]

 

Lois,

 

I enjoyed your review so much!

 

Like you, we have been ocean cruisers, although far fewer cruises under our belts. I have read and appreciated many of your posts on the Celebrity board, especially as I prepared for our b2b cruises in the Med last year.

 

We have just booked our first river cruise . . . On AMA June, 2017. Our decision was itinerary-driven. We will sail Prague to Paris on the AmaDante. I was already looking forward to this trip, but after your review I am even more excited! I realize the Dante is older (2008), the service and friendliness is so much of the trip!

[Lois R]

Hi Jennifer, thanks for the kind words and glad my review helped:)

I hope you have a wonderful time:D

 

This is so weird.....I have quite a bit of vacation time left this year

and although a river cruise is not feasible at this time (financially really),

I am actually trying to book an ocean cruise but not sure I want to do

one......how strange is that?:eek:.....maybe I should really step outside

of the box and do a land trip?:confused:

No....having to think about where to eat dinner? Nope.....I will find

an ocean cruise LOL..........

Edited April 26, 2016 by Lois R

[Hydrokitty]

Hi Jennifer, thanks for the kind words and glad my review helped:)

I hope you have a wonderful time:D

 

This is so weird.....I have quite a bit of vacation time left this year

and although a river cruise is not feasible at this time (financially really),

I am actually trying to book an ocean cruise but not sure I want to do

one......how strange is that?:eek:.....maybe I should really step outside

of the box and do a land trip?:confused:

No....having to think about where to eat dinner? Nope.....I will find

an ocean cruise LOL..........

 

Lois we did two land trips with Trafalgar: Greece and France and we never had to worry about where we'd eat....all but 1 or 2 dinners were included. I was looking at them for Switzerland but I'm going to need the Mets to be in the World Series before I bring it up again....or the Jets in the Super Bowl....but that's not gonna happen.

[Lois R]

Lois we did two land trips with Trafalgar: Greece and France and we never had to worry about where we'd eat....all but 1 or 2 dinners were included. I was looking at them for Switzerland but I'm going to need the Mets to be in the World Series before I bring it up again....or the Jets in the Super Bowl....but that's not gonna happen.

 

Hi, I know they are a very well known company.......as for the sports

Scenarios?....the NFL Draft is Thursday night:D

[Hydrokitty]

Hi, I know they are a very well known company.......as for the sports

Scenarios?....the NFL Draft is Thursday night:D

 

Nope draft won't do it....he has to be totally engrossed in a game...then I wait till something big happens and I start asking him about a trip.....he just yesses me to death and I, being a good wife, take him at his word when he says "yeah, yeah, ok" and I book it!!!:D

[Host Jazzbeau]

Nope draft won't do it....he has to be totally engrossed in a game...then I wait till something big happens and I start asking him about a trip.....he just yesses me to death and I, being a good wife, take him at his word when he says "yeah, yeah, ok" and I book it!!!:D

 

Yeah, and the draft won't fix the Jets' problems either. Did somebody curse a goat in Shea stadium or something?

[CAC104]

Lois I enjoyed your review and it sure sounds like you did a lot of walking. I have never been on a river cruise but I always picture people sitting on the top deck and watching the scenery go by. You never mentioned doing that. Were there too many stops to have time to sit and watch? Also, did this ship have a hot tub?

[Hydrokitty]

Yeah, and the draft won't fix the Jets' problems either. Did somebody curse a goat in Shea stadium or something?

 

Yup.....gonna be a long winter....but how about those Mets!!! Sure hope they make the play-offs...it'll be easy to book something while I'm already on the ship!! :D

[CPT Trips]

The Jets, a totally lost team. The only time they are in NY is when they go camping in Cortland. :rolleyes:

Edited May 10, 2016 by CPT Trips

[caviargal]

Lois I enjoyed your review and it sure sounds like you did a lot of walking. I have never been on a river cruise but I always picture people sitting on the top deck and watching the scenery go by. You never mentioned doing that. Were there too many stops to have time to sit and watch? Also, did this ship have a hot tub?

 

The AMA ships that are in Europe all have hot tubs, and many have heated pools (2012 builds and after).

 

I can count on one hand the number of times I have sat on Sun Deck and watched the scenery, in all 12 of my river cruises combined. I am more of a doer, however, and I am sure others on these same cruises did more of this than I.

 

Some itineraries are more conducive to sightseeing while sailing than others. That would include Portugal and also Bordeaux (just back) as there is more time spent on the river. The Enchanting Rhine with AMA also has a fair amount of sailing time, with a transit of the Rhine Gorge.

 

We look for the opposite and prefer to do as little cruising as possible during daylight hours. One of the things we really enjoyed about our Tulip Time cruise was the extended times in ports of call. Also, that stretch of river is not particularly scenic.

 

Many AMA ships also have real balconies and that is what we often opt for when sitting outdoors while sailing.

Edited May 10, 2016 by caviargal

[Lois R]

Lois I enjoyed your review and it sure sounds like you did a lot of walking. I have never been on a river cruise but I always picture people sitting on the top deck and watching the scenery go by. You never mentioned doing that. Were there too many stops to have time to sit and watch? Also, did this ship have a hot tub?

 

Hi Carol, I did do a lot of walking. It was all about the ports so unless

you have been to these cities, my suggestion is to get off the ship and

go see the places you are visiting.:)

 

I think I posted about the weather somewhere in the review...it was

cold out (sunny) but cold. There were seats up on the sundeck but

I never noticed many people up there.

[Got2Cruise]

Lois I enjoyed your review and it sure sounds like you did a lot of walking. I have never been on a river cruise but I always picture people sitting on the top deck and watching the scenery go by. You never mentioned doing that. Were there too many stops to have time to sit and watch? Also, did this ship have a hot tub?

 

 

 

A good itinerary if you want to have a day of scenic cruising is Amsterdam to Basel Switzerland. There is almost a day devoted to gliding past the castles in the Rhine Gorge

[Lois R]

A good itinerary if you want to have a day of scenic cruising is Amsterdam to Basel Switzerland. There is almost a day devoted to gliding past the castles in the Rhine Gorge

 

That is the cruise I am doing next year:D:):D

[rcclfanbp]

Hi Lois R,

 

I very much enjoyed your review...very detailed, informative and enlightening for anyone new to river cruising. And thanks to all of those who replied with comments as they too were very helpful.

 

I am like many others who have done ocean cruises but have yet to try river cruising.

 

Brian

[CAC104]

Thanks for the reply to my question. :)

[Marlster]

PTRPANPENS; we also looked at Lueftner that had a great itinerary & the newer ships were very nice but the timing didn't work for us. we then gave a deposit for a Viking cruise and discovered Emerald River cruises (a new subsidarary of Scenic. ) Emerald's french balcony cabins are 180sq ft, ships are new and have a heated pool that converted to a cinema at night, gratuities and transfers were included, all at a price less than Viking. Even though I lost part of my deposit with Viking (which I didn't appreciate as I cancelled 2 weeks after deposit and almost a year before the cruise), I'm saving money. Reviews say that Emerald is competing against Viking, AMA, etc. We'll see if we can recommend the cruise line.

 

Lois: I agree that the 3 ocean cruise lines that I mentioned are on the expensive side but there are some good deals out there & many amenities were included in the fare (thus not nickled & dimed as many mass market lines tend to do), & some include air fare for real!

 

 

 

Do the ships on Luftner Cruises have balconies? We are doing Amsterdam to Budapest May/2017 with Scenic. I checked Viking as they seem to be the most popular one, but they were $1,000.00 more than Scenic and with Scenic we are getting a lot more, We are getting a balcony, butler service, free alcohol (anything you want) 24/7 and have your fridge stocked with whatever alcohol, etc. you like, not just beer & wine with lunch & dinner, 1 kilo of laundry done each half-way through the cruise, free gratuties, free excursions even high-end ones, some of the other lines you have to pay extra for the higher end ones. There is nothing you have to pay for, so it was a no brainer to go with Scenic. I know Scenic is fairly new to the U.S. market, longer here in Canada. $500 deposit each and the balance 90 days before departure, not like Viking which is 100% when booked, I really wish they would change that, there is no way I would give anyone 100% of my money immediately.

Marlster

[caviargal]

Do the ships on Luftner Cruises have balconies? We are doing Amsterdam to Budapest May/2017 with Scenic. I checked Viking as they seem to be the most popular one, but they were $1,000.00 more than Scenic and with Scenic we are getting a lot more, We are getting a balcony, butler service, free alcohol (anything you want) 24/7 and have your fridge stocked with whatever alcohol, etc. you like, not just beer & wine with lunch & dinner, 1 kilo of laundry done each half-way through the cruise, free gratuties, free excursions even high-end ones, some of the other lines you have to pay extra for the higher end ones. There is nothing you have to pay for, so it was a no brainer to go with Scenic. I know Scenic is fairly new to the U.S. market, longer here in Canada. $500 deposit each and the balance 90 days before departure, not like Viking which is 100% when booked, I really wish they would change that, there is no way I would give anyone 100% of my money immediately.

Marlster

 

I agree that is a no brainer! Scenic includes far more than Viking and IMO is in a different league altogether. Sounds like you got a great deal!

[Lois R]

Well, AMA STELLA is now listed in the Review section:D...so I was able

to copy and paste it over there:)........I added a line at the end saying

I had such a wonderful time I have already booked another one on AMA

for next year:D

[caviargal]

Well, AMA STELLA is now listed in the Review section:D...so I was able

to copy and paste it over there:)........I added a line at the end saying

I had such a wonderful time I have already booked another one on AMA

for next year:D

 

 

Where is that "like" button? :)

[Lois R]

:):):)

Edited June 3, 2016 by Lois R

[sammiedawg]

Lois, I finally found time to read this lovely review. Your writing style is so sincere, you have no agenda. Your joy and enthusiasm jump off the screen and makes me want to try another river cruise. AMA sounds terrific and they are lucky to have you as a customer. Thanks so much for your contributions to the river cruise board.