Aboard the AMAKristina on the Rhône in mid December- Colors of Provence / Christmas

[IMNiles]

Greetings from the AMAKristina!  Just a quick note to let folks know who may still be planning to travel this holiday season, river cruises are still a GO on the Rhône in France.  We have been aboard for three nights, and have been having a lovely time.  Vaccination was required (and checked), for all passengers and crew.  Most aboard have also (voluntarily) had boosters.  Occupancy is very thin - less than 50 passengers are aboard a vessel that usually hosts around 160.  Our temperature is checked every morning, sanitizing is strongly encouraged, and masks are required (and enforced) when “up and about.”  Dinner tables are assigned and fixed throughout the sailing.  We do feel that we are sailing in a bit of a privileged bubble.  The staff has been very friendly, as is typical for AMAWaterways, and the tour guides have been excellent.  One advantage of Rhône itineraries is that the ports are so close together you can often get the same guide two ports in a row, which is great when you get one you like.

 

We are sailing exclusively through France, so French law applies.  This means that for some tours, and for basically any public venue ashore, a “pass sanitaire” is required (digital proof of either vaccination or recent negative test).  Enforcement of the pass sanitaire has been absolutely universal - I have seen people turned away even from outdoor tables at mostly empty bars if they did not have one.  The Christmas Market in Lyon, while much reduced from previous years, is running and also has strict pass requirements (it’s fenced and guarded at every entrance).  Masking is essentially universal indoors, and very common (but not total, even though required) outdoors.  It was very easy for us to acquire our pass sanitaire at a French pharmacy for 36 euros (each), our vaccine cards, and passports.  

 

I hope this serves to allay any concerns for anyone preparing to travel yet this year on the Rhône!  Happy to answer any other questions.

 

Happy Holidays

 

 

[Ritabob]

Thanks for the information.   Would love to read more details.   Did AMA  upgrade the passengers booked in the aquarium cabins to cabins above the water line?

RB 

[IMNiles]

I don’t believe that anybody but staff are on the bottom deck, but I don’t have any insight into whether people booked the cabins they are in or were upgraded.  People seem to be spread out - we have no immediate neighbors that I am aware of.  I know for sure our connecting cabin is vacant, since after a day of listening to the safety message over and over I had to get the staff to go into the room and shut it off.  I have not discerned any difference in the program due to the low occupancy.  Other than the obvious ease of social distancing, one thing I will surely miss is how easy it is to find a seat in the lounge before dinner - no mad dash to get a seat for the briefing.  

[hoosier2017]

Ritabob, we were on an AMA cruise in November.  All aquarium class passengers were upgraded.  

[Wings55]

On 12/20/2021 at 5:27 AM, hoosier2017 said:

Ritabob, we were on an AMA cruise in November.  All aquarium class passengers were upgraded.  

We sailed on the AmaKristina in August and there were folks down on the Swan Deck despite open cabins on the upper decks. 

Paul