AmaWaterways Rhine advice

[knoxclone]

Will be taking the Rhine ( AMS- BAS) on AMA next spring.  Having sailed the Rhine on Viking in 2016, I am  eager to compare the two!  Several ports are different, so hoping for some guidance on excursions and any "tips and tricks" from seasoned AMA travellers! 🙂 

 

I understand that exclusions are included - but do they offer any additional special excursions that you learn about only after boarding - lectures, cooking demonstrations, etc? 

 

Also - any specific suggestions for Dusseldorf, Ludwigshafen, and Riquwwihr would be greatly appreciated because there are bike tours (which look tempting) offered as one of the options,  in early March the weather may not be very cooperative. 

 

Thanks much!

 

[CastleCritic]

My very first cruise was AMA Rhine and Moselle and I went back through part of it from the Basel end (to Rudesheim) before turning down the Main.

 

On the Rhine, what you see on the site is it, they will not try to upsell you on a new and exciting excursion that is separate.  They are all included in the fare and all listed on the web site.  This doesn' mean that this can NEVER happen. On the Danube in Vienna they do sell a Mozart(?) concert and on some cruises at least the Schonbrunn excursion late in the day for $90. Nor will there be any paid onboard things.  There will likely be lectures but mostly likely just from the cruise directory.  In Germany you MAY have an apple strudel demo from the chefs but as long as its not a wine cruise thats probably going to be the extent of it.  There will be local entertainers onboard a few nights which is also free.

 

Ludwigshafen is an industrial port...very much one. Its basically there as a place to meet the buses to do other things.  I dont recall anything of value being close (bike range Ive never known AMA to bus/van the bike groups to a start point).  I have done two of the options on that stop, speyer and Heidelberg  and I would pick Heidelberg (but I like castles obviously,..and that was the largest one of the week). 

 

Dusseldorf...we didnt stop there, it looks like this is the Koln(Cologne) stop on your trip, which is itself a very interesting place.  Its kind of hard for me to recommend against seeing Cologne.

 

Riquwwihr is one of the choices on the Breisach stop, and the one we did, its a neat little town, but  its pretty small. I did buy a print of nearby castle ruins from a local artist there (which is framed across the room from me).

 

Even though I bike for exercise Ive never been onboard on a day that was warm enough to do it and not on a. day where ...well there wasnt a castle to go see!  (totally not obsessed)

 

 

Edited April 21, 2023 by CastleCritic

[gnome12]

I would consider early March definitely too cold for comfortable cycling.