back yesterday--amadagio,14 day

[Fleuve51]

Just returned from a 14 night Amsterdam to Budapest river cruise on the Amadagio.

It did not live up to our expectations.

Although we did enjoy seeing the small towns, Amadeus has a long way to go , before it is top notch.

Big improvements need to be made in the quality & preparation of the food.

Some of the staff were often abrupt & un-smiling!

Perhaps this is because they didn't understand english very well.

Half the passengers got sick with colds.

I realize this is not entirely the ship's

fault, however many changes could be made to help avoid the contamination spreading like wild flower, on board.A doctor was even brought on board to treat the sick & some went to the hospital, for a cost of at least 500 euro. get insurance before you go.

The breakfast & lunch appetizers are left open for everyone to cough on & then handle the utensils. These foods should be covered & perhaps served by a staff member.

I don't think we will travel with Amadeus again.

It was expensive & didn't live up to our expectations.

We have done over 45 ocean cruises & thought we should try something new.

[Coral]

Can you tell me what type of people you cruised with (new cruisers, experienced river cruisers....) and if there was experienced river cruises - what did they think? Were they comparing the food to other Amadeus cruises or to other river cruises such as Viking?

 

I have a similiar background as you - tons of mass market river cruises and this will be my first river cruise.

 

I leave in 10 days.

[Fleuve51]

80 percent of the passengers were Aussie's.

River cruising was a first for most.

The service & food were a big problem, in my opinion. So much so, that the chef was fired on day 11 of our 14 day trip!

That says it all.

[amd1234]

We are also leaving in about ten days and I also have a few questions regarding you disappoinment in Amadeus. The sickness among the passengers is very upseting.:( We were on a Celebrity Cruise two years ago and they were constantly wiping down areas and they were careful with the food etc. This cruise is expensive and getting sick would be horrendous. We are cruising on the newest ship the Amalegro and hopefully the crew will be pleasant. Needless to say your review puts a damper on my trip.. We went with Amadeus because of all the rave reviews.. :rolleyes:

[mayor4sr]

We have to agree that there were short-comings in the river cruise (Amsterdam to Budapest). There is a definate discrepency between the brochure and the cruise.

The crew was not as responsive as they could have been. The ship shows wear already. (At one point when we were on the deck, we had to move because a crew member was sanding paint and it was blowing our way.)

We were not at all happy with the internet availability. Be advised that the connection could be down for half the cruise.

The food was certainly OK at best (at times even very nice),but with inconsistancies. ( the firing of the chef probably says it all). Special breakfast orders (which they say they gladly do) was not always easy and finding a clean placesetting at breakfast was sometimes problematic.

We have taken numerous ocean ccruises and have had much better experiences on the larger ships. It's a shame, because there were so many things to enjoy about the smaller venue of river cruising. We would love to do it again, but will try another line.

The passengers were a great bunch of well experienced travellers!!

[Coral]

Well - it sounds like the Amadagio is not the ship to be on right now.

 

I guess it is good that they fired the chef. I would probably be more concerned if they kept the chef....

 

I read someone's comments (River Decker) that the staff last year on the Tolstoy were the best they have ever seen. I sure hope the same people are on it this year. The first sailing gets off the day I get on - it is probably good I won't hear any of their comments.

 

I have been on many cruises (large ships) and am amazed at the staff on the ship one year has an entirely different attitude/leve of service compared to the same ship a year later.

[Coral]

80 percent of the passengers were Aussie's.

River cruising was a first for most.

The service & food were a big problem, in my opinion. So much so, that the chef was fired on day 11 of our 14 day trip!

That says it all.

 

Thanks.

[debbie p]

Even though I wasn't on the Amadeus with the poster, just got back from the same with Viking though (Amsterdam to Budapest). Several of the folks on our cruise were also ill, but it had rained for 3 days during our cruise and we were all walking in the cold, wet rain. Also, several folks get sick from the plane trip-I'm one-been sick since I've flown home, I'm sure some got sick flying TO their cruise. We also felt Viking lacked some service, but it's Viking's doing by being so understaffed, which I'm sure is going on with all the cruise industry. The folks who work on these ships work up to 14 hours a day.

[Hesston64]

We were on the same 14 day Amadagio Amsterdam to Budapest cruise. We think the thread focus on only food is too narrow, as the cruise overall was quite good. The ship is quite new and the cabins are well-designed. The on-shore excursions and on-board entertainment were overall quite good. The on-shore travel arrangements of buses, etc was excellent, and was adapted to meet the needs of the travellers. Our cruise director John Riley did a great job of seeing that our 147 travellers had the maximum experiences on and off the boat. We were quite pleased with the numerous guides, buses, admissions included in the standard package.

 

The food generally was good but was improved when they changed chefs mid-trip. And kudos go to the soup chef. We were disappointed that the wine selections were not more varied and related to the local regions. The restaurant staff were mixed in their friendliness and responsiveness, but seemed to get better as the trip progressed. The rest of the crew was quite good. So we felt the trip met our expectations, with some areas that Amadeus needs to improve.

 

Dave

[cruisegran]

I've been searching the boards (wow... so much territory to cover).... and I have two questions to ask.... Is there laundry service available on the ship? and about what to pack?? I've never cruised for this length of time, and can't figure out how much/what to take? Really have been looking forward to this trip for a year... and now reading bad food, sick passengers...

 

Gonna make the best of it all and hoping for all good!!

 

Edie

[Buckland]

There is laundry on the ship, but none that you can do yourself. They will do it for you, but for a price. We just packed for the duration and had a load and a half to do when we got back.

 

If you want to read some good stuff about the AmaDagio, check out the thread "On The Amadagio" on page 6. It was mine that I posted while I was on the ship. There was some good questions there and should give you a lot of answers.

 

Buck

[Fleuve51]

Everyone has different ideas on the quality of the food.

For my husband & I , the main courses were the biggest problem.

Salads & soups were good.

To give you an idea about the main courses:

beef--we avoided--tasteless, tough & bland.

Twice I ordered the "seafood plate"! well--it consisted of ONE shrimp( and not even a big one),

one mussel ,and a 2 inch square of white fish.

This was served on a bit of white rice and a veggie.

Desserts are not worth the calories.

Because the staff had little understanding of English, orders were often wrong or forgotton.

Because the open style-serve yourself buffet at breakfast & lunch( for salads),allot of germs travelled around the dining room.

So many were coughing & sneezing, then taking tongs to serve themselves!.

The food was not covered.

You can imangine how so many caught the respiratory ailments.

The chef was fired & left in Vienna, 3 days before we disembarked.

The tours were good & the guides spoke english well.

The rooms were fine. I didn't leave my patio door windows open at night, because i could smell the fuel.

[land lover]

Eileen...how disappointing...but I can understand after your experience with so many Ocean cruises how the service and food couldn't even compare.

 

After 15 Ocean cruises, last year we tried Viking in China and had a wonderful experience on our first river cruise but the food just did not cut it...........service was almost to good as food was removed with out asking all the time..in a month we leave for another river cruise in Russia I am curious to see what the food is like.....I don't expect much..and probably will eat very little, I am bringing protein bars......It is unfortuante about the illnesses we had the same thing on our trip.

 

Hopefully, by removing some senior staff the experiences for future guests will be better, I hope you write and let the company know of your disappointing experience.

[Tucsonboater]

We too were on the recent cruise and had a great time despite the respiratory illness that hit a lot of people and the changing of chefs in mid-cruise. The boat is well designed with large cabins which have excellent storage, good beds, and nice bathrooms. The on-board entertainment and special entertainment brought on many evenings was most enjoyable. The tours were well run with good guides for the most part. We enjoyed the food and could always find something that appealed. I think the first chef had problems managing the kitchen more than he did cooking the food. The replacement seemed better in that respect. The illness came with two or three cruisers and a large number of passengers contracted it. The passengers, of course, did not want to miss a thing, and thus coughed their way all over the boat and every bus. I agree that sneeze guards, perhaps a designated area where the sick are served rather than self-served, a quick discussion on covering one's mouth/nose, etc. would be helpful. Would go again with Amadeus. Craig

[Blue Bryce]

We have been on two cruises with Amadeus and the last one on the Amadagio. It is regrettable that Eillen had such an upleasant experience and it seems just to be the opposite of what we encountered. We have nothing but the best memories of our vacations and we are booking again an Amadeus cruise for 2008 !

I found following sample menu which pretty much represents how dinners where offered every day. We found the food to be outstansing.

Appetizers

Thinly Sliced Lamb Loin on Kenya Bean Salad

Fresh Pear Cocktail drizzled with "Williams Christ"

Crispy Winter Lettuce presented with Blue Cheese Dressing

Soups

Consommé of Cherry Tomatoes with Pistachio Dumplings

Chilled Banana Soup

Entrées

Broiled Fillet of Tilapia with Wasabi-Hollandaise Sauce, Sautéed Vegetables and Sepia Noodles

Whole Roasted Rib Eye with Glazed Balsamic Shallots, Red Wine Jus, Green Beans and Stuffed Potatoe

Farfalle Pasta with Creamy Sauce, Sun Dried Tomato and Fresh Parmesan Cheese

Dessert

Egg Nogg Souffé with Chocolate Sauce

Ice Cup "Amadagio"

 

Fresh Fruits and Selection of International Cheese

 

Wines

Pinot Grigio, Hungary, 2004 (white)

Blauer Frankischer, Germany, 2005 (red)

 

Standing Order

Ceasar Salad, Cole Slaw, French Fries, Grilled Chicken Breast, Grilled Scandinavian Salmon Steak

[CincyAL]

Very helpful. Thanks for taking the time.

[AliceS]

I forgot to ask if there are hair dryers onboard. Are there? We're on the Amalegro.

 

I have a steamer that is light weight, I wonder if it will work with the adaptor? It doesn't really heat up much at all and does a great job.

[mattie00]

Hi AliceS,

 

What tour are you on.? We are doing Budapest to Trier, leaving Budapest June 24th on the Amalegro.

[AliceS]

We leave for Prague on August 22 and are on the Danube on the Amalegro. I'm looking forward to every minute. I know that I'll have enough to eat, if not, there's a beer and sausage in every port.

 

I really plan to travel light, hope that I can pull it off. We always plan to lighten up and still over pack. I'm used to Princess doing our laundry, so I have to think about that.

[Fleuve51]

There is laundry service on board.

I washed socks & underwear everynight--even tee shirts.Everything was dry by morning.

Watch your suitcase weight. They are very strict at the airport.

Amadagio even put a scale in the lobby on the day of departure, so we could be sure our luggage was within the guidelines!

[land lover]

We leave for Prague on August 22 and are on the Danube on the Amalegro. I'm looking forward to every minute. I know that I'll have enough to eat, if not, there's a beer and sausage in every port.

 

I really plan to travel light, hope that I can pull it off. We always plan to lighten up and still over pack. I'm used to Princess doing our laundry, so I have to think about that.

 

So I guess the pineapple cover-up won't make the cut.

Hi Alice:D

[AliceS]

Hi Lori,

 

No, my little cover up would be tacky in Europe. I just used it in Hawaii. Everyone on Island Princess wanted one. They thought it was from Hilo Hatties. You are too funny to remember that dress!

 

Where do you cruise next time?

 

 

Thanks for the reminder about the weight of the bags. It's better to take two than to have one over the limit. I will be careful. I told you, I'm going to pack light. Yah, sure??

[land lover]

Hi Lori,

 

No, my little cover up would be tacky in Europe. I just used it in Hawaii. Everyone on Island Princess wanted one. They thought it was from Hilo Hatties. You are too funny to remember that dress!

I also remember that someone picked up your luggage at the cruise terminal, yes the luggage that had the pineapple cover-up in and you recovered it at the airport......Whew...

I am still into the toss wardrobe, things that I no longer want I wear on my trip and then leave them.

 

 

Where do you cruise next time? Russia a river cruise leaving in a month.

And I have already selected my clothing, I will only take about 25 items(doesn't include undergarments) and will only retun with 8, also one pair of leather shoes will be left behind....

 

 

Thanks for the reminder about the weight of the bags. It's better to take two than to have one over the limit. I will be careful. I told you, I'm going to pack light. Yah, sure??[/quote :D

The only time we take more than one each is on an ocean cruise because of formal wear...now with the tall guys we are traveling with one of their shoes could weight 10 lbs.:)

[AliceS]

Have fun in Russia, Lori. We were there on a Baltic cruise. It's very interesting.

 

I like to take toss things, too. I always take my old tennis shoes and leave them behind. You're so right about the big guys and those shoes! One size 14 takes 1/2 of the suit case.

 

I'm trying to find out how many men wear a sport coat for the captain's dinner. We are also going to a concert in Vienna, do they wear a sport coat there? Anyone?

[tiggypooo]

I just returned home from Uniworld's River Duchess, Amsterdam to Vienna. I saw your ship a few times while on ours.

It's too bad that you had such a bad time.

We had a first class experience with Uniworld and I'm not sure that I would take the chance even trying a different line after such a wonderful time with them.

Not only was the ship, crew, food and accomodations perfect, but the company went out of their way to do anything that they could to make all the passengers happy.

I'm used to cruiselines nickle and diming passengers to death, but this was a totally different experience.

For anyone wondering what line to try, I would not hesitate to give them a try.