Have you been on the Amadeus Danube cruise? Would love some recommendations

[maryella]

Our family of 4 (2 teens) took Amadeus Symphony last summer from Pargue to Budapest. Overall a good cruise. Food was just OK. House wine with dinner was not very good and at the end of the cruise we started paying for bottles (which were not great either). The concert in Vienna was in a beautiful building. We sat on folding chairs . This was not a concert hall-----very crowded and hot but still a good concert overall. Our biggest disappointment was how many times the upper deck was off limits due to low bridges. There was not many places to hang out besides the indoor a/c lounge so we missed being out side on the top deck alot. There were also no chaise lounges up there only chairs. So if we wanted to snooze with a book it was very difficult. The cruise director (a woman)was also very loud and at times we felt like school children being told what to do every minute. Did not like that at all. Our 2 rooms were on the top deck next to the resturant. At night when we sailed it was fairly noisy and kept me up.

[Robyn France]

I don't think the Symphony is one of the Amadeus ships any longer as it is not listed on their site. I wonder if the newer ships are lower and able to get under the bridges with folks on the deck now. Does anyone know the answer? In any case, the bridges definitely make their statement.

[Buckland]

I was on deck for most of the low bridges we went under in the daytime. There is space up there, but it won't hold the entire ships compliment. A lot of people stayed indoors in the lounge. I spent most of the trip outside, even when it was cold and damp and raining (only one day). It what on that day when we went through the Rhine Gorge that I got the most spectacular photos of the castle ruins. There was a lot of the time when I was the only one up there.

 

Buck

[Buckland]

Like I said, lots of times I was the only one up on deck.

 

Buck

[Robyn France]

Thanks Buck--you are definitely the adventurer--love the photo of the castle--so misty and beautiful--I may try a quick watercolor of it today just for fun--it's hard to get those soft edges without losing the form--so it will be fun. Thanks for the information and the inspiration.

 

Take care,

Robyn France

[AliceS]

We're back and getting the laundry underway. First of all, the food was great. They kept the wine coming, I'm going to have to detox for sure. We enjoyed every meal. The portions were more than enough for me. The guys asked for more once or twice and out it came with a smile. You could order a beer or any soft drink with dinner and I saw some with champagne at breakfast. Not my cup of tea. John Riley was cruise director and is a class act. We had two days of rain, cold and damp, but not driving rain. We survived. The rest of the time was perfect weather. The ship is new and pretty and very clean. We did not get to enjoy the upper deck much at all. The low bridges kept the chairs all down and the stair roped off. The hot tub was never used, it was either empty or cool. I didn't care, but hubby did. We felt a bit confined on the ship, but remember, we are ocean cruisers. This is different. We loved getting into the small towns and seeing the scenery along the way, but we did a one day river boat on the Rhine 10 years ago and there was more to see there. What I hated were the locks, the wall came right to our sliding door and it was spooky.

The tours were well done, you need good walking shoes on the cobblestone streets for sure. We did a concert on our own in Prague and it was the highlight. If anyone wants more on that, just ask.

 

Time to change the wash load!

[nyfeds]

Welcome home, Alice!

 

So glad to hear that you enjoyed your river cruise. Sounds like you had a very good Amadeus experience.

 

I am a bit concerned at your comment pertaining to not spending much time on the upper deck. When we cruised the Seine we had lots of time to sit on the sun deck and watch the small towns drift by. It added so much to the entire river cruise experience. I was hoping for more of the same on the Danube.

 

Could you please give more details on your cabin, on-board entertainment, pre and post cruise hotels?

 

Looking forward to hearing more when time allows. Thanks so much, Alice.

[Robyn France]

Hi Alice--thanks so much for your report. I hope you aren't saying that on a 10 day cruise, one could only go on deck twice. Did you speak with the cruise director? That souns so different from Buck--I believe he said he spent almost all cruising time on the upper deck. Thanks for clarifying. Also--I would love to hear more about your Prague concert. Many thanks for all.

[rogerdawhip]

When I cruised with Amadeus a few years ago they closed the sun deck for almost the entire time we were on the Main Canal. This was about 4 days. They do this for safety reasons. Some passangers are not aware of the low bridges and have been injured in the past. GCT and Vantage have lower areas in the front of the ship and keep these open for the entire transit of the Main canel.

[AliceS]

There is a lower area outside the lounge. We did sit out there one evening before dinner for a drink, but before long we were in another lock and going down to see nothing much. Two of the days that we could have used the upper deck were cold and rainy and no one wanted outside for sure. We were after one of the lovely soups and a cup of tea. Cruising through the Wachau Valley was wonderful, but it was 57 degrees and rainy. We were fortunate to have a fantastic day in Vienna.

 

The concert in Prague was at Suk hall. I will get out the program and post again when I find it. It was so pure and lovely. We enjoyed it so much. The President Hotel was great.

[nyfeds]

There is a lower area outside the lounge. We did sit out there one evening before dinner for a drink, but before long we were in another lock and going down to see nothing much. Two of the days that we could have used the upper deck were cold and rainy and no one wanted outside for sure. We were after one of the lovely soups and a cup of tea. Cruising through the Wachau Valley was wonderful, but it was 57 degrees and rainy. We were fortunate to have a fantastic day in Vienna.

 

The concert in Prague was at Suk hall. I will get out the program and post again when I find it. It was so pure and lovely. We enjoyed it so much. The President Hotel was great.

 

 

Hi Alice,

 

Thanks again, Alice.

 

A few more questions, please. Did time allow to visit Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna? It appears that our day in Vienna will be very brief, which is my only real regret of this particular itinerary.

 

Do you have any insight into the optional excursion to Salzburg?

 

Did you opt for Amadeus' hotel in Budapest? If so, could you please share your experiences?

 

I believe I had read on another thread that Amadeus offers free in-room internet access. Is this correct?

 

How was the on-board entertainment?

 

I really appreciate your feedback, Alice! I hope you've gotten settled in. It's never easy returning from a wonderful trip, is it?

[AliceS]

Schoenbrunn was an optional tour that we didn't take. The group that did the Salzburg seemed to enjoy the day, even though it rained the entire time. We enjoyed Passau. It rained there, too, but it is a lovely place to walk and shop. The internet service was free, but it didn't work very well. It was difficult to get on and was slow, but the price was right. The local entertainment was fun, we saw La Strada, a musical group, the crew show, we missed the glass blowing, a Bavarian Folklore group and we missed the Hungarian Folk/Gypsy Music. We had to leave the ship at 4:15am for the airport, we didn't stay in Budapest after the cruise. The Vienna Strauss/Mozart Concert was an option that we enjoyed very much, but out highlight was a concert that we did on our own in Prague.

[nyfeds]

Thanks for your response, Alice.

[Robyn France]

http://www.costcophotocenter.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=20835430/sessionID=128792910/t_=6639788

 

Hi Buck--here is a quick watercolor of your castle. You have been so generous with your information and time. I was unable to post directly for some reason but here is the link. Hope u have a good memoryof the trip.

 

Take care,

Robyn France

[Jinn]

We are considering the Sept. 17, 2008 Prague to Budapest cruise. Any thoughts on the weather? Thanks, Jinn

[AliceS]

http://www.costcophotocenter.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=20835430/sessionID=128792910/t_=6639788

 

Hi Buck--here is a quick watercolor of your castle. You have been so generous with your information and time. I was unable to post directly for some reason but here is the link. Hope u have a good memoryof the trip.

 

Take care,

Robyn France

 

Robyn,

 

The link didn't work for me. I'd love to see it. Alice

[Robyn France]

Hi Alice--I am sorry it didn't work--I tested it and it worked for me with no problems but perhaps that is because it is already on my computer. Try this. http://images.costcophotocenter.com/232323232%7Ffp%3A%3C%3Dot%3E2329%3D95%3C%3D%3A%3A%3B%3DXROQDF%3E2323%3A35323265ot1lsi

and please let me know if it works. If any one else has success or failure, please let me know that too so I can figure it out. Sorry for the problem.

 

Take care,

Robyn France

[AliceS]

That is lovely, I'm trying to keep it on my screen saver. Thanks.

[nyfeds]

Hi Robyn,

 

Your watercolor is lovely! In fact, it would go beautifully in my bedroom! Thanks for sharing with us.

[Buckland]

Hey! What about the picture that inspired it??

 

just kidding, I like the water colour more than the picture, it's very cool

 

Buck