On Board the AMA Amalyra

[MVPinBoynton]

Welcome home! We look forward to hearing about your experiences. I am glad your food experience was as good as ours.

[CAPinBoynton]

LMD, not to worry, I found out that her name is Petya. Sweet girl. :)

 

Welcome home, Phoenix Cruiser.

[Phoenix cruiser]

First the answers a few questions-

 

caviargal- we did not find there were long stretches of just cruising. Most days we either were in port when we arose or got there by noon. One day we cruised until 4 but it was like a "sea day" to rst between running our legs off. Of course the particular itinerary will dictate that just as on any ocean cruise.

 

carol28- as already stated the rooms compare well to an ocean cabin. We had a French Balcony (room 208). The cabin is well laid out and I was very pleased with the amount of storage space, more than we ever had on an NCL cruise. I did miss a bath but the shower made up for it.

 

Back to my review-

 

As I stated, we mostly passed on the included tours. It seemed that they got mixed reviews from the people we talked to. I think that depended partly on the guide they got and partly on expectations. I noticed the walking tours (based on talking to people who went and discussions with our Cruise Director) did not spend much time inside anyplace. For people who can spend an hour in a cathedral sitting and admiring the architecture this would be hard to take. I must say the included tour in Nuremberg was perfect- We took the medieval tour since the ship was docked 45 minutes away. We walked the castle and into town with the guide who was very informative. then we had 2 hours free time so we could see what we wanted on our own. The Prague tour was even better (get Vladamir as a guide if at all possible). He spent quite a bit of time in St. Vitus Cathedral. Because it was raining only a handful of us stayed with him on the walk into town. he took us places only a small group could go, expounded on the political climate changes over the years and could have been mistaken for a history professor with his knowledge.

 

I previously mentioned the Viator Parliament option, Budapest Opera and paying for a guided tour of the Budapest Jewish Museum. To that I would add a trip to Belvedere palace in Vienna, The Jewish Museum in Prague (which actually is 5-6 synagogues and the cemetary) and the Thurns-Taxis palace in Regensburg.

 

I still have 600+ photos to go through, I will eventually post a representative sample. Meanwhile, post your questions or e-mail me at brah66@aol.com.

[BAYWAY]

Are the last 8 up to the sundeck??

Which deck do you usually use to get off during the day?

How was the entertainment at night? The local entertainment sounds delightful. Thanks for your help!

[Phoenix cruiser]

We did not pay too much attention to the elevator, but I know it does not go down to deck one nor to the Sun Deck. The woman on our cruise with a cane never had problems getting to the top that I noticed. We also embarked/disembarked from the reception area. I personally was not enthralled with the lounge piano player but others seemed to enjoy him and danced. Entertainment, like food, is a very personal thing.

[CAPinBoynton]

We have just posted the review of our recent Danube River cruise on the AMA Waterways Amalyra on our website www.thepreismans.com. It is very long, so much so that we had to do it in two parts. There are over 800 photos in the review. We do apologize to those people with slow Internet connectivity for putting in so many photos; but with so many beautiful churches and other lovely places on this trip, we couldn’t resist.

 

There are also links at the end of each part of the review to our SnapFish albums that have photos in a larger format. They have been put into four separate albums to provide for faster download.

 

This was our first European river cruise and we just loved it. If you have been on a Danube River cruise before, we hope that this review will bring back some fond memories. If you have never been on a river cruise, hopefully the review will show you what they are like. Enjoy!

[BoyntonBeth]

We have just posted the review of our recent Danube River cruise on the AMA Waterways Amalyra on our website www.thepreismans.com. It is very long, so much so that we had to do it in two parts. There are over 800 photos in the review. We do apologize to those people with slow Internet connectivity for putting in so many photos; but with so many beautiful churches and other lovely places on this trip, we couldn’t resist.

 

There are also links at the end of each part of the review to our SnapFish albums that have photos in a larger format. They have been put into four separate albums to provide for faster download.

 

This was our first European river cruise and we just loved it. If you have been on a Danube River cruise before, we hope that this review will bring back some fond memories. If you have never been on a river cruise, hopefully the review will show you what they are like. Enjoy!

 

Carol and Mike,

 

All I can say is "WOW" and "thank you, thank you, thank you!!!"

 

Thank you for all your hard work. Clearly a labor of love.

 

I'm seriously considering the Romantic Danube trip in Oct 2010. You've certainly helped with the decisions.

 

Beth

[new salt]

Excellent review, thank you. River cruise now on the list, we have done the Nile and Lake Nasser which we enjoyed immensely.

 

new salt

[CAPinBoynton]

Beth and New Salt, thanks so much for your kind comments. Beth, do you live in Boynton Beach?

[BoyntonBeth]

Beth and New Salt, thanks so much for your kind comments. Beth, do you live in Boynton Beach?

 

Aberdeen Landings

[CAPinBoynton]

Aberdeen Landings

 

Sandhurst on Jog Road :)

[catkoe1]

Hi Carol and Mike!!!

AWESOME is the word that comes to mind with your posts, pictures and review! My spouse and another couple are taking this cruise in December in reverse and actually staying longer in Prague before the two day pre-cruise and then longer in Budapest. This will be my second river cruise going to the same area and visiting the Christmas Markets, but the first for everyone else traveling with me. You have made me get so incredibly excited about the trip, I can barely contain myself. You should send a story to Cathrine Hamm, Travel Editor of the Los Angeles Times, as she accepts wonderful stories like this!!

 

We are in cabin 326 and our friends will be in your cabin! One question about the aft lounge. Was the aft lounge ever noisy? I like to sleep with the windows cracked... yes even in mid-december. So, I was wondering if while in your cabin were you ever aware of the aft lounge noise or even the beauty shop noise early morning? Thanks in advance for your answers and Thank you again for such a marvelous post!!

Happy Cruisin:cool: To All!

[CAPinBoynton]

Cathy and Ron,

Actually, the aft lounge is kind of a misnomer in my opinion. It should be called a game room. There is no bar that I saw. One time there was a group of about six people playing cards, and on other days I saw people reading in there. Other than that, it was usually empty. I think I used it more than anyone. So, your answer is not to worry. You won't be bothered by the aft lounge nor the beauty shop.

[MVPinBoynton]

Our cabin being only 2 cabins down from the stairs to the sundeck was a major plus to me. It was very quick and easy to see the beauty all around the ship.

[Phoenix cruiser]

We have just posted the review of our recent Danube River cruise on the AMA Waterways Amalyra on our website www.thepreismans.com.

Thanks so much for helping us relive the cruise, and what stunning photos! It hastened my determination to add a wide angle lens to my collection. What do you have in the way of equipment? Your interior shots of the cathedrals really made me jealous. Do you have a tripod?

[MVPinBoynton]

What do you have in the way of equipment?

 

I'm glad you enjoyed the review. One of the main reasons we do them is so that we can relive them again also.

 

Since we get this question so frequently, we put all of the equipment used on at the end of each part of the review. You will see a photo of my camera in a large white area with the specifics. I don't use a tripod.

[Phoenix cruiser]

Thanks. I believe I need to do a more in depth study of my instruction manual- I have a Canon EOS Digital 300D. You know what they say about engineers, instruction manuals and manhood. Time to make an exception!

[MVPinBoynton]

Thanks. I believe I need to do a more in depth study of my instruction manual- I have a Canon EOS Digital 300D. You know what they say about engineers, instruction manuals and manhood. Time to make an exception!

 

I had a 350D or Rebel XT before the 40D. It did a fine job, but I like the exposure compensation control with the 40D. It makes a big difference, especially in churches. I read the manuals all the way through; but I am an accountant. :D

[hysterian]

We are thinking about a Christmas Cruise on AMA and wondered if it is worthwhile to pay for an upgrade. Obviously, we won't be opening the French balcony, but do you get a better view from higher up?

 

Last time we cruised I booked independent tours. How are the tours on the boat? Do you get that "herded around" feeling?

[CAPinBoynton]

We are thinking about a Christmas Cruise on AMA and wondered if it is worthwhile to pay for an upgrade. Obviously, we won't be opening the French balcony, but do you get a better view from higher up?

 

Last time we cruised I booked independent tours. How are the tours on the boat? Do you get that "herded around" feeling?

 

On our ocean cruises Mike usually arranges private tours, but on this river cruise we went with the ones offered by AMA. As described in the review, they use the VOX system. It is a fantastic way to do it because you don't have to stand shoulder to shoulder to your guide to be able to hear. The other wonderful thing was AMA offering different "speed" tours. There was a fast group, 2 and sometimes 3 regular groups, and the "gentle walkers" group. I never felt herded around.

[MVPinBoynton]

We are thinking about a Christmas Cruise on AMA and wondered if it is worthwhile to pay for an upgrade. Obviously, we won't be opening the French balcony, but do you get a better view from higher up?

 

Last time we cruised I booked independent tours. How are the tours on the boat? Do you get that "herded around" feeling?

 

We were on deck three, which I really liked because it was easy to get up to the sundeck from our location. We were near the back of the ship, which meant that we paid deck 2 prices for our cabin. Had we been at the front of deck 3, it would have been more convenient to go down to the lobby and then climb up the longer section of steps to the sundeck. I wouldn't pay more simply to be on deck 3. The view isn't any different than 2. Since I didn't go into a deck 1 cabin, I can't express an opinion on if it is worth paying for an upgrade from it to deck 2.

[kuldalai]

The AMA fleet have three decks Upper , Middle and Lower.

 

The Lower deck is the lead in price point and 2/3 of the cabin is below the waterline. One tends to get a washing noise against the steel hull as the boats cruise a lot between cities overnight. (2/3 of bottom deck cabins are staff, and 1/3 are sold to public.)

 

The Middle Deck attracts a $ 1500 Aus surcharge on the 14 day cruises and if you can afford it is the deck to go for . This deck is at water level and all cabins have French Balconies.

 

The Top Deck is similar to the Middle Deck BUT it is directly under the top observation deck . It attracts a higher surcharge which is not worth it comapred to Middle Deck . So you get all the noise of the early morning circuit walkers going round and round like a herd of frustrated elephants .

 

Only one deck for me on River cruises the Middle Deck .

[Maggie Mae]

Just returned from Almayra - we were on deck three, cabin 331, never heard any noise from above. They did have a rule you couldn't use the track before 8 a.m. but I never heard any noise. Cat. C on deck three didn't cost anymore than the Cat. C cabin's on deck 2. We were in the very last cabin before fitness room and lounge - never heard any noise coming from there either.

[MVPinBoynton]

Hi Maggie Mae,

You were right across the hall from our cabin. I agree 100% with you, we never heard anything from above. It sure was easy to get to the sundeck, wasn't it? Did you enjoy your cruise or did you have any of the flooding issues I have been reading about?

[Maggie Mae]

Hi Mike

We loved our cruise! AMA went above and beyond in my opinion.

The only problem we had was on arrival. We had arranged our own transportation from Prague to Nurnberg and we arrived our ship was no where to be found! We called Bori, who was excellent, she told us that there had been an accident ahead of them at one of the bridges and they would be delayed a few hours. Our driver would not leave us alone at the pier so took us into Nurnberg to walk around until Bori called back to tell us they had arrived. I'm sure all companys and their cruise directors deal with this all the time, but later Bori told me they were also delayed because they stopped along the way to get passengers off at different stops and also arranged new transportation for them to airports to make their flights back home.

We were very lucky the rest of the trip and did not meet up with any flooding problems but aparently the week between your cruise and ours was not so lucky. We were told that the pier in Budapest was under water that week so the ships could not get through for a few days and people were bussed around. While in Passau last Thursday the water was still running over some of the sidewalks and again we were told that previous week was a problem. We were very fortunate not to have any disruptions!

Can't wait to do it again - we are talking about France or Spain next time.