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Ama Provence & Spain


sunfun730

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Not joining you - did this last fall with friends. AMA is great - very organized and inclusive. Hotel Montparnasse in Paris is across from train station so you can take side trips at your leisure. We had dinner two nights at Le Petit Sommelier which is a 5 minute walk. Out of the hotel, turn right and go down just past the station and you will the restaurant's name in lights straight ahead. Very good food.

There is a Monoprix department store just around the corner from the restaurant - turn right once outside the restaurant and right again at the corner. They have a bakery inside as well as toiletries, clothing - lots of things.

Onboard the ship try to sign up for one of the "small group" included tours. They are usually food tastings and are really good. There are only a few of them offered.

You will also enjoy the location in Barcelona if you're doing the post cruise extension - walking distance to everywhere.

Enjoy!!

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Not joining you - did this last fall with friends. AMA is great - very organized and inclusive. Hotel Montparnasse in Paris is across from train station so you can take side trips at your leisure. We had dinner two nights at Le Petit Sommelier which is a 5 minute walk. Out of the hotel, turn right and go down just past the station and you will the restaurant's name in lights straight ahead. Very good food.

There is a Monoprix department store just around the corner from the restaurant - turn right once outside the restaurant and right again at the corner. They have a bakery inside as well as toiletries, clothing - lots of things.

Onboard the ship try to sign up for one of the "small group" included tours. They are usually food tastings and are really good. There are only a few of them offered.

You will also enjoy the location in Barcelona if you're doing the post cruise extension - walking distance to everywhere.

Enjoy!!

We did this AMA trip last May. It was great. If I had to do it over, I would have skipped the Paris stay completely, picked up the river cruise in Lyon and made my own arrangements in Barcelona. The cost of the pre and post river cruise is very expensive.

 

The river cruise is special. It is a great itinerary, great boat, great food, loved all the wine tasting and history.

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We did this AMA trip last May. It was great. If I had to do it over, I would have skipped the Paris stay completely, picked up the river cruise in Lyon and made my own arrangements in Barcelona.

 

It should be pretty easy to do the TGV trip from Paris to Lyons, but how would you get from Arles to Barcelona? DW hates buses, but there is no good train service. Rent a car? [Hm, that could work.]

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It should be pretty easy to do the TGV trip from Paris to Lyons, but how would you get from Arles to Barcelona? DW hates buses, but there is no good train service. Rent a car? [Hm, that could work.]

Yes, the train would be a pain. A one way car rental would probably work.

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We are doing this next year and will stay pre cruise in Paris on our own (as is our preference) and then post not sure where will head before the trip home. Will begin that research when we are back from this years trip. Not interested in Barcelona as we spent a couple of days there previously and that was enough. Perhaps London as it is an easy hop from Arles.

 

We did a wine cruise with AMA in 2011 and it was delightful!

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Hi caviargal!

We leave for this wonderful AMA cruise through the Rhone Valley in just 2 weeks!

We've booked our own pre and post accomodations.

London for a few days then chunnel over to Paris and stay for another four days. We'll then take the train to Lyon with the ship's group.

We looked at hiring a car to go from Arles to Barcelona at the end of the cruise and although it would be a beautiful drive , it's four hours. So we decided that probably at the end of this trip we may be ready to relax and let the ship handle getting us to Barcelona. So I negotiated with AMA and they will bus us .

I happen to agree that 2 days in Barcelona is more then enough...it was fun...and it is a vibrant, in your face city but afterall it is just another big city. We'll stay for an overnight and then fly home.

Any recommendations about neat lunch spots in Paris??

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Hi caviargal!

We leave for this wonderful AMA cruise through the Rhone Valley in just 2 weeks!

We've booked our own pre and post accomodations.

London for a few days then chunnel over to Paris and stay for another four days. We'll then take the train to Lyon with the ship's group.

We looked at hiring a car to go from Arles to Barcelona at the end of the cruise and although it would be a beautiful drive , it's four hours. So we decided that probably at the end of this trip we may be ready to relax and let the ship handle getting us to Barcelona. So I negotiated with AMA and they will bus us .

I happen to agree that 2 days in Barcelona is more then enough...it was fun...and it is a vibrant, in your face city but afterall it is just another big city. We'll stay for an overnight and then fly home.

Any recommendations about neat lunch spots in Paris??

 

I am the wrong one to ask about lunch in Paris as I dislike French food with the exception of their wines and cheeses.:) I subsist on those along with steak tartare for the most part.

 

BTW, AMA will always have a price for transfers even for those who do not book land package with them. Sometimes it is worth the convenience to pay it and have them do the work.

 

Have a wonderful trip!

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Thanks for the well wishes...this is the first time I have organized the entire trip myself and although I am certainly involved it is a bit unsettling that I am on my own if anything goes awry. ...but then I guess there comes a time when you just have to step back and let the trip unfold itself.

French food has very little calories, right??!

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Thanks for the well wishes...this is the first time I have organized the entire trip myself and although I am certainly involved it is a bit unsettling that I am on my own if anything goes awry. ...but then I guess there comes a time when you just have to step back and let the trip unfold itself.

French food has very little calories, right??!

 

I am sure everything will be great!

 

Re the calories, my husband is a firm believer that creme brulee needs to be a part of every meal when in France. In Italy, the same rule applies to gelato. :)

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We are doing this next year and will stay pre cruise in Paris on our own (as is our preference) and then post not sure where will head before the trip home. Will begin that research when we are back from this years trip. Not interested in Barcelona as we spent a couple of days there previously and that was enough. Perhaps London as it is an easy hop from Arles.

 

We did a wine cruise with AMA in 2011 and it was delightful!

 

We also are doing this trip next year, leaving US for Paris on 7/6/14. Looking forward to the trip, but also thinking about spending time in Madrid as we have done Barcelona on other cruises.

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  • 1 month later...
We are booked on the AMADagio for this cruise preceded by a 3 day stay in Paris. We would love to get to know fellow passengers booked for this trip.

 

Welcome to cruise critic. There aren't a lot of river cruise roll calls I think because there are so few passengers compared to an ocean cruise. We are booked next year in July as well but I'm going to do my own thing before and after.

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  • 2 weeks later...

July 2013 We are also on this trip - I just tried to start a thread (new at this) because I did not realize you were already asking!

 

We are arriving Paris 6:30 AM on July 23 and are busy trying to decide how to spend our time there. Someone in a previous reply recommended a good restaurant near the hotel, and that is a help.

 

What are you planning on doing - other than the 1/2 day city tour the cruise provides?

 

Cathy

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YES we are on this same trip - including the 3 day Paris pre-cruise. We are flying non-stop from Charlotte NC on June 22 expecting to arrive Paris about 6:30 AM on the 23rd.

 

We are trying to schedule our time, because with the 1/2 day city tour our time for such a grand city, is really brief!

 

We live in Florida in the winter and Boone, NC in the summer - go apps does NOT mean I am into technology - just a fan of App State!

 

I started another thread will see if anyone replies to AMAdagio July 22 to August 5. We are going to transfer to Barcelona but are meeting a friend there, so staying near his apartment and not with the group at the Grand Marina.

 

Eager to hear what you are planning!

Cathy

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YES we are on this same trip - including the 3 day Paris pre-cruise. We are flying non-stop from Charlotte NC on June 22 expecting to arrive Paris about 6:30 AM on the 23rd.

 

We are trying to schedule our time, because with the 1/2 day city tour our time for such a grand city, is really brief!

 

We live in Florida in the winter and Boone, NC in the summer - go apps does NOT mean I am into technology - just a fan of App State!

 

I started another thread will see if anyone replies to AMAdagio July 22 to August 5. We are going to transfer to Barcelona but are meeting a friend there, so staying near his apartment and not with the group at the Grand Marina.

 

Eager to hear what you are planning!

Cathy

 

Please keep posting. We're doing this next year starting 7/6. Will be doing our own thing both before and after. Latest plan is to leave Arles and return to Avignon for a few days. As it happens the Avignon festival will still be going on, so special treat.

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  • 1 month later...

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