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Live from the AMACerto


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We arrived today at the AMACerto docked in Vilshofen. We did 4 nights on our own in Prague but joined AMA for the transfer from Prague to Vilhofen with a stop in Regensburg. We enjoyed the town of Regensburg but after an hour tour we only had an hour on our own in the town which had to include lunch. Arrived at the boat at 4:00pm for our welcome briefing and since the town was celebrating an "Oktoberfest" we all headed to the fair grounds for beer and pretzels for a couple hours. The Captains dinner will be tomorrow night.

First impressions of the boat are quite favourable. She still looks very new and dinner tonight was great.

 

 

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We had free time in Vilshofen this morning before returning to the ship for Hotel Manager's Welcome. We set sail for Passau before noon and were through our first lock at lunchtime, without problems or delay. We are docked in Passau until midnight. Today we did the Limited edition tour which was a bike tour along the Inn River.

 

 

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We had free time in Vilshofen this morning before returning to the ship for Hotel Manager's Welcome. We set sail for Passau before noon and were through our first lock at lunchtime, without problems or delay. We are docked in Passau until midnight. Today we did the Limited edition tour which was a bike tour along the Inn River.

 

 

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How was the bike tour?

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I've heard rumors that AMA provides passengers with "seat canes" upon request. Can you tell me if you've seen or heard anything about these? thanks!

 

If a seat cane is what I am thinking it is, a collapsible seat, then YES, I did see them. They were in the container where the umbrellas were stored, right near the exit doors in the lobby area.

 

I did not see anyone use one, but I was in the "active" walkers group.

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I've heard rumors that AMA provides passengers with "seat canes" upon request. Can you tell me if you've seen or heard anything about these? thanks!

 

I saw them, too, on our AMACerto cruise in May. Was surprised because I have never seen them on any other cruise line. There were a couple, maybe three. Didn't see anyone use them, though.

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I've heard rumors that AMA provides passengers with "seat canes" upon request. Can you tell me if you've seen or heard anything about these? thanks!

 

Yes, there are about 10 of them next to the door as you exit.

 

 

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How was the bike tour?

 

The guides started out by saying it wasn't a sight seeing tour but rather a bike tour. They did however, make a mumber of stops in town to talk about the markings on the Town Hall and the recent flood and to point out St. Stephens Church. We did about 16km and most was alomg dedicated biking/walking paths. We enjoyed the ride and most people appreciated the opportunity to do some physical activity to burn off the calories.

 

 

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thank you for the daily posts...they certainly will help us prepare for our upcoming first river cruise.

 

You're welcome. This is our first river cruise and prior to leaving we were anxious to read anything we could about our ship and our itinerary.

 

Today's stop was Linz. Since our last day in Prague the weather has turned cool and rainy. Our walking tour of Linz this morning was nice and the rain held off. Since the afternoon weather forecast was for showers we opted for the trip to Salzburg since the trip to the Lakes district would have limited visability in the rain and fog. It rained heavily all the way to Salzburg but thankfully stopped raining when we arrived in Salzburg and throughout our walking tour.

 

Tomorrow brings us to Melk, the Wachau Valley and Krems.

 

We have enjoyed the meals onboard. I know dining is subjective but we have felt the selection has been good and the food tasty.

 

 

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You're welcome. This is our first river cruise and prior to leaving we were anxious to read anything we could about our ship and our itinerary.

 

Today's stop was Linz. Since our last day in Prague the weather has turned cool and rainy. Our walking tour of Linz this morning was nice and the rain held off. Since the afternoon weather forecast was for showers we opted for the trip to Salzburg since the trip to the Lakes district would have limited visability in the rain and fog. It rained heavily all the way to Salzburg but thankfully stopped raining when we arrived in Salzburg and throughout our walking tour.

 

Tomorrow brings us to Melk, the Wachau Valley and Krems.

 

We have enjoyed the meals onboard. I know dining is subjective but we have felt the selection has been good and the food tasty.

 

 

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I don't think there is much of anything left, but just outside of Krems was the infamous WWII prisoner of war camp, Stalag 17B. Probably not something most of the people there want to talk about.

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I don't think there is much of anything left, but just outside of Krems was the infamous WWII prisoner of war camp, Stalag 17B. Probably not something most of the people there want to talk about.

 

No mention of that at all as we approached Krems.

 

Yesterday was a fantastic day! A morning visit to the Melk Abbey followed by an afternoon cruise through the Wauchau Valley. The sun finally made an appearance at the perfect time to allow us to sit on the sun deck for the cruise. Breath taking views of castles and villages. A late afternoon stop in Krems followed. We opted for the bike tour from Krems to Durnstein. A lovely ride along the river and then about an hour free time in Durnstein. Last night was the wine tasting experience in Krems.

 

 

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Friday was our day in Vienna and it was a long, full day. It started with a walking tour in town. We were docked aways from the city centre which required a bus ride to get there. Traffic going in and throughout the day was horrible. We had chosen the active walkers group and although our guide knew that he moved at the pace of a turtle. The active group was supposed to allow you extra free time at the end but we arrived after other groups. We didn't like our guide and came away from the tour with a negative experince and therefor didn't think very favourably of Vienna.

 

We took the boat' s tour to Schonbrunn in the afternoon. We had originally planned to do this on our own but after deciding to go to the concert in the evening we thought the timimg might not work out to get to the early dinner. We had a great tour of the palace and a great commentary on the ride back to the boat.

 

Although I am not a classical music lover, I am glad I went to the concert in the evening. It was something to experience in the music capital of the world.

 

This morning was free and it was nice to sit on the sun deck as we sailed to Bratislava. The afternoon was the walking tour of the Old Town and then free time in the city. The city was busy as there was an annual folk festival happening. It was nice to see performances of song and dance as well as shop the booths of local crafts.

 

 

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Hi Gayle!

 

I'm enjoying your report, we have a Rhine River cruise booked over Christmas and I'd love to hear more about the ship. I'm also interested in how the tours are scheduled, I'm curious what will be available for us Christmas Eve & Christmas Day when most everything in town closed.

 

Have a great rest of your trip!

~Amy

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Gayle - Thank you for your day-by-day discussion of your cruise activities. We are taking the same ship, same cruise next June with a local group. It will be our first river cruise and we have heard good things about AMA. We appreciate your taking the time to post your reports.

 

Can you please tell me if there is any weightlifting equipment in the fitness center. All the photos I have seen show a couple of pieces of cardio equipment (elliptical, stationary bike) but no dumbbells or weight benches. I don't expect too much on such a small vessel, but I'm hoping to get in at least one workout or two while onboard. :)

 

Thanks. And happy travels.

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I'm also interested in how the tours are scheduled, I'm curious what will be available for us Christmas Eve & Christmas Day when most everything in town closed.

Amy we were in Vienna last Christmas Eve and though I checked online and it said many things were closed, including the practice of the Spanish Riding School, virtually everything was open as usual. We had a morning tour, and I chose the riding school, and then came back into town in the afternoon.

 

The shops started to close around 2.00 ish, it varied, and the markets were very busy in the morning, and slowly as the crowds left (it was horrible rainy day) they started to close with the food vendors being the last.

 

All the museums etc were open for morning walking tour, it was just soggy and very very cold.

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we have a Rhine River cruise booked over Christmas and I'd love to hear more about the ship.

 

We were on the AmaCerto last November and I posted a detailed review. If you have any specific questions, I am happy to help.

 

It was our 6th river cruise, our 2nd with AMA and a fabulous experience!

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Amy we were in Vienna last Christmas Eve and though I checked online and it said many things were closed, including the practice of the Spanish Riding School, virtually everything was open as usual. We had a morning tour, and I chose the riding school, and then came back into town in the afternoon.

 

The shops started to close around 2.00 ish, it varied, and the markets were very busy in the morning, and slowly as the crowds left (it was horrible rainy day) they started to close with the food vendors being the last.

 

All the museums etc were open for morning walking tour, it was just soggy and very very cold.

We were on the AmaCerto in April and absolutely loved it! I am reading your posts with interest, as we would like to book this itinerary on the same ship or a sister ship. The crew was fantastic (Miklos, Catalan, Sabi, and of course, Captain Tom. Is Justin still the CD? We took 2 bike tours in Holland and loved them both, though it was very windy. Can't wait to sail the family again.

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I am enjoying your reports - thank you!

 

My husband and I are sailing on AMA Certo in November for the wine-themed cruise. We are making our own arrangements in Prague and using the AMA transfer like you did. Any suggestions?

 

We are not fans of organized tours but if the docks are not convenient to sites, does it make sense to skip them and go off on our own? Weather permitting (mid November??) we would love to just walk around and bike.

 

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

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I am enjoying your reports - thank you!

 

My husband and I are sailing on AMA Certo in November for the wine-themed cruise. We are making our own arrangements in Prague and using the AMA transfer like you did. Any suggestions?

 

We are not fans of organized tours but if the docks are not convenient to sites, does it make sense to skip them and go off on our own? Weather permitting (mid November??) we would love to just walk around and bike.

 

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

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

 

Last year we did a Christmas market cruise with AMA and spent time on our own in both Prague and Budapest and enjoyed both cities very much. It was our 2nd stay in Prague.

 

We hired a private guide in both cities and highly recommend it.

 

In Budapest we stayed at Marriott Millenium Apartments and it was a perfect choice. In Prague we stayed at Barcelo Old Town Praha, which we had discovered on a previous visit. We would definitely stay at both again.

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Sorry I haven't been updating for a while but we ended our cruise in Budapest on Monday and then spent 2 nights there at a hotel that didn't have free wifi :eek: There were a number of cafes and restaurants near by that did but didn't want to spend my time there on the internet.

 

Our last day in on the cruise in Budapest offered a city tour. We seemed to drive through a lot of streets on the Pest side but didn't stop anywhere until Hero's Square. There we "lost" a few passengers so we spent time located them. Then on to the Buda side and the sights there. The evening cruise on the river was magical as the weather was perfect and the city was beautiful all lit up.

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Hi Gayle!

 

I'm enjoying your report, we have a Rhine River cruise booked over Christmas and I'd love to hear more about the ship. I'm also interested in how the tours are scheduled, I'm curious what will be available for us Christmas Eve & Christmas Day when most everything in town closed.

 

Have a great rest of your trip!

~Amy

 

Hi Amy - Nice to catch up with you again after sharing the tour in Scotland last year! We were very impressed with AMA. The crew on the AMACerto were excellent and we found the boat quite comfortable. The cabins are smaller than we are used to on an ocean cruise ship but they are well laid out and had enough storage space. I can't comment on the Rhine river itinerary or what will be available over Christmas but there are others who already have. I'm sure it will be beautiful at that time of the year. Now that we have done the Danube we are interested in the Rhine now. :)

 

Gayle - Thank you for your day-by-day discussion of your cruise activities. We are taking the same ship, same cruise next June with a local group. It will be our first river cruise and we have heard good things about AMA. We appreciate your taking the time to post your reports.

 

Can you please tell me if there is any weightlifting equipment in the fitness center. All the photos I have seen show a couple of pieces of cardio equipment (elliptical, stationary bike) but no dumbbells or weight benches. I don't expect too much on such a small vessel, but I'm hoping to get in at least one workout or two while onboard. :)

 

Thanks. And happy travels.

 

The fitness center is small and had 2 bikes, a tread mill and one rowing machine. I did spot one set of 5kg hand weights but no benches. We passed the weight room often on our way to the sun deck but never saw anyone using it. This itinerary was busy so there wasn't a lot of time.

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