AMAWaterways Prague to Budapest 6/8-6/19 Live

[RachelG]

MsBatt, my husband met a couple of ladies that are going on the Uniworld cruise on his flight over. Then we saw them again walking the first day.

 

You are right about the meat and potatoes. Last night at Kolkovna, I had a Greek salad which was very good, and some delicious soup made of root veggies and mushrooms. They put it in a bread bowl, which was tasty, but I could only eat about 1/5 of the bowl. Would have rather had just more of the soup. Husband had some sausages in a sauce made of beer and peppers. He was expecting something slightly spicy, but it turned out to be sweet, so wasn't really to his taste. Dessert was apple strudel (just ok) with outstanding apple and cinnamon ice cream. The ice cream was really the highlight of the whole meal.

 

We walked down to try to see the Charles Bridge at night, but it refused to get dark on us. And it was getting windy and starting to sprinkle, so we gave up at 9:30. Of course, by the time we made it back to the hotel, it WAS dark.

 

Karen, the King's Court Hotel is right down from the Hilton. It looks very nice. It is in an old art deco building, of which there are many all over this part of town. I have really enjoyed just walking around looking at all the beautiful architecture.

 

Am up so early because we had to have bags out by 6:15 this am--uugh!

[cruisingmad]

Thanks, Rachel, for taking the time to share your experiences. I have sailed several times on ocean liners, but my November river cruise (parallel to yours) will be my first.

 

I am interested in your perceptions as a first-timer. From what I've learned, a river cruise is a very different experience to an ocean cruise (no "sea days", smaller group and ship, etc.). Anything you share with me is appreciated.

 

I will be staying at the Intercontinental Hotel in Prague (part of the AMA extension) and I booked the Hotel Victoria in Budapest for one night on my own.

 

Enjoy the cruise!

 

Sergio

[alexandra cruiser]

but,,heres MY first impression,,after many ocean cruises,,LOVeD it,,but different,,the rooms are smaller,food not as grand,,little opportunity to eat for 2 at dinner,,mostly large tables for 6...small ship,,only 120 or so...but fantastic views from top deck,,many interesting people to meet,great stops in center of city,,and sadly, no room service...boohoo...but STILL go,,,vary them with ocean and nice change,,,just try not to COMPARE>>>>reminds me of hotel that floats along with you,,like bus...hope that helps...;)

[cruisingmad]

but,,heres MY first impression,,after many ocean cruises,,LOVeD it,,but different,,the rooms are smaller,food not as grand,,little opportunity to eat for 2 at dinner,,mostly large tables for 6...small ship,,only 120 or so...but fantastic views from top deck,,many interesting people to meet,great stops in center of city,,and sadly, no room service...boohoo...but STILL go,,,vary them with ocean and nice change,,,just try not to COMPARE>>>>reminds me of hotel that floats along with you,,like bus...hope that helps...;)

Thanks, those are mostly my expectations, and if they are fulfilled, river cruising will feature more in my future. As a matter of fact, I already booked a Rhine and Mosel (Paris to Amsterdam) AMA cruise for April 2012.

 

I travel alone, so the large dinner table sounds good to me.

 

Did you miss nightly entertainment? Were there many/few idle times to just relax on the boat, read, etc., or is it a busy-busy schedule?

 

Thanks,

 

 

Sergio

[ann1bell]

We are staying either at the Design Hotel Sax or the Unitas Hotel. One is St Charles Bridge ,the other is not far from the Prague Hilton Old Town. Which is best area for seeing everything? Thanks

[karen sharpe]

Rachel..weather sounds lovely..any recommendations of things/clothing outside the usual that we might need? How were you with the currency in Prague, are ABM machines readily available?

We are planning on doing a horse and carriage ride one evening through Prague...did you see any?

Did you buy anything in Prague...?many crystal shops?

I am looking forward to hearing about Karlovy..I have been told it is among the prettiest towns in Europe.

Thanks for The info re King's Court ...this is great !

[alexandra cruiser]

every nite has piano player and dancing,along with 3 o r 4 nites when local entertainers come on board,,like folk singers,,,dancers,,band,,etc...and I always enjoy them...appropriate for country,,like Fado singer in Portugal,Russian dancers,German oompah band,,,nothing like Broadway shows on ocean ships...but very nice..

 

Plenty of time to relax and read,,,esp.top deck,,,,just watch scenery go by with nice drink...we always get balcony,whether French,,or on new ships,,,reg.small one too...hate to miss anything...good thing is option to go with ship tour or just wander on own...then back to ship at leisure,,or eat lunch in town,,,just dont sign up for too much and feel your e very rushed....we made that mistake the first time..

 

Can bring wine,or food onboard from shopping and enjoy in room too..most have refrig...dont bring to dinner,since most have free wine....:)

[cruisingmad]

every nite has piano player and dancing,along with 3 o r 4 nites when local entertainers come on board,,like folk singers,,,dancers,,band,,etc...and I always enjoy them...appropriate for country,,like Fado singer in Portugal,Russian dancers,German oompah band,,,nothing like Broadway shows on ocean ships...but very nice..

 

Plenty of time to relax and read,,,esp.top deck,,,,just watch scenery go by with nice drink...we always get balcony,whether French,,or on new ships,,,reg.small one too...hate to miss anything...good thing is option to go with ship tour or just wander on own...then back to ship at leisure,,or eat lunch in town,,,just dont sign up for too much and feel your e very rushed....we made that mistake the first time..

 

Can bring wine,or food onboard from shopping and enjoy in room too..most have refrig...dont bring to dinner,since most have free wine....:)

Thanks! I always look forward to a sea day in an ocean cruise, so that I can relax, read, and listen to my music. Sounds great, and I can't wait until November!!!

 

Sergio

[RachelG]

Yesterday was a long day. Up early (6:00) to put out luggage. Bus left promptly at 8:30 with commentary most of the way to Karlovy vary. Guide talked about growing up under soviet rule, life now. Beautiful countryside.

Karlovy vary is a spa town situated in the forest. Nice walking promenade with a lot of upscale shops and some that are more affordable. People from eastern Europe come here to drink the water which is full of sulfer and other minerals. They think it is healthful. I think it probably would really clean out your system, in more than one way, but not sure about the health benefits.

Anyway we ate lunch at a very cEck place with huge plates of meat and dumplings. It gave me a nice nap for the rest of the drive.

Arrived at the ship at 4:30. It is pretty far outside nuremburg city center, so if anyone would think they could go into nuremburg that evening, it would involve more than just walking. You would have to have the desk call a taxi.

When I said we were on the amadolce, I lied. We are on the amalyra.

Boat is quiate nice, obviously compact holding 148 passengers. Room is quite small with a bed that is smaller slightly than a regular queen sized, but still ok for us. Not a lot of room to walk around. 2 chairs, French balcony which means you can open tha windows that make up on wall, pretty big safe, tiny closets but I got everything put away. Bathroom is very high tech and way cool, ESP the shower which I love. Nice toiletries. Tv system has movies as well as Internet and several channels.

We had captain's cocktail party with sparkling wince at 6 then dinner at 7. Several 2 top tables, along with larger ones. Dinner was quite good with a salmon pate starter for everyone, then you could choose between beef carpaccio and a salad with smoked salmon (quite nice). Followed by your choice of soup ( yummy cream of white asparagus ). Main was either beef, red snapper or a vege dish sort of like eggplant Parmesan which is what I had and it was great. Dessert was white choc mousses, cherries jubilee or a cheese selection which was quite good.

Went for a nice walk along the shore afterward.

Room was nice and quiet for a good sleep.

[RachelG]

Oops, forgot to add, wine was very free flowing. We had a German red, a dornfelder, I think ( sp) . I had never had that before , but it was great.

 

cD is Kriss from Canada. She is quite pleasant and seems very capable and organized.

[MVPinBoynton]

So glad you are on Amalyra. We just loved the ship and staff. We thought the cabin was a pretty good size. I guess our expectation of a river cruise included very small cabins; which is not uncommon. The Amalyra cabin size was similar to many of the cabins we have had on ocean cruises; but the french balcony made it seem smaller to me. I think you will find that the soups are something to look forward to every day. We really enjoyed them. Have a great time.

[tallship]

Am considering a river cruise as well

Would the exvursions be ok for someoe who cannot walk for long periods of time or has some mobility issues?

[cinders87]

Tallship I am helping my elderly grandparents on a European river cruise in about 9 days time. We are going with APT who uses AMA waterways boats. Grandma uses a walker and cannot walk for long periods of time. I will let you know how we go with the excursions etc.

[poss]

Thanks for the continued reports and very glad you're enjoying yourselves!

[RachelG]

In the morning, there was a choice of either a medieval tour or a WWII tour of Nuremburg. Of course, my husband wanted to do the WWII tour.

As far as tour intensity, in the briefing the night before, the CD will tell you how much walking is involved. The had a version of the medieval tour that didn't involve much at all apparently. Today we have a slow walkers group, a fast walkers group , and several in between.

Anyway, back to yesterday, there were about 12 of us on the WWII tour with our very interesting guide named Peter. We went by bus to the rally grounds where he gave what I would consider to be the truthful version of what went on, then to the giant colluseum that they never finished building. This is where the documentation center is now, but you would have to take a taxi there on your own to see that. Then we drove toward downtown and saw the medieval walls on the way to the courthouse where courtroom 600 is. Got out there and he gave us a great overview of what happened there.

Now the problems started. The CD had assured us that we would get to go into courtroom 600 since it was a holiday and they weren't holding court. But Peter knew nothing about this as it was not on the itinerary he was given. Everyone in the group as far as I could tell wanted to do it, but he wouldn't budge. My husband even offered to pay the 5 euros perpeerson entry fee for everyone. But no way.

So we got back on the bus and went to the city center ito see the fountain. Now my husband is a lawyer and the courtroom was to be the highlight of his trip. There was another lawyer, a Marine JAG, who really wanted to see it too. So they grabbed a taxi and went back and had a wonderful time since no one else was there'.

Meantime, I had been instructed to find gingerbread. Problem was that due to the holiday, all the shops and grocery stores were closed. I searched all over and finally found an ice cream shop whose enterprising (smart)owner had laid in a supply, so I was able to make my purchase. Then when people from the ship saw me walking around with. It, they were asking where I got it. Pretty soon there was a line at the shop with everyone buying gingerbread, which was amazingly good, btw.

We saw the glockenspiel do it's thing at noon, then back to the ship at 12:30.

 

Breakfast had pretty much been chaos, with everyone arriving at the same time. Food was good, but too crowded and chaotic, so I will not do that again. Lunch was better, and was very good with a big salad bar, delicious soup, and made to order pasta with good pesto sauce. Only bad thing was the hamburger my husband cooked which was dry and overbooked, and probably a cheap cut of meat. Oh well, he had plenty to eat.

 

Afternoon was occupied by sailing down the canal and through all the locks which fascinated my husband. He absolutely loved it. Blue sparkling wine when we crossed the continental divide.

 

Dinner was again very good, on par with Regent but just fewer options. The escargot soup was almost as good as the mushroom soup in Signatures which is my all time favorite. My friend had lamb which looked really good. Rest of us had cod which was delicious. Wine was a different German red, not as good as first nights, but still very drinkable and VERY free flowing.

[tallship]

Tallship I am helping my elderly grandparents on a European river cruise in about 9 days time. We are going with APT who uses AMA waterways boats. Grandma uses a walker and cannot walk for long periods of time. I will let you know how we go with the excursions etc.

 

Thanks. I would appreciate knowing in advance if this is going to be an issue

[RachelG]

Karen, I will answer your questions about Prague now. Didn't mean to ignore them, but sometimes I type and post without reading previous posts as I don't have Internet connection at the time I am writing. Also apologize again for the poor iPad typing. Auto complete does me in sometimes.

 

As far as clothing, main thing by far is good walking shoes. Temps have varied from cool and rainy ( but not hard rain) to sunny and warm, so you need to bring layers. I have several tops that I can layer, one pair of long pants, 3 pairs capris, and 1 pair shorts. Haven't worn the shorts yet.

 

Lots of the horse drawn carriages at the main square if you want to do that. Also old vintage cars that you can hire to drive you around. Both a bit pricey to me.

 

Lots of crystal shops everywhere, from cheap souvenir stuff to very top quality collectable and everything in between. I saw a lot of really beautiful stuff.

 

A lot of ATM machines everywhere we have been.

 

I have not bought anything yet except gingerbread. There was a beautiful dress in Karlovy vary that caught my eye, and the price was reasonable. But the sizing was in European sizes so I didn't dare purchase it without trying it on. And didn't have enough time left to do that.

[RachelG]

Rensburg is a quiate nice medieval town of the type I like. You can walk all over, not get badly lost, lots of shops with quality goods.

We had a walking tour of an hour and a half in the am with a fast group, 3 or 4 regular groups and a gentle group. The gentle group didn't"t go as far but got to se the highlights. As far as I could tell, everyone sorted themselves into the propeer groups. There were people in the gentle group with wheelchairs and canes for whoever wanted to know that. I think a walker would be difficult to manage on the cobblestone steers though.

 

Had lunch at the wurst house that is right by the stone bridge. Can"t miss it and it is right down from where the ship docks. Definitely worth eating there. They also have wheat beer which is the special kind from the region that my husband enjoyed.

 

In the afternoon, we did the bike tour to walhalla. It was rated a 5 in intensity. Really wasn't difficult at all, but the was every level of bike rider from my husband and myself plus another couple who have done multi day long bike rides to some who hand"t gotten on a bike in years. But it was great fun. I wish we had more opportunities to use the bikes. A lot of times it just doesn't fit the schedule.

 

Dinner was again quite good, but we were too tired to go to the 60"s party afterward. Just went up to the top deck for a nightcap and watched the beautiful scenery then to sleep.

[geordiebing]

We are doing this trip end July and were interested in what you said about crystal shops in Prague. Could you tell me if they artier raw crystals or do you mean Vases, bowls etc.

Many thanks, enjoy the rest of your trip.

[ann1bell]

What is the difference in what is seen by the fast and regular group? Does regular group see less or take longer to see same that fast people do? Thanks.

[bphman]

i'm getting excited. We leave on the Amalyra the end of July and wind up in Prague for a week for our nephew's wedding. Your narrative is quite informative and giving us lots of ideas. Can't wait for tomorrow's edition.

[RachelG]

First, to answer the question re crystals shops in Prague, they are cut crystal--vases, wine glasses, etc. There are also a lot of jewelry shops that have crystal jewelry. You also will see a lot of garnet shops--our guide told us that all the garnets in Czech republic are very small, so if you see a big one, it is either imported or a fake. Also will see a lot of amber shops, but it is 100% imported.

 

Today we had the option of going to Salzburg. This involved a 2 hr bus ride each way which is definitely not our thing, so we took the walking tour of passau then went down the Danube to Linz where those on the Salzburg tour rejoined the ship. I am glad we did what we did.

 

Passau is a less touristy town than some of the others , so we were able to walk around on our own after the walking tour and visit some shops. Excellent prices here.

 

Cruise from Passau to Linz was very scenic. Nice sunny day and I got a bit more sun than planned as there is a walking track on the top deck with 18 laps being a mile. Made good use of this. Then took a quick walk on our own in Linz. Lots of really nice looking shops in that town.

 

Dinner was austrian food and wine and was followed by a string trio called la strada which plays classical music and is very good.

 

Someone asked about the fast vs regular walking groups. Only day I could tell any difference in speed was in regensburg. Other days they have seemed to be the same.

[MVPinBoynton]

First, to answer the question re crystals shops in Prague, they are cut crystal--vases, wine glasses, etc. There are also a lot of jewelry shops that have crystal jewelry. You also will see a lot of garnet shops--our guide told us that all the garnets in Czech republic are very small, so if you see a big one, it is either imported or a fake. Also will see a lot of amber shops, but it is 100% imported.

 

Today we had the option of going to Salzburg. This involved a 2 hr bus ride each way which is definitely not our thing, so we took the walking tour of passau then went down the Danube to Linz where those on the Salzburg tour rejoined the ship. I am glad we did what we did.

 

Passau is a less touristy town than some of the others , so we were able to walk around on our own after the walking tour and visit some shops. Excellent prices here.

 

Cruise from Passau to Linz was very scenic. Nice sunny day and I got a bit more sun than planned as there is a walking track on the top deck with 18 laps being a mile. Made good use of this. Then took a quick walk on our own in Linz. Lots of really nice looking shops in that town.

 

Dinner was austrian food and wine and was followed by a string trio called la strada which plays classical music and is very good.

 

Someone asked about the fast vs regular walking groups. Only day I could tell any difference in speed was in regensburg. Other days they have seemed to be the same.

 

 

I am so glad that to hear that La Strada is still coming on the boats. We really enjoyed them. Did you get to go to St. Stephan's Church in Passau? An absolutely gorgeous church with the what is claimed to be the world's largest cathedral organ.

[webfoot]

I, too, am glad to hear that La Strada is still around. We have heard them on 3 of our 4 cruises. Last year we purchased both of their CDs so now even though we cannot travel anymore, we will still have these wonderful memories.

[RachelG]

Yes, we did go to the cathedral in Passau. The organ is huge, and I would have really enjoyed hearing it . Unfortunately the concert was at noon and we had to be inboard at 11:45.

 

Today was the visit to Melk abbey which is this enormous Benedictine abbey in the baroque style. They have a school there, and the abbey is still Fu crooning along with the museum part. Now, my youngest son went to a Benedictine school for a year, but it was nothing like this! Think over the top gold baroque everything.

 

After the visit, we walked through the gardens and down to the town which had a lot of cute shops. Then back to the boat for a sail through the wachau valley.

 

The wachau is very scenic with hills covered in vineyards, little villages, ruined castles. We saw the castle where Richard the lion hearted was held prisoner. It started raining for about 30 minutes at the end of the valley, but then the sun came out again. They served desserts up on deck during the sail prior to the rain.

 

Docked in Vienna at 6:30. Tonight was the night that a lot of people went to the concert. Our traveling companions went, so I will try to get a report from them.

 

My husband and I took a taxi, arranged by Kriss, downtown to meet other friends of our who are here in Vienna. Had dinner of sausages at Huth Beisl, then walked down the street to cafe sacher for dessert. Taxi cost 15 euro each way.