Live from AMABella Budapest to vilshofen, November 9-16

[RachelG]

No, they did not point out the prison camp. My husband would have found that interesting.

 

The bikes are easy to ride. Three speeds with handlebar shifter, hand and back pedal brakes. We bike a lot, so the ride was a bit slow for us but went through some beautiful countryside. My husband and I thought we stopped TOO Much. So there you go.

[RachelG]

A very dark overcast sky greeted us as we docked in Durnstein, with temps in the low 40s pond and a bit of wind. It looked like it could rain at any moment, but fortunately that held off.

Walking tours for the morning: a fast walkers tour (which we did), several moderate walkers groups, and a gentle group which took a little train part of the way. Again the groups went all basically the same places. We just had more free time at the end.

We walked up to the quaint little village stopping by the place where they mark the level of the flood waters. The flood this spring reached over 11 meters here, and the top measurement on the gauge was 11 meters. So this spring's flood was above it.

After our guided walk, many of us climbed up the hill to the ruins of the fort where Richard the Lion Hearted was held captive. It was a nice climb, and I would say about 25 made it to the top. On the way back, George picked us some grapes for a snack (totally ok as the harvest has already occurred).

We left Durnstein for a cruise up the wachau valley, the absolutely most beautiful part of the Danube. The fall colors are nothing like in the us, but still very nice.

We docked at Melk where we have a wonderful tour of the abbey. The baroque is amazing. And we had a good guide.

A wonderful day. We had a little medical emergency at the end, which I had to attend, but all is ok.

[RachelG]

We have gone back to bright and sunny today in Linz. It is still in the low 40's but the sun helps out a lot.

Before I forget, I wanted mention laundry service onboard. It is laundry and pressing only, no dry cleaning. You get things back in 24 hrs, and the prices are very reasonable. 2 euro for jeans, 3 euro for shirts, 1.20 for underwear and socks.

Also it gets dark very early this time of year. Sun is up at 7 ish. But it is totally black dark at 4:30.

Anyway, back on topic, we went on a bike ride around Linz this am. It was great. Very fast biking guide. George and I were fine, but some were struggling. But she gave good stops for people to catch up. We learned a lot about the history of Linz. We went to the cathedral, the largest in Austria, seating 20,000. The stained glass windows are amazing, probably the best I have ever seen save Chartres in France. It was a great ride and tour.

After lunch, the choices were Salzburg or Cesky Krumlov. Since the distance and bus ride were shorter to Cesky krumlov, that is what we chose. It was amazing. A huge old castle with enormous gardens and a perfect village. I would be happy to go back any time. We walked all over, burning lots of calories. You definitely need to be fit and wearing good shoes to visit this town!

Captains dinner was tonight, and they pulled out all stops. The lamb was perfect. Also had lobster soup with vanilla which was unique and delicious. .

 

Also in Linz, there is a beautiful light display every evening along the river, so we were treated to that.

[jojocmcla]

Thanks, RachelG and Bobalink for your reviews on the biking tours. I know my husband and I will do one on our cruise.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Captains dinner was tonight, and they pulled out all stops. The lamb was perfect. Also had lobster soup with vanilla which was unique and delicious.

 

Wow! It sounds like your food is even better than on our AmaCello cruise from Amsterdam to Basel (and we thought that was a high point for river cruising!). Enjoy!

[RachelG]

This was a good morning to sleep late. We do not arrive at passau until 2 pm. Unfortunately we did get the disembarkation instructions this am. The very worst part of a cruise. A lot of people are continuing on the post cruise to Prague. George and I are going independently to munich.

It is partly cloudy and with a chill in the air but not windy, so it should be pleasant enough for our time in passau. Temps in the 40s.

We had a wonderful German lunch with all sorts of wurst and other meats. Quite delicious.

Upon docking in passau, we went on our own self guided tour as George and I had been here before. Lots of shopping opportunities, plus the church and the Rathaus where they have the gauge showing previous floods. The one his year was a good foot higher than any previous, which really shows its devastation.

Dinner was another great hit. Again just delicious. George had beef filet, and he is a very sharp critic, but it got an A. I took a bite and would agree. Yummy.

We cruised to vilshofen after dinner where an octoberfest awaited us. A tent was set up and heated. A Bavarian band played for us, we were greeted by the mayor and the beer queen. Lots of good fun, and I do 't even like beer.

[nana541]

How fun Rachel!! I am just loving following along and can't wait for our Rivercruise adventure. Thanks so much for taking the time to post.

Safe journey :)

[RachelG]

Unfortunately the time to disembark has arrived. There are three buses going to Prague for a post cruise there, one to Munich, and then us independent travelers. The ship arranged a taxi for us to the train station.. Being a German train, it was right on time and very clean. In 2 hrs, we were in Munich.

We took the S-Bahn subway to our hotel. The Munich City Hilton sits right on top of the subway station which theoretically would be very convenient. But the escalator to the exit we needed was broken, so we had to take a bit of a detour. Still ok, but wheeled luggage and cobblestones don't really go well together.

Nice modern room on the exec floor, with a great lounge. Wifi works in our room, though others have reported having to go to the lounge or lobby to get connected. We checked in then walked down to Marienplatz which is where the old and new Rathaus are. Had lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe as George was in American food withdrawal. Then went to the German museum which is a sort of science and industry museum, heaven for guys interested in that stuff.

[dwkucera]

Yiks!!!! I just loved that show :)

 

I did to, but my Dad who was a POW in Stalag 17B for over 18 months, hated it. He could not stand that they made a comedy show out of the situation.

[Host Jazzbeau]

I did to, but my Dad who was a POW in Stalag 17B for over 18 months, hated it. He could not stand that they made a comedy show out of the situation.

 

The Brits did even better with 'Allo, 'Allo, set in a small village in occupied France. They make the French, Germans, Italians, English and Americans all look like fools, without minimizing the privations of being occupied by a foreign power.

[RachelG]

Sitting at the Munich airport waiting for our flight to LHR. Home tomorrow.

 

I really enjoyed this trip. Being with our good friends made it extra special too.

 

At the end of our first river cruise on the older ship, I said I would maybe go on another river cruise if conditions were right. But it was a big maybe.

 

At the end of this cruise, I can say a definite yes, I am ready to go again on one of the newer AMA longships. They have fixed all the stuff I complained about. The cabins and bathrooms are not so cramped. You can actually walk around in them. Storage is adequate. The cramped noisy dining room is much improved. There is adequate seating for everyone in the lounge. The food is fine.

 

My only complaints: lighting in the bathroom is horrid. Almost impossible to do makeup.

They served way unripe avocados. Maybe this is the way people eat them in Europe, but it would never fly in Oklahoma. Green and tough as a gourd. Bananas were also unripe.

Those are only only big complaints, so things are pretty good!

 

We had one mediocre guide. The rest were good to excellent. The tours were good overall though we broke away a few times just because we wanted to, no fault of the tour.

 

We also had one surly waiter, which we reported. Never ate in his section again, and the rest of the waiters were good to excellent. Wine flowed freely. No problems with refills. The bar guy was great. Yes, you have to go to the bar to get a drink, but that won't kill anyone.

 

Overall a great trip.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Yes, you have to go to the bar to get a drink, but that won't kill anyone.

 

Overall a great trip.

 

We found that a plus: no pressure to buy another round before you're ready!

[RachelG]

You are exactly right!

[gillianrose]

Yes, you have to go to the bar to get a drink, but that won't kill anyone.

 

It will not be a problem for an able-bodied person, but it will be a huge problem for someone who has walking difficulties.

[nana541]

It will not be a problem for an able-bodied person, but it will be a huge problem for someone who has walking difficulties.

 

I am pretty darn sure someone with "mobility issues" will have no problems getting drinks, either from their traveling companions or staff!

[gillianrose]

I am pretty darn sure someone with "mobility issues" will have no problems getting drinks, either from their traveling companions or staff!

 

How, if they are traveling solo? Doesn't any crew member ever come around to inquire whether someone (especially one using a cane) would like a drink?

[RachelG]

How, if they are traveling solo? Doesn't any crew member ever come around to inquire whether someone (especially one using a cane) would like a drink?

 

There were really no people with mobility issues on this trip (in fact, our CD remarked that we were the fittest group he had ever had, and I think he was being sincere), so I did not observe. But as attentive as the waiters are, I think they would get you a drink if you really had issues. And you have to walk right by the bar to get to the seating in the lounge. So you could place you drinks order as you walked in, and they would bring it to you. I did see this happening several times.

[Familygoboston]

Thanks for your report! We are going to be on the AMAPrima next fall, and I have a lot of plans to make after the hoildays; so your details are very helpful! I have a question for you- we also bike frequently for fitness at home and touring when we travel, I am wondering if it was easy to sign up for the bike tours, or did they fill quickly. We hope to do primarily biking anywhere it's allowed, and would be disappointed if we could not use the bicycles!

 

Thanks for any info!

[RachelG]

I signed up for the bike tours on line on the Ama website prior to the cruise. There is theoretically a way to do this after final payment. But when I got on board, they did not have any of our reservations, despite my having confirmation of them.

 

But no worries, we were a ble to get resigned up for all the bike tours without any problem. You just need to go to the CD as soon as you board and get this set up. Truthfully, the majority of people on our trip had no desire to do a bike tour. They have something like 25 bikes onboard, so there should be no problem.

[Familygoboston]

Good to know! Because I am a planner I would be signing up ahead of time, so I will know to check it on board. We are a young 50, and this is our first try with a river cruise. I have a feeling we are going to like the up close aspect to the ports, since we love to travel and explore and don't usually get involved in all the "extras" (casinos, bars, shows) when we take an ocean cruise.

 

I figured some might not bike, since I've heard the river cruising crowd is a little older, but then one of my best biking buddies is 70 and we regularly do 20 miles at 15 MPH and it's not like she's not keeping up :D (she's my hero!) So when you mentioned that this cruise was on the young side- I wanted to make sure we get a chance to do the bike tours since that's one of the specific reasons we chose this line!

 

Thanks again for your review. After the holidays we've got to book our air and choose either the AMA pre and post or go on our own (we are leaning towards on our own ; my TA has an excellent guide in Istanbul)

[RachelG]

You can definitely do Istanbul on your own. We have been there 3 times. No problems other than some taxi drivers who try to take you for a ride. I always study up on my maps!

 

This curate was definitely a younger, actually much younger, demographic than our previous AMA cruise. I was surprised. I am 54 and my husband is 59. We were probably the average age. There were only a few people over 70. Only 1 over 80. Decidedly different than the previous trip.