Just returned from AMASonata Tulip Time cruise

[aldukenew]

So glad to hear the good reviews for AMA Waterways!! I'm booked on the AMAViola for the Tulip Time April 21, 2016 river cruise.

 

Question...I understand the excursions are included in the booking price. And there are "optional" excursions available at an extra cost. Can these optional excursions be booked pre-cruise or does a person have to wait until you are onboard??

 

Thank You in advance for any info you can share with me.

 

Pat :)

 

There are optional excursions you can pay for. We did the trip to Bruges and Brussels - both worthwhile. I believe you have to book on board. We did several of the guided bike tours (included) and they were wonderful, though a little chilly.

[luvtocook]

Hi Pat!

Yes, there are limited edition tours----no charge, but pre-book and limited capacity. AND there are optional, charge tours offered that can also be pre-booked. Once final payment has been made, go on their web site (whether you booked with a TA or not) and log in and proceed through cruise check in and then there is an option for selecting tour options and reserving online. They make it VERY easy. Hope this helps!!!!!

[aldukenew]

Hi Pat!

Yes, there are limited edition tours----no charge, but pre-book and limited capacity. AND there are optional, charge tours offered that can also be pre-booked. Once final payment has been made, go on their web site (whether you booked with a TA or not) and log in and proceed through cruise check in and then there is an option for selecting tour options and reserving online. They make it VERY easy. Hope this helps!!!!!

 

I guess my memory is not as good as it used to be. It's good to know that you can book ahead since we're sailing on the AmaSonata in September from Prague to Budapest! Can't wait!

 

Allyson

[luvtocook]

It is what I did the day after we made final payment and got a printout confirmation which I presented to the cruise mgr when we were on board and all 3 of our pre booked tours were indeed booked and confirmed.

[luvtocook]

PS, the Sonata is beautiful!!!!!! We are on AMAPrima from Budapest to Munich in November.

Edited May 2, 2015 by luvtocook

[aldukenew]

PS, the Sonata is beautiful!!!!!! We are on AMAPrima from Budapest to Munich in November.

 

Thanks, Lynn. We were very impressed with the AmaCerto 2 years ago.

 

Allyso

[luvtocook]

You are welcome, enjoy!

[Joyinthemouse]

I love Ocean cruising, but thinking of doing a River Cruise in 2016 and like what i read about Amawaterways.

 

A tulip cruise also appeals to me. Enjoying reading the posts.

 

Joy

[mightytraveler]

Thanks to all who posted here. We are looking at a tulip time cruise for spring of 2016. We've done two cruises with AMA and cannot say enough about them. We were looking at AMA and Tauck just for a change but after reading comments here it seems early April may not be the best time to go and we cannot go mid to late April. If we want to go in May it will have to be AMA as I don't see that Tauck has any in May. Is early May too late for tulip season? Seems a few people comment on 'dreary' stops but still seemed to enjoy. Can anyone provide more insight on that?

[w10cruiser]

Thanks for the update! We are taking our first river cruise in April 2016 and will be on the same ship. We did a lot of research on cruise lines and ended up with AMA, so I'm glad to hear service, etc. was good.

 

Questions:

* You mentioned the laundry service was great. What should we expect in terms of cost for this service?

* Did you use the pool on board at all? The site says it's heated, but in Spring I'm wondering if it's too chilly.

* Did you use the wifi much? I'm thinking about blogging along the way, but curious how reliable the wifi is onboard and during travel.

 

Thanks again for the update!

[caviargal]

Thanks for the update! We are taking our first river cruise in April 2016 and will be on the same ship. We did a lot of research on cruise lines and ended up with AMA, so I'm glad to hear service, etc. was good.

 

Questions:

* You mentioned the laundry service was great. What should we expect in terms of cost for this service?

* Did you use the pool on board at all? The site says it's heated, but in Spring I'm wondering if it's too chilly.

* Did you use the wifi much? I'm thinking about blogging along the way, but curious how reliable the wifi is onboard and during travel.

 

Thanks again for the update!

 

We loved our Tulip Time cruise with AMA in 2014. While the scenery is not the prettiest, we really enjoyed the ports.

 

Wifi was better than usual on this route, probably because the river is quite commercial and we had good coverage.

 

We did not use pool but others did and enjoyed it. Our Chicago friends use the heated pools and hot tubs when we take November and December cruises.

 

Laundry is reasonable. As I recall, jeans were about 3E, t shirts, etc. 1.50 or so. Very quick and also nicely done. We have used AMA's laundry on all our cruises with them.

[aldukenew]

We loved our Tulip Time cruise with AMA in 2014. While the scenery is not the prettiest, we really enjoyed the ports.

 

Wifi was better than usual on this route, probably because the river is quite commercial and we had good coverage.

 

We did not use pool but others did and enjoyed it. Our Chicago friends use the heated pools and hot tubs when we take November and December cruises.

 

Laundry is reasonable. As I recall, jeans were about 3E, t shirts, etc. 1.50 or so. Very quick and also nicely done. We have used AMA's laundry on all our cruises with them.

 

We loved our Tulip Time cruise in mid-April of 2013 on the AmaCerto. We enjoyed the two bike tours, though it was cold and windy on one of them. I agree that the river scenery was not awesome, but we really enjoyed the ports.

 

We used the laundry service but I don't remember the cost, just that it was reasonable and worth it.

 

No one used the pool on our trip - very windy and chilly up top. We did sit up there enjoying cocktails one day.

 

We used the computer in the room and wi-fi in the lounge and it was fine for me.

 

Allyson

[luvtocook]

Thanks to all who posted here. We are looking at a tulip time cruise for spring of 2016. We've done two cruises with AMA and cannot say enough about them. We were looking at AMA and Tauck just for a change but after reading comments here it seems early April may not be the best time to go and we cannot go mid to late April. If we want to go in May it will have to be AMA as I don't see that Tauck has any in May. Is early May too late for tulip season? Seems a few people comment on 'dreary' stops but still seemed to enjoy. Can anyone provide more insight on that?

 

 

May might be too late but you never know!!!!! All depends on their weather. We sailed March 25 and we at Keukenhof on the 30th this year and if was

 

about 2 weeks too early. We saw beautiful tulips, inside, not out! As the above poster mentions, it is definitely not the prettiest cruise to take. But the ports are great! It was cold, dreary, dark and rainy on our trip. We knew that and were prepared for it.

 

As to another question about laundry, it was great!!!!! Nicely folded and picked up around 9am and in our cabin before 3pm. Not as pricey as large cruise ships that I have used and done much better IMHO.

 

We did not use the pool and we did not see anyone using it as it was cold on this trip!!!!

 

I used the computer in the room a lot and my iPhone and iPad in the lounge and the wifi was fantastic, never a problem!!!!!!

Edited May 17, 2015 by luvtocook

[mmsoko]

This was our first River cruise after many ocean cruises and it was an excellent experience. I would be happy to answer any questions about the ship, itinerary or excursions. Please feel free to ask.

 

If you booked air through AMA, were your flights acceptable?

Decent layovers,etc.