AMA Colors of Provence, Oct 25-Nov 1, 2018 Review

[LTC]

I just returned from my 5th river cruise (all AMA) on the AmaCello. This cruise went from Arles to Lyon but we went a few days early and spent 2 nights in Lyon, then took the train to Arles where we spent 2 nights before starting the cruise.

DAY 1  Embarkation at Arles

We checked out of the hotel at 11am and walked 5 minutes to the dock where the AmaCello was located. Left our luggage on the ship and went out to see more of Arles, returning back to the boat at 2:30 at which time we were able to check in. At this time we made reservations for the Chef's Table on Saturday night. When we got to our cabin all our shore excursions that we booked on line were printed as well as a Cruise at a Glance sheet which included all the tours, what nights the special dinners were and the entertainment for each night. Some of my clothes needed a pressing and I called reception to see if I could get them pressed today or had to wait until tomorrow. They sent someone to pick up the clothes but said I wouldn't get them back until 24 hours. When I returned from dinner the clothes had been pressed and were hanging in the closet! The Welcome Cocktail and reception was held at 6:15 and the Welcome Dinner was at 7pm. The entertainment that night was the onboard musician Laszlo.

 

DAY 2  Arles to Avignon

Today was the last day of fairly nice weather. The next day would bring rain, wind and cold weather which would last most of the cruise.There were 2 tours in the morning. The Les Baux de Province and Olive Farm Tour from 9am-1:30pm and The Artist Experience Tour from 9am-1pm. We did the 1st tour where we went to an olive farm, toured the grounds, the owner gave a talk on olive trees and what makes good olive oil and then we had a tasting of olive oil and 2 different tapenades made with olive oil. There was also an opportunity to buy olive oil products. Then a 10 minute bus drive to Les Baux to walk up to the fortress. We were there for an hour and it was very impressive. Others who had taken the Artist's Tour were thrilled with it and thought it was spectular.

Lunch was a seafood buffet which was wonderful and at 3pm there was a walking tour of Arles. At 6pm the boat departed for Avignon. Sip and Sail (complimentary drinks) was from 6:30-7:30 pm.The chef would come to the lounge each evening just before the end of S&S, talking about his recommendation for the meal that night (complete with a entree), how it was prepared and the story behind it. People loved it! The lounge wasn't always full during S&S but it always got full before the chef arrived. Dinner was at 7:30 and the entertainment was the "New Gypsy Kings" and a Flamenco dancer.

 

DAY 3 Avignon

A heavy rain in the morning that became showers and drizzle in the afternoon. There were 4 tours this morning but I believe the bike tour was cancelled because of the rain. We did the 2 hour walking tour that included an inside tour of the Popes' Palace which was fantastic. The other 2 tours, The Pont de Gard and Tastes of Avignon were 3 hour tours. I heard that the Tastes of Avignon was very good. Free time until 11 pm when the boat sailed to Viviers. The Past Guest Reception was held at 5:30 and S&S followed at 6 pm. We went to the Chef's Table tonight and we thought it was only OK...we heard during the rest of the cruise that some passengers really liked it and others weren't impressed. There was an entertainer tonight but we didn't go to it. We gained an hours sleep tonight as it was the time change in Europe which takes place earlier than in North America. 

more to come later....

 

 

 

 

[Host Jazzbeau]

Following.  Glad to hear you enjoyed your cruise.  We took this itinerary (N to S) in 2015 and loved it too.  My only regret was not buying more of the olive oil at that farm!

[jpalbny]

Oh, I need to revisit Provence! Looking forward to more of your trip. 😄

[LTC]

20 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Following.  Glad to hear you enjoyed your cruise.  We took this itinerary (N to S) in 2015 and loved it too.  My only regret was not buying more of the olive oil at that farm!

A lot of olive oil was bought on that tour! I wish we had bought more also.

[LTC]

17 hours ago, jpalbny said:

Oh, I need to revisit Provence! Looking forward to more of your trip. 😄

Loved that part of France. I could easily take this cruise again.

[LTC]

DAY 4  Viviers-Tournon

No rain today but Minstral winds and very cold. Today there was only 1 tour...a visit to a truffle farm and time in a wonderful hilltop village, Grignon. This was a long tour that lasted from 9 am-1:30 pm but lots of fun. At the farm we learned about truffles and went to the field to watch a dog dig some up. Doesn't sound too much fun but the farmer was hilarious and everyone had a great time. Afterwards there was rose and red wine plus different types of tapas made with truffles and of course a shop where you could buy all kinds of truffle items. Then it was a short drive to Grignon where we had a 30 minute tour of the village plus 30 minutes of free time. A wonderful little village but it was so cold! Everyone was back on board at 1:30 when lunch was served and the boat sailed to Tournon. Free time for the rest of the afternoon. S&S was from 6-7pm and dinner was at 7pm. The boat arrived in Tournon at 6:30 and stayed overnight there. The entertainment in the evening was Laszlo.

 

DAY 5  Tournon-Vienne

Woke up to heavy rain, wind and cold weather. 4 tours were scheduled for today but if I remember correctly the hiking and bike tours were cancelled because of the weather. We did the Chocolate and Wine Pairing from 9:15-10:45 am which was taking place a short walk from the boat in the Chateau de Tournon. There was 1 white wine and 2 red wines that were each paired with a homemade chocolate. This went into the wines of the region, the soil, the different grapes and their characteristics. The chef who made the chocolates talked about the different kinds of cocoa beans, where they grow, their characteristics, how to make chocolate correctly out of the beans etc. It was a little too much info for me but others enjoyed all the info given about the areas wines (and the chocolates were good!). There was extra chocolates which everyone enjoyed. The boat wasn't sailing until 12:15 so we had free time to walk around Tournon (only had 2 main streets) but it was raining so hard that we went back to the boat. 

The other tour was the Steam Train des Gorges from 9:45-12 pm but people came back disappointed as it was raining to hard to see anything plus the windows were steamed up.

The afternoon was spent on the boat sailing to Vienne, arriving there at 6:30 pm. After lunch there was an ice cream party in the lounge (zero calories!) and then from 3-4 pm a local sommelier was onboard for a wine tasting on the Cotes' du Rhone area wines plus a fun wine game called "The 12 Labours of Bacchus". It was very interesting and lasted an extra 30 minutes. S&S was from 6-7 pm and tonight was the Chaine des Rotisseurs Dinner. The entertainment was really good, Adele and Bernard singing famous French "chansons". The boat stayed overnight in Vienne.

 

[LTC]

DAY 6  Vienne-Lyon

Today there was no rain but very cold. Cars from just outside of Vienne had snow on them. Three tours today all leaving at 9am--bike, hiking and a walking tour which we did. It started with a mini train ride to the highest part of Vienne where there was time to take pics and visit a church, then back down to start the walking tour. Vienne was once Roman and we saw a Roman temple, remains of a forum and 2 churches, one of which is the oldest surviving churches in France and is now an archaeological museum. By the end of the tour, our group of about 18 became a group of 5 as many people found it too cold and returned to the boat. The tour ended about 11:20 and we had about 25 minutes of free time before we had to return to the boat as it was sailing to Lyon. We found a lovely little park with parts of an original Roman road behind the museum and spent 20 minutes here walking around the park.

When we returned to our cabin we found an invitation to the Captain's Table for dinner for that night. Lunch was at 12:30. The boat arrived in Lyon just before 3 pm and there was a choice of 3 tours....a Lyon City Tour and a Les Halles covered market tour which both left at 3pm and a bike tour of Lyon which left at 3:30. We did the market tour in which we had a 10 minute walk to a tram stop and a 20 minute tram ride (where we had a quick lesson in taking french trams) before our stop and then a short walk to the market. Here we had 3 tastings, the 1st was a glass of red or white wine, sausage in brioche (yummy), dried sausages and meats and bread. The 2nd tasting was a glass of white wine with 3 different cheeses and bread and the last tasting was a big slice of almond tart. We then had 30 minutes of free time in the market before getting the tram to return back to the boat arriving there around 6pm. The Farewell Cocktail was held at 6:45 and the Farewell Dinner at 7:15. There were 8 of us invited to the Captain's Table plus the Captain and cruise manger Colin. At 9:30 there was a classical performance from La Strada Trio which was excellent. 

 

[LTC]

DAY 7  Lyon

There was free time in Lyon until 12:45pm when the boat departed for Collonges. It wasn't raining and was a little warmer than yesterday so we decided to walk to the Old Town which was a pleasant 30 minute walk. Unfortunately we didn't bring umbrellas and as soon as we reached the Old Town it started to rain. We spent about 40 minutes there and then walked back and just as we got close to the boat the rain stopped. There was a briefing at 10:30 am for the passengers who were doing the post extension in Paris and for those who stayed on the boat, there was a presentation on silk painting and printing from 11 am until noon. A Lyonnaise lunch was served at 1 pm with a huge cheese table. There was only 1 tour in the afternoon from 2:30-6:30, a Beaujolais excursion that departed from Collonges but the tour returned to Lyon where the boat changed it's docking position to the Quai Claude Bernard. The tour was quite scenic as we drove by fields and vineyards of the Golden Stone region. We spent time in the medieval hilltop village of Oingt which was named one of France's prettiest towns. We had a tour of the town and then some free time. Then on to a winery where we tasted 3 different Beaujolais wines, 3 different breads, cheese and dried sausage. We returned to the boat at 6:45 and by the time we freshened up just got to the last 15 minutes of S&S. Dinner was at 7:30 and the entertainment was Laszlo. This was Halloween and some of the staff were in costume. It was also the end of the cruise. The next morning breakfast was served from 7-9 am and staterooms had to be vacated by 9 am and luggage out by 8:30 am. The lounge was available to relax in while waiting for your transportation, about a 30 minute drive from the airport. It was a wonderful cruise, one that I could enjoy doing again, hopefully with nicer weather. 

[Bowler Lady]

On 11/7/2018 at 11:34 AM, LTC said:

DAY 7  Lyon

There was free time in Lyon until 12:45pm when the boat departed for Collonges. It wasn't raining and was a little warmer than yesterday so we decided to walk to the Old Town which was a pleasant 30 minute walk. Unfortunately we didn't bring umbrellas and as soon as we reached the Old Town it started to rain. We spent about 40 minutes there and then walked back and just as we got close to the boat the rain stopped. There was a briefing at 10:30 am for the passengers who were doing the post extension in Paris and for those who stayed on the boat, there was a presentation on silk painting and printing from 11 am until noon. A Lyonnaise lunch was served at 1 pm with a huge cheese table. There was only 1 tour in the afternoon from 2:30-6:30, a Beaujolais excursion that departed from Collonges but the tour returned to Lyon where the boat changed it's docking position to the Quai Claude Bernard. The tour was quite scenic as we drove by fields and vineyards of the Golden Stone region. We spent time in the medieval hilltop village of Oingt which was named one of France's prettiest towns. We had a tour of the town and then some free time. Then on to a winery where we tasted 3 different Beaujolais wines, 3 different breads, cheese and dried sausage. We returned to the boat at 6:45 and by the time we freshened up just got to the last 15 minutes of S&S. Dinner was at 7:30 and the entertainment was Laszlo. This was Halloween and some of the staff were in costume. It was also the end of the cruise. The next morning breakfast was served from 7-9 am and staterooms had to be vacated by 9 am and luggage out by 8:30 am. The lounge was available to relax in while waiting for your transportation, about a 30 minute drive from the airport. It was a wonderful cruise, one that I could enjoy doing again, hopefully with nicer weather. 

Thank you for your wonderful review. We have never done a river cruise before and we are doing this same cruise in April next year. Glad to hear you enjoyed your cruise

[LTC]

8 hours ago, Bowler Lady said:

Thank you for your wonderful review. We have never done a river cruise before and we are doing this same cruise in April next year. Glad to hear you enjoyed your cruise

Glad you liked the review. It's a wonderful cruise and you'll have a great time; I would love to do it again. Enjoy your cruise!

[sparklerod]

I am also interested in this cruise fir November of this year. However, it is on an old ship, the same as yours, Amacello. My last AMA was also on an older ship and not pleasant. The AMADuoro really showed wear and tear and we ha to move our cabin because there was an awful odor coming through the ventilation system. As the AMAcello is older can you give me an idea on how worn this ship is? I find it hard to believe that it is 11 years old now and that it still has not been dry-docked. I also read on other reviews that the wines were not local of the region and just awful.

 

 

[LTC]

39 minutes ago, sparklerod said:

I am also interested in this cruise fir November of this year. However, it is on an old ship, the same as yours, Amacello. My last AMA was also on an older ship and not pleasant. The AMADuoro really showed wear and tear and we ha to move our cabin because there was an awful odor coming through the ventilation system. As the AMAcello is older can you give me an idea on how worn this ship is? I find it hard to believe that it is 11 years old now and that it still has not been dry-docked. I also read on other reviews that the wines were not local of the region and just awful.

 

 

We thought the boat was well maintained and up to the same standards as the other AMA boats we have been on. I can't remember what regions the wines were from but the ones we were served were well selected and appropriate table wines.

[Host Jazzbeau]

All river ships are out of service during the winter, so there is plenty of opportunity to fix them up and refresh.  It's not like ocean ships where they sail constantly until the mandated dry dock.

 

I sailed on AmaCello in 2013 and on AmaDagio in 2015 – they were the oldest ships in the fleet at the time and both were in great condition.  [I assume you meant Dagio, since AmaDuoro is their 2019 new-build that hasn't even sailed yet.]

[sparklerod]

Yes that is correct the Dagio in 2017 I sailed and it was not good the ship. Sailed on the Cello in 2013?

On 1/6/2019 at 7:24 PM, sparklerod said:

I am also interested in this cruise for November of this year. However, it is on an old ship, the same as yours, Amacello. My last AMA was also on an older ship and not pleasant. The AMADuoro really showed wear and tear and we ha to move our cabin because there was an awful odor coming through the ventilation system. As the AMAcello is older can you give me an idea on how worn this ship is? I find it hard to believe that it is 11 years old now and that it still has not been dry-docked. I also read on other reviews that the wines were not local of the region and just awful.

 

 

Well this is 2019 so it will be 11 years old. I just found out though AMA that they don't refresh ship while during the winter. I find this very disappointing as the reviews of the ship were not great. So frustrating to decide!!! Thanks for the input.