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The River Cruise Lady

River cruising and small ship luxury cruising

AmaWaterways River Cruises

Renew your vows on a River Cruise

January 14, 2019 by River Cruise Lady Linda 6 Comments

Do you have an upcoming milestone Wedding Anniversary?  Whether its ten, twenty-five, thirty, forty, fifty years or something in between – how would you like to renew your vows with your loved one ?  If your wedding day was a long time ago and you would love to re-marry your spouse all over again but with a romantic European town in the background, I have an amazing ‘proposal’ for you 😊

One of the river cruise companies that I partner with has a Renewal of Vows Package on their Danube River Cruise itinerary.

This romantic package includes:

  • Symbolic Renewal of Vows Ceremony led by a designated official
  • Two 1-hour massages PLUS one manicure/pedicure or hair salon service
  • Bottle of champagne
  • Romantic turn-down service with rose petals
  • Special custom-made dessert by the onboard chef
  • Sundowner excursion with champagne

The cost of this package is $500usd or $599cad but if you bring 2 other couples to go with you, I will pay the cost for you!  If you bring 5 other couples with you, one of you will sail for free!  Know a group of people? if you bring 10 other couples, you both sail for free!

Here is the Romantic Danube itinerary and the river cruise pricing starts at $5820usd/$6820cad per person for a French Balcony category (based on May/June 2019 dates) Extra nights in Budapest, Prague or Munich can be added on for a longer stay.

I look forward to helping you and your partner celebrate your Anniversary just the way you deserve!

River Cruise Lady Linda's Romantic Danube River Cruise Itinerary

Perhaps you could write your special date on a lock and add your own Love Lock to one of the bridges you’ll visit!

Love Locks on a Bridge
Love Locks on a Bridge

Filed Under: Cruises, Danube River, Europe, Featured Post, Quaint Villages, River Cruise Lady, River Cruises, River Cruising, Vow Renewal Tagged With: Danube River, river cruise, River Cruise Lady, river cruising

River Cruise on the Rhine and Mosel

December 8, 2018 by River Cruise Lady Linda Leave a Comment

**Update** Crystal River Cruises has now gone out of business but I’m going to leave this blog post for the time being

From the welcome airport greeting to the final farewell, our Crystal River Cruise was a fantastic experience!
We met the friendly Crystal staff at the Amsterdam airport and were promptly transferred by Crystal’s own fleet of buses (that follow along the cruise) to the Crystal Mahler. The river cruise pier is located right in front of the historic Grand Centraal Station so we took a stroll around the ship, checked into our cabin (they call them suites) and headed out to tour the city.

Crystal River Cruise bus
Crystal River Cruise bus
Crystal Mahler docked in Amsterdam
Crystal Mahler docked in Amsterdam

We walked past the station, Anne Franks House, over many bridges & canals and even the Red Light District (which is usually fairly quiet during the day but a rather robust women was standing outside as we went by). Amsterdam is such a beautiful, bustling walkable city although one has to look both ways frequently to avoid the constant whish of bicycle riders that whiz past (at top speeds I might add) as that is their main form of transportation there.

Amsterdam Canals
Amsterdam Canals
Amsterdam historical buildings
Amsterdam historical buildings

Heading back to the ship, we decided to unpack and took some pictures to show the features of our Petite Suite – category S4/S5. The cabin was spacious enough at 188sq ft but with the closet & bathroom lacking drawer space to put some of our stuff, just made do with using the cupboards instead. The mini-bar was fully stocked with water, beer, pop and later white wine. The Nespresso type coffee maker is unique to Crystal as you don’t often see any type of coffee maker in a river cruise cabin. The suites are also equipped with binoculars, Audio machines for going out on tour to hear the guides without having to stand beside them and lots of plugs.(great for all the devices we tend to bring along)

River Cruise Lady Linda
River Cruise Lady Linda
Crystal Suite desk
Crystal Suite desk
Petite Suite 2 beds
Petite Suite 2 beds
Crystal Suite mini fridge
Crystal Suite mini fridge

Crystal Suite accessory drawer
Crystal Suite accessory drawer
Petite Suite Closet
Petite Suite Closet
Petite Suite bathroom
Petite Suite bathroom
Suite bathroom amenities
Suite bathroom amenities

If you upgrade to the Deluxe Suite -category S1/S2, which is larger at 253 sq ft (there is one cabin in category S3 and if ever interested in that one, just pop me an email to linda@therivercruiselady.com and I can explain the difference between that one and the S1/S2) you get a full walk in closet plus two sinks in the bathroom and drawers in both) Both have the luxurious King Size bed (or two singles), the Panoramic Balcony Window, interactive TV system with complimentary movies on demand, a bedside Ipad and wifi.

Deluxe suite king bed
Deluxe suite king bed
Deluxe Suite bed facing window
Deluxe Suite bed facing window
Deluxe Suite Double Vanity
Deluxe Suite Double Vanity

Deluxe Suite walk in closet
Deluxe Suite walk in closet
Plenty of plugs in suites
Plenty of plugs in suites
Suite binoculars
Suite binoculars

Dining options on the Mahler were plenty starting with breakfast at the Waterside restaurant, usually served between 7:30 and 9am or if felt like sleeping in, could catch the late risers breakfast at the Bistro served from 9 to 11:30am. If you happened to really sleep in, there were snacks & pastries at the Bistro from 11:30am to 6pm or lunch service started at 12:30 to 2:30pm. The Waterside restaurant times varied daily but was usually between noon and 2pm. Of course you could also order 24 hour room service (including selections from the main restaurant menu) or help yourself to the 24 hour self-service pantry which featured snacks, specialty coffees, teas and non-alcoholic beverages.
Dinner was either at the Waterside restaurant, the Bistro for a Tapas menu or for a special multi course with wine pairing evening, there was the Vintage Room which had an extra cost and needed to be reserved in advance. The food on Crystal was some of the best I’ve ever been served – the presentation was always artistically crafted and the taste was delicious.

Tasty beet salad
Tasty beet salad
Waterside breakfast buffet
Waterside breakfast buffet
Burger and fries for lunch
Burger and fries for lunch
Waterside Lunch menu
Waterside Lunch menu

River Cruise Lady Linda with Chef
River Cruise Lady Linda with Chef
Vintage room getting set up
Vintage room getting set up
Bistro Late Risers Breakfast
Bistro Late Risers Breakfast

Bistro coffe and tea choices
Bistro coffe and tea choices
Beautiful food presentation
Beautiful food presentation
Soup of the day
Soup of the day
Crystal dinner selection
Crystal dinner selection

Crystal dinner selection
Crystal dinner selection
Crystal Bistro buffet
Crystal Bistro buffet
Crystal Bistro
Crystal Bistro
24 hour Pantry Station
24 hour Pantry Station

Our cruise itinerary had to be changed due to the record low water conditions on the Danube so we ended up sailing on the Rhine, Mosel and the Belgian Waterways instead and it couldn’t have been more perfect. Crystal was to be commended for coming up with new excursions due to the changes and we visited some wonderful picturesque places like Bernkastel, Bruges, Ghent and Arnhem. They included cultural visits in Nijmegen to the Van Gogh Kroller-Muller Museum, the Mauritshuis Museum in The Hague, Drachenfels Castle in Bonn and a magical Concert evening with Eva Vermeeren, Hanne Roos & The Turnhoutse Snaar.

Crystal docked in Bernkastel
Crystal docked in Bernkastel
Quaint Bernkastel
Quaint Bernkastel
View of the ship from the castle
View of the ship from the castle

We participated in many of the bike excursions that Crystal offered and although they do not store the bikes onboard, top quality e-bikes were brought to each location where they offered the excursions. We rode through Historic Nijmegen, Veluwezoom National Park, the Netherlands Waterlands and even biked up a mountainside to play golf and sample some local wine (don’t worry, they bussed us home after that 😊)

Nijmegen bike excursion
Nijmegen bike excursion
Crystal Bike excursion
Crystal Bike excursion
Stopped for cake and apple strudel
Stopped for cake and apple strudel
Koblenz Bike excursion
Koblenz Bike excursion

If you would like to view a video about the bike excursions, you can view it below:

The evening entertainment ended up being something we looked forward to every night. Some lines just have a piano player softly in the background in the lounge but our cruise had Rita and Bruno, a musically talented couple who both sang and played the piano. They seemed to be able to sing anything and even led a couple of triva contests too. There was also an indoor pool that looked inviting but I never saw anyone using it (perhaps they did early in the mornings?) Same with the gym, but again, could have been used early. One place that did get a lot of use was the self service laundry room which included two washer/dryers and ironing board.

Crystal Mahler pool
Crystal Mahler pool
Crystal Mahler gym
Crystal Mahler gym
Crystal Mahler laundry room
Crystal Mahler laundry room

While it is true that the cost of a Crystal River Cruise can be higher than other companies offering an all inclusive experience, it seemed as though most passengers felt that it was a very good value for what they received. Plus their crew to guest ratio is one of the lowest at 1 to 1.55 which we noticed as there always seemed to be a helpful crew member to assist. Crystal has four Rhine class sister ships which are the Mahler, Bach, Debussy and Ravel while the Crystal Mozart that sails on the Danube is configured differently.

Wonderful crew of Crystal Mahler
Wonderful crew of Crystal Mahler
Crystal Future Cruise consultant
Crystal Future Cruise consultant
Mixology lesson at the bar
Mixology lesson at the bar
Large Panoramic window from outside
Large Panoramic window from outside

For a video tour of the Crystal Mahler, please watch the video below:

Filed Under: Crystal River Cruises Tagged With: all inclusive river cruising, amsterdam, Crystal Bach, Crystal Debussy, Crystal Mahler, Crystal Ravel, Crystal River Cruises, Danube River, mosel river, rhine river, river cruise, river cruise bike excursions, River Cruise Lady

Viking River vs AmaWaterways vs Tauck River Cruises

August 31, 2015 by River Cruise Lady Linda 36 Comments

Without a doubt, the most asked question I get is “which company should I book my river cruise with ?”

So I thought I would pick out three companies and do a comparison (there are many river cruise lines out there but to keep this article from going overboard in length, keeping it at three)
They are Viking River Cruises, Ama Waterways and Tauck River Cruises.

I am going to use the analogy of an airplane going overseas that has three classes of service – economy, premium economy and business class. All three sections are going to the same destination but as you move up, you’ll get a bigger seat, better amenities and more inclusions (and a higher price of course)

I will be comparing a similar seven night Danube River itinerary in Europe for July 2016 departing from Budapest in a French Balcony category cabin (they all offer lower window categories and higher suite categories but will just be comparing the French Balcony)

On an airplane, economy class has the most seats for passengers then fewer in premium and even less in business.

For the river cruise ships, have listed the number of ships each company operates in Europe, the number of guests each ship carries and lastly, the square footage of their French balcony cabin category.

Viking has 58 ships
Ama has 16 ships
Tauck has 9 ships

Viking carries 190 guests*
Ama carries 164 guests**
Tauck carries 130 guests***

Viking cabin is 135 sq feet
Ama cabin is 170 sq feet
Tauck cabin is 225 sq feet

Just like what is included in each section of the airplane, each of the cruise companies offer more inclusions as the price increases.

Viking provides wine/beer/soft drinks with lunch and dinner, using the same wine throughout the cruise. They include most excursions with four optional tours (excursion group size is up to 20 guests) Gratuities and transfers are extra.

Viking River Cruise Ship Atla

Viking Atla

Ama Waterways also provides wine/beer/soft drinks with lunch and dinner but they use different wines from each of the regions they are travelling through. They include almost all excursions with two optional tours. (excursion group size is up to 12 guests) Some of their excursions are divided into Gentle Walkers, Active Walkers and even a Late Starter group for those who prefer to sleep in. They also offer bicycles onboard that you can do a tour with or sign out on your own. Gratuities and transfers are extra.

AmaSerena

Ama Serena

Tauck provides unlimited complimentary beverages onboard which includes regional wine, beer, soft drinks and premium spirits. They include all excursions, all gratuities to staff, cruise/tour directors (noting that most companies have one onboard but they have three) and even local guides. They often have private exclusive shore excursions such as an evening in Vienna inclusive of dinner and a private performance in a palace. They also have bicycles onboard and include airport transfers to and from the ship (even when you don’t book your flight with them)

TauckSavor

Tauck Savor

For the compared itinerary, here is the per person price (based on two sharing) that each company has:
 Viking River         $3655usd
 Ama Waterways $4198usd
 Tauck River         $5440usd

Just like many travelers who are unable to splurge on the luxury of business class, the higher price of the Tauck River cruise puts it out of reach for many but once you factor in their larger size cabins, fewer people onboard and everything that is included, you can understand why they are at the top of the market.

Although Viking has the lowest price, you will still have a enjoyable experience with them. Their new Longships feature a very contemporary Scandinavian design with several dining venues including the Aquavit Terrace which functions as an indoor/outdoor restaurant for Alfresco dining. They also purchased quite a few of their own docks in Europe so receive priority docking in some places.
Instead of building just one new ship a year like most companies, they went on a building frenzy recently which provided them with a lot of buying power plus they can keep costs lower since they have more people on each ship. They are the largest and most well-known because of their huge advertising budget with ads on shows like Downton Abbey, plus have a very aggressive print campaign (if you ever get on their mailing list, I swear you receive a brochure a week!)

Due to their middle of the market price range, Ama Waterways has been gaining popularity and fast becoming a guest favorite. Since they are family owned, it creates a very friendly atmosphere that resonates throughout the ship when you’re onboard. They have also introduced a new dining concept onboard with an intimate chef’s table restaurant that features a tasting menu.

So back to the question of “which company should I book my river cruise with?” As you see, just like when you are offered choices of where to sit on an airplane, there are many choices for river cruising too. All you have to decide is how much you want to have included within your budget, pick the best one for you and then relax with the comfort of realizing that all of the choices will have you floating past spectacular the scenery!

 

 

*Viking Atla July 10th sailing/ **AmaSerena July 10th sailing/ ***Tauck Savor July 9th (all three ships compared are 445 feet long and 38 feet wide)

Filed Under: AMA Waterways, Danube River, Europe, River Cruise Lady, River Cruises, River Cruising, Tauck River Cruises, Viking River Cruises Tagged With: AmaWaterways, Danube River, river cruise, river cruising, Tauck River Cruises, Viking River Cruises

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As our world is opening up again, why not take a b As our world is opening up again, why not take a bucket-list river cruise along the Nile. You’ll get to see Egypt’s Great Pyramid of Giza which is not only the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, but the only one that has survived all the way to modern times. Constructed between 2560 and 2540 BCE, the pyramid was built for Pharaoh Kufu – the second pharaoh of the 4th Dynasty. It is the largest of all the tombs built in the ancient world and has towered over the West Bank of the Nile River for more than 4,000 years. 
#rivercruiselady #nilerivercruise #amawaterways #rivercruise #bucketlist #travel #pyramids
If your passport is tucked away waiting for the wo If your passport is tucked away waiting for the world to reopen, it would be a great time to find it and check the expiry date. 
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I have a favor to ask of you out there, my RiverCr I have a favor to ask of you out there, my RiverCruiseLady YouTube page needs 1000 subscribers before I can access some extra benefits and I’m at 850 now so hoping there might be 150 of you out there who could subscribe and put me over! 
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Cheers to every woman on International Women’s D Cheers to every woman on International Women’s Day! 
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In less than 3 weeks now, I will be sharing the de In less than 3 weeks now, I will be sharing the details of a brand new Seven River Journey through 14 countries in Europe happening in 2023 - it will be a once in a lifetime event so stay tuned for more information !! #rivercruiselady #rivercruise #sevenrivers #staytuned
Happy World Rivers Day! Once we can start travell Happy World Rivers Day!  Once we can start travelling on them again, which one are you looking forward to the most? #danube #rhine #seine #rhone #douro #mississippi #columbia #snakeriver #mekong or ??? 
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It’s Ama-zing what you find when you’re quaran It’s Ama-zing what you find when you’re quaran-cleaning!  I remember celebrating with @amawaterways & blue champagne when we reached the highest point of the Main-Danube canal 10 years ago (did not recall getting this certificate though 😏) ⚓️ #rivercruiselady #rivercruise #amawaterways #danube #river #covidcleaning #rivercruiseladylinda
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River Cruise Lady Linda

6 months ago

River Cruise Lady Linda
As our world is opening up again, why not take a bucket-list river cruise along the Nile. You’ll get to see Egypt’s Great Pyramid of Giza which is not only the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, but the only one that has survived all the way to modern times. Constructed between 2560 and 2540 BCE, the pyramid was built for Pharaoh Kufu – the second pharaoh of the 4th Dynasty. It is the largest of all the tombs built in the ancient world and has towered over the West Bank of the Nile River for more than 4,000 years. #rivercruiselady #nilerivercruise #amawaterways #rivercruise #bucketlist #travel #pyramids ... See MoreSee Less
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I have a favor to ask of you out there, my RiverCruiseLady YouTube page needs 1000 subscribers before I can access some extra benefits and I’m at 850 now so hoping there might be 150 of you out there who could subscribe and put me over! If you search RiverCruiseLady & here is what my page looks like, that would be so appreciated ❣️youtube.com/c/Therivercruiselady#rivercruiselady #rivercruise #thanksforyoursupport ... See MoreSee Less
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In less than 3 weeks now, I will be sharing the details of a brand new Seven River Journey through 14 countries in Europe happening in 2023 - it will be a once in a lifetime event so stay tuned for more information !! #rivercruiselady #rivercruise #SevenRivers #staytuned ... See MoreSee Less
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