Amadeus Princess - XMas on the Rhine

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Amadeus Princess - XMas on the Rhine

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Amadeus Princess - Christmas on the Rhine >>>>>

We booked our first ever Christmas River Cruise through ‘ Titan ‘ because they collect and deliver you to your home either side of the journey. The thinking being that there is a potential risk of extreme weather conditions along the route to / from London Heathrow Airport, we also booked a night in their pre holiday Hotel to achieve additional leeway plus a reasonable time for a wake up call.

So .... we left Dorset at about 13:00 hrs on the 21st of December in one of Titan’s clean, comfortable unmarked modern vehicles. We had to collect another couple plus a single lady but there was no delay as we all lived in a straight-ish line along the route and within 25 miles of each other. The journey was lousy with very heavy rain, black skies and a fourty something miles per hour tail wind ... we collectively opted to forgo the ‘ comfort stop ‘ but were grateful that somebody else was doing the driving. The Hotel didn’t win any awards for curb appeal but it is the respected ‘ Radisson ‘ brand, it is presently being upgraded / re-furbished. Our room was standard but a little noisy until we got used to it due to its close proximity to the Airport runway but absolutely fit for purpose. The only part of the Hotel to be imcompleted internally seemed to be the restaurant although buffet or a la carte pub style food was available from five thirty for evening meals at very reasonable prices in their bistro style cafeteria. Because we were with Titan they automatically applied a 20% discount, they also apply a 10% service charge providing you have no reasonable cause to complain.

At 07:00 In the morning we were transferred ( raining ) to Terminal 5 for a 9:20 flight. Titan drop you at the nearest entrance to the appropriate check-in desk, their red uniformed staff are everywhere and will help with everything form carrying your luggage to using the boarding check-in machines. An excellent service for those who may need a little assistance. Since we last used Titan in 2013 they have merged with Saga so can presumably be relied upon to deal effectively with us ‘ old people ‘ ;) .

We left London ( still raining ) and arrived in Dusseldorf ( also raining ) and were then transferred by coach to the ship in Cologne ( light rain ) where we completed the check-in procedures. the luggage was ‘ taken care of ‘ but the cabins were not going to be ready until four o’clock .... no problem, we walked 50 yards along the River Rhine to cruise the Christmas Market stalls and then headed for the Lindt Chocolate Museum but unfortunately it was too crowded with very long queues so we went to their café instead for a ‘ set the scene ‘ hot chocolate laced with a very generous shot of Grand Marnier liqueur.

Four o’clock so time to board and settle in.


The Itinerary with added details ...

Day 1 London - Düsseldorf - Cologne

.... as above


Day 2 Koblenz

We had cruised during the night and awoke as if by magic in Koblenz .... the sun is shining !!!

In fact in shone every day for the entire cruise, the temperatures however started at about 12 – 14 but fell steadily to a low point of 7. If you book one of these take woolly hats and gloves etc.

There was an included tour of this interesting and picturesque town with its various cultural monuments and historic buildings. From lunchtime onwards we sailed through some of the Rhine’s most impressive scenery i.e. along the Rhine Gorge with its rolling vineyards and hilltop castles, also by the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Loreley Rock, with its legend of the ‘ murmuring sound ‘.

Lunch is always a 5 course affair and tonight we had the first of four 7 course Gala Dinners, wine is included with the evening meal and our Croatian Wine Waiter never allowed any of us to have anything resembling an empty glass. The red and white wines were ‘ listed ‘ on a daily basis but were changed without repetition every single evening, overall the quality was extremely good.


Day 3 Christmas Eve - Speyer

There was an optional walking tour but DIY in Speyer is fool proof, the Christmas Markets had opened especially for the River Boats and were absolutely delightful.

At nine o’clock in the evening many of the passengers walked to the Cathedral for Midnight Mass but we were nursing head colds / chesty coughs so passed on that one.


Day 4 Christmas Day – Strasbourg

Bucks Fizz for breakfast this morning ... hic

The ship looks truly magnificent in its Christmas clothes :thumbup:

We sailed towards Strasbourg this morning, had a grand buffet lunch and then set off for a comprehensive walking tour to discover this lovely city which is rich in both French and German influences. Prior to that we did a coach tour to see the umpteen Euro buildings / Headquarters / Palaces. I am sure they do an excellent job in those huge places but I also felt they probably served to falsify the unemployment figures.

An excellent Christmas themed dinner tonight and although one of our table companions this evening was from Norfolk there was not a turkey in sight, we had a few sprouts but given the absence of grated cheese to bury them in I left mine on the side of the plate. It was very Christmassy overall, the Maître D was disguised-ish as father Christmas and a large number of the passengers were wearing Father Christmas Hats that had been purchased at the Market Stalls in Speyer. The crew were also wearing Santa Hats of course.

We all received gifts from the Cruise Line, they were identical and very well received consisting of a ribbon tied string bag containing a mandarin orange plus a couple each of peanuts with shells, fancy biscuits and foil wrapped chocolates .... nobody moaned !!!


Day 5 Boxing Day - Mainz

Arrived in Mainz around about lunchtime, had lunch and then went on an optional tour to see the Old Town and to visit their famous Gutenberg Museum.

Another Gala Dinner ... phew !!!


Day 6 Cologne

This morning we arrived back in Cologne and took an included guided walk. Ambled through the Old Town and investigated the imposing Gothic cathedral that dominates the city skyline, it is one of only a few buildings that remained standing after extensive bombing during World War II. On our visit the various squares that prevail in this City consisted of partly demolished Christmas Markets so more akin to a shed fess than a Christmas experience.

... and yet another Gala Dinner.


Day 7 Cologne - Düsseldorf - London

We disembarked at about nine fifteen, transferred to Düsseldorf airport for our direct, scheduled British Airways flight to London Heathrow Airport. On arrival we were met and guided to our Titan vehicle for the journey home.

~~~~~~~~~~

Additional thoughts and Conclusion.

Way back in 1997 we did a Sea Cruise at Christmas time and this was the first cruise since then. We normally spend Christmas Day at the very least with the family but events this year caused us to do something a little different. For us it was a good plan and something that we may well do again albeit at a different location. We booked late and cabin availability was restricted, we had one of the cheapest cabins on the lowest deck which was the same size as the expensive ones but we were down by the water line which can be noisy. It was possible to upgrade but the cost was too much or so I decided.

A River Boat cruise is generally more expensive than a Sea Cruise but the difference was as always there to see.

This was a gastronomical extravaganza, both in terms of quantity as well as quality, one sitting only. Evening dining was for us restricted to Titan reserved tables but we all mingled and got to know each other, at all other times it was Freedom Dining.

The crew were amazing, more like family than ‘ servants following a company code ‘. The majority came from Bucharest and could not be faulted in any way at all, the Cruise Director according to the Titan Tour Manager was the beat he had ever worked with. I suppose the weakest point for some would be the entertainment, simple and a tad Germanic at times, but having said that everybody really enjoyed themselves .... and nobody moaned ... at all ... about anything.

This cruise started on the 22nd of December but the date that the Christmas Markets officially close in Germany is the 21st ... nobody knew that but we were also to discover that the stalls do stay open if the Riverboats are scheduled to dock in their town. Additionally there were really impressive Christmas decorations at all of our ‘ Ports of call ‘.

ps ... I would concede that the song “ I wish you a Merry Christmas etc ... “ did start to grate by the final day.

Overall ... Lubbly Jubbly.
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Meg 50
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Re: Amadeus Princess - XMas on the Rhine

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Amadeus Princess is part of the Luftner fleet - with whom we sailed the Rhone/Saone a couple of years ago.
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Re: Amadeus Princess - XMas on the Rhine

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Last edited by Meg 50 on 30 Dec 2015, 15:56, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Amadeus Princess - XMas on the Rhine

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Amadeus Princess is part of the Luftner fleet - with whom we sailed the Rhone/Saone a couple of years ago.
That's right Meg, I believe they have about 20 boats in all ... ours was the oldest, having been built in 2006.
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Re: Amadeus Princess - XMas on the Rhine

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Meg 50 wrote:
Not quite .... using the Titan website it was thus ...

http://www.titantravel.co.uk/destinatio ... rdbasis=FB

otherwise ... it was the 7 day variant of the one you provided ..

http://www.lueftner-cruises.com/en/crui ... no_cache=1
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Re: Amadeus Princess - XMas on the Rhine

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Sounds excellent. We enjoyed our one river cruise and may well do another at some time. Shame there were no Monopoly presents to moan about though!

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Re: Amadeus Princess - XMas on the Rhine

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Post by oldbluefox »

Welcome back Mob and thanks for your review. Always interesting to hear what else is on offer. Sounds like you didn't go hungry.

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Re: Amadeus Princess - XMas on the Rhine

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Sounds as though you had a good time overall. Thanks for sharing.
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Re: Amadeus Princess - XMas on the Rhine

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;) You liked it then ?

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Re: Amadeus Princess - XMas on the Rhine

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Mervyn and Trish wrote:
Sounds excellent. We enjoyed our one river cruise and may well do another at some time. Shame there were no Monopoly presents to moan about though!
If I actually wanted the game of Monopoly then I would buy the Watford FC version ... for a mere thirty quid !!!

:shifty:
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Re: Amadeus Princess - XMas on the Rhine

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oldbluefox wrote:
Welcome back Mob and thanks for your review. Always interesting to hear what else is on offer. Sounds like you didn't go hungry.
No we didn't go hungry, far from it ... the food was exceptional and dare I say vastly superior to the offerings presented by P&O.

A few foodie details ...

Breakfast was buffet but the Breakfast Chef would whizz up a freshly made whatever on request, we didn't have room so stuck mainly with coffee and freshly made yogurt.

Lunch was DIY salad, if required, then freshly made soup ( always superb and very hot ) which had to be collected from the cauldron but it was ladled into a bowl and presented to you. The other courses were waiter served.

A covered basket of hand cut freshly made French bread was on the table at lunchtime and at dinner, plus butter pats of course.

All the courses were waiter served at the evening meal, all were plated and creatively presented.

Another nice touch, we thought, was when we returned to the ship following a trip etc they would always welcome us back on board with a small hot drink.

:thumbup:
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Re: Amadeus Princess - XMas on the Rhine

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Post by Meg 50 »

did you have tea / coffee facilities in your cabin?

we had to go round to the coffee station for ours - the lady on reception got used to me trotting by in my dressing gown for the early morning cuppa!
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Re: Amadeus Princess - XMas on the Rhine

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Post by Onelife »

Hi Mob.....just wanted you to know that l've missed you more than anyone else on this forum ....btw...when did you go? :lol:

Just done a video tour around the Amudeus Princess and very nice she looks too. It's nice to hear about a cruise line that goes out of its way to make passengers feel like they really are valued.

Just one question Mob......do you have cabin stewards on theses types of river cruises?

Oh...and for the very last time this year.....'l wish you a merry Christmas etc...' :thumbup: :angel:

Regards

Keith

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Re: Amadeus Princess - XMas on the Rhine

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Post by Gill W »

It sounds like an ideal Christmas break.

We really enjoyed our one river cruise in 2014, and will certainly do another at some point.

We did a Christmas cruise with P&O last year, and I think the ports that we stopped at just before Christmas (Copenhagen (Tivoli Gardens) and Oslo in the snow) added to the Christmas 'magic', so I think stopping in the centre of towns and cities decked out for Christmas would be a plus point for a river cruise at this time of year

I just have one question - do you know how they dealt with people on special diets?
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Re: Amadeus Princess - XMas on the Rhine

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Post by Meg 50 »

here's a menu from a sister ship
17-05-2013 11;12;10.JPG
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Re: Amadeus Princess - XMas on the Rhine

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Meg 50 wrote:
did you have tea / coffee facilities in your cabin?

we had to go round to the coffee station for ours - the lady on reception got used to me trotting by in my dressing gown for the early morning cuppa!
No, Meg, we didn't but because it was dark in the mornings and we weren't waking up until about 08:00 it didn't seem to matter ... we just did the basics and then toddled off to the Restaurant before they closed at nine-ish.

The coffee station, just for completeness, is secreted away in the Amadeus Club.
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Re: Amadeus Princess - XMas on the Rhine

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Manoverboard wrote:
Meg 50 wrote:
did you have tea / coffee facilities in your cabin?

we had to go round to the coffee station for ours - the lady on reception got used to me trotting by in my dressing gown for the early morning cuppa!
No, Meg, we didn't but because it was dark in the mornings and we weren't waking up until about 08:00 it didn't seem to matter ... we just did the basics and then toddled off to the Restaurant before they closed at nine-ish.

The coffee station, just for completeness, is secreted away in the Amadeus Club.
......and cabin stewards?

.

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Re: Amadeus Princess - XMas on the Rhine

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Post by Gill W »

I'm on my iPad mini at the moment, so I couldn't see the menu that well, but I'll look tomorrow on the laptop. But I have to say, the first part of the menu seemed to have a lot of cheese on it. Hopefully they'd do something individual for special diet people, because I'd be a bit stuck with the first few courses
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Re: Amadeus Princess - XMas on the Rhine

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Post by Mervyn and Trish »

The food and service were excellent on our river cruise a couple of years ago, but at a daily price almost double that of P & O and other mid price cruise lines, and with only 120 passengers rather than 2000 plus, so they should be, and yes there were cabin stewards.

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Mervyn and Trish wrote:
The food and service were excellent on our river cruise a couple of years ago, but at a daily price almost double that of P & O and other mid price cruise lines, and with only 120 passengers rather than 2000 plus, so they should be, and yes there were cabin stewards.

Thanks Sir Merv...l rather suspected they would have cabin stewards but wasn't sure.

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Onelife wrote:
Just one question Mob......do you have cabin stewards on theses types of river cruises?
Yes you do and they turn down the sheet at night, make towel animals and even leave naughty chocolates on one's pillow.

Let me also tell you about tips, I think you would approve.

The rate was €7 pppd, approx the same therefore as P&O. A Grand Total of €84 but we rounded it up to €100 .... this sum will be divided ' equally ' between the entire crew because this Riverboat Operator believes that absolutely everybody makes a significant contribution to the success of your cruise, be it the Dining Room Steward(s) or the young lady who does all the laundry.

ps ... Merry Christmas :wave:
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Re: Amadeus Princess - XMas on the Rhine

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Gill W wrote:
It sounds like an ideal Christmas break.

We really enjoyed our one river cruise in 2014, and will certainly do another at some point.

We did a Christmas cruise with P&O last year, and I think the ports that we stopped at just before Christmas (Copenhagen (Tivoli Gardens) and Oslo in the snow) added to the Christmas 'magic', so I think stopping in the centre of towns and cities decked out for Christmas would be a plus point for a river cruise at this time of year

I just have one question - do you know how they dealt with people on special diets?
A Christmas Market's sea cruise is best done prior to the 21st of December for reason stated in the OP but a riverboat cruise can be chosen to include the whole holiday period, XMas or indeed New Year. Strasbourg on the 25th was for us the most Christmassy experience we have ever had.

Their blurb states that Special Diets are available.

The procedure is to advise your requirement at the time of booking, they will then accept or decline your booking and may also charge you for the cost of provision if accepted. Vegetarian mains were always on the Menu but doubt they would be entirely suitable for die hard vegans.
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Re: Amadeus Princess - XMas on the Rhine

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Mervyn and Trish wrote:
The food and service were excellent on our river cruise a couple of years ago, but at a daily price almost double that of P & O and other mid price cruise lines, and with only 120 passengers rather than 2000 plus, so they should be, and yes there were cabin stewards.
That is true, they are indeed very expensive compared with the mass market Cruise Lines but I take the view that I am happy to spend £3,000, as an example, for a Christmas holiday. Then I opt for the best experience for us at that moment in time rather than being concerned if the duration is for 6 or 16 days.

ps ... The Amadeus Princess has 160 passengers on her present cruise.
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Re: Amadeus Princess - XMas on the Rhine

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Manoverboard wrote:
Gill W wrote:
It sounds like an ideal Christmas break.

We really enjoyed our one river cruise in 2014, and will certainly do another at some point.

We did a Christmas cruise with P&O last year, and I think the ports that we stopped at just before Christmas (Copenhagen (Tivoli Gardens) and Oslo in the snow) added to the Christmas 'magic', so I think stopping in the centre of towns and cities decked out for Christmas would be a plus point for a river cruise at this time of year

I just have one question - do you know how they dealt with people on special diets?
A Christmas Market's sea cruise is best done prior to the 21st of December for reason stated in the OP but a riverboat cruise can be chosen to include the whole holiday period, XMas or indeed New Year. Strasbourg on the 25th was for us the most Christmassy experience we have ever had.

Their blurb states that Special Diets are available.

The procedure is to advise your requirement at the time of booking, they will then accept or decline your booking and may also charge you for the cost of provision if accepted. Vegetarian mains were always on the Menu but doubt they would be entirely suitable for die hard vegans.
Thank you
Gill

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Re: Amadeus Princess - XMas on the Rhine

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Manoverboard wrote:
Onelife wrote:
Just one question Mob......do you have cabin stewards on theses types of river cruises?
Yes you do and they turn down the sheet at night, make towel animals and even leave naughty chocolates on one's pillow.

Let me also tell you about tips, I think you would approve.

The rate was €7 pppd, approx the same therefore as P&O. A Grand Total of €84 but we rounded it up to €100 .... this sum will be divided ' equally ' between the entire crew because this Riverboat Operator believes that absolutely everybody makes a significant contribution to the success of your cruise, be it the Dining Room Steward(s) or the young lady who does all the laundry.

ps ... Merry Christmas :wave:

Hi Mob.....considering the quility of service you experienced €7 pppd seems very fair. If as you say tips are divided equally without head office stipulating percentages dependent on customers satisfaction ratings then this is another thing that gets my approval.

Regards

Keith :wave:

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