Report from Ina Stewart Director Scotlands Cruise Centre on River Cruise AMA Waterways Amadante
Budapest to Nuremberg 6th July 2009

I have never been on a River Cruise Ship before so didn’t know what to expect, the flight was direct flight from Prestwick to Budapest and after a comfortable overnight and an interesting morning in Budapest we boarded Amadante. The ship’s first voyage was in June 2008 and it is one of the top end of the many River Ships. The embarkation was very efficient and our cabin 310 was in size and amenities comparable to the big ocean liners that we have sailed on.
 
We departed mid evening and the sail up the Danube with the magnificent old historic buildings of Budapest was memorable. The Ship has three cabin levels and the Public rooms are the Lounge and the Dining room. We had our first Dinner on board and got to know some of our fellow passengers. We docked in Bratislava which I had visited pre the fall of communism, what a difference! The afternoon tour was very informative and the guide was excellent. During the rest of the cruise we visited Vienna, Durnstein, Melk, Passau, Regensburg and Nuremberg, the benefit of a River Cruise is that you see many interesting places in a short time without having to pack and unpack, you also have the benefit of life on board a luxury hotel with good food, good company and the camaraderie that only ship life can give.
 
AMA Waterways are excellent in every respect, the staff outstanding from the Captain down the ranks, the Tour Director Cheri went the extra mile caring for her passengers and was very well informed. As long as you are willing to accept that you are on a small ship and will be involved to a greater extent with other passengers then the rewards of seeing many interesting and historic places will be yours.