River cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest on the MV Amaverde. 26 April to 10 May 2014

 Cabin comfort

My suggestion is to read the descriptions carefully. I shared a cabin and it was fairly close quarters. That being said, not a lot of time is actually spent in the cabins. There is seating for two, plus balconies and reasonable storage for clothes. Bathrooms are compact but adequate and there was no problem with hot water availability etc. The single beds were low, narrow and were very uncomfortable especially for the first three nights. The mattresses were rock hard and painfully uncomfortable. The crew were absolutely marvelous about dealing with the situation but APT did not do us proud in the provision of comfortable sleeping space and it was a major negative. That being said, from day four it was much improved, though never actually great, and the staff were magnificent in finding solutions. Other travelers seemed not to be impacted by the same problem but these were not a good choice for two clients with arthritis in the spine.

 The practicality is that the initial bed situation meant I had to limit onshore activities during the entire cruise.

 Entertainment and communications

The wifi system worked well and was free. And each cabin has its own TV with some access to movies. (For an absolute hoot watch the German version of Sound of Music.)

All crew members spoke excellent English and were very good at remembering names, a real feat as I was not always good at remembering my name tag.

The evening briefings were useful and enjoyable. Actual entertainment varied.

Visiting troupes provided musical entertainment with a local flavour. Generally this was interesting though it is fairly clichéd and usually involved a lot of leaping and dancing in circles, though each of these has a particular focus, costuming etc. I have seen some reviews complaining about CD sales, but there is absolutely no pressure to buy. This applies to all on board sales. It is possible to opt in or out of these events and most evenings the music is in background.

The rest of the time we were charmed by Louis, a talented classical guitarist and excellent pianist with great hands and an impressive repertoire.

Mercifully there was no Karaoke! And the single attempt at boot scooting was abandoned for lack of talent. Surfeit of Achy Breaky hip replacements?

The lecture on the system of lochs on the Main/Danube Canal, was very informative, and my pulse has only just reached normality from the excitation. There seem to be several hundred, possibly thousands, of lochs on the canal system and while mostly they are negotiated at night, a little less descriptive detail might have been an act of mercy.

 Food service

Food on the Amaverde was excellent and varied with a list of staples such that, in the unlikely event nothing suited on either of the two restaurant menus, it was possible to revert to the comfort of grilled salmon or steak. I enjoyed the variety and the fact that food typical of each region was presented. The kitchens do a magnificent job and every meal was enjoyable. The Erlebnis restaurant was excellent and is not to be missed, though you have to book ahead. It would be very easy to leave as cargo. Some did.

 Laundry.

Each cabin has its own bathroom and there is a small clothes line over the shower. No ironing is possible in the cabins as a safety precaution. Laundry and ironing costs are very reasonable, certainly compared to hotel rates, and delivery is amazingly prompt. It is a good service but it would have been handy to have more pre embarkation detail.

Next time I would research my cabin space more closely and not share space, but I would certainly travel again with APT. Assuming the bed issue could be resolved.

Some thoughts for those with disabilities.

The service was superb, nothing too much trouble for staff. I enjoyed the experience however, because I have osteo arthritis, I found there were some activities which simply did not suit me. I had expected this and used the respite to catch up on reading and simply enjoy being on the river messing about in boats. It isn’t essential to undertake every activity and the cruise director was very helpful when I organised individual activities in lieu of planned excursions, example: at Nuremburg I went by taxi to the Museum and saw an exhibition of Medieval manuscripts and the Codex Aureus.  Plus a room full of medieval pietas. Stunning. Similarly on the following land tour in Berlin I managed an uninterrupted view of the Pergamum Altar and five minutes of solo time with the bust of Nefertiti, both impossible in a group situation.

Just talk to the cruise director, give adequate notice, and be disciplined about getting back on time. When engaging in group activities there are usually faster and slower walking groups and my advice is that, if you are in doubt, go down a gear! It actually allows time for looking about, otherwise in a continent mostly paved in uneven cobblestones, it is easy to spend most of the time watching the path, better to see the country and meet the people. My thanks to Eveline and Florin who were most accommodating in helping me to organise taxis etc

Some aspects of cruise life are not mentioned in the brochures and they can impact if mobility is limited. Ships tend to berth parallel to each other. Accessing an on shore event might require crossing one or more vessels berthed between you and terra firma. It can mean climbing up to the top deck, negotiating walkways and then descending stairs at the other end. Just mentioning! Generally the Amaverde was very comfortable, and on board access was easy. There is a lift and the ship is very stable. And on “off “ days when activity is not possible there are books and jigsaw puzzles to entertain, though the range of books is OK, best to supply your own if tastes run beyond Jodi Piccoult etc! The ships jigsaw is a killer, but a good way to overcome back pain. And no-0ne knows what you’re doing!

As an after thought leaving curtains open at night can be interesting as it allows the passing panorama of lights to glide by as you nod off to sleep, however waking during the night can provide a very close up view of the loch wall, a bit daunting, and in the morning it is possible that your cabin will be berthed in parallel to another cabin on the next boat and you yourself are the view!!   Just a warning.

Visits to castles cathedrals and theatres tend to involve walking and stairs. Tour guides, and I have worked as one so I’m sympathetic, tend to have a set spiel designed to enlighten and entertain while drawing attention to particular aspects of the building. The direction and timing are pre-set and don’t always allow for people who need to use alternate access routes. To experience a theatre I prefer to go to a performance and I like to attend church services, (I’m fantastically ecumenical.) But time on tour does not allow for this and it means a lot of walking, standing while the guide delivers their information, and many steps and stairs. Seating is rare and I suggest that it be used any time it’s available. Sometimes it is easier to simply buy a guidebook! Please note also that tour buses often have to park at some distance from sites because streets are narrow and there is competition for parking locations. Buses also have quite high access steps. My advice is to choose your events, plan for them and really enjoy them. But also enjoy what the Italians call dolce fa niente, the sheer bliss of sometimes doing absolutely nothing with good company and excellent wine in extreme comfort.

The cruise system is great for those places where travelers need a high level of support and especially where there are language difficulties. In my own case I would look at future tours through countries where I have no language capacity, most likely Budapest to Istanbul in April 2015. (I can get by in French and German but can’t gargle in Romanian, Bulgarian or Turkish!) Then off to Florence for 3 months, learning Italian!

The cruise was a great experience and, apart from the beds, most enjoyable.

Happy to discuss any of my comments, feel free to contact.

 

 

Part of my travel in 2014 was about my family history. My fathers’ family came from Chudleigh, a village in Devon. And yes for the Harry Potter people I have heard of the Chudleigh Cannons. What I hadn’t realised until I discovered the Chudleigh connection was the extent to which Devon place names, including Chudleigh, had been replicated in my home State of Tasmania.

However train to Exeter and a taxi to Chudleigh saw me standing in the ancestral space. I wandered down the two streets in which my 2x Great Grandparents had lived, unable to identify each house because numbers weren’t given in the census, the sense of place was eerie. Trawled the local high street and found shops, art centres and some interesting Cafe’s. Visited the post office where they were not aware of any remaining locals with the ancestral surnames, and trawled through all available churchyards.

The local library was rewarding for background in events in Chudleigh around the 1850″s which was the time of their departure for Australia. It seems that Chudleigh, like many such villages was bypassed by trains an suffered from poor weather patterns at the time, The wool industry was depleted and my family were wool combers.  Further research shows that, unlike most of my other ancestors they had arrived as indentured servants, he was a painter and she a needle woman. No ancestors  were buried in the local graveyard. Later research shows that the family were religious Non conformists, now there’s a surprise, and had a tendency to marry Catholics. Again not a usual thing at the time.

Not really sure what I expected to feel but I came away with at least some sense of what the ancestors were like and also with contacts at the Library. I’ve promised to send them the family tree when it’s finished. Curiously my father, who always said he had no family, has ancestors going back to 1400’s. Next year I hope to pursue my mothers’ ancestral ties in Ireland and Samoa.