AmaSerena Review
Rating by category
Additional details
The AMA Serena was totally 5 star. Our upgrade to the cabin with the French balcony was a very nice touch, the beds were excellent as were the duvets. There was a running track/putting green and large hot tub/small swimming pool and a very nicely set up gym. Very very nice.
Now let’s talk about the organization, the on board entertainment, the daily tours and docking locations..
Upon reaching Zurich (we had signed up for the pre tour getaway) we were greeted by the tour director Federico who was very pleasant and told us that there would be a short get together that evening. Check in at the Hotel Continental was swift and convenient and the staff were very pleasant as well. The hotel itself does appear to be an aging dowager duchess in need of some refurbishment. The large chairs in the lobby could do with an update both in colours and materials. They looked quite faded and there appears to be just an overall appearance of decay slowly happening. The rooms were quite nice and at one time I’m sure they would have been very elegant. While some of the elegance is still there in the marble counter tops in the bathrooms, one could not ignore the signs of aging. The door to the bathroom was quite scarred and edges were dusty as well and the door just didn’t quite shut properly unless given a “push”.
Cabin Review
Stateroom with French balcony
Cabin was very nice; beds were great; bathrooms with showers excellent and plenty of hot water. lots of closet space to hang clothes but suitcase does not fit under bed so they took up some cabin space. Cleaning was just "okay" as the day we boarded there was previous occupant's face cream still in bathroom.
Port Reviews
Basel
We did the initial walking tour of Basel and that was thoroughly enjoyable. Basel is quite an industrial city but walking through the central core up to the cathedral was really excellent. This was late December and the weather was fantastic so that helped.
Strasbourg
Strasbourg was probably my favourite place along the whole route. It was Christmas Day and the cathedral was magnificent as was the walking tour through Le Petite France and as well the general bus tour that we had. The local guide was brilliant
Koblenz
We were only here overnight and while we did an evening walk it would have been great to have had an extra day to spend here as it seemed to be quite an interesting town. The fact that we were there on a Sunday night probably didn't help either.
Rudesheim
This town was absolutely brilliant! The medieval town centre has been so well preserved it's amazing. Totally enjoyed this town and would enjoy going back in summer time.
Cologne
Having spent time in Cologne previously, we opted out of any of the tours in order to spend some time in the shops. Bit of a mistake as it was incredibly crowded.
Amsterdam
Amsterdam was brilliant as well. We participated in the "free" tours provided by the boat. One was a bus tour and the other was a canal and walking tour. The bus and canal tours were great as you saw and were told quite a bit about the history of Amsterdam and why the houses were narrow and how furniture was lifted in an out of the houses.but the walking tour left a bit to be desired. I enjoyed the next day spent in Amsterdam on our own as we had a map and knew somewhat where we were going. A very easy town to get around in.