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Amazing Experience - Don't rely solely on the CruiseCritic Editor's Review.

Our group of six cruised on this ship from Chalon-sur-Saone to Arles in October, 2023.  We were attracted to this cruise for a variety of reasons but especially because it cruised through two legendary wine areas of France (Burgundy and Rhone Valley).  Given the cost of the cruise, the experience was above average but no more.  Fortunately, we interacted with three employees who stood out for their wonderful demeanor, good humor, and high professionalism.  They included our dinner waiters and the Hotel Manager.  Some other important staff members were less helpful.   We took all seven city tours.  Guides were very good and we learned quite a lot about history going back to pre-Roman times.  A somewhat humorous albeit concerning aspect of the cruise was our captain's personal smoking policy.  He briefed us on the dangers of fire and that smoking was forbidden in all passenger areas.  Apparently that did not apply to the captain who did not bother to hide his smoking nor the smoke in the air.  It was easy to tell how difficult a particular lock was based on the number of cigarettes burned.  A three-cigarette lock was a tough one.  The chef and his staff produced very tasty meals.  Given that this cruise was in world famous Burgundy for four outof seven days, we looked forward to having red burgundy (pinot noir) with our meals.  Much to our surprise we were unable to obtain any red burgundy at all - even the nice bottle on the special wine list was not available.  When I mentioned how much we would enjoy red burgundy with a few meals to the Maitre D, he humored me and that was it.  Later in the cruise, the wine server claimed to be pouring 'pinot'.  However, upon reading the bottle, it was actually an obscure red wine from Valois near the France/Swiss border made from the grape red humagne.  We quickly realized that wine service was not at the level of our previous cruises so we provided our own really great red burgundy.

Coordinator, Social Media

Pleasant cruise, good tours and meals but wine - not so much

We chose this cruise because I have always loved France and this trip did not disappoint. We flew directly into Nice and we were greeted by a representative from AmaWaterways as soon as we got through baggage claim. A driver took us directly to the hotel and our Cruise Manager, Heloise, was at the hotel to check us in. She was with us for the entire trip and was amazing. We had a welcome reception the first night and met several people who were joining us on the pre-cruise extension. We stayed at the Hyatt Regency Nice. The location was great and the breakfast buffet was overwhelming and delicious. We had a walking tour of Nice the first full day, then we took a bus tour of Eze, Monte Carlo and Monaco. The tour guide was very interesting and we had plenty of time to ask questions and take pictures in every location. After three days in Nice, we took a bus to the AmaCello in Arles. Check-in was seamless and everything was ready for us. The food on board the ship was excellent and the staff was always polite and professional. We ended up connecting with a waiter we loved and we took most of our meals at his table because he took such good care of us. We thoroughly enjoyed all of the tours we took throughout the cruise. We did mainly active walking tours and hikes. We did not do any bike tours, but they were very popular with other guests. The tour guides for each stop really knew their areas and we were impressed by all of them. If we had any criticism of the cruise at all, it was we didn't have a lot of free time to explore the beautiful cities we were visiting, but you can't have everything! During a couple of free afternoons, we each had a massage on the ship, and I would highly recommend it. The cabins are on the small side, as is the shower, but we didn't spend a lot of time in the cabin because there was so much to do. It was a wonderful experience and we are already looking forward to our second cruise with AmaWaterways next year.

Fantastic 1st Cruise Experience with AmaWaterways

We joined a wine cruise sponsored by a California winery. This was our fourth cruise with Ama.  As usual, the crew was wonderful, from the sailors to the kitchen staff.  The food was delicious, the wine free-flowing.  All of the local guides we had on our various excursions were knowledgeable and showed a passion for their heritage.

Our captain was always smiling and happy to answer questions about the ship and about sailing.  The cruise director, Mariana, did everything she could to accommodate our little group, which was seven of the 75 in the winery group.  My mother is 88, and this is probably her last trip to Europe.  Mariana made sure she was taken care of on all the excursions.  We also did the post-cruise trip to Geneva with Mariana.  Excellent hotel accommodations and interesting sojourns there also.

It was hot!  But the temperatures inside the cabins and lounge, etc., on the ship were comfortable.  Altogether a very memorable experience and we're already planning our next Ama cruise in 2024.

Wonderful itinerary and wonderful crew

My wife, friends, and I have sailed on various AMA boats on different itineraries.  This was my third trip in Europe with AMA.  The boat this time was the AMACello.  

I will take it on faith that the boat was launched in 2008 but you'd never know it.  The paint was fresh - everywhere!  Even the winches.  The brightwork shone... brightly!  The carpets were probably not new, but they looked new.  The curtains, linens, towels, sheets, comforters were all immaculate.  The pillows were fresh.  Our room was impeccably clean.  The furniture showed no wear and tear.  The A/C/Heater worked without issue.  All the bathroom fixtures were clean, bright, shiny and showed no wear.

The dining room was also clean and very well run.  

The common areas had furniture and carpets and fixtures that showed no wear.

The food was incredible.  Here's where I have to take issue with the editor's comment:  "And, though the food was ambitious -- a mishmash of colors and ingredients intended to approximate fine dining rather than serving as the real thing -- the indulgent buttery soups and rich, salty entrees had us craving lighter options. The problem is, on a ship of this size, there are no other options onboard."  I found on this trip as in the two previous, that the menu consisted of two pages of options - with the first page giving an option of starters, soups, the chef's recommendations, and deserts.  There were several options to mix and match from.  Below that, on the same page, were other offerings including steak, seafood, poultry, and vegetarian courses.  All of it was beautifully prepared, far from a "mismash"!  The second page of the menu went on to offer even more selections.  You are free to have the menu items adapted to your tastes.  What's more, if you want something different or special, you just need to ask.  On this cruise, the table behind us ate cheeseburgers almost every day - these were not on the menu but prepared just for the asking.  If you have special dietary needs, you can let them know and they will accommodate your needs.   The food is sourced locally based on what's in season and fresh.  So, the food is top notch.  Far from mishmash.  And the implication that you are stuck with buttery, salty soup is flat out false!  

The locks... I guess you could call them "dungeons".  But they are fascinating feats of engineering.  So I guess it depends on your attitude and outlook.   Watching the doors open and close, marveling how your ship, 1/3 again as long as a football field, smoothy slides into them with just inches on either side, watching the coordinated dance of the captain and crew, seeing the water levels changing, and the ship silently, smoothly lifting or falling attracts all kinds of passengers to the show.  

On the Rhine, the ship mostly moves at night.  There is one day where you sail down a gorge lined with castles, ruins, towns and being up on deck watching them and listening to the cruise director give snippets of history for each is a highlight of the Rhine trip.  It's scenic as heck.  But if you don't like scenery nor history, well then, maybe it's not your thing.

The crew falls all over themselves to ensure your needs are being met.  The bar service has always been great with one minor exception when somebody broke stacks of glasses all over the bar.  The bartender understandably got grumpy but quickly got over it.  We've had drinks brought up to the top deck, our room, the lounge, the pool/jacuzzi...  The service is always fast and friendly.  The crew is engaging and happy to work with you.  The drinks outside the meals do cost extra, but the cost is pretty low - and most of the time you are off the boat outside of meal hours.  They tend to carry Bitburger beer on tap - a good beer, but if you want something else, they stock other bottled beers.  The wines are good.  Coming from the wine country in California and having made wine with my family, I think I'm a competent judge of wine and I find no fault with their selection or quality.  It's too bad the editor turned "slightly crimson" when expressing his displeasure with the wine.  Perhaps it was bad.  Perhaps he didn't like it.  Perhaps both.  But in that situation, I tend to just move on.  They have many bottles and several offerings.  

Laundry is inexpensive.  And the turn-around is usually same day.  You put the clothes you want washed into the typical plastic bag, fill out the form, and leave it on your bed.  Housekeeping picks it up when they do your room.  Often, it's returned while you are out touring.  

For my wife and I, our combined bill for drinks outside meal hours and laundry was just over €100

The flat screen in  your room is actually an Apple iMac.  There is a wireless mouse and keyboard and you have internet access at that computer as well as wifi on board.   At no extra charge.  Sometimes the boat goes through dead spots so internet may come and go, but usually it's working and it's pretty fast.

The excursions/tours are well run by licensed tour guides.  In most EU countries, you can't just tour people around without a license.  The guides have to study and pass qualification exams.  This ensures you get somebody knowledgable. The AMA approach is to have several tours at each location.   The tours are divided into different levels of exertion - typically from "Gentle Walking" to "Active Walking".  There can also be tour bus or tour-train rides.  The bicycles are available too with an organized bike tour (or two) at each stop PLUS you can take them out on your own.  When you are on a guided bike tour, there's a licensed guide AND the fitness director from the boat accompanying the tour.  This lets the group park the bikes at points of interest and wander off.  The fitness director also helps keep the group together and takes care of people who may be lagging.  

Here's the list of activities for one day on this AMACerto cruise through France (though it's typical for all the ships I've been on):

Sun May 01

Vienne 8:00 AM 11:30 AM Footsteps of Ancient Romans Walking Tour

OR Mount Pipet Hike

OR ViaRhôna Bike Tour

Lyon 2:30 PM 10:00 PM Lyon City Tour & Cooking Class

OR Vieux Lyon Walk and Tasting Tour

OR Lyon Bike Tour

Illuminated Bridges of Lyon

There is a fitness director who, in addition to accompanying bike rides, holds stretching and yoga classes.  Most of the clientele are well into retirement so the classes are not exactly HIIT or full on cardio classes though I bet if you asked, the fitness director would do something more strenuous for you - I don't know this for sure, but based on how everybody on board is attuned to making your trip the best experience, it wouldn't surprise me.  There is a simple "gym" on board with some weights, treadmills, rowing machines, and stationary bikes.  There is a hair styling and massage room.  

Dress code around the boat is casual.   There is nothing to prevent you from dining in shorts and a t-shirt, though you may feel less awkward in pants and a collared shirt at dinner.  I have almost never seen a passenger wearing a tie -- bow or otherwise, but what you wear is up to you.  There are two slightly more special dining experiences - a Captain's Dinner and a Chef's Table.  I may have inherited some old fashioned values, so I think it's appropriate to honor the occasion and show some respect for the efforts of others by dressing appropriately - and in these two occasions, you will want some nice pants, shirt, dress, blouse.... or at least I would.  I've dined in shorts, jeans, t-shirts as have my friends and most everybody around us and I've never seen anybody refused entry, service, or been given any attitude whatsoever over what they are wearing.  Perhaps the editor is confusing the AMACerto (and other AMA ships) with some other cruise line's ship.  

Pre-cruise/Post-cruise extensions.  These were offered on all the cruises we've done.  AMA takes care of the transportation of the luggage, hotel bookings, local tour guides.  On this cruise, AMA accepted our luggage in the hotel in Barcelona and transported it to the ship in France where it was waiting in our room when we arrived.   For the passengers, we rode the TGV from Barcelona to Nimes and then a tour bus from Nimes to Arles.  We had tours of both cities along the way.  AMA had arranged for the group to bypass the line in the Barcelona Saints train station so there were no issues with the public, getting lost, etc.   

Disembarking was simple and organized.  Different groups were heading out in different directions after the cruise concluded.  Each group got a different colored bag tag and exit time.  AMA helped arrange for ground transportation for taxis or rides to train stations or airports.  The information packet you get as your departure date draws near has the necessary dock information so you can arrange for private transportation if you are striking out on your own after the cruise has ended.

This has gotten pretty long winded.  Hopefully it's given you a better idea what it's like to be on the AMACerto (or any other AMA ship).  

River cruising also has some other characteristics that distinguish it from ocean cruising which have nothing to do with the specific ship:  

- The small size of the ship regardless of cruise line (size is dictated by several factors including river locks) means your boat does not change the nature of the city/town you stop in.  You get a more authentic view into the lives and culture of the people in these towns.  

 - Ships raft up - sometimes 3 wide alongside the pier so you have to travel through neighboring ships to reach the shore AND/OR other ships' passengers will travel through your ship.  (AMA provides great supervision and security in these situations).  Your beautiful river view when you went to bed may become a view into another ship's stateroom when you wake up.

 - The water level in the river may prevent the ship from sailing to all stops on the itinerary.  If the water level is too high, there may be bridges the ship can't go under.  Too low, and the ship may not be able to float above the river bottom. 

 - Because of the limited number of passengers and the small group sizes, you do get the opportunity to know your fellow passengers.  

 - Onboard entertainment is "quaint".  You won't see a Cirque du Soleil show or a Broadway play on board.  You will get some local musicians, folk artists, or dancers performing something locally relevant or perhaps a kitsch sing-along. 

In short, the food is amazing on the AMACerto with lots of selection and the ability to customize what you want.  There are no dungeons.  The wine is fine.  The crew bends over backwards to make your stay thoroughly enjoyable.  The ship is ship-shape. You will be spoiled and you will never want to leave.

I went to a Viking show and bought an Amawaterways  cruise. I am cheap, but this time I upgraded to a French Balcony. That was in Sept of 2019 to sail on April 4th (a different ship) Covid cancelled and I re booked lost my free air but added  2 day pre and 3 days post that got cancelled so I re booked again but for 1 year later. this time a wine cruise in late November. we got very lucky. only 30 guest onboard with42 crew. ( private boat ). we had an awesome time and we got the start of the Christmas Market without the higher price.  I drink about 1-2 bottles of wine a year, but I drank about 6-7 years worth.  Thanks to Chappel Hill Winery in England. 

 Budapest is an awesome city and my wife love it. she felt comfortable there.  The Christmas Markets were just going up and we could not buy gift, but we could sample mulled wine and sausages. great street food. then to Vienna's Christmas opened and Salzburg open and starting to open in Prague 

 You would think that would be enough, but I figured since we were this far, just one more city Paris. Yes We went to Paris and I did a little dance and Kissed my wife under the Eiffel Tower.

I want to Thank Ama waterways and our tour guide. she was best we have ever had in all our travel She kept me from making a mistake in catching the trains to Paris.

  THANK YOU AMA WATERWAYS and your OUTSTANDING staff.

awesome

The ship was fantastic all the luxury of a large cruise line but way less people. The staff are able and more then willing to cater to your every need. The wait staff is on point. I have also had some of the best meals and deserts on board. Although the rooms are small they are very clean and have everything you need to enjoy your stay. The cleaning service was great and was always on top of providing a clean and comfortable room. I highly recommend a massage it was fantastic and a great value. The front desk answered any and all questions. The operations/ tour manager made sure we all were taken care of and saw everything and anything that we could take in abs was very accommodating.  The captain and all the deck hands and engineers were were flawless. I would definitely recommend this ship and crew to anyone. Perfect vacation and experience

Amazing 

I did not select this cruise but joined a friend and discovered this excellent cruise line.  We travelled up the Rhône River from Arles to Lyon in Provence and saw storybook views and villages.  The tour guides in each location were the best I have ever seen and heard - we got in depth information delivered with delightful humor.  My favorites were visiting the Provençal olive grower and his family run processing “plant”, the truffle farmer, Amy, the truffle dog, and the  family, and Dominique, the winemaker and his vineyard.  There were lots of options for excursions, all inclusive, and for whatever activity level we desired.  Best of all was Heloise, the Cruise Manager, but everyone on the ship provided top quality service! Spotlessly clean, many personal touches like flowers in our room upon arrival from our AmaWaterways booking agent in the states, Louise. I was very pleased and I WILL join them again!

Excellent experience!

It  was my first cruise with the AmaWaterways, but it will not be the last.  I chose it because it was the only cruise that offered exactly the tour I wanted to take, including the possibility of spending three days in Paris partly on my own, but always backed up by the AmaWaterways personnel in case of need; and talking of that, Sonja always kept me under her wings, whether I was a few meters or a few kilometers from her.  Sure of that, I always felt safe and ready to explore.

Everybody on the ship was a dream, including the Captain, who is an excellent dancer.  Everybody had a smile and help to offer, including the other cruisers; in fact, I noticed that this company attracts a nice and knowledgeable crowd.  Mr. Peter van Straaten, the Executive Chef, had no limits on how to provide excellent and exclusive repasts on a river cruise ship that, after all, must have some restrictions on how large a kitchen can possibly be.

The choice of land excursions and guides was also excellent.  When it seemed impossible to find a taxi in Lyon, the guide said that if the second taxi she called would also not show up, she would take me to the Musee de Tissues with our bus; fortunately, the second taxy arrived.  Thank you for everything.     Maria Villarreal

A Great Experience 

Wanted to see Provence when chance to see lavender in bloom.  Chose AMAWaterways based on price.  Travel solo and while still paid single supplement the promotion going was the best deal for the time could go.  Did not do pre or post cruise package.  Cruise only.  Did pre-cruise time in Paris on own.  Purchased transfer from Paris to Lyon from AMA.  Worked great.  Met group at hotel for transfer to train station and ride to Lyon.  From that moment entire vacation great.  First stop in Lyon was a cooking class.  Lot of fun.  Because visiting during heatwave the cafe/school geared lessons things that did not require lot of 'cooking'.  Cabin on ship was fine.  Had a single cabin. The bed was small/single but worked ok.  French balcony.  Service excellent all around.  Had a good cruise manager in Dragan.  Our captain was very personable and friendly.  I enjoyed the quality and variety of the food presented.  I liked that the walking tours offered different levels of activity.  There were active walker groups and gentle walker groups.  I joined gentle walkers and felt that saw enough of given sights without stressing about keeping up with the group.   Appreciate that crew helped bring luggage to top of ramp when disembarking.  Entertainment different as jazz dagen group had their own. 

The excursions offered were fun.  The ones I attended:

Walking tour of Vienn plus little train to panoramic view--Enjoyed the view.  Interesting through trip to discover so many vestiges of ancient Roman influence

Steam train--Beautiful scenery.  Kind of short ride.  Forgot the smell of burning coal and the cinders/soot.  Still recommend because of beauty.

Truffle farm--A Highlight.  Owner Serge and his truffle hunting dog Aimee.  Such personality.

Beaujolais village and  wine tasting

Arles-light show in quarry-van Gogh plus asylum visit--Light show was fantastic.

Arles- van Gogh featured walking tour

Wonderful trip

Background information: I picked this cruise because I wanted to revisit the places I had been on a trip I made in 1964, and I took my 18 year old granddaughter with me because she wanted to see France and practice her French.  She had been on 2 cruises prior to this and I had been on 30 cruises.  One of my prior cruises was on AmaViola which was a newer AmaWaterways ship with a pool.  The AmaCello was an older ship.  I use a mobility scooter because I cannot walk very far, and although the crew on the ships are most helpful, it is sometimes difficult to get on and off the ships with a scooter.

The actual cruise on AmaCello went from Lyon to Arles, with two days in Paris at the start and an option of two days in Barcelona at the end.  I decided to arrive in Paris four days before the tour.  

We flew in to Charles de Gaulle airport - arriving on 20 June, and our travel agent arranged for us to be picked up and taken to the hotel.

HOTEL: We stayed in the same hotel as the AmaCello groups were staying in.  Originally this was to be the Renaissance Arc de Triomphe but we were switched to the Renaissance La Parc Trocadero.  I think the switch was because there was a large Jazz group on this cruise and they filled up the first hotel.  

The hotel had three steps up to the lobby - they had a small lift for wheelchairs but it was awkward because I had to have staff assistance to use it. It had to be unlocked both at the top and bottom. Normally I went in to my room through the garden (which was a cool relaxing space) because there were no steps.  The hotel had handicapped rooms (with a shower instead of a tub) but they were all doubles.  I didn't want to sleep with my granddaughter, so I got a rollaway bed 

Breakfast was included and it was more than adequate, and we also got room service twice and ate in the restaurant which had delicious food.

Our travel agent (who was with Vacations To Go) also arranged a private tour of Paris, a trip to the Louvre and the Catacombs, and a Riverboat cruise dinner.  On our own we visited the Musee d'Orsay and L'Orangerie, and I booked a walking tour of the Left Bank with a company called Discover Walks.

The rest of the group came in on June 24th. We had a meeting with our Cruise Director Dragan Reljic that evening.  

Paris was in the middle of a unusual heat wave where the temperature would be over 100 deg. F.

EMBARKATION was 27 June. We were to take the high speed train from Paris to Lyon.  Initially I was told that I would have to ship my scooter with the luggage and that I would have to walk to the train.  After I flatly refused to do that, they figured out that there were elevators in the station, and Dragan took us (my granddaughter and me) to the elevators.  In Lyon we got on a bus and there was an arrangement for us to cook and eat some food and then walk or take a shuttle to the ship in Lyon.  But it was way too hot to do that, so most of us just went directly to the ship.

At the ship, they had a buffet for us while we were waiting for our rooms, and quite quickly, we could get into the room and unpack. We had a meeting to do the safety briefing - the Captain kept us laughing and then Dragan talked to us about the schedule. When the meeting was over, all the women got roses.  There was a vase in the cabin for us to put the roses in

DINING:  The dining room is on the lowest deck. For awhile the door to exit into the dining room would not open and this was a problem for me.  After a day or so they figured out a manual override, but I always had to wait for someone to let me out (or for the person with the key to let me in).  The food at dinner was excellent.

Breakfast and Lunch were mainly a buffet.  I absolutely cannot do a buffet. There's no room for the scooter, the food is almost too high for me to see, and if I get something, I can't carry it.  If my granddaughter was with me, she could sometimes bring me food from the buffet, and sometimes the waiters would help me.  The food was good, it was just hard for me to get.

ACTIVITIES and ENTERTAINMENT  There was a gym and Alex was the guy doing the exercise classes.  There were nightly concerts, which in the case of this cruise were often Jazz performances.  Neither the ship nor any of the hotels had a pool, which was a big disappointment to me.  I normally do my exercises in a pool for a hour three or four times a week.  My health deteriorates when I can't get into a pool. This ship only had a hot tub.  I did go up on the Sunshine Deck once and sat there in the shade and enjoyed the breeze.

SERVICE: In all aspects, excellent.

PORT and SHORE EXCURSIONS

PARIS: Most people arrived on 24 June.  On June 25th, we had two tours.  First an overview of Paris in the morning.  And in the evening we had an evening illumination tour - first they took us up to Sacre Coeur where we could have dinner on our own.  Then we went down the funicular, and got back on the bus.  We got to the Eiffel tower a little before 11:00 - just in time for the sparkling light show. 

The next day (June 26th) we had on our own but then our cruise director Dragan Reljic had arranged an optional visit to a dinner show cabaret up on Montmartre.  This was really a terrific show and a lot of fun.

LYON: There was a Bike Tour, but my granddaughter can't ride a bike, and a City Tour which my granddaughter took.  They went up to the Basilica and did some of what my granddaughter called "secret passageways" (Traboules)  She enjoyed this tour.  It was too hot for me to go

BEAUJOLAIS:  Neither of us took this excursion because we are not interested in wine tasting.

VIENNE:  The Mount Pipet hike was my granddaughters favorite tour. She said: The view of the city was spectacular. Vienne is definitely my favorite of the places we have visited so far. It’s beautiful and quiet with more story to it than it seems. Vienne is the underdog city.

TOURNON: Steam Train RIde:  This was the first tour that I did, and it was a really nice ride up the gorge and back. We went through tunnels, and then at the top, the engine turned around and went to the other end of the train to pull us back down the mountain.  I went to the little museum at the end of the train trip.

AVIGNON:  My granddaughter did the Pont du Gard (aqueduct) tour and then the visit to the Truffle farm, both of which she enjoyed.  Dragan arranged for me to get a taxi, and the taxi took me up to Las Baux, and to the Les Remy Antiquities, to King Rene's palace and then around to the Pope's Palace

ARLES:  We went on the Camargue and Aigues-Mortes tour and this was a disappointment.  For some reason I thought we would see some of the Camargue horses, and we did, but just through the bus window.  We did see lots of sunflowers and the bus stopped so we could get out and take photos.  Then my granddaughter went on the Van Gogh walking tour.  She felt that she knew more about it than the guide.  Also it was very hot.

BARCELONA: I have been to Barcelona before, but I had not seen the old city nor had I been into the Sagrada Familia.  So we made a reservation for the Sagrada Familia for 12:15 which I thought would be at the end of the "Best of Barcelona" tour.  Be the tour had been rearranged so after we saw the Gothic Quarter, we got a taxi to the Sagrada Familia.  It was an amazing experience.

The following day my granddaughter did the Mountains and Abbey of Montserrat excursion, which I think she enjoyed.

DISEMBARKATION: Some people got off the ship in Arles but we were going on to Barcelona.  So first we went to Nimes, where we had a nice tour, and some free time so we could buy lavender honey.  That part of the day was good.

We got to the train station and first we had to change platforms for the train and then we had maybe 6 minutes to get everyone and their hand luggage (and the scooter) onto the train.  The train had two levels, and I was blocked getting to my seat in a timely manner because someone was getting another person settled and wouldn't get out of the aisle.  We finally got to our seats which were facing another couple which means you have no room for your feet like in a regular seat.  Although you have someone to talk to. There was no real provision for lunch, but my granddaughter went and got me a sandwich.  I ate it, but it was soggy.  I hate soggy bread.  Then the train stopped in a station and just stayed there for a hour.  The A/C was not keeping up.  It was hot.  We got to Barcelona about a hour late.

HOTEL in Barcelona - It was another Renaissance.  Other people got handicapped rooms with a shower, but I did not.  They had to scramble around to find one that had a shower, and, as before  it had a double bed.  I got a rollaway.  My granddaughter loved this hotel. She said it was fancy. The bathroom has one of those rain shower heads and a button IN the mirror that turns on this LED light around one part of it.  At one point it got really really cold in the room, and I had to turn off the A/C and the fan because it was blowing cold air on me.  I opened the window and let the sun warm up the room a little.

SUMMARY:  It was very hot, but that (and the non-working bow camera) was almost the only flaw in this cruise.  The cruise director was great, the service was excellent, the food was good, and there was a good variety of excursions and things to do.  When I didn't go on an excursion I could sit on the bow and take photos (until it got to hot, and then I could go to my room and take photos)

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