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AmaBella (APT)

AmaVenita (APT)

AmaVerde (APT)

AmaReina (APT)

AmaPrima (APT)

AmaDolce (APT)

AmaLyra (APT)

AmaCerto (APT)

AmaVida (APT)

AmaCello (APT)

RV Samatha (APT)

Island Sky (APT)

AmaSonata (APT)

AmaDara (APT)

AmaSerena (APT)

Hebridean Sky (APT)

Puerto Montt

We took a Grand European Tour with Ama last year and enjoyed it so much we wanted to experience another trip. We picked Paris to Normandy for personal reasons since our Dad landed on Omaha Beach.

The food is fabulous as well as the wine on this ship. All the staff made sure we were happy with their service.

We would take another Ama cruise because we know the quality of the food and the service will be first rate.

We really loved the way they had a special ceremony for us at the U.S. cemetery in Normandy. It was truly moving and a memory that will last forever.

We would have liked a little more time in Honfleur - I wonderful seaside festival was going on and we only had a short time to visit this lovely seaside town.

Overall - we enjoyed our cruise and would recommend it to anyone.

Thank you to the entire crew for making our vacation so wonderful!

Ama Treats Their Customers with Class

Fanning Island

Buyer beware!!!! This was certainly a holiday of a lifetime and we call it the "Great Aussie Rip Off". Please make sure you read the fine, fine print carefully.

Budapest to Amsterdam Friday 18 March for 15 days.

We believed we had researched this holiday thoroughly before booking with APT. We asked the correct questions. We finally booked with APT because we liked the fact it was an Australian owned company. We believed the testamonials from the APT owners and we liked what we saw on heir DVD's, brochures and information books.

We now know that ALL APT brochures, information and DVD's are false, implied, misleading and deceptive.

Firstly, we saw your APT ad for $5,995 per person twin share (fly free and free upgrade). Flight Centre, Hastings went on to charge us $9,840.50 per person. (Our free room upgrade alone was an extra us $800).

Majority of people on the cruise got 2 for 1 offer and paid between $5,000 and $6,000 per person because they booked last minute or through the cruise expo.

This information was the opposite of what Flight Centre, Hastings told us.

When pulling up in Budapest to the APT Cruise ship it was definitely NOT the Cruise ship that we were shown in the brochures or DVD's and it had just had a paint job to cover up all the imperfections.

There were no balcony suites. There was no pool on the top deck (as we were shown when booking). We were advised that every room had their own mini-bar that was re-stocked every day. There was no mini-bar nor bar fridge (for that matter) and we had warm bottles of water left in the room on the side boards.

We could not take photos of most Palaces we visited. Beware when travelling over the Easter Period (as most town, shops) you go to are closed - what a waste of money that was.

We expected to see an equestrian show at the horse riding school - instead we were shown empty arena and horses that we could not take pictures of. APT brochures again are implied and misleading.

Oh - one of our favourites.... Rudesheim - Gondola Ride. If you get a chairlift on the way up the hill and the same thing brings you back - it is called a chairlift! Not a Gondola (regardless of the correct name call it what it is). Once again, implied and deceptive.

The on-board alcoholic drinks were watered down in the second week. The Baileys Irish Cream was Milk! The beer was flat and the wine was cheap and tasteless.

Your 24 hour gym could not be used between 6.30pm and 9.30pm (any day) because Fine Dining Restaurant took over the room.

There was only 2 restaurants on board. The not 3 as stated as the restaurant upstairs had almost the same menu as downstairs (just scaled down). False and misleading.

The hotel manager and the cruise ship director on-board spoke to people as if they were lesser than the staff and most of the time and always smiled through gritted teeth. These women should never hold the position they hold.

Overall - what a disgrace our APT River cruise was leaving us with bitter memories.

This trip was only worth the 2 for 1 person deal $10,000 would have been a trip well spent. $21,200 was certainly NOT worth my savings!

We contacted APT upon our return to advise of the above and they have brushed us off and denied, denied, denied. Mind you, they were NOT on board to deny?

BUYER BEWARE - APT European River Cruise

Jost Van Dyke

CRICKET was not exactly top of the agenda on APT’s “Magnificent Tour of Europe” river cruise from July 28 to August 11.

From a passenger list of 150, more than a hundred were Australians and their heroes were getting bashed unmercifully by the Poms at Trent Bridge and Edgbaston.

Another thirty were New Zealanders, who nodded in complete approval, and the rest the were British who knew when to keep relatively quiet.

This was our trial attempt at a river adventure … from Amsterdam to Budapest in 15 days … after more than a dozen sea cruises. And it was spectacular, if not completely magnificent.

The weather helped, of course, improving dramatically once we were well into the Rhine from temperate to sizzling.

APT’s splendid package was also a bonus. Absolutely everything incorporated in the initial price, including drinks (all day, if you wanted, and one or two did), gratuities and a huge itinerary of mouthwatering, if occasionally exhausting, excursions.

Both the MS Amalyra ship and its cabins on the were surprisingly spacious and well designed with exceptional facilities, good air conditioning and storage. Ours also had a French balcony which was very useful in a variety of conditions. And the ship’s comparative lightness meant that it completed the full course where some of the heavier vessels had to call a halt because of the low water levels.

Unfortunately, our naivety meant that we missed the Amsterdam excursions. We thought that the verbal assurance that they were all starting at 9am was sufficient. Unfortunately, it was changed to 8.30am and we didn’t check in the “Daily Cruiser”.

Cruise Director Arno Primig said he would wait for us as we emerged from breakfast with a minute to spare. But we didn’t think his generosity would be reciprocated by the other passengers.

 Otherwise, it was basically plain sailing and good to see Cologne again after a gap of too many years, with a luxurious evening banquet and piano recital at Namedy Castle in Andernach.

The Loreley rock didn’t manage to snare us in the Rhine Gorge in the morning but we had an exciting afternoon in Rudesheim where an unexploded Second World War bomb poked its head above the ever-lowering river water depth, delaying everyone for three hours while it was disarmed. We heard the sirens wailing and vehicles screeching from high above on the gondola ride.

I must confess to falling asleep during the following day’s glass-blowing demonstration and we also gave the treasure hunt in Miltenberg a  miss. Otherwise most of the excursions we opted for (there was usually a choice) turned out to be winners.

We were not allowed to film Tiepolo’s amazing ceiling frescos in Wurzburg which survived the allied bombing. Bamberg the next day was a delightful medieval town and Nuremberg, particularly the former Nazi areas, was well worth the early start.

The Amalyra parked a very short distance from Regensburg centre but, sadly, the ancient stonebridge, the town’s main attraction, was undergoing a massive refurbishment, so it was a no-go area.

The full-day excursion to Salzburg aboard the Orient Express-style Majestic Imperator train was an intriguing date with the past for us. The city surrounds had changed so much since we last saw it and, despite its links with “The Sound of  Music” which, we were informed, flopped in Austria and Germany. Surprise, surprise!

We gave Melk a miss, apart from watching our intrepid cyclists (all eight of them) set off to pedal the 36 kilometres to Durnstein while the ship and everyone else was cruising there. Four made it, two fell off and required treatment, two didn’t make it and were forced to call a taxi to complete the journey at a cost of 80 Euros. They are still trying to get their money back.

Durnstein was hectically charming, but the two highlights (for us) were Vienna and Budapest, both amazing cities, full of history and stunning architecture.

Vivid Vienna memory was a classical concert (an hour was just right) at the Palace of Liechtenstein. No prizes for guessing that the closing piece was Johan Strauss’s “The Blue Danube”, and, of course, a little Mozart.

In Budapest, we visited the Opera House (among many other buildings) where a lady in red suddenly appeared and gave us a few arias. A cruise up and down the river there at night between the brilliantly-illuminated buildings of Buda and Pest was a good way to finish.

To answer a few of the questions we have answered since our return to Blighty.

Food: First class and plenty of it, and always steak and other favourites available. Special restaurant at rear of ship at no extra cost.

Entertainment: OK and just about what you would expect on a small ship. Resident pianist Peter was competent with a huge repertoire.

Cabin service: First class.

Hotel Manager Viktoria Tuboly and reception staff: Never made anyone feel they were a nuisance.

Guest communications: Very good.

Locks: They were a little tedious at first but vaguely amusing and educational when you got used to them.

Black spot: Walking tours were graduated but some of the guides were still far too fast and became separated from their parties.

Passenger relations: The Aussies helped to make the cruise, with their naturally cheerful, friendly nature. Occasionally a little boisterous, but, hey? we’ve all seen Brits thrashing their way across the dance floor.

Cruise director: Arno Primig. Excellent, knowledgeable, friendly and always available.

Bonus: Flat screen computer, which also doubled as a TV, with full Internet service in every cabin

Overall: Good value for money.

River versus Ocean cruising: The jury is still out on that one. Ocean plusses: More time (days at sea) to recuperate between excursions. River plusses: Everything is right there outside your cabin. And you can choose whether or not to go.

Trains and boats and planes ... but no cricket!

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