AmaDante Review
A very good 7-night cruise with a good-spirited crew and Cruise Director
Rating by category
Additional details
I was traveling solo, and familiar with Viking Cruises. In contrast with Viking, Ama offers 50% single supplement rooms, one or two per ship. This made the cruise substantially more affordable than the same cruise on Viking or Tauck would've been for me (at 100% single supplement charge).
There were a few advantages on this cruise over my previous Viking experience. Fitness was an important part of the daily activities, and tour groups were separated based on how active one wanted to be on the tour. Bike touring was easily accommodated because once one got a bike and helmet set up, they were available for the rest of the cruise. Also, on Ama Dante there was no additional cost to a bike tour, which Viking would charge extra for.
This ship also had a small hot tub on the lower part of the upper deck, and it was open even when the rest of the upper deck was closed. However, the weather was hot when I was onboard, and I don't think anyone used the hot tub.
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Cabin Review
Stateroom with French Balcony
Mine was a little smaller than the 2-person cabins because it held a twin bed. I think this was because it was for a single traveler. Other than that, it was plenty spacious. There was storage for two people's stuff, as in a 2-person cabin, and the bathroom was just as big as for a 2-person cabin. The bed was comfortable and the air conditioning was easy to set and effective. The only fault to this vessel is that there are no balconies in any of the rooms, so, although on the top two levels you can open the window, you can't step out and look up and down the river.
Port Reviews
Le Havre
Our stay in Le Havre included three tours. The tour of Honfleur was interesting but we were there about an hour longer than was needed. After touring, we were given about 90 minutes to walk around on our own and shop in Honflueur. It was a Monday morning and not many shops were open, and I wasn't interested in the shops that were open. I talked with several other people in my group and we agreed there was a lot of waiting around (about an hour) before we could return to the ship. It was hot that day, so I found a shady spot on the grass in a small park and waited near the motor coach that would take us back.
The second tour I took was a bike tour of Le Havre. This was a very good tour with a knowledgeable guide, and I enjoyed getting out and seeing the seaside as well as some fascinating churches and a plague courtyard.
The final tour was an all-day tour of the beaches of the Normandy D-Day invasion. This was my reason for taking the cruise and was well-worth doing. We saw a lot of the cities and beaches involved during D-Day, and attended a wreath-laying at the Normandy US cemetery. The guide was _extremely_ knowledgeable, but his accented English was at times a little hard to understand. He had some very interesting D-Day stories that added a lot to the touring of the day.