Our Spring AmaWaterways trip was a follow up to a Fall Trip on the Danube 3 years ago. That trip we bookended with stays in Vienna for two days pre trip and Prague for 4 days at end of cruise. when we returned home, my wife noted that I was more relaxed than I had been on similar trips we have taken independently. Following this same format, we planned independently to travel to Brussels and Bruges precruise and Zurich and Copenhagen post cruise for this trip. This allowed us a sense of independence, while enjoying the relaxing river cruise in the middle of our vacation. Our enjoyment of these trips is supported by researching each destination of the cruise to have some background on each destination to get the best of available free time and make informed choices on activities and range of tours offered, so we knew what to expect instead of numbly following a tour guide. This strategy worked well for us on this trip. Spring time offers fewer crowds, cooler weather, explosions of tulips and greenery. Horse Chestnuts in bloom, storks, geese and swans nesting with chicks. It also rained some, so a good umbrella was essential. We found the clientele of our cruise to be mostly in our age bracket, (65 - 75), well heeled and diverse. Active set, rode bikes and went on hikes which were not difficult for people in better shape. Tour groups were divided into active, regular and gentle levels for each destination, with free time after tour. Transportation from boat to town was excellent, with luxury tour buses providing transport for boat to town. Meals were outstanding overall, with superior table service breakfast, lunch and dinner. Casual buffet was also available for breakfast and lunch. Tea service was also available in afternoon if boat was cruising, followed by Sip and Sail, cocktail party before dinner. Beer and Wine served during lunch and dinner was varied by where we were on Rhine and Moselle offering regional interest as was the cuisine. Our trip included two nights stay pretrip in Amsterdam and Hyatt Regency. This was nice allowing us to visit Anne Frank House and Rijksmuseum on our own and take Amsterdam walking tour and visit Zaanse Schans windmills with the Waterways guide. Transfers of luggage from the hotel to our to our ship stateroom cabin was seamless. Our grandsons asked me what my favorite single thing was about the trip which is a hard one to answer with some many places we visited. I would have to say that sitting at the bow of the ship, inside in lounge or on the upper deck, during the morning, afternoon or evening watching the riverbank, towns, vineyards, castles and river traffic roll by was our greatest pleasure, We traversed over 30 river locks on the Rhine and Moselle offering an interesting dynamic. May travel in Europe has a warming curve of average temperatures. We had mild low 60's at start of our trip May 3 with Spring rain showers and the occasional thunderstorm in the afternoon. Toward the end of the trip, warmer high 60's and more bright sunshine in Zurich and Copenhagen. Spring is also a time that Europeans appreciate. Campgrounds along the rivers were starting to fill up with tents and trailers, campers often waving to our boat as we passed by. In the towns people are planting window boxes and planters with spring blooms to transition into summer. People seem happier in Spring time anticipating the warmer season not yet exhausted by it and the coming crush of Summer travelers. That said, do not expect to get a tan in the Springtime. We made use of deck blankets on several occasions when it was chilly and most passengers on our trip did not go on the sundeck or exercise track at all. Our clique was a more hardy group that did not mind cool weather and were rewarded with spectacular scenery all to ourselves. But, to each there own, cabin windows and decks provided river views as well and some excellent naps were taken by this traveler on a couple occasions. I recommend AmaWaterways river trips as a great getaway, especially when extensions are taken on both ends of the trip.
