I signed on for the Rhine river cruise that was to have been on the Ama Lucia. A few days before, I got an email to say I would be on a different ship, the Ama Siena for at least part of the trip due to changes in water levels on the River. I understand nature cannot be controlled, but the "ship swap" half way through the journey really did not help the ambience of the experience. We were dropped off for the day in Heidelberg on a day when the town was almost shit down for a national holiday and it was pouring rain, not able to return to a bus or a ship. The cruise I was on was comprised of about 3/4 people from the travel industry, many who said they thought our situation was not due to the immediate weather but more to what had happened earlier in the month and that we were the company's attempt at getting their ships back on schedule - discouraging to hear! It also impacted our itinerary and we lost time in some places as a result. Also, the app was never updated so it was telling my children I was in Amsterdam when I was in fact in Basel! The ships were pretty identical, but the crew on the Ama Lucia not quite as good or nice - my room had a draft from a faulty French balcony window that the desk manager did not acknowledge (I took pictures) and the dining was not at all what I expected - the description stated "regional specialties" and I think we only had two dinners of those altogether. I was also told by Ama's Reservation Support Specialist and by the travel advisor who booked my trip that the Cruise Manager could help me with getting a case of wine shipped home. However, I immediately found out in port that this is not at all possible - wish I had know this ahead of time and I feel that either the travel agent or support staff should have known and told me up front. In general, I was not pleased at how little free time we had in each place we stopped - regardless of the ship swap, it just seemed so rushed all the time...not sure I will ever do another river cruise if this is typical.
