AmaDolce Review

4.5 / 5.0
57 reviews

Very good river cruise that could be excellent.

Review for Europe River Cruise on AmaDolce
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sstrick56
2-5 Cruises • Age 60s

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Sail Date: Oct 2016

Our group of two couples sandwiched a 7-night river cruise in and out of Bordeaux between a stay in Normandy and Dordogne. The AMA cruise on the AmaDolce fit our timetable because we wanted to end up in Paris for our 30th wedding anniversary before flying home. The wine themed cruise got off to a slow start because the first stop at Cadillac was canceled due to unexplained water level issues, so we had an extra half-day in Bordeaux with no planned events. That's where a major benefit of this cruise came into play -- bicycles. I borrowed one of the 15 sturdy bikes and made my loop around the city's new and old bridges on the bike path, veering into the medieval area and finding a local market and several antique shops. My other biking high on the trip was an organized excursion ride from Blaye to Bourg while the ship cruised. It helped that the weather was so inviting, but it's easy to feel exhilarated when biking through vineyards, seeing the imposing chateaux on the hillsides, and feeling the cool breeze whistle by on the downhill stretches. The cruise focused on excursions and that was the strong suit of the voyage. Given the wine theme, many excursions involved winery visits that were informative and well executed. The coaches were clean and well maintained and the guides were uniformly educational and personable, willing to offer up suggestions to meet personal interests. On some days, though, it seemed the excursions didn't completely fill the time allotted, which was then filled with criss-crossing the countryside and repetitive explanations. The overall itinerary didn't cover much territory, so there were limited times that the boat was actually moving to allow patrons the opportunity to watch the beautiful scenery go by.

River cruises involve a number of compromises because of the limited space. The lounge is the only indoor common area to gather, outside meals, so it's difficult at times to find a get away from it all unless the weather allows upper deck sitting. Local entertainment brought on board twice was good, particularly a violin/guitar trio. The on-board entertainer used a keyboard that produced a sound somewhere between a harpsichord and piano, backed up with recorded tracks. Music is very much a personal taste, and our group would have preferred a regular pianist with a good voice and large repertoire.

Meals were good and sometimes individually very good, although the selections were limited and missed opportunities to tie into the wine theme. A very informative visit to a Sauternes winery in the afternoon would have been even more meaningful if dinner had matched a Sauternes wine in some creative way with a menu option that night. No Sauternes wines the whole week. The cool weather made the daily cream soups a welcome item, but the basic recipe stayed the same each day with a new vegetable substituted. Meat options were offered each day along with a different fish in a beurre blanc sauce (again more variety would have been appreciated), but where were the shellfish? A single seafood buffet the first day and literally one scallop offered as part of the Chef Table alternative dining site's tasting menu. Venders sold oysters, shrimp and scallops in the markets we visited during the day. A baker worked all night to produce a wonderful variety, including my favorite, a small sesame seed roll. Desserts were good but not innovative, although the ship elevated ice cream to an art form with its on-ship made offerings. Overall, we enjoyed the food in the main dining area, especially given the challenges of feeding a large number of people in a short amount of time and producing that food in a limited space. The alternate Chef's Table venue of four tables with a view out the back of the ship provided a good alternative for more innovative cuisine in an intimate space. Each patron had the opportunity of visiting one time for the set menu that remained constant for the week.

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