Tuesday 17th June 2014
A little overcast this morning but hopefully it will clear before we head ashore after lunch. So far no rain which is pretty amazing. Of course we still have just over 3 weeks week to go so fingers crossed our good weather will continue.
A few little comparisons between this ship (AMACello) & our previous one (AMADagio). Both are pretty much the same in size & appearance, with the AMACello one year newer. We found the first ship, the AMADagio to be absolutely top notch in every single way. We were greeted by all staff including the captain, handed a welcome drink & refresher towel and asked to take a seat in the lounge. After just a few minutes were shown to our cabin by our steward and introduced. Food was outstanding, service friendly and super efficient, bar staff terrific & our cabin steward wonderful. In fact our entire group were just amazed by every aspect of that ship.
On the AMACello things were not quite so good in our opinion. Beginning with our arrival on the first day, there was no one ready to greet us & the warmth we received on the AMADagio was lacking. We were never introduced to our cabin steward. Although very good in most aspects, the staff did not go that extra mile. Food was OK, but sometimes cold & having little flavour. Our meal in the special restaurant was the exception. Staff were a little slow & forgetful at times. Our cabin steward was quite ordinary, taking far too long to service our cabin, forgetting water, towels etc frequently. Also we found a few issues we first entered this cabin which needed repair & should have been done prior to our embarkation. Nothing major, just a few annoying things. I think if we had done the 2 ships in reverse order, maybe we would have been happier with service on the AMACello. We were just so spoiled on the AMADagio it will be hard for any other ship to come close.
As far as our Cruise Director, Emma & APT organisation of excursions, transfers etc, that has been faultless on both ships. APT really is "all inclusive" in every way. Everything is included from food, all drinks, all day, all tours, transport etc. They hand out water as you leave the ship and welcome you back with a wet scented towel and a cold drink. They call and pay for taxis for those less mobile going on excursions. The beautiful tour & dinner last night at the castle was all included as well. So if you really didn't want to spend another cent you don't have to. The excursions either take place in the morning & return you to the ship for lunch or after lunch & return for dinner. Our tour guide Emma is a gem. Nothing is a bother to her and she is available 24/7.
It will be very interesting to see how things are on the AMAVerde for the Amsterdam to Budapest leg of our trip as it is newer and larger with real balconies.
A nice relaxed start to the day as we leave Andernach around 8am and cruise towards Cologne, where we will arrive at lunch time.
Some photos of our morning sailing:
We originally booked a tour of the Lindt Chocolate Museum, however as it was over booked we decided to give up our spots as we can go next week on the next leg of our cruise.
After lunch we headed ashore for a walk around the main area of Cologne & saw some interesting buildings, including the famous Cologne Cathedral:
Cologne Cathedral (construction begun in 1248 & was not completed until 1880) a Gothic Masterpiece!
We then wandered back to the ship, stopping for a coffee along the way. I must say that we feel Cologne is a very large city (Germany's 4th largest) with a population of just over 1 million people & prefer much smaller towns & villages.
Time for a little rest before the evenings festivities get underway.
More tomorrow from Amsterdam!
Betty & Mike
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