Best for: Couples, adults, active and curious people who like to have a permanent home while seeing many different places.
Trip Duration: 7- 10 nights
I spent a week on the Seine River with my parents and a group of their friends on my first ever European river cruise. AMA did a great job. The food was inventive and different every night, and several times had a theme for dinner based on the town we visited that day. Food was plentiful, with full breakfast, lunch and dinner and afternoon and late-night snacks. Beer and wine were included with lunch and dinner and cocktails for an hour prior to dinner. Otherwise, it was a cash bar, but prices were more than reasonable.
Staterooms on river cruises tend to be smaunll, but our room had a comfortable king size bed and good closet space. The bathroom was what you might expect, but I felt the shower was larger than I had thought it would be. There was a VERY small gym on board and a hot tub up on a large sundeck.
The staff was really excellent; responsive and always available. Activities were offered daily on-board including exercise classes and nightly entertainment. Several options for shore excursions were offered each day, with one being a more active bike or hike option.
The average age on an AMA cruise is around 65, but this particular cruise did skew a bit older than that.
The itinerary hit some stunning places in the French countryside. We saw the Chateua Gaillard, the former stronghold of Richard the Lionheart, situated on the chalk cliffs high above the Seine in Les Andelys. We visited Le Havre, 90% of which was destroyed in World War II. Our time on the Normandy beaches was moving beyond words. Rouen was the most charming little town with amazing history and strolling through the gorgeous Gardens at Giverny was something not to be missed! The trip ended with a couple of days in Paris enjoying the City of Lights.
