I went on a Rhine River Christmas cruise with Ama Waterways and my best friend from college. I got to start my trip in Amsterdam and then made my way down the Rhine and got to experience the many Christmas Markets and the beautiful scenery that Europe has to offer.
Off I go! Packing light is the way to do it! (Tanesia Brazington)
I began my journey at 8 a.m in Missoula on Friday and arrived at 8 a.m in the Amsterdam Airport on Saturday. The journey brightened half way through as I was able to meet my best friend in Dulles and finish my flight with her.
The wind was blowing! We finally got a picture in though. (Tanesia Brazington)
We ended up taking a nap at the hotel on Saturday afternoon and then went out to see Christmas lights in the city and get some dinner. There is a fun Dutch specialty called "bitterballen." It is little balls of meat that has been breaded and deep fried then served with sauce. It can also be breaded cheese. I ate my fill that Saturday night and couldn't get enough! If you would like to try bitter ballen visit "Bar Bitterballen" as they have more choices than any other restaurant in Amsterdam.
Stayed in the Hyatt Regency in Amsterdam. Great hotel! (Tanesia Brazington)
Sunday morning was fantastic as we met up with Freedam Tours for our free city tour. They have sign ups available online and no registration fee is required. They simply ask that you give the guide a good tip. Our guide's name was Mike and he was fantastic! We walked through the city with him learning about the local culture and history. The tour brought so much depth and perspective to my time in Amsterdam that I can't imagine my trip without it.
Food! (Tanesia Brazington)
We made our way to boat around 3 pm and ended up staying on board the rest of the evening relaxing and enjoying our fantastic 4 course dinner.
We were a group of three that initiated our research by independently searching for the best agency to help us in the somewhat complex experience of traveling to the Galapagos. We chose adventure life because they were the most responsive in the website provided the most comprehensive overview of the trip. Their reviews were also very good.
Adventure, life splits up its booking process in two parts. First Jeff, the booking agent helped us decide which experience best suited are interests. We chose a small 14 to 16 group sized yacht. Once the booking was made with Jeff, we were handed off to Coleene, who oversaw the complex process of assembling all of the necessary documents and making sure we had everything we needed to make the trip go smoothly. The adventure, life website, then becomes your personal place of reference for all things related to your trip from door to door. It’s a lot of information to assemble, especially for three travelers, but the website makes it easy and Colleen‘s gentle reminders kept us on track. In all, from the beginning, we had four months from the time we started our research till the time we departed. We felt that was, a good amount of preparation time and don’t think it would be wise to do it in less than four months. Mostly because I think you have more options with that amount of time. There were others on our trip that took six months and more from the time they started planning.
The trip itself was outstanding. We ended up on an excellent yacht (Galapagos Angel II) with a great group of guests that we were able to connect with and put together a really nice google photos album to share.
Jed
6 days ago
Mary was very helpful. Quick to reply with helpful information and closure on arrangements.
Nicola Maxwell
1 week ago
Mary Curry and Elma are always so responsive and nice to deal with.
Michael
1 week ago
I enjoyed working with Jess to put together a private N.Z. trip. Jess has been my go-to person at Adventure Life over the past several years. She listens to what my husband and I want in a trip, and is always responsive to questions. Nothing seems to be too much of a bother for Jess.
DIANNE GRAY
1 week ago
Jane was my AE agent for the 2 months of helping me decide that this will be the most amazing trip we will ever experience in our lifetime and a memorable way to celebrate our 40th!
I was also able to work with Mike from Quark who was also very helpful.
Once I had decided to go ahead with my booking Kevin took over to assist Jane while on vacation.
Kevin was able to tweak the quote even more
and truly sealed the deal! He was patient with receiving my full payment as it took time to “round up that much cash” Were booking a delux balcony and there’s no looking back
I feel confident and very satisfied that I have made the best decision choosing Quark Expeditions and look forward to a top notch experience aboard the Ultramarine.
Both Jane and Kevin are sincere, professional and courteous. They met all of our needs
to ensure my process was stress free.
I’m looking forward to all our daily excursions then enjoying a Sauna and my own cold plunge in the tub! My back up plan
to the “Antarctic Plunge”
I look forward to getting to know and dealing with Mary Rose for all the final details that will make our trip complete. Great company!