Wednesday morning may be one of my favorite memories from the cruise. I rolled out of bed, grabbed some breakfast and went up to the sun deck to enjoy a few hours of castle viewing. It was chilly but everyone put on their coats, grabbed a blanket and enjoyed the beautiful views. Our cruise manager, Fredericko, would pipe through the speakers and tell us about the different castles. Our audioboxes were even equipped with little stories to tell us here and there. However, we were all having too much fun together to be too concerned with the audioboxes!
After we had our fill of castles, we went back to our room and got ready for the day and then headed to lunch. Before we knew it, we were in Rudesheim and ready to go on our excursion. One of the things that I love about AmaWaterways is how many options they have for excursions. Whether it is active, for gentle walkers, or historical, they typically have something for everyone. We chose the wine tasting. After our taste of German wines, we explored the local Christmas Markets.
Rudesheim was extremely charming. We spent the afternoon exploring and didn't feel short on time when we headed back to the ship for dinner. Though the fun wasn't over then. After dinner we went back into town to experience and enjoy the local specialty, "Rudesheim Coffee." The closest thing I can compare it to is Irish Coffee. However, this specialty is made with a local brandy and they even set it on fire!
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
1 day ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.