RHINE - WINE & DINE

Traveling to Amsterdam from Malta was not a long trip (less than 3 hours) and on arrival we were greeted by beautiful weather, not too hot just perfect. Getting to the ship was pretty easy and we were greeted by the crew on the jetty who took in our luggage on board. People were still disembarking from the previous Europe river cruise and all seemed very relaxed. We had the whole afternoon to tour the city on our own which was quite an adventure with all the 'wild' shops and 'smoke in the air'. We got back in time to find our cabin 'Rm 226' which looked very welcoming on arrival and became more and more familiar during our holiday. My husband had never been on a cruise before as he does not like enclosed and restricted areas but I can happily say that he was very happy with the space in the room and the rest of the ship. The great thing with the Amalegro is that most rooms have balconies, hence one does not lose his sense of freedom. The common areas were also very comfortable and so was the free seating in the dining room. We loved moving around and dining at different tables as it gave us the opportunity to mix with most of the people on board. The majority of the guests I would say were from the US and we were definitely the ONLY Maltese. Amongst others, we met two lovely couples one from Atlanta and another from New Zealand. Being from the Mediterranean we tend to mingle very easily as our language skills help us communicate better. Leaving Amsterdam the following day we started our sailing experience where we were very lucky having a great captain, an awesome cruise manageress (Cherie) and a multi tasked hotel manager/maitre D (Artur). The rest of the staff were just great, the girls who took care of our cabins were so helpful and the waiters and bar tenders were extremely attentive and always there with a smile. One particular bar tender (a girl) was gifted with a good voice and in the evenings she would give us a few tunes accompanied by the pianist and singer of the ship. We were also entertained by guest singers and musicians on some nights which were extremely talented. We danced every night until we were too tired to walk back to our cabin ;) The cabin was always clean and tidy and the towels were changed 2-3 times a day. The entire cruise was a great time for relaxation especially for someone like me who lives quite a hectic life. The fact that we were only 144 passengers on board was a bonus and it helped all of us get acquainted some how. In each port of call we had a choice of guided tours and most guides were very knowledgeable especially the one who took us to the Guttenberg Museum. The scenery was beautiful and very picturesque and the never ending grape vines growing on the steep hills were marvelous. The wine tasting experience together with the music museum was a lovely experience. We were very lucky to travel at this time of year as in each port of call there would be a beer or wine festival in the centre of town and I could say that the Germans definitely loved their drink and so did all of us!! Talking of drink, the food and wine on the ship was very good and the in-house bread was just exquisite. All the places we stopped in were lovely and the Castle tour was superb. This Europe river cruise had definitely given us a great experience on the Rhine and Mosel alike, although I personally liked the latter better as it gives more of a tranquil ambiance and because it is a narrower river one could enjoy the beauty of the banks from close. We would recommend this cruise to anyone who is looking for relaxation, tranquility, culture and natural beauty. Although I love to be in the company of children, having none on board played a very important role to enjoy the peace. Thank you AMALEGRO! You were just EXCELLENT !!!