This summer, Diserella Travel Advisor Christie Wilson and her family enjoyed a Rhine River Cruise tour with Adventures by Disney and I've asked her to write a review for our readers (see below). Adventures by Disney brings the masterful storytelling and legendary service Disney is known for to guided vacations across all seven continents.
What makes an Adventures by Disney vacation special? The guides! Disney-trained Adventure Guides ensure that every detail of your trip is attended to. From checking you in to your hotels to recommending local dining options and not-to-be missed experiences, your Adventure Guides will help you foster a lasting connection with every destination.
Day 1 - Basel, Switzerland
Our Adventure started in Basil, Switzerland aboard the AmaLucia. Advetures by Disney partners with AmaWaterways for their river cruise adventures as the quality of their ships and level of service are a good match for Disney. We got in early and boarded the ship around 11am. We were some of the first on the boat, but couldn’t check into our room until a little later.
We enjoyed a nice, light lunch onboard. After settling in, we had a meeting in the lounge to meet our 5 Adventure Guides, do the safety drill, toast to a good trip and hear about our next day. Then, for our first dinner, we were invited to the Captain's table! We had a gourmet 7 course meal. It was all small bites and delicious. We tried cauliflower soup with almonds and figs, Tiger shrimp, braised Irish short rib, a salty caramel tart, and a lime macaroon and mango sorbet for dessert.
After a long day of traveling it was nice to get into our room. My daughter and I shared a room and my husband and son shared a room. There must be someone over 18 booked in each room. If you feel comfortable leaving your kids in their own room, you can change the sleeping arrangements once you are onboard.
Every day while at dinner you get turn down service and a Daily Adventurer. This was a newsletter with your schedule for the next day and had the excursions you were doing listed on it. It also had information about the town you were going to and the weather, sunrise, sunset, and the ships phone number and docking location.
Note: We had breakfast and dinner on the ship each day. Everything is inclusive: meals, tips, transportation and all excursions. The only thing you need to pay for is souvenirs and if you have lunch off the ship.
Day 2 - Breisach, Germany
After Breakfast my daughter and I went on a Toboggan Run in the Black Forrest. My daughter got up to 42 kmph on one ride. Mine was much slower...lol! You had a hand break so you could control the speed.
Next up was a visit to a museum of authentic houses and life in early Black Forrest Germany. We churned butter and then got to taste our butter on German Grey bread which, according to our Adventure Guide Daniel who is from Germany, is the best bread. We made clocks also.
My husband and son went zip lining and had a visit to Triburg Waterfall in the Black Forrest. The boys had 8 zips to enjoy as they soared above the trees.
We all had a group lunch (included) of authentic German food; schnitzel for the girls and a variety of
meats including schnitzel and wursts for the boys. Desert was black forest cake, of course. Both excursions were
excellent and so much fun.
Back on the ship they had tea time everyday from 4 to 5 pm with drinks and tea sandwiches if you wanted. Our guides always held a daily meeting before dinner to discuss the day and talk about the next day. Dinner was at 7pm. The teens could eat together in the wine cellar and on select nights the Junior Adventures could eat in the lounge with the Adventure Guides. Then at different times there was a happy hour with all drinks included and there was always a late night snack.
Day 3 - Strasbourg, France
After another scruptous breakfast, we all departed for a Batorama Canal Boat tour. Some of the other passengers did an Alsace Canoe Excursion. We got an excellent glass topped boat tour of Strasbourg. We saw the EU European Parliament, European Court of Human Rights and the University of Strasbourg.
After the canal cruise we had some time in town to shop and get gelato before heading back to the ship for lunch that included escargot and coq au vin. We saw Cathédrale Notre Dame de Strasbourg:
Back on board in the afternoon we had a macaroon cooking class. The kids loved mixing flavors and making macaroons. Then it was tea time and happy hour.
After dinner we had a private organ concert at St. Thomas church where Mozart once played. To experience the organ as it was meant to be heard was memorable. By then it was late, so we headed back to the ship to relax and go to bed.
Day 4 - Ludwigshafen, Germany
Today's adventures was a tour of Heidelberg Castle by a local guide in authentic costume.
We were broken into small groups and had a local guide tell us all about this remarkable castle and the
life of Fredrick V and Elizabeth Stuart (1600’s), the most famous couple to live there. The tour was so
interesting; we saw cannon balls in walls, a two story wine barrel, and even an intricately decorated
courtyard.
Following the castle tour we took a train ride down the mountain to the town for time on our
own. We had lunch at a local German restaurant, with pretzels, schnitzel and currywurst. Then we
checked out the town, had more gelato and picked up some gummy bears and chocolate before heading back
to the ship.
After relaxing on the ship we enjoyed tea time and making friends. Then our usual meeting
before dinner at 7. After dinner was the big surprise. We had the inventor of Spaghetti Ice
Cream on our boat talking to everyone and giving out ice creams for everyone. Spaghetti Ice Cream is as
common in Germany as a hot fudge sundae is in America. Vanilla ice cream is put in
a noodle maker and squeezed out onto a whipped cream and topped with strawberry sauce and
white chocolate curls. So it looks like spaghetti with sauce and cheese. It was so delicious.
Later, we played Bingo in the lounge until our sugar rush wore off and then off to bed.
Day 5 - Rudesheim, Germany
We were off to an early start at 8:30 for our tour of Siegfried’s Mechanical Musical Cabinet. This had so
many musical cabinets from carousels and gramophones to singing birds in music boxes that
inspired Walt Disney to make the Tiki Room, one of my favorite shows.
Next I went to enjoy some Hot Chocolate at Café Rudesheim Schlos while the rest of my family took a gondola to the top of the vineyards which overlooked the Rhine and town. Later my husband enjoyed a Rudesheim coffee, a coffee with brandy that is lit on fire and topped with a giant whipped cream. He said it was delicious. I’ll take his
word for it.
Lunch was at a German Bier garden. After some shopping we left my husband to his wine tasting while the kids and I enjoyed a local treat called a chimney. It is dough wrapped around a spit and cooked, then sprinkled with your choice of topping. We chose cinnamon sugar. It was almost a foot long and delicious.
On our way back to the ship of course we got gelato. It was All Aboard by 3:45pm. As we sailed, we all went to the top deck for a castle tour of the UNESCO protected Rhine Gorge. We saw so many castles — some
in ruins and some are hotels now. Then, happy hour and our meeting for next day followed by dinner.
Another dinner for Junior Adventures also. Tonight's evening entertainment was Karaoke. We enjoyed a
bunch of people having fun singing, then off to bed.
Day 6 - Cologne, Germany
Today we got to sleep in a bit and enjoy a later breakfast before taking a walking tour of Cologne with a local guide. We split ourselves into small groups. We went with the new friends we made who also had kids our kid's ages. We learned most of the town was bombed out during WWII except the cathedral. All the stained glass and relics were removed from the cathedral. Along the way we encountered a wedding (on a Tuesday!) in the town center.
After the tour we split up and did different excursions. My son and I walked around the cathedral then walked to Lindt Chocolate Musuem. We enjoyed the Chocolate Museum, especially the chocolate fondue. My husband and daughter had a private tour of 4711 Fragrance House which even had a cologne fountain.
Then back on the boat for lunch and the teen pool party. The adults had Fruhschoppen, a German tradition of pretzels and sausages. We also had a lesson on the area's history by our Adventure Guide Daniel as we sailed down the Rhine. We sailed right by Daniel's home town of Dusseldorf.
Tonight we had our Captain's Cocktail party before our meeting about the next day’s events. It was a great time and we thanked all our staff and adventure guides for such an amazing trip thus far.
We had an exceptional Gala dinner followed by trivia night. Now I will brag a bit, my husband and I are very good at Disney Trivia. Well, after many trivia losses on Disney cruises we were vindicated and Team Schnitzel won!! After celebrating off to bed.
Day 7 - Amsterdam, Netherlands
We docked in Amsterdam for the next two days. We had an early morning start with a canal cruise
around town. There are 2.5 bikes per person in Amsterdam and bike lanes on all roads. So watch your
step so that you don’t get run over by a bike!
Amsterdam was so clean, nice and friendly. After the canal cruise we visited the Van Gough Museum. We saw Sunflowers, The Potato Eaters, Almond Blossom, and Irises. It was amazing to see them in person.
Then we went back to the ship for a light lunch of burgers and pizza. After lunch it was off to Zaanse Schans, an open air museum with working windmills and shops. We toured a windmill, ate cheese and more gelato, and decoupaged clogs. We learned that area of the Netherlands is called Holland. Holland is an area of the Netherlands, but not all of it.
On the way back our Adventure Guides had Stroop Waffles for everyone. They were filled with honey and were so fresh and delicious. We made it back in time for our evening meeting about departing tomorrow, then dinner. After dinner my daughter and I relaxed in the lounge and listened to some local musicians.
Day 8 - Amsterdam, Netherlands
Sadly, the Adventures by Disney part of our trip had come to an end and it was time to leave the beautiful AmaLucia . Everyone had been assigned different times to disembark depending on when their flight or taxi was arriving. We were taking an afternoon train, so we had a taxi pick us up at 8:30am and take us to the train station to put our luggage in lockers.
After our luggage was secured, we walked around town and got lunch at a café. The food was very good. My husband and I shared a grill platter. They brought out a propane stove and placed a heaping tray of various delicious meats and veggies on it. We could have shared with the kids it was so much food, but they had grilled cheese with pineapple and a burger. We had a little time for shopping before catching our train to Paris to continue our adventure.
Our river cruise was so wonderful and exciting. The towns were gorgeous. The food was delicious. The staff was beyond helpful. What a wonderful way to experience Europe! I highly recommend Adventures by Disney to everyone.
For more information or to book your own Adventures by Disney vacation, contact Christie Wilson or your favorite Diserella Travel Advisor.
About the Author:
Christie Wilson's family motto is family motto is Life is an Adventure, get out and see the world. An avid Disney fan and traveler, Christie has experience with Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and Adventures by Disney.