Sometime back, we did a great Christmas markets river cruise onboard the AmaPrima of AMA Waterways. The staff of the AmaPrima river ship rocked. The hotel manager even helped me recover my fur hat from the famous restaurant Steirereck in Vienna.
A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE ONBOARD AMAPRIMA
I stay in hotels or travel on boats, planes and trains every week. So I certainly know a great cruise ship team when I meet one. The team on our particular AmaPrima cruise passed my test with flying colors.
I was so impressed with the team on the AmaPrima boat we sailed with. Each staff member was multi-tasking so they each must have had one hundred things to do at any given time. But they always had time to talk with us. They also quickly did all requests while making sure the guests were having a great time.
KINDNESS IN REGENSBURG
While we were docked in Regensburg, Germany, for instance, I was standing by the cashier counter at a store when I met one of the ladies who work at the reception desk of the boat. She was standing in line to make a purchase.
“Why are you waiting there?” She asked me, as I looked troubled. I was standing in a very odd place, you see. I’d left my credit card somewhere in the store, and I had reported it missing. When she bumped into me, I was trying to get this credit card back.
Giving her the short story of my credit card woes, I simply said: “I can’t buy anything until I find my credit card.”
She then said very sweetly: “I can give you some money first, if you wish.” I was very surprised and touched by this gesture.
MAKING COOKIES ALONG THE DANUBE
Then there’s the AmaPrima team that went out of their way one afternoon to arrange a big cookie decorating session for our group. We were treated to a cookie making session for kids (and adults!) at the Chef’s Table restaurant. This is located at one end of the ship and it has a wonderful view of the Danube from it panoramic windows.
The ship crew spent precious time and effort to make this such a wonderful afternoon, including making the whole restaurant look pretty and festive for a Christmas markets cruise.
What an experience that was, too, to make cookies while sailing along the Danube. And did I mention all the festive holiday decor all over the boat?
LUNCH AT STEIRECK AND A MIRACLE IN VIENNA
One of the AmaPrima staff also saved the day for me. While we were docked in Vienna, you see, my friends and I had a five-and-a-half hour lunch at Steirereck in Vienna. This one of the best restaurants in the world.
We’d all enjoyed our meal. In fact, we had way too much food and wine as we’d done the gastronomic tasting course. We’d ordered the accompanying wine pairing as well.
Lunch was so long, that when we left Steirereck, the first guests for dinner were already having their first course.
Unfortunately, the receptionist at Steirereck had forgotten to return the fur hat that I’d checked in with them. I only realised this when I got back onboard the ship, which was about a 20 minute taxi ride away from the ship dock.
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE IN VIENNA
We were sailing out of Vienna for Budapest in 30 minutes so I asked the boat manager to quickly call Steirereck and see what he could do.
But basically I had given up on my hat. We only had 30 minutes left before departing Vienna and no one was answering the phone at Steirereck. But the ship’s hotel manager said to me: “Leave this to me. I’ll see what I can do.”
With great effort on the part of the ship’s hotel manager, the hat forgotten at Steirereck was returned to me on the ship. How this happened, I still don’t know . But he even personally brought it to my cabin.
WHAT MAKES AN AMAPRIMA CRUISE SO GREAT
Big things and little things like these on the part of the AmaPrima cruise ship team certainly make a cruise more wonderful.
Will I sail with AMA Waterways again? Absolutely. A big thank you to the AmaPrima team for going the extra hundred miles for us all. And I can’t wait to plan another cruise with them.
