In our latest post we’re following guest blogger Natalie’s adventures on her next river cruise – an AmaWaterways voyage down the Lower Danube…

Day One

Today was an early start, with my alarm sounding at 2am to catch my flight. I flew from Stansted with Ryanair, who brightened my early start with their new rule of allowing two items of hand luggage! Once I was checked in and ready to go, the excitement really started to kick in. The Black Sea Voyage of the Lower Danube has been on my list for a while now, and I was really looking forward to this cruise.

We arrived in Bucharest after a three-hour flight, and with a short wait until our transfer we decided to get some lunch and sit outside in the glorious sunshine. Our ship was docked in Rousse in Bulgaria, which was a two-hour drive from the airport. Ours was a timed group transfer by air-conditioned coach, arranged by AmaWaterways, which cost around £60 per person.

During our coach trip we showed our passports at the border and crossed into Bulgaria, and we were on our way to begin our river cruise.

We arrived at the AmaPrima at around 6pm, and we were greeted with a warm welcome from the crew on board. I’m still astounded by just how fast the check-in process is – it only takes two minutes before you’re being whisked to your cabin, with a crew member carrying your luggage for you.

It’s always exciting to open up the cabin door for the first time and see the beautiful decor inside. Even though I know what to expect by now, I still can’t help but take a peek at the bathroom and the multijet shower, and the cabin’s wardrobe with plenty of space for all my luggage and shoes! The cabin’s infotainment TV system was on when I arrived too, showing a picture of my cabin steward in case I needed anything during my stay.

After a quick change of clothes I headed to the main lounge for our safety brief and welcome cocktails. At half-past six we met our cruise manager, Dragan, who welcomed us aboard the AmaPrima. (It’s well worth mentioning at this point that the AmaPrima has just been voted Best River Cruise Ship in the Berlitz Guide!)

The main lounge was full of guests, and we all listened to learn more about the ship itself and river sailing. Dragan then introduced us to the captain and the hotel manager, along with some other key members of the crew, and we listened in for the safety briefing. There was free-flowing champagne served by the ship’s bar staff too, and we all soon started to relax as we met our fellow passengers.

At seven thirty dinner was served, and we were greeted by our maitre d’ and shown to our table. AmaWaterways offers an open dining policy, and tables seat from two to ten diners, so there’s always plenty of choice to suit your group size. It really was so relaxed, and a great way for us to meet our fellow guests on board.

Our waitress was along shortly to talk through the menu with us, and suggested the chef’s recommendations for the evening too. We also had a choice of free-flowing beers, wines and spirits included with our gourmet meals, and the drinks waiter popped around regularly through our meal to make sure we had a full glass and everything we needed.

No matter how many times I’ve been on board now, I’m still blown away by the service and the quality of the food being served. This was only the first night too – I still had another six evenings of this wonderful trip to enjoy.

After eating far too much and indulging myself, we headed to the bar a little later for a nightcap. All of a sudden there was a bolt of lightning through the sky that lit up the whole lounge – there was a storm heading our way. Now I’m a sucker for a good storm, and so I went up onto the top deck to sit and watch… simply amazing. Bolt after bolt, this lightning lit up the entire skyline. I was even tempted to take a dip in the heated pool on the sun deck… but after a long day’s travel I was most looking forward to climbing into bed and getting a good night’s sleep.

Tomorrow we’ve got a city tour of Bucharest, and I’ll be choosing which shore excursion I’d like to take to see the city – so I’ll need a good night’s sleep before then. So on that note, it’s good night from me…

To be continued…

Images courtesy of Fusion-of-Horizons, Photopin/Flickr; Dennis Jarvis, Photopin/Flickr; Natalie Ford. Editor: Andrew Hall.