Aboard the AmaVerde from Vienna to Budapest

On March 6th, I left the US to travel with AmaWaterways from Vienna to Budapest. After a quick two night hotel stay in Vienna, we boarded the beautiful AmaVerde and got ready for departure. The AmaVerde has 80 staterooms, takes 150 passengers, and has 51 crew. Sailing wtih AmaWaterways is truly a delightful way to experience the Danube. All of your activities are included — at each stop, there are multiple excursions to choose from and most have a gentle, moderate, and active version. So there is truly something for everyone.

My Cabin on the AmaVerde

I decided to go on this trip at the last minute, so my cabin choices were limited. I was in “D” on the AmaVerde, which is a fixed window cabin. I was so busy during the cruise that I was rarely in my cabin so this didn’t bother me too much. But for the best AmaWaterways experience, I really recommend booking a room with a least a French balcony (basically a sliding glass door) or a step-out balcony. The D cabin is compact but with lots of thoughtful storage options.

Enjoying Grüner Veltliner Country in Wachau

One of the most delightful stops on the cruise was in Dürnstein in Austria, where we explored Austrian wine at a local wine bar. This part of Austria — Wachau — is known for its Grüner Veltliner white wine. Grüner Veltliner offers primary flavors of lemon, lime, grapefruit, and nectarine, followed by secondary notes of white pepper, iris, green bean, radish, lovage, and tarragon, ginger, and honey. Dürnstein is dotted with little wine bars and shops that I would love to go back and explore!

Sailing through The Iron Curtain

As a kid who grew up during the cold war and was a teenager when the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, one of the most interesting moments of the cruise for me was sailing from Austria to Slovakia. For a long time in history, this just wasn’t possible. The “Iron Curtain” was long but this picture is exactly where we transitioned from Austria to Slovakia.

AmaWaterways Special Offers

AmaWaterways is still offering free land packages on select 2023 cruises if you book through me! This is an especially good deal for places like Zurich and Lake Como. They are also offering 5% off 2024 cruises if you book now. Please contact me for more details.

That’s it for this week! Definitely reach out if you have any questions or need any help planning your travels. The world is your oyster — and mine!