Alone or With Ama in Switzerland: Is the Organised Package Right for Me?

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Guests on an AmaWaterways Rhine River cruise will either start or end their journey in Basel, Switzerland. I have my own set of standards on whether I think the organized tour is right for you or not and would like to share some of my thoughts.



I absolutely 100% endorse booking Ama's package if this is your first river cruise and you want the total 'Ama experience' and wish to have the benefit of a cruise guide in the Tour Hotel, included basic tours, and to have Ama move you and your luggage easily and smoothly from point city to ship, all while hosting you on informative basic tours. Ama uses only luxury hotels and 5 star coaches and guides. This is the excellent option if you don't want to have to arrange much ahead of time and like the idea of a part organised tour/ part free time visit in their package city, but always having someone else in charge. For those on the Ama land packages, I provide information about what you will see on each tour and what you would need to plan on your own. You have a good combination of guided tours and time for self discovery.



For those who prefer to travel a little more independently and who like to tour on their own, you may want to follow Ama's suggestions about where to go and what to do, but organise your stay completely on your own using my help and online booking sites like www.trivago.com. Sometimes it works out to your advantage to make your own hotel and tour options, but then purchase one of Ama's long haul transfers. You should also always compare independent rail travel to create an adventure that is more suited to your tastes and easier on your wallet. When I create my own land package I still try and stay in the same hotels that Ama uses in order to feel a part of the group: Radisson Blu Lucerne and Continental M Gallery Zurich.



Switzerland is a fairly expensive country and there are times when the Ama land package really makes sense financially. However on my past visits I compared both and still came out ahead booking independently.



On the first trip, I booked Ama's land package which included 2 nights in Lucerne and 2 in Zurich with transfers and a city tour of Basel on the way to Lucerne. We departed the ship at 9am with the usual easy loading of luggage that I have come to enjoy with Ama. Our bags were outside our cabin by 7:30am, we went off to have breakfast and afterwards one of us went to identify that the bags were outside and had the right tags. They were checked off and loaded, not to be seen again until my room in Lucerne. In Basel, we had a fairly basic city tour and then a bit of free time to shop and have lunch before the journey to Lucerne. In Lucerne, we stopped at the famous City Lion and then went onward to the Radison Blu, which is situated on Lake Lucerne and just behind the Main Train Station. Breakfast and a city tour were included. it was very easy for us to walk from the hotel to all points in the city and we decided against Ama's optional tour to Mt Pilatus and instead did it on our own from the Lucerne train station. It was absolutely simple and the ladies in the ticket/info office could not have been more helpful. We paid 18€ privately for a tour that cost 65€ in the formal group. The city tour of Lucerne on the second lasted about 3 hours and showed us all the important sites. There were more than enough pubs and restaurants and plenty to do over the 2 days. When it was time to transfer to Zurich, we had our bags outside our room again at 7:30am and after breakfast checked them before they were loaded onto the bus. We, however, did not get on the bus. Instead we walked across the street and got onto antique tourist boats and sailed across Lake Lucerne. The buses were waiting for us on the other side and then took us onto Zurich.

We arrived in the early afternoon and were free to explore on our own all late afternoon and evening. The city tour was the next day and there was an optional excursion to the Rhine Falls in the afternoon. All in all, the tours were great, the hotels were good, and the transfer from ship to hotel well thought out to avoid lost waiting time and everything done for our comfort. Yes we could have saved a little bit of money booking by ourselves, but we were totally pampered and treated like 5 star guests the entire time. From that perspective it was worth every penny.





The second time I did this tour I did not book the Ama package, I did it all on my own. I bought train tickets in the internet (although this is NOT necessary, you can simply by a ticket in the station to maintain spontaneity of time), booked my hotels thru booking.com, and I toured on my own and treated myself to a gourmet lunch. I saved 40%. In Basel I had Ama arrange a car to bring me to the train station. As a Gold Member repeat passenger this is complimentary. From Basel, the trains run every 30-40 minutes to practically everywhere in Switzerland so I had only to wait a few minutes. I bought some snacks in a shop and a Vanity Fair and went to the train platform. It was well marked and I easily found my seat in the spacious train. It was a pleasant journey and in Lucerne I had only to walk 2 blocks with my rolling suitcase to the Radisson Blu. I'd already had lunch, a proper walk and a little nap and had my feet propped up and was looking out the window at the lake as the Ama folks pulled up in their bus around 4pm. I felt like I came out the winner here. I still had breakfast with all the Ama guests, as every hotel guest can, but I did not go on the 3 hour city tour. No one missed me and I was off enjoying the city at my own pace: laster in the day I still ran into fellow guests in the lobby or at the bar, so there was absolutely no difference booking privately when it came to the social aspect.

On the day that we transferred to Zurich it was almost the same. I had breakfast with all the Ama guests, but when they left for their boat ride, I went back and had a massage. Then went on to Zurich a bit later. I still beat the bus and was in my room at the Continental as everyone arrived. We were all able to meet for dinner and no one knew the difference of whether I had taken the train or simply been on another Ama bus. The Zurich Hotel is 3 blocks from the train station (or 1 tram stop) but it is easily walkable if you are not overloaded with bags.



So it is very possible to re-create the Ama land package experience in Switzerland on your own and still have a great time and even be part of the Ama experience if you've friends who booked thru Ama. This can be especially important if you are a solo traveller and forced to pay single supplements: even if the ship waives the solo traveller supplement, it is never waived for the land package and I think that is a costly negative.

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