To the best of my knowledge the included excursions are all the basic city tours with a bus with maybe a better tour or two thrown in during the trip. These you can take or not as most of the cities are right where the river boat is docked and you can always do your own thing in the towns. Either hire a private guide or just do your own tour in the towns. Most European cities are pretty easy to get around.

We did take a tour during our three days in Budapest from Avalon and it was actually quite good. Still a bus of course but a no brainer and we saw Budapest at night and had a good guide.

River cruising is a new area for me so as it progresses I will know more and more of course. I takes some time to get up to speed but I am going to focus on learning as much as possible as quickly as possible in the coming months.

I re-read cruise critic reviews last night on AMA Waterways and most are very positive.

There is another cruise line called AMADEUS that is NOT AMA Waterways so that is also a bit confusing. I think that is why they changed their name to AMA Waterways.

I dont want this thread to move into Deilmann versus AMA Waterways situation with people touting one or the other.

We are all different and our priorities are not the same. Kind of like those posters in the airport in the jet bridges. Some things are perfect to some and a nightmare to others. I love those posters it demonstrates the differences between people. No one is right or wrong we just make choices.

Denise loves Deilmann. Based on my priorities Deilmann does not meet my basic criteria as outlined above. The same issues are also a problem for me on the River Cloud River Cruises. I absolutely LOVED that ship and will book it for individuals but would definitely not take the ship for a group.

No right or wrong just different opinions which is something we must always remember reading reviews whether they be positive or negative.

Reminds me of a game drive at Madikwe. I was so excited at seeing a Brown Hyena with a really good sighting right in front of us walking to the watering hole - a rare sight indeed. The other new safari people think I am nuts to be so excited. My perception is from many game drives and to see a rare animal is more exciting to me than the mating lions. Not that I do not enjoy mating lions had only seen that once before in Botswana so it was a treat for me too. The rest of the vehicle could forgo the Hyena in a heart beat if they could see the mating lions. Different perspectives. It is what makes the world go round.