By Frank Farber

Soecial to AllThingsCruise

Last September my wife and I were vacationing in the cruise hotbed of Orlando when I opened an e-mail apprising me that I had won a cruise. Having received more than my share of Nigerian letters, I was a bit skeptical. However, after exchanging e-mails with Cynthia Boal Janssens (editor of AllThingsCruise), that skepticism changed to WOW. I ordered the dvd from AMA Waterways, began to plan add-ons to the trip and finally spoke with Karen at AMA who could not have been more helpful. I began to see a friendly, caring, personal touch. (If I,not a paying customer was treated this well, how about the “real” guests?)

Frank Farber

My wife and I flew from Fort Lauderdale, spent two days in NYC with her brother, and then flew Newark-Montreal-Brussels. There we took the Thalys train to Amsterdam where we crashed in a hotel overnight before boarding the AMADolce yesterday, May 2.

Upon arrival at the dock we were greeted by staff in the most friendly way and as we checked in our luggage was whisked to our stateroom. Reception was personal and efficient. Our cabin is nicely appointed and is as comfortable as staterooms on the large cruise ships that we are used to.

We went to afternoon tea/snacks (a delicious pea soup was available) in the large forward lounge. We took a brief tour of the Sun Deck — a strong wind put the chill factor in the 40′s — before returning to our cabin to dress for the Welcome Aboard Cocktail and Captain’s Dinner.

Champagne, drinks, and hors d’oeuvres freely flowed as the captain introduced his staff and went over safety regulations in a witty and funny speech that was quite different from the usual. Our Cruise Director, Karen, filled us in on our itinerary and plans for the morrow. I have to say that rarely have I seen a crew as friendly and nice as we have experienced so far (we are on our 26th cruise). Smiles abound and they are not forced but genuine.

We sat with Val and Piers from Wales and then went to dinner with them. They recognized a dining steward from a Danube cruise and she served us. Food was presented well and tasted better. A cream of asparagus soup with strawberry was unique as well as getting a caesar salad with an actual anchovy in it. My wife’s sirloin steak was far better than she has had on large cruise ships and she loved the large platter of vegetables, which included turnips.. The chocolate mousse with a sugary glazed crust to hold it was soooo tasty. Service by Deanna friendly, efficient — excellent.

Wines, red or white, beer, and soda are complimentary with dinner. The wine flowed as Victor (introduced as director of bar operations but, as he told us “I’m the bartender”) repeatedly returned to fill empty or half empty glasses. The French merlot and the Austrian cabernet sauvignon were excellent and complemented the meals well.

We had a wonderful evening with Val and Piers and eagerly anticipate our first full day tomorrow.

Frank Farber of Pembroke Pines, Fla.,  “won” this AMAWaterways cruise in a contest conducted by AllThingsCruise last fall for its Facebook fans. Become our friend on Facebook at www.facebook.com/allthingscruise.

By Frank Farber

Special to AllThingsCruise

Aboard the AMADolce in the Netherlands — Had an absolutely wonderful breakfast. The dining room is intimate. Big picture windows line two sides and the view is at water level. A wide variety of breads and jams, eggs made to request, delicious pancakes, fresh fruits all made the morning meal a great wakeup.

We then went on a three-hour tour (not Gilligan’s) that began with an hour’s cruise thru Amsterdam’s canals. Jan, our guide, was witty with a dry sense of humor. Following the cruise he took us on a bus ride thru the city that went to the floating flower garden where all types of tulips, orchids, etc. and the usual souvenir shops attracted tourists.

We returned to the ship for lunch and, darn, the meals are good.

Afternoon was another tour. This one went to Volendam, which is a fishing village and tourist site, and Edam of cheese fame. Both towns were beautiful and in Edam we went to a cheese tasting and many passengers took home large cheese balls. As long as the wax cover remains on the cheese, we were told, it can be taken into the US. Jan was again our guide and he was excellent.

We arrived back at the ship just in time to get ready for another excellent dinner. Kari and Alan from Poughkeepsie, N.Y., joined our table and we exchanged experiences and stories. The no reserved seating policy gives guests the opportunity to meet new people and opens new vistas. German red and riesling wines were served with dinner that had Duck L’Orange as a main course.

After dinner we repaired to the main lounge where Matias played piano and my wife got everyone up to dance. We closed down the lounge and wearily went to bed.

May 4, 2011

By Frank Farber

Special to AllThingsCruise

First, a little housekeeping.

Thick terrycloth robes and slippers are provided in the cabins. Hot water comes right out — no waiting — and the showers are very nice, providing three levels of water height. For the men, the best shaving water I think I’ve ever dealt with.

There are no children on board. A wonderful adult cruise.

After breakfast we went on a morning tour of Arnhem. A major World War 2 battle was fought here and there is an excellent museum that we visited. There are interactive displays and as we are here at the time that the Netherlands was freed from German occupation, there were television interviews being conducted with survivors from that era along with Dutch celebrations and remembrances.

The drive to the museum was through lush green landscaping and the homes that we passed were extraordinarily kept, especially Oosterbeek with its flowering gardens.

The weather was a bit cool, about 51 degrees and although we had the opportunity to visit Arnhem in the afternoon, we passed. As Floridians it felt even colder. Alex, one of the waiters, told me he forgot to hit the warm button but would remember to do it for tomorrow. I hope so.

After dinner there was a 1960′s theme party in the lounge with some costuming and free rum punches. Following some games, the dance floor was crowded to the tunes of Elvis, the Beatles, and the Stones.

Everybody was involved.

Tomorrow is Antwerp: Belgian waffles and diamonds. Also, an optional trip to Brussels.

May 5, 2011

By Frank Farber

Special to AllThingsCruise

Forgot to mention that Nancy and I were presented with an anniversary cake at dinner the other evening. We don’t know who sent it, but we are very appreciative. Thank you, thank you.

Frank Farber

Today we are in the land of Belgian waffles, chocolates, beer and diamonds. We had the waffles for breakfast and they were deliciously light and tasty. Wonderful. Bob — yes, that is his name — led us on a tour of Antwerp culminating in the Cathedral of Our Lady which houses three Reubens among its art works. All the tours are made easier by the use of a QuietVox. Everyone has their own receiver and earpiece. This way you don’t have to lean in and try to hear over others. The reception is excellent and enables you to stray a bit and still listen to your guide. Bob is an excellent storyteller and made the tour zip by.

After lunch we went on a brief tour to Diamondland. I told Nancy she could have waffles, chocolates, and beer. NO DIAMONDS. After Diamondland, which was interesting, we returned to the central square area of Antwerp to mosey in and out of the chocolate shops and buy some as gifts. Alex must have pushed the magic button because the weather was beautiful: sunny and warm in low 70′s.

Dinner featured rack of lamb and a Belgian chocolate dessert buffet. It was truly Death by Chocolate. Chocolate mousse, creme brulee, eclairs, chocolate waterfall with fruit just to name a few. Paul and Alice from Connecticut joined us for dinner and then in the lounge for the dessert buffet. It has been great fun getting to know more people and AMA’s system of non-reserved seating is a definite plus.

Tomorrow we arrive in Ghent for the morning and we will take the optional tour to Bruges in the afternoon.

May 5, 2011

By Frank Farber

Special to AllThingsCruise

Today was a very busy day. We started with a bus tour of Ghent, passing by the building where the treaty to end the War of 1812 was signed. Christa, our knowledgeable guide for the day, led us on a walking tour through the meandering streets of the old part of town. We walked past houses built into the canals a la Venice. The city hall was unique. Part Gothic, part Greek due to the architectural disagreements of the city councillors of old. As we walked past the city hall we saw a newlywed couple emerge for pictures.

The main cathedral in town is quite beautiful and features a huge painting by Jan van Eyck from the 15th century. After some brief free time we returned to the buses for a pleasant 40-minute ride to Bruges.

Bruges is amazingly beautiful. You enter through lush gardens and canals and move toward the UNESCO designated cultural city. Passing a hospital built in the 11th century, you come across the Street of Chocolate where every other store seems to be a chocolate shop.

A short walk takes you to a church where a Michelangelo mother and child sculpture resides. As you move towards the huge belfry in the center of town, you realize that not only are you in a great historic and tourist area, but a vibrant living city. After we walked through the belfry area (and here again we came across another bride and groom) you enter a huge square. Surrounding the square are restaurants and a few shops. It’s time to stop and eat lunch, have a beer and peoplewatch. From our table on the square we enjoyed a pizza (so Belgian) and the local Bruges Zot beer. Delicious. Belgium has over 1,000 beers.

Snaking out from the square are numerous streets with stores, especially chocolate and lace, small restaurants and souvenir shops. At one of the small squares we came across a group of men playing bocce ball. We reunited with Christa and proceeded to take a leisurely half-hour canal cruise through the city. Tired but happy, we left Bruges and returned to the AMADolce at 6:45.

We had been on the go since 9 a.m. and we were hungry. Dinner was French and dessert was crepes suzette. Magnifique!

This evening there was a classical concert in the lounge which was very well received. It was a long but wonderful day.

Friday, May 6, 2011