AmaWaterways Bordeaux Overview

First up, this is an intense itinerary. You can busy yourself from morning to midnight, if you choose to do so (more on that in a moment). On each day of the seven-night, eight-day cruise along the Dordogne and Garonne rivers — and through the Gironde Estuary — you’ll be offered complimentary morning and afternoon tours along with wine tastings, bike rides, vineyard walks, market visits, special events and fabulous dinners. If you’re so inclined, you’ll even find yourself dancing as the clock ticks toward midnight. We certainly did so — on more than one evening.

My advice: Don’t try to do it all. Make this cruise your own by giving yourself some downtime to process all that you’ll be experiencing and learning during your time in Bordeaux. You’ll need some free time to fully absorb the beauty of this region.

Why is this cruise so active? AmaWaterways wants to give its guests choices, and the company certainly succeeds in doing so on its Bordeaux river cruises. I counted 20 shore activities over six days (the cruise spans eight, days but the first and last days are for embarkation and disembarkation).

Of course, when you’re traveling, it’s hard to say no to complimentary tours, and we found ourselves opting to do most.

On some mornings and afternoons, two tours were offered, making it impossible for one person to do both, so we split up. When AmaDolce docked in Libourne, for example, I joined a group of eager cyclists to pedal to Saint-Émilion, a route that took us only about 12 kilometers (close to 8 miles) but through gorgeous countryside. The guided bicycle excursion did not  include an extended tour of Saint-Émilion, however. We pedaled to the UNESCO World Heritage village, dismounted, locked our bikes and had free time on our own to explore on our own.

Traveling with me, Monica would have cycled, but that meant missing the included tour of Saint-Émilion and in particular, the Monolithic Church, carved into a limestone cave in the 12 century. As it turns out, the church preceded a Breton monk named Emilion who fled to southern France in the 8th century to escape persecution by the Benedictine order. Emilion adopted an eremitic existence, living in a cave. As I had toured the church before on a previous visit, it was good to have the guided bike tour so that I too could experience something new.

Bordeaux, Beautiful & Bountiful

We traveled in late March on Amadolce’s inaugural Bordeaux cruise. Spring was struggling to make its appearance, giving us a couple of sunny and warm days, mixed with other days that were overcast and grey. On our full day in Bordeaux (the day before disembarkation), the sky dumped buckets of rain. That didn’t stop the cyclists on our cruise from touring Bordeaux by bike or the organized city tours in the morning.

During our time on AmaDolce, we discovered that the Bordeaux region is as beautiful as it is bountiful. Vineyards knit their way across flowery landscapes.  Stately châteaux dot the countryside. At the colorful markets, friendly vendors offered us tastes of French breads, fruits and cheeses.

If you are someone who believes the French to be rude, you owe it to yourself to visit the France we saw on AmaDolce. The French people we met were warm and welcoming.

Each day, Bordeaux managed to surprise even the most experienced travelers among us. At a morning market in Créon, we saw something you’d only see in “deep France,” said my French colleague Christophe Tissinier.

Tissinier runs ground operations for a handful of the ocean and river cruise lines visiting Bordeaux. His job is to make sure the shore tours run flawlessly and that they serve up something interesting for guests.

I stood with him as we were watching locals choose caged chickens to take home. The vendor reached into a cage, grabbed the selected bird by the scruff of its neck and stuffed it, with much squawking, into a box. It was not entirely humane, but I was told that the chicken would have a good life once at home with the owner, who purchased the chicken for its eggs.

As we walked the market, Tissinier said: “Many of these traditions will be gone in a decade or more I suspect.” I was glad we were seeing them before they were gone.

Earlier in the week, at Château de Roquetaillade, our guide turned out to be the owner, though out of modesty perhaps, she never revealed that the ancient château had been in her family for more than 700 years.

Indeed, the most memorable part of our cruise was the people of this region. AmaWaterways even worked with some of the towns and villages on the itinerary to encourage engagement between locals and guests. In Bourg, for example, the company spent nearly a year working with local tourism officials so that guests were greeted by vintners and tourism authorities during a lavish early-evening ceremony in the town’s “House of Wine.” It’s a relationship that will continue, exclusive to AmaWaterways, as the season progresses.

Two Tours Not To Miss

Which two tours would I recommend not missing? Definitely, do not miss Saint-Émilion, whether you choose to do the Saint-Émilion excursion by motorcoach and on foot or the bicycle tour. Both include wine tastings at a Saint-Émilion vineyard.

The other tour I would recommend: Château de Roquetaillade from Cadillac. The castle alone was worth seeing but the guide made the tour one that topped the list for us. I wrote about the tour in my first post: Beautiful Bordeaux, A First For AmaDolce.

Staterooms On AmaDolce

There are eight different categories of accommodation aboard AmaDolce:

At 140 square feet are the Single Accommodation. These two staterooms are located side-by-side on Cello Deck, and feature a French balcony – making them ideal for solo travelers who don’t want to compromise. These feature a wardrobe, bathroom with shower, and a desk with internet access and a flat-panel television.

Categories D and E measure 170 square feet, and are located on Piano Deck. They feature fixed windows and offer a sitting area, desk with internet access and flat-panel television, and a bathroom with a multi-function shower.

Categories A,B and C are also 170 square feet, but are located on Cello and Violin decks. They feature all the amenities of the Category D and E staterooms, but with the addition of floor-to-ceiling windows which open to a French balcony. Category A staterooms offer a slightly more desirable location, being one deck higher than Category B and are located amidships. Ours was a category A stateroom (311). I photographed stateroom 305, also a category A stateroom.

AmaDolce has one Category A+ stateroom located all the way forward on Violin Deck. It offers all the amenities and features of a standard Category A stateroom, but is appreciably larger at 225 square feet.

Topping off the accommodation choices are three Junior Suites. Located on Violin Deck, these suites are a comfortable 255 square feet and feature a full bathroom with shower and tub, a flat-panel television, mini bar, spacious wardrobe, and a full size window in addition to a complete French balcony.

Stateroom televisions feature internet access (available at no charge throughout the ship on WiFi-enabled devices) as well as first-run movies. Bottled water is also stocked as needed in staterooms. You’ll find bathrobes, shampoo, conditioner, bar soap and lotion in the marble bathrooms. There’s plenty of closet space with hangers, as well as a closet with shelves and a safe. Unless your suitcase is humongous, it can fit underneath the bed.

Beds are comfortable with duvets as well as nightstands and reading lamps on each side. A sliding-glass door exposes the French balcony.

Dining On AmaDolce

Our wonderful waiter Yordan always had a smile. © 2016 Ralph Grizzle

AmaDolce’s wait staff made dining a delight. They were both professional and personable, always ready with a joke or a smile.

Breakfast begins at 7:30 a.m. and runs until 9 a.m. on most days. Not up that early? Late Risers Pastries are available in the lounge until 10 a.m. (and from 6:30 a.m. for those who are up early). Complimentary coffee, tea and hot chocolate are always available in the lounge.

Lunch kicks off at noon, and on some days 12:30 p.m. A light lunch is also served in the lounge.

In the main restaurant, lunch is served buffet-style with a good selection of salads, sandwiches and specials of the day (mussels and shellfish, for example, on one day of our cruise). Menu items also feature dishes that can be ordered from your waiter, and the menu also features “Always Available” dishes, such as Minute Steak and fries, or grilled chicken breast and veggies. Vegetarian options are always available, and AmaWaterways can cater to nearly any dietary lifestyle. Gluten-free products are readily available.

Dinner is similar to lunch but without the buffet selections. Dinners typically started at 7 p.m. in either the Main Restaurant or the Chef’s Table, a reservations-only restaurant at the back of the ship. AmaWaterways pours Bordeaux reds and whites on this itinerary.

We had two favorite meals on our cruise that we suggest you do not miss:

The Chef’s Table. Be sure to make reservations at the start of your cruise. There is no charge to dine here, and the experience (as well as the food and wine) rivals what you’d expect to find in fine restaurants. For an added bonus, try to dine in The Chef’s Table when AmaDolce is underway along the river.

The Chain de Rotisserie dinner. Offered one evening of your cruise in the Main Restaurant, this is the event where the chefs show off their best talents. AmaWaterways is the only river cruise line that was invited to join one of the world’s most prestigious culinary organizations – founded in 1950 in Paris.

AmaWaterways is the only river cruise line that was invited to join one of the world’s most prestigious culinary organizations – founded in 1950 in Paris. © 2016 Ralph Grizzle

Life On Board AmaDolce

During most of your days in Bordeaux, you’ll find yourself on tours. You’ll be on the ship for breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as for evening activities. Evening entertainment ranges from musical performances to dancing to conversation and late-night snacks (I enjoyed the chicken wings after arriving late on the first night).

There’s a gym that was used regularly on our voyage, as well as a salon (I paid 17 euros for a haircut), massage table, shop — and the upper deck with its expansive space, deck chairs, walking track, putting green, Jacuzzi and a section up front to relax and enjoy away from it all.

When the ship is docked, bikes are always available for you to pedal away free of charge, so long as you bring them back, of course.

The big attraction is Bordeaux itself, however, with its delectable wines and gorgeous landscapes — and that wonderful French flair that can only be found when visiting this beautiful nation with its beautiful people on a beautiful ship called AmaDolce.

With her accordion, the French beauty entertained guests from AmaDolce in a ceremony that is exclusive for guests of AmaWaterways. © 2016 Ralph Grizzle

Prices for AmaWaterways’ cruise and land program in Bordeaux begin at US$4,399 per person, while the cruise-only program starts at US$2,899. Some departures offer “Limited Time Savings” of up to $1,500 per stateroom plus prepaid gratuities. See AmaWaterways’ website for a detailed itinerary and pricing.

I joined a guided bike tour, using AmaDolce’s complimentary bicycles, to pedal from Blaye to Bourg, only 17 kilometers, with a few hills to get the heart pumping. We met AmaDolce about halfway through our trip to Bourg. © 2016 Ralph Grizzle

Check out our slideshow in the player below. If you have problems viewing the slideshow, you can also check it out our AmaWaterways Bordeaux Flickr Album.