Iconic Christmas Markets with Janet Carson
Group tour of the Iconic Christmas Markets
aboard AmaCerto
November 27 - December 6, 2020
7 Night Cruise from Budapest to Prague
with Optional Post-Land Tours
CRUISE FROM : BUDAPEST TO NUREMBERG
Travel back through centuries as you walk along cobblestone streets through grand cities and historic towns bedecked with twinkling Christmas trees and lined with wooden huts gleaming with handcrafted treasures. Iconic Christmas Markets are plentiful and are on full display for your pleasure. Budapest’s Vörösmarty Square, where all products sold in the market are guaranteed as traditionally handmade; Vienna with its impressive Christmas Markets that seem to majestically appear around every corner; Nuremberg’s festive Christkindlesmarkt, the largest and oldest Christmas Market in Germany; Regensburg’s Christmas Market at Thurn and Taxis Castle, considered one of Bavaria’s most beautiful and romantic; and Prague with its renowned Christmas Markets in the Old Town square; —along with many others throughout your journey—are yours to explore. Sparkling lights; the festive sounds of children dressed as angels singing carols; enticing smells of hot-mulled wine, roasted chestnuts, sausages and sweet treats of every kind; and timeless wonders are a feast for all your senses.
COUNTRIES: AUSTRIA, GERMANY, HUNGARY
RIVERS: DANUBE
Friday, November 27: DEPART USA
Saturday, November 28: ARRIVE BUDAPEST, HUNGARY
Mandatory pre-cruise night in Budapest at the Sofitel Budapest Chain Bridge or similar.
Sunday, November 29: EMBARKATION – BUDAPEST, HUNGARY
Board the ship in Budapest for your Iconic Christmas Markets cruise.
Monday, November 30: BUDAPEST
Home to several UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the Buda Castle quarter in Castle Hill and Heroes’ Square, Budapest offers an unmatched combination of culture and tradition. Your city tour begins with a visit to the vibrant Great Market Hall. The remainder of this tour takes you to both the Buda (hilly) and the Pest (flat) sides of the river. Afterwards, you’ll visit Vörösmarty Square, the oldest and the most spectacular of all the Christmas Markets in Budapest.
Optional Shore Excursions:
“Queen of the Danube” tour
Vörösmarty Square Christmas Market
Tuesday, December 1: VIENNA, AUSTRIA
The “City of Waltzes” offers a treasure trove of gems just waiting to be discovered. Join a tour showcasing its regal splendors, such as the majestic Opera House and the former Imperial Palace of the Habsburgs before concluding in Vienna’s historic city center. Afterwards, you’ll visit the Rathaus (Town Hall) Christmas market. If you prefer a more active adventure, then join a guided bike ride through Vienna. During the afternoon, visit the Schönbrunn Palace with a giant sparkling Christmas tree. This market presents a glittering and stellar Christmas experience. Cap the day off with “Vienna by Night” Christmas markets at the beautifully decorated Maria Theresaplatz Christmas market, set amongst the world-renowned sights of Vienna’s majestic Ringstrasse, and at the illuminated Rathaus, Vienna’s largest Christmas market.
Optional Shore Excursions:
“Imperial Vienna” tour with Town Hall Christmas Market
Vienna bike tour
Schönbrunn and illuminated Christmas Markets
Wednesday, December 2: MELK
High on a rocky outcrop lies the Melk Abbey, one of Europe’s most revered Baroque monasteries. Visit this magnificent Benedictine Abbey, which now houses a museum chronicling its history and a famous library with countless medieval manuscripts. Alternatively, go on a guided bike ride around Melk.
Optional Shore Excursions:
Benedictine Abbey visit
Melk bike tour
Thursday, December 3: PASSAU, GERMANY
Join a walking tour of this 2,000-year-old city, noted for its Gothic and Italian Baroque architecture and St. Stephen’s. Go in search of Bavarian-style crafts at the Christmas Market. Alternatively, you can travel through the serene Austrian Alps to Salzburg, birthplace of Mozart. Your full-day excursion in Salzburg includes a walking tour of the UNESCO-designated Old Town, its magnificent cathedral and its Christmas Markets, including the Hellbrunn Palace, where its inner courtyard is turned into a romantic backdrop for one of the most beautiful Christmas Markets in Austria. For the active adventurer, join a guided bike tour along the Danube.
Optional Shore Excursions:
“City of Three Rivers” walking tour and Christmas Market
Danube bike tour
Salzburg excursion including Hellbrunn Palace Christmas Market
Friday, December 4: REGENSBURG
Regensburg is one of Germany’s best preserved medieval cities, as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Join a guided walking tour showcasing the city’s architectural highlights, including the Old Town Hall and the Porta Praetoria, before visiting the Old Town Christmas Market. As an alternate option, sample some of Bavaria’s specialties—beer, sausage and pretzels. Or bike to the base of Walhalla where there is a neoclassical white marble temple inspired by the Parthenon in Athens. Later in the day, you’ll be treated to one of Bavaria’s most beautiful and romantic Christmas Markets at Thurn and Taxis, where you can watch artisans make their unique arts and crafts.
Optional Shore Excursions:
UNESCO city tour
Thurn and Taxis Christmas Market
Tastes of Bavaria
Walhalla bike tour
Saturday, December 5: NUREMBERG
Enjoy a scenic morning cruise as the ship crosses the Continental Divide via the Main- Danube Canal to Nuremberg. Join a city tour of WWII highlights and then walk through Nuremberg’s cobblestone streets to the Imperial Castle and 900-year-old city ramparts. Alternatively, you can taste your way through the city with a Franconian specialties tour, which introduces you to bratwurst, rotbier (red beer) and lebkuchen (gingerbread). Later, you can visit Nuremberg’s Christkindlesmarkt, one of the world’s largest and most famous Christmas Markets.
Optional Shore Excursions:
Nuremberg city tour
Tastes of Franconia
Nuremberg Christmas Market
Sunday, December 6: NUREMBERG – DISEMBARKATION
Disembark the ship and begin your tour of the Nuremberg Christmas Market. Following tour, you will transfer to Prague and check-in to your hotel.
Monday, December 7: PRAGUE
Prague -- the Czech Republic’s dazzling capital city, home to over a million people and with over 1,100 years of fascinating history to explore – is one of the most exciting European cities to visit.
Optional Shore Excursions:
“Golden City of a Hundred Spires
Prague Castle hike
Christmas Markets
Tuesday, December 8: PRAGUE
The day is at your leisure to enjoy.
Wednesday, December 9: Return flight home
PRICING
Pricing is per person based on double occupancy including port charges, pre-paid gratuities and airport transfers. Limited number of cabins held in each category. Suites and single cabins can be booked upon request, based on availability. No triple cabins available.
Category D*, Fixed window, 160 Sq Ft: $3152.00 per person
Category C, French Balcony, 155 Sq. Ft: $3652.00 per person
Category BB, Outside Balcony, 210 Sq. Ft: $4010.00 per person
Category BA, Outside Balcony, 210 Sq. Ft: $4153.00 per person
Category AB, Outside Balcony, 235 Sq. Ft: $4296.00 per person
*Elevator does not go to deck with D Cabins.
Group Air:
Pricing is not available until 330 days prior to return.
Estimated cost of air for coach is $1200 per person.
Estimated cost of air in premium economy is $1700 per person.
Pre and Post Land pricing based on double occupancy:
1 night Pre in Budapest (MANDATORY): $286.00 per person
2 nights Post in Prague (Optional): $674.00 per person
Payment Schedule:
A non-refundable deposit of $750 per person is due October 25, 2019. Non-refundable final payment is due May 15, 2020. Early registration is encouraged. Purchase of health, baggage, and trip cancellation/interruption insurance is strongly recommended.
Click here to download the booking form.
Return completed book forms to tgrace@poetravel.com.
Your Cruise Includes:
Accommodation during the cruise
Gratuities and port charges
All gourmet meals onboard (Early Riser Coffee and Croissants, a Rich Buffet Breakfast, a
Festive Lunch Buffet, Afternoon Tea & Coffee with cake, cookies & sandwiches and a MultiCourse-Dinner;
Free flowing red and white wine from the local regions, beer or soft drinks for lunch & dinner
Complimentary “Sip & Sail” cocktail hour offering a selection of beverages on five evenings
one hour before dinner
Choice of dining options at no additional cost including the main dining salon and an intimate Chef’s Table Restaurant where the Chef prepares the meal in person
Free coffee, tea, ice-water and iced-tea are included all day. Cappuccino, latte and espresso can be requested free of charge during all meals! Complimentary coffee & tea station available 24 hours.
Captain’s Welcome Champagne Reception and Gala Dinner and Captain’s Farewell
Champagne Reception and Gala Dinner plus several theme-dinners
Bottled water, fluffy bathrobes and slippers are provided free of charge in each cabin
Use of the swimming pool on the Sun Deck and the Wellness Center inside including fitness equipment (free of charge)
Use of the bicycles and helmets onboard free of charge
Complimentary use of the internet onboard (via flat-screen TV & keyboard in each stateroom
and wireless in our two lounges)
Complimentary in-cabin movies
Elevator on board operating between different levels. (Note: Elevator does not reach Category D)
Nightly piano music; also during Afternoon Tea & Coffee Time
Our daily shore excursion program during the cruise with English-speaking guides.
Use of our Quietvox headsets is also included at no additional cost.
Services of our professional English-speaking cruise director
Your Cruise Does Not Include:
Pre- or post-land arrangements
All other beverages except of the ones mentioned above
Use of the telephone in each cabin
Items purchased in the Gift Shop
Optional shore excursions that might be offered in addition to our daily included shore
excursion program