When my sister Elaine and I were kids, we would sing in the choir on Christmas Eve at our small Ohio church. A landmark in town, the Bethel Church of Christ was founded in 1866 and was where my family had gone for generations.

This Christmas, however, I will be attending Christmas Eve services at Speyer Cathedral in Germany. This amazing place of worship was founded in 1030 and was the burial place of German emperors for almost 300 years.

Whenever I travel in Europe, I realize how young America really is. What is old to Americans is just a newbie in the grand annals of European history.

I’m usually home for the holidays but this year I will be cruising on the new Amadeus Silver II through France and Germany. Since it is such a long flight to Europe, I am combining two back-to-back Amras cruises for an 11-day cruise.

The first five-day cruise is called Advent on the Rhine. The second six-day cruise is Christmas on the Rhine. We will visit quite a few Christmas Markets in beautiful towns along the Rhine River. We we will also take numerous excursions to learn more about the fascinating history of the places we are visiting.

One thing I really like about river cruises is the ship’s ability to dock so close to towns along the way. Often, passengers can just walk off the ship and take a short stroll to the heart of the town. Also river ships don’t carry as many passengers as big ocean liners so it is easier to embark and disembark as well as to get to know each other.

 

Silver II Holiday Itinerary

Our cruise will start in Basel on the French side and end up in Cologne in Germany. In France, we will be visiting Strasbourg. In Germany, it will be Kehl, Mannheim, Speyer, Heidelberg, Rudesheim, Koblenz, Mainz and Siebengebirge.

I am excited about seeing the new Silver II. Little seems to have been written about her yet or about the cruises offered by Amras on the the Lüftner fleet of river ships.

Launched in 2015, the Silver II is the 12^th in the Amadeus fleet and the Silver III is already under construction with launch scheduled for spring 2016.

It may sound a bit confusing but the Amadeus fleet of ships is owned and operated by Lüftner, an Austrian-based company. Amras is a tour company with a marketing office in Chicago specializing in the North American market. Amras was named for a tiny Austrian village located on the outskirts of Innsbruck. The quintessential charming Austrian village, Amras epitomizes the best of Austrian hospitality and the joys that make international travel such a pleasure

The Amras philosophy is to include as much as possible into a cruise and a cruise price so English-speaking travelers can cruise worry free.

For example, all shore excursions, WiFi and gratuities are built into the basic Amras cruise fee. Beer, wine and soft drinks also are complimentary during lunch and dinner. This is what Amras has arranged for its guests on the Silver II but other tour companies may have other arrangements on the ship. So it will be interesting to discover what is what as far as the cruise offerings go.

 

Silver II has Musical Heritage

I can have seen photos of the Silver II and the ship looks quite lovely and comfortable. The ship has four decks and can carry 168 passengers. As a nod to its Amadeus heritage, the decks are named Mozart, Strauss and Haydn. Cabins have individual temperature controls, flat screen TVs and walk-in showers.

Suites have a private walk-out balcony and outdoor seating while staterooms on the Mozart and Strauss decks feature French balcony views. I will be in a stateroom on the third deck. My room will not have a walk-out balcony but will have a French balcony which I’ve never seen before. According to the brochure, with the push of a button I can lower the upper half of the floor-to-ceiling window in my cabin to create a balcony effect.

The Silver II has one restaurant, a large Panorama Bar where most activities take place, a small corner Café Vienna for quiet coffee breaks, a larger Amadeus Club room with a small library and coffee machine, and a glass-enclosed River Terrace that offers wonderful views of the river. The ship also has an elevator, fitness room, hairdresser, massage room and small gift shop.

Learning more about this mysterious lady, the Silver II, could be quite an adventure. Hope you’ll come along for the journey.

 

1. Launched in 2015, the Silver II can carry 168 passengers.

2. The Silver II has one restaurant with one seating.

3. The Speyer Cathedral in Speyer, Germany, will offer a special Christmas Eve program.