By Jackie Sheckler Finch

How many passengers on a river cruise talk or write about a ship’s gift shop? I’m going to because I think the Amadeus Silver II gift shop is quite nice and is rather unusual. Many river ships don’t have a gift shop at all or it is tucked away in a closet-size room.

On the Silver II, the gift shop is on the main level, right next to the dining room, across from the reception desk. The shop also has extra display cases built into the walls on Deck Three. Leading into both sides of the Panorama Bar, the glass cases have neatly arranged items, mostly jewelry which can be bought in the gift shop.

The prices are not bad either. For example, a lovely scarf with a jeweled round loop on it costs 11.50 euros or $12.59 in U.S. dollars and a pretty Mozart snow globe is 7.50 euros or $8.21 in American currency. Remember this ship is the Amadeus so the gift shop has several Mozart-related items.

Shopkeeper Rodica said that jewelry is among the best sellers and the shop does carry quite a bit of it. After all, jewelry is easy to take home as a souvenir or gift for someone else. It doesn’t take up much room in luggage.

I know my daughter would like some feline-decorated items I saw in the gift shop. Several purses in different sizes feature cute wide-eyed cats and kittens.

The shop also has a handy choice of toiletries that passengers either forget to pack or run out of on the cruise, Rodica said. “We try to carry the products that passengers most ask for,” she said, gesturing to a cabinet of toothpaste, toothbrushes, lotion, deodorant, combs and sunscreen.

Photo by Jackie Sheckler Finch