After two days of exploring Budapest and getting rid of the jet lag, it’s time to board the ship and get ready for our cruise up the Danube.

We didn’t have to rush as we had until noon, so we cleaned up and then went down for a good breakfast. Afterwards, we finished our packing before heading down to check-out and drop off our bags.

When the bus arrived, they loaded up the bags and we drove down to the pier. We took the short stroll over to the dock and then walked the gangplank on to the ship. The AMAMORA was gleaming and looked very welcoming.

Embarkation was very straightforward. The cabins weren’t ready yet, but we checked in and had our photos taken for our passkeys, then headed into the lounge where cocktails and snacks were available while we waited for the rooms.

Our home for the next seven days will be on the AmaWaterways river boat AmaMora. We will be occupying cabin 309. There are technically 4 decks on the ship. The lower level is the “Piano Deck” and contains the crew rooms and I believe a few passenger cabins. The second level is the “Cello Deck”, the third is the “Violin Deck” and the top deck is the Sun deck.

Our cabin is on the Violin Deck and is quite nice. There’s enough room to comfortably move around, it has plenty of storage and we have both a french balcony and an outside balcony. Hopefully, the weather will be nice enough for us to use the outside balcony. The bathroom is a decent size, as is the shower. The bed is comfy, there are chairs to sit on and a desk with outlets nearby. So far, so good!

We had over two hours to get settled in the cabin and relax before a 6:00 pm welcome reception. The reception included sparkling wine, crew introductions and our official welcome aboard by the Captain and mandatory safety briefing.

There are officially 146 passengers on this sailing. Interestingly, there is a group of 58 people from BC Hydro’s “Power Pioneers”. They are retirees from the power company in British Columbia.

We sat with two very pleasant couples at the reception Donnie and Marie from Chicago and Pram and Rami from Vancouver. When the reception was complete, it was dinner time and the six of us sat together. There was lots of good conversation and laughs throughout the meal.

As for the meal, it was delicious. Sue had a green salad, cauliflower soup, and a grilled halibut with risotto. She opted out of dessert. I had an avocado and crab salad, the cauliflower soup, gnocchi with a truffle filling and a chocolate torte to finish off the meal. The portions were good sized without being humongous and the servers were on top of their game. It was a great way to kick off the cruise.

No nightcap for us tonight. We headed to the room to change and relax before heading to bed early. We didn’t have a jam-packed day, but we did have a full day. Tomorrow promises to be a bit busier.