Bordeaux all year
AmaDolce does not leave the south-west. The Garonne, the Dordogne and the
Gironde estuary are its ground, and every route is a round trip out of Bordeaux.
Our count on 26 August 2026 found 107 departure dates, 90 of them carrying the
note "departing from Bordeaux".
A hundred and ten metres, 144 guests, 72 cabins. The hull came out of the yard
in 2009, in the Netherlands, in the line's first generation.
What the tide imposes
The Gironde is an estuary, not a river. The tidal stream helps or hinders
depending on the hour, and it governs the schedule far more than distance does.
A ship running down to Pauillac on the ebb makes good time; against the stream,
it loses hours.
That is why the call times on this route do not repeat from one week to the
next, and why a crew that works this network all year is worth more than a ship
passing through. Tides are not learned from a manual; they are learned on the
spot.
Saint-Émilion, the Médoc, and a useful clarification
The great names of the Bordeaux vineyard appear in the programme, but by road
from the quay. No ship this size moors at the foot of the châteaux: outings to
the Médoc, Saint-Émilion and the right bank run by coach, taking half a day or a
full day depending on the effort level chosen.
The upper cabins have a French balcony, not the twin balcony of the 135-metre
hulls. On a wide and often windy estuary, the difference is felt less than you
might expect.
The other ships in the fleet
AmaCello holds the Saône and the Rhône, AmaDante the Seine. AmaVida serves the Portuguese
Douro, another country of wine. AmaLyra shares the Seine with its sister.
The fare, line by line
It covers life aboard: the cabin, all meals, wine and beer at lunch and
dinner, soft drinks at any hour, a daily cocktail, and a guided excursion at
every port. Wi-Fi is included. The European ships carry bicycles, available
during port calls.
Excursions are chosen by effort level: gentle, regular or active. The active
level means walking a long way, often uphill and on cobbles. The gentle level
exists for a reason, and nobody will judge you for taking it.
Two items stay on your account: gratuities, included on no destination, and
air travel, unless bought through the line's air programme. Putting both in the
budget at the outset avoids the unpleasant surprise of the last day.
What life aboard assumes
An adult clientele, days shaped by the port calls, short evenings. No
children's club, no childcare, no youth activities. Minors share a cabin with a
responsible adult, and the minimum age depends on the destination.
The lift links the main decks without reaching the sun deck. Boarding is by a
gangway whose slope changes from quay to quay, and sometimes by crossing another
ship. These are details as long as you walk well, and real obstacles
otherwise.
What a Quebec agency protects
A licence from Quebec's Office de la protection du consommateur, a trust
account for the sums received, and the Compensation Fund for Customers of Travel
Agents. Three verifiable things, and the licence number appears on your
contract. A booking made outside Quebec gives no right to them.
To that add what the law does not provide: someone who answers when a
connection collapses on a Sunday night and the ship leaves the next morning.
