Avalon Questions

We have done several Viking river cruises and have always been very happy with them. Today on the spur of the moment I booked an Avalon Danube cruise for fall,2017. We had been looking at Danube cruises and the price on this was way too awesome to pass up. I don't remember seeing anything particularly negative about Avalon on these boards and we aren't very picky so I'm not too worried but I do have several questions that I'd appreciate some help with...

1. Free air was included with the offer. TA said flights would not be available until Dec or Jan which is fine. Will they just notify us that flights have been selected or will we have some options? We will fly BWI to Prague then home from Budapest. Anyone know what airlines they use most often?

2. I did not see anything in the description on line about transfers from airport to hotel on arrival or ship to airport on departure but I am assuming since the air, precruise in Prague and cruise are all thru Avalon the transfers are included??

3. The included excursion descriptions seemed pretty vague online. How would you rate Avalon's excursions? Is there a way to find out what optional excursions are available at each port?

4. Any feedback comparing food and dining on Avalon vs Viking would be appreciated. There used to be a sticky that compared all the major river cruise lines but I can't find it now. Sorry for all the questions.

First, let me say that we have done 5 Avalon cruises; 3 in Europe; one in South

America and one in Southeast Asia.

We have been very pleased with Avalon and we believe that they are a very good midprice line. We love their suite cabins.

Our first Avalon cruise was on the Danube going from Budapest to Nuremberg and the transfer to Prague.

I cannot answer your question about their scheduling of air since I have booked our own air mostly because we extend our trip at one end or the other.

When you include air in your booking with them, your transfers are included if you are arriving or departing on the normal dates listed.

Regarding excursions -Avalon ships in Europe are smaller than Viking. Avalon up to 130 passengers; Viking up to 190 passengers. This means the Avalon might have 3 groups plus 1 gentle walking group. I have seen Viking excursion groups where there are 5 or 6 guides. The Viking groups have signs, for example Viking 5.

We have consistently enjoyed our guides and we have learned very much from them. I am puzzled when you say that the description of excursions are vague. If you are online, there is a brief "Day by day" guide, but also a separate detailed itinerary.

We have noticed that Avalon has elevated their dining experience since our first cruises with them.

Lastly, we trust Avalon and believe that their logistical teams are second to none. There are challenges facing river cruise companies and Avalon does a very good job in difficult situations.

I know I did not answer your questions about optional excursions. I will look further and respond again. I hope I have helped you.

Do you have a My Avalon account? Avalon allows you to reserve excursions if you'd like at no charge. Sometimes there is a choice of free excursions plus optional.

Globus is a huge tour company and has access to many many guides. The tour guides were always of high caliber

We are going on our 2nd Avalon Cruise in 10 days (first was Danube). On our first cruise we did not book our air through Avalon but for this one we did because of the great deal we got. Like you I was nervous about the flights but we have excellent flights on United with 1 layover of 2 hours each way and an early evening flight out and late morning flight returning.

Avalon exceeded our expectations on the first cruise but I was open to other cruise lines but the deal we got from Avalon was by far the best.

Forgot to add that transfers to and from airport are included.

I thought about booking Avalon but did not based upon their air choices. If you go to their website and and work through the booking process, you can see what airlines they use and connections. They flights for the cruise I was looking at from DTW weren't particularly good.

We have done several Avalon cruises. Those are all questions I would direct to your TA.

For me, I want to book my own flights as I want control over airline, connections, seating, etc. We add pre and post stays in Europe and DIY those; it works out better for us to be in control of our flights.

All transfers are included if you book everything with Avalon.

We prefer active excursions and found this to be a weak point with Avalon's tour offerings. We did a lot on our own for this reason.

Just interested as to what makes an excursion an active excursion for you?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Last September we booked a last minute deal Paris to Normandy with Avalon. I checked flights I wanted to book and my TA worked with Avalon and I got the flights I wanted.. Transfers included...This was our first River cruise with Avalon and we very pleased loved it. Excurisions were excellent... We have never cruised with Viking and cruised with Uniworld twice. We are cruising Uniworld next summer with a deal we couldn't refuse. We booked our air through Uniworld good connections and great price... Enjoy your trip...

Just interested as to what makes an excursion an active excursion for you?

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

We enjoy a faster walking pace than a stroll. AMA offers hikes, bike rides, and other more challenging excursions. They offer a "gentle" pace, average pace and active pace for almost all of their excursions. Uniworld does as well.

We did a hike up to the top of a gorgeous vineyard with Uniworld on the Rhone. Scenery was great, it was over 67 stories up a steep hill (according to my FitBit) and it was a nice, small group. They provided Nordic walking sticks which were very useful. It was a favorite.

Just done our first Avalon after 2 with Viking.

Both are very similar, liked the free car to the airport and back with Avalon and the fact our tips were included but did think on our cruise the food was not as good as Viking, either in choice or taste.

We are considering Avalon Felicity for October 2017, Rhine cruise. Our first river cruise. What category cabin do you recommend? We want one with sliding French door. What deck or part of the ship do you think is best? Thanks in advance for your help!

Just done our first Avalon after 2 with Viking.

Both are very similar, liked the free car to the airport and back with Avalon and the fact our tips were included but did think on our cruise the food was not as good as Viking, either in choice or taste.

To the OP, gratuities and car transfers are not included in the prices for the US market.

Thanks for the info everyone. I'm not too concerned how they transfer us.... Car, van, bus, ox cart... Makes no difference to us 😀 Ship and cabin layout looks very similar to Viking. I was able to do as ericosmith suggested and get some idea of flight options. They all looked acceptable if not ideal. The myavalon site won't show excursions until August. But I suppose I can just wait and see what they come up with. Looking forward to a new experience.

Hi CM,

I suggest 219 - 220 for the best value expensive

213 - 218 for comfort at low cost

the suites for most luxury

Having the bed face the window is a pleasant bonus.

Enjoy your cruise.

Ira

We did the Rhine with Avalon 3 years ago and the Danube Christmas markets with Viking this past December. I can't answer your questions about flights, but we found the 2 lines extremely comparable. We booked what my husband calls "duck level" :rolleyes: on both lines. The cabins on both were very nice, although I think the cabin was slightly bigger on Avalon. The crews and food were outstanding on both cruises. My husband liked having 130 passengers on Avalon rather than 190 on Viking but I really did not notice the difference. I think the shore excursions were similar as well. We enjoyed both cruises very much and would not hesitate to book another cruise with either line.

We are considering Avalon Felicity for October 2017, Rhine cruise. Our first river cruise. What category cabin do you recommend? We want one with sliding French door. What deck or part of the ship do you think is best? Thanks in advance for your help!

Middle Deck, mid ship!

Sent from my iPhone using Forums