PeaceOut22

On 3/31/2023 at 5:52 PM, Rebel54 said:

When we did Mekong they were very strict.  I remember some of my shipmates having to pay over $100 because their bags were too heavy for some of the in country flights.

Good to know. Thanks for responding.

On 4/1/2023 at 8:37 PM, Host Jazzbeau said:

Or you can open it so it fits under the bed if the closed height just misses.  We had to do this on our most recent cruise.

Good tip! Thank you.

On 4/1/2023 at 4:02 AM, jsn55 said:

On a Rhine cruise (or probably anywhere in Europe) the restrictions are elastic.  I take whatever bag I want, but I'm always careful of the weight ... more for myself than the airline.  The issue with luggage on a cruise is always where to stow it when empty ... that can be a major factor in a small cabin.  But your room steward can probably help stow it somewhere if it doesn't fit under the bed ... or you can make a nightstand out of it beside the bed if needed.  

Good info Thanks.

On 3/31/2023 at 5:52 PM, Rebel54 said:

When we did Mekong they were very strict.  I remember some of my shipmates having to pay over $100 because their bags were too heavy for some of the in country flights.

Good to know! Thank you.

On 3/31/2023 at 5:51 PM, Rebel54 said:

When we did ours we had 3 suitcases between the two of us.  Hubby is a big guy, has to work out and we had need for some nice outfits for Paris so we traveled with a bit more than we should have.  They weren't happy when we checked brought our stuff for the bus in the am to head to the ship but it was what it was.  After that we didn't hear anything.  I had a small, under seat bag too.  Not a lot of space on the boat for storage but we were fine.  On my upcoming 3 week trip I plan to do a roller carry on and under seat weekend bag.  Last time going to Prague my bag got left in Paris and I was without anything for almost 2 days...and it took me going back to the airport to find it.  Ugh...frustrating.

 

Thanks for the info. Very helpful. Sorry you had to go back for your luggage on that trip. Good plan for the next trip. Hope you have a great time.

On 3/27/2023 at 11:45 PM, kaysha2004 said:

They don't check and you can bring whatever you'd like.  It's the airline you have to be concerned about.

Thank you for responding.

17 minutes ago, YoungDubFan said:

PeaceOut- the only real restrictions are those for your airline.

Excellent. Thanks much!

2 minutes ago, FlBarb64 said:

You will be fine.  I traveled with a larger hard-case and a backpack last time, no issues.

Hey that's great! Thank you for responding.

Hello, I have a question regarding luggage on Avalon. We will be on a Rhine River cruise in Europe this spring. Their website says one suitcase per person measuring 30x21x11. My son has a hardshell suitcase that he would like to use that measures 30x21x12. Will this be rejected? Do they check that closely? Also, I assume you can have a personal item when you board - a tote bag or satchel. Yes? Thank you.

P.S. Here is the info from their site To me this reads like there is some leeway if traveling in Europe. "Your single bag should have dimensions not exceeding 30"x21"x11" and a weight not exceeding 50 lbs. (22 kg). We regret that we are unable to accept a second suitcase or any luggage exceeding these limits on any Avalon vacation outside of Europe."   

21 minutes ago, Kenster said:

They will allow you on the ship by late morning on arrival day.  Do not expect your cabin to be ready until mid afternoon. They will be very busy dealing with departing passengers so it’s best to take your bags into the lounge and hang out there. You will be able to enjoy a light lunch in the lounge. You can leave your bags onboard and go out to explore for a while. 
Pax make their way to the ship on their own. Sometimes, a bus is used to transfer large numbers of passengers arriving about the same time from the airport. If you are flying in on arrival day, you can take a taxi to the ship or purchase a transfer from Avalon. No meeting spot. You go directly to the ship. 
 

2. Ninety days from departure you will have access to book all your excursions via the “My Avalon” portal. It’s a good idea to book even the included ones. Sometimes, there is a limited number of seats available so you don’t want to be disappointed by not getting your desired excursion.  No problem on the major inclusions like a city tour. There’ll always be room but it’s still good to book so they’ll know how many local guides/buses they’ll need. 
Definitely book your optionals as they ARE limited, for the most part.  Some can be very small groups.  If you wait until you’re onboard, you could be disappointed.  You can always cancel up to 24 hours ahead of time. 
 

3.  You can leave the ship as early as you like on departure day. If you’re flying out, allow not only travel time but also plenty of time at the airport. Probably should leave the ship four hours ahead of flight departure. If you’re not flying out, you can have a more leisurely departure but you have to be out of your cabin by 9:00AM, I believe.  Transportation from the ship is on your own but you can book a transfer through Avalon.  
 

I know you’ll have a great time. And you’ll wish you booked a longer cruise!! 
 

Cheers! 
Ken

Thanks very much, Ken, for this excellent information and quick response. We really appreciate it!

54 minutes ago, PeaceOut22 said:

We are going on our first-ever river cruise in May. We are cruising Amsterdam to Basel on Avalon. I have several questions that I have not been able to get answered yet. It will be some time before we have our final travel documents to answer these questions, so I would really appreciate any responses. 

1- Boarding: How early can passengers board the boat? All we know so far is that everyone must be on board by 5 p.m. Do passengers arrive individually to the dock, like on large cruise ships? Or is there a meeting point and passengers are shuttled in?

2- Included excursions: How do included excursions get reserved? The only info I have found so far relates to the optional excursions that require additional fees; these open for booking in February. Do you not have to book the included excursions in advance?

3- Disembarking: What time typically does disembarking take place on departure day? And do you arrange for personal transportation right at the dock, or do they shuttle the passengers to another spot?

Thank you in advance.

20 minutes ago, Daisi said:

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic, and congratulations on booking your first cruise. I suggest you read the "stickies" at the top of the main page to familiarise yourself with river cruises, as there is a lot of differences with ocean cruises.

 

As to your questions:

1) You can board at almost any time, but it's nicer for the crew to wait until at least 10:30, in order to allow the departing passengers to clear out. Your cabin will not be ready, but they will take your suitcases and store them for you, and you can wander around town until you are ready to board. Our first cruise had a tour at 1:00, so we arrived at the boat at around 12:00. We were invited to have a light lunch in the lounge and a drink while we waited for the tour. They were very warm & welcoming, even though we were early. They had our luggage in our room by the time we got back from our tour.

 

2) Included excursions are usually also available on the MyAvalon site to book, as well as the optional ones. You don't have to book ahead, but it will give them a rough idea as to how many to prepare for. During the free Happy Hour, they will have a port talk for the next day, and you can let the CD know then which excursion you would like. I would suggest however, if you are looking at the cycling excursions, to pre-book them on the MyAvalon site, as they bring in bikes for the passengers to use, and it will ensure that enough are there for you.

 

3) Disembarking can take place at anytime once you dock. If you have an early flight out, speak with your CD a couple of days ahead, and they can help you out to know what time. If you are doing the post stay with Avalon, they will have it all organised. We took a "milk-run train back along the river when we disembarked, and just had to let our CD know the night before (they will go over this in the final port talk so you have lots of time), and she had a taxi waiting for us for when out train left in the morning.

 

I've only sailed on Avalon, but they will spoil you by doing whatever they can to make your trip a fantastic experience. 

20 minutes ago, Daisi said:

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic, and congratulations on booking your first cruise. I suggest you read the "stickies" at the top of the main page to familiarise yourself with river cruises, as there is a lot of differences with ocean cruises.

 

As to your questions:

1) You can board at almost any time, but it's nicer for the crew to wait until at least 10:30, in order to allow the departing passengers to clear out. Your cabin will not be ready, but they will take your suitcases and store them for you, and you can wander around town until you are ready to board. Our first cruise had a tour at 1:00, so we arrived at the boat at around 12:00. We were invited to have a light lunch in the lounge and a drink while we waited for the tour. They were very warm & welcoming, even though we were early. They had our luggage in our room by the time we got back from our tour.

 

2) Included excursions are usually also available on the MyAvalon site to book, as well as the optional ones. You don't have to book ahead, but it will give them a rough idea as to how many to prepare for. During the free Happy Hour, they will have a port talk for the next day, and you can let the CD know then which excursion you would like. I would suggest however, if you are looking at the cycling excursions, to pre-book them on the MyAvalon site, as they bring in bikes for the passengers to use, and it will ensure that enough are there for you.

 

3) Disembarking can take place at anytime once you dock. If you have an early flight out, speak with your CD a couple of days ahead, and they can help you out to know what time. If you are doing the post stay with Avalon, they will have it all organised. We took a "milk-run train back along the river when we disembarked, and just had to let our CD know the night before (they will go over this in the final port talk so you have lots of time), and she had a taxi waiting for us for when out train left in the morning.

 

I've only sailed on Avalon, but they will spoil you by doing whatever they can to make your trip a fantastic experience. 

Thank you so much, Daisi! This is really helpful. We really appreciate your quick response and suggestions.

We are going on our first-ever river cruise in May. We are cruising Amsterdam to Basel on Avalon. I have several questions that I have not been able to get answered yet. It will be some time before we have our final travel documents to answer these questions, so I would really appreciate any responses. 

1- Boarding: How early can passengers board the boat? All we know so far is that everyone must be on board by 5 p.m. Do passengers arrive individually to the dock, like on large cruise ships? Or is there a meeting point and passengers are shuttled in?

2- Included excursions: How do included excursions get reserved? The only info I have found so far relates to the optional excursions that require additional fees; these open for booking in February. Do you not have to book the included excursions in advance?

3- Disembarking: What time typically does disembarking take place on departure day? And do you arrange for personal transportation right at the dock, or do they shuttle the passengers to another spot?

Thank you in advance.

Thanks