rudeman

My second question is....Is Avalon the only company with beds facing the French balcony or window? I really like that set up for the room.

Our research about 16 months ago for the cruise we took this July revealed that, at that time, Avalon was the only one with that configuration. Honestly, that "sold" us , along with the French balcony instead of outside balcony (takes away living space.). Our expectations were greatly exceeded.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Just an FYI. We NEVER ha 50 people on a walking tour on our Avalon cruise. 20-25, usually.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

You're welcome. Glad it helped.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Your vacation is what YOU make of it. At no time on our Budapest to Amsterdam Avalon cruise did we feel herded or forced to do anything ashore. Their were walking tours, often preceded by bus tour, of every stop. Do the tour or not, your choice. Stay on the ship (some did occasionally) or go on your own (some did occasionally). It's YOUR vacation.

We did all the walking tours (and a few optional) because that's our behavior even when traveling on our own to a new place - take an overview tour, first. That's OUR approach - others go solely on their own. Different strokes ... If there is something we really want to see in port, we make sure and see it - whether it means deviating from the tour (and having the courtesy to inform the tour guide) or simply going on our own.

Most stops allowed plenty of free time to explore further, have a local lunch or just hit a cafe for coffee or Eis (ice cream!)

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

We kept our French Balcony doors closed at night due to lighting but had no problems during the day on our Budapest to Amsterdam Avalon trip last month. They did warn us one evening (I forget where) to be extra diligent.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Just to add - on our trip, you also could also order a steak or chicken breast or salmon or Caesar salad as everyday choices if you don't care for the nightly entrees. There were usually a beef/pork, chicken, fish or veggie offering each night. Breakfast and lunch are always buffets.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Probably not. But appetizers tend to be quite small.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

They usually frown on double orders and flat out said no to double entrees on our Avalon cruise. Meal planning is tighter than on ocean vessels.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Free time in Cologne should be spent inside the Cathedral and then at a nice cafe somewhere in proximity to it. Otherwise, we didn't find Cologne too spectacular. In defense of that city, I think we had been spoiled by all the lovely, easily walkable small towns we had seen. At any rate, enjoy your time there.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Bucking what appears to be a trend, here, we actually felt that, if we're flying across the pond, we wanted to maximize our time on a river cruise. Our going-in assumption in these situations is always, "We may never get there again." So, we looked for cruises that were closer to two weeks.

The best itineraries we found were Budapest to Amsterdam, or vice versa. (I see Avalon has a French itinerary that's two weeks but involves two rivers, switching to trains and other ships, etc. Somthing we might consider in the future.)

Based on that, we began looking at river cruise lines that offered the itinerary. Because we had been "sold" on river cruising by an AMA rep at a travel "convention" we went to, we started with AMA and Viking (since Viking is the most "known" here in the States). We then "discovered" Avalon and Tauck. We liked both of the latter because they are renowned European touring companies (Avalon is owned by Globus/Cosmos) so Viking and AMA fell off. We finally settled on Avalon based on their room configuration. This may see trivial to some but important to us. We felt that, while cruising down such scenic rivers, we'd both like to be able to just lie there and look out at the scenery without having to lean over each other. Also, the French Balcony (which was even better than we had hoped) afforded more living space within the room than those with outside balconies. (Don't be fooled by square footage. Like most ocean cruise lines, these cruise ships tend to include balcony footage into the calculation.)

Another selling point for Avalon (and other non-Viking companies) is the ability to get away with a relatively small down payment until 3 months before sailing.

So, we booked the Budapest to Amsterdam trip - only chose that direction because it crossed July 4th and allowed me to use one less vacation day. Got our flights (Lufthansa - who we liked a lot though some others seem not to), our hotel for two nights in Budapest and never looked back.

Though we were unaware at the time, Avalon is not huge in the American market. There were only 11 of us, along with 22 Brits, perhaps a dozen New Zealanders and many Aussies. This, we think, would actually have been a SELLING point for us had we known. We really enjoy spending time with folks from other countries.

We were VERY fortunate on our trip to make it all the way through with barely a hitch. (Slow going caused us to cancel one optional excursion on morning.) It was the best time ever!

Nice review.

 

I should note that we were traveling with two other couples, and we feel very strongly about the following: if you are traveling with others, make a pact up front that you will NOT eat all of your meals together. Make an effort to meet others on your boat and sit at other tables at many or most meals. River cruises are small compared to ocean cruises, and if your whole group stakes out an entire table at every meal, you will miss a tremendous opportunity to meet other people. Another option is to sit at one of the long tables near the bow -- that way you are still at one table, but there are plenty of other spots for others to join you. On the other hand, it can be helpful to keep your gang together on the excursions so that you can take turns taking photos of each other.

Can't agree more. I remember reading about six couples going on a river cruise and hoping there would be tables for 12. My opinion was, man, you're going to be missing out on so much. But, different strokes . . .

However, there was one thing I missed from our Avalon cruise: Avalon tends (or at least tended in 2011) to market to Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and UK as well as to the U.S. I love my fellow Americans dearly, but it was fun sharing an Avalon boat with English-speakers from all over the world. The Viking clientele seems to be 90% American. Not a big deal, but an interesting quirk.

 

Agreed. We LOVE travelling with others, especially from Australia and New Zealand. Such a fun bunch. Living life to the fullest! We had been on a Cosmos land tour (owned by Globus) and met a bunch of folks from Australia, New Zealand and Great Britain. What a great time. So we were delighted walking onto the Avalon Impression and seeing there were 11 Americans, 22 Brits, some New Zealanders and a ton of Aussies! Great company!

Now for some of the negatives:

 

2. The sun deck was closed for the first few days of our trip, due to the low bridges on the river. However, this is beyond Viking's control, and all river cruise lines are subject to this limitation on this part of the Danube.

 

The "sun deck" was closed for low bridges on the Avalon Impression also. However, it's a split level deck so you could still sit up top, forward, even for low bridges! Do you have that opportunity on Viking?

We haven't been on Viking so can't compare. We just know we had a great time and recommend that river cruising - even with the risks - be on every cruiser's life to-do-list.

Take the bus trip. Regensburg is a nice town. Nice Sausages and beer at the place by the river

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

The cruise director has done a great job and the captain is waiting for information from the authorities in Slovakia. We hope the Avalon Impression will meet us next Monday upstream. It is upsetting because we waited so long to see the danube from the river not from a bus. Avalon is going to take us to see every city and we are being given a few extra excursions for free.

Gentlemancruiser,

I imagine they would be working on it feverishly. Not only cruise ships but barges (commerce) is affected. Hoping for the best for you all.

Our captain is confident it will be lowered in just a few days.

Who is your captain? Cruise Director?

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

That's a real bummer, Gentlemancruiser. Hope it gets resolved soon.

Interesting. We went through there earlier this month all holding our breath to lighten the load. Then, after just a couple of days of showers, we heard it was almost too high. Amazing how these rivers ebb and flow with just a little (or no) rain.

Nice review. We recently completed a Budapest to Amsterdam trip on Avalon.

As an example of different strokes for different folks, in our estimation, we enjoyed the small towns more than the big cities. Our feeling is that, other than a few unique sites in each city, a city is a city! We liked the smaller towns as they felt more walkable, more interesting - each with its own history and story. And we loved Bratislava's old town area - again, more of a small-town feel than a city.

Someone asked about the walk to/from the U at the docks. Assuming you are docked by the Reichsbrucke bridge, you walk along the river to the bridge and go up the stairs to the walkway/bikeway portion of the bridge. Once on the path, be mindful that it's divided into biking and pedestrian. You DON'T cross the river (though it sorta feels like you should) - you go the opposite way, over a road and a park. Once off the bridge, you walk a block or so on the street and the Ubahn1 Vorgartenstrasse station is on the left side (I believe - but you can't miss the big U sign!) The distance once you get to the bridge is about 400 meters, so tack on whatever it takes to get from your ship to the bridge. This area, across the bridge, also has a few shops if you need to pick up any supplies - toiletries, water, soda, etc. If taking the U, you'd probably want to get off at Stephansplatz (5th stop) which is the center square where St. Stephen's is. All of this is safe but always be aware!

Can't speak for Viber, but we used FaceTime, voice only, while on board the Avalon Impression. Since it was over WiFi, it was free; i.e., no data "charges". Probably could have done video, too, but never tried. Of course, both ends need to be iOS.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

We always keep our passports in the room safe. We never take them off the ship unless we are instructed to, as in the case where we were doing a tour in Austria and rejoining the ship in Germany - we were told to take them "just in case" there was any (non)border crossing issues. Really dreaded pickpocket possibilities that day!!

We had several "authentic" nights on our Avalon cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam and they were good. We like sampling local foods - one reason we travel. Still can always order steak, chicken or salmon.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I was surprised that the electrical outlets on the Creativity are all European, but the front desk gave me an adapter to recharge my IPad.I was surprised that the electrical outlets on the Creativity are all European, but the front desk gave me an adapter to recharge my IPad.

 

 

 

Anyway, the trip has been great. Already perusing their Danube itinerary. :)

As far as electrical, we realized that only days before leaving the States (should read everything about the ship, which we did not do until almost too late!) so we were prepared. Forgot to add this to Tips section of our review. And, though many electrical items now work with either voltage, some do not and would need not just an adapter but also a converter! Just for future cruisers to keep in mind.

As far as the Danube, we did Budapest to Amsterdam this past month on Avalon Impression and it was FANTASTIC!

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

As a final post to this thread, by us, here's the location of the cruise critic review we put together:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=258952

Nan541 - post #2 of this thread clearly states it was Avalon and several of our reasons. This last post was just reinforcing that it's a personal decision based on what's important to you. Didn't want to repeat my prior post.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Avalon is not in the top 5 of the recent Travel and Leisure awards (see post below for complete info). Viking is #2 and Tauck #1.

If a ranking from one magazine is important to you, by all means, go with Tauck. Why even consider Viking?

Every reputable cruise line wins awards from somewhere - just look at their websites!

Only YOU can decide what's important. Is it room size? Bed configuration? Number of passengers? Cruisers' reviews? Itinerary? Cost? Included tours? Included beverages? Optional excursions? Awards? etc.

We did our (extensive) homework and made our choice. We were ecstatic with the results but have no actual experience with other lines.

We just completed our first river cruise, Budapest to Amsterdam, on Avalon. We had settled on three "finalists" - Tauck, AMA and Avalon. We settled on Avalon pretty much based on bed configuration and room size; I.e., no living space lost to an external balcony. We were extremely pleased with everything. Stops were great. The tours were great. Great food and service, etc.

We have no first-hand knowledge of Viking so can't do a real comparison. I'm sure you won't go wrong with either company.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums