Shebely

Really?  Sleep disruptions like snoring?

First of all, this is our most memorable river cruise.  We have done 9 river cruises.  Avalon all the way.  Viking ship next to us in Phenom Penh was stopped there as it could not cruise to Siem Reap due to low water issues.  We understand there were bused to Siem Reap. Mekong water levels go up and down.  Locals need to move because of water levels. Now I have read that there are historically low water levels - 100 year records.  We did pre cruise in Hanoi and traveled to Halong Bay.  Then we flew to HCM before boarding ship.  Excellent hotels in Hanoi, HCM and Siem Reap.  We cruised once with CroisiEurope and we did not like that we were assigned seating for dinner.  Boring…

I handled visas myself and I got single entry visa for Vietnam.  Of course, visa for Cambodia.

No one else has said this but, to me age doesn’t matter. We have been on 8 river cruises and we find that our fellow travelers are well traveled interesting people. As I have told a friend who has only done ocean cruising, on ocean cruises will find passengers needing wheel chairs and walkers, but not on river cruises.

1. Check the web page embassyofcambodiadc.org for options for a getting visa. I got our visas ahead of time by mailing the visa application to the Embassy in DC. It was quick and easy. We sailed from Vietnam to Cambodia so getting a visa at the airport was not an option.

2. Depending on the time of year that you travel, Tonle Sap lake dries up and boats cannot sail between Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. In that case Avalon flies travelers rather than putting people on buses for a 7-8 hour ride. I am assuming the weight limit for luggage is related to the possibility of air travel. We were able to sail on September 21 from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap. We saw only one other boat on our sail that day.

On river cruises we want to see both sides of the river as we cruise. We are either up front by the bow, in a lounge at the stern, or top deck if it is open. Because of frequent rafting in ports, we don’t want a balcony.

River cruise companies are not like ocean cruises. They would rarely, if ever, reduce prices.

In September, 2015 we did a land and river trip with Avalon Waterways on their new ship that year, the Siem Reap. On September 21, we cruised from Phnom Penh to Seam Reap on the Tonle Sap lake. The whole trip was fabulous and if anyone asks us which of our 8 river cruises is our favorite, we say this one. Our interactions with the children we met in Vietnam and Cambodia really made this trip so memorable and special. We started by flying to Hanoi for a pre extension including Halong Bay. Then we flew to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh) for several days before sailing directly from Saigon. Most Mekong cruise ships do not sail directly out of Saigon. The hotels in Hanoi, Saigon and Siem Reap were high end in great locations. The crew and local guides could not have been better. The Viking ships did not could not sail from Phnom Penh. The passengers had to be bused up to 8 hours. Tonle Sap lake is only passable certain times of the year, so plan your trip accordingly.

Last year we did the Douro river cruise with Vantage including a precruise trip to Madrid. We are seasoned river cruisers and this was our 7th river cruise. We felt isolated because there were so many groups and they stayed by themselves. If we went into the lounge and asked to sit down, they would say the seats were reserved. In the dining room, they chose tables at the start of the cruise and every meal that is where the were. We did find a few other couples to socialize with, but not many. We booked with Vantage because our preferred company, Avalon, does not do Douro cruises. This really turned me off to considering another Vantage trip.

I am responding to JohnOClark. We have highly enjoyed 6 Avalon river cruises starting in 2013 and our most recent one 2 months ago. We have never had disco music. Avalon takes you to all the “key sites” just as every other river line does. In Vienna, the excursion to Schronbrunn Palace is very important from a historical perspective as it show cases the Habsburg Empire. The Habsburg ‘s ruled for almost four hundred years throughout most of what we now call Europe. Anyone cruising the Danube will also hear about the Habsburg’s in Melk at the famous abbey. Salsburg France is one of our most favorite visits. We will never forget our history lesson that morning.

Question for you JohnOClark - Have you traveled on Crystal cruises? I personally do not compare cruise lines unless I have traveled on each of them.

Of course, there are more expensive cruise lines. I do not want to pay more for options that we do not need or want.

Dear Senior Lady. I am sure that you will have a great time.

Right now since there are renovations being done until about early June 2018, tickets are only being sold online. You cannot go there and stand in line to gain access. Even Viator does not have tickets. I know the question was about a visit in August, but I just wanted to advise visitors to Amsterdam in the next two months what the current situation is.

This is my experience with applications for Vietnam and Cambodia visas.

I did not use a service company. I did it myself. I started by using an App to take our photos. There was a small cost for the App. I printed out the applications from the Embassy websites and I submitted the applications by mail.

I decided to use the Vietnam Embassy in Houston because I thought they would be less busy. I called them first to verify the correct amount for a single entry visa. I had the visa in less than 2 weeks. It doesn't matter where you live in the US I live in the Midwest.

By using the printed application, I could see that the photo was a good fit for the pboto box on the application.

I mailed the application to the Cambodian Embassy in Wash DC. I received the same prompt service. I did contact the Cambodian Embassy to make sure I paid the correct amount. We entered Cambodia by ship at Chau Doc.

I could have waited to get the visa for Vietnam at the airport in Hanoi. I wanted the satisfaction of having the visa ahead of time especially since we had a late evening arrival after very long flights.

Hope this helps

http://vietnamembassy-usa.org/sites/default/files/visaform_1.pdf

I agree that Pont du Gard is a great excursion and I would not miss it. In Tournon, we went on the included Avalon walking excursion and we were taken to Le Jardin d' Eden. The current owner is reclaiming these hillside gardens which were originally developed by nuns. The trail through the garden is steep and not an easy climb, but the views from the top looking down on the town and the river are, in my opinion, not to be missed.

After years of reading threads about the Elbe river and the problems associated with trying to actually be on a ship that sails, I saw part of it as we were driving from Dresden Germany to Meissen. It is narrow and as they say, it is not much of a river. I even saw the Viking ship Beyla as it slowly navigated very close to the shore. Later we saw the Beyla as it was moored bear Dresden.

I was glad we were on a planned land tour rather than a inadvertent land tour.

Yes there is, but I cannot tell you the prices since I have never used the service. There will be a price list in the cabin.

I book with a large internet travel agency that is one of Avalon's best customers. I get discounts that probably cannot be beat anywhere else. After I booked a Mekong cruise through the online agency, my travel rep sent me information about a meeting that Avalon arranged where the Mekong tour director came to their office to answer questions about the cruise. Since I cannot name the online company I use, you best bet us to do a google search. Also Avalon is, if course, not the only travel company that the online agency handles.

Pont du Gard was a morning optional excursion on our south to north cruise. The bus ride to the site was about one hour. It is a beautiful setting and we walked from the Visitors Center area along a trail that led to a section of the Aqueduct that crossed the river. We then walked across the Aqueduct and our local guide pointed out the best locations for photography. It was so serene there and we had enough time to enjoy the site. I just looked at the Pont du Gard site and it states that it is handicap accessible. When I booked the Rhone/Salone Avalon cruise, this was one of the reasons and for me, I really enjoyed thus excursion.

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.

I purchased online at Amazon. Thanks KathyK for finding this great travel magazine for us. Budapest and Vienna my two favorite cities.

I am always one of the first of the passengers up in the morning. On the ships I have sailed, there is one crew member at the desk overnight and he/ she is the only person you see around before 6:00 am. The doors are locked and I very much doubt that the crew member at the desk would be able to allow you to leave that early. This is from a safety perspective.

My questions are what are the assurances that the ship will actually dock at that time? How long after arrival at the dock will passengers be permitted to leave?

The dock in Basel is in an industrial area and there are docking locations on both sides of the river. Sometimes taxis have trouble finding the docking location especially in Basel during the day. You are talking about leaving the ship while it is still dark. I, personally, would pick a later flight time. I would not want to worry about the timing of my departure flight.

I upgraded our room in Budapest through Avalon, but I did it at booking. That was 3 years ago so I don't remember the additional cost. We were at the Intercontinental and I think I remember some other people paying extra at check in to get the river view, higher floor rooms.

We were on this same Amazon cruise two years ago this coming September. We felt very safe and well cared for. I realized then and now that this is a very rare occurrence. I am grateful that all of the crew and passengers are safe. I have full confidence in the Avalon Waterways operation and their contingency plans. Our Captain and crew were dedicated and very professional.

We have been on 5 Avalon cruises so there are many great memories.

Here are two examples from our 2015 sailings.

On our Rhone and Salone sailing, we were invited by our Captain to spend time with him on the Bridge. We went in small groups and he showed us the instruments and he answered our questions. We also were invited to tour the hot and cold kitchens on the ship after the Head Chef explained how their Culinary program operates. This cruise went from Arle to Chalone-sur-Saone and many of the other companies do not travel that distance. These tours are more doable on a ship that carries 130 max passengers rather than 190.

On our Mekong cruise on the Avalon ship named, Siem Reap, our voyage in late September was the first time in 2015 that there was enough water on the Tonle Sap lake to sail from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap. It was special for us as passengers as well as for the crew since this ship was specially designed to sail between these cities. We saw only one other ship on this crossing. The "V" ships stayed docked in Phnom Penh.

Are you flying into Zurich or Basel? Many cruise passengers fly into Zurich as it is easier to get flights into Zurich.

My favorite travel app is free and it is "Rome to Rio". I don't remember how I found out about it, but I use it a lot even when traveling in the US. It gives you specific options for different ways (walk, bus, plane, train) to travel between two cities or even addresses. Check out using "current location" in your search.

Rebel 54 thank you very much for your service and congrats on your weight loss.