KathyK13

I just looked at cruise we are considering and the option to pre-pay gratuities is still there. Darn! Maybe Avalon is waving them for the cruise you are taking?

Thank you Daisi and Miss G! I have no reservations now about booking those cabins!

Has anyone stayed in the Avalon Aft staterooms? We are looking at an Avalon Rhone cruise in June this year and trying to decide on a room choice. This is my 4th cruise with Avalon, so we know their ships well and like their product! We have had rooms in the middle of the Royal(mid) decks in the past, chosen mostly because we thought they would be the most quiet. However, those rooms are sold out on the cruise we are thinking of taking. Our choices are the aft rooms on the upper or mid deck. I'm looking for advice on which would be the quietest. Do the mid deck aft cabins experience more noise from the engines? Thanks in advance for any advice!

Do you have elevated status with Delta or the Delta credit card? We use the Delta app and have never gotten an upgrade offer on the app.

On our December 2022 cruise from Vienna to Nuremburg our ship stayed in Regensburg. Our CD said that while they could probably make it through, water levels were forecasted to drop over the next 2 days. They were concerned that the next cruise starting in Nuremburg wouldn't be able to progress. So we were bussed to Nuremburg for our planned excursions there, and they gave each person 30 euros for lunch. Then they gave us several options for disembarking. Some people stayed at hotels in Nuremburg rather than return to the ship, some were bussed, and some took the train from Regensburg. Avalon covered the cost of all transportation changes. Our poor CD was up all night making arrangements! We were supposed to take the train to Munich from Nuremberg but chose to take the train from Regensburg instead. Avalon paid for our train tickets as well as the cab to the train station. Our excursions weren't affected and we were very happy with Avalon's handling of the situation.

The photo shows a Viking ship, unclear whether it's a stock photo or the actual ship. Fortunately injuries were minor and were treated on board. Apparently even though the cost of damages is high, the ship was able to continue to sail towards Vienna.

Interesting! An avid golfer, my husband would love this as he has not had the chance to golf on any of our European trips! I would be happy to accompany him but I coudn't tell by their list of excursions if there would be other choices for non-golfers.

Awesome photos! Looking forward to seeing the rest of your trip

Our last cruise, Christmas Markets on the Danube last December, did have a slow walking group.

After buying and returning many boots, I bought a pair of Ryka insulated ankle boots. They are so comfortable, feel more like sneakers than boots and are lightweight. I have many issues with my feet and these feel great. They are labeled 'water repellent'. Not sure what that means, so I sprayed them with waterproof spray. Wearing tomorrow on our flight to Budapest!

I agree with Daisi that switching to the Sapphire deck would make sense. We have done 3 cruises in rooms on this middle deck; definitely wouldn't spend the extra for an upper deck. Although we will be staying in the upper deck on our upcoming Christmas Markets cruise in December, but only because it was a free upgrade! What time of year do you plan to sail? The Rhine and Danube were at historic low levels last month and boats couldn't sail the whole itinerary. Companies with more boats on the river (Viking, Avalon, Ama) were sometimes able to do ship swaps. Smaller companies like Emerald and Scenic might not have a 'matching' boat to swap to. Also look at how the companies treated customers affected by low water. I read several posts on an Avalon FB page that said they had to spend a night or two in a hotel instead of sailing and Avalon gave them full refunds for the days spent in the hotel, even though Avalon paid the hotel bill. While disappointed that their cruise was impacted, everyone was very happy with Avalon's customer service. I don't know how Emerald dealt with the low water because I don't follow them. But worth you looking into.

Yes! Postponed from 2020, then 2021, hoping it happens this year!

Exactly what we are planning to do in December! 3 nights in Budapest before Vienna to Nuremberg cruise. Then 3 nights in Munich.

I just read on a Facebook post that a Tauck ship traveling Amsterdam to Basel was able to sail through the middle Rhine to Mannheim this morning. An additional captain with experience with low water levels was brought on to assist the ship's captain and they were able to make it through and expect to continue the cruise without interruptions. Kudos to Tauck for making it happen!

We docked in Engers on our Moselle and Rhine cruise a few years ago and the concert in the castle was a surprise highlight of our trip! We were the only boat docked there, so no rafting needed! Very picturesque and peaceful.

Just interested in what you base this on. Variety or quality of excursions? Low tour group numbers? Better tour guides? I've only cruised with Avalon, so haven't experienced excursions on any of these lines. Just curious

While it's good to be prepared, I wouldn't worry too much yet. There's likely to be more rain in the fall. I am scheduled for a Danube Christmas cruise in December and am not too worried...yet.

The FDA recently announced that both Pfizer and Moderna Omicron vaccines targeting the latest versions will be available in September. Would you feel more comfortable if you can get the new vaccine before your trip?

We will be taking a Christmas Markets cruise on the Danube, visiting Budapest before embarking in Vienna. I'm curious about using credit cards at the Christmas Markets stalls. Has anyone encountered stalls where cash was required? I know most markets were closed the last 2 years; our trip has been postponed twice. So things may be different this year. I will be bringing Euros left over from our last trip, but trying to figure out how many Florints we should get once we arrive. TIA!

Do you use the card as a credit card for purchases also? I'm wondering if it's worth it for just the few times I would be getting cash...

It was in Engers, looked it up in my notes! I think the concert took place in a castle there. Avalon does list Engers as a stop on the 2022 cruise although it doesn't show the concert as an excursion.

I think my DH took pictures, will ask him to look it up! It was a cute little town and we were the only ones there. Several people walked around town after the concert and checked out a pub!

Notamermaid, We took the Remich to Amsterdam tour with Avalon in 2019. I agree with you, I found the Moselle to be more scenic than the Rhine, at least the part of the Rhine that we saw. Can't speak to the scenery south of Rudescheim. We found the entire stretch of the Moselle to be stunning with all of the vineyards along the way. We did get to see the Rhine Gorge twice, on our way to Rudesheim and on our way back north! We also found there to be less traffic on the Moselle and even though we were cruising in early June the places we visited didn't seem very crowded. The only time we rafted on this trip was in Amsterdam and our room was on the opposite side of the boat so we were lucky! We were in Rudesheim first thing in the morning and were able to tour with no crowds. One of our favorite excursions on the trip was a surprise, not included in the list of tours. We docked in a small town on the Rhine, not far from Rudesheim, and were treated to a piano and violin concert after dinner on the boat. I think it was in a music school or small concert hall that we docked right in front of and were able to walk to. The pianist a violinist were fantastic, and many of us told the CD that Avalon should make it a permanent offering. I wish I could remember where it was!

Probably. Flights from our small airport are usually more expensive than most. I was surprised that the cost for this December is the same that we paid last year.

Where are you flying from? I'm flying from Rochester NY to Budapest Dec 2, returning from Munich Dec 15. plan to book within a week; I just checked and can fly United Premium Economy for $1287, about $100 cheaper than flights booked for last year. Out of curiosity I checked for flights on the same itinerary you are doing and it was around $1600.