Avalon Felicity May 26, 2012 - Have Documents

[YoungDubFan]

I received a package today from my travel agent with all of our documents / vouchers / guide books, etc. We leave 3 weeks from today! I'm really looking forward to this trip. I have been planning it for about a year and a half. Our travel agent was also nice enough to include some very nice day travel bags since Avalon no longer provides these. They are really nice and the perfect size for use during the day.

 

I posted a roll call months ago but it looks like there are no other Cruise Critic members going on this trip with me.

[YoungDubFan]

Forgot - someone was asking what the Avalon hotel in Zurich is. We are staying at the Movenpick Zurich Airport.

[robynkc]

We are travelling on Avalon Lunminary from Prague to Paris actually leaving Prague on the 26th May. We arrive in Prague on the 23rd . i have received no replies to my roll call either:(. Hope you have a great trip and look forward to reading any reviews when you get back :)

I received a package today from my travel agent with all of our documents / vouchers / guide books, etc. We leave 3 weeks from today! I'm really looking forward to this trip. I have been planning it for about a year and a half. Our travel agent was also nice enough to include some very nice day travel bags since Avalon no longer provides these. They are really nice and the perfect size for use during the day.

 

I posted a roll call months ago but it looks like there are no other Cruise Critic members going on this trip with me.

[Riviera bound]

I received a package today from my travel agent with all of our documents / vouchers / guide books, etc. We leave 3 weeks from today! I'm really looking forward to this trip. I have been planning it for about a year and a half. Our travel agent was also nice enough to include some very nice day travel bags since Avalon no longer provides these. They are really nice and the perfect size for use during the day.

 

I posted a roll call months ago but it looks like there are no other Cruise Critic members going on this trip with me.

 

We hope you have a great trip. I remember you were posting long ago when we were first planning our Avalon Romantic Rhine trip on the Felicity. We went April 1st through 8th. We were in Switzeland first for a few days and afterwards on a land tour for a week in Amsterdam and Germany in search of our roots. The whole trip was fabulous and all our advance planning worked out well. We experienced plane, boat, eurail, rented a van for 7 and used many other modes of transportation and all connections went well. The Avalon part of the trip was great. We loved our room with the french balcony and dining for the family group of six who travelled together always worked nicely. In Amsterdam you must try to visit the Anne Frank house. It is very interesting, especially if you have read the book and can actually see details like the church around the corner with the bell they listened for. Be sure to get your tickets ahead on line. We walked right in and there was probably at least an hour wait in a long line to buy tickets if you didn't have them. Keukenhof gardens was fabulous and a must see if you have not been there. We took a tour north from Amsterdam into the countryside for six hours that we also loved. Let me know if you have any questions about anything. I can't remember if you have time after or before the cruise or whether you had been those places before. Have a great time.

Clare

[YoungDubFan]

Clare - thanks for your reply. We only have 1 day before the trip in Zurich and are flying home on the same day the trip ends in Amsterdam - so no extra time there. I have to get back to work. I figure Amsterdam is worth a whole trip on it's own. I'm so glad that you had a great time on your trip.

[stretchcruz]

Have a really wonderful time!!!

[stretchcruz]

Have a really wonderful time!!!!

[Barbiegator]

I received a package today from my travel agent with all of our documents / vouchers / guide books, etc. We leave 3 weeks from today! I'm really looking forward to this trip. I have been planning it for about a year and a half. Our travel agent was also nice enough to include some very nice day travel bags since Avalon no longer provides these. They are really nice and the perfect size for use during the day.

 

I posted a roll call months ago but it looks like there are no other Cruise Critic members going on this trip with me.

No answers to my post on Viking Helvetia June 17th. Really different than Cruise ships.Know the small number of passengers on the river boats makes a huge difference in river roll calls.

[tassietravellers]

No answers to my post on Viking Helvetia June 17th. Really different than Cruise ships.Know the small number of passengers on the river boats makes a huge difference in river roll calls.

 

I haven't had any replies to my river roll call either, I think that with river cruises they should just have a post for each cruise company, as river cruises have suh a small number of pasengers. Hope you all have a great trip :)

[Riviera bound]

Clare - thanks for your reply. We only have 1 day before the trip in Zurich and are flying home on the same day the trip ends in Amsterdam - so no extra time there. I have to get back to work. I figure Amsterdam is worth a whole trip on it's own. I'm so glad that you had a great time on your trip.

 

Just a couple of things of interest. In Zurich we took the Movenpick shuttle back and forth from the airport/train station several times. We needed to activate our eurail passes since we were spending time in Switzerland. But just wanted to tell you that at the rail station there is a lot of shopping and a food court. There is even a grocery store. It is fun to look around there. The movenpick shuttle drops you off close to the cross walk and there you are in the train station. The shuttle takes 5 minutes and comes every 30 minutes. We ate dinner there the first night. The buffet breakfast which is included in the price of the hotel, is fabulous. Those who took the Pilatus tour on Sunday morning I'm sure had a great time. We just hung around the hotel visiting with family, but you would also have time to go into Zurich by train if you wanted to that morning. I think the transfer bus to Basel came at 2:45. In Amsterdam, Avalon offered us an optional tour to go to Keukenhof gardens. If you have not been there, take that. It is offered on Saturday after the included canal tour. We went on our own on Monday so we could stay longer, but I think you should see it if you have not.It is beautiful. You are on the ship all night Saturday night in Amsterdam so could have time to take an evening tour. Anne Frank has reservations times up to 9 p.m. I think. That would be a very busy day. Lots to see.

Let me know if you have any questions. rrrippataoldotcom.

Clare

[YoungDubFan]

Clare - I appreciate the suggestions, especially for Zurich. I thought the train station would have reasonably priced places to eat. We may consider the garden excursion. I think the tulips are over now but there may be other things to see.

Kelly

[Riviera bound]

Clare - I appreciate the suggestions, especially for Zurich. I thought the train station would have reasonably priced places to eat. We may consider the garden excursion. I think the tulips are over now but there may be other things to see.

Kelly

 

The prices in the food court in Zurich are still fairly high but not as expensive as the hotel. It was surprising that the prices at the grocery store didn't seem out of line for what we are used to. We bought bananas and bottled water and someone in our family bought a packaged sandwich and chips. It was Easter week and the candy and chocolates were beautiful and everywhere. They love their chocolate in Switzerland and it didn't seem out of line in price.

[YoungDubFan]

Clare - how much time did you have in any ports after dinner? Were you able to go ashore after dinner to see more or did the ship sail while you were eating? I know that a lot of the sailing happens over night. Thanks Kelly

[QueenofEverything]

Clare - I appreciate the suggestions, especially for Zurich. I thought the train station would have reasonably priced places to eat. We may consider the garden excursion. I think the tulips are over now but there may be other things to see.

Kelly

 

Be prepared - Nothing is reasonably priced in Switzerland!! We were really surprised at how much more expensive it was than Germany, France or the Netherlands

[Riviera bound]

Clare - how much time did you have in any ports after dinner? Were you able to go ashore after dinner to see more or did the ship sail while you were eating? I know that a lot of the sailing happens over night. Thanks Kelly

 

Dinner was at 7 p.m. each evening as far as I can remember. We usually didn't leave the dining room until 9 p.m., but we were with a family group of six and enjoyed our time together at meals a lot. It would have been a late night had we gone ashore and we were up by 6 and at breakfast at 7 most mornings. Actually I think we sailed during dinner almost every night anyway. In Cologne I think we sailed at 1:30 in the afternoon. The first night after dinner we went to the back lounge after dinner and enjoyed watching as we went through the locks. We were the only people back there. It was quite interesting. You go through a lot of locks but mostly at night. However, sometimes during dinner we went through locks too, but the back lounge is a great place to watch and the upper deck too if it is warm. We were amazed at how busy we stayed. Some days there were included tours in the morning and afternoon both. Some days when our tours were complete we stayed in the town to explore further. The tour guides gave us instructions how to get back to the ship and left us in the town. We had a full week planned the next week in Germany so opted to not take any of the optional tours and still felt like there was very little down time. I didn't talk to others who took the optional tours but I'm sure they were enjoyable. You get a daily paper in your room in the evening and also there are extra papers with additional information about each town at the front desk for you to pick up. The daily paper will tell you tour times and sail times and there are frequent reminders announced. It is quite different from ocean cruising but very enjoyable on the smaller ship with fewer people.

 

Clare

[YoungDubFan]

Clare - thanks for the feedback. I appreciate the info about the timing. I had read that dinner can be rather drawn out, but I'm sure that after a full day spent touring, it will be nice to sit, relax, and enjoy some wine. Thanks for the hint about the back lounge. I'm hoping that I can spend quite a bit of time up on the top deck. I anticipate that we will have warmer weather than you had. I'm really looking forward to this trip. Two weeks from today and I'll be off.