1st Time River Cruiser -- Visionary Questions

[BHappy2Day]

My sister and I are cruising on the Avalon Visionary September 9 through 16 from Zurich to Amsterdam on the Rhine River. Our families have cruised together 10 times or so on Royal Caribbean, including a couple European cruises, but this is our first time on a River Cruise. We are going without husbands and kids to make sure it's fun and comfortable, because we would not want to risk taking them on a bad vacation--so, it's our practice trip, as we have marketed it to our husbands. ;) We are staying in a Royal Suite. Our main goals are to see and photograph the sights and the history of this part of the world, which we have never seen before, and, of course, to have sister time.

 

I have some practical questions about Visionary, some of which will affect our packing list.

 

1. Are the AC power outlets on the boat (or is this a ship?) US standard plugs for 120V 60 Hz, or do we need adapters?

2. Are there hair dryers in the bathrooms?

3. Is the whirlpool on the Sky Deck cold or warm? (I would pack a suit for warm, but not for cold.)

4. We are assuming much cooler weather than early September weather in the US mid-Atlantic/New England, correct? Sweaters, long slacks and some close-toed walking shoes for the daytime, correct?

5. Can you buy Euros on the boat?

6. Are most of the shops on the excursions cash basis, or is my Visa card just as good?

7. Anyone do any biking on this tour? That would be amazing, I think.

 

What else do we need to know? Any advice is most appreciated!!!! :)

 

Thanks!!!

BHappy2Day

[beckyhg]

BHappy2Day - no wise and sage advice to give you at this point as this will be our first river cruise as well - same sailing that you are taking - my husband and one other couple. See you soon!

 

Becky

[YoungDubFan]

I can't answer some of the questions, but I was on Avalon's Felicity earlier this year on the same itinerary. I wrote a very detailed trip report that you may want to review as it should be the same stops, timing, etc. Here is the link to my post:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1646466&highlight=trip+report+felicity

 

As to your questions:

1. Power is European. You will need adapters and possibly converters. If you are planning on taking a curling iron or flat iron, I strongly suggest you get a dual voltage appliance. If it is not dual voltage, it will not get hot, even with a converter. Your phone / e-reader charger should be fine.

 

2. There is a hair dryer in the bathroom - no adapter or converter required.

 

3. The whirlpool on the Felicity was warm water - not hot but felt pleasant. We didn't use but other passengers did and enjoyed.

 

4. Normally weather in this part of the year is very similar to what Ohio / mid Atlantic states have in the US. Go to http://www.weather.com about 10 days before you need to leave and do a 10 day forecast for Zurich, Cologne, and Amsterdam. This will give you a good idea of the possibility. No matter what the forecast is, pack a small umbrella and a rain coat / wind breaker. I did Slovakia and Vienna a few years ago, at basically the same time you are going to be traveling. We had some very warm to hot days and some days that were fairly cool.

 

Obviously if you take the optional excursion to Mt. Pilatus and Lucern, which I highly recommend, you may need heavier clothing. I would also have a coat / sweater to wear if you want to sit up on the sun deck while you are cruising. The day we sailed the Rhine Gorge was very cool and foggy. My mother wrapped up in the blanket from the room. The real key to dressing for Europe is layers. No one will care if you wear the same shirt if you have to.

 

5. I was able to purchase some Euros on the boat, but only using dollars. You will need Swiss Francs for use in Zurich / Basel. Euros work the rest of the trip. We passed many ATMs in every town. You will get a much better exchange rate at an ATM than on the ship.

 

On a positive note, we were able to purchase stamps and mail postcards from the ship. They just charged our shipboard account for the stamps and took care of postage. Very convenient.

 

6. Shops - depending on where you were shopping, and how much the purchase was, you can use either VISA or cash. Make sure you notify your charge card / bank that you will be traveling so that the charges are not denied. You may want to make sure that your VISA has a PIN number associated. I didn't run into trouble, but some did.

 

7. There were no bikes on our ship.

 

Enjoy. Avalon is a wonderful company and our vacation was truly first class. I'm happy to answer any other questions about the itinerary or Avalon.

[BHappy2Day]

YoungDubFan--Wow, that is a very thorough and informative response. Get Euros and Swiss francs, pack the adapter/converter, bring layers and rain gear, don't bring a hair dryer, enjoy the good whirlpool, remember to call the VISA card people, etc. My sister is afraid of heights, so I don't think I could get her to go on the cable car you rode to Mt. Pilatus--too bad. I read your wonderful trip report, and it was also VERY HELPFUL:D. We are also staying at Movenpick. Your account of the itinerary is also great. THANK YOU.

 

beckyhg--counting down!!!! Lucky you, a couples outing. I recommend YoungDubFan's trip report for you, too, if you have not read it already.

My sister and I are leaving from JFK on Sep 7, and we are looking forward to a big adventure. Hope there is a good amount of water in the river, and not so much in the sky, right? See you on board.

 

Barbara