All Things Avalon

[ikesyd]

We have just booked a Danube Dreams cruise for October 2023 from Budapest to Deggendorf. We originally had planned to take this trip in May 2021 but the pandemic changed things! This will be our 3rd Avalon cruise and looking forward to travelling overseas again. After the cruise we will head to Rostock for a couple of days before heading to Hamburg to join an MSC 8 day return Northern Europe cruise. This holiday will be a short trip for us - about 3/12-4weeks, we used to do 5-6 weeks but don’t want to be away too long now. Can’t wait!

[Kenster]

27 minutes ago, ikesyd said:

We have just booked a Danube Dreams cruise for October 2023 from Budapest to Deggendorf. We originally had planned to take this trip in May 2021 but the pandemic changed things! This will be our 3rd Avalon cruise and looking forward to travelling overseas again. After the cruise we will head to Rostock for a couple of days before heading to Hamburg to join an MSC 8 day return Northern Europe cruise. This holiday will be a short trip for us - about 3/12-4weeks, we used to do 5-6 weeks but don’t want to be away too long now. Can’t wait!

Must be Aussie with that long holiday time. (Not a criticism. I envy you!) Most Americans, if they’re still working, would get two weeks max. 
Even retired Americans rarely go for more than a couple of weeks.  Before I retired, I was getting six weeks a year but preferred to break it into several shorter holidays. 
 

Cheers! 

[ikesyd]

23 hours ago, Kenster said:

Must be Aussie with that long holiday time. (Not a criticism. I envy you!) Most Americans, if they’re still working, would get two weeks max. 
Even retired Americans rarely go for more than a couple of weeks.  Before I retired, I was getting six weeks a year but preferred to break it into several shorter holidays. 
 

Cheers! 

We take longer holidays when travelling in Europe or America as it is so far to travel by plane we like to make the best use of the time and cost of airfares! Closer to home trips are shorter. 😊

[gnome12]

2 hours ago, ikesyd said:

We take longer holidays when travelling in Europe or America as it is so far to travel by plane we like to make the best use of the time and cost of airfares! Closer to home trips are shorter. 😊

You also have considerably more vacation time than we North Americans, particularly more that Americans. Canadians generally do somewhat better on vacations, but we don't compare to Europeans or Australians.

[Canal archive]

I must admit to being astonished at the amount of holidays you don’t have in the USA. My husbands company attended a big exhibition/conference in the states different place every time so I, at first with our daughters and the just me would fly out to join him to travel for about two weeks after the event. When the Americans tried to do the same with a similar event held in Germany every two years the only group that seemed to get away with it were those employed by my husbands company. 
I really enjoyed getting to know the States and my daughters now really enjoy showing off the states to their families.

I just wish we’d done the same with Australia & New Zealand as we have family somewhere in both.

[sanger727]

10 hours ago, gnome12 said:

You also have considerably more vacation time than we North Americans, particularly more that Americans. Canadians generally do somewhat better on vacations, but we don't compare to Europeans or Australians.

I’ve been really fortunate in vacation time due to having a union job. With 15 years on I get 4 weeks of vacation a year and also 3 weeks of holiday time (we don’t get any holidays off). Plus our time is set up in a way where unused time rolls over year to year, allowing people to save significant time banks. I have close to a year of time available because of that.

[notamermaid]

3 hours ago, sanger727 said:

Plus our time is set up in a way where unused time rolls over year to year, allowing people to save significant time banks.

That is nice. We cannot do this here. The one thing that is not good about our great holiday/days off work conditions. Generally, any days you have left to spend must be taken by 31 March. In exceptional circumstances, this can be longer, but rolling over constantly does not exist. I am currently in a struggle with my employer to grant me two days because of exceptional circumstances.

 

It would be good for the travel and tourism industry in Europe if Americans had more days per year. Would see more working-age people spending holidays here - I assume.

 

Those short river cruises by Avalon Waterways are nice but I would find it great for younger people if they had the time to explore for longer, ten days on the Rhine and Moselle combined is as great itinerary. I know most people could fit in 12 days away from work, but it is a large junk of the yearly holiday in the US.

 

Being a tourism employee I would instantly sign a petition for more basic holiday time for you in the US if I could.

 

notamermaid

 

[Fouremco]

In Canada, it depends largely on your employer and length of employment. At the low end of the scale are those who only get 10 days annually, although they also receive up to an additional 12 days off for federal and provincial statutory holidays. Federal employees start in the 10-20 day range and work their way up to 30 days. Plus those dozen statutory holidays, of course.

[gnome12]

22 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

In Canada, it depends largely on your employer and length of employment. At the low end of the scale are those who only get 10 days annually, although they also receive up to an additional 12 days off for federal and provincial statutory holidays. Federal employees start in the 10-20 day range and work their way up to 30 days. Plus those dozen statutory holidays, of course.

Since I switched jobs (all in the private sector, generally insurance companies) fairly often, it took me quite a while to work up from 2 weeks to 4 weeks. I was working towards 5 weeks when I retired. On top of that, at my last employer (of about 19 years), we had 10 days of statutory holidays, plus a floater day. They also gave us 1/2 day off on each of Christmas eve and New Year's eve. We were allowed to carry over a maximum of 2 weeks at the end of the calendar year, unless we had specific permission, usually if you had been working on a major time sensitive project that didn't allow you to take time off.

[Fouremco]

16 minutes ago, gnome12 said:

Since I switched jobs (all in the private sector, generally insurance companies) fairly often, it took me quite a while to work up from 2 weeks to 4 weeks. I was working towards 5 weeks when I retired. On top of that, at my last employer (of about 19 years), we had 10 days of statutory holidays, plus a floater day. They also gave us 1/2 day off on each of Christmas eve and New Year's eve. We were allowed to carry over a maximum of 2 weeks at the end of the calendar year, unless we had specific permission, usually if you had been working on a major time sensitive project that didn't allow you to take time off.

I too only had 10 statutory holidays, as Family Day (BC, AB, SK, ON, NB) and National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (Federal) were added after I retired. 

[YoungDubFan]

I just put my deposit down on a Tulip Time cruise for late April 2023. Avalon had a promotion with the single supplement waived and $399 air. It also includes 1 pre-night in Amsterdam. I like to go in early to make sure I don’t have any flight issues. This cruise is to replace my ocean cruise that i had scheduled in June that I had to cancel. I’m really looking forward to this. 

[QueenofEverything]

3 minutes ago, YoungDubFan said:

I just put my deposit down on a Tulip Time cruise for late April 2023. Avalon had a promotion with the single supplement waived and $399 air. It also includes 1 pre-night in Amsterdam. I like to go in early to make sure I don’t have any flight issues. This cruise is to replace my ocean cruise that i had scheduled in June that I had to cancel. I’m really looking forward to this. 

Did you get both the single supplement waiver and the $399 air?  My sister was told it is one or the other

[YoungDubFan]

QueenOfEverything - yes I received both discounts. This will be May 3rd trip w/ Avalon. I’ve previously done Basel to Amsterdam (2012) and Paris to Normandy (2016). Since I’m going as a single this time, I booked an Aquarium class room. I don’t spend much time in the cabin so it should be fine. I’m booked on the Tranquility II. 

[PaulS]

Do Avalon rooms have any US style electrical outlets or are all the outlets European style?

thanks

[Fouremco]

18 minutes ago, PaulS said:

Do Avalon rooms have any US style electrical outlets or are all the outlets European style?

thanks

No, all Avalon ships use the European-style 2 prong outlets. You'll need one or more adapters.

[PaulS]

Thanks for the quick reply.

[Kenster]

1 hour ago, Fouremco said:

No, all Avalon ships use the European-style 2 prong outlets. You'll need one or more adapters.

You can order a two or three pack on Amazon. They’re  pretty inexpensive. Take an extension cord with you, too. 

Edited June 24, 2022 by Kenster
.

[vada_9]

11 hours ago, PaulS said:

Do Avalon rooms have any US style electrical outlets or are all the outlets European style?

thanks

There are also 2 USB ports on the desk.

[Canal archive]

This is my dream - that across the world all electrical connections are interchangeable.

As an ex technical illustrator in the satellite industry you would not believe how much easier conformity would have made my life. Especially with those hunks of hardware spinning around above us.

[ATG]

We’re on Imagery II now, almost to Cologne.  This is our first river cruise after lots of ocean cruises.  So far we are really enjoying it.  It’s amazing how compact the boat is.  Everyone is friendly.  The dinners have been spectacular, but slow.  It has been over 2 hours each night.  One thing we have noticed is that the wait staff all wear their masks on their chins.  I wish they could just get rid of them.  We only have to mask when getting food at the buffet.

[Kenster]

We thoroughly enjoy the relaxed pace of dinner. Lots of great conversation. Lots of great wine.  
All part of the experience.  
 

But on evenings where we want to be alone or want to “eat and run,” we enjoy the Bistro dinner in the lounge. 

 

 

 

 

 

[lyndarra]

On 6/15/2022 at 6:43 AM, ikesyd said:

We take longer holidays when travelling in Europe or America as it is so far to travel by plane we like to make the best use of the time and cost of airfares! Closer to home trips are shorter. 😊

Correct. My first UK/Euro tour was six weeks. Four weeks is the norm for annual vacation. Also, we can add on Long Service Leave and, in some cases, untaken sick leave. 

[vada_9]

On 5/30/2022 at 10:00 PM, Judicruise1 said:

First time on a river boat.  We will be on Avalon Vista.   Are the walls in the rooms metal?  Just wondering if I should bring a few magnets like on an ocean cruise. 

We are on Avalon Passion. We have not been able to use our magnets.

[barbw427]

5 hours ago, vada_9 said:

We are on Avalon Passion. We have not been able to use our magnets.

So no metal walls on the Passion?  That's what we are sailing in August and I just bought a few magnets. Sounds like I should leave them at home.

 

[jpalbny]

1 hour ago, barbw427 said:

So no metal walls on the Passion?  That's what we are sailing in August and I just bought a few magnets. Sounds like I should leave them at home.

 

 

Maybe bring two... you can coordinate with the passengers in the cabin next door. One magnet on each side of the wall? That way you each have one! 😉