All Things Avalon

[Canal archive]

If your ever travel the Orient Express keep this in mind (it happened just over 25 years ago so may not be pertinent now) your luggage allowance is very clearly laid out and does not include a full size suitcase for your stateroom. Our neighbours did not adhere to these instructions, so teeny weeny cabin plus large suitcase (there was no way the steward could dispose of it and they didn’t have a smaller bag) the walls are very, very thin, I learnt some quite ripe language. Wonderful wonderful trip, DH spent a lot of time sorting out various passengers camera and of course then their film challenges so we seemed to spend some considerable time in the bar car, happy days. 
Train travel is a little akin to river cruising - small cabins.

[jsn55]

22 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Or you can open it so it fits under the bed if the closed height just misses.  We had to do this on our most recent cruise.

OMG!  Too clever ... I would have never thought it.  

[Canal archive]

Easier access for no longer needed apparel and or bits and pieces and saves time on the inevitable end of cruise packing.

[floridababa]

Does anyone know how Avalon is handling the issues Faith maintenance on the locks? I'm reading scenic and Viking are keeping boats by Regensburg and putting people in buses and hotels

[notamermaid]

That would be interesting. It could of course be that Avalon does not have a "Grand European" journey scheduled for this week yet. If they have a Danube itinerary that goes to Nuremberg, then that should not be a big deal. Short-ish coach ride.

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

[Haysiedaze]

On 4/2/2023 at 11:21 AM, floridababa said:

Does anyone know how Avalon is handling the issues Faith maintenance on the locks? I'm reading scenic and Viking are keeping boats by Regensburg and putting people in buses and hotels

I booked 4 cabins on Scenic for their Tulip and Windmills cruise leaving April 10 from Amsterdam. Their ship is stuck in Regensburg and they cancelled the cruise (with a full refund). Luckily Avalaon had 4 cabins on the Impression available for the same dates. So we didn't need to deal with changing airfare and all is good.  It will be our 2nd Avalon Cruise and we enjoyed the first!

[moonriver54]

Speaking of locks...can anybody tell me if there are locks on the Danube between Vilshofen and Budapest?

 

Looking at Google Maps...Schleuse Jochenstein and Melk Locks??

Edited April 3, 2023 by moonriver54

[notamermaid]

Yes there are locks. These are the locks along the whole Danube: https://www.doris.bmk.gv.at/en/services/locks-along-the-danube

Vilshofen is at kilometre 2249.

 

notamermaid

 

[PeaceOut22]

On 3/27/2023 at 11:45 PM, kaysha2004 said:

They don't check and you can bring whatever you'd like.  It's the airline you have to be concerned about.

Thank you for responding.

[PeaceOut22]

On 3/31/2023 at 5:51 PM, Rebel54 said:

When we did ours we had 3 suitcases between the two of us.  Hubby is a big guy, has to work out and we had need for some nice outfits for Paris so we traveled with a bit more than we should have.  They weren't happy when we checked brought our stuff for the bus in the am to head to the ship but it was what it was.  After that we didn't hear anything.  I had a small, under seat bag too.  Not a lot of space on the boat for storage but we were fine.  On my upcoming 3 week trip I plan to do a roller carry on and under seat weekend bag.  Last time going to Prague my bag got left in Paris and I was without anything for almost 2 days...and it took me going back to the airport to find it.  Ugh...frustrating.

 

Thanks for the info. Very helpful. Sorry you had to go back for your luggage on that trip. Good plan for the next trip. Hope you have a great time.

[PeaceOut22]

On 3/31/2023 at 5:52 PM, Rebel54 said:

When we did Mekong they were very strict.  I remember some of my shipmates having to pay over $100 because their bags were too heavy for some of the in country flights.

Good to know! Thank you.

[PeaceOut22]

On 4/1/2023 at 4:02 AM, jsn55 said:

On a Rhine cruise (or probably anywhere in Europe) the restrictions are elastic.  I take whatever bag I want, but I'm always careful of the weight ... more for myself than the airline.  The issue with luggage on a cruise is always where to stow it when empty ... that can be a major factor in a small cabin.  But your room steward can probably help stow it somewhere if it doesn't fit under the bed ... or you can make a nightstand out of it beside the bed if needed.  

Good info Thanks.

[PeaceOut22]

On 4/1/2023 at 8:37 PM, Host Jazzbeau said:

Or you can open it so it fits under the bed if the closed height just misses.  We had to do this on our most recent cruise.

Good tip! Thank you.

[PeaceOut22]

On 3/31/2023 at 5:52 PM, Rebel54 said:

When we did Mekong they were very strict.  I remember some of my shipmates having to pay over $100 because their bags were too heavy for some of the in country flights.

Good to know. Thanks for responding.

[trump]

Hi everyone.  I'm looking into booking my first river cruise.  One of the cruises I favor is on Avalon Panorama (first sailed in 2011). I know that the Panorama will have the same layout and features as Avalon's newer ships....But is there any way to know how often they do soft updates - for instance new mattresses, carpet, paint refresh, things like that.  Thank you.  And if anyone has recently sailed on the Panorama I would appreciate your feedback.  

[Kenster]

5 minutes ago, trump said:

Hi everyone.  I'm looking into booking my first river cruise.  One of the cruises I favor is on Avalon Panorama (first sailed in 2011). I know that the Panorama will have the same layout and features as Avalon's newer ships....But is there any way to know how often they do soft updates - for instance new mattresses, carpet, paint refresh, things like that.  Thank you.  And if anyone has recently sailed on the Panorama I would appreciate your feedback.  

The beds are awesome. Very comfortable. You can even select (ahead of time) soft or firm mattress.  Avalon ships do not get “tired.” They are freshened up as needed during each winter off season. That need not be a concern. As for choosing a ship, they’re all virtually identical so just choose your cruise based on itinerary and your schedule. 

[kaysha2004]

1 hour ago, trump said:

Hi everyone.  I'm looking into booking my first river cruise.  One of the cruises I favor is on Avalon Panorama (first sailed in 2011). I know that the Panorama will have the same layout and features as Avalon's newer ships....But is there any way to know how often they do soft updates - for instance new mattresses, carpet, paint refresh, things like that.  Thank you.  And if anyone has recently sailed on the Panorama I would appreciate your feedback.  

An older ship can be refurbished only so many times and it's still an old ship.  Furnishings can be replaced, but an old ship can have other issues, like plumbing problems (sewer smells), worn out decks in the public areas, hot tub that's not hot, A/C that doesn't work so great (either too hot or too cold).  The newer ships have modern technology and better wi-fi integration.  Since the ships are duplicated in design and it's your first river cruise, I'd recommend the newest ship, View.  

[notamermaid]

Do not feel like flying? Avalonwaterways are making it even easier for you: https://travelweekly.co.uk/news/tour-operators/avalon-waterways-adds-no-fly-cruises-to-2023-24-collection

 

I like the idea of train travel to the continent. Really smooth, I enjoyed it.

 

Wonder if this may be an idea for US or Canadian customers? I have long thought that a pre-cruise day or two in London is a nice option.

 

notamermaid

 

[Canal archive]

We’ve Eurostarred several times to and from mainland Europe for river cruises canal barge journeys and other chasing around Europe excitements. Much better than flying far more relaxed. The only drawback was on our return from the South of France having to get off the train for border control at Lille.

[notamermaid]

Just now, Canal archive said:

The only drawback was on our return from the South of France having to get off the train for border control at Lille.

So that is how it is done now. I was wondering how they do passport checks.

 

notamermaid

 

[Daisi]

I would love this, fly to London or Paris, then train to where ever the cruise starts! We loved our days on the trains in Germany & the Netherlands, even sneaking in a train trip on our upcoming cruise in Sept (instead of taking a bus to and from the airport). Our transport system here isn't as good or as affordable as in Europe, but now we are seniors, at least we get a bit off. 🙂 Guess that's one benefit of getting older.

[Canal archive]

The reason for the Lille stop was because there as yet were no border facilities in Avignon. Technically you could board the first Eurostar from London have lunch in Marseilles and return to London in the same day. May try it one day.

[jpalbny]

20 hours ago, notamermaid said:

Wonder if this may be an idea for US or Canadian customers? I have long thought that a pre-cruise day or two in London is a nice option.

 

It is a great option. We've done it before. We had a cruise from Copenhagen to London so we flew to London on a RT ticket, stayed at the Horel St Pancras, and walked downstairs to the Eurostar for Paris the next day.

 

So much better than the slog back out to Heathrow! The hotel St Pancras is beautiful. And the journey was pleasant. The area around Gare du Nord in Paris isn't the nicest but it's still Paris.

 

From Paris we caught a  quick AF flight to CPH for the cruise.

 

19 hours ago, Daisi said:

Guess that's one benefit of getting older.

 

I guess... I recently (reluctantly) took advantage of my first senior discount. T-mobile offers a 55+ plan at a substantial savings compared to their regular rates. It was difficult to admit to it.

[Daisi]

1 hour ago, jpalbny said:

 

 

 

 

I guess... I recently (reluctantly) took advantage of my first senior discount. T-mobile offers a 55+ plan at a substantial savings compared to their regular rates. It was difficult to admit to it.

 

 

Lol, after having to wait so long after being retired to claim "senior benefits", I'm grabbing all I can get! Unfortunately, I still have to wait several years to get the main ones, but if it means more money for travel, I'm all for it. 🙂

 

[TMLAalum]

Prior to our Avalon Romantic Rhine cruise we are flying into Paris! Thanks to an email notification from NS International this Tuesday that train tickets for our late August journey from Gare du Nord to Amsterdam Centraal were now available, we snagged the 35 euro standard seats on Thalys for a 9:22 departure, which BTW are now 48 euro🙃.

 

For those who would like to book Thalys tickets, I suggest doing so via the NS website, which requires name, email and phone for the booker and just names for those traveling with you vs. Thalys which mandates everyone's names, emails and phone #s using a non-user- friendly dropdown list for country code!

 

Train tickets for international trips by train - Fast & comfortable | NS International | NS International

Edited April 20, 2023 by TMLAalum