All Things Avalon

[FuelScience]

In September we took an Avalon cruise (Paris to Amsterdam). The ship held 128, but we only had 80 people on board. I didn't hear of anyone talking about receiving an upgrade.

 

FuelScience

[I_r_a]

Hi cmj,

 

Recently back from the Danube on Avalon.

 

>The main things I would need to know is what time and where we need to be on departure day and where they expect to dock and the timing on the day we disembark.

 

They will tell you in the brochure you receive in advance to be at a specified place at around Noon (time will be specified) in order to embark on the cruise.

 

You will then spend several hours waiting for the buses to arrive and take you away.

 

It is estimated that you will arrive at your disembarkation stop in the very early AM.

 

Give yourself several hours between disembarkation and your flight home.

 

Enjoy your visit.

 

Ira

[I_r_a]

Hi BW,

 

>1. The free airfare is "flex", but they list specific flights when we go through the booking process. Do these listed flights usually end up being the ones you get booked on?

 

Mostly. They will discuss costs of other flights if you don't like what they offer.

 

 

 

>2. Also on the flights, when we select "economy" we are only shown one set of flights and do not have any options, but if we select "premium economy" there are many options available. Is this normal? Anyone have luck switching flights? We want to arrive Saturday morning so we have an extra full day in Vienna, but the default flight option gets us in at 4 pm. When I go to Orbitz or similar the cheapest flight gets in at 8:30 am which would be fantastic, just not sure which airlines Avalon contracts with.

 

You are getting more choices because you are paying more for your flights. Depending where you are leaving from, you might find it better to just do "Cruise Only".

 

 

>3. How worth is it to upgrade cabins to the full window suites? It seems that on a 3 night cruise we may not spend a ton of time in the room during daylight travel. We're trying to do this on a budget, and $900 for the upgrade could be used elsewhere. Also, if I do stick to the lower deck, any particular rooms to avoid excessive noise?

 

I would stay with Aquarium Class for only 3 nights.

 

>4. Anywhere to get a detailed itinerary before we book? I.e. ship departure and arrival times, which tours are included and where exactly they go, etc.

 

Yes, at the Avalon website.

 

>5. Should I use a travel agent?

 

For cruises, I always use a TA. He/she will help you avoid mistakes and take advantage of opportunities much more easily than doing it on your own.

 

They may be able to work on the flight issue for me and from what I've read if major issues occur you are much more likely to get them resolved through a travel agent than contacting Avalon yourself.

 

From my experience with Avalon, I don't think that major issues post booking will be a problem. A TA can help you get your optimal flight.

 

>If so, any recommendations?

 

As noted, we aren't allow to do that.

 

Send me an eml at irablock@yahoo should you wish to engage in a private conversation. We were on The Passion in Sept.

 

Ira

[JVilleGal]

Use a TA!!!!!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[small wonder]

We booked our first river cruise on the Creativity for next year, friends are going with us. Booked 2 nights in Paris precruise. Have some questions!

 

1) The last day excursion is a city bus tour. Is this just a bus ride around Paris with comments about the sights? Or will we be able to "hop off, hop back on" the bus? Trying to organize what to do the 2 days so it doesn't duplicate the bus tour.

 

2)Do we need converters on board the boat? Have gotten conflicting answers to this!

 

3) Are umbrellas available onboard?

 

Thanks in advance! We are really excited about this trip! Seeing Normandy has been on our bucket list, as my DH is retired military.

[FuelScience]

1) The last day excursion is a city bus tour. Is this just a bus ride around Paris with comments about the sights? Or will we be able to "hop off, hop back on" the bus? Trying to organize what to do the 2 days so it doesn't duplicate the bus tour.

It is pretty much a bus tour. I think there's one stop across the river from the Eiffel Tower for photos.

2)Do we need converters on board the boat? Have gotten conflicting answers to this!

Most modern electronics (iPads, cell phones, PCs, etc.) are dual voltage, so you will not need a converter. You will, however need an adapter that will allow you to plug your American plug into the European outlet. Six for $7.55 at Amazon.

http://*******.com/jl5c92n

 

You might also consider a little adapter to turn one outlet into 3 or 4.

 

3) Are umbrellas available onboard?

Yes

 

FuelScience

[small wonder]

Thanks for the answers.

I have two more questions.

 

1)Are there clocks in the cabins?

 

2)I paid our final pmt today & as the Avalon vacation planner was going over info he told me carryon luggage can only be 12 x 11 x 6 & could not have wheels. He gave the reason that bigger carry ons will not fit in the overhead or under the seat in the shuttle vehicle from the airport to the hotel. (We are doing two days pre cruise in Paris.) Is this true? Does not sound reasonable at all!!

Thanks!

[I_r_a]

Hi SW,

 

Ditto FS's responses above.

 

>Are there clocks in the cabins? I recall a bedside digital clock.

 

> carryon luggage can only be 12 x 11 x 6 & could not have wheels.

 

I'm pretty sure that he means baggage that you will want to keep with you in the bus. Any large suitcases that would be checked baggage on a plane will be stowed in the bottom of the bus.

 

Ira

[small wonder]

I am still confused by this! Does he mean carryons like a purse, a backpack etc that would be taken on the bus for a tour? I can understand that there isn't room on the vehicles used for tours. It still doesn't make sense if he was talking about getting off the plane, where the standard size for a carryon is about 21" & getting on a shuttle bus to the hotel, using a much smaller bag? I guess a call to Avalon to see what a different person might say is in order.

[KathyK13]

I am still confused by this! Does he mean carryons like a purse, a backpack etc that would be taken on the bus for a tour? I can understand that there isn't room on the vehicles used for tours. It still doesn't make sense if he was talking about getting off the plane, where the standard size for a carryon is about 21" & getting on a shuttle bus to the hotel, using a much smaller bag? I guess a call to Avalon to see what a different person might say is in order.

 

I think he means that you can only carry a bag that will fit on your lap on the shuttle from the airport to the hotel. Your luggage, including luggage that would be small enough to fit under a plane seat, will be placed in storage under the shuttle bus.

[Cobbie48]

Hi SW,

 

Ditto FS's responses above.

 

>Are there clocks in the cabins? I recall a bedside digital clock.

 

> carryon luggage can only be 12 x 11 x 6 & could not have wheels.

 

I'm pretty sure that he means baggage that you will want to keep with you in the bus. Any large suitcases that would be checked baggage on a plane will be stowed in the bottom of the bus.

 

Ira

 

 

There is a digital clock on the bottom of the tv. It's not an alarm clock

[Spartantartan]

I think he means that you can only carry a bag that will fit on your lap on the shuttle from the airport to the hotel. Your luggage, including luggage that would be small enough to fit under a plane seat, will be placed in storage under the shuttle bus.

 

I've been on three Avalon cruises and have had a checked bag plus a carry on each time. For my carry on, I use a rolling backpack. While not as large as a 22" suitcase, it's too big to fit under the seat in a bus nor would I want it on my lap. I have never ever had a problem with this. In the packet sent a few weeks prior to the cruise, Avalon has always included two tags for each person where you write your cabin number. One is for your big suitcase and the other one is for your carry on. Both go under the bus and are delivered to your cabin. In addition, I carry a purse that stays with me.

[JVilleGal]

Avalon only has restrictions in Asia. Please reread the relevant portions of the contract of carriage. In Europe you can have as many bags as you are willing to pay the airline to carry. You can fit 5 or 6 bags under the bed.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[I_r_a]

Hey SW,

 

> Does he mean carryons like a purse, a backpack etc...

 

No. That is your "personal" bagagge.

 

He means the smaller size suitcases.

 

Ira

[small wonder]

I've been on three Avalon cruises and have had a checked bag plus a carry on each time. For my carry on, I use a rolling backpack. While not as large as a 22" suitcase, it's too big to fit under the seat in a bus nor would I want it on my lap. I have never ever had a problem with this. In the packet sent a few weeks prior to the cruise, Avalon has always included two tags for each person where you write your cabin number. One is for your big suitcase and the other one is for your carry on. Both go under the bus and are delivered to your cabin. In addition, I carry a purse that stays with me.

 

This is what I thought, & it makes sense. However I called Avalon yesterday & the rep said we are paying portage for checked bags for each & any carryons will be our responsibility.

I am not going to worry about this anymore, just pack my bags & go!!!

 

Thanks everyone for the help!

 

On the positive side we got our truly awful seats on the plane changed!

[foodpolice]

We booked our first river cruise on the Creativity for next year, friends are going with us. Booked 2 nights in Paris precruise. Have some questions!

 

1) The last day excursion is a city bus tour. Is this just a bus ride around Paris with comments about the sights? Or will we be able to "hop off, hop back on" the bus? Trying to organize what to do the 2 days so it doesn't duplicate the bus tour.

 

2)Do we need converters on board the boat? Have gotten conflicting answers to this!

 

3) Are umbrellas available onboard?

 

Thanks in advance! We are really excited about this trip! Seeing Normandy has been on our bucket list, as my DH is retired military.

 

Hello Small Wonder,

 

We just returned from Avalon's 8 days Paris to Normandy Landing Beaches cruise. It was very good. I'm sure you folks will enjoy it also. Not to overkill all the answers, here's my two bits worth.

 

1) On Day 7, we took the walking tour, which ended with going inside of the Notre Dame cathedral. We'd considered the City Sightseeing tour, but we took a Paris by night optional excursion on Day 6, where we stopped at the Arc de Triomple, the Luxor Obelisk & of course the Eiffel Tower. You may or may not be aware that in the evening, about 5 minutes after the hour on the hour, the Eiffel Tower goes into a sparkling/glimmering light show. The balance of the bus tour was the pointing out of the sights & commentary from the guide. To answer your question specifically, the included City Sightseeing tour is definitely not a "hop-on-hop-off" deal. Not really sure if this bus evens stops at the sights for photo ops.

2) There are plenty of electrical outlets to charge your devices, but you will need an European adapter plug. Most current electrical devices (iphone, battery chargers etc.) will handle between 100 - 240 V (check the labels on your plugs) without a converter. However, my wife brought a North American curling iron on the cruise that did not have the 100 - 240 V label on it, as such, she did not use it, as it could have caused problems by using it without a converter.

3) We'd used their umbrellas a couple of times.

4) Although we didn't take the Landing Beaches tour, I heard from others that it was very good. The day before the Landing Beach tours, Avalon brought in a fantastic D-Day speaker, Nigel Stewart.

5) Just enjoy yourselves.

[foodpolice]

Hello Small Wonder,

 

We just returned from Avalon's 8 days Paris to Normandy Landing Beaches cruise. It was very good. I'm sure you folks will enjoy it also. Not to overkill all the answers, here's my two bits worth.

 

1) On Day 7, we took the walking tour, which ended with going inside of the Notre Dame cathedral. We'd considered the City Sightseeing tour, but we took a Paris by night optional excursion on Day 6, where we stopped at the Arc de Triomple, the Luxor Obelisk & of course the Eiffel Tower. You may or may not be aware that in the evening, about 5 minutes after the hour on the hour, the Eiffel Tower goes into a sparkling/glimmering light show. The balance of the bus tour was the pointing out of the sights & commentary from the guide. To answer your question specifically, the included City Sightseeing tour is definitely not a "hop-on-hop-off" deal. Not really sure if this bus evens stops at the sights for photo ops.

2) There are plenty of electrical outlets to charge your devices, but you will need an European adapter plug. Most current electrical devices (iphone, battery chargers etc.) will handle between 100 - 240 V (check the labels on your plugs) without a converter. However, my wife brought a North American curling iron on the cruise that did not have the 100 - 240 V label on it, as such, she did not use it, as it could have caused problems by using it without a converter.

3) We'd used their umbrellas a couple of times.

4) Although we didn't take the Landing Beaches tour, I heard from others that it was very good. The day before the Landing Beach tours, Avalon brought in a fantastic D-Day speaker, Nigel Stewart.

5) Just enjoy yourselves.

 

Further to aforementioned, the following are our thoughts of Avalon's "Paris to Normandy Landing Beaches" cruise. Hope it helps fellow members.

 

We were on an 8 day Avalon Creativity October/16 Paris to Normandy Landing cruise. The pickup from the airport, embarkation & disembarkation was very smooth. The only comment is that our assembly point hotel, the Pullman Montparnasse, is not in the touristy area, but rather more of a business district in Paris, albeit the Monparnasse train station is very close by. However, for guests that had just arrived from long flights who just want to walk around the “sights” to stretch their legs & wake up a bit, this hotel is not the best location. Hotel Pullman Paris Eiffel Tower would have been a better fit.

 

The Creativity was built in 2009 & has a maximum capacity of 138 passengers. On this trip, we had 104 passengers. It has 3 decks of staterooms, with a sky deck on 4. The lounge/bar, reception, cruise director’s desk & public computer areas are on the entrance deck, between decks 2 & 3 at the front end of the ship. The dining room is also at the front end of the ship, but between decks 1 & 2. The smaller lounge, where the coffee machine & snacks are, is a quiet area & at the back of the ship on deck 3, next to the hair salon. The small, very small gym, with a treadmill, a recumbent bike & a few light dumbbells is on deck 1, by the stairway up to the dining room. The public areas on the ship were generally very clean & maintained.

 

In June/16, we had a French balcony stateroom on the Avalon Luminary, but were not in our room as much as we thought we would be, as such, on this trip we decided to try an outside cabin. As outlined in the Avalon literature, all room features & amenities are the same, save for the suite size, the balcony vs. the windows choices. On this trip we were in our room for about the same amount of time as aforementioned. As such, we felt that we got a better bang for our buck, by booking an outside cabin vs. one with a French balcony.

 

The service received in our stateroom & the dining room, was very good as was the quality of food & its presentation. Yvette, our cruise director was knowledgeable & well organised. The officers, wait staff, room stewards & crew were friendly & courteous. The Captain & Hotel Manager were always present seeing us off & on the ship when going & returning from excursions. I was impressed with the Captain pitching in removing railings & moving things on the sky deck as the ship was approaching a low bridge.

 

The included & optional excursions are subjective, but in our opinion, were very good. The same goes for the on board entertainment. We had 2 after dinner shows, a singer who was very good & of course a show put on by the crew which was funny. We also had local crepe chef & a very good D-Day speaker.

 

For most, if not all 1st timers, like ourselves to Paris, the 1st must see from a distance or up close & personal is the Eiffel Tower. As such upon on arrival to our assembly point, the Pullman Hotel Montparnasse, we saw & photographed the tower from afar, knowing that we will be up close & personal to it very soon.

 

We had 2 hi-lites on Day 2 of our cruise. They were the included the morning visits to Monet’s house & gardens in Giverny & sailing to Les Andelys for an afternoon visit to the Chateau Gaillard. The latter being a fortress built by King Richard the Lionheart. Be aware that the hike to the fortress is strenuous, but great for working off all the caloric intakes! Both sites have great photo ops.

 

We were in Caudebec for Days 3 & 4. On Day 3, a short drive from Caudebec, we did the “Abbey Route”, which once had more than 100 abbeys in the area. We visited the Jumieges Abbey, a 7th century ruin & the Fontenelle Abbey, a working monastery before heading back to the ship for lunch. Both of these abbeys have great, but different architecture & provides for great photo ops. There are chairs sporadically placed on the Jumieges grounds to rest & enjoy the tranquil setting. Following lunch, we explored Caudebec. It should be noted that the shops here close for lunch between 12 PM – 2 PM.

 

Day 4 was a full day excursion of either the Normandy Landing Beaches or the Taste of Normandy which includes visits to the famous Bayeux Tapestry, a distillery where a local specialty, Calvados, a strong apple brandy is produced & lunch at the quaint little town of Beuvron en Auge. We opted for the latter tour & very much enjoyed the Bayeux Tapestry & exploring this small town. We heard from other guests that the visits to the Landing Beaches were very well done.

 

On Day 5, we visited Rouen, the capital of the Normandy region. Aside from the shopping, Rouen is best known for where Joan of Arc lived & was burned at the stakes. Amongst other things you’ll find a 14th century astronomical clock, the cathedral which was the subject of a series of Monet’s paintings & a unique looking Joan of Arc church with an adjacent farmers’ market, selling fresh produces, cheeses, fish & meats.

 

In the AM of Day 6 we were in Conflans & about a 30 minutes drive away, we visited Josephine & Napoleon Bonaparte’s, Chateau de Malmaison. This was where Napoleon stayed prior to his exile. A very well put together museum. We were back on the ship for lunch & getting ready for our sailing to Paris. Conflans is a working port with lots of barges & docked by our ship was “Je Sers”, a Catholic Church on a barge. Onto Paris! We arrived around 5 PM to rain, but that didn’t dampen our spirits. After dinner we went on an optional “City of Lights”, night bus tour of Paris. Although it started with light rain, it stopped while we were at the Eiffel Tower. The tower did not disappoint, especially when lit up at night with its glimmering/sparkling light show. Note, the light show starts around 5 minutes after each hour on the hour.

 

Day 7 began with an included walking tour of Ile St. Louis & Ile de la Cite, two natural islands on the Seine River connected to Paris by bridges & then to the centre of Paris and home to the grand-daddy of all cathedrals, the Notre Dame Cathedral. The cathedral has great architecture & stained windows. A great place to photograph & be photographed. After lunch on our ship, we walked off our calories, by strolling along the waterfront, about 15 minutes, for an up close and personal meeting with the Eiffel Tower.

 

Day 8 we said “au revoir” to Paris, until we meet again.

Another great cruise on Avalon.

[I_r_a]

Thanks for sharing, FP

 

Ira

[Larainerenee]

Thank you for that excellent overview. We are doing this cruise in June will use this review as our guideline.

[foodpolice]

Thank you for that excellent overview. We are doing this cruise in June will use this review as our guideline.

 

Glad that my overview respecting subject matter helps.

 

Enjoy.

[Adara]

I don't want to duplicate foodpolice's review. But, I just returned from the same itinerary -- except it was about a week or two later and on the Tapestry II -- and I have a few things to add, based on different experiences.

 

FIRST: The luggage. OMG, the luggage. The materials that Avalon sends are adamant -- all caps adamant -- that they only cover porterage of one big suitcase per person. One 50-pound bag and a small piece of hand luggage you can carry. That's it; they mean it. They say it twice.

 

This would not work well for me. I e-mailed and asked if I could instead take, say, a 40-pound bag, a standard carry-on rollaboard; and a small piece of hand luggage. No response happened. I e-mailed my question on 10/27; Avalon didn't write back until 10/31 -- after my cruise had already departed. Based on my own stupidity in (1) not picking up the phone to ask; and (2) actually trying to follow the rules, I tried to follow their directions while still taking a suitcase I could lift into my trunk without breaking my back. I left several pounds of stuff at home. (I chose poorly and ended up having to buy a heavy coat during the trip, but no matter.) The point: When I arrived at the Hotel Pullman Montparnasse, I was told by the Avalon reps that they'd take (to the ship) all the bags I wanted them to take. Doesn't matter. "Would you like some more tags?" "Am I allowed more tags? Will you take more bags?" "We want whatever is the most convenient for you." An excellent answer -- which would have been a lot more excellent had I received it before I got on a plane to Paris.

 

SECOND: And, this is really the BEST PIECE OF ADVICE I can give for this cruise. Take your free time in Paris and go to Musee D'Orsay; then go across the street to L'Orangerie. You can buy a combo ticket. (The Avalon reps at the hotel can sell you a ticket to Musee D'Orsay that saves you waiting in line. I didn't ask if they would sell the combo ticket to both museums; they didn't offer.) Here's why: You will go to Giverny and see Monet's gardens. If you go to L'Orangerie, you can see a beautiful selection of Monet's Waterlilly paintings. A few days later, you'll be offered an excursion to Auvers-sur-Oise; the excursion is Van Gogh-based -- you'll see where he lived in Auvers, his grave, and several locations he painted. If you go to Orsay, you'll see some of Van Gogh's paintings from Auvers. Seeing the paintings of Van Gogh and Monet right before you see the locations that inspired them -- it can't be beat. I ended up doing this largely by luck, and I can't get over how much it improved those excursions.

 

THIRD: Do not be late coming back to the coach on shore excursions. The Normandy Landing Beaches excursion (at least the American beaches one) had three stops in the afternoon: Pointe Du Hoc; Omaha Beach; and the American Cemetery. There were two busses on this excursion. (Points to Avalon for that -- they always wanted us to have room to spread out on our busses.) One bus spent a half hour at Omaha; the other bus spent 15 minutes at Omaha. Why? Because two guests were 15 minutes late getting back to the bus at Pointe du Hoc. Now, honestly, I think the local guides could have handled this better and told Avalon as much in my comment card (I would have taken 5 minutes away from Omaha and 10 from the much longer visit to the Cemetery, in order to make up for the delay) but this did really bring home to me how much you are at the mercy of everyone else on your tour bus.

 

FOURTH: Random comment -- there's free wine at dinner. Assume that at least SOME people chose this cruise for the free-flowing wine.

 

FIFTH: I did the free half-day City tour of Paris. It was raining. There were two stops on the tour. One was a photo stop at the Eiffel Tower. (They expected us to all get off for selfies, but nobody did. We all already had our Eiffel Tower pictures. And it was raining.) The other stop was at ... honestly, I forget. There was something touristy there, but the tour guide was pointing it out as an option for pay toilets. The other (toilet) option was a cafe across the street, where you could use the bathroom if you bought a coffee. We stopped for something like 20 minutes there. Nobody wanted to get off the bus, although, eventually, two people ran across the street for coffee. I enjoyed nearly all of the shore excursions on this cruise, but we all agreed that the Paris bus tour was something of a non-starter.

 

SIXTH: I was in Aquarium class. The room was nice, although there wasn't a huge amount of space. I did not feel crushed or claustrophobic due to the window situation.

 

SEVENTH: There may or may not be an alarm clock feature on the TV, but I wouldn't use it. Which is to say, I TRIED to use it (IIRC, it would turn the TV on automatically), I ended up screwing up the TV's programming entirely, and the Engineer had to come fix it. (He was a hoot, btw.)

 

EIGHTH: I did the optional tour to the Palace of Versailles. It was run by two absolutely terrific local tour guides. (I'd had one of the guides in Auvers and wanted her again; I ended up with the other guide who was equally as good.) Versailles is so ... excessive, I think I would have actually felt a little uncomfortable there if I hadn't had a guide who recognized the excess of the place and mocked it (in a very French way). Full marks for that excursion; I recommend it. NOTE: you have a small amount of free time at the end of the excursion. We used the time to: (1) tour the Princesses' apartments; (2) get some hot chocolate at Angelina; and (3) see the carriage museum across the way. We were pretty rushed trying to cram all three things in and, in retrospect, should have done without the Princesses' apartments. (And perhaps gotten that hot chocolate to go, drinking it on the way over to the carriage museum.)

[I_r_a]

Thanx for sharing, A

 

Ira

[small wonder]

Adara-You mentioned in your review that you went on Avalon's optional excursion to Versailles. If you don't mind my asking, what was the cost? We are going on this trip next year. We are doing 2 nights precruise in Paris & are trying to decide which tours to do on those days. The optional tour to Versailles would give us something to compare with some of the tours offered by other operators. Thanks in advance!

[KathyK13]

Adara-You mentioned in your review that you went on Avalon's optional excursion to Versailles. If you don't mind my asking, what was the cost? We are going on this trip next year. We are doing 2 nights precruise in Paris & are trying to decide which tours to do on those days. The optional tour to Versailles would give us something to compare with some of the tours offered by other operators. Thanks in advance!

 

You should be able to find the costs for optional excursions in the 'My Avalon' page on the Avalon website. We did this tour in mid September 2015, spending 2 &1/2 days in Paris on our own pre-cruise. Like you we debated about whether we should do Versailles on our own or take the Avalon excursion. Versailles and Musee d'Orsay are both closed on Monday, so we decided to do D'Orsay on Sunday and take the Avalon Versailles excursion. An advantage was that our tour had a set tour time, and we were able to bypass the very long lines to get in. We had an excellent tour guide who was skilled at moving us through the crowds! We had some free time after the tour, which we spent wandering around the gardens. A downside of the tour is that there just isn't enough time to fully view the gardens and Le Petite Trianon, which is quite a ways from the Versailles palace. Overall we were very happy with the tour, and we can look forward to visiting the gardens on a future trip!

[Adara]

adara-you mentioned in your review that you went on avalon's optional excursion to versailles. If you don't mind my asking, what was the cost? We are going on this trip next year. We are doing 2 nights precruise in paris & are trying to decide which tours to do on those days. The optional tour to versailles would give us something to compare with some of the tours offered by other operators. Thanks in advance!

 

$78.