All Things Avalon

[newcruiser1956]

You don't say which direction you're going. We took the Rhone northbound earlier this year. The dailies from that cruise are posted at:

 

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0nz16ahW1fiaE9FVGtxbEpoWjA

 

If you have specific questions, I'd be glad to try and answer them.

 

 

Thank you so much for posting the dailies. I notice dinner is 7 pm each day. Is the buffet open earlier? I will be super hungry by that time.

 

Thanks!

[FuelScience]

Thank you so much for posting the dailies. I notice dinner is 7 pm each day. Is the buffet open earlier? I will be super hungry by that time.

 

Thanks!

I don't think that there was a buffet. The alternative dining is a dinner in the lounge that's a special tasting menu prepared by the chef. If I remember correctly, it's the same thing every night. I think that it's at the same time as the regular dinner. Most afternoons Avalon serves tea which includes some sweets to help you make it to dinner.

[newcruiser1956]

I don't think that there was a buffet. The alternative dining is a dinner in the lounge that's a special tasting menu prepared by the chef. If I remember correctly, it's the same thing every night. I think that it's at the same time as the regular dinner. Most afternoons Avalon serves tea which includes some sweets to help you make it to dinner.

 

Yeah, that won't work for me. I am plant based, I do not eat sugar and things like that. Hopefully room service works. I do not like to eat that late.

[gnome12]

Yeah, that won't work for me. I am plant based, I do not eat sugar and things like that. Hopefully room service works. I do not like to eat that late.

There is rarely room service on river cruises.

 

Sent from my SM-N910C using Forums mobile app

[TLCOhio]

Had shared earlier in January as we were preparing for our first river boat and Avalon sailing. It was for the Mekong River!!

 

Now we are back!! Well-pleased with Avalon, the ship, staff, food, tours, etc. On my live/blog, there are dozens of pictures and many details to document these fun adventures and travels. Happy on the live/blog to answer any and all questions, share more info/background, etc.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

SE Asia/Mekong River, Etc.! Just completed a Jan. 21-Feb. 20, 2018, first adventure through Southeast Asia with stops in Hong Kong and Bangkok, before traveling all over Vietnam and Cambodia. This includes seven days sailing on the Mekong River. Lots of fun, interesting pictures!! See more at:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2591474

 

Here are just a few visuals samples from what we saw and did with Avalon while sailing along the Mekong River in Vietnam and Cambodia. Many, many more photos and details on the full live/blog.:

(Open your screen/viewer wider to see these pictures larger/better!)

 

 

 

We saw many temples, palaces, markets and samples of daily life/work, including at this below spectacular Royal structure in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.:

 

[KathyK13]

Yeah, that won't work for me. I am plant based, I do not eat sugar and things like that. Hopefully room service works. I do not like to eat that late.

Avalon does not have room service. You may want to bring some snacks to tide you over until dinner. Or you could bring some fruits and veggies back to your room after lunch.

[Kenster]

We are about to sign up for our third Avalon cruise in the past five years. We've had Cat A cabins both previous cruises but All that are left now are Cat P- a bunch of them. I really don't feel much need to pay more for a cabin identical to Cat A, just higher, but we have no choice. My real concern is possible noise with people walking around on the upper deck. Can you hear the footsteps on your cabin? That would be a real bummer?

 

Thanks.

[Kenster]

You can bring wine or alcohol on board to enjoy in your cabin or on the sun deck. If you want to drink in the restaurant, there may be a corkage fee. No need to sneak it on board.

 

I know this is an old post... why would anyone want to bring wine into the dining room when they have a great variety of wines at dinner every night, INCLUDED!! I'm a wine guy and the wines served on our previous two Avalon cruises were top notch. Most nights, one of the choices was a wine from the region we were sailing through at that time.

[Kenster]

We were bothered by the poor acoustics in the dining room...people noise, maybe low ceilings and not enough noise reduction insulation or whatever is done for this....not engine noise.

 

We've done two Avalon sailings. One on the older Affinity and more recently on the new generation "Illumination." I do not recall any untoward noise in the dining room. Certainly no more so than any other busy restaurant. Not saying that it hasn't been an issue for some folks. We've just not experienced that.

[Kenster]

I would love to see some pictures! I am so excited!

 

Is the laundry service very expensive?

[franski]

Yeah, that won't work for me. I am plant based, I do not eat sugar and things like that. Hopefully room service works. I do not like to eat that late.

 

The only cruises that I have seen with any type of room service are those on Scenic - in the suites. And, it is mostly appetizers. I have had one cruise where I was offered one breakfast in my room as a past passenger... didn't take the offer.

 

Dinner at 7 pm is standard on most (if not all) river cruises. The buffet is open for breakfast, and for lunch - but, dinner is from the menu. The kitchen is very small - and so room service is not a viable option.

 

If dinner at 7 pm is a huge issue for you, you might want to re-think your plans to do a river cruise. It would be too bad if your entire experience was affected by meal times.

 

Fran

[kiwixmas]

Had shared earlier in January as we were preparing for our first river boat and Avalon sailing. It was for the Mekong River!!

 

Now we are back!! Well-pleased with Avalon, the ship, staff, food, tours, etc. On my live/blog, there are dozens of pictures and many details to document these fun adventures and travels. Happy on the live/blog to answer any and all questions, share more info/background, etc.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

SE Asia/Mekong River, Etc.! Just completed a Jan. 21-Feb. 20, 2018, first adventure through Southeast Asia with stops in Hong Kong and Bangkok, before traveling all over Vietnam and Cambodia. This includes seven days sailing on the Mekong River. Lots of fun, interesting pictures!! See more at:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2591474

 

Here are just a few visuals samples from what we saw and did with Avalon while sailing along the Mekong River in Vietnam and Cambodia. Many, many more photos and details on the full live/blog.:

(Open your screen/viewer wider to see these pictures larger/better!)

 

 

 

We saw many temples, palaces, markets and samples of daily life/work, including at this below spectacular Royal structure in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.:

 

hi we are considering this trip next year early feb what are the temperature like at this ttime ?

Also is there any problems with low water levels ??

thanks peter

[Daisi]

Yeah, that won't work for me. I am plant based, I do not eat sugar and things like that. Hopefully room service works. I do not like to eat that late.

 

We haven't taken our cruise yet, but in my research, I seem to recall they always have fresh fruit out at the coffee bar.....other goodies as well, but they wouldn't work for you. If a light snack of fruit will help hold you over until dinner, you could look into that.

[TLCOhio]

hi we are considering this trip next year early feb what are the temperature like at this ttime ? Also is there any problems with low water levels ?? thanks peter

 

Appreciate these good questions from this CC poster from wonderful New Zealand. What we experienced for much of Cambodia and southern Vietnam during this February period was mostly high's in the mid to upper 80'sF. Seems kind of hot, but it gets much warmer as they move into their summer, etc. In Bangkok, the joke was that they had just two seasons. One was "HOT". The other season is "HOTTER"!!

 

The good news along the Mekong and in other places is that the breezes were decent. As our ship moved along this river, it helped cool and make things fairly manageable. while on the ship Also, on some excursions, we would be in open vehicles such as a Tub-Tuk or ox-cart. That allowed decent air movement to help keep us a little cooler. Not "cool", but such air "flow" would be re-freshing. On water levels with Avalon, they note that generally mid-December to August, they are not be able to cruise across Tonle Sap to Siem Reap. We flew from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap due to the lower water levels when there last month. Some Mekong cruises take people by bus from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap. Understand that trip on those roads can take five to seven hours. Our half-hour flight was much easier and quicker.

 

For any added questions, just post on my live/blog and I will be happy to respond and share more.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 198,584 views for this posting.

[TravelerThom]

Avalon does not have room service. You may want to bring some snacks to tide you over until dinner. Or you could bring some fruits and veggies back to your room after lunch.

I feel confident that a request at breakfast or lunch (ie during dining hours) would produce some snacks appropriate for you from the kitchen to tide you over. There was a thread last year from someone who was a long time ocean cruiser but who obviously had not bothered to come to the river boards (which you have) who was EXTREMELY disappointed with no room service, and fixed dining hours. It is what it is; work with it and they will work with you and you will have a great time; otherwise you will be miserable. For me it would be an easy choice to work with them. Good to get these issues sorted out in advance.

[TravelerThom]

.,.Understand that trip on those roads can take five to seven hours. Our half-hour flight was much easier and quocker...

I trust that Terry will accept a supplement to this. I did the Mekong with Vantage in 2016, and we did take the bus. It was indeed 5-7 hours BUT that included stops for watching rice milling, lunch and tapping rubber trees. The bus was extremely nice with 1 + 2 across seating and seats similar to US domestic first class air. Road was generally well paved and I enjoyed seeing the countryside including Pol Pot’s hometown. Your journey might vary from line to line and indeed cruise to cruise but I enjoyed the bus ride. NOTE that I (in my younger days) went over much of Central and South America by local buses so judge accordingly.

 

Thom

[amyr]

I feel confident that a request at breakfast or lunch (ie during dining hours) would produce some snacks appropriate for you from the kitchen to tide you over. There was a thread last year from someone who was a long time ocean cruiser but who obviously had not bothered to come to the river boards (which you have) who was EXTREMELY disappointed with no room service, and fixed dining hours. It is what it is; work with it and they will work with you and you will have a great time; otherwise you will be miserable. For me it would be an easy choice to work with them. Good to get these issues sorted out in advance.

 

Avalon offers room service at breakfast for a fee, but it's Continental breakfast, so if you don't eat sugar, that might not work. Maybe they would include some good bread, cold cuts and cheese for you? Also not sure of the timing of it (I'll know next month) so it might not be any better than actually going to the dining room time-wise.

 

Ooh, I think I've quoted TravelerThom when my intent was to quote Newcruiser about room service, but the thought is the same ;p

[newcruiser1956]

I feel confident that a request at breakfast or lunch (ie during dining hours) would produce some snacks appropriate for you from the kitchen to tide you over. There was a thread last year from someone who was a long time ocean cruiser but who obviously had not bothered to come to the river boards (which you have) who was EXTREMELY disappointed with no room service, and fixed dining hours. It is what it is; work with it and they will work with you and you will have a great time; otherwise you will be miserable. For me it would be an easy choice to work with them. Good to get these issues sorted out in advance.

 

Thanks, I will admit not being thrilled at being forced to eat so late.. (I typically eat early and then crash for the evening) and thus staying up much later than I like, but my desire to take the trip wins :)

[newcruiser1956]

We haven't taken our cruise yet, but in my research, I seem to recall they always have fresh fruit out at the coffee bar.....other goodies as well, but they wouldn't work for you. If a light snack of fruit will help hold you over until dinner, you could look into that.

 

Thanks!

[newcruiser1956]

I feel confident that a request at breakfast or lunch (ie during dining hours) would produce some snacks appropriate for you from the kitchen to tide you over. There was a thread last year from someone who was a long time ocean cruiser but who obviously had not bothered to come to the river boards (which you have) who was EXTREMELY disappointed with no room service, and fixed dining hours. It is what it is; work with it and they will work with you and you will have a great time; otherwise you will be miserable. For me it would be an easy choice to work with them. Good to get these issues sorted out in advance.

 

 

Thanks, that is why I am spending many hours on here to learn :)

I will admit not thrilled at all at such a late dinner hour (I like to eat early and relax and go to sleep) Having to stay up etc later than I like does not thrill me, BUT my desire to take this trip overrules my dislike. I will just have to suck it up for the trip. That is one thing I will admit I like about ocean trips.

[Daisi]

Thanks, that is why I am spending many hours on here to learn :) - Trust me... that really pays off. I spent almost a year reading about various lines & cruises to see what one suited us the most. We also tend to eat early, but I don't think it will be to much of a stretch to last until 7:00. One thing to keep in mind, the dinners (from what I have hard) are longer as they are at least 3 - 4 courses, and you are there to relax & enjoy, so I don't think they rush you...:)

 

Our attitude for this trip is we are going to enjoy ourselves even if it kills us. We have heard so many complaints about rivers being low & the necessity of taking a bus to see the sights, rain, lock closures etc, that I (hope) we will be prepared for anything. I think it's all in the attitude, and if you go with one that expects enjoyment then you can hopefully enjoy.

[kruzin2010]

Re: the jet lag, the comments brought back a memory of our first Europe trip to Italy. Very little sleep on the plane, we kept busy all day and sat at a lovely restaurant in Piazza Navonna around 5 p.m. for a late lunch early dinner. I went to the washroom and when I came back to the table and my husband was sound asleep! Sitting up, still with his wine glass in his hand! Never spilled a drop!

[TravelerThom]

I can’t help laugh with a smile at the last few posts. One can choose to be misabile about anything or one can enjoy it. 30 years ago (1988) my nephew a recently returned Peace Corp volunteer and I were bumping down a dusty road in Ecuador and I remarked that if work made me do this they would never hear the end of it, but for fun and adventure I am all in.

[newcruiser1956]

Thanks, that is why I am spending many hours on here to learn :) - Trust me... that really pays off. I spent almost a year reading about various lines & cruises to see what one suited us the most. We also tend to eat early, but I don't think it will be to much of a stretch to last until 7:00. One thing to keep in mind, the dinners (from what I have hard) are longer as they are at least 3 - 4 courses, and you are there to relax & enjoy, so I don't think they rush you...:)

 

Our attitude for this trip is we are going to enjoy ourselves even if it kills us. We have heard so many complaints about rivers being low & the necessity of taking a bus to see the sights, rain, lock closures etc, that I (hope) we will be prepared for anything. I think it's all in the attitude, and if you go with one that expects enjoyment then you can hopefully enjoy.

 

 

I travel solo, a long meal with many courses sounds very very painful. I am a fast eat and run person (paramedic, you learn to eat fast) I absolutely HATE sitting in restaurants and would rather be boiled in oil than sit for a long meal.

Maybe I will rethink going on this trip on this line although I have already paid a deposit. I am now questioning if I will enjoy the experience or not.

 

For you that love to sit and do the whole 2-hour dinner with courses and wine, more power to you, I shudder at the very thought.

[Host Jazzbeau]

I travel solo, a long meal with many courses sounds very very painful. I am a fast eat and run person (paramedic, you learn to eat fast) I absolutely HATE sitting in restaurants and would rather be boiled in oil than sit for a long meal.

Maybe I will rethink going on this trip on this line although I have already paid a deposit. I am now questioning if I will enjoy the experience or not.

 

For you that love to sit and do the whole 2-hour dinner with courses and wine, more power to you, I shudder at the very thought.

 

I have traveled alone on work, and found that gourmet dining was a mixed blessing without a companion. But you won't be sitting alone watching the flower arrangement wilt while waiting for your next course – you will be at a table with 5-7 other well-traveled people in the midst of an interesting conversation. You are [i assume] interested in this trip because it will give you new and different experiences – just consider dinner another one of those!