All Things Avalon

[crzmomc2]

On 3/13/2019 at 7:00 PM, mhb1757 said:

We are booked on the Tulips of Northern Holland cruise in late April. We had free air via a promotion offered back when we booked. We have used Avalon air on a previous cruise and weren’t that thrilled with the arrangements but we fared much better this time. We are on Delta both directions nonstop out of Minneapolis (and as a FYI there has been some erroneous info posted above about Avalon air. We were able to select our seats as soon as we were notified of our flights, we do get frequent flier miles, they are Y fares NOT the basic economy fares and we are upgrade eligible since we have medallion status on delta).  

 

Anyway, our flight arrives at 8:15 am and since we are using their air, transfers to the ship are included. The ship apparently will be docked in Haarlem so my question is: Will they take us directly to the ship in Haarlem that early or take us to a hotel in Amsterdam to await an afternoon transport to the ship?  There is an optional tour to Zans Shanse that leaves at 1:00 but there is no mention in any of the documents whether we will go straight to Haarlem or remain in Amsterdam. 

We want to get to Haarlem ASAP because we have a couple of places we want to visit there prior to the all aboard at 5pm. With Viking they always take you straight to the ship from the airport regardless of what time you arrive but I know Avalon usually buses everyone to the ship together later in the day from a central meeting point. 

 

If if they do take us to an Amsterdam hotel from the airport would it be possible For them to take our luggage to the ship so we can hop on the train to Haarlem from the airport and then get to the ship on our own?

 

I believe on this one they'll take you directly to the ship... you'll be able to ditch your luggage, grab some snacks and head out to do some exploring on your own until your excursion.  I'll double check for you in a little bit!  

 

The secret to getting seats has nothing to do with Avalon really and everything to do with the carrier.  Delta and United are both great about seats but all the other airlines are getting ridiculously stingy about seat assignments.  Avalon does not book basic economy.  Stick with Delta and United and you'll be good to go... I know that's not always so simple depending on where you are flying to/from.

[mhb1757]

8 hours ago, crzmomc2 said:

 

I believe on this one they'll take you directly to the ship... you'll be able to ditch your luggage, grab some snacks and head out to do some exploring on your own until your excursion.  I'll double check for you in a little bit!  

 

The secret to getting seats has nothing to do with Avalon really and everything to do with the carrier.  Delta and United are both great about seats but all the other airlines are getting ridiculously stingy about seat assignments.  Avalon does not book basic economy.  Stick with Delta and United and you'll be good to go... I know that's not always so simple depending on where you are flying to/from.

 

Thanks so much Crzmomc2. I’m really hoping they will take us straight to the ship. 

[foodpolice]

Hello there,

 

We're on the same itinerary, & arrive the same time as you but next week, March 23/19.  I'd confirmed with Avalon whom advised that upon pick up we will be taken to our ship.  Although the rooms won't be ready, you can use the facilities or explore the area.  Avalon, however does not know their docking position as of this AM.

 

Enjoy.

[crzmomc2]

Yeah Avalon use to use meeting points for all their cruises and now more often than not they go directly to the ship.  Docking location will be announce 24 hours prior to embarkation in the AvalonGo app.  Rooms aren't ready until closer to 3pm  You guys enjoy your trip and take a thousand pics!!!

[Flamencacha]

9 hours ago, mhb1757 said:

 

Thanks so much Crzmomc2. I’m really hoping they will take us straight to the ship. 

In Deggendorf, they had a setup in a hotel near embarkation area.  It was a short walk to the ship.  I took my luggage to the ship, they took it but they were not ready for boarding so I went sightseeing til about 1:30. The cabins are not ready til later, they did offer a light buffet lunch. 

And then we waited for the bus loads of the pre cruise itinerary. 

 

Enjoy!!! 

[mhb1757]

11 hours ago, foodpolice said:

Hello there,

 

We're on the same itinerary, & arrive the same time as you but next week, March 23/19.  I'd confirmed with Avalon whom advised that upon pick up we will be taken to our ship.  Although the rooms won't be ready, you can use the facilities or explore the area.  Avalon, however does not know their docking position as of this AM.

 

Enjoy.

Perfect. We don’t need access to the cabin early, just want to drop our luggage and head into Haarlem. Not too worried about docking location since there are only a couple of choices in Haarlem.  

Have a great trip and PLEASE post an update on return or as you cruise. I’d LOVE to hear about this trip and the excursions you selected. 

Thanks to all of you for the info. 

[foodpolice]

Upon arrival, we were taken directly to the ship which was docked at De Ruijterkade Oost (not sure if that's Haarlem or not).  As this was Avalon's first "tulip" trip of the season, we were able to check into our room right upon embarkation.  Otherwise, it would have been a 3 or 4 PM check in.  We were told a light buffet would be available at around 1 PM, but we ventured out & did our own thing.

 

We were glad that we brought warm clothing as it was around 8° C in the morning when in Amsterdam & Rotterdam and both had a high of around 10° C in the afternoon.  When walking around it was pretty cool, especially when the wind picked up.  No rain either in Amsterdam or Rotterdam.

 

Today we are in Antwerp & the temperature was no better, in fact a bit colder with the frequent gusts of wind the came around.  We also had a couple of rain bursts while we we walking around.

 

Hope this tidbit of info helps.

 

Enjoy

[gnome12]

13 minutes ago, foodpolice said:

Upon arrival, we were taken directly to the ship which was docked at De Ruijterkade Oost (not sure if that's Haarlem or not). 

Not. That is in Amsterdam, right by Central Station.

[schda12]

Our Basel to Amsterdam cruise in September ends with two nights in Amsterdam.  Since the cruise is the last part of a longer trip, we decided to fly home the day the cruise ends.  To avoid a time crunch, I booked a 3pm departure on a route that connects in Zurich.

 

When should we expect to be required to leave the ship?  

 

What method of transportation to the airport do you recommend?  We did not book our flights through Avalon, so they are not providing airport transportation.  Perhaps Avalon offers (with a fee) joining fellow passengers on a bus to the airport.  

 

It looks like we might be docked within a short walk to the main train station with frequent non-stop service to the airport.

 

Thanks,

David

[NorthWildwood]

I have taken the train from the airport in Amsterdam to the airport.  Very easy.

[mhb1757]

On 3/25/2019 at 12:55 PM, foodpolice said:

Upon arrival, we were taken directly to the ship which was docked at De Ruijterkade Oost (not sure if that's Haarlem or not).  As this was Avalon's first "tulip" trip of the season, we were able to check into our room right upon embarkation.  Otherwise, it would have been a 3 or 4 PM check in.  We were told a light buffet would be available at around 1 PM, but we ventured out & did our own thing.

 

We were glad that we brought warm clothing as it was around 8° C in the morning when in Amsterdam & Rotterdam and both had a high of around 10° C in the afternoon.  When walking around it was pretty cool, especially when the wind picked up.  No rain either in Amsterdam or Rotterdam.

 

Today we are in Antwerp & the temperature was no better, in fact a bit colder with the frequent gusts of wind the came around.  We also had a couple of rain bursts while we we walking around.

 

Hope this tidbit of info helps.

 

Enjoy

Thanks Food Police. This is very helpful. I noticed a couple of days ago on My Avalon site that they had changed our embarkation from Haarlem to Amsterdam. Kind of complicates our plans since I had made a reservation for a noon tour in Haarlem but if we are docked close to Central Station it is a quick train trip to Haarlem. Guess I’ll just have to play it by ear.

I was happy to see Avalon had added several additional optional excursions including one to Alsmeer to the huge flower auction. I have wanted to get there on several previous trips and never made it so maybe this time 😁 

[foodpolice]

21 hours ago, schda12 said:

Our Basel to Amsterdam cruise in September ends with two nights in Amsterdam.  Since the cruise is the last part of a longer trip, we decided to fly home the day the cruise ends.  To avoid a time crunch, I booked a 3pm departure on a route that connects in Zurich.

 

When should we expect to be required to leave the ship?  

 

What method of transportation to the airport do you recommend?  We did not book our flights through Avalon, so they are not providing airport transportation.  Perhaps Avalon offers (with a fee) joining fellow passengers on a bus to the airport.  

 

It looks like we might be docked within a short walk to the main train station with frequent non-stop service to the airport.

 

Thanks,

David

Hi David,

 

Avalon wanted everybody out of their rooms by 9 AM.  For us, the cruise director posted a schedule 2 days before disembarkation advising when to put your luggage out & when the bus will pick you up for transportation to the airport or Avalon post cruise destination.  When on board, you can make arrangements with Avalon to join others for transportion to the airport, akin to an excursion.  They can also make arrangement for a cab if you wish.  As the previous poster has said, & depending how far the ship is docked, you may/can walk over to the train station & take a train to the airport.

In any event, enjoy.

[foodpolice]

21 hours ago, mhb1757 said:

Thanks Food Police. This is very helpful. I noticed a couple of days ago on My Avalon site that they had changed our embarkation from Haarlem to Amsterdam. Kind of complicates our plans since I had made a reservation for a noon tour in Haarlem but if we are docked close to Central Station it is a quick train trip to Haarlem. Guess I’ll just have to play it by ear.

I was happy to see Avalon had added several additional optional excursions including one to Alsmeer to the huge flower auction. I have wanted to get there on several previous trips and never made it so maybe this time 😁 

We did not take any optional excursions, but heard from others that they'd really enjoyed Aalsmeer, a 6:15 AM start, with continental breakfast being available at 5:15 AM in the lounge.

In Rotterdam, as you know, there are 2 included tours, a full day at Keukenhof Gardens or first half of the day at Gouda, back to the ship for lunch & the other half day at Keukenhof.  As I am not a flower enthusiast, we took that latter excursion & thoroughly enjoyed both Gouda & Keukenhof.  Although not all the flowers were in bloom at Keukenhof, it was still very good & suffice for me.

Enjoy

[gnome12]

11 minutes ago, foodpolice said:

In Rotterdam, as you know, there are 2 included tours, a full day at Keukenhof Gardens or first half of the day at Gouda, back to the ship for lunch & the other half day at Keukenhof.  As I am not a flower enthusiast, we took that latter excursion & thoroughly enjoyed both Gouda & Keukenhof.  Although not all the flowers were in bloom at Keukenhof, it was still very good & suffice for me.

 

I am not a flower person either, but when I was at Keukenhof in 2010 everything was in bloom. Uniworld had 2 return times, one was about 12:30 and the other was about 3:00. I was sure that I would take the earlier one back, but Keukenhof is absolutely gorgeous when fully in bloom. Many people went back early because the next day was disembarkation, but I was very happy to spend the extra time there.

[mhb1757]

On 3/31/2019 at 5:46 PM, foodpolice said:

We did not take any optional excursions, but heard from others that they'd really enjoyed Aalsmeer, a 6:15 AM start, with continental breakfast being available at 5:15 AM in the lounge.

In Rotterdam, as you know, there are 2 included tours, a full day at Keukenhof Gardens or first half of the day at Gouda, back to the ship for lunch & the other half day at Keukenhof.  As I am not a flower enthusiast, we took that latter excursion & thoroughly enjoyed both Gouda & Keukenhof.  Although not all the flowers were in bloom at Keukenhof, it was still very good & suffice for me.

Enjoy

We have booked the same. Half day at Keukenhof, half day to Gouda. I’m sure the gardens will be spectacular but my daughter really wanted to see Gouda so we decided to do just what you all did, so glad to know you enjoyed both tours. I’m just hoping that there are still lots of flowers when we get there. 

[Europeantraveler1]

My husband and I are set to cruise on the Expression in early September of this year-our first river cruise!  We are avid ocean cruisers so this will be interesting!

 

Our plan is to fly into Amsterdam several days before our cruise and stay at a city-center hotel.  How would we handle getting our luggage out of our hotel on embarkation day and to the ship if we are staying at a different hotel?  We need to leave our hotel mid-morning and Avalon states that no one can begin boarding until 3pm. 

 

Thanks for for any tips you can suggest!

 

[gnome12]

4 hours ago, Europeantraveler1 said:

My husband and I are set to cruise on the Expression in early September of this year-our first river cruise!  We are avid ocean cruisers so this will be interesting!

 

Our plan is to fly into Amsterdam several days before our cruise and stay at a city-center hotel.  How would we handle getting our luggage out of our hotel on embarkation day and to the ship if we are staying at a different hotel?  We need to leave our hotel mid-morning and Avalon states that no one can begin boarding until 3pm. 

 

Thanks for for any tips you can suggest!

 

Any hotel will store your luggage for you. Spend the morning touring, have some lunch, come back and pick up the luggage and either walk (if the ship is moored close by) or take a tram or taxi to the ship.

 

That is actually simpler than the alternative of dropping your bags at the ship and going back to tour (as long as your hotel is centrally located).

[foodpolice]

18 hours ago, mhb1757 said:

We have booked the same. Half day at Keukenhof, half day to Gouda. I’m sure the gardens will be spectacular but my daughter really wanted to see Gouda so we decided to do just what you all did, so glad to know you enjoyed both tours. I’m just hoping that there are still lots of flowers when we get there. 

Well, here's a sneak preview of Gouda & Keukenhof.

 

Enjoy.

[foodpolice]

4 hours ago, gnome12 said:

Any hotel will store your luggage for you. Spend the morning touring, have some lunch, come back and pick up the luggage and either walk (if the ship is moored close by) or take a tram or taxi to the ship.

 

That is actually simpler than the alternative of dropping your bags at the ship and going back to tour (as long as your hotel is centrally located).

My fellow Canadian is right. 

 

Also, just to let you know as I'd mention in a previous post, Avalon wanted everybody out of their rooms at 9 AM.  As such, when we were waiting in the lounge area to disembark & transportation to the airport, we saw new passengers being checked in & their luggages being stored in another section of the lounge from ours.  However, they could not access their cabins as they were cleaned.  

 

When we arrived for our trip, we accessed our cabins immediately, as our trip was Avalon's first tulip sailing of the season.  They also mentioned to us when we checked in that they would be serving a light buffet lunch at around 1 PM, but we chose not to stay, went back out & did our own thing.

 

In any event, enjoy. 

[gnome12]

1 hour ago, foodpolice said:

My fellow Canadian is right. 

 

Also, just to let you know as I'd mention in a previous post, Avalon wanted everybody out of their rooms at 9 AM.  As such, when we were waiting in the lounge area to disembark & transportation to the airport, we saw new passengers being checked in & their luggages being stored in another section of the lounge from ours.  However, they could not access their cabins as they were cleaned.  

 

When we arrived for our trip, we accessed our cabins immediately, as our trip was Avalon's first tulip sailing of the season.  They also mentioned to us when we checked in that they would be serving a light buffet lunch at around 1 PM, but we chose not to stay, went back out & did our own thing.

 

In any event, enjoy. 

If you are coming straight from the airport it makes sense to go to the ship and leave luggage there. But, if you are already in Central Amsterdam it makes sense to stay there, and go to the ship later.

[Europeantraveler1]

We have to be out of our centrally located Amsterdam hotel by 12 noon so that gives us a very generous amount of time to have breakfast and get packed and checked-out the day we board Expression. 

I’d be surprised if our hotel would not store our luggage for a few hours after we check-out until we hire a taxi to the ship.  

We will have been in Amsterdam for four, full days prior to embarkation (we got a much, much better deal on our plane tickets by going one day earlier than originally planned) so I think by embarkation day, we’ll be ready for different surroundings (the ship). So we might go to the ship around noon....have the light lunch and linger around until our rooms are ready. 

Of course, what I find interesting.......our embarkation takes place on a Tuesday but we are still docked overnight in Amsterdam with a canal cruise excursion in Amsterdam on Wednesday and finally.....in the p.m. we begin cruising!   

Those of you who are “ocean” cruisers AND “river” cruisers .....do you feel you are getting a lot of “bang for your buck” considering the fact that river cruises are SO much more expensive?  Just curious to know your thoughts.   

 

 

[Europeantraveler1]

One more (very important) question that my husband had. If we go directly to the ship and have them store/take our luggage so we can take advantage of the light lunch served......would Avalon have already mailed us all our necessary boarding documents etc... prior to our trip so that we’d to be able to board the Expression?  

My husband seems to think we need to go to the hotel (that Avalon has booked for fellow passengers) to pick up those papers. 

Thank you!!

[mhb1757]

28 minutes ago, Europeantraveler1 said:

We have to be out of our centrally located Amsterdam hotel by 12 noon so that gives us a very generous amount of time to have breakfast and get packed and checked-out the day we board Expression. 

I’d be surprised if our hotel would not store our luggage for a few hours after we check-out until we hire a taxi to the ship.  

We will have been in Amsterdam for four, full days prior to embarkation (we got a much, much better deal on our plane tickets by going one day earlier than originally planned) so I think by embarkation day, we’ll be ready for different surroundings (the ship). So we might go to the ship around noon....have the light lunch and linger around until our rooms are ready. 

Of course, what I find interesting.......our embarkation takes place on a Tuesday but we are still docked overnight in Amsterdam with a canal cruise excursion in Amsterdam on Wednesday and finally.....in the p.m. we begin cruising!   

Those of you who are “ocean” cruisers AND “river” cruisers .....do you feel you are getting a lot of “bang for your buck” considering the fact that river cruises are SO much more expensive?  Just curious to know your thoughts.   

 

 

Honestly I have about decided River cruises are a better travel bargain than ocean cruises. (But I do bargain hunt and we stay in low end cabins on river cruises). Since excursions and transfers and most drinks are included, deals on airfare abound it seems like we usually come out better on the River. We rarely spend much if anything beyond gratuities while on a river cruise. It is totally different than ocean cruising. If you love the nightlife and casino and shows on ocean cruising you may be disappointed. If you love to sightsee and explore new places but hate to spend your vacation schlepping your luggage around and spending every night in a different hotel you will love it. It is an incredibly easy way to travel. 

[Cobbie48]

I have taken 4 Avalon cruises and 8 ocean cruises.  We have always been in an “aquarium” room to save money.  We’re not in it that much but it is pretty tiny.  I feel we get our money’s worth as we get free wine and beer with meals and the daily excursion.  I also enjoy the afternoon talks or demonstrations.  Have been to many places we would never have seen without the river cruise.  

[mhb1757]

1 minute ago, Europeantraveler1 said:

One more (very important) question that my husband had. If we go directly to the ship and have them store/take our luggage so we can take advantage of the light lunch served......would Avalon have already mailed us all our necessary boarding documents etc... prior to our trip so that we’d to be able to board the Expression?  

My husband seems to think we need to go to the hotel (that Avalon has booked for fellow passengers) to pick up those papers. 

Thank you!!

You should get your boarding documents 2-3 weeks before your cruise. They should be mailed to you along with luggage tags, etc. they are also available online via Myavalon website so you can print them out if you prefer before you leave home. Since you will be arranging your own transportation to the ship you will need to know the docking location and that is usually not available until 24-48 hours before boarding, so you will need to get online and check that from your hotel in Amsterdam

 

49 minutes ago, Europeantraveler1 said:

We have to be out of our centrally located Amsterdam hotel by 12 noon so that gives us a very generous amount of time to have breakfast and get packed and checked-out the day we board Expression. 

I’d be surprised if our hotel would not store our luggage for a few hours after we check-out until we hire a taxi to the ship.  

We will have been in Amsterdam for four, full days prior to embarkation (we got a much, much better deal on our plane tickets by going one day earlier than originally planned) so I think by embarkation day, we’ll be ready for different surroundings (the ship). So we might go to the ship around noon....have the light lunch and linger around until our rooms are ready. 

Of course, what I find interesting.......our embarkation takes place on a Tuesday but we are still docked overnight in Amsterdam with a canal cruise excursion in Amsterdam on Wednesday and finally.....in the p.m. we begin cruising!   

Those of you who are “ocean” cruisers AND “river” cruisers .....do you feel you are getting a lot of “bang for your buck” considering the fact that river cruises are SO much more expensive?  Just curious to know your thoughts.