All Things Avalon

[gnome12]

3 hours ago, seashell said:

gnome,

are there any usb ports in the rooms?  thanks for the other answer.

michelle

Sorry, I don’t know. My answer was completely generic. 

[MagnoliaNC]

Yes there are. I remember 2 on the right nightstand, and there may have been some on the desk area. I took a converter that had regular plugs and USB ports. It was a Bestek and one of the best travel items I had bought.

[amyr]

Here's the cabin as it was set up when my sister and I shared it.  Each nightstand had two USB ports under the lamp (the silver squares), and there's a Euro style plug on the wall next to one of the beds.  My husband and I had a cabin on the same ship, and the middle nightstand was moved to the outside of the bed on the right as the beds were pushed together.  I don't think there were USB ports on the desk, just one Euro plug and another plug next to it with a dim lamp plugged in that we unplugged for all of our camera stuff.  

 

ETA:  Come to think of it, the USB plug set on the left may have been one USB and one phone jack?  I remember unplugging the phone and putting it away for the duration since there was also a phone on the desk and the nightstand was small.

 

 

Edited August 9, 2019 by amyr

[Daisi]

12 hours ago, MagnoliaNC said:

Yes there are. I remember 2 on the right nightstand, and there may have been some on the desk area. I took a converter that had regular plugs and USB ports. It was a Bestek and one of the best travel items I had bought.

 

Magnolia, I agree, love the Bestek converter.  That and a power bank are two things we don't leave home without.  

 

As others have said, there are USB outlets on each side of the bed, and I also seem to remember one or two at the desk area.  There was one outlet on the wall beside the bed and also at the desk.  All outlets are European standard, the only North American one is in the bathroom.

[gnome12]

1 hour ago, Daisi said:

 

... the only North American one is in the bathroom.

For a shaver only. 

[Daisi]

Yeah, I couldn't remember if it was for the shaver or hairdryer..as I don't use either! 🙂  Thanks for specifying,as some may need to know.

[Another Midwesterner]

Has anyone been on the Burgandy & Provence cruise?  We are going in September with 3 optional nights in Barcelona.  Any comments about this cruise?  We have done other Avalon cruises.

[FuelScience]

2 hours ago, Another Midwesterner said:

Has anyone been on the Burgandy & Provence cruise?  We are going in September with 3 optional nights in Barcelona.  Any comments about this cruise?  We have done other Avalon cruises.

We did this cruise (northbound) a couple of years ago and enjoyed it. Avalon uses the Poetry II on the Rhone, so you might want to check out the reviews at the link below. 

 

Also, when you're in Tournon/Tain L'Hermitage, I would suggest skipping the walking tour and set out on your own and visit the Valrhona chocolate store across the river (about a mile walk). There are tons of incredible free samples, and when I checked out with my chocolates, the clerk dropped another handful of samples into my bag! You only have half a day there, but you should have plenty of time to load up on chocolate. Valrhona has a tour that gets mixed reviews, but everyone loves the shop. 

 

Enjoy!

 

https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/getreviews.cfm?action=ship&ShipID=822 

 

https://www.citeduchocolat.com/en 

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g674303-d3704337-Reviews-Cite_du_Chocolat_Valrhona-Tain_l_Hermitage_Drome_Auvergne_Rhone_Alpes.html 

[seashell]

Thank you Magnolia, Daisi and amyr,   I will look into the Bestek brand.  

 

FuelScience - wish i was going on that cruise so i could try out the chocolate.  I am hoping to find some good chocolate in Amsterdam and Switzerland.  I won't be buying too many souvenirs but i want to try lots of chocolate.  I found a couple great shops in Honfleur last year.  Some of the chocolate made it home but it did not last.  There are not many places to buy good chocolate here. 

[Daisi]

seashell, this is what I have (mine is a bit older, had 3 "plugs", but they have improved it), I am assuming that Magnolia has something similar. 

[ICUQT]

I have read the first few pages of this thread and can not fid what I am looking for. My wife and I are long time Ocean cruisers but have not done a river cruise. My wife loves the Holiday Season and I was thinking about Christmas Markets for early December 2020. I know what the weather would be like but nothing else. So if anyone could comment, offer advice or point me in the right direction it would be appreciated. For now when time permits I will read the 37 pages of this thread. Thanking all in advance.

[MagnoliaNC]

Daisi, That is the same unit I have but just with 3 more international adapters. I never used the other adapters on my trip. I loved the practicality of this device and its small size!

Edited August 10, 2019 by MagnoliaNC
Mispelling

[FuelScience]

1 hour ago, ICUQT said:

I have read the first few pages of this thread and can not fid what I am looking for. My wife and I are long time Ocean cruisers but have not done a river cruise. My wife loves the Holiday Season and I was thinking about Christmas Markets for early December 2020. I know what the weather would be like but nothing else. So if anyone could comment, offer advice or point me in the right direction it would be appreciated. For now when time permits I will read the 37 pages of this thread. Thanking all in advance.

 

Sorry you're having trouble finding what you need. I would suggest using the search function and search for the word Christmas, searching only on the River Cruise forum and looking in titles only. I've not done a Christmas Markets cruise, but perhaps the most important thing I've seen from other posts is to make sure that you don't start too early or too late. Make sure that you understand the dates the markets open and close. 

[gnome12]

2 hours ago, ICUQT said:

I have read the first few pages of this thread and can not fid what I am looking for. My wife and I are long time Ocean cruisers but have not done a river cruise. My wife loves the Holiday Season and I was thinking about Christmas Markets for early December 2020. I know what the weather would be like but nothing else. So if anyone could comment, offer advice or point me in the right direction it would be appreciated. For now when time permits I will read the 37 pages of this thread. Thanking all in advance.

One thing to note is that there is a lot of information that is common to multiple lines, so even if you plan to travel with Avalon there is information on the markets that will be useful. As FuelScience says a search would be helpful.

[JVilleGal]

Make sure you sail early enough in December that Christmas Markets are still open. By the time an actual sailing on Christmas Day hits you may be very disappointed.

[s35flyer]

Icuqt, these cruises are really almost all alike.  You can have a bad meal or experience on any of them, ask Viking about running into the lock and putting it out of action.  The ships are the same as they all must fit in the locks.  Viking promotes their balconies, but the space comes from what would have been your room, so......  we loved everything about our Avalon cruise and have no issue recommending them to our best friends, but all the lines go to the same more or less places, IMHO it comes down to when do you want to go and what cities do you want to visit, then find the cruise that matches that.   In fact we have booked our next one with a different line just because they go to a few specific things we want to see and on the schedule that fits ours.  Once you’ve done that then look closely at the line your considering.  It’s all about what you want to see.

 

i do agree above, don’t go so close to Xmas the markets are not in full swing.  Seems to me you need to investigate the markets and when is best to visit and which ones, then pick a cruise line.

[Another Midwesterner]

On 8/9/2019 at 2:09 PM, FuelScience said:

We did this cruise (northbound) a couple of years ago and enjoyed it. Avalon uses the Poetry II on the Rhone, so you might want to check out the reviews at the link below. 

 

Also, when you're in Tournon/Tain L'Hermitage, I would suggest skipping the walking tour and set out on your own and visit the Valrhona chocolate store across the river (about a mile walk). There are tons of incredible free samples, and when I checked out with my chocolates, the clerk dropped another handful of samples into my bag! You only have half a day there, but you should have plenty of time to load up on chocolate. Valrhona has a tour that gets mixed reviews, but everyone loves the shop. 

 

Enjoy!

 

https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/getreviews.cfm?action=ship&ShipID=822 

 

https://www.citeduchocolat.com/en 

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g674303-d3704337-Reviews-Cite_du_Chocolat_Valrhona-Tain_l_Hermitage_Drome_Auvergne_Rhone_Alpes.html 

FuelScience thanks for the information.  I think the chocolate store sounds like a good option.  I have read the reviews for Poetry II which appears to be about the same as the Luminary.

[franski]

On 8/9/2019 at 3:09 PM, FuelScience said:

We did this cruise (northbound) a couple of years ago and enjoyed it. Avalon uses the Poetry II on the Rhone, so you might want to check out the reviews at the link below. 

 

Also, when you're in Tournon/Tain L'Hermitage, I would suggest skipping the walking tour and set out on your own and visit the Valrhona chocolate store across the river (about a mile walk). There are tons of incredible free samples, and when I checked out with my chocolates, the clerk dropped another handful of samples into my bag! You only have half a day there, but you should have plenty of time to load up on chocolate. Valrhona has a tour that gets mixed reviews, but everyone loves the shop. 

 

Enjoy!

We also did this cruise northbound - had a great trip.  We flew in early and spent a few days in Nice before taking the train to Monaco (where the tour started...)

 

Agree with the suggestion about Valrhona chocolate store.  I am not a big chocolate fan - but love Valrhona chocolate.  I was able to buy lots as presents for people back home.  And the "freebies" they threw into my bag where a lovely treat. 

 

Fran

[ICUQT]

• Thanks for all the replies....much appreciated.

[Kenster]

On 7/18/2019 at 5:10 PM, oneadam12 said:

A group of us are doing an Avalon Rhine cruise this fall.  Question, should we book our included shore excursion ahead of time or wait until we board the boat?  Also, does Avalon ever cancel included excursions for reasons other than weather or political unrest?

Some excursions (included or optional) have a limited number of seats, therefore,  popular ones can fill up.  Booking ahead online is so easy.  Why not do that and avoid possible disappointment?  You can always change the included ones, once you get onboard.   It's possible that you won't be able to change or cancel an optional, especially at short notice.  So, if you pay for one in advance, make sure it something you really want to do.

[Kenster]

On 7/21/2019 at 2:07 PM, Lisa B. said:

We are doing our first river cruise leaving October 22 for 15 days. Budapest to Amsterdam.  Anyone ever cruised during this time of year who could tell me about weather? Trying to decide how to pack.....Lightly, which I am NOT good at. Very excited and great reading everything on this thread. We are coming to Budapest a few days before departure. I can go straight to the boat on my own or do we have to meet the group at a specific location?

thanks for any help or advice!

Avalon seems to have change procedures this year.  On our previous three cruises, we were transferred to a meeting spot at a hotel.  You could hang around the hotel for several hours or go out and explore before being bused to the ship later in the afternoon.  This year, it looks like you can go  straight to the ship as soon as you arrive, though your cabin won't be ready until early to mid afternoon.  So, you can relax in the lounge or up on the sundeck, have lunch on board and/or a drink at the bar, or leave the ship to explore some (depending on where it's docked.) 

This information is in your document packet.

[Kenster]

On 8/8/2019 at 4:34 PM, seashell said:

gnome,

are there any usb ports in the rooms?  thanks for the other answer.

michelle

There is a USB port on each side of the bed.

[patbrown]

Booked on Expression in October. Are there any retractable clotheslines in the bathroom such as those on

ocean cruise lines?  Trying to pack light...

[racknlube]

4 hours ago, patbrown said:

Booked on Expression in October. Are there any retractable clotheslines in the bathroom such as those on

ocean cruise lines?  Trying to pack light...

We are on the Imagery 11 and there is a short clothesline in the shower. I have used it every day!

[s35flyer]

We were on expression in April, yes there was a retractable clothesline.  Along those lines of not packing too much, we used the on board laundry once and it was excellent service.  Considering what the trip costs the laundry service was pennies.