All Things Avalon

[75snow]

Excursions with Castles? 

 

My wife loves castles and that is her main sight seeing goal. However, Avalon does not give specific excursion details on their cruises.  We are looking at either the Danube, Rhine or Mosel rivers. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

[YoungDubFan]

75snow - the Rhine is known for its stretch for castles. I did this trip with Avalon back in 2012 and wrote an extensive trip report on these boards. This was our first river cruise & I was very happy with the itinerary. I think this is a link to my trip report:   https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/1577278-trip-report-avalon-felicity-romantic-rhine-basel-amsterdam/ 

[Kenster]

In the website under daily intinerary I’m pretty sure they indicate the daily excursion details. 
Click on the cruise you’re interested in. Then Cruise details.  In the left margin click “Day by day.”  
it’s all right there. 

[Playtennis]

We too are soon able to sign up for our excursions. Since this is our first leap from ocean to river cruising we are accustomed to getting on the list the second they are available. This has meant doing bookings at 3AM (egad!).  What time on the opening day does Avalon start the booking?  I believe they're home office is in Colorado.

 

[JVilleGal]

Most people don’t sign up until they are actually on board. River Cruising is SO not like the craziness of Ocean Cruising! 

[Lois R]

15 minutes ago, Playtennis said:

We too are soon able to sign up for our excursions. Since this is our first leap from ocean to river cruising we are accustomed to getting on the list the second they are available. This has meant doing bookings at 3AM (egad!).  What time on the opening day does Avalon start the booking?  I believe they're home office is in Colorado.

 

Hi, I agree with the previous post. I would not be too concerned about the timing and what tours are available.

River Cruises have so few guests on board---I know on my recent cruise (back in Oct) I didn't sign up for anything

ahead of time. Did it all while on board and everything turned out fine.

[Kenster]

For the most part, you should be fine to wait til you get on board. But if there’s something you REALLY want to do, go ahead and book it. Some excursions have limited seating- like one bus load. 
There are also INCLUDED EXCURSIONS that can be booked ahead of time. So, as a four time Avalon veteran, I’d advise to go ahead and book everything you want to do. 

[s35flyer]

Nothing to worry about.  They give you plenty of notice.  Many people sign up the day of but I wouldn’t do that.  But at happy hour the day before they talk about “tomorrow” that’s likely last chance to be sure you get it.  

 

thanks this brought  back good memories.

[FuelScience]

There is one reason to sign up early. If there's a tour you absolutely know you want to take go ahead and sign up. Unless they've changed their policy recently, if you sign up for a tour before you leave you're guaranteed that the tour will be available. If you sign up on the boat and not enough people sign up for the tour to be worthwhile, Avalon will cancel the tour due to lack of interest.

[Playtennis]

Thanks to all for their replies, I appreciate them all.  Unfortunately if I waited until I got onboard before signing up I'd be a quivering blob of jello. (BTW - can a booked excursion be cancelled? Would optional excursion costs be reimbursed?)

After reading the great thoughts, I certainly won't be paranoid about missing a day or two (OMG - I JUST BLASPHEMED!).  One of the big reasons to book early is that we research each of the places we dock and see if there is anything local going on: a play, bazaar, show, etc; we'd like to know the start time and the duration of the excursion so that we might be able to do both.

[Lois R]

2 minutes ago, Playtennis said:

Thanks to all for their replies, I appreciate them all.  Unfortunately if I waited until I got onboard before signing up I'd be a quivering blob of jello. (BTW - can a booked excursion be cancelled? Would optional excursion costs be reimbursed?)

After reading the great thoughts, I certainly won't be paranoid about missing a day or two (OMG - I JUST BLASPHEMED!).  One of the big reasons to book early is that we research each of the places we dock and see if there is anything local going on: a play, bazaar, show, etc; we'd like to know the start time and the duration of the excursion so that we might be able to do both.

Hi, good morning....so you want every detail planned ahead of time?.....your choice of course but I would say

relax a bit.  River cruising is so much different than ocean cruising...….let some of it come your way

Sometimes things can be more fun when  they are spontaneous....(just my opinion).

[suntan]

44 minutes ago, Playtennis said:

Thanks to all for their replies, I appreciate them all.  Unfortunately if I waited until I got onboard before signing up I'd be a quivering blob of jello. (BTW - can a booked excursion be cancelled? Would optional excursion costs be reimbursed?)

After reading the great thoughts, I certainly won't be paranoid about missing a day or two (OMG - I JUST BLASPHEMED!).  One of the big reasons to book early is that we research each of the places we dock and see if there is anything local going on: a play, bazaar, show, etc; we'd like to know the start time and the duration of the excursion so that we might be able to do both.

Playtennis, we're the same.  Despite what type of trip I take (land or cruise) I always research the destination to find out what events are going on when we're in port.  I try to pack in as much sightseeing/experience as I can in the time I have in the city/town.  

 

I will be booking my excursions today for my May river cruise.  I prefer to pay now in Canadian as opposed to the Euro if I booked on board. 

[Playtennis]

18 minutes ago, Lois R said:

Hi, good morning....so you want every detail planned ahead of time?.....your choice of course but I would say

relax a bit.  River cruising is so much different than ocean cruising...….let some of it come your way

Sometimes things can be more fun when  they are spontaneous....(just my opinion).

Lois R,

Thank you for your thoughts.  We have "planned" our trip to have plenty of time off for spontaneity. However, there ARE things which must be planed ahead.  For example: as soon as they come available, we will book tickets for the French Open (tennis), book tickets for the day & time to visit the Eiffel Tower,  a Palais Garnier tour must be reserved in advance, day and time to go to the Lascaux caves must be booked as early as possible as the spots go quickly.  That said, we do have 3 out of the six days in Paris unplanned (we have places that we will probably visit then but it's all open with lots of sipping wine & people watching) and 3 out of 6 days in the Dordogne River Valley unstructured so that we can soak up the local atmosphere.  Finally, for the cruise which starts 15 days after the start of our vacation, there are 6 stops that we have no exact plans and expect to DIY.  However, that's not to say that we won't research the town/area and direct ourselves in that way.

I read on one of the blogs here in CC about a couple whose ship stopped in Paris and, according to them, they raced off the ship and visited so many places in one day that I doubt very seriously that they did more than, "Look! Over there!  That's the Tour Eiffel!   What's next?!"  That's not for us.  We'd rather see one thing and be absorbed in it.  That reminds me.  When ever we go to a foreign country I like to learn a few words/phrases in the language before we go.  It has been so much more interesting to be able to ask for directions or say hello or excuse myself for NOT being able to speak the language well. That too takes planning.

Hopefully à bientôt!

[s35flyer]

Ok, I think most of Us thought the detailed planning was on the river cruise not pre or post days.  Sure everyone plans those, but while your on the cruise it’s a lot different.  As one poster said you need to relax and take what comes.  Things can and will change, river might be high might be low, a lock might be broke, just go with the flow.  I know this will be difficult, but pretty much forget everything about ocean cruising because it does not relate to river cruising.  Well they are both boats and all of that, but that’s pretty much it. 

[Host Jazzbeau]

2 hours ago, s35flyer said:

Ok, I think most of Us thought the detailed planning was on the river cruise not pre or post days.  Sure everyone plans those, but while your on the cruise it’s a lot different.  As one poster said you need to relax and take what comes.  Things can and will change, river might be high might be low, a lock might be broke, just go with the flow.  I know this will be difficult, but pretty much forget everything about ocean cruising because it does not relate to river cruising.  Well they are both boats and all of that, but that’s pretty much it. 

 

And the Cruise Director might be able to arrange a last-minute surprise...

[Daisi]

1 minute ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

 

And the Cruise Director might be able to arrange a last-minute surprise...

 

I'll second that... while our Rhine cruise didn't include a canal cruise of Strasbourg, we found out the night before that our CD had organised one.  

 

I am one to overplan (I've been planning our Danube cruise now for 2 years, we go next year), and it's always nice to do your research to know what is available in each port as you can visit it possibly on your free time.  However as everyone says, things can change rapidly, so be prepared to go with the flow.

 

As to booking your optional excursions, we did ours before the cruise, and it gave me time to research what I wanted to see vs what just looked interesting.  I changed my excursions a couple of times prior to boarding at no charge, however if you change on board that may be different. I also prefer to pay in Cdn rather than Euros.

[YoungDubFan]

Anyone planning to do their own things while in port on a river cruise need to keep in mind that arrival / departure times can vary greatly depending on river traffic, lock timing, etc. You may be given a rough idea of arrival time in a port before you leave but that can fluctuate greatly, so if you are pre-booking DIY tours, check to see if there is flexibility in the timing. You will get a better idea of arrival time the day before, but that can still change. 

[mhb1757]

We just booked Avalon’s Canals, Castles and Vineyards cruise (Moselle to Rhine) for this June at an awesome price. We board in Remich, Luxembourg. We are making our own air arrangements and flying into Frankfurt then taking the train to Luxembourg City. There is a bus from there to Remich but I’m thinking an Uber might be easier. Has anyone made their way to Remich precruise?

all suggestions welcomed. 

[suntan]

14 hours ago, YoungDubFan said:

Anyone planning to do their own things while in port on a river cruise need to keep in mind that arrival / departure times can vary greatly depending on river traffic, lock timing, etc. You may be given a rough idea of arrival time in a port before you leave but that can fluctuate greatly, so if you are pre-booking DIY tours, check to see if there is flexibility in the timing. You will get a better idea of arrival time the day before, but that can still change. 

YoungDubFan, I was wondering why on the itinerary there are no arrival and departure times (except for embarkation day) as I was trying to decide what to do/see on my own time.  I take it from your comment that there is no set arrival and departure times at the ports of call, is that correct?  

[Hoyaheel]

You might know "morning" or "afternoon" from the itinerary in advance - but the specific arrival and departure times might not be known until the last moment (announced the night before, but always subject to change) Heck - docking location also always subject to change....

[gnome12]

2 hours ago, suntan said:

YoungDubFan, I was wondering why on the itinerary there are no arrival and departure times (except for embarkation day) as I was trying to decide what to do/see on my own time.  I take it from your comment that there is no set arrival and departure times at the ports of call, is that correct?  

Even the port of call can change, although they will try to make the actual itinerary stop even if it requires a bus ride. My suggestion is to do your research, find the things you would like to see, get their locations and opening times. Then, when you find out when you have free time, or decide to ditch the included tour, you know what you can do without spending time looking into it.

 

A lot of the places are fairly small; and you don't have an ocean cruise ship disgorging thousands of passengers. There is little need (or, to be honest, opportunity) to plan anything in advance. The exception I would make might be for an overnight in Vienna; most lines will schedule a touristy (but enjoyable) concert and you might like to do something else.

[Kenster]

2 hours ago, suntan said:

YoungDubFan, I was wondering why on the itinerary there are no arrival and departure times (except for embarkation day) as I was trying to decide what to do/see on my own time.  I take it from your comment that there is no set arrival and departure times at the ports of call, is that correct?  

Suntan, timings are very fluid on river conditions. Several factors affect dock and departure times. It’s not uncommon for some stops to be totally cancelled due to river conditions. 
You might plan your independent outings but I advise against booking reservations, buying tickets, etc, because you just won’t know the timings until the night before and even those could easily be changed. 
 

You should really look carefully at Avalon’s included and optional excursions. I can’t imagine that’s there’s something you want to see that’s not already offered. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Hoyaheel]

54 minutes ago, gnome12 said:

 My suggestion is to do your research, find the things you would like to see, get their locations and opening times. Then, when you find out when you have free time, or decide to ditch the included tour, you know what you can do without spending time looking into it.

This is what we did - typically looked up a few breweries or pubs in the towns we were scheduled to visit (husband's input 😉) plus hours/locations of the Christmas markets (my preference) and fit in what we could....

[gnome12]

31 minutes ago, Hoyaheel said:

This is what we did - typically looked up a few breweries or pubs in the towns we were scheduled to visit (husband's input 😉) plus hours/locations of the Christmas markets (my preference) and fit in what we could....

For me it might be museums. They are rarely included on excursions, but there might be something that interests me particularly, and I will try to fit it in.

[sanger727]

I did not read the entire thread so apologize if this has already been addressed. We are looking at booking a mekong river cruise for 2021 and they are currently offering $1,000 pp off. Is this pretty standard offer? Do they have times throughout the year where they typically offer better than normal savings? We are not interested in free air. Also, do people typically book directly or through a travel agent. Are you likely to get a better price or extras if you use a travel agent?