All Things Avalon

[notamermaid]

Ahhh, the Thalys. Loved my journey from Brussels to Cologne. First class, plush seats, nice food. Better than Eurostar First Class I found. May have changed since of course.

 

I love St. Pancras station. The hotel looks interesting but I have no reason to stay in central London so will probably never get to see the rooms. London is either sight-seeing or stopover for the North of England for me.

 

notamermaid

 

[newd cruiser]

Thanks, first, to FuelScience for creating this "All Things Avalon" forum.

 

My wife and I will be traveling on the Active & Discovery On The Rhine (Northbound), departing Basel on 08, August, 2023.  Not much to say here, now, other than looking forward to meeting anyone else traveling on that cruise.

 

Actually, there is one thing . . . .  We will be in Koblenz the same day as a "Rhine in Flames" fireworks display that evening.  Sure would be nice if we could talk the Captain and Crew into a later departure . . .

 

Thanks, all.!

 

- ww

Edited April 30, 2023 by newd cruiser

[notamermaid]

2 hours ago, newd cruiser said:

Actually, there is one thing . . . .  We will be in Koblenz the same day as a "Rhine in Flames" fireworks display that evening.  Sure would be nice if we could talk the Captain and Crew into a later departure . . .

Would be lovely if you could see that. It will be very busy in Koblenz on that day. As regards the sailing - the captain will have to stick to special regulations on that day as the river will be busy, too. I think there will be an NfB, meaning a(n online) notification will be published for river traffic.

 

Have a great cruise.

 

notamermaid

 

[Kenster]

2 hours ago, newd cruiser said:

Thanks, first, to FuelScience for creating this "All Things Avalon" forum.

 

My wife and I will be traveling on the Active & Discovery On The Rhine (Northbound), departing Basel on 08, August, 2023.  Not much to say here, now, other than looking forward to meeting anyone else traveling on that cruise.

 

Actually, there is one thing . . . .  We will be in Koblenz the same day as a "Rhine in Flames" fireworks display that evening.  Sure would be nice if we could talk the Captain and Crew into a later departure . . .

 

Thanks, all.!

 

- ww

I’m sure he’d be happy to cooperate IF… locking and docking schedules down river allow.  He’ll need to plan that well ahead of time so speak to him and/or the CD as soon as you get onboard.  
 

Hope it works out for you. Any idea what the current itinerary is? If you’re only talking about an hour or two, it might be possible. If you need a several hours delay, it’s unlikely. 

[newd cruiser]

2 hours ago, Kenster said:

I’m sure he’d be happy to cooperate IF… locking and docking schedules down river allow.  He’ll need to plan that well ahead of time so speak to him and/or the CD as soon as you get onboard.  
 

Hope it works out for you. Any idea what the current itinerary is? If you’re only talking about an hour or two, it might be possible. If you need a several hours delay, it’s unlikely. 

Thank you, Kenster.  Yep, I raised this issue when I booked last year.  The agent responded that I should raise it again, as we get closer, and to mention it again once on board.  We shall see!

 

- ww

[newd cruiser]

2 hours ago, notamermaid said:

Would be lovely if you could see that. It will be very busy in Koblenz on that day. As regards the sailing - the captain will have to stick to special regulations on that day as the river will be busy, too. I think there will be an NfB, meaning a(n online) notification will be published for river traffic.

 

Have a great cruise.

 

notamermaid

 

Thank you, notamermaid.  Yes, this is my big fear.  That the local river authorities will require the big cruise ships to "clear out" before the festivities to begin.  I know it is a long shot, but a long shot is better than none at all. . . .

[moonriver54]

My wife is concerned about shoes to bring on our Avalon "Danube Dreams" 7-day river cruise from Vilshofen to Budapest on 09 MAY given our luggage limitations.  Do we need hiking shoes, or is something more casual acceptable for daily excursions?  We plan to bring a standard carry-on roller each.  

 

Also...is a MAY Danube river cruise too early to be wearing shorts during daytime excursions?  Is laundry service aboard an Avalon ship a reasonable option?   Any comments/suggestions would be greatly appreciated!  We're all ears. Thank you.

Edited May 1, 2023 by moonriver54

[Kenster]

8 minutes ago, moonriver54 said:

My wife is concerned about shoes to bring on our Avalon "Danube Dreams" 7-day river cruise from Vilshofen to Budapest on 09 MAY given our luggage limitations.  Do we need hiking shoes, or is something more casual acceptable for daily excursions?  We plan to bring a standard carry-on roller each.  

 

Also...is a MAY Danube river cruise too early to be wearing shorts during daytime excursions?  Is laundry service aboard the Avalon ship a reasonable option?   Any comments/suggestions would be greatly appreciated!  We're all ears. Thank you.

My bride wears her walking shoes on the plane and takes a pair of dressy flats/slippers for evening wear. 
 

Start looking at the two week forecasts for Amsterdam, Cologne, and Basel. That’ll give you a good idea of temps and precipitation.  Anything north of 50 is shorts weather for me, even though I might be wearing a jacket, too. 

[Host Jazzbeau]

4 hours ago, Kenster said:

My bride wears her walking shoes on the plane and takes a pair of dressy flats/slippers for evening wear.

Given the span between taxi drop-off and the airplane gate (and reverse), hiking shoes are de rigeur for all plane trips with DW and me.  We often are close to the magical '10,000 steps' by the time we complete the trip!

[YoungDubFan]

Has anyone done the Active & Discovery Tour on the Danube from Croatia to Serbia? I’m interested in this itinerary but am not interested in strenuous hikes. I would be up for walks. If anyone has done this and can share the daily newsletters, I would appreciate it. I’ve sent an e-mail to Avalon asking for the dailies but I’m not sure if they will send or not. 

[jsn55]

57 minutes ago, YoungDubFan said:

Has anyone done the Active & Discovery Tour on the Danube from Croatia to Serbia? I’m interested in this itinerary but am not interested in strenuous hikes. I would be up for walks. If anyone has done this and can share the daily newsletters, I would appreciate it. I’ve sent an e-mail to Avalon asking for the dailies but I’m not sure if they will send or not. 

Most people aren't interested in anything strenuous on a river cruise.  Pax are often broken up into slow, normal and hikers for the shore excursions.  Many excursions run in the morning, leaving the afternoon open for pax to plan.  Read the descriptions on Avalon's published itineraries, it should be quite clear.

[Kenster]

19 minutes ago, jsn55 said:

Most people aren't interested in anything strenuous on a river cruise.  Pax are often broken up into slow, normal and hikers for the shore excursions.  Many excursions run in the morning, leaving the afternoon open for pax to plan.  Read the descriptions on Avalon's published itineraries, it should be quite clear.

Avalon’s “Active and Discovery” cruises are very successful.  They offer more physically challenging excursions such as biking, kayaking, long hikes into the hills, etc.. But the regular walking tours are also offered at every stop.  
 

Something for everyone. 

[Daisi]

21 minutes ago, jsn55 said:

Most people aren't interested in anything strenuous on a river cruise.  Pax are often broken up into slow, normal and hikers for the shore excursions.  Many excursions run in the morning, leaving the afternoon open for pax to plan.  Read the descriptions on Avalon's published itineraries, it should be quite clear.

 

Avalon's Active & Discovery are very different, they do a lot of more strenuous activities, and are not the normal shore excursions. This one includes several different hikes & bike rides from the normal excursions. Avalon is going after the active passengers, they may not have much of a gym, but I know some that have been on runs through towns, hikes up mountains etc.

 

@YoungDubFan, I went to another board to see if I could find anything for you, but I see you beat me to it. Good luck, the cruise sounds really great. I looked up some of the parks visited, and the scenery looks fantastic. I'm sure if you find the hikes may be to much, you could probably switch to the normal excursions. Talk to the CD on boarding if you decide to go and they should be able to help out.

 

[Rebel54]

On 5/22/2023 at 9:50 AM, YoungDubFan said:

Has anyone done the Active & Discovery Tour on the Danube from Croatia to Serbia? I’m interested in this itinerary but am not interested in strenuous hikes. I would be up for walks. If anyone has done this and can share the daily newsletters, I would appreciate it. I’ve sent an e-mail to Avalon asking for the dailies but I’m not sure if they will send or not. 

I hope you will share some of your experiences.  We are doing Germany to the Black Sea next year.  I wish it was sooner.  Until then I live vicariously through others 🙂

[notamermaid]

If you are in the UK this may be of interest to you: https://travelweekly.co.uk/news/tour-operators/avalon-waterways-launches-dedicated-brochure-for-uk-market

 

Yes, people still like paper. Nothing like receiving a big, colourful magazine to rustle through in the post or taking one home from the high street travel agent. Almost as good as a new pair of shoes, for me anyway.

 

notamermaid

 

[Daisi]

The one my TA gave me is smaller than previous ones, but has all the 2023-2024 cruises in it as well. Cover is more of a sunrise/sunset over the water rather than the blues, but probably the same.

[ljandgb]

That looks like an amazing cruise, and it is some beautiful countryside to be hiking/biking thru.  We did the standard lower Danube with Avalon 2 years ago.  Not that you asked, but I'd really recommend adding the 2 days in Transylvania.  It was one of my favorite areas.

 

 

[Suzanne123]

Just sent my final payment for the Active & Discovery on the Moselle Sept. 3-10.  🙂 We decided to stay two days in Bruges and one day in Brussels before the train to Luxembourg.  Has anyone used Tours by Locals in any of those cities and can recommend a particular tour or guide? Thanks.

[Kenster]

Love the Moselle. We spent a few days on it as part of the 11 day Rhine and Moselle, our first of five Avalons starting in 2014. 

[Canal archive]

Moored up at Cocham on the Moselle one year virtually ever cruiser went off to explore only one guy (passenger) left on board, when we returned he told us that the crew had carried out one of the slickest pieces of removal and replacement he had ever seen. Every bed including mattress on board had been replaced with a new one. Unless he had been there we would never had known. It turned out that the boat had been completely refitted over the winter and the beds had not been available, so Cocham was delivery day.

Beautiful river and towns.

[moonriver54]

My wife and I recently returned from our Avalon "Danube Dreams" river cruise from Vilshofen, Germany to Budapest, Hungary aboard the Avalon Envision.  Our sailing date way 09 MAY 2023.  This was our first river cruise and I cannot begin to tell you how much we truly enjoyed the entire experience.  Although it rained almost every day...we were fully prepared with our umbrellas and hiking shoes...so the foul weather was no issue!  

 

Avalon Waterways is a SUPERB operation, from top to bottom.  The Avalon Envision was SPOTLESS...like new.  Our Panorama stateroom was utterly COMFORTABLE...toasty...like a home on the river.  And the ship's crew was truly OUTSTANDING...just THE BEST!  They took such great care of us.  The food was 5-STAR...all of it...breakfast, lunch and dinner.  I usually only eat twice a day...however I made an exception here!! I just couldn't pass it up.  It was just SO GOOD!

 

We were SO pleased with our Avalon Waterways experience that we booked a fall cruise on the Rhine upon returning home.  Yes...THAT'S how much we enjoyed our river cruise aboard Avalon!  FWIW...my wife and I are not affiliated with Avalon in any way, not travel agents, not YouTubers, but instead...simply retirees looking for an enjoyable travel experience.  And we darned sure found it here!

Edited May 28, 2023 by moonriver54

[Canal archive]

moonriver54 you find something you like, really enjoy, find absolutely amazing and stick with it, enthusiasm for a throughly enjoyed experience is never ever misplaced. Enjoy your - now don’t take this wrong - your fall on (in) the  Rhine.

[Daisi]

@moonriver54Avalon does put out a great product, and like you, we loved our first cruise so much we were very eager to do another on... started planning it on the flight home.  We loved the 5* service & food, but also really enjoyed the more casual atmosphere. We got to know some of the crew (from those actually crewing the ship to the ones interacting with the passengers) and were very glad to hear that they enjoyed themselves so much that they even recommended it as employment for family & friends. That says a lot as to how Avalon treats its employees, and that means a lot, as happy employees are more willing to go above and beyond. 

 

We are eagerly looking forward to our Sept. cruise on the Danube. Plane, train and hotel all booked.... now just waiting for the excursions. It's going to be a loooooooooooong summer!

 

[jsn55]

16 hours ago, moonriver54 said:

My wife and I recently returned from our Avalon "Danube Dreams" river cruise from Vilshofen, Germany to Budapest, Hungary aboard the Avalon Envision.  Our sailing date way 09 MAY 2023.  This was our first river cruise and I cannot begin to tell you how much we truly enjoyed the entire experience.  Although it rained almost every day...we were fully prepared with our umbrellas and hiking shoes...so the foul weather was no issue!  

 

Avalon Waterways is a SUPERB operation, from top to bottom.  The Avalon Envision was SPOTLESS...like new.  Our Panorama stateroom was utterly COMFORTABLE...toasty...like a home on the river.  And the ship's crew was truly OUTSTANDING...just THE BEST!  They took such great care of us.  The food was 5-STAR...all of it...breakfast, lunch and dinner.  I usually only eat twice a day...however I made an exception here!! I just couldn't pass it up.  It was just SO GOOD!

 

We were SO pleased with our Avalon Waterways experience that we booked a fall cruise on the Rhine upon returning home.  Yes...THAT'S how much we enjoyed our river cruise aboard Avalon!  FWIW...my wife and I are not affiliated with Avalon in any way, not travel agents, not YouTubers, but instead...simply retirees looking for an enjoyable travel experience.  And we darned sure found it here!

We had exactly the same experience with Avalon ... except we had taken several river cruises prior to the Rhine/Mosel trip.  Avalon's a class act for sure.

[flygirlpeg]

On 5/28/2023 at 5:23 PM, moonriver54 said:

My wife and I recently returned from our Avalon "Danube Dreams" river cruise from Vilshofen, Germany to Budapest, Hungary aboard the Avalon Envision.  Our sailing date way 09 MAY 2023.  This was our first river cruise and I cannot begin to tell you how much we truly enjoyed the entire experience.  Although it rained almost every day...we were fully prepared with our umbrellas and hiking shoes...so the foul weather was no issue!  

 

Avalon Waterways is a SUPERB operation, from top to bottom.  The Avalon Envision was SPOTLESS...like new.  Our Panorama stateroom was utterly COMFORTABLE...toasty...like a home on the river.  And the ship's crew was truly OUTSTANDING...just THE BEST!  They took such great care of us.  The food was 5-STAR...all of it...breakfast, lunch and dinner.  I usually only eat twice a day...however I made an exception here!! I just couldn't pass it up.  It was just SO GOOD!

 

We were SO pleased with our Avalon Waterways experience that we booked a fall cruise on the Rhine upon returning home.  Yes...THAT'S how much we enjoyed our river cruise aboard Avalon!  FWIW...my wife and I are not affiliated with Avalon in any way, not travel agents, not YouTubers, but instead...simply retirees looking for an enjoyable travel experience.  And we darned sure found it here!

We are departing from Vilshofen in August and were wanting to stay the night before our departure in Vilshofen.  Do you have any advice regarding lodging there?