Oops! Just back from Avalon Tapestry!

[helene123]

See the message below for comments on the Avalon Tapestry...I made a mistake! We were definitely on the Tapestry, NOT the Poetry! Sorry.

[DEEGEE]

Helene123:

It's good to hear such a positive report on the boat and the grub. I'm a little disapointed to hear that they needed to dock so far away from Trier. I am looking forward to exploring the Roman ruins at Trier, did you have enough free time to do some exploring on your own in Trier ? Was there any free time in Heidelburg for exploration ? Were there many optional excursions? If so did you take any, and were they worth the time ? Was there any time at all in Basil ? In another post regarding this cruise, the poster indicated that the excursion to The Hague was not worth the time spent, do you have an opinion ? Thank you for the post. Please relate anything you think may help me to get the most out of this vacation.

Thanks again

DeeGee

[helene123]

Yes, it was a wonderful ship and cruise overall. Cruising the Rhine, seeing all the castles is just amazing. And on the Moselle, there are the vineyards.

 

We didn't do the guided tour in Trier. It was a Sunday, so nothing was or would be open. So we took a taxi to town (for 20 euros!) and explored on our own. Several others did that, too. We took the ship's bus back at I think 11:30. The ship left port at 12:30 I think, so we decided it wasn't worth another 20 euros to take a taxi back for one hour. We did quite a bit in our few hours, but again, it was early and we couldn't get in anything til maybe 11:00.

 

We didn't do any of the optional excursions. We did have a full day (!) in Heidelburg, since we decided not to take the bus up to the castle and just spend time in the town. It's a very nice town to do that, and we were anxious for time without a deadline too soon. We had from maybe 11:00 a.m. til about 5 p.m, which was great. And the bus dropped us in town before going up to the castle. I know we missed a good castle, but maybe next time.......

 

We didn't go to the Hague, and we also heard it wasn't that great. It was about an hour's drive by bus then maybe half an hour there, and no time to really see anything, then an hour back. We just walked around Rotterdam. It wasn't the most interesting city, but we enjoyed it.

 

Rudelsheim was one stop that was off the charts for touristy. It was the musical museum, which really was ok. Then we had a couple of hours on our own. However, this town reminded us of the Wisconsin Dells. I don't know if you know what we mean, but it was just a big tourist stop. The town was beautiful, probably, but it was jam packed with tourists. Not the best stop, really. Way too touristy. But I think it's probably better than staying on the ship. It was one of the stops where we had to take a bus into town, so that would be your alternative.

 

As far as clothes, it was very casual. There were half Australians on our ship, by the way. Many of the American women wore clothes from Coldwater Creek and Chico's! We laughed about that. Just casual outfits is fine. There is no do-it-yourself laundry, but we bit the bullet and paid for a few shirts to be cleaned.

 

Our last stop was in Basel, so nothing was planned by the cruise. We spent the day there. You will be off the ship by about 9:00 a.m. on the last day.

 

Let me know if you have any other questions.

 

Helene

[letsgo39]

Oh NOOOOOO!:eek:

 

Chicos and Coldwater Creek HUH?

I do buy my precious MIL a Christmas and birthday gift from Copldwater Creek!

I think I am spending a lot of money on myself when I pay full price at Dress Barn!!!!! LOL!!! :D

[DEEGEE]

Thank you, Helene123 for your insights. Looks like we will be able to check out the Roman ruins in Trier and explore Heidelberg. We cruised on the Poetry , Budapest to Amsterdam, last May and had a wonderful vacation, so we thought we would try the rest of the Rhine and the Mosel. Yes, we found Rudesheim a bit touristy and the Musical Museum to be enjoyable,but we did find an open air winestube with live music and some wonderful beers to try to while away the hours there. This trip I would like to get up to the Neiderlander monument atop the hill for the view of the Rhine valley. Any info. on Strasbourg and Briesach ( Black Forest ) would be appreciated. We will have to decide about the trip to the Hauge based on whats available in Rotterdam, I'm one of those folks who hates to miss anything. I'll rest when I get home. The poster who took this cruise earlier said they needed to wait on line for over two hours for tickets to the Ricksmuseum. I found that you can buy and print your tickets on line from the museums website. Aint the internet grand

Thanks Again

DeeGee

[letsgo39]

Deegee, What is the web site for the tickets to the Rikksmueseum? I was there last year but Dh has never seen it so I want him to see it when we are in Amsterdam.I wonder if Avalon could arrange for tickets? Did you have much free time in Amsterdam when you were on your Budapest to Amsterdam cruise? We are going to stay an extra day in Amsterdam at the end of our Budapest to Amsterdam river cruise.

I don't know how long you are going to be in Amsterdam but I found a web site for a 24 hr hop on hop off canal boat tour. The routes cover everything in Amsterdam you could ever want to see.It has stops at all the major tourist attractions incl the Redlight District.

[DEEGEE]

The museums website is www.rijksmuseum.nl there is a pea green strip on the left side of the screen, roll your mouse over it to reveal visitor info. menu, then click on buy tickets on line. The rest is easy. We departed Cologne at about 7:00pm and arrived in Amsterdam at about 12:30 pm the next day. Shore excursions to the canal cruise left at 2:00 pm, there was also an excursion to the red light district that left the ship at 8:30 pm. We did not do much sight seeing in Amsterdam other than the canal cruise It was a rainy day, and packing needed to be done, plus after 14 days of hiking up hill and down dale on cobblestone streets we had pretty much had it. This time we will see Amsterdam first while were still full of zip.

[BigKahuna123]

Helene123:

Thanks for your post. A few questions for you. We have a deposit for this exact cruise next April, 2007. Did you say all tours start very early, 6:45amish or just a couple? Would you go on this cruise again? was it worth the $$? What did you do on your last stop in Basel, fly home from Zurich or toured some sights?

We are trying to think of a few days in London or Amsterdam prior to cruise and if we should plan a couple of days after. We are also figuring out airfare and stops from Denver.

 

What was avg age of passengers on ship? Sounds like a great time and ship seems to be very nice and new. The food sounds great.

 

What time did you depart Amsterdam?

 

Thanks again.

[letsgo39]

I'll jump in here for a minute. Don't want to hijack the post. Just thought I would comment on London vs Amsterdam. IMHO London is much more interesting then Amsterdam,lots more to see.If you go to London check out the 24 hr hop on hop off big bus tours. You get to see everything. I have been to both places but I keep going back to London.jmho!!!!

[BigKahuna123]

Thanks Letsgo39. No problem jumping in. Good feedback.

 

Will look into London more.

[Harley Woman]

Helene123, I was wondering if you could tell me what you purchased or wish you would have purchased while on your cruise.

Thanks You,

Harley Woman

[letsgo39]

I'll jump in for a minute.

 

I have visited this area before on a land tour.

People were buying cuckoo clocks,music boxes,leiderhoesens(sp) vests,

nutcrackers and some handcarved wood stuff.Also some Chsistmas ornaments.nativity sets and beer steins.A few purchased dolls for grand daughters.Wish I had a granddaughter.:D

Excuse the interruption please.

[fuzzlekins]

We'll be taking the Romantic Rhine cruise on the Avalon next week. This will be our first river cruise. I know the statistics on the ages of cruisers, but what was the mix on your cruise? We're in our mid-thirties. We've got nothing against retirees but we're just wondering if there will be ANYONE under 50 on the boat. Also, were tables for 2 available in the dining room? We're rather shy, private people so we generally prefer tables for 2. Regarding the attire ... you mentioned the Coldwater Creek and Chico's ... ugh. Land's End is about as high end as we'll go on our casual clothes and not many of those! :p I know jeans aren't immensely common as casual clothes for the older folk, but that's what we're planning to pack. Are we likely to look completely out of place at breakfast and lunch, and on the excursions? I'll take wool skorts and dresses for dinner (and one cocktail dress) and hubby is bringing a sport jacket with khakis and one suit, but we're figuring on jeans and sweaters during the day. Hoping this is okay b/c I definitely don't have time to go shopping before we leave. Plus we want to be comfortable. Was the atmosphere "stuffy" at all? I know the target market for these cruises is the upper class retiree crowd, but I'm hoping that's either not all accurate or at least not a bad thing. We're the very down-to-earth type. What time did the ship leave the dock on the first day? Do you happen to recall whether decaf iced tea was available? How did you handle the tipping (at time of svs vs. once/day vs. at the end of the week)? Also, did you tip in USD or Euros? And finally, were the beds comfortable or rock hard?

 

Thanks so much!!

[fuzzlekins]

Sorry to bombard you with questions but I just thought of another. Do you happen to recall any dishes that were on the dinner menu? I read that there are 3 options on the dinner menu (fish, beef, or vegetarian). I'm a bit concerned about how rich (and fattening) the options might be. I love gourmet but it doesn't generally love me. ;)

 

Thanks!!

[mac321]

We'll be taking the Romantic Rhine cruise on the Avalon next week. This will be our first river cruise. I know the statistics on the ages of cruisers, but what was the mix on your cruise? We're in our mid-thirties. We've got nothing against retirees but we're just wondering if there will be ANYONE under 50 on the boat. Also, were tables for 2 available in the dining room? We're rather shy, private people so we generally prefer tables for 2. Regarding the attire ... you mentioned the Coldwater Creek and Chico's ... ugh. Land's End is about as high end as we'll go on our casual clothes and not many of those! :p I know jeans aren't immensely common as casual clothes for the older folk, but that's what we're planning to pack. Are we likely to look completely out of place at breakfast and lunch, and on the excursions? I'll take wool skorts and dresses for dinner (and one cocktail dress) and hubby is bringing a sport jacket with khakis and one suit, but we're figuring on jeans and sweaters during the day. Hoping this is okay b/c I definitely don't have time to go shopping before we leave. Plus we want to be comfortable. Was the atmosphere "stuffy" at all? I know the target market for these cruises is the upper class retiree crowd, but I'm hoping that's either not all accurate or at least not a bad thing. We're the very down-to-earth type. What time did the ship leave the dock on the first day? Do you happen to recall whether decaf iced tea was available? How did you handle the tipping (at time of svs vs. once/day vs. at the end of the week)? Also, did you tip in USD or Euros? And finally, were the beds comfortable or rock hard?

 

So many questions - I'll do my best.

 

Mostly 55+ on our trip but some in their 30's. I think there were a few tables for 2 but most were 4's & 6's. We are very private people ourselves but never chose to dine alone. Mix with the crowd - there are some very interesting people out there - your trip will be more memorable for the experience.

 

Hmmm - suit, cocktail dress - your choice but you might feel out of place - just not necessary. At most take a sports coat. Neat and casual is all you need for dinner. For the rest of the day jeans or shorts are perfect - whatever you're wearing for the excursions is good for breakfast and lunch.

 

Stuffy? Upper class retirees? - Not on our trip. Just normal people taking a well deserved break.

 

We left Amsterdam in the evening.

 

TIpping. We gave the recommended amount for the crew, and gave extra to individual crew members. Tipped in euros.

 

Beds - only complaint was that there were 2 singles pushed together. First night they drifted apart. Subsequent nights I roped them together - end of problem.

 

I've got a menu at home. Will try to give some details later.

 

One suggestion - buy a map of the Rhine. You can get maps that show towns, important features etc and the river kilometre markers. Very useful to see what's coming up. The maps are about book size but open up to a metre long.

 

Hope this helps - enjoy your trip.

[fuzzlekins]

Thanks so much! What a relief! We were very concerned about being under-dressed. We're not at all concerned about the excursion times or a hectic pace -- we like to cram in as much as possible on sightseeing vacations. When we were in Iceland in August, we did 6 organized tours in 8 1/2 days, which ranged from 8-14 hrs/day. Then we went sightseeing ourselves in the evening and on the unplanned days. As a result, we saw a lot and had a WONDERFUL time. We're really looking forward to this first river cruise and to seeing alot! :)

[mac321]

On our trip we ate and drank much more than we would at home. I’m sure the words “low fat” and “light” are not part of the European chefs vocabulary. Despite this we both returned 5lbs lighter than we were at the beginning of our 6 week trip. We did a lot of walking.

 

Anyway here is one of the dinner menus.

 

Chilled cocktail with watermelon with port wine, or

Potato pancakes with sour cream, scallions and apple sauce, or

Caesars salad – Romaine salad, anchovy dressing, croutons, parmesan

 

Potato potage with marjoram and bacon, or

Chicken consommé with carrots and sherry

 

Grilled fillet of pike perch on a bed of stewed onions and bell peppers accompanied by potato gnocchi and broccoli roses, or

Braised slices of veal shank in vegetable red wine sauce, creamy polenta and green asparagus, or

Onion-leek quiche with water-cress sour cream and parsley potatoes

 

Classical “crème caramel”, or

Ice cream of the day.

 

Hope you enjoy it.

[fuzzlekins]

Thanks so much for posting that!!

[helene123]

Just checking in. I haven't visited this site in a few weeks.

 

I wanted to clarify the times of the tours. One of the tours started at 6:45 a.m., and the first two days we started at 8:00 a.m. (The local tour guide even commented about the time, seeing as we were all on holiday!) Anyway, the rest of tours were at 8:30. Never later. I really think this is too early. Nothing is open, and it's hard to get an idea of the town that early.

 

The big meal was usually lunch. Really good German food. Dinner was a little lighter. I also agree with the guy who liked London better than Amsterdam. For one thing, you'll have time in Amsterdam with the tour. Definitely try London if you can.

 

I'll check this now, so let me know if you have any other questions.

[helene123]

I wanted to answer Harley Woman who asked about what we purchased. We normally do buy quite a bit on our trips, but this time was rather disappointing. We were not in the towns enough to shop much. We did have time in Strasbourg which is a very good shopping town. We spent a bit there. But we didn't have any time for antique shops or anything. Rather disappointing.

 

We spent a week traveling in France and the Champagne region after the trip, so we managed to spend a bit of money!

 

I do think it was worth the money. After all, you're spending 14 days with all meals. Just a bit too regimented for me. But wonderful overall.

[fuzzlekins]

I am taking this cruise as a travel agent and when I return, I have to submit a trip report to Globus/Avalon. I'm hearing the excursion time complaint loud and clear, but if there are any other issues people would like brought to their attention regarding the Tapestry or the 7-night Romantic Rhine itinerary, let me know and I'll include it in my report.

[Sand Pine]

We are traveling on the Tapestry in July Rhine Excursion from Basel to Amsterdam and was wondering if you posted your report or if you would send us a copy. Any information or your impressions of the trip would be appreciated.

[cruiserus]

We are traveling on the Tapestry in July Rhine Excursion from Basel to Amsterdam and was wondering if you posted your report or if you would send us a copy. Any information or your impressions of the trip would be appreciated.

 

Hi, Sand Pine! When in July are you going? My DH and I are on the July 15-29th cruise. We've never done a river cruise before, so we are looking forward to this new experience.