Amadeus or Avalon--we know which we prefer now

[winegirl]

We did a Tulip Time cruise last year on Amadeus Amadagio (?) and loved the cruise and itinerary. The ship was very nice, impeccably maintained, the room was great. I believe we had a "queen" configuration and found the bed just swell. I always check on the cabin size before booking. That's what keeps us away from some lines like Uniworld, which as I recall, had smaller cabins.

 

I was going to book another cruise on Avalon since I had not heard of food complaints on that line but now I'm thinking twice. The food on Amadeus was the weak point, with the service another sore point--the crew was eastern European and were not very familiar with English (this line markets to the US passenger primarily so that should be a requirement.) We ate in town a number of nights since the evening meals were pretty ordinary--the menu sounded fabulous but the execution was less so.

 

It seems there are a number of boats with "Amadeus" sounding names out there and not are all owned by Amadeus Waterways. At least that's my understanding. The cruise experience also seems to vary depending on which contracted hotel service is running the cruise. Amadeus (and I suppose Avalon also) contracts with hospitality companies to staff and run the boats and they may have a different service in different areas. That seems to be the variable in the cruise experience. If I am incorrect, I'd like to know more before I book again. Thanks!

[czechgal]

Thank you for an unbiased review. My husband and I, in our early 40's, are contemplating this type of European vaction. So many lines to choose from, it helps to have someone with a honest point of view to let us know what he/she experienced.

I looked through the reviews section on CC and found no reviews for Amadeus. Am I not looking up the correct name? Oh well, the information on this board is sufficient.

[odblnt]

I looked through the reviews section on CC and found no reviews for Amadeus. Am I not looking up the correct name? Oh well, the information on this board is sufficient.

 

That's true. About the only place to find the Amadeus Waterways reviews is here in the River & Canal Cruises forum.

 

Our tulip cruise on the Amadagio was wonderful! We plan on using them again next year when we hit the Christmas markets.

[z531]

... My husband and I, in our early 40's, are contemplating this type of European vaction...

 

As an FYI, we just returned from an Avalon Danube cruise and the average age of the passengers was in the 60s. From the bit of reading I've done in these forums that seems to be pretty common for this type of cruise.

 

Being in our 40s we felt a bit of a minority, although everyone we met was extremely friendly and interesting to talk to. We had a great time. Just thought I'd throw that out in case having a closer age group is important to you.