Review Time
Engine Motor very loud & vibrating during the night. We were on upper floor, too. I can't sleep like that. Viking ships were no issues. A couple stops weren't much to see. One we just walked thru a small town on a hot day, but didn't see anything special.
Transylvania add-on guide was Not good. He did not explain that Transylvania was a region & not just the Dracula castle. We went there & really wanted to get souvenirs. The shop was closed after dinner & a number of people were not happy that it wasn't explained earlier. We could have shopped before we had dinner. He got "very snippy" to the whole group on the speaker & said someone was spreading rumors about what he was saying. I said I heard him say that we could get souvenirs & he pretty much called me a liar over the speaker, when other people had heard the same thing.
This was our 3rd Avalon cruise and we were not disappointed again! Boats are high quality, clean and the crew and every staff member are over the top friendly, helpful and eager to assure a top quality experience. Excursions are well done and plentiful. This was our 2nd Avalon cruise and we are booked for our 3rd this fall.
It was a wonderful experience! The entire journey was planned very meticulously. The excursions were very interesting. The crew was very friendly and helpful. The upkeep of the ship was also very good.
Currently finishing our Egypt river cruise. Amazing sites seen however the MS Farah is NOT an Avalon boat and not up to the level of their river cruise boats. An added excursion on our last night, a dinner cruise on the Nile. $100/person... NOT worth it. The river boat was old, dirty and nasty. Food was terrible, we only were able to pay for 1 drink, they never asked if we wanted more. There was no outside space to enjoy the view & beautiful weather other than a smoking area. They started to place new urensils while we were still sitting with our drink glasses, for the next cruise at 9pm... and never cleaned the area we just ate at.. which leads me to believe we were sat at an unsanitary table when we were seated for our dinner time. This was the end our cruise with a horrible experience really left all 11 of us who went with a very bad last impression of Avalon. Don't pay for the dinner cruise at the end if you're going! It's disgusting & can think that Avalon is OK with this level of service for their guests. And know that you'll get lectured for hours at each site vs being able to explore on your own by the tour guide. Bring plenty of money to tip and if you need a 3rd bottle of water after being in the 104 degree Sahara desert you'll need to pay for it. Just know that your ship is not on an acutual Avalon owned boat!
The trip up the Mosel and Rhine was peaceful. The food was great, servers were very nice and attentive. Boat was clean. Enjoyed the room.Mostly visited little towns. Saw castles, churches and wineries. Beautiful country. Unfortunately we typically had to leave ports at noon to keep to the schedule. That meant we spent lots of time on the boat and didn’t get to go into town at night for dinner or entertainment. If you don’t mind eating on the boat every night then you will be alright with this cruise. One major concern. Had a health emergency while on the boat. Alerted the front desk staff. This was urgent. No assistance was offered by the staff. No help of any kind.Had to wait 24 hours for medical care.Had to walk to a clinic with no aid from the staff. Ended up in an ambulance and taken to the hospital. The health care I received was good and the doctors and nurses were very kind. Once I put myself in their care, I was taken care of.Avalon did nothing to help me.
I would have loved to have posted a review of my experience but I won’t get the chance. This review is on customer service and not my actual experience. Please purchase travel insurance as their policy for cancellation is strict. I had an accident 2 months prior to a sold out sailing, where I needed surgery and rehabilitation. We were only looking to rebook the exact itinerary a few months away but were denied. It is unfortunate because we will not consider them in the future.
We cruised with Avalon from (Basel) had to leave from Huningue, France and finished (Amsterdam) had to finish in Rotterdam so cruise wasn't quite what was advertised. Firstly can't fault staff. They were great and nothing was too much trouble. Food and drinks were amazing. It was plentiful and varied across the week. Our cabin was kept immaculate and we were on the 2nd level in the middle so had no engine noise. Excursions were okay. With such large groups you didn't really get to see too much due to different fitness levels of the group so we tended to leave the group to enable us to see a bit more. Did some of the active bike tours and they were great.This was our first cruise and we were excited as per Avalon advertisement to wake up in our window facing bed to a beautiful view. BIG disappointment. Out of the 7 mornings of our cruise we only had 1 one morning waking up to a view. 5 mornings we had another boat next to us which meant your room was like a dark cave (so close you can touch the other boat) and you couldn't leave your curtains open due to privacy issues. The other morning we were against a solid concrete wall. We were told to expect maybe a couple of times this may happen and could have accepted that but not 6 out of the 7 mornings. Not sure if all river boats do this but certainly didn't see other companies eg Viking doing it. Sadly this left a bad impression of our Avalon river cruise and we would be reluctant to use them again.
I looked at river cruises for at least three years and just couldn’t make a decision to purchase. I think what held me back was the cost for a single person and the worry of would it be like the larger cruises where nobody talks to you. I finally booked in March for the Romantic Rhine, Basel to Amsterdam . The single supplement waiver was what made the decision for me. I’m actually just finishing my trip now and want to share my thoughts.I flew to Zurich wondering how the transfer to ship would take place. I spent one night in Zurich and after breakfast Avalon had a representative at the hotel who explained a few things and transferred us to a bus. We entered the ship without ever touching luggage and were greeted by friendly staff. Rooms were ready at 4pm and when I entered mine my luggage was waiting for me. My room is very comfortable and always clean. The staff are excellent. The excursions are plentiful and there is something for everyone. The food has been good with lots of choices. There was one meal I did not like and I was immediately offered another choice. Apart from breakfast,lunch and dinner there is afternoon tea and happy hour. Water stations are around the ship and the lime mint water is amazing as are the cookies. I’ve made lots of friends with the other passengers and as a single person have never felt awkward. I think this is a great way to see a lot without the 2000 people who take the larger cruise ships. I will definitely look to book another trip with Avalon. Janette Forbes
I took the Danube River, Budapest to Nuremberg cruise. It was one of the most enjoyable holidays I have had for a long time. There was no stress at all, everything we needed was taken care of, from the moment we boarded the plane Avalon booked to the time we arrived at the departure airport, and in between, it was pure enjoyment. We went to many places, always well organised excursions and attentive crews. I have now booked another cruise with Avalon for next year! Happy days ahead.
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For those who don't follow the herd ... those who forge their own path and have a distinct perspective of looking at the world, Avalon Waterways presents a river cruise experience with expansive views and wider perspectives.
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