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APT vs Avalon River Cruises
Compare the travel styles, pricing, destinations and popularity of APT and Avalon River Cruises.The Low Down
Initially providing coach touring around Australia and NZ to the local market, APT have grown exponentially over the last decade to now offer trips around the world, and are well known for their European river cruises. Over the last few years APT have introduced small ship expeditions that cruise the waters through Asia, Europe, Canada and off the coast of Kimberley. Catering primarily for the retired market, their trips aren't cheap, but in APT's case - you get what you pay for. Look out for their great Fly Free offers, and Earlybird Savings. The team here at Global Journeys have travelled multiple times by coach, cruise & river with APT, and we definitely recommend them as a quality, consistent, reliable Operator, and our past client reviews back that up.
Not as well known locally as APT or Scenic, Avalon Waterways have nevertheless been cruising the rivers of Europe and Asia since 2004. Featuring modern luxury ships, with floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors, our clients love Avalon, and some of their river itineraries are our biggest sellers. Avalon don't usually include Fly Offers, so you'll need to book flights separately, but consequently their cruise prices are cheaper than the other luxury Operators and they offer some great Earlybird discounts. Part of the Globus Family group of Brands, means you can secure further discounts the next time you decide to travel by coach with either Globus or Cosmos. Stats
No. of Trips
373
No. of Departures
2,455
Avg. Trip Length
14 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$703
Accommodation
4 - 5 Star
Budget
Premium & Luxury
No. of Trips
144
No. of Departures
1,727
Avg. Trip Length
11 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$494
Fleet Size
18 Ships
Known For
Panorama Suites
Ship Styles River Cruises
In Their Own Words We asked the travel companies themselves why you should travel with them
APT is an Australian family-owned company whose essence began in Melbourne in the 1920s. More than 90 years on, APT offers life-enriching trips to every continent, and through the company’s vast industry experience, meticulous planning and unquestionable passion it's earned a place among the world’s most well-regarded travel companies.
From boutique river cruising to small-group 4WD adventures; traditional coach touring with a decadent twist; epic rail journeys to small-ship expeditions; classic ocean cruising to safaris of discovery by both land and air – there’s little APT are unwilling to consider in pursuit of creating the finest holiday experience for its valued guests.
Timeless luxury, exclusive experiences, life enriching moments and true personalisation. APT offers all-inclusive holidays so everything is taken care of. We invite you to join us; you won’t be disappointed.
One of our favourite sayings that describes Avalon Waterways is ‘the possibilities are as wide open as the views’. From Europe to the Galapagos and Asia, you can cruise in relaxed luxury with Avalon Waterways, with choices as unique as you. Avalon offers you a range of choices from excursions, dining options, activities that help you tailor your experience.
Just imagine gliding away down the world’s most spectacular rivers, all while enjoying a unique vantage point from your own private oasis. Our floor-to-ceiling panoramic windows in our suites blur the line between where the world ends, and your suite begins; allowing you to experience the world less seen from the comfort of your bed. This is river cruising from a unique point of view.
Recent Reviews
4.7
Our APT tour of tropical North Queensland to the tip of Australia and to Thursday and Horn Island was fantastic. Our tour guide Natasha and driver Grant were outstanding and everything went smoothly. The walk to the tip of Australia was the highlight and should be on everyone's bucket list. The walk was not too difficult and everyone in our group of ...read more predominantly over 70 year olds all got there with a big smile on their face. Accommodation was excellent overall considering the remoteness of some of our stops. APT tours are not cheap but they do represent good value and we would travel with them again. Georgie from Global Journeys was as usual very efficient and responsive with our travel arrangements.
The tour was excellent. Our guide, Leigh, was knowledgeable and good fun. All the accommodation was top quality. The permanent tents the best we have stayed in. The food was first class, even at the camp site, when we were miles from stores. I was involved in all the activities, including going down to the swimming hole at Bell Gorge and walking through ...read more Tunnel Creek. My husband stayed behind on both occasions as he was wary of going over rocky domain as he had suffered a previous ankle injury. He was not alone in staying back and there was no pressure or awkwardness on those did stay behind. There were a number of long coach journeys and early mornings, but also time to relax. All in all a great time.
The cruise on the Caledonian Sky was once again a wonderful adventure. This was the fourth time we have travelled on this ship. Previously we had toured with Noble Caledonian tours and we can honestly say that the service from the expedition team and hotel staff was the same which was of high quality The highlight of the trip was Montgomery's reef. ...read more If you thinking of taking this trip it would be better at the end of the wet season as when we where there in September the waterfalls were dry but the landscape was beautiful. The knowledge of the expedition team was fantastic.
The only negative was that on arrival in Broome we had not been booked into the hotel that we originally booked and paid for due to confusion between Oaks and APT but the staff of Oaks Cable Beach were able to organise with Oaks Town for us to stay with them sat the Oaks Cable Beach Sanctuary. Thank you Rachael from Oaks Cable Beach.
The only negative was that on arrival in Broome we had not been booked into the hotel that we originally booked and paid for due to confusion between Oaks and APT but the staff of Oaks Cable Beach were able to organise with Oaks Town for us to stay with them sat the Oaks Cable Beach Sanctuary. Thank you Rachael from Oaks Cable Beach.
We had a wonderful time on the Kimberley cruise. The Caledonian Sky was very comfortable, the meals and drinks were first rate and the crew were excellent, very attentive and always polite. Overall, we’d give it 10 out of 10.
A wonderful experience to see the Kimberley's via the Gibb River Road. A great 14 days and a wonderful driver / guide full of knowledge of surrounding areas and all the flora and fauna. Horizontal falls was a really wonderful trip not to be missed, and great food throughout.
A very enjoyable trip dispite the low river levels and the need to change ships. The scenery and Signature experiences were wonderful and well organised. Great mix of fellow passengers and everyone looked out for each other. Found the food choices a little disappointing. Presented lovely, but found it largely very bland and not a lot of variety. ...read more Fellow passengers who had done the trip before expressed the view that it was not up to the standard of their original trip and I think there was a general view that standards had slipped. Perhaps that was a result of COVID affecting the staffing levels or general cost cutting. Would like to see a wider range of wines and food selections, but overall we had a great time. Hannah at Global Journeys was as always, helpful, timely and obliging.
4.7
We had a really great time from the very beginning with excellent service from Rachael in organizing our trip at relatively short notice. The boat looked new and was very clean, the crew were all fabulous and Daniella the Cruise Director was outstanding and always available to give advice and or support the passengers. The only downside was of course ...read more the low water levels in the upper parts of the Danube which prevented us from completing the journey in Nuremburg. This impacted every cruise company. Having said this, Avalon did an outstanding job adjusting the cruise by adding a few more stops along the way and through offering free excursions to compensate for the inconvenience - which in my view was minimal.
The food was excellent and we really enjoyed just sitting on the deck or in the cabin, and taking in the beautiful sites as we sailed along the Danube. We are not cruise junkies, but this exceeded our expectations and if we do take another trip, it will certainly be with Avalon.
The food was excellent and we really enjoyed just sitting on the deck or in the cabin, and taking in the beautiful sites as we sailed along the Danube. We are not cruise junkies, but this exceeded our expectations and if we do take another trip, it will certainly be with Avalon.
We went on this river cruise last month and it was amazing. We had previously booked a shorter Basel-Amsterdam cruise with Hannah for May 2020, but alas it was cancelled along with everyone else's! She was so helpful at that time we decided to re-book this longer cruise with her as well, now that covid restrictions had eased. Although we had to have ...read more some itinerary variations and a ship change due low river levels, the whole trip didn’t disappoint.
Avalon were fantastic in the circumstances, especially due to the hard work of our awesome Cruise Director Tony Jenkins. He showed such care and concern for the guests and even danced and sang in Welsh for us! A true treasure. Seeing the castles along the Rhine Gorge and our tours of Rudesheim, Rothenburg and Regensburg were highlights for us. We have done a lot of ocean cruises, but this was our first river cruise. After this experience it won't be our last!
Avalon were fantastic in the circumstances, especially due to the hard work of our awesome Cruise Director Tony Jenkins. He showed such care and concern for the guests and even danced and sang in Welsh for us! A true treasure. Seeing the castles along the Rhine Gorge and our tours of Rudesheim, Rothenburg and Regensburg were highlights for us. We have done a lot of ocean cruises, but this was our first river cruise. After this experience it won't be our last!
Thanks Georgie. You guided me through the booking process, and we ended up with a wonderful trip. Saw lots of beautiful places and met great people on the ship. The Crew went absolutely out on their way to ensure we were satisfied all the way. Hopefully we'll soon be able to book with go with Global Journeys again. Thanks again.
We recently completed a wonderful Amsterdam to Budapest cruise with Avalon along the Rhine, Maine and Danube rivers. Like many, this trip had been deferred, with credit, for two or more years. We soon began to realise how much we were again enjoying our experience of travel. A sense of normality returned and we gained a renewed love of such scenic and ...read more historic beauty as the castles along the Rhine and later in the Wachau Valley on the Danube.
The cities in Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary were alive and well with tourists beginning to return in numbers. A bubble of joy and happiness radiated on the faces of travellers and locals from the various cultures seemed delighted to welcome us to their environs. Covid precautions were sensibly in place but did not hamper the joie-de-vivre in our hearts. It felt so good to be ‘travel-alive‘ again.
The cities in Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary were alive and well with tourists beginning to return in numbers. A bubble of joy and happiness radiated on the faces of travellers and locals from the various cultures seemed delighted to welcome us to their environs. Covid precautions were sensibly in place but did not hamper the joie-de-vivre in our hearts. It felt so good to be ‘travel-alive‘ again.
Absolutely brilliant, the cabins were spacious with plenty of storage space to unpack. The staff were amazing, the food was excellent. There were onshore activities that you could participate in or you could just sit back and relax on board. Would recommend to anyone.
Unfortunately for us, we were not able to board the Suite Ship on day 3 as per itinerary due to the unsuitable water level. We were transported by coach from Dijon to Lyon to board the Suite Ship which was docked till day 6. Hence, we missed out on a lot of cruising. When we did cruise, it was in the evening. The extra we paid for the cabin with balcony ...read more was wasted. In the day time we could only see the river bank or another ship docked next to ours from the balcony. We were, however, compensated with one free optional tour in Lyon. We did make good of our time by enjoying the land tours (free and optional ones), food and company of fellow cruisers. Overall, the trip was relaxing and enjoyable.
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