The Blue Danube Discovery Reviews

It was not the fault of Avalon that there was insufficient water in the Danube to allow us to do the whole cruise we had booked to do. However, Tony, our tour leader and Avalon worked very hard to make our experience enjoyable and memorable. We were able to visit every advertised port, other than Nuremberg, plus we visited Linz and for a fee, a bus ...read more excursion to Bratislava was offered, which we did and enjoyed very much. The food provided on our ship was of exceptional quality and the staff serving us more than met our expectations.

It was disappointing, to us, that the mix of passengers on the ship was limited with the vast majority being from the US. We like to meet people from many different nations but on this occasion we were limited to mostly the USA, followed by Canada, some from the Philippines, a few from Hong Kong and we made up two of only three Australians on board.

We recently took a river cruise on the Danube with Avalon & Global Journeys. Our much needed break away was everything and more we had hoped for. From beginning to end, we enjoyed professional service in every area, from booking with Global Journeys through to the experienced captain and crew on our cruise. Our Cruise Director, Tony was exceptional ...read more and obviously very experienced.

Every detail was attended to above and beyond our expectations. The meals were delicious, with the menu changing daily including local cultural delicacies. There were many 'extras' included in our daily tours and there simply isn't any better way to travel than watching the villages and local landmarks pass before your eyes, sipping on a glass of something special in the warmth of the sunshine as you cruise along the riverways. We can warmly recommend Avalon and Global Journeys river cruises.

We've recently returned from the 13 Day Blue Danube Discovery with Avalon Cruises. All in all the cruise was a great experience even though the waters of the Danube were very low in parts and our ship and itinerary had to be changed. We were unable to visit Nuremburg at all and stayed overnight in Linz and two nights in Passau which differed from the ...read more itinerary. Avalon were very kind in offering the Vienna concert to all passengers free of charge due to the changes.

However we still had our 7 nights on the ship which was very pleasant. Food was great; company was excellent and the wine and beer tastings were also fun. We had a singer aboard one evening who was also very good. Our tour director, Robert was very efficient and made us all laugh with his very dry wit! Global Journeys were excellent to deal with and I would certainly book through them again.

Overall the accommodation was excellent but the Hilton in Prague disappointing due to location, too busy & very noisy due to hotel alterations being done - the noise was such you could not stay in your room during the day. Also the trip to Nuremberg was very disappointing.

We had travelled with Avalon previously and again found them to be excellent. The included excursions were very good and there was an extensive range of optional excursions offered. Everything was taken care of so we had a wonderful carefree holiday.

Avalon Waterways 'hardware' lived up to all expectations. The October weather was better than average but we just managed to complete the full cruise as a lack of rain meant the Danube was only just navigable (shallow water) at the Nurenberg end. Food was generally very good though the breakfast and lunch menus were similar daily (but of a good quality). ...read more Shore excursions varied from very interesting and enjoyable to one or two that were a little mundane. Their pricing seemed on the expensive side when compared to the purchase of similar tours in situ. There was plenty of opportunity for own adventures, however. The crew were very helpful, though I think that at the end of the cruise season they may have been a little tired and were a bit reluctant to enter conversation; this may have been to do with language too as I only speak English.

Cities visited on this cruise (Blue Danube Discovery - Budapest to Prague) were well chosen for history, architecture and culinary experiences. Passengers were a good bunch, dominated by North Americans (American cruise line?). Overall I was very pleased to complete this journey which has been a long term objective and I would recommend it. Booking was easy through Global Journeys with one comment that contact seemed to be principally by email following voice message. Direct phone communication may have been easier on one or two occasions (minor comment after a hassle free experience).

Trip booked through Global Journeys went very smoothly. Avalon Illumination was all we could have hoped for. Food, crew and accommodation excellent. Guides on tours were exceptional - especially Helena in Prague. The best part of the cruise was friendships formed with travelers from other countries.

The best part of this holiday was floating down the Danube watching the scenery gliding past like some endless giant picture postcard.....our suite and bathroom were both immaculate and of decent proportions, while the bed was extremely comfortable. Our fellow passengers were sociable and friendly, but there was still ample opportunity and space to ...read more do your own thing when it suited.

We loved the experience of the river boat having only ever travelled on cruise ships previously. The staff were excellent as was the food. We found the shore excursions a little tiresome with too much information provided by the local guides. It is impossible to remember all this information and really, if you want to know something, just look it ...read more up on the internet when you get home. The places they showed us were great but we were standing far too long listening to the history lesson. Global Journeys, as usual were fantastic with the booking and paper work with a great thanks to Hannah Campbell in this regard. We would definitely go with Avalon again and will always book with Global Journeys. They always seem to come up with the best price as well as being very professional.

We thoroughly enjoyed the cruise and everything went according to plan, no hiccups what so ever with flights, airport pickup and departure from hotel. Hotels in Budapest and Prague were 1st class. The tour guides were very helpful and accommodating and local guides very good. What more can we say, no complaints whatever. Thank you Yvonne for an excellent ...read more service.

First contact was with Michelle and she gave me a prompt quote then made the booking. After this she kept us informed of the process and provided documentation when available from Avalon. Everything about the cruise was friendly and professional and the scenery and locations were magnificent. The stay at the hotels in Budapest and Prague were also wonderful. ...read more We did not take any of the non inclusive tours as we like to do our own thing!

We were very pleased with your courteous and reliable service and would certainly use Global Journeys again in the future. We had a beautiful comfortable cabin on Avalon Poetry ll. The service, food and included excursions were generally very good and our cruise director was charming and enthusiastic.

Great experience - will do it again. But so glad we had a room in the forward half of the ship as we noticed that the engines were a little noisy and vibrated which would have penetrated through loudly to the rooms toward the aft of the ship. This did not affect us at all but we did feel for those who had were occupying the end cabins/suites directly ...read more above all 3 levels. We were on the Avalon Vista so don't know if this comment would be helpful to the other Avalon ships.

We just loved everything, Robert our tour guide was excellent, everything was just wonderful. Avalon was better than expected and we would recommend it it anyone. No negatives - all positive. Many thanks.

The 'river cruise' is marketed as a 13 day 'river cruise', whereas in fact we were only on board for 6 nights. This was hard to find out from the itinerary and really only became apparent after we had paid and the final travel documents arrived. The 6 days on board were fully catered for and so the contrast between that and the rest of the tour, when ...read more only bed and breakfast was provided, was very stark. This was particularly so, as the food on board was terrific and my needs as a coeliac were fully catered for. The river cruise'itself was very good. The only down side being the tour director who really pushed his additional tours - all extra of course - and did little to let you know what was going on. Hence we did take up some of the optional tours, not realising what we were missing if we had stayed on board. (Something that was really annoying. Yes we enjoyed the tours we went on, but it made us feel that we really did not get the full benefit of the already very limited 'cruise.') In addition even some of these tours were falsely advertised - for example pushing a tour to Saltzberg with its shopping and then telling those on the tour the night before that as the tour was on a Sunday the shops would be shut! (We did not book to go on this tour thank goodness.) Doubly annoying for those people that did, as once booked these tours could not be cancelled.

Then once in Prague, for three nights in the Hilton Hotel, not the Prague Hilton in the CBD, but the furthest major hotel from the CBD that could only be reached through quite a long walk through some very dodgy streets, there was only one included tour. This was also not explained until the final travel documentation arrived. Oh, as a by the by do not change money at the Budapest airport. You will be ripped off and the taxi drivers all prefer Euros and will rip you off again when they change their fare from Euros to the Hungarian currency! Get Euros and then change at one of the Bureau De Change places in Budapest - after you have carefully looked for the best rates, they vary enormously! Secondly, in Prague beware some Bureau De Changes give one lot of exchange rates on the boards outside and then another when you get inside. We were warned many times about pick pockets, but never about the exchange problem. We lost a fair amount in one exchange from this practice in Prague and when we talked to the tour guide he said that this was common, legal practice and to beware! Would have been nice to know that beforehand! Yes, we had a great time, saw some beautiful places and ate some delicious food, but it could have been even better if we had realised exactly what we had been booking before the final travel documentation came through.

Our experience in Budapest followed by the most relaxing seven nights on the Danube and finishing in Prague for three nights was a trip of a lifetime. We loved the experience of going though all the locks, the relaxed on board life where we felt at ease reading, enjoying a coffee at any time, and of course the magnificent meals, not to mention the inclusive ...read more trips onshore, and those we chose to add to our experience. Our tour director Hans was magnificent with time for everyone, and every member of staff friendly and eager to please. We will recommend this trip of a lifetime to all our friends. Well done Global Journeys.

Our Avalon Waterways tour was the Blue Danube Discovery aboard the Tranquility. I was travelling with my elderly mother and she absolutely loved the trip. There were a few occasions when she felt that she would prefer to rest rather than do the excursions ashore and this was fine as the accommodation aboard was perfect and very easy for her to manage ...read more on her own. I loved the places we visited, especially Regensburg and Durnstein and Budapest was a fantastic experience. All in all, Avalon are to be congratulated on their excellent service and wonderful itinerary. The onboard 'special' evenings were also of a very high standard. Global Journeys service was excellent as well. Thank you Yvonne. I will definitely book through you again when planning our next accompanied tour.

The accommodation on board the Tapestry was above my expectations, even though there was no balcony. The supposed balcony was only a rail immediately outside the sliding door. The Tour Director was first class as were the staff on-board. If anybody didn't enjoy this tour, they are very hard to please in my opinion.