Avalon River Cruise Reviews
The 493 Avalon River Cruise reviews listed below are from past clients of Global Journeys that have traveled with Avalon. Each review has been individually verified by our team.
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We loved every minute of our Avalon cruise 3
Magnificent Europe
Mark & Julia Ravagnani, Australia, Oct 2013
We loved every minute of our Avalon cruise. There were only 145 passengers on board and even though we were amongst the youngest on board, we made some great friends. The quality and layout of the cabins was very high and we particularly enjoyed being able to open the huge glass doors and watch the world go by from our bed. The level of service from read more all of the staff was also faultless. The meals were varied and represented local cuisine. The additional activities, entertainment and included tours were all very well organized and good fun. We followed our European river cruise with a 7 day sea cruise to the Greek Islands. There was no comparison. The Avalon cruise was superior in every way. Thank you Frances and Hannah at Global Journeys. Your advice and assistance was very much appreciated.
Had a great time, saw beautiful places and ate delicious food 5
The Blue Danube Discovery
Anne & Mark Noble, Australia, Sep 2013
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.
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.
Lovely to go with a small crowd of like minded people 1
The Rhine & Moselle: Canals, Vineyards & Castles
Shirley Rheuben, Australia, Sep 2013
Lovely to go with a small crowd of like minded people. Can't fault the food & general care. The staff with their final concert, go 'the extra mile'. Also the small towns along the river are a great change from large cities with 4 cruise shiploads of passengers trying to see the same things!
Cruise was certainly up to expectations 4
Magnificent Europe
Geoffrey & Noelle Taig, Australia, Sep 2013
Cruising is my preferred form of travel and this was certainly up to expectations. Ocean cruising probably offers better value for money, but this is a somewhat different experience with the emphasis on what happens off the ship. In relation to the ship, accommodation was cosy but comfortable, meals were varied and of a high standard and staff/crew read more were friendly and helpful. Sailing from Amsterdam to Budapest worked well for us. The second half of the cruise had more highlights and was certainly a busier time. After leaving Amsterdam, a definite highlight of the trip, the next couple of cruising days were more 'low key' and gave us a chance for a bit of a rest. (Could be worthwhile depending on what you do before or after the cruise.) As with any tour you only ever get a glimpse of what's available but it was a good balance at a reasonable pace. This cruise provided access to a range of sights and experiences (large cities, small villages, history, culture) and I would certainly recommend it.
We enjoyed every minute of our Amsterdam to Basel river cruise. The flexibility offered by this type of travelling makes group travel enjoyable.
This was our first organised tour in Europe, having previously travelled independently, and our first cruise of any type. We wondered whether we would feel a little constrained or overly organised but, on the contrary, we thoroughly enjoyed everything about our Magnificent Europe River cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest. The itinerary was fast enough read more paced for us to not get bored and relaxed enough for us to wonder why we hadn't travelled this way before! The best thing about the cruise was probably the service and friendliness of the entire crew - they were all wonderful and definitely an asset to Avalon. Our cruise director was superb: professional, knowledgeable, highly efficient as well as entertaining. We also enjoyed all of the on board entertainment and of course, the food was amazing. The only slight criticism I would have is that our room was a bit small but as we weren't in the room much at all, (we had superb sunny weather) this wasn't a problem really. All in all we had a wonderful holiday.
Felt as if we were VIP's 1
Robyn Sita, Australia, Aug 2013
Loved the ship, extremely clean, excellent service, can't praise the staff enough. We felt as if we were VIP's and indeed we were treated as VIP. Very much like a floating 5 star hotel. Hotels we stayed in before and after we joined cruise were 5 star as well. Very relaxing, although during part of the trip we encountered a lock master's strike, we read more still were able to see and experience lots, in fact as we had to detour a bit, we actually saw more. The tour director was excellent, he made sure we were always kept up to date, he endeavoured to make sure we saw it all and more, he was also relaxed we didn't feel pressured to do anything we didn't want to and his suggestions were excellent. The food was first class, and plenty of it, we never had a repeat evening meal in the 19 day cruise, a couple of the lunches were similar. Would definitely recommend Avalon Waterways and would consider a future river cruise.
Well organized & fulfilled my expectations 2
The Danube from Germany to Romania with Prague, Bucharest and Transylvania
Nazareno Ledesma, Australia, Aug 2013
Journey was well organized & fulfilled my expectations. Enjoyed & learned a lot about the places we've been to. The boats crew were professionally efficient and possess excellent customer relations.
Wonderful holiday and the cruise met all expectations. The staff and service was second to none. Thank you.
Well appointed ship with larger than expected cabins. Entire staff we helpful and very friendly. Our Cruise Director Sylvia Foxx was excellent. Food and wine were five star. A holiday that encompasses comfort, five star food and wine, fantastic touring at a relaxed pace. Highly recommended. Our Global Journeys consultant Georgie Walpole was excellent read more and extremely helpful and never too busy to answer questions. Thank you.
Overall the cruise was wonderful, the ship was comfortable and casual, the rooms were spacious for a ship, the service was great. Our intent was to relax and take it easy on the cruise, whilst you have the option to participate on the included excursions-and we wanted to, having to depart the ship by 8-8.30am for morning tours and waking up earlier read more to make breakfast, was too early for our preference- no sleep ins!
Loved the intimacy of the smaller river cruise ship 1
Romantic Rhine
Ruth Norris, Australia, Aug 2013
Loved the intimacy of the smaller river cruise ship. We had a wonderful experienced Tour Director who made things work even when the Rhine River was blocked by a multi barge pile-up! The local guides she organised were also fantastic. Food and wine was excellent. Now we're trying to work out which cruise we'll go on next!
River cruise very much up to standard 3
The Danube from Romania to Budapest
Anthony & Rosina Barker, Australia, Aug 2013
The accommodation, food, general level of service were very much up to the standards of three previous river cruises. As before, we enjoyed the company of several fellow-passengers. I would, however, be less inclined to recommend this cruise than previous ones - Moselle/Rhine/Danube to Budapest; Paris to Normandy and Saone/Rhone to Monaco - for two read more reasons: 1) because most of the lower Danube is less scenic the cruise involved lengthy side trips by bus virtually each day. Many were good, some were tiring, and one (a visit to a so-called Champagne factory) was uninformative and environmentally noxious from dust and mould. 2) the cruise director, while helpful, was irritatingly verbose and over-enthusiastic about quite banal 'highlights'.
The ship was very well equipped, in particualar the cabins 1
Magnificent Rivers of Europe
Dom Gerard, Australia, Aug 2013
The ship was very well equipped, in particualar the cabins. The cruise cabin was very welcoming and accommodating. Cruise pace a little bit slow for us but nothing to complain about really. The food and service were excellent. Entertainment on board and shore excursions a bit lacking.
Thoroughly enjoyed every bit of the trip 2
Harvey Ryan, Australia, Aug 2013
It was our first river cruise and we both thoroughly enjoyed every bit of the trip. We could not find any fault with the accommodation, food, tours etc. We would recommend Avalon to anyone who is wanting to go on a river cruise.
The river cruise exceeded my expecations. The cruise director did an excellent job in ensuring that everyone got the most out of their cruise. Very helpful & flexible with organising optional excursions. The crew were very friendly. Overall it gavethe impression that each traveller was very special. I would certainly recommend Avalon to any traveller looking for a cruise.
Great experience! Enjoyed every moment both on and off the Felicity. Service on board couldn't be faulted. The food was excellent. Tour guides were excellent - very knowledgable. Took nearly 2000 pics on the cruise. Would we do another trip with Avalon? Absolutely yes! Please don't wait till you get too old! Nike says 'just do it' you'll never regret read more it! Nice meeting people from all over the world including a lot of Aussies.
We had a wonderful and enjoyable time. Everything is well-organised. food is excellent. We felt like we were in a floating 5-star hotel with tasteful decor and first-class amenities. Crew were great and very accommodating, and the cruise company takes the time to make provisions for the elderly especially for the walking tours where they made provisions read more for the 'gentle walkers'. I will definitely recommend Avalon/Global Journeys to anyone. Yvonne, our consultant is very efficient and accommodating.
Thanks Hannah for all your help in organising our tour. It really excelled all our expectations, food, service was all we could ask for. The Tour Coordinator was very good and always included a bit of humour into everything - spot on with everything he did.
Facilities on the cruise and the hotels were excellent 2
Danube Dreams (Westbound)
Ong Geok Lwee, Australia, Jul 2013
We were quite impressed with the efficiency of the organisation. Everything was scheduled and acted on like clockwork and daily briefings were excellent. The facilities on the cruise and the hotel accommodation in both Prague and Budapest were excellent. Food on board was of a high quality with plenty of choice. Thank you.
