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 thoroughly enjoyed this river cruise 2
Magnificent Europe
Gregory & Gabrielle The, Australia, Jun 2013
We think the fact that the cabin is 200 sq ft without extra verandah is a good idea, because during sunny weather we can open the floor to ceiling glass windows, thus making the whole cabin into a super verandah, while during not so good weather we have a large cabin! Food is excellent and also the dining seating is variable, so you can sit alone just read more to be romantically inclined or you can join new friends and have dinner together. Unfortunately we got infected by cough virus after we arrived at the end point: Budapest. Also the tour guide Andre is fantastically helpful! Although we did not book any flight from Budapest with Avalon, he arranged to keep our suitcases in the Budapest hotel until our flight is ready, so that we can roam Budapest on the last day without having to cart suitcases with us as our flight is not until 4 pm in the afternoon. Thank you for the wonderful service you provide us, even setting aside our anxiety about whether the tour will be cancelled because of the European floods. We would not hesitate to recommend your company to our friends.
Due to weather conditions in Europe just prior to our cruise we missed 1 night of sailing and had to change boats after our Vienna stop. Despite these difficulties everything was done to compensate for the changes and the cruise went very smoothly. Staff were friendly and helpful and our cruise director Erik kept us informed re any changes. Some extra read more excursions were included free of charge. Overall it was an extremely pleasant experience! Food was of an excellent quality and presentation had you feeling you were in a 5 star restaurant.
This river cruise was excellent, great crew great food and great tour director.
Very well organised and the service was brilliant 1
Romantic Rhine
Andy & Jenny Bennett, Australia, Jun 2013
The cruise was fantastic! The boat was brand new, the cabin was very well appointed and quite large with a full wall of sliding doors, the food could not be better and the service was brilliant. There was a good balance of shore excursions and time to relax on board. The whole cruise was very well organised and we had a daily info sheet with all the read more activity details, town maps etc. Thanks for your excellent service too!
We loved the various towns in Germany and Alsace 1
Paul Kelleher, Australia, Jun 2013
We thoroughly enjoyed our three days in Munich especially staying at the luxurious Sofitel, and the Castle Tours with excellent local guides. On the ship, staff were smiling and always helpful. Food was excellent with great variety. Our tour leader Sabine was outstanding, spoke five languages and organised all of our excursions very efficiently. She read more was always enthusiastic, patient and approachable. We loved the various towns in Germany and Alsace and their associated history. We had many good local guides and were divided into small groups, and had Vox radios and earphones which made understanding the guide's commentary easy, though it would be better if they all had fixed rather than hand-held microphones. We purchased the Avalon USB stick with great photos of our trip. (Ed. This river cruise has changed slightly in 2019 so this review is based on the slightly different previous itinerary.)
Magnificent Europe river cruise with Avalon in June 2013 was all that I hoped for and more. The good things started with Global Journey's Tour Consultant Georgie and everything ran like clockwork. Very impressed with Avalon. Their wonderful Tour Guide Barbara must be the best tour guide in the business. The challenges they faced due to the worst flooding read more of the Danube since the middle ages were overcome without any disruption to passenger comfort or activity. My only regret was that I didn't hand over all my other travel arrangements to Georgie. I certainly will in future.
Very happy with our trip and returned with great memories 1
Magnificent Europe
Tim Crozier, Australia, Jun 2013
Given the difficulties with the flooding in southern Germany at the time, Avalon did an excellent job of keeping us on the rivers for the whole trip and well informed with daily status updates. While we changed boats twice (an average of 5 days on all 3 boats) any inconvenience was minimised in the way it was organised. Global Journeys also did a very read more good job of following on all requests prior to our departure. Overall we were very happy with our trip and have returned with some great memories.
Places visited were interesting and the guides very informative 2
Grand France (Southbound)
Darrell Williams, Australia, Jun 2013
I enjoyed both cruises. The places visited were interesting and the guides very informative. Of the two cruises I thought the Seine cruise better. The staff were caring and responsive on both boats. The Tour Director Daniella was excellent as was our cabin steward on the second cruise. The internet service was excellent and free. The only real issue read more was the noise level in the dining room of the second cruise boat Creativity I think. It was very loud. Not sure why this occurred when it did not occur on the Seine Cruise. All passengers complained but nothing could be done except to ask them to please be extra careful to keep the communication low at the tables. Thanks Georgina for your assistance in setting up the cruise arangements. We are stll in the UK!
This was a great tour and well organised 1
Kathryn Adams, Australia, May 2013
This was a great tour and well organised. Internet was available almost throughout (except at the land based hotels and it should be included there too). Food was great. It would be nice to have something like sandwiches available for a snack throughout the day on the boat. Please also ask Avalon not to run 'port talk' while leaving port as people want read more to be on deck watching. The side trips and local things like winery, string quartet and small boats up the Danube delta were fantastic.
Unprecedented floods throughout Europe forced our boat trip to become a bus trip. The cruise director and his associates did an excellent job of providing most of the highlights of the tour under very difficult circumstances. The time that we spent on the boat was superb. The staff were excellent and the meals were first class. The bus tour was not read more up to the same standard but it was organised at the last minute under very difficult circumstances. My main complaint, and of a lot of passengers I spoke to, was the very poor quality of internet access even when the boat was stationary. The quality of tours was top notch and the wireless headsets to hear the guides an excellent idea. The staterooms were better appointed than most of the hotels we stayed in.
Our cabin was most wonderful and meticulously kept by the very friendly staff, we were kept informed in every respect of the tour. If the information was not given to you, the staff was available all the time for any assistance. The tours were conducted by natives of the towns and villages who were passionate and full of knowledge. We were made to read more feel at home and looked after in every respect. The food and the dining arrangements were flexible and left us totally satisfied. The standard of the dishes that were served ,were second to none. The very worst of the trip was leaving the boat at the end of our trip. I would recommend our trip to any one and look forward to joining another tour in the future.
I can unreservedly recommend Global Journeys and Avalon 1
Danube Dreams (Westbound)
Ronelle Coetzer, Australia, May 2013
I am one of those travellers that needs everything to be organised perfectly and seamlessly so my expectations were high. The booking process with Global Journeys was easy and stress-free, all my questions were answered quickly and everything was taken care of wonderfully by Frances and Hannah. My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed the cruise/tour between read more Budapest and Prague on the MS Tranquility. Everything on this trip was very well planned, the cruise staff was very helpful, efficient and friendly, great Cruise Director (Akos) and informed and captivating local guides - one could not ask for more. I can unreservedly recommend Global Journeys and Avalon Waterway Cruises and would love to travel with them again in the future.
Avalon have proved to be decision makers under stress 1
Magnificent Rivers of Europe
Leslie Gilders, Australia, May 2013
This tour was impacted by severe flooding of the Rhine and Danube rivers in Germany. It gave Avalon management and our tour guide many difficult management decisions to make. But, when the going get's tough you see the real qualities of an organisation. We have to say Avalon management and our tour guide were a brilliant team in difficult circumstances. read more They made professional decisions under pressure and delivered an excellent tour. It's easy to manage when nothing is going wrong. We want to travel with an organisation who are top decision makers under stress and Avalon have proved to be that company.
I really have no complaints 1
Magnificent Rivers of Europe
James & Monika Spooner, Australia, May 2013
We had a really great time on the cruise, food, service, accommodation, all very good, friendly happy staff. Tour director Isabella was very efficient and knowledgeable. I really have no complaints. I had a fall on one of the included tours, due to my rushing to get to the Tour Guide to get him to slow down. I was in the slow walking group. There were read more really elderly people with walking sticks left way behind, the slow group was anything but. After that incident and me complaining that guides are not aware enough of their slow walking group, things did improve. It was an accident and that poor guide was so shocked, he was such a dear old gentleman.
We would recommend Global Journeys and Avalon to anyone 1
Magnificent Rivers of Europe
Neil Tuckwell, Australia, May 2013
The help we were given by our Global Journeys consultant was excellent. The cruise with Avalon - despite the floods and having to change ships was also excellent. We would recommend your firm and Avalon to anyone.
The cruise was excellent and went without a hitch 3
The Legendary Danube
Robert Julian, Australia, May 2013
The cruise on the Visionary was excellent and went without a hitch. Georgie from Global Journeys was excellent - her communications were excellent and timely and when we arrived in Prague everything had been organised and went like clockwork. The Prague Hilton is an excellent hotel and started our holiday in great fashion. The tour organiser on board read more Visionary was first class and had everything organised to a tee.
Constant rain affected our trip 1
The Rhine & Moselle (Southbound)
Graeme Ashworth, Australia, May 2013
Internet and TV was a problem during the cruise - we expected more local regional foods and wines, but found the wines were imported and food was generalized, except for one German lunch, which was great. There was no aparent extra value for being in a Suite (other than a slightly larger room), so to us, the extra cost couldn't be justified. Staff were read more great and the Cruise Director helpful and informative. We thought there would be more local information sessions at night, so those who were interested could learn about local history, customs and culture. Our journey was restricted because of the cold and constant rain, leading to flooded rivers and restricted access.
Great ship new ship with good service and great food options. The wifi was not the best as it cut out a lot due to the satellite connection, but you could not fault any thing else. From the moment I was in in touch with Yvonne from Global Journeys to the moment I left the river cruise we were always looked after and will recommend the cruise to family read more and friends. Thank you Yvonne for your great guidance and recommendations.
We had a wonderful time. Our Stateroom was top class, the cruise staff were wonderful, the food & beverages were 1st class and the entertainment and music/dancing just great. If anything could be suggested for the future there could be more included Tour Transport Options for those not interested or not able to commit to 90 minute city walks or 4 hour read more coach excursions. Overall ... very highly recommended.
The whole trip went so smoothly, the ship was a pleasure to be on, and the staff you could not fault. I would recommend the trip to anyone who wants to be pampered, and have great scenery, we loved the whole thing from start to finish.
