Avalon Imagery II Reviews

Perfect from start to finish. Globus covered all the details needed to start this fantastic journey. Avalon picked up right with Globus finished up. Our trip was perfect from the moment we met our transfer ride at the airport, to meeting our cruise director Carlos at the hotel, to getting on the boat and all the excursions. Everything was planned read more so well - even when our schedule had to be changed due to water levels on the Danube River. The excursions were fantastic, but the best part of the trip were the friendships we made. It was a sad to say good bye to our new friends the last evening aboard. Looking forward to working with Global Journeys on our next adventure.

Well this was a wonderful trip. Two very good river cruises with Avalon. Great food great touring and well organised by tour guide Marco. Thanks to Hannah for yet another well organised river cruise.

This being the third Avalon cruise I have booked with Global Journeys through Hannah, I know what to expect. River cruising is the best way to be a tourist and surpasses ocean cruising with 1000s of other passengers. Based around Bordeaux we visited chateaux and villages where there were few tourists, apart from locals, a stark contrast from other parts read more of France. Every day there were various options from which to choose. The passengers were mainly retirees, so it was an older crowd compared to a previous Avalon cruise. The focus was strongly on wineries, so would appeal strongly to those that appreciate and understand the finer things in life. In my case, I, however stuck to Orangina. This is the 12th trip that I have booked with Hannah and expect to continue with Global Journeys due to their efficient service.

As a solo traveller and first time cruiser, I had my hesitations about a 14 day cruise. But it was wonderful in every respect - my room, the ship, the extraordinary Tour Director, the friendly staff and the company of interesting and friendly travel companions. It was a joy.

A great cruise from Amsterdam to Basel. The Avalon experience is perfect for a relaxing time or being adventurous with the local tours on offer every day. October weather is a little cooler but perfect as there are fewer crowds and not too hot. We did encounter high water levels on the Moselle which required a ship transfer by bus from Koblenz up read more to Trier with a stop at Cochem on the way. Avalon made it easy and the rest of the tour went as expected. We spent 2 extra days in Basel which is well worth seeing. Booking was easy as usual through Global Journeys.

We absolutely loved our Avalon cruise from Prague to Budapest and the accomodation arranged for us at hotels in both Prague and Budapest by Global Journeys we’re fantastic. Everything went smoothly with on the holiday. The cabin on the Avalon cruise was perfect with floor to ceiling windows and the staff on the ship were great. It was our first river read more cruise and we would be keen to travel this way again in the future. The flights arranged for us with Emirates were well timed. I would gladly recommend Global Journeys and Avalon to others. The weather was very hot in August, so next time I would travel in September/October.

Avalon were exceptional. Our cabin on the top floor and closer to front is important as too near the back is more noisy and fumes.
Our biggest disappointment was that we were totally unaware that the first day we were staying at a hotel and not on the boat. Also there was available an additional staying after in Prague which again we were not aware of.

The highlights for me included experiencing an organised bike tour for 3 hours during blocked Parisian streets before the Olympics, the Unusual Gardens of Etratat, historic Joan of Arc town of Rouen, and walking the path of Vincent van Gough. This is the second Avalon cruise I have done as I was able to avoid the solo supplement. I love the meals on read more board which are a contrast from my daily pre-packed dinners! I have already booked another Avalon cruise in France for 2025 with Hannah of Global Journeys who is always efficient and informative. (GJ: Great photo Alick!)

A great boat, fantastic crew, beautiful food and an enjoyable and educational cruise and tours. Have booked another cruise .

The most beautiful service from everyone, food was very professional. Avalon Waterways rooms were very good, and tours were very professional. All good! We were happy every day!

Although we've been on several ocean cruises, this was our first experience on a river cruise.

Being on a much smaller vessel with a lot less people created plenty of opportunities to get to know other travellers on a much more personal level, mainly because of the number of times we could meet them. The downside though is that on a couple of read more evenings, we were tired from the day's activities and didn't feel very sociable, but there was nowhere to hide!

The ship itself was adequately fitted out with all necessities but wasn't that impressive as far as a river passenger ship goes. However, the cabins were a standout. Ours had full length floor to ceiling sliding windows that gave the illusion we had a balcony. The king bed was very comfortable and faced the windows. A full sized mirror on one side also gave the illusion that the statesroom (as they called it) was larger than it was. There were adequate power points which I'm particular about. Special mention must go to the fabulous and spacious ensuite decked with stone tops and a range of L'occitane branded toiletries. Overall, a luxurious and well-equipped statesroom.

Although the daily breakfasts and lunches were generally good, the dinners were particularly superb. It was like eating at a fine dining 5-star restaurant each night, enjoying the company of people we've gotten to know quite well.

As for the included shore excursions, we had mixed perceptions. The locations we stopped at were interesting to us, more so because we were exploring new territory, but we felt that mostly the local tour guides assigned to our group needed to be more engaging and amiable. With many of them, we felt they didn't try (or maybe didn't know how) to connect with us on a personal level. They came across as guides who needed to impart as much data as possible in the short time they were allocated.

Finally a word of compliment for our pre-trip consultant, Jemma Rosen. We didn't start off well, with another consultant but when Jemma took over, she proved herself to be a worthy representative of Global Journeys. She was professional, had a sense of humour and was very responsive to questions - a great person to deal with.

Would we sail with Avalon again? Quite likely given what we know now. It was a great experience overall and while not everything met our expectations, we were quite satisfied with what we got.

As the ratings below suggest, everything about the cruise was very well organised and managed. We would recommend the tour package to anyone,..... but pay the extra and avoid the cabins with only high-level windows (Cat E)! Hotels in Prague and Paris were unnecessarily extravagant for those on a tight budget. You become very aware of the rates if you extend your stay!

Our room on the Avalon Tapestry II cruise was fantastic. Food and people were awesome. Saw so much over our 7 day journey - unbelievable sights. Loved every port we visited in France. The Normandy Landing Beaches was very emotional and visiting the Ranville War Cemetery was very sobering. At Juno Beach we saw the NZ and Canadian flags flying read more alongside each other - very special. We were told a very sobering and touching story about an elderly returned serviceman who visited the beach only after his wife passed away. It brought tears to many of us. Could not fault anything or anyone regarding this cruise. Thanks Global Journeys for looking after us so well.

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.

I absolutely loved it. I was a solo traveller and felt welcomed. Cleanliness was paramount and people cleaned hands before meals. Meals and service were splendid and I loved that we could get off each day and explore those wonderful towns. Many happy memories. Staff were polite and unobtrusive and provided top-notch service.

It's difficult to criticise Avalon because they do river cruising so well. They are very well organised, the ship is very comfortable, the ship staff are fantastic and it is difficult to get off at the end having not put on weight as the food is top quality. This was out third cruise with Avalon and the main thing that stood out on this cruise as notable read more was that most of the cruising was done overnight except the stretch between Passau and Melk which is done during one afternoon and is well worth being on board for (some people were off on optional tours that day). Some people don't like overnight cruising as it can be a bit disruptive to your sleep with vibration due to running engines and bumping as you pass through locks. Having said that, the ship is generally very quiet for sleeping and although we did notice the odd vibration or bump, you do get used to it and it didn't effect us very much.

There are nearly 80 locks to go through on this cruise but most you will hardly notice. One other noticeable thing was that the ship did not dock in many of the towns visited along the way. We were quite often dropped off before the towns and then bussed to the town. After the visit to the town we were bussed back to the ship which had sailed on down the river. This was different to other cruises where we were often docked in the towns and could walk into the towns. This is however only a minor point and didn't tarnish our experience. Overall we thoroughly enjoyed this cruise.

The tour started poorly because of river levels and on the first evening we were put in a hotel overnight instead of joining the boat. The set meal served was sub standard very disappointing. The second day was spent on a long coach ride to join the boat, for the day's lost off the boat we were promised a 50 per cent refund which our tour director advised read more would come through you our agent. The tour now proceeded OK with the top deck and facilities closed. Tour now continued with a certain amount of uncertainty due to river levels and it was advised the final part could have to be completed by coach and we could pull out and be part refunded if we desired. This was not a option we could consider because of onward bookings already in place. On the positive side the crew, food and tours were very good and they made every effort to make our holiday enjoyable. The pre dinner drinks were not free only happy hour disappointing for the price paid.