Daisi

@CDNPolar, they were a really nice family (son & wife, Mom & friend). I think part of the reason was that we were 2 of the 8 Canadians on board, and they were looking at future travels up here. We had a couple more meals with them throughout the cruise. So far we have been really lucky with fellow cruisers, only met one on the last night that was a little "off".

Lol, we tend to do that, select a table for 6, and welcome anyone to join us. We'll sit at the same table if possible for all meals, and if those who joined us the night before pass us by, that's ok. We did walk in one lunchtime after a tour to find a group of 4 seated at "our" table. So we figured we'd have to walk by and find somewhere else to eat...turns out they rushed down to to sit there because they wanted to eat with us. We had started to walk past when they called us back!

We stop at the airport upon landing, find a convenience store and buy something small - water, chocolate bar, or such....give them a 10 Euro, and you usually get some coins. Smiling works great to change smaller bills as well. 🙂

At 24, your son should be ok on any line, as he is an adult. as @ural guy says, you can't tell until you board just what age passengers are. As long as he has a common interest with others, it shouldn't matter how much older they are - I am assuming he has no difficulties discussing subjects with your Mother or yourself. Avalon often has solo supplements waived, so if you book ahead of time, you should be able to access that. They also have Active and Discovery cruises that would enable him to go on bike tours or hiking tours, while you and your Mom either do a walking tour or stay onboard. That's one of the nicer things about river cruising - you can split up and compare tours over a meal. Another suggestion - you can either book your own free time in Budapest, or add it in to your tour, most will have the ability to add on either a pre or post cruise extension. I have only sailed Avalon, both times we've had mixes of families (high school / Uni aged children with parents), younger and older couples. We were amongst the younger ones when we first started cruising, no problem with meeting others that we could spend time with. The only thing I will let you know about Viking, if you are from North America, you have to pay in full shortly after booking, most lines are 90 days prior to departure. Lots of people on here love it, and it has a great following, so they must be doing something right!

Maestro is (actually was, as they are phasing it out) part of MasterCard, so I would assume that they probably do. We've never had a problem with our MasterCard in either the Netherlands or other parts of Europe. @Canal archive, there's lots of places here that don't accept Amex. I've heard it's because the merchant fee is higher, so it's not worth it. We always travel with both Visa & MC, just in case there is a problem with one of them. I do find that now my cards are in my phone wallet, they don't have problems with the machines (sometimes the swipe strip gets damaged), but when the stores have a limit...trying to remember that PIN is a pain! 🙂

Avalon has 3 options for breakfast and lunch - buffet, off a limited menu, or room service. We haven't ordered off menu or through room service (and I know off menu would be fine for lunch but not sure how room service would work if you are going out on an afternoon excursion) so can't say much about them. We find if we get there early, we are usually first to the buffet for breakfast.

We've never stayed in the bottom level, however we book towards the stern on the 2nd level. All the cabins on the 2nd & 3rd level are identical except for the two suites, so when we book at the closest to the "cut off point" for Category A (we stay in Cat B) we are getting the discount for the same cabin. We've never found any smells or noise. We have heard some people say they do, but others who were directly opposite to their cabin said they didn't. Guess some may be more sensitive, or looking for problems (as in the one couple as they complained about everything!).

Glad to hear you are enjoying yourselves, and hopefully your house will be OK. I was glad to hear that the hurricane dropped down to a 3 by the time it hit, after Helene, Florida deserved a break.

We've been through Amsterdam, Budapest and Prague airports on our cruises, as well as many train stations along the Rhine River. English is well displayed, and navigating the airports is quite easy. My suggestion is to go to YouTube and do some airport walkthroughs (once you have an idea as to which one you will fly into or out of). They are good at showing you what to look for. When you go to Europe, you go through Passport control when you land. It's something like customs, except they don't ask if you have anything to declare. If you have one of the new Canadian passports, you should be able to scan it through the machines and skip the line up of actually speaking to someone....really nice if you are transporting through Schiphol, which can be a lengthy process. If you have a connecting flight, you go through that, then catch your next flight, collect your bags and walk past customs. Most that we've seen, you only go over if you have something to declare, otherwise you just walk out the doors. If you are travelling to Europe in 2025, you will need an EISA, which is like a Visa. It's going to cost about 7-9 Euros. They haven't announced when it rolls out, so you may want to keep an eye on it with your TA. Returning is basically the same as arriving, check your bags (be really careful if you wish to use carryon, as the European airlines are getting strict) and go through passport control. They are also implementing a new system this year for Europe. They will either scan your passport and take a photo of you (like they do if you go through customs in Mtl.), or possibly take your fingerprints. This is a one time thing, so you will do it on entering, but leaving will be easier. Read the stickies on the top of the main page as there's lots of good information there, and find a TA who deals with river cruises. They are a lot different from ocean cruises, so it's nice to have someone that can help you find a line that suits you and your budget, and can explain what to expect. Not pushing Avalon, but they have a page on their site with certified Avalon TA's, who have done extra training with them. However, they probably will also have experience with other lines, so it's an easy way to find someone if you don't already have one.

Glad you made it out, and hope you can enjoy your trip. Not nice when you are thinking of not only what you will come home to, but also your friends & neighbours who are there. Hope you don't have much damage.

@AMhappy, as you state, you just can't tell how the water levels will be. Last year we were on the Danube and had low water, this year same time it was flooded. What I can tell you is that Avalon will do their best to make sure you have the experience you signed up for. We sailed from Budapest, and were to end sailing in Nuremberg. We found out after returning from our excursion in Dürnstein that we would only get as far as Passau, which was 2 stops short. They added an extra stop in Engelhartszell, reimbursed us for the optional excursion to Cesky Krumlov or Salzburg and made that an included excursion for everyone. We were bussed to Regensburg for our last day excursion and instead of being a 1/2 day trip, they made it almost a full day. They gave us coupons to get lunch at the Sausage Kitchen and a generous "lunch money" in Euros. Those who were ending the tour in Nuremberg were then bussed to Nuremberg and put up in a hotel with dinner for the night to catch their flights the next morning - with transit I believe. The rest of us had a continuation in Prague, so our trip was only changed from leaving from Passau instead of Nuremberg. I didn't hear anyone complaining about the changes, and everyone seemed happy - we actually came home with more Euros than when we left! My only miss was Nuremberg, but we will be doing another cruise that goes along the Main, so will end up there....just gave us an extra reason for another cruise. Book your trip, and enjoy, let Avalon do the worrying. 🙂

Maybe because of the distance here, but most GG cookies here are sold over local FB pages - someone lets everyone know what is coming up and when they will be available, and we all put in our orders. Once in a while when we drive into town, we will see the girls out selling them at grocery stores, but they just can't go "door to door" as they do in urban areas. I have a feeling that thanks to the FB pages, sales in the area have increased significantly. When you only get them 2x a year, people order them and freeze them. 🙂

I think the only time we use cash here is when we go to our hairdresser's. She works from home, and doesn't have a card machine. Other than that, we use our card, because they pay us to use it.

Looking at the Canadian site, the Romantic Rhine cruise for the two dates has a difference because the Sept 23rd one has a special airfare while the Sept 27th one has a special offer. That could be one difference as well.

The raisins we get here in Canada are primarily made from Thomson Seedless grapes. I know there are other types available in bulk stores, but if you buy them in the store, 90% of the time, they will be Sun-Maid brand and those are made from Thomson Seedless grapes. Most of the currants we get are also seedless.

Keukenhof is open from March 20 to May 11 2025. You will probably see some tulips, but all depends on the weather. We were there on the last day it was open the day we went and had a great day with all the tulips out. On the other hand, my nephew was there a year earlier, and a week before closing, and most tulips were gone. A friend was there in April one year, and it was really cold with not much out. Having to book a cruise (especially one that sells out quickly), I would recommend waiting until you could book it at a better time....but that's just me. You could, as you are in Europe (and possibly in the area?) keep an eye on Keukenhof's website and if it looks like the tulips are out, just go visit on your own, and enjoy the cruise at a later time. My husband had no interest in going, it was one of those "if you really want to go then we will" things...he said on the bus back to the ship that he could go again!

Thanks for answering.

They are talking about Viking River cruises, not Ocean....could be different as they may carry Euros. That is what we do (actually still using Euros purchased in 2015), just wondered if there was a reason.

May I ask a question because I'm curious. I don't mean to bring up a controversary. Why would a Canadian take US$ to Europe. Is it because Viking will exchange it onboard?

That's the way we've always eaten them, just butter & jam. I usually leave the raisins out though, but will add currants if I have them on hand. For some reason, I love raisins on their own, but not in my food. 😉

You would probably like our Sticky Toffee Pudding then...our sauce is made with Jamieson's Irish Whiskey. We were looking for something for St. Patrick's Day one year...and now always make it that way. 😉

Looking forward to your review, especially menus - fussy eater here. 🙂 I have 2 cruises that look interesting that I would be interested in, and just found another one.... I have to stop looking!

UK refers to biscuits as what North Americans refer to as cookies. This is a photo of American (not a Canadian thing) biscuits and gravy. I've never tried it, looks very unappetizing to me, however in the southern states, it's very common. Guess they would look at some of our dishes and think the same - poutine anyone? 🙂

You may find this review from 2023 helpful. Not sure what category the cabin is though.:

We will be on the Moselle in May, looking forward to it. Start in Remich, and sail to Amsterdam so there will be some 2nd visits - more to explore!