Kenster

Love the Moselle. We spent a few days on it as part of the 11 day Rhine and Moselle, our first of five Avalons starting in 2014.

Avalon’s “Active and Discovery” cruises are very successful. They offer more physically challenging excursions such as biking, kayaking, long hikes into the hills, etc.. But the regular walking tours are also offered at every stop. Something for everyone.

My bride wears her walking shoes on the plane and takes a pair of dressy flats/slippers for evening wear. Start looking at the two week forecasts for Amsterdam, Cologne, and Basel. That’ll give you a good idea of temps and precipitation. Anything north of 50 is shorts weather for me, even though I might be wearing a jacket, too.

I’m sure he’d be happy to cooperate IF… locking and docking schedules down river allow. He’ll need to plan that well ahead of time so speak to him and/or the CD as soon as you get onboard. Hope it works out for you. Any idea what the current itinerary is? If you’re only talking about an hour or two, it might be possible. If you need a several hours delay, it’s unlikely.

The beds are awesome. Very comfortable. You can even select (ahead of time) soft or firm mattress. Avalon ships do not get “tired.” They are freshened up as needed during each winter off season. That need not be a concern. As for choosing a ship, they’re all virtually identical so just choose your cruise based on itinerary and your schedule.

First of all, snow pack, and its ensuing melt, affects Spring and early summer tours. The rest of the season relies on rain. So, it depends on the time of your cruise. Early season cruises can be impacted with water levels that are too HIGH! (Can’t get under bridges.) Summer and Fall cruises be affected low water. In extreme cases, river levels can be too low to be navigable. The good thing is that Avalon ships are built with a shallow draft. That means they can float in shallower water than most other cruise lines. I’m 2018, the banks of the Danube were lined with ships that were dead in the water, all the way from Passau to Vienna. But our Avalon ship sailed right on through without the least impediment. 2022 was a different story. It was the worst drought in decades. No cruise line was unaffected. Cruises turned into bus and hotel tours. Or worse, you were bused for hours every day only to return to the ship, which was used as a hotel. Avalon doesn’t tend to do that. Being part of the Globus group, Avalon has huge buying power in the European market, ensuring that they always had hotels and restaurants available to them. So, very little dead heading back to the ship after hours of bus touring during the day. Another thing about Avalon, they were refunding for days not actually spent on the ship. No credit for future cruises. Actual refunds. In September of 2022, we thought we had actually dodged the disruption bullet. But halfway through the cruise, we had to do a ship swap. It was not a big deal. The worst part was having to pack an extra time. We had a one hour bus ride to another Avalon ship where we were greeted with a cocktail and keys to the exact cabin number as the original ship. For this very minor inconvenience, we we were refunded $200 per person deposited immediately to our credit card. Couldn’t ask for more than that. Things can go wrong in any business. It’s how you handle the problem that brings the customers back. We can’t wait for Avalon number six!

Tour companies tend to book seats in bulk. That’s how they can sometimes offer nice discounts. They’re not in the business to spend a lot of time researching air to get the cheapest rate for one customer. Same with Travel Agents who don’t make a penny on selling a plane ticket. As for buying from a consolidator (bucket shop), those seats are typically non changeable, and non upgradable. And because they’re very cheap seats, they’re often in the back of the plane in middle seats- the seats no one else wants. Hence, why they’re so cheap.

There is no reason in the world that you HAVE to go through a travel agent to book a flight. And I can think of many reasons NOT to. In fact, the only reason I would ever book air through a TA us if she saved me a ton of money, which is unlikely. Travel agents are wonderful and can be very helpful for many travel needs. Booking flights is not one of them. There’s nothing a TA can do that you can’t just easily do.

I’d just book it myself. One and done. Why bother going through a middle man for a simple flight purchase?

She’s on Avalon. Not Viking. Avalon allow’s extension cords.

You need an adapter. The one I posted above, or similar, is great. any American type plug will work with it.

I’ve always used only a household, lightweight cord. It has worked fine for about 25 European trips, including five Avalon cruises.

There IS an outlet on one side of the bed. Usually on the OTHER side. That’s why I bring the extension cord. An ADAPTER does NOT change the voltage. Only a CONVERTER changes the voltage. But it’s highly unlikely that you need to convert voltage for your CPAP. Almost all devices made in the past 20 or so years are dual voltage. (With the possible exception of curling irons). Check the label on the back or bottom of your CPAP. I can almost guarantee that it’ll show 110v-220v. Or something very close. You’ll definitely need an adapter or two. they’re cheap on Amazon. Get one that will accept two or three electrical items as well as USB devices.

It’s not like that. You still see the sites you’re suppose to see but there’s an emphasis on the fine wines of the region. More tastings, etc.

I never knew there was an Espresso/coffee machine on the lower level.

The Deluxe rooms are smaller and not much view. If you are booking down there, try to get a cabin as far forward as possible. Keep in mind that the Deluxe cabins, at 179 sq feet, are still larger than Viking’s Veranda cabins, which are only 170, and especially larger than Viking’s French balcony cabins (139 sq feet.)

Yes, I mentioned the smoking areas in my previous reply. There are actually two: the rear of the top/Sun deck, and a tiny outside deck just aft of the rear lounge on Deck 3.

If the website says the deposit is $250, I reckon it’s $250. You can certainly pay more if you like. You pretty much don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. Because we’ve done five Avalon cruises, repeating many of the stops, We often skip the excursions, sleep late, Have a late breakfast, and walk into town on our own. Just be back before sailing time. The food is incredible but if the main menu doesn’t interest you, you can have a steak or chicken breast every night. The cabin mini fridge is stocked with liquor, for which you pay. You are free to bring your own booze onboard. There are a lot of “two top” tables where you can sit alone, assuming that the ship is not completely full. Smoking is not allowed anywhere in and on the ship except the very rear of the outside deck. It’s unlikely to be an issue. If you’re not interested in taking part in the wonderful food and the incredible excursions, and you don’t want to be around people, preferring to stay in your cabin and drink, why are spending a ton of money for a trip on which you will be miserable?

Tips are presented at the end of the cruise though you do have the option to pre-pay them through Avalon. The Cruise director is tipped separately as he works directly for Avalon while the staff and crew work for the ship owner. I think the recommended gratuity for the CD is €3 (euros) PER PERSON per day. The crew tip is €13 per person per day turned in in one envelope to be distributed among all staff. We also usually tip a little extra, in person, to our dining room waiter. (We tend to stick with one zone and the same waiter) Also an extra tip to our favorite lounge waitress/bar tender. Tips for local guides and bus drivers are included.

They will allow you on the ship by late morning on arrival day. Do not expect your cabin to be ready until mid afternoon. They will be very busy dealing with departing passengers so it’s best to take your bags into the lounge and hang out there. You will be able to enjoy a light lunch in the lounge. You can leave your bags onboard and go out to explore for a while. Pax make their way to the ship on their own. Sometimes, a bus is used to transfer large numbers of passengers arriving about the same time from the airport. If you are flying in on arrival day, you can take a taxi to the ship or purchase a transfer from Avalon. No meeting spot. You go directly to the ship. 2. Ninety days from departure you will have access to book all your excursions via the “My Avalon” portal. It’s a good idea to book even the included ones. Sometimes, there is a limited number of seats available so you don’t want to be disappointed by not getting your desired excursion. No problem on the major inclusions like a city tour. There’ll always be room but it’s still good to book so they’ll know how many local guides/buses they’ll need. Definitely book your optionals as they ARE limited, for the most part. Some can be very small groups. If you wait until you’re onboard, you could be disappointed. You can always cancel up to 24 hours ahead of time. 3. You can leave the ship as early as you like on departure day. If you’re flying out, allow not only travel time but also plenty of time at the airport. Probably should leave the ship four hours ahead of flight departure. If you’re not flying out, you can have a more leisurely departure but you have to be out of your cabin by 9:00AM, I believe. Transportation from the ship is on your own but you can book a transfer through Avalon. I know you’ll have a great time. And you’ll wish you booked a longer cruise!! Cheers! Ken

This is nothing new and should not have been a surprise. It’s in Avalon’s documentation and on their website. If it has been more than 270 days since your second vaccine, you need a booster. I believe the booster has to be received at least two weeks prior to departure. ”Possibly” having had Covid recently doesn’t carry any weight if it was not documented by a doctor. Your friend should get her booster immediately, then she’ll be good to go. Covid is still popping up on cruises. Why risk getting it and having to leave the ship or be confined to your cabin for the duration of the cruise, and possibly being unable to fly home as scheduled?

Slippers and robes in the cabin. They say you can request a firmer or softer mattress. I think they do this by changing out the mattress topper. We have always found the beds extremely comfortable as is.

Probably that starting in 2023, all drinks are free during Happy Hour.

Yes, I have also heard that Avalon refunds the pro rated daily fee for any night spent in a hotel. About 95%, or more, of comments in various Facebook groups has been very positive about how Avalon is handling this. Even the ones who are not happy about the situation in general (and who WOULD be?) realizes that Avalon is handling it well and trying to make it as painless as possible.

I have been in touch with two people on the Avalon BUD-AMSTERDAM that departed about 12 days ago, and one on the current AMS to BUD. The west bound cruise got as far as Nuremberg and had to stop. That was day 8 of 16. The rest of the cruise is bus and hotels. They were given the option to leave the cruise and make their own way home for a 50% refund. OR… they could continue on the bus tour with hotels, all meals, and all “optional” excursions now included. And they would STILL get a 50% refund. So, basically, they’re getting a week long cruise, PLUS, a free, all expenses included week long tour of Europe. Points to Avalon for that. The east bound gent said that they had made it all the way to Passau and were cleared to, at least, Vienna. They had had two ship swaps but he did not mention any hotels. I’m rather surprised by that very positive report.