Rebel54

I'm not sure about your cruise but the one I am on overnights in Vienna. If it's important to you, you might want to forego the second excursion.

This is part of why I love a balcony cabin. I can enjoy the sights in the peace of my room. I love Avalon for the cabins with the beds facing the windows and they have a small table, couch and chair so you can also enjoy coffee or room service if you just need that peace. I get over stimulated with too much energy from other people so it's hard for me to be in social situations all the time. On Avalon there were a nice mix of tables and options for seating so I could be as social or NOT as I wanted to be.

I have a Revolut card that I plan to try out with my travel credit card as my back up. Plan on getting minor amounts of local cash cash at each location for small things and I'll pull from the ATM..

Pretty much. Food, drink, you name it.....as long as it's not illegal 🙂

You do pay for the items in the mini bar. No soft drinks in the 24 hour area. I had them remove the mini bar items and just picked up some preferred drink items when we were in port. L'occitane products are in pump bottles attached to the walls in the shower and at the vanity.

Very thoughtful response. Thank you. The bench in the shower really does not impact you showering at all. That shower is pretty big. I also like that there is a separate toilet from the shower room and more counter space. Traveling with my daughter makes both details a blessing :). I agree on the window situation with the bed in those cabins. Really wish they had thought about that. I honestly never laid in bed and watched the scenery so it didn't bother me much. I'm booked in a RC on the Envision and will have a twin set up and plan to give the bed near the window to my daughter so she can enjoy it. I prefer to sit at the table and enjoy my coffee in the AM. I like that the seating area is not crammed at the end of the bed in the RC.

I'm an Avalon fan myself so I can't really give advice on Viking. I was going to suggest, if you haven't, search for Viking ship tours on YouTube. 🙂

Have you tried calling Viking and asking them to resolve it? They should be able to move you or them to the same cruise.

Very interesting 🙂

It wasn't meant in a negative light. I hate ocean cruises for that very reason. I think it's also a difference in the clients that come on board river vs ocean cruises. Don't think you will ever see the need for full time drug sniffing dogs on a river cruise :).

1. Very affordable and wonderful. I'm doing a 20 day cruise and thankful for that. 2. No room service charges. I never had meals delivered, preferred to go to the food so it was hot and fresh. I did get coffee and juice delivered a couple times. 3. I believe you get a bottle of Champaign (at least the last time we sailed we did) and there is a nespresso machine in your room. Kind of a waste of space to me because you could go make a fresh coffee in the lounge anytime you wanted. 4. They had waffles that you could order for breakfast and they had the pearl sugar so they had a nice sweet crunch to them. If you love olive oil and balsamic vinegar with your bread...they have the BEST at the table. 5. Just unpack, relax and enjoy the ride. There's not a LOT of on board entertainment and the majority of people (on my two that I've done) tend to turn in earlyish so this is not the hopping nightlife that you get on ocean cruises. This is a nice time to journal, read, or just chat with new friends 🙂 6. I love the relaxed atmosphere. No pushy sales, no long walks off the boat to face pushy photographers trying to sell you photos, no pushy sales people as you walk out of the cruise owned port (because you don't have those). No one checking your bags coming back on the boat. Want to bring back wine and cheese or whatever you prefer...no problem. No one cares. Want to walk off the boat, scan your card and with a quick walk you are in a village. Staff are amazing. No request too big or too small. They want to make sure you enjoy your time and there's less than 200 people for them to take care of ... they will know you by name instantly.

Which cabin did you go for?

When packing, remember that if you have internal country flights they are VERY strict on checked luggage. If you don't mind paying, don't worry. We had several people in our group that had to pay over $100 for overweight bags and were mad.

We went in March a few years ago and it was H O T. Bring light weight breathable clothing. I wore Teva type shoes to be able to rinse them easily from the dust. I do recall that with Avalon we left our shoes at the door when we returned from shore trips and they returned then to us clean. (I'm old so I could be remembering that incorrectly). Make sure that you have something to cover knees and shoulders when entering temples. "Cool towels" are a life saver.

I was going to tell you to look at Viking's payment Policy. They want all that money up front. I prefer to keep my money in my account until I am ready to pay and earn interest rather than let them grow my money for themselves any sooner than necessary. Look at Avalon's cabins. I think the itineraries are pretty similar, just looking at the cost, cabins, and all that for differences. I love the space in Avalon's cabins. The mid range cabin is 200 sf with the wall opening up to make your cabin a balcony vs loosing cabin space for a balcony. Their crew are outstanding, food is great and I love the relaxed atmosphere. 🙂

Just curious what is it about those two companies that you are attracted to.

@Tardis42 Not sure if you know, if you go to your cruise on the main Avalon page and go to the day to day itinerary and open it up they will have/add the daily excursions and optional excursions there so you have an idea of what will be available after you make your final payment/the last day you can make a payment.

Hey Tardis. I like to sign up for what I want to do ahead of time. You will see optional excursions that you might want to do that you will have to pay for. I like to sign up and pay for those ahead of time. If you aren't sure what you want to do, don't stress. Things are pretty flexible on board. They are not likely to run out of space for the included excursions. If there is a MUST do for you, sign up early so you are sure to have it on your plan.

Maybe consider other lines besides Viking. Also, companies are just clearing 2023 and adding 2025 so check back. You can look at what is offered in 2024 to get an idea of what 2025 might look like. https://www.avalonwaterways.com/river-cruise/burgundy-provence-southbound/WJL/dates-and-prices/?season=2024

I do believe Avalon also allows children 9 and up. Also, Viva allows children with no age restriction.

Doing some googling to try to find out more on the actual ship and found this. More info on the cruise but can't find anything on the draft of her. She's a beautiful boat. https://www.teemingrivercruises.com/ships/ms-swiss-ruby/

They literally just posted today. It's such a small boat I didn't want to wait. Only have to put down 20% and the remainder is due 30 days prior to departure. 2024 was booked up pretty fast. No coaches. We will meet them in Berlin and end in Prague. I am very excited.

I'm excited, booked Berlin to Prague for Nov 2025. I know it's a ways out but I don't care. I can't wait. 🙂

If you are the sort of person that likes to use your room to sleep and shower, save yourself the money and book the cheaper room. For me, I need to be able to open up the room and get the fresh air and I enjoy my space and peace while I see the scenery go by. I need my quiet time and love the panoramic suites for that reason. Another cruise line you might consider is Viva-Cruises. They are a newer line, their prices are more reasonable and their boats are nice. They are also all inclusive from drinks to tours. Search them on YouTube for some reviews.

I will be on Avalon Envision Aug 2024 and will update and let you know what we have. I have the bluetooth transmitters for our flights so hopefully I can test drive it. 🙂