Cobbie48

We are staying in Mainz on our own for a few days. Yesterday srtolling aLong the Rhine bank we saw a Tauck ship docked near two Viking ships which were rafted.  This morning the Tauck ship was gone and two Vikings rafted. Did not note name of any ships.

On another note, the KD Rhine ships are not sailing due to the low water. We found out at information shop that the Bingen-Rudesheimer Line is sailing. Tomorrow we will take the round trip Lorelei cruise.  For the two days we have been here weather has been beautiful.  

Hope everyone one who is cruising are enjoying themselves.

We have sailed on Avalon 4 times on the bottom deck. Never have had a problem with noise.

Our luggage has always been handled by the staff. Have even seen the captain moving luggage.

We just booked the 12-night Baltic on RCCL Brilliance of the Seas while on Radiance between Seward and Vancouver. We have cruised on BOS 3 times as she spends a lot of time in Tampa, our hometown. Very excited to spend pre-cruise time in Amsterdam and post-cruise in Bruges and Ghent. I’m definitely the travel planner in our family and look forward to the next 13 months of researching ports and excursions. It’s great to hear what others are planning!

 

 

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Just booked this same cruise departing May 19. Been to Amsterdam a couple times so will just go in a day early. Will most likely do the ALLA tour in SP and hoho busses in other cities. Very excited to see SP, Tallinn and Helsinki.

Anyone experience cancellation/bus trip for the Rhone? Or heard of anything? Thanks

Got off Rhône Saturday the 18th. Absolutely no problems at all. Awesome cruise.

My elderly parents will not be able to manage the train or bus on their own, so we are looking for a private company to take them door to door. Any recommendations are appreciated. Even tour companies as I can contact them to see if they would offer a transfer. Thank you

We used Blacklane last week from Nice to Monaco. They are all over Europe. Service was wonderful.

forecast says very hot. Some days high 90s. Still wondering about the river water level.

I messaged Avalon and their response was no problems as of now. Then standard answer about levels can change and they will keep us posted.

Jazz, we embark in Arles.

forecast says very hot. Some days high 90s. Still wondering about the river water level.

Hello everyone. While it has rained a bit temperatures are staying relatively high, though. All gauging stations downstream from (and including) Andernach near Koblenz are now on official low water status. More importantly, Kaub has fallen to its lowest level so far this Summer. 86cm is not good. Minor disruptions could happen soon at some docking places and for sailing in the Rhine gorge.

 

More info to follow when I am back on my computer.

 

notamermaid

Nota mermaid,

Do you know how the water level is on the Rhône? Departing Aug 11 from Arles.

Does anyone know if the Rhône level is ok? Leaving from Arles to sail north in two weeks.

Thanks.

departing from Arles to Paris on August 11, Avalon Poetry ll. Does anyone know what the water level is?

Thank s in advance.

What type of clothes are worn at night for normal dinners on board. I have read that clothing is casual, what would be examples of casual for a woman. Also, I read that some people have not had time to shower or change clothes for dinner, is that normal. This is our first river cruise and are unsure how to pack.

 

Thanks

 

Dennis

For women slacks/capris or a skirt. For men slacks and collared shirt. For captains dinner a dressier top for women and maybe a button down shirt for men. No sport coat needed! There is also laundry service provided for a fee.

As I recall most tours return late afternoon and dinner begins at 7. Afternoon tours are usually an extra cost.

Enjoy your cruise!

Wow! People who have been reporting from cruises said that Viking is doing some ship swaps and they anticipate having the ship moved by tomorrow (Thursday) - Friday at the latest, but they said there are over 40 ships backed up right now - both passenger and cargo.

 

It sounds like quite a mess!

 

 

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My family is on a Uniworld cruise in that area. They were lucky enough to be able to move to another Uniworld ship beyond the blockage. They heard another Uniworld ship’s passengers will be doing hotels.

Agree about Rüdesheim. Did not go to mechanical museum or have the special coffee. Wandered town and not impressed. We really liked Beilstein.

Hope we get some new interesting small towns.

If you booked flights through Avalon for your cruise, how did you feel about them choosing your seats for you? I'm not sure I like that.

It worked for us on fall flights

You could probably call the airline or go on line and change your seats.

Thank you for your response. Is this the same thing as the tasting dinner I am hearing about or is that something different as well? Forgive me for the questions; it just seems like there are a few options for eating and trying to understand them all.

Not sure what it’s called. We didn’t need to sign up, just show up starting at 7

May I ask why you chose not to eat in the main dining room? Did it allow you to spend more time off the ship? If not, what else was there to do during that time?

This was for dinner. We never left the ship in the evening. We just don’t like to sit for as long as the more formal service. We hadn’t clicked with any other people and after the first time with the buffet dinner we really liked it. We did go back to the dining room for the final Captain’s dinner which usually has lobster!

On our Avalon Cruise last fall we ate almost every dinner in the lounge. They have small portions of several menu items, salad, soup, bread, cheese and lots of wine. Also dessert. You served yourself except for the wine. It was much quicker than the long meals in the dining room.

Also on the cruise the year before they didn’t offer this meal service and we picked up sandwiches, chips, cookies late one afternoon in a town and ate it in our room. I’ve also seen people bringing a lunch from town and eating it in the back coffee lounge.

There is plenty of food offered on the ship but often it’s fun to try the food from the local towns. If you buy wine for your room and don’t have a corkscrew, borrow from the bartender and return it right away.

We did this optional excursion last April with Avalon. I can't remember how long the drive was but estimating at least 30 minutes one way, maybe a little more. It was enjoyable but I like history. You walked up a hill(incline) to the top where you entered and I believe ended up down at the bottom after the tour walking thru the bunker the whole time. There are a few steps to maneuver with another set of steps that are elective if you want to see one particular thing - I think maybe it was a look out. I have a few knee issues so didn't do this but my husband did. It is open enough you don't feel claustrophobic. I felt like I learned a lot and so did my husband.

My partner did this tour while I went wine tasting. He thoroughly enjoyed it. He says what you thought was a look out was a gun emplacement. It was reached by a spiral staircase.

I will be traveling on Avalon’s Illumination on the Danube as a solo traveler in a couple of weeks. I am doing the pre-cruise to Prague and leave the states on the 20th of May. I am booked in room 305, a panoramic suite. I will be happy to share my experiences with the group as it happens. I also will extend my trip after Budapest by flying to Amsterdam, Paris, and Edinburgh for two nights each. Crazy busy trip but it is my retirement bucket list. I only hope this will be the first of many. There is so much I want to see and experience.:hearteyes:

PS....they waived the single supplement on my cruise.....

We are going on our fourth Avalon Cruise, Province to Paris, in August. Our first cruise was Prague to Budapest five years ago. Next year we plan to do Budapest to Prague. Enjoy and I will be interested in your live experiences.

Wow! Well, that makes me feel a bit better!

 

Let's say I want to cruise again - can I, hypothetically speaking, get a better deal if I plan a cruise now for July of 2019 or 2020?

Go to the future cruise office while you are on board. You might get a deal on a future July cruise. They usually offer lower deposit, OBC and a gift like a tote bag. Did your friend the travel agent give you any OBC?

I searched the thread and didn't see this topic: bringing a CPAP machine on the river boat and pre- and post cruise hotels booked through Avalon. I asked my TA to find out if I'd be supplied with distilled water and an extension cord (if needed) to plug in the machine. The only info I got back, from Avalon through the TA, was that I was responsible for having an electric converter, and that they would supply distilled water on board. I'm still concerned about the hotels that are booked as part of our package. Anyone able to tell me what they've experienced?

We will be on the Impression Blue Danube Discovery in June 2018. Thanks.

My partner brings his own extension cord. Has never had a problem using it or getting thru security.

Interesting, xmaser. Rotterdam is becoming more popular I was getting the feeling. Your experience seems to confirm this. I am not sure if ironic is the right word here, but it is a fact that Rotterdam is the original gateway to Europe('s river Rhine) from Britain as Amsterdam has only been accessible for large ships since the canal was built in the 20th century.

 

notamermaid

on our Avalon Brussels to Amsterdam Cruise last fall we docked overnight in Rotterdam. Walked off and wandered around, including new food hall. On departure we got a Harbor tour. This was a great cruise, all in all. Went to charming places and no rafting. We were docked at the far side of the Amsterdam train station but they bussed us to the center.

We love Avalon and always book the aquarium room. No one dresses up on river cruises. Very informal. More like country club casual.

OK, I'm getting antsy, guess it's been so long in the planning stage that now we are getting close, excitement is building. Can anyone remember when the package from Avalon comes in prior to leaving? We have a month, and I'm sure it will be in soon, but well.....:)

I think it’s about three weeks before departure. Give them a call and ask them!

Thanks for all the replies. :) Hopefully this time next year we'll be on a short countdown to our first river cruise. Have a bit of research to do first! :D

We are older than you and addicted to river cruising. Avalon is our cruise line of choice. We book the “aquarium “ rooms to save money as we aren’t in the room much.

The Rhine is an excellent first river to cruise. We combined it with the Moselle.

Summer is the best time to cruise as you are more able to sit on the top deck. We did two autumn cruises and froze up top.

There can be water level issues as well in the summer. Read the stickies at the top of this forum.

Planning Is half the fun