Avalon Review May 08-15th

[DGK]

This site was extremely helpful planning our trip. I posted a review and if anyone has questions I am more than happy to respond

We took our first river cruise on Avalon Felicity May 08th to 15th arriving in Zurich one day prior staying at the Movenpick Hotel. We have only one other cruise experience and it was the Mediterranean with Celebrity. Our very long flight had us arrive around noon on the 07th and our room was ready at the hotel. The Movenpick was excellent. We took a short shuttle ride from the airport, checked in and jumped on the train down the street heading towards down town Zurich. Our day was amazing despite being extremely tired and jet lag. Forcing ourselves to stay awake we even had a Swiss fondue in the old city of Zurich. This ended being one of our favorite cities as it is extremely clean, lovely people and lots of walking tours.

The following morning we arrived in the Avalon meeting room to find our cruise director flustered due to the low water levels on the Rhine. There were constant changes being made and our ship wasn’t able to make it to Basel. Our one hour bus ride was changed to 4. It is no ones fault all due to the lack of rain. Unfortunately the next few days had more bussing than anticipated back to some scheduled sights. By the fourth day the Rhine levels were higher and we were finally able to walk into port which was wonderful. We did hear complaints from other passengers regarding our cruise director and not sure if they were justified. In the beginning you may arrive back from your excursion at 6:30 and had to be ready to dine for dinner at 7:00 due to long transportation. The CD was constantly on the intercom and we do admit after awhile her voice got annoying. Due to the circumstances we do think she was doing the best she could.

Lunch and dinner we felt were very good. Breakfast was OK and could be improved. We participated in all the included tours (sometimes headsets didn’t work correctly) and avoided the optional pay extra excursions. Instead we enjoyed spending our free time exploring on our own and often stopping for a snack, beer or wine in the village we were visiting.

The crew were all excellent. Bring a small flash light for your room as the safe is extremely dark. We had a French balcony and seldom used it compared to the full balcony when we did an Ocean cruise. When in port we were parked right next to another ship and wasn’t able to open the curtains. A suggestion for Avalon is to make another walking group for the slower walkers they had the option only 2x and it did slow the rest of us down. Also have the CD explain how far your are bused to when describing the optional excursions. We new to ask and didn’t want more time being transported so we avoided them. The passengers were all very friendly being a mixture from Australia, U.S.A. and Canada. We booked our flights ourselves and continued on for another 14 wonderful days touring Europe.

Donna

[TravelingLadyOhio]

Donna:

We are taking the same cruise leaving 03July. Where did you finally get on the boat since you could not board in Basel? Just wondering since the river could still be low in July. Thx. I enjoyed your post. I, too, have learned alot from others reviews.

TravelingLadyOhio

[DGK]

I think it was Munchhasen in Germany. So our first day we were on the bus 4 hours to get to the ship as it couldn't get any further south. The second day we were on the bus approx. 90- 120 min. each way back to Strausbourg France. The people that decided to do the black forest optional excursion where on the bus what seemed like forever. Glad we didn't elect to go for it. There was also a winery optional excusion again with a lot of driving. No one's fault just mother nature with a very dry spell.

[Riviera bound]

This site was extremely helpful planning our trip. I posted a review and if anyone has questions I am more than happy to respond

 

We took our first river cruise on Avalon Felicity May 08th to 15th arriving in Zurich one day prior staying at the Movenpick Hotel. We have only one other cruise experience and it was the Mediterranean with Celebrity. Our very long flight had us arrive around noon on the 07th and our room was ready at the hotel. The Movenpick was excellent. We took a short shuttle ride from the airport, checked in and jumped on the train down the street heading towards down town Zurich. Our day was amazing despite being extremely tired and jet lag. Forcing ourselves to stay awake we even had a Swiss fondue in the old city of Zurich. This ended being one of our favorite cities as it is extremely clean, lovely people and lots of walking tours.

 

The following morning we arrived in the Avalon meeting room to find our cruise director flustered due to the low water levels on the Rhine. There were constant changes being made and our ship wasn’t able to make it to Basel. Our one hour bus ride was changed to 4. It is no ones fault all due to the lack of rain. Unfortunately the next few days had more bussing than anticipated back to some scheduled sights. By the fourth day the Rhine levels were higher and we were finally able to walk into port which was wonderful. We did hear complaints from other passengers regarding our cruise director and not sure if they were justified. In the beginning you may arrive back from your excursion at 6:30 and had to be ready to dine for dinner at 7:00 due to long transportation. The CD was constantly on the intercom and we do admit after awhile her voice got annoying. Due to the circumstances we do think she was doing the best she could.

 

Lunch and dinner we felt were very good. Breakfast was OK and could be improved. We participated in all the included tours (sometimes headsets didn’t work correctly) and avoided the optional pay extra excursions. Instead we enjoyed spending our free time exploring on our own and often stopping for a snack, beer or wine in the village we were visiting.

 

The crew were all excellent. Bring a small flash light for your room as the safe is extremely dark. We had a French balcony and seldom used it compared to the full balcony when we did an Ocean cruise. When in port we were parked right next to another ship and wasn’t able to open the curtains. A suggestion for Avalon is to make another walking group for the slower walkers they had the option only 2x and it did slow the rest of us down. Also have the CD explain how far your are bused to when describing the optional excursions. We new to ask and didn’t want more time being transported so we avoided them. The passengers were all very friendly being a mixture from Australia, U.S.A. and Canada. We booked our flights ourselves and continued on for another 14 wonderful days touring Europe.

Donna

 

Thanks for the review Donna and sorry about the low water levels on the Rhine. We have a few questions about the Amsterdam area. Was a canal tour included on your last day on the cruise and was anything else included for that day in Amsterdam? It looks like you get back on the boat for the night and then get off the next morning with your luggage which is the end of the cruise. Is that right?

 

Did you spend that night at a hotel in Amsterdam and if so which one and how was the price and location?

 

If you would have spent more than one day in Zurich, would you think it advisable to book a hotel closer to town or was the Movenpick in the airport area a good choice for easily seeing the area?

 

We are doing this same tour April 1, 2012.

Clare

[DGK]

Hi Claire,

Tough question regarding if we were to spend more time in Zurich regarding choice of hotels. We did meet people who stayed a couple days downtown and then showed up at Movenpick in time for cruise departure. I may guess that we would just stay at the Movenpick and not have to move luggage the day of ship departure. The train was about a ten min. walk down the road from Movenpick and maybe a 30 min train ride to down town. We ate dinner down town as there isn't anything to do where the Movenpick is located. They do have restaurants and a nice bar but very isolated.

Our ship arrived early in the morning in Amsterdam. The included tour was a cruise through the canals in the morning. There were two optional tours one was a tour of windmills (maybe a 90 min. bus ride each way) and in the evening there was an optional tour of the red light district. Both costs extra. We did the included canal tour, walked around following through the city and then in the afternoon went back and packed. We walked the red light district on our own in the evening. We had a very early flight and had to be off the ship the following morning at 6:30. We were travelling for 2 weeks following and hate to say it but Amsterdam was our least favorite.

We found it very busy and the canals extremely dirty.

Hope this helps; you will have a great time,

Donna

[YoungDubFan]

Donna - thanks for posting. I am doing this trip next May - will just be finishing about now. I'm glad that you enjoyed yourself despite issues with the water levels. We are staying at the Movenpick in Zurich as well. One question - where did you go for Fondue the first night? That is my plan as well.

 

I think I will do the same as you and skip the optional tours and just use the time to stroll through the villages.

 

What was your favorite part of the trip?

 

Kelly

[Riviera bound]

Thanks Donna for your answers to my questions. That was especially helpful in understanding what happens in Amsterdam. I really want to see the Anne Frank house. One of my local friend did an 7 or 8 hour bus trip north of Amsterdam that they loved. We also want to go to the bulb gardens and fields since we should be there when they are in bloom so knowing what was included and optional on the boat was very helpful for our planning.

Clare

[shoshona2]

To Clare,

 

If you want to see the Ann Frank House, you should go on line and order the tickets in advance. My friends said the lines were very long and they were so happy they had their tickets "in hand"! You have to figure out what time you want to tour the Ann Frank House. Our friends did it first thing in the morning on an extra day spent in Amsterdam.

 

Sheila

[DGK]

Clare,

Shelia's suggestion to purchase tickets prior is excellent. We passed the house while on the canal cruise and it was very early and the line ups were huge.

Kelly,

The restaurant we ate at was called Adlers Swiss Chuchi and it was in the "Old City ". When we arrived down town Zurich we walked down to the lake and sat and watched the boats. Along the way we did a little shopping. We then followed a walk recommended by Rick Steves around the city and you can also pick up other maps at the hotel or information desk at the train station. Around 4:30 the exhaustion from being awake the past 24hours was settling in and we just pop into Adlers Swiss Chuchi. They had tables outside and we ordered a small for one person fondue and it was huge. We then sat and people watched, picked up a gelato, headed back on the train and crashed into bed. The hotel was very gracious and let us have a late check out of 2 :00pm (no charge). We booked the hotel and transfer through Avalon and found out breakfast was included which was a nice surprise. As far as our favorite I just asked my hubby and together we went back looking at all our pictures and we can't come up with one as we loved so many aspects of the cruise..... The friendly Avalon staff, cruising through the Gorge, touring the Heidelberg Castle and Gutenberg Museum and much more. It was all wonderful. You will love it !

Donna

[YoungDubFan]

Thanks for the Restaurant name. I'll put it in my file for next year. I just got the Avalon brochure for 2012. It is just under one year now before my trip.

[Cuzzin]

Hi Donna,

 

Thank you for your review. We are going on this cruise July 29th and I am very nervous about the water levels and possible bussing. Would you mind answering a couple questions for me? Did you need a converter to use the outlets in the room on the ship? I plan non bringing a digital camera and curling iron that will need charging. What were prices like for wine and cocktails in the ship's lounge? We are arriving two days early staying at the Moevenpick through Avalon also. Was breakfast included becuase you booked through Avalon? Are there any other sights you or anyone would recommend in Zurich? Thank you.

 

Sandy

[YLTraveler]

Ohio traveling lady - we are also booked on 3 July cruise Basel to Amsterdam. Just found this board - have been spending most of my time monitoring the roll call board for river cruises. There are some helpful tips on that board also.

 

Anyway we arrive from LA via JFK early in the morning on the 1st of July. We are staying downtown Zurich at the Westin for two nights. We are currently planning on touring Zurich til we drop on the 1st and then using to train to tour Lucerne on the 2nd. We then plan on meeting up with the Avalon cruise group sometime early afternoon of the 3rd at the designated hotel (Movenpick?). As I understand it we must be at the Movenpick no later then 3 PM.

 

Some of the Zurich suggestions from DGK are extremely helpful. thanks

 

We will be spending an extra day in Amsterdam so need to plan that out. We are staying at the Sheridan airport since we have an early flight home to LA on the 12th.

[TravelingLadyOhio]

YL Traveler - we are arriving in Zurich on Sat. July 2nd (from Ohio thru Atlanta) and will spend Saturday touring downtown Zurich. We are staying at the Movenpick for convenience - all booked thru Avalon. We are hoping to take the Mt. Pilatus tour on Sunday before boarding the boat.

We are staying 2 nights in Amsterdam at the NH Amsterdam Centre. We have tix for the Anne Frank House for the Saturday afternoon we arrive in Amsterdam. We have also booked a 1/2 day tour on Monday (11) with Grayline that will take us to areas out of the main city.

I have found these boards to be extremely helpful. I have been reading that the water level on the Rhine is low. Doing a rain dance here as we do not want our 'cruise' to be by bus!

[DGK]

Traveling Lady Ohio- We were also planning on doing the Mt. Pilatus tour through Avalon on Sunday. Due to our busy day on the Sat. seeing as much of Zurich we decided if we were able to sleep then we would catch up on our rest for the rest of the journey. We ended up for the first time in as long as we could remember sleeping in but did hear wonderful comments from fellow travelers regarding the tour.

Sandy- The ship has 220V 50amp in the rooms and 110 V for the bathroom. All of our equipment which was minimal...cell chargers, camera, Ipad etc, had chargers that ran on both; just read the charger and see if if it handles 220V. The problem is the North American plugs don’t fit so you do need an adapter (not a converter – just allows a North American plug to go into the overseas plugs). For the ship and most of Europe it’s a two prong plug; for England it’s a 3 prong

There were many drink specials 2 for one (Happy Hour) which we didn't clue into until later in the week...check your daily news letter for times. We also had the waiter fill our glasses to the rim (compliment wine and beer) with dinner and would take to the lounge or back to our room following. Most people did. My hubby bought some local beer and we put that to keep cool in our bar fridge. We also bought local wine and it is no problem bringing on the ship. The compliment breakfast at Movenpick was a huge buffet . We did book through Avalon.

Hope this helps, Donna

[rhinered]

Wow - I am so appreciative of this board and people taking the time to post. I wanted to ask:

- do all the rooms have bar fridges?

- how much is the "liquor package" and did you find it worthwhile?

- any suggestions on tipping on the cruise?

Thank you and happy travels!

[DGK]

Yes all the rooms on our ship the Felicity had bar fridges. On your last eve the housekeeping staff leaves two envelops on your bed and there is a box located at the reception desk for tipping. There is a letter describing how it will be divided among all crew and a separate envelop for the cruise director. There is also a suggested amount. You may do what ever you’re comfortable with. We were so impressed with the gal who cleaned our room daily that we tipped her directly over and beyond what went in the envelop. You may put cash or add to your bill.

We never bothered with a liquor pkg. as there is compliment wine and beer with dinner plus you may bring whatever you choose on board. There were daily happy hour specials and our bar tab was minimal.

Hope this helps,

Donna

[rhinered]

Donna - Thank you for the quick and helpfull reply! We will be going in september and I hope I can ask you more questions?

:)

[roger62305]

Hi Donna,

 

Thank you for your review. We are going on this cruise July 29th and I am very nervous about the water levels and possible bussing. Would you mind answering a couple questions for me? Did you need a converter to use the outlets in the room on the ship? I plan non bringing a digital camera and curling iron that will need charging. Thank you.

 

Sandy

 

Sandy most of the modern chargers will take the 220 volts that is on the boat. You will need to take adapters that have the two prongs. We took two adapters and that suited our needs. On the Felicity they didn't have any outlets by the head of the bed I needed for a breathing machine I use at night. I went to the front desk and ask for a extension cord and they gave me a cord that turned out to be a converter my machine plugged in to with out a adapter. That is one thing to remember is if you have a problem be sure to ask some one they can normally take car of it.

 

Roger

[Cuzzin]

I appreciate all the information from both of you. I am anxiously awaiting our cruise at the end of July. I added on two nights to the beginning and end of the cruise. I have not heard what hotels we will be staying at yet though. I look forward to hearing about any other details or tips.

Thank you.

 

Sandy:)