AMA and Uniworld Cruiser asks about Avalon

[Kellie Poodle]

We have cruised with AMA and Uniworld and have had memorable cruises.

 

There is an itinerary with a date that works for us on an Avalon cruise in the far east.

 

I had mentioned the possibility of booking this cruise to some friends who have done lots of river cruises and they told me that I would not like Avalon.

 

Is Avalon so different from AMA and Uniworld?

 

I'd like to hear from those who have traveled either AMA or Uniworld and Avalon as I am interested in the comparison.

[alexandra cruiser]

as I ve cruised with all the above.Remember ea ship in the fleet can be very different.

So its always a very general comparison.

Found AMA to be of higher standards in cabins(love the 2 balcony longships),also in food,service,entertainment...really every category.

Then would list Uniworld as slightly less .Then comes Avalon.Nothing awful and just more on average scale,not above.

But,if the itinerary is only offered by them and you want to go,give it a try.

Not bad,just not great.Sorry,trying to be honest.

[pacmom]

We just returned from our 5 week journey in SEAsia. The first part was Saigon-Siem Reap with Avalon. It was just wonderful--22 of us on a 30 pax boat. It is a Pandau style boat. The staff knew our names the first day and also drink preferences. Food was excellent. Breakfast was buffet with an egg statin. Lunch had a salad and dessert buffet, entrée ordered from menu. Dinner was ordered from the menu. There was a movie almost every nite relating to the area visiting. One evening children from an Avalon supported village came on board and danced.

 

We had a few meals off the boat--one was a cooking school lunch--ate what we fixed. There were two villages that we visited that were very interesting--one a silk weaving village--gorgeous silk scarves. The other was the silver village in Cambodia. The jewelry was so beautifully made and we actually got to meet the people who made what we bought.

 

We had a cruise director from hotel-hotel--a Kiwi expat now living in the US. We had a local guide for all of Vietnam--he even managed to find me a replacement for a broken watchband. We had a guide for Cambodia and one who met us at the airport in Bangkok---all very knowledgeable and all shared their family history with us.

 

I would highly recommend this trip. Avalon is adding a new boat next year adding a masseuse and a fitness center--still keeping 16 cabins. Happy to answer any other questions

[Kellie Poodle]

as I ve cruised with all the above.Remember ea ship in the fleet can be very different.

So its always a very general comparison.

Found AMA to be of higher standards in cabins(love the 2 balcony longships),also in food,service,entertainment...really every category.

Then would list Uniworld as slightly less .Then comes Avalon.Nothing awful and just more on average scale,not above.

But,if the itinerary is only offered by them and you want to go,give it a try.

Not bad,just not great.Sorry,trying to be honest.

 

Thank you. I appreciate your honesty.

[Kellie Poodle]

We just returned from our 5 week journey in SEAsia. The first part was Saigon-Siem Reap with Avalon. It was just wonderful--22 of us on a 30 pax boat. It is a Pandau style boat. The staff knew our names the first day and also drink preferences. Food was excellent. Breakfast was buffet with an egg statin. Lunch had a salad and dessert buffet, entrée ordered from menu. Dinner was ordered from the menu. There was a movie almost every nite relating to the area visiting. One evening children from an Avalon supported village came on board and danced.

 

We had a few meals off the boat--one was a cooking school lunch--ate what we fixed. There were two villages that we visited that were very interesting--one a silk weaving village--gorgeous silk scarves. The other was the silver village in Cambodia. The jewelry was so beautifully made and we actually got to meet the people who made what we bought.

 

We had a cruise director from hotel-hotel--a Kiwi expat now living in the US. We had a local guide for all of Vietnam--he even managed to find me a replacement for a broken watchband. We had a guide for Cambodia and one who met us at the airport in Bangkok---all very knowledgeable and all shared their family history with us.

 

I would highly recommend this trip. Avalon is adding a new boat next year adding a masseuse and a fitness center--still keeping 16 cabins. Happy to answer any other questions

 

Thank you. I appreciate your taking the time to respond.

 

Was Western-style food available at the hotel and on the boat? My DH is diabetic and rice and the sugary sauces in a lot of Asian dishes are not good for him.

[pacmom]

Western style food was available in both the hotels and on the boat. The dinners on the boat were mostly western style. One of the first things asked in our first briefing was about food allergies and special dietary needs.

 

We have been on 6 Uniworld trips and will take our 3rd AMA trip this Dec--it will be our 20th river cruise. We found the Avalon trip in Vietnam to be on par with them. People on board told us this was not typical of Avalon in Europe--it was better. Pat

[Kellie Poodle]

Western style food was available in both the hotels and on the boat. The dinners on the boat were mostly western style. One of the first things asked in our first briefing was about food allergies and special dietary needs.

 

We have been on 6 Uniworld trips and will take our 3rd AMA trip this Dec--it will be our 20th river cruise. We found the Avalon trip in Vietnam to be on par with them. People on board told us this was not typical of Avalon in Europe--it was better. Pat

 

Thank you. Good to know.

 

I'm guessing that the boats in Vietnam are chartered?

[caviargal]

as I ve cruised with all the above.Remember ea ship in the fleet can be very different.

So its always a very general comparison.

Found AMA to be of higher standards in cabins(love the 2 balcony longships),also in food,service,entertainment...really every category.

Then would list Uniworld as slightly less .Then comes Avalon.Nothing awful and just more on average scale,not above.

But,if the itinerary is only offered by them and you want to go,give it a try.

Not bad,just not great.Sorry,trying to be honest.

 

We have 4 cruises with Avalon and three with AMA and I concur with alexandra. The only thing we preferred on Avalon were the beds on their new ships. AMA excelled in every other category.

[pacmom]

My first choice in Europe is definitely AMA. This Avalon cruise in Vietnam is definitely a step above their Europe trips. The food was excellent, beds very comfortable, guides excellent and only 22 of us on the trip. It was also the only cruise that started from Saigon harbor--the other were bussed to the delta. There were lots of extras that are not included in Europe.

 

The hotels were the Intercontinental in Saigon and Bangkok and the Victoria in Siem Reap. If I am a cheerleader for any line it would be AMA, but this Avalon trip in SEAsia was far above our expectations. Pat

[harbourside]

I am interested in the comparison with Avalon, Uniworld and AMA. I am doing my first river cruise this year with AMA (actually APT which is AMA's partner but cruises are sold to New Zealanders and Aussies. These cruises are fully inclusive. No optional extra tours, full open bar etc).

These were the tour companies I limited by search to. Actually I find Avalon very appealing. I know that it is not as fully inclusive as the others, but I take that into account when doing my homework cost wise. I like their French balcony suites. Full balconys on a river cruise does offer any appeal to me. Maybe the cost of an extra $6-$7000.00 NZ, does not justify it.

I am researching my next river cruise (France 2015), and find I keep going back to my Avalon brochure. Actually, as reading matter, I like the Avalon brochures best. Food seems to be the stumbling point with AVALON. Where do they fall down?? Food is important on an expensive 15-16 day cruise (Approx $24-$27,000 NZ including air).

i have nothing to compare any river cruise company with, as I am yet to do my first in (August 2014).

I would like to try Avalon and Uniworld. I hope my first cruise on the AMAREINA, which is a new ship, lives up to all my expectations.

[Host Jazzbeau]

I am interested in the comparison with Avalon, Uniworld and AMA. I am doing my first river cruise this year with AMA (actually APT which is AMA's partner but cruises are sold to New Zealanders and Aussies. These cruises are fully inclusive. No optional extra tours, full open bar etc).

These were the tour companies I limited by search to. Actually I find Avalon very appealing. I know that it is not as fully inclusive as the others, but I take that into account when doing my homework cost wise. I like their French balcony suites. Full balconys on a river cruise does offer any appeal to me. Maybe the cost of an extra $6-$7000.00 NZ, does not justify it.

I am researching my next river cruise (France 2015), and find I keep going back to my Avalon brochure. Actually, as reading matter, I like the Avalon brochures best. Food seems to be the stumbling point with AVALON. Where do they fall down?? Food is important on an expensive 15-16 day cruise (Approx $24-$27,000 NZ including air).

i have nothing to compare any river cruise company with, as I am yet to do my first in (August 2014).

I would like to try Avalon and Uniworld. I hope my first cruise on the AMAREINA, which is a new ship, lives up to all my expectations.

 

You're in a good position right now. If APT works the same as AMA (and many other cruise lines), you will have the opportunity on your cruise to get a nice discount on the next one (which doesn't even have to be specified on the spot). So if you like APT/AMA, take the offer. If not, come back here and try to figure out which line you would like better.

[franski]

I am interested in the comparison with Avalon, Uniworld and AMA. I am doing my first river cruise this year with AMA (actually APT which is AMA's partner but cruises are sold to New Zealanders and Aussies. These cruises are fully inclusive. No optional extra tours, full open bar etc).

These were the tour companies I limited by search to. Actually I find Avalon very appealing. I know that it is not as fully inclusive as the others, but I take that into account when doing my homework cost wise. I like their French balcony suites. Full balconys on a river cruise does offer any appeal to me. Maybe the cost of an extra $6-$7000.00 NZ, does not justify it.

I am researching my next river cruise (France 2015), and find I keep going back to my Avalon brochure. Actually, as reading matter, I like the Avalon brochures best. Food seems to be the stumbling point with AVALON. Where do they fall down?? Food is important on an expensive 15-16 day cruise (Approx $24-$27,000 NZ including air).

i have nothing to compare any river cruise company with, as I am yet to do my first in (August 2014).

I would like to try Avalon and Uniworld. I hope my first cruise on the AMAREINA, which is a new ship, lives up to all my expectations.

 

We have travelled with both AMA and Uniworld, but are doing south of France with Avalon in early July.

 

I will most likely post along the way - but definitely will post something when I return. As I know that food is of particular interest for you on this itinerary, I will try to make conscious comparisons. Of course, food is quite subjective - but I will try to provide some detail for you.

 

Fran

[harbourside]

Thanks. I liked the Avalon Grand France itinerary, and also it will have two new ships sailing in France in 2015. South of France will have the Scenery as well as Poetry 11, and the Seine section will have the Creativity as well as Tapestry 11. Because Avalon is the cheapest by quite a bit, off course I will expect there to be differences, but overall as long as it is a good all around experience I will be happy. My APT/AMA trip will be mainly New Zealanders and Australians, (I got a great deal with earlybird special on this one), but Avalon will be a more international mix, which would be good. I have only done Trafalgar and Insight European tours before, and liked the mix of people we met. Also planning a Trafalgar Route 66 tour. Having talked my husband into trying a river cruise, I am also doing something he has wanted to do.

Edited April 29, 2014 by harbourside

[alexandra cruiser]

as I did south of France with Scenery.I had many problems with my cabin,the bathroom esp...awful odor in whole cabin from it.Others near ours had same thing,the cleaned pipes and then left room deodorizer.WHEW.Never solved the problem,having been on other ships I KNOW this needed complete FIX,not this measure.

Then,,the way ship is laid out,when in main room you can t see anything in front.Blocked by stairwell,odd design.

Food was average,very few varieties of desserts,wines(free at dinner),and portions appeared smaller than usual.

Sorry, but would NOT take that cruise on THAT ship.Unless it has REALLY improved in last 2 yrs.HOPEFULLY??

Can just relate MY experience,

[YoungDubFan]

I have only taken 1 river cruise on Avalon, so have nothing to compare it to, but I had no complaints whatsoever. The food was plentiful and good. I also enjoyed the included wines. There was one evening when I mentioned to the waitress that I liked one of the wines from the night before better than the one they were pouring that night. A few minutes later, she appeared at our table with a bottle of the wine from the previous night. She left that at our table for us. I thought that was very nice of her, and completely unexpected. I liked that there were optional excursions in some cities. We only did 2 of the optional excursions but both were very nice. This worked for us because we enjoyed doing our own exploring in some of the towns and didn't feel we were paying for something we didn't use.

 

My thought is you really can't go wrong between Uniworld, AMA, and Avalon. When there have been flooding issues or low water issues, it has seemed that there are far less complaints from passengers sailing on these lines than on Viking. I think it says a lot about a company in how they react to adversary on a trip. Good luck with your research. I really think you will enjoy your trip, regardless of which line you cruise on.

[ikesyd]

Thanks. I liked the Avalon Grand France itinerary, and also it will have two new ships sailing in France in 2015. South of France will have the Scenery as well as Poetry 11, and the Seine section will have the Creativity as well as Tapestry 11. Because Avalon is the cheapest by quite a bit, off course I will expect there to be differences, but overall as long as it is a good all around experience I will be happy. My APT/AMA trip will be mainly New Zealanders and Australians, (I got a great deal with earlybird special on this one), but Avalon will be a more international mix, which would be good. I have only done Trafalgar and Insight European tours before, and liked the mix of people we met. Also planning a Trafalgar Route 66 tour. Having talked my husband into trying a river cruise, I am also doing something he has wanted to do.

 

We have been on one river cruise to date - Avalon Vista Christmas/New Year cruise. Liked the french balcony- more room than a full balcony, also couldn't justify extra cost for ships(APT/Scenic) with full balcony and all inclusive costs - spend more time in lounge areas. Also APT are mainly Australians/New Zealanders, liked the mix of nationalities on Avalon. Variety of food was good, we are not fussy eaters. Wine with meals was good, didn't miss having to pay for wine/beer at lunch as we had this very rarely. Happy hour before dinner was good for the cocktails. The price of our extra drinks at the end of the cruise wouldn't sway us to to choose an all inclusive. Also the included tours were great - very good local guides,we chose extra optional tours to Cesky Krumlov, Rothenberg Ob der Tauber and the Schonbrunn Palace, all booked while on cruise, we were very happy with these tours and the costs. If you join the Journeys club you receive a 5% discount and if you pay the balance by a certain date their is an additional 2.25% discount. We also purchased a future discount voucher after this cruise and have used it,as well as the other 2 discount offers to book the Avalon Grand France on the 2 new boats for September 2015. Don't think I would feel comfortable on a Uniworld ship I personally find their decor a bit too much. The Avalon decor suited us, the crew were great so we are really looking forward to our next cruise in 2015!