All Things Avalon

[Judicruise1]

First time on a river boat.  We will be on Avalon Vista.   Are the walls in the rooms metal?  Just wondering if I should bring a few magnets like on an ocean cruise. 

[YoungDubFan]

Judicruise1 - I haven’t been on the newer Avalon ships but from what I remember the walls were not metal. I’m sure someone else will chime in.

[jsn55]

6 hours ago, Judicruise1 said:

First time on a river boat.  We will be on Avalon Vista.   Are the walls in the rooms metal?  Just wondering if I should bring a few magnets like on an ocean cruise. 

We did Felicity last, pretty sure the walls were metal, I remember leaving all my 'paper stuff' on the wall when we disembarked and feeling bad that the steward had that extra cleanup to do. 

[Kenster]

7 hours ago, Judicruise1 said:

First time on a river boat.  We will be on Avalon Vista.   Are the walls in the rooms metal?  Just wondering if I should bring a few magnets like on an ocean cruise. 

What do you use the magnets for?  
 

I can’t imagine a ship being framed with any material other than metal for structural integrity, as well as fire concerns. 

[Kenster]

32 minutes ago, jsn55 said:

We did Felicity last, pretty sure the walls were metal, I remember leaving all my 'paper stuff' on the wall when we disembarked and feeling bad that the steward had that extra cleanup to do. 

Why not remove your “paper stuff” from the walls and save the steward the extra work? 

[vada_9]

4 hours ago, Kenster said:

What do you use the magnets for?  

you can use magnetic hooks to hang up a washing line, provide extra hanging space for hats, coats bags etc or just to put up daily paperwork

[jsn55]

12 hours ago, Kenster said:

Why not remove your “paper stuff” from the walls and save the steward the extra work? 

I didn't leave it on purpose, I forgot about it.  My post was unclear.

[Host Jazzbeau]

7 minutes ago, jsn55 said:

I didn't leave it on purpose, I forgot about it.  My post was unclear.

Does that mean you also left your magnets?  Hopefully the cabin attendant was able to use them in their crew cabin, which must be even tighter than the passenger ones!

[barbw427]

Tell me more about these magnets!  What kind did you use?  Those sound like they could be very handy.

[Fouremco]

4 minutes ago, barbw427 said:

Tell me more about these magnets!  What kind did you use?  Those sound like they could be very handy.

These are the ones that I've used for years. Tremendous holding power.  https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/hardware/hooks/storage/73796-magnet-mounted-hooks?item=09A0496

 

 

[Judicruise1]

3 hours ago, Fouremco said:

These are the ones that I've used for years. Tremendous holding power.  https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/hardware/hooks/storage/73796-magnet-mounted-hooks?item=09A0496

  Mine were much the same, only a little larger.   Hang hats, backpacks, jackets, lanyards.   They are very handy 

 

 

Edited May 31, 2022 by Judicruise1
forgot to write

[Judicruise1]

sorry,  I seem to be writing in the wrong spot.

 

  Mine were much the same, only a little larger.   Hang hats, backpacks, jackets, lanyards.   They are very handy 

[gnome12]

38 minutes ago, Judicruise1 said:

sorry,  I seem to be writing in the wrong spot.

 

  Mine were much the same, only a little larger.   Hang hats, backpacks, jackets, lanyards.   They are very handy 

When you quote a post, it goes into a box with a border on the left side, at least on a phone. Your response should be either above or below that border. (Unless you are responding to individual points one by one when it is helpful to change the colour of your reply so that it can be easily identified by other readers.)

[CT-Edin]

Our Danube Delta cruise has been changed - update from Avalon:

As the safety and peace-of-mind of our guests is always our top priority, we have therefore updated your itinerary to keep a safe distance from the Ukraine given the ongoing situation there.

We have removed the stop in St. Gheorghe and the excursion to the Danube Delta on day 2 of the cruise due to their proximity to the Ukraine. These changes enable enhancements to your itinerary with added time and experiences in exciting ports of call:

 

• Cernavoda: In addition to Constanta excursion, we’ve added an excursion to a local winery

• Belgrade: We’ve added an overnight stay as well as an additional excursion of a culinary tour on the second morning in port

• Novi Sad: We will now arrive in the evening with an added overnight stay

[Daisi]

Sad, but hopefully the new excursions will make up for what you will be missing.  At least they are playing it safe.

[sanger727]

Has anyone on here had any luck getting ahold of Avalon by phone? We booked through an online travel agent. This guy hasn't returned an e-mail or phone call in months. His phone always goes straight to voicemail and no one else in the company will talk to us. My booking is fine, but I just want to pay it off, right now I have zero faith that he will do anything. I tried calling Avalon and sat one hold for 20 minutes. Sent them an e-mail request so will wait and see if I hear back. I don't mind sitting on hold if need be IF someone will eventually answer. 

[hmcrn]

I had this issue a few years ago - Avalon will only talk to a travel agent if you booked through one.  I actually emailed the TA and told him he was fired, and then got a new travel agent to help me.  Good luck!  

 

[sanger727]

10 minutes ago, hmcrn said:

I had this issue a few years ago - Avalon will only talk to a travel agent if you booked through one.  I actually emailed the TA and told him he was fired, and then got a new travel agent to help me.  Good luck!  

 

 

How do you go about getting a new travel agent to help with an existing reservation.

[hmcrn]

I just looked through the local directory in my town and then called one.  I explained the situation and she called Avalon to explain and get the booking transferred to her. 

[Daisi]

I find going through their Face Book page and leaving a message (not a post) always gets a response.  You can maybe explain the situation, that you no longer wish to deal with the TA, and want to deal direct.  It may take a day or so, but I always get a response (rather than trying the "contact us" through their website), and they are very helpful.

 

 

Good luck.  

[sanger727]

Thanks to all. Good news. I called and left a  voicemail on the general mailbox and sent an email threatening to fire them and I got a call back from a different agent. As long as the cruise gets paid off, I’m good. Lesson learned that the best deal isn’t always worth it!

 

another question. Will the pre-paid gratuities cover included shore excursion guides or should we plan on having cash for that? 

 

 

[vada_9]

 

1 hour ago, sanger727 said:

another question. Will the pre-paid gratuities cover included shore excursion guides or should we plan on having cash for that? 

This is the info we received this week.

 

Tipping. Tipping on cruise holidays is a general practice and while the amount of these gratuities will depend upon your degree of satisfaction for services received, many of our clients have asked us for general tipping guidelines. For a good job, we recommend 3 Euro per passenger per day for the Cruise Director and 12 Euro per passenger per day for the crew-this will be pooled and distributed fairly among those who have been of service to you (including those of the personnel who work only behind the scenes and whose service is equally indispensable to your enjoyment of the cruise).

 

Please note that tips for your Cruise Director, the ship’s crew, local guides and drivers are included in the price of your holiday. If you would like to provide an extra tip, envelopes specifically for this purpose will be left in your stateroom on the day prior to disembarkation, and a designated box in which to deposit the envelopes will be set up at the Reception when you leave the ship.

[Kenster]

4 minutes ago, vada_9 said:

 

This is the info we received this week.

 

Tipping. Tipping on cruise holidays is a general practice and while the amount of these gratuities will depend upon your degree of satisfaction for services received, many of our clients have asked us for general tipping guidelines. For a good job, we recommend 3 Euro per passenger per day for the Cruise Director and 12 Euro per passenger per day for the crew-this will be pooled and distributed fairly among those who have been of service to you (including those of the personnel who work only behind the scenes and whose service is equally indispensable to your enjoyment of the cruise).

 

Please note that tips for your Cruise Director, the ship’s crew, local guides and drivers are included in the price of your holiday. If you would like to provide an extra tip, envelopes specifically for this purpose will be left in your stateroom on the day prior to disembarkation, and a designated box in which to deposit the envelopes will be set up at the Reception when you leave the ship.

Please note that the mandatory prepaid tips (AKA “included”) only applies to certain markets. (UK). The rest of the world freely tips and does not have to be forced to prepay them. 
 

For the US market, for example,  prepaid tips are OPTIONAL. 

[Canal archive]

Kenster where does it say ‘optional’ on the USA website or in the brochure. I can assure you that us ‘Brits’ are not forced to do anything and can ‘tip’ when and how we please the fact that it’s not part of our lifestyle is because we have attempted to ensure  that employees don’t have to rely on tips to live so when we visit countries who seem to have a different ethos we go with the flow. If there’s one thing that gets right up my nose is a generalised assumption like yours. 
When Scenic first went all inclusive it was frowned on big time to even attempt to tip extra, luckily not now. Why should a Cruise Director get special treatment tip wise as they do in some cruise companies. We’ve always had exemplary service from Scenic staff who thinks of the maritime crew when tipping not you I bet. 
Well that’s my rant for the week so sorry if I’ve annoyed anyone I’ll go back and hide in my archive!

[Daisi]

5 hours ago, Canal archive said:

Kenster where does it say ‘optional’ on the USA website or in the brochure. I can assure you that us ‘Brits’ are not forced to do anything and can ‘tip’ when and how we please the fact that it’s not part of our lifestyle is because we have attempted to ensure  that employees don’t have to rely on tips to live so when we visit countries who seem to have a different ethos we go with the flow. If there’s one thing that gets right up my nose is a generalised assumption like yours. 
When Scenic first went all inclusive it was frowned on big time to even attempt to tip extra, luckily not now. Why should a Cruise Director get special treatment tip wise as they do in some cruise companies. We’ve always had exemplary service from Scenic staff who thinks of the maritime crew when tipping not you I bet. 
Well that’s my rant for the week so sorry if I’ve annoyed anyone I’ll go back and hide in my archive!

 

I think @Kensteris referring to prepaid gratuities, that you pay prior to your cruise. They are worked on the recommended fees by Avalon, while in the UK (and maybe other countries) the gratuities are included in the price of the cruise.  Doing so, you don't have to worry about tipping at the end of the cruise, and can just give a little extra for those you feel went above and beyond.  As for the CD having "special treatment", Avalon crew are under one contract, the CD is under another. Avalon crew are usually with the same ship for their entire contract - 1 yr or 6 months or whatever.  The CD could be by monthly or per sailing.