Avalon Poetry Grand Black Sea Cruise

[drlee]

This is our review of the just completed river cruise, Bucharest to Prague.

 

Itinerary:

 

This trip begins in Bucharest, backtracks to Constanta on the Black Sea, and then cruises via Budapest to Nurenburg, Germany. Final three days of trip are in Prague, Czech Republic.

 

We were delighted with this trip, and encourage anyone who wants to get a taste of countries that are hard to reach via motor tour (Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia and Hungary) to do this. The trip runs two directions, (Bucharest to Prague and vice versa), and we recommend doing it east to west. Thus you start in countries and cities new to free markets, and end in western europe.

 

The tour actually is two tours, back to back. (Bucharest to Budapest and Budapest to Prague). Thus we had people coming and going in Budapest, and two nights in Budapest. For us, the overall experience, seeing those just freed of communism compared to more western-Europe, was well worth taking the entire trip.

 

Pace:

 

The eastern part of the trip is more demanding. These countries are not up to EU standards, much less up to American disability rules. Thus, there's a lot of climbing just getting on and off the ship. Then, the streets are sometimes difficult to navigate, especially for the older folks. For the portion Bucharest to Budapest, we would encourage those who have difficulty getting around to consider other alternatives. We had two falls (thankfully not serious), but we also had dry weather. Slippery conditions could make it very difficult for some folks to get around.

 

Some of the passengers were getting around using walkers...a VERY difficult situation.

 

West of Budapest the access became more western-European, and while easier to get around, it's still Europe. Lots of walking, climbing, on and off of buses and the boat.

 

While the tour is designed for those 55 and older, we only would add that the participants should be fit, and able to navigate difficult areas.

 

The Ship, Food and Services:

 

The ship was the Avalon MS Poetry, a relatively new ship. The tour company has only been in business thrree years (a part of Globus), and they're busy trying to build their business.

 

The ship is clean, comfortable and totally satisfactory. The rooms are all a good size, clean and well serviced. The lower deck has windows that do

not open (partially submerged when going under particularly low bridges). The middle deck has sliding patio windows. There are a few rooms on the top deck, behind the dining room including a couple of jr. suites. For the most part, there's very little time spent in the rooms, but the ability to open the sliding doors when moving is a nice upgrade.

 

The bathrooms are fine, but the shower is "cozy". No one could pick up a bar of soap if dropped. Bathrooms are equipped with a combo soap/shampoo gel, so bringing some favorite shampoo from home is a plus. Cabins have hair dryers, but voltage for curling irons is 220v, so bring a dual voltage iron or a converter. Shavers, camera batteriey chargers, ipod battery charges can be plugged into a 110v outlet in the bathroom.

 

The cabins are serviced twice a day....made up during breakfast or morning tour, and again set up for bed, with turndown and chocolates. The night service also provides all info for following day (tour times, sail times, special events) and a menu for following day. We were asked to make our selections on a sheet and leave them at the front desk, so that the chef would make enough. You could change your mind, but if something was wildly popular, there might not be enough.

 

The food was superb. And, there's enough for even the most active "grazers"

 

Breakfast was a buffet....fresh fruit, breads, croissants, sweet rolls, donuts, cheeses. Omlets or eggs made to order most days, but scrambled eggs, pancakes, sausage, bacon, salmon, ham, always. Cereals, juices, coffee, tea.

 

Lunch was a combination salad bar and sit down, with choices from a menu. Generally a dessert buffet as well. Our pastry chef, Heidi, made excellent and attractive desserts of all kinds.

 

Dinner was mostly sit down, with four or five courses from the menu. Fish always a choice, as is a vegetarian selection. Almost always excellently presented, and very tasty. Wine is included, and is very good. Regional wine that changes day to day. Also, they are very generous. Not just one glass, but constant refills up until dessert time. Desserts, again from Heidi were excellent, and ice cream was generally a choice for those who didn't want the offered pastry.

 

There were a couple of theme nights, a pirates' night where the crew dressed up like pirates, and a bavarian buffet night. There was one other buffet night, but I forget the theme. For us, the buffets are not our preference, but the food was good.

 

An afternoon tea was provided for those who were on the ship in the afternoon.....coffee, tea and cake was offered.

 

We heard NO complaints about the food on the ship, and we were very pleased.

 

Dining room seating is "open" which worked better in the beginning of each week, before groups and cliques start to form. The later the cruise got, the more "saving seats" made socializing more difficult. Nonetheless, there was ample opportunity to meet fellow passengers, and learn about their own stories.

 

Dining room attire is casual except for the two "gala nights" (farewell dinners). On those occasions, about 90% of the men had jackets, (about 50% with ties), and the women all had nice dresses. While not absolutely necessary to have a sport jacket or suitcoat, if you plan to attend a "cultural evening" (opera, ballet, concert), in keeping with the locals, a jacket and nice dress is respectful.

 

The Bar

 

The lounge/bar is in the front of the ship with many windows. This is where all ship meetings are held, and the relaxation center while cruising. Bar service includes most expected items, and most days there is a limited "happy hour" with reduced prices for some drinks...making them quite reasonable.

 

If weather is bad (we had a couple of cold mornings) this is also a good place to view the river while cruising.

 

Tours

 

Basic tours were included in the price, and for us were very good to excellent. The tours in the east were a bit different, because to many of these places, tourism is very new. With very few exceptions, the local tour guides were excellent, and very open. Learning about life under communist rule or in the terrible aftermath of the second world war from someone who experienced it is enlightening.

 

The tours generally started with a bus ride, and ended with a walking tour in the local town. Only a couple of ports were withing easy walking distance to the town center (and thus local tours could be walking only), due to the location of the river compared to "downtown". Thus some folks wanting to do more local exploration needed to find transportation back to the boat, via taxi (in the east) or local transportation (in the west).

 

Optional Tours

 

Optional tours were offered at every port. The ones we took were excellent. There were offered tours to concerts, folk shows, the ballet and an opera (Aida). Those not wishing do do these evening tours could do their own thing or stay on the boat.

 

We also heard very little compaining about the optional tours. And, the tour director was able to get additional tickets in some cases to satisfy those who did not sign up early.

 

Unlike ocean cruises, there is no signing up before the trip. There are ship meetings each week where the cruise director explains what is included in each tour, and hands out sing up sheets. Our recommendation would be to study the itinerary before you go, and select things you'd like to see. Like a concert in Vienna, or an opera in Prague, or a visit to the countryside of Bulgaria... In any case, there may not be an exact tour offered, but you'll have an easier time selecting.

 

One final thing. You'll see a lot if you only do the included tours. The included tours are not make-busy, but full-fledged orientation tours with local guides. And if you're the adventurous types, not taking optional tours is the only way to gain significant free time. There is NO time for shopping, except in Bucharest, Budapest and Prague. Unless you skip the optional excursions.

 

Tour Director

 

Our tour director was Hans Becker, a German. A very knowledgeable fellow who gave many lectures along the way....through the Iron Gates, along the shores of Bavaria, and others. He ran a tight ship.....schedules were met (exept those out of his control, like the water levels, causing delays of the ship). The only complaint about him is that he was not always available. Nonetheless, he took care of the unhappy few and the happy many with great professionalism.

 

Extras

 

A couple of included extras made the trip more enjoyable. There was an Austrian wine tasting and a German beer tasting. Both very entertaining and enjoyable. We also had a lecturer get on board at one of the locks and give a talk on the canals.

 

The Negatives-----

 

-Laundry is prohibitively expensive on board. Bring low suds detergent to do a few things in your room, or plan on wearing things more than once.

 

-Special on board "parties" included food and drink at a cost of 3-6 euros per person. None of these were particularly successful.

 

-Low river waters caused delays in transit, shortening our time in Nurenburgh. Also required busing to Constanta on the Black Sea.

 

-Satellite TV didn't work at all east of Budapest, and only carries one or two english-speaking channels west of Budapest.

 

-Internet access from the ship is terribly expensive and unreliable (about $4 a minute). Use internet cafes...they are easy to find and cheap, even in the east. ($1-2 for 15 minutes) or use SMS text messaging.

 

Overall

 

This was a spectacular trip for us. While October can be a chancy time to make this journey, we were blessed with outstanding weather. The only rain was our last full day in Prague (AM), and by afternoon it was beautiful. Colors on trees at peak, crowds were low, and it was just a wonderful experience.

 

We would recommend the entire trip to those who want a bit of the east, without the hassles. And of course, the western part is just a neat way to travel through Bavaria.

 

Finally, as we said in the beginning, while Avalon is trying to attract the over 55 affluent traveler, those who have difficult climbing a couple of flights of stairs without a railing, or have difficult walking on uneven ground should reconsider, or just do the half of the tour between Budapest and Prague.

 

Final recommendations

 

Even if you don't get your flight tickets as part of the trip, buy Avalon's transfers. They will handle your baggage from start to finish, and you'll be guranteed to catch up with the tour if you miss a flight connection, and are late.

 

When you pack, try to divide partners' things between two suitcases, should one be lost. We had at least on couple who lost a suitcase for eight days....(the lady's suitcase). If things had been divided, at least there would be something for everyone.

 

If you plan on playing cards (bridge, pinochle, gin, whatever) bring cards.

 

-----------------

 

This was our first river cruise, so we can't compare to the other cruise providers. We saw four or five others making similar journeys, stopping at the same ports...we even walked through some of them as we had access to the ports through them.

[gas]

drlee, from your description we joined the Poetry in Budapest on Oct 15th. Wasn't the weather great? This cruise met all our expectations, and more. No complaints about the ship or the crew. The food was very good, but the hot items at breakfast were often on the cold side. Many that I talked to said they thought the food and service were better on the Bucharest to Budapest end, yet again there were less people on that half. Our only problem was having to wait in line for 45min to check in at Prague and this was after we had done an optional tour and returned to the hotel at 4:30. I thought that Hans should have taken care of that before we returned. He also was somewhat rude when we asked about where to find the porter to check our hand luggage. Had this happened before we gave him his tip, we wouldn't have given him the max amount. All in all, it was a wonderful trip and I certainly would pick Avalon again.

[letsgo39]

If it was before he got his tip I bet he would not have been rude.LOL:D

[gas]

We were thinking the same thing, letsgo. Another problem was that there was a cruise director-in-training on board. He had spent 10 years plus doing bus tours, and knew a lot about the ports and places to go. He was a very friendly Irishman and most of the passengers went to him with their questions. He gave a plea at a meeting for Hans being so busy behind the scenes making all the plans and collecting the money for the options. In other words, don't forget to tip Hans. Most of the options were overpriced and not worth the time unless you wanted concerts, opera or ballet. We did 3 options, the horse show in Budapest, very expensive even with a terrible lunch included. The Jewish tour in Prague was interesting, but the best was the concentration camp. Not as depressing as I had thought. Maybe it was our local guide who was excellent explaining the history and mind set of the people in the area at that time. She was a gem, even telling us where to eat near the hotel, where not to eat in Old Town, and the best stores for quality and price.

[drlee]

We would certainly agree with the shameless pandering for tips, but we've become used to that from other tours. Peter (the tour director in training) was constantly schmoozing, and was considerably more friendly than the cruise director. The cruise director was professiional and prompt in his duties, but didn't go out of his way to be friendly with the passengers. Peter (the one in training) was constantly talking with the group, and he was especially popular with ladies travelling together...

 

Anyway, the point that gas made about the difference in service levels between the two parts of the trip are notable...it seemed much easier to operate when only 160 passengers were on board, as we picked up an additional 20 in Budapest. There's no way to book these cruises with cabins unfilled, but it does make for a more comfortable cruise.

 

In any case, the travel industry is filled with good tour directors and bad, good tour guides and bad, and all manners of unexpected events along the way. In our case, the combination of the ship's company, the fantastic weather for 20 days, the intinerary, and many wonderful tour guides made this a vacation to remember. We'd do it again in a minute.......

 

.....maybe we'll win that free Avalon cruise, for filling out our questionaires.

 

;)

[gas]

That was a good point drlee made about the good and bad of cruise directors. I thought that Hans seemed very busy doing paper work to get too involved with the passengers. Peter was always visable and interacted with everyone. We did give him a tip at the end. We also hope to win the free trip, but we won't hold our breath. I wish Avalon had a ship that sailed on the French rivers. Peter said that Avalon would need smaller ships and it may come to pass in a few years. I could do this same trip again next year and be perfectly happy.

[letsgo39]

I also wish Avalon had a river cruise on French waters.Also I wish someone had cruises in Italy. I long to go back to Paris and Venice and spend more time in each place.

I'm thinking after next year Budapest to Amsterdam cruise in July I will convince DH to do the Monogram 9 day tour to Rome,Florence and Venice.I do like the idea of all that free time.

[annierie]

:) I have a simple question. We have booked a port cabin on a Bucharest to Budapest tour. Is there any advantage to port or starboard? We can still change cabins.

 

Your descriptions are wonderful. Thanks for the info.

[gas]

We were in a port cabin and never heard anyone complain. So little time is really spent in your cabin. On the top deck you can position yourself to see everything. The Lounge is all glass inclosed as is the Dinning Room, and they tell you where to look when anything important is ahead.

[cbrednose]

I just read about the stairs with no railings! I have a balance problem due to a hearing loss, and need to hold on coming down stairs. I am a fit 70, and we travel alot and I have no trouble in Prague walking, but just stairs. Are there many stairs like this? We are going with another couple, and have paid. Tell me I am silly for being concerned, and I will just hold on to my husband or someone else. How bad is it?

[cbrednose]

I just read about the problem with no rails on the stairs. I am a fit 70 year old, but have a balance problem on stairs and need to hold on to SOMETHING going down! Are there many like that....how bad is it? I walk all over Prague, but it is the stairs.

[DeniceRG]

I just read about the problem with no rails on the stairs. I am a fit 70 year old, but have a balance problem on stairs and need to hold on to SOMETHING going down! Are there many like that....how bad is it? I walk all over Prague, but it is the stairs.

 

I don't think you have anything to worry about in Prague, even the stairs down from the castle had a handrail. It was something that I didn't notice was missing, and I always use a handrail due to arthritis in my knees.

 

Enjoy!

 

Denice

[Joanandjoe]

You've answered several of our questions about the Poetry, which we'll take for a Dutch tulip cruise on April 15. Joan was asking this morning about laundry: now we know. We'll wash a lot of delicates in the sink.

 

Some of our questions may seem silly, but here they are:

 

1) My office will, unfortunately, require me to use the internet if it's available. Is it? If so, is it ship's computers only, laptop access without Wi-Fi (which my laptop does not have), or Wi-Fi only?

 

2) Is there currency conversion onboard? If so, is it at reasonable rates? If the Euro is at its present awful rate, 1.3313, I wouldn't mind paying 1.35 or 1.36, but I'd sure hate to pay $1.45. One does need some local currency for shopping, excursions, etc.

 

3) Is it really true that everyone must go to dinner when the restaurant opens, with little flexibilty? Someone said that in a CC review.

 

4) I usually have a fruit snack in the afternoon. Is fruit available? This will be our first cruise ever without a fridge in the room.

 

I'm sure we'll think of more questions as we get closer to the actual date.

[drlee]

I know you will enjoy your trip. The answers to your questions are: (out of order, sorry)

 

1. There is only one evening or lunch sitting. Generally, everyone goes "around" the time, so that service is better. Often, people would arrive late (can't go early), but in general, everyone eats together. Morning meal is a buffet, so there's more flexibility....since there's no "service" other than coffee, water and cleaning dishes.

 

2. Currency conversion wasn't an issue for us. You leave your tips in whatever currency you wish (we left dollars), and the credit card charges for beverages and tours was done in dollars. We got that from an ATM machine, which generally would have the best rate....and there's no commission. There is NO currency exchange on board, however, and in the case of our tour, we needed some local currency where the euro was not the official currency. Since you'll be in western Europe, you might want to bring some Euros with you, that you can get at the best rate on the way.

 

3. Internet access on board is prohibitively expensive. (And, not terribly fast or reliable.). Wireless access is reserved for the big cruise ships. Since we were east of Budapest, there were often places where there was no TV or internet at all. There is a small internet station behind the bar, and our cruise director set up shop there. Our experience was to use local internet cafe's. Every port had them (tour guides can show you where they are), and they were very reasonable. A buck or so for fifteen minutes. I'd recommend not trying to use the ship service, for the reasons above. On your itinerary, internet cafes should be abundant. (and you won't have to lug a laptop.)

 

4. Fruit is always available at lunch (pick some up for later), and it was often available around 4pm when they often had "afternoon coffee and cake." I can remember there almost always being apples or bananas on the table outside the restaurant.

 

Hope this helps.

 

lrw

[Joanandjoe]

Great information! I gather, from your comments, that tips are in cash, not on your onboard account. Do they at least take traveller's checks at the front desk?

[letsgo39]

Do not bother with Travelers Checks in Europe. They are practically impossible to cash and IF you can find any place to cash them the fees will be at least 30%!!:eek: Most places won't even take them any longer.

 

The best method is to use an ATM card to get cash in the local currency.Be sure your money at home is in your checking account as you cannot get access to a savings account from foreign ATMS. The first ATMs you will see will be in the arrival halls at the airport after you exit customs.The ATM (cash machines) are everywhere in each city. I use the ATM to get cash and a credit card for major purchases. On the ship thay set up an account that you settle when the cruise is over and all of your on board purchases are charged to that account.

[Joanandjoe]

Do not bother with Travelers Checks in Europe. They are practically impossible to cash and IF you can find any place to cash them the fees will be at least 30%!!:eek: Most places won't even take them any longer.

 

The best method is to use an ATM card to get cash in the local currency.Be sure your money at home is in your checking account as you cannot get access to a savings account from foreign ATMS. The first ATMs you will see will be in the arrival halls at the airport after you exit customs.The ATM (cash machines) are everywhere in each city. I use the ATM to get cash and a credit card for major purchases. On the ship thay set up an account that you settle when the cruise is over and all of your on board purchases are charged to that account.

 

We're quite familiar with the fact that US $ TC's are not very useful in Europe. Our question is whether Avalon will cash them, so we can use the money for tips. Thanks.

[letsgo39]

Well pardon me,guess I misunderstood your question!

[drlee]

Sorry also....I just do not know if Avalon will accept TC's (we don't carry them anymore). The process for tips was to leave envelopes in the rooms, and instructions on where to drop them, since all tips are shared, except for the cruise director. There was not an offer to put them on the ship bill, but that MAY have been possible. Those that we discussed the tipping with, left cash euros or dollars. (We had many Australian's, who used Euros). Since we settled the shipboard account with a credit card, again don't know if TC's will work.

 

Also, if we toured in a country that didn't permit early access to an ATM for local currency (like in Serbia), we tipped tour guides in dollars or euros....they were happy to take them just fine.

 

Sorry.....maybe someone else knows.