Avalon Artistry

[cruzeiro do sul]

Taking Avalon Artistry from Budapest in October. Has anyone tested this product? Any words of wisdom on what we should and should noe expect? Thanks, Cruzeiro do Sul.

[letsgo39]

There are many posts on here regarding Avalon and The Artistry.Use the search function or just scroll back.:D

[cruzeiro do sul]

Thanks a lot! Followed your advice and found many intersting tips. Only cabin available was 301, Royal deck next to the ship´s galley. Afraid it may be too noisy, can anyone comment on this?

[webfoot]

I knew the couple who 'resided' in Cabin 301 on our trip on the Artistry and they had no complaints about the galley. The main portion of the galley is off the dining room (we got a tour of it) ... I don't think that the cabin should be a problem ..... enjoy!!! We love the Artistry.

[cruzeiro do sul]

Pat,

Thank you so much! Which itinerary did you take? What did you like best on the cruise?

[webfoot]

We took the Magnificent Europe cruise and left Amsterdam in late April. We thoroughly enjoyed everything about the cruise.

 

The rooms were great. There was so much storage that we actually didn't fill it up ... which is unusual for us.

 

The young lady who took care of our room was fabulous. We needed to have a shirt pressed on the day of the Farewell Dinner and she had it back to us in less than an hour.

 

The food was great. The breakfasts are buffets with everything from cold cereal to fruit to eggs to sausage and cheese to yougurt ... and I could go on and on. The whole grain breads that they served were yummy. Lunch always had a salad bar and a dessert bar. Usually there were two soups and two 'entrees' served buffet style. And of course, there was always cheese and bread. Dinners were 4 course meals. We had our choice of three appetizers each day, two soups, three entrees (one was always vegetarian ... and there was always salmon and chicken if you didn't like one of the entrees), and a choice of two or three desserts. Wine flowed freely with dinner.

 

The lounge was a great place to sit and watch the world. The bartenders were a lot of fun to work with.

 

We used the top deck when possible. Our cruise director gave us two of our lectures on the top deck. In late April/early May, the temperatures were rather cool, so we didn't stay on the top deck too much. Towards the end of the trip, we used it much more.

 

The staff seemed to bend over backwards to assist with any problems. We enjoyed meeting them all. The Captain was a lot of fun.

 

I thoroughly enjoyed the trip and would love to take another trip soon!

 

Please let me know if you have any other questions.

[cruzeiro do sul]

Pat,

Thank you very much for the very detailed report. Looks like we will have a ball!

[cruzeiro do sul]

A few more questions regarding the Avalon Artistry...

 

1. do they have tables for two in the dining room?

2. is internet access too expensive on board?

3. have read that dinner is served rather early and that everyone must eat at the same time... is this true?

Grateful if past Artistry cruisers could reply some of these questiosn. Thanks!

 

Cruzeiro do Sul.

[webfoot]

I did not see any tables for two in the dining room. The ones on the outside of the room were tables for 6. In the middle section, tables were set up with benches and chairs. Most of the time there were two or three tables put together there.

 

Yes, everyone does eat dinner at the same time. The earliest was at 6 pm in Vienna when there was a optional concert. Otherwise, dinner was at 7 or 7:30 most evenings.

 

We bought an internet package for 15 Euros which gave us, I think, access for 7 days. I have my bill in front of me which shows the charge but I am not sure of how much time we got for that price. We had earlier purchased some smaller blocks of time, but that was used up fast. The 15 Euros was a good deal.

[cruzeiro do sul]

From the Avalon website looks like hotels in excursion Blue Danube Discovery will be the InterContinental in Budapest and Hilton in Prague. Would rooms reserved for Avalon guests have a river view? In Prague looks like hotel is located far from the river but in Budapest the InterContinental sits right on the Danube bank. If answer negative, it it possible to upgrade to "riverview"?

 

Would any past cruiser have information on these hotels and their surroundings? Things to do; things to avoid...

 

Thanks in advance.

 

:) Tony S.

[YLTraveler]

I just returned from Avalon trip - Budapest to Bucharest and will post a report a little later. As far as I was concerned everything Avalon provided for the traveler was first class. I would use them again without any hesitation.

 

The direct answer to your question on the Budapest Intercon is that Avalon travelers were given standard city facing rooms. For 40 Euro a night, you could upgrade to a river facing room. I think a previous post had noted the same thing. You probably can reserve the room upgrade in advance by calling reservations. Another option is to upgrade at check-in which seemed like a viable option. The view at night is probably worth the upgrade although you might find just walking along the river and sitting for dinner/drinks is enough. We did not upgrade.

 

I might mention that in Prague, the Hilton and Marriot are right adjacent to old town and are not near the river. I have no idea where the ship even docks, but the Hilton is in a good location for sight seeing. It is a easy walk through old town to the river (and also to new town). The castle however is quite a walk so our guide showed us how to use city transportation from the river to the top. We did walked the entire distance back to the hotel at a very leisurely pace. (It only took me two days for my legs to recover).

 

I might also mention that if you are using the Budapest train station, be aware. Bottom line is that it was a mass of humanity on the platform that included a number of people that was ready to rip you off. Rouge cab drivers were in abundance (one couple was charged 3 times the normal fare plus lost their backpack). Either pre-arrange your train station transportation with the hotel,or be sure you use a licensed cab (indicated by yellow plates). Cab fare is about 1800. See Rick Steve's write up on Budapest train station since it is really on the mark.

[birders]

I just returned from Avalon trip - Budapest to Bucharest

 

I might mention that in Prague, the Hilton and Marriot are right adjacent to old town and are not near the river. I have no idea where the ship even docks, but the Hilton is in a good location for sight seeing.

 

Note for readers of YLTraveler's post: He/she sailed Budapest to Bucharest and must have done just a landtour pre/or post cruise in Prague. The Avalon ships DO NOT sail to or dock in Prague! They embark or disembark in Nuremburg, several hours by bus from Prague. We sailed Avalon "Budapest to Prague" on the Artistry a couple of years ago - we did our own air to Budapest, our own driver to the Budapest Sofitel (we purchased Avalon's Budapest hotel stay/tours, etc.) and the cruise to Nuremburg. We purchased Avalon's bus transfer to Prague and then went on to our own hotel in Prague (in the Mala Strana district, below the Castle, near the river and Charles Bridge, across from Old Town, which we found lovely for sightseeing) and our own air home.

 

We loved the ship. We are booked on Avalon Tapestry two weeks on the Rhine/Mosel - later this year!

[MSEm]

I posted a review of my Avalon Artistry Budapest to Prague in June 2008. Check the Review board.

 

If you have questions, please contact me.

 

MSEm

[cruzeiro do sul]

Very informative review. Thanks!

:)

[cruzeiro do sul]

We are planning to utilize our stay in Vienna (Avalon Artistry departing Budapest Oct 12th) to make a day trip to Bratislava, either by train or by hydrofoil. We have recently spent a week in Vienna and do not have much more to see and do there. Has anyone tried this option? Is it worth the time? Thanks.