River cruising has expanded greatly in recent years. There are many alternatives which provide great service to different audiences. My wife and I have now completed two river cruises, one on the Rhine and the second on the Danube. After a lot of research, we chose Avalon for both. In this article, I will explain why we like Avalon. Your choice may be different, but, since river cruising is relatively expensive, I think it is worth taking some time to evaluate your options.
Your options are broad. There are many lines competing for your business. The rivers in Europe are getting crowded, so it is important to pick the cruise line that provides the services you desire. Consider the following four components:
Itinerary – Look at the itinerary. Does it contain small towns as well as large cities? Is there anything unique about the itinerary? Consider extra days before and after the cruise in the ports to see more, since these are generally large cities with lots to see. On our most recent cruise on the Danube, we wanted to visit Linz, Austria which was a location my father remembers from his World War II days. For us, it was important to have some time in Linz, as well as see Budapest, Vienna, and other locations. We chose an itinerary with extra time in Budapest, overnight at Vienna, and two stops in Linz, as well as a number of smaller towns. I will discuss these more in future posts about the trip.- Level of activity – Some cruise lines cater to more active cruisers and tailor their excursions with lots of activities. If you are up to this, look at the activity level. On the other hand, if you have mobility limitations, look for lines that can support your need. Your cruise agent can help you with this, but, ultimately, the decision is yours. While I can be fairly active, my wife is somewhat limited in her mobility and a recent surgery introduced additional limitations. Avalon plans their excursions for both active cruisers and “gentle” walkers, understanding that there is always a variety of capabilities. I assume other lines do as well, but do check with the line. For example, Tauck states that they cater to the more active cruisers and their excursions reflect this.
- Level of luxury – This also translates into cost. There are some lines that provide basic accommodations that are adequate. If you are looking for a more upscale vacation, pick a line known for its luxury. I found that the price does not always reflect the level of luxury. It is easy to check out the ships online and most provide picture or video tours of the ships. Spend a few minutes to make sure you are getting what you want. Since my wife and I are not heavy drinkers, we are satisfied with wine and beer being provided only at meals, but you might have different desires. Look at the furniture provided and the room layout to ensure they will meet your standards.
- Price – Of course, price is always a consideration. When comparing prices for river cruises, look at what is included and what it will cost to get to and from the ports. As an example, Avalon got us $750 air fares on great flights to Budapest and returning from Linz – I could not find any flights below $1,200. Include in your calculations the cost of any extra days, extra excursions (yes, all river cruises have optional excursions that cost extra), drinks (most lines include drinks with meals – some include all drinks), cabin upgrades, and tips. Read the fine print to see what is included. You might be surprised to learn the more expensive cruises include more and end up being a better value.
I looked at many lines, read their brochures, and compared prices. I was amazed at how many choices we had. First of all, concentrate on those lines that service English speaking passengers. There are many European lines that are great if you speak the language. Below is a summary of some of the lines available to you.
- Viking – We have to start with Viking as they are the benchmark by which the other lines are measured. Viking does provide good service and their ships are quite good. From what I have heard from others, they are fine, but do try to contain costs. I do know that Viking sends me more mail and e-mail than any other cruise line. At least they finally stopped their 2-for-1 pricing, which was a turn-off for me. When searching for a river cruise, it is safe to use Viking as your benchmark for itinerary (they have many), level of luxury (satisfactory), services provided, and price.
- There are a number of luxury lines, including Uniworld, AmaWaterways, and Crystal. You will pay a premium on these lines, but you will also get a superior level of service. I found an interesting article comparing Uniworld and AmaWaterways on CruiseCritic that I recommend reading to get a good idea on what these two lines provide.
- Tauck deserves a special mention. They focus on high activity cruises. If you are into physical activity, such as hiking and biking, this is an excellent choice. I have spoken with several person who cruised on Tauck and they loved it. However, if you have any physical limitations, this is probably not a good choice for you.
- Grand Circle Travel caters to an older clientele and has their own ships. We have taken an land vacation with Grand Circle and it was wonderful. When we looked at their river ships, it just did not seem to be the level of luxury we desired. Fellow cruisers who have taken Grand Circle said they were fine, so I can recommend them if you are on a budget.
That brings me to my choice of Avalon. Now that we have completed two river cruises with them, I can state that Avalon is my choice for river cruises. Below are my top four reasons for recommending Avalon.
#1: The Panorama Suite
Avalon launched a new room design a few years back. They call it their Panorama Suite. In essence, what they did was provide a wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling glass exterior wall composed of three sliding panels. These can be opened to expose the entire room to the outdoors. Then they turned the bed to face the wall, so you can lay in bed and watch the countryside go by. On top of this, the rooms have an elegant bath and plenty of room to move around. I like to slide the wall panels open and sit in the chair next to the rail to enjoy a good breeze when we are sailing. This is much better than a balcony for me, as we still get to use the extra space when the panels are closed.
#2: Value for the Price
River cruises are somewhat expensive. We found that Avalon was price comparable to Viking for a similar itinerary. Yet the level of luxury seems to be greater. We have been put up in 5-star hotels when hotels are provided. The quality of food is fantastic and the excursions are tailored to differing levels of activity. Their ships are well maintained with an extremely interactive staff. We felt at home for the entire trip. In addition to a fantastic stateroom, the public area were furnished comfortably and not crowded.
#3: Superior Level of Service
On our most recent cruise on the Danube, our ship experienced engine problems before arriving at our departure port. Avalon could have bused us to the next port and put us up in a hotel somewhere economical for them. Instead, they somehow managed to get up rooms in the Sofitel hotel next to the InterContinental which was their standard hotel. Since this was a national holiday in Hungary, the InterContinental was booked. Rather than move us out of town, we were provided with excellent rooms, a great dinner and breakfast, and easy access to the festivities which included fireworks that could be viewed from our rooms. On top of that, the communications was excellent. Our cruise director, Tony, kept us informed at all times and we never felt any disorientation.
To cap it all off, they gave us 15 Euros each to get lunch and refunded over $1,000 for a day’s sailing for the two of us, even though Avalon had to pay for the hotel stay, meals, and bus while the ship was delayed. This was much more than we ever expected.
I also like that Avalon uses local services. I spoke with several of the guides who indicated they love to work for Avalon since Avalon does not try to cut corners and allows them the flexibility to provide better services. Everywhere we turned, someone was there to help us without being intrusive.
#4: The People
I have a long list of names of persons who went above and beyond the expected to provide for us. Although I do not have any experience with the other lines, I cannot imagine it getting any better.
This experience began at the top. We were on the Avalon Impression and Captain Rolin was ever present. He met us when the left the ship or came back. He was all over this ship and constantly interacting. The highlight was when we observed him during a dinner carrying out the trash, dumping it into the bin, then jumping on it to compact it down. Can you imagine any other captain doing that?
Our cruise director, Tony, had a tough job. Their first few days were difficult since he had to coordinate our activities while resolving issues related to the ship problems. I never saw him get flustered. He always had time for anyone with a question, even though I know he must have been feeling a great deal of stress. Given everything he had to juggle, I rate him as a first-class cruise director.
Some others who made our trip memorable include…
- Florin, the night manager, who engaged in discussions of the history, economics, and stories of the local cities and countries.
- Sandra, our tour guide in Linz, who helped us when we fell behind the rest of the group. She gave us her personal attention to ensure we did not get lost and could enjoy our pub crawl in an unfamiliar city.
- Kati, our cabin steward, always knew when we were not there so she could make up our room. She always had a smile for us and took care of our few special requests immediately. And, of course, our room was always made up when we returned.
- Gratian and Briana in the dining room remembered our quirks and made sure we enjoyed the food.
- Sonia, our guide for St. Florian Monastery, was extremely knowledgeable and gave us interesting insights and stories. This was one of the highlights of the trip.
- … and many more, to numerous to mention.
The bottom line, now that we have two river cruises under our belts, is that Avalon provide a superior product at a reasonable cost. I know the luxury brands provide a more upscale experience, but we could not have asked for anything better.
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