Ease of boarding was exceptional, especially if your transfer was included with flight booked with Avalon. Moevenpik is easy to get to if you know that the pickup point for the airport shuttlebus is zone 1. Thanks to advance registration, boarding was easy, as the bus dropped us off next to the vessel. Baggage arrived promptly.

The cabins are noticably smaller than ocean cruise ships, but storage space is excellent. Cleanliness and efficiency are the chief benefits. Since you rarely have the balcony door open (due to coolness, smell or other vessels right next to you) it's not worth the extra money for a balcony room. Wi-fi was inconsistent and slow.

Food on board is plentiful, well-presented, but with little variety for breakfast, and below North American expectations for the quality of the main courses, compared to what you are used to. No one needs an extra drink package, since the wines and beers were included with dinner. Still, you would expect a cruise line catering to North Americans to be able to make a North American style coffee. Alas, no luck (for that matter, anywhere in Europe.) Read more