Our Avalon Rhine River cruise from Basel to Amsterdam was taken in late October 2019. The cruise was pleasant with no real negatives, but also without any exceptional experiences or excursions. The cruise is marketed as an 8 day cruise, but there are 7 breakfasts, 6 lunches, and 7 dinners included, so its a 7 day cruise at best. The last 24 hours are spent docked in Amsterdam, so you are effectively paying $1000 for one night in a small Amsterdam hotel room with a meal plan for two people. By comparison, we spent $250 a night for an entire floor of a canal house in a 9.8 out of 10 rated location for our other four nights in Amsterdam, and that includes a large breakfast We didn't spend close to $750 a day on meals or canal cruises on any of the other 4 days. We probably spent that collectively for the entire 4 days, and that includes $230 for two I Am City Cards for "free" admission to the most popular Amsterdam museums (except Anne Frank House bought two months in advance) and "free" public transportation and canal cruises. Our Category A cabin was excellent and is reviewed separately. We went with Avalon instead of Viking because the meals were supposedly better. The meals were good, but definitely not a culinary experience, so don't expect to be wowed. Across the entire staff, the onboard service was excellent. Embarkation was also a breeze. I would recommend going downstream from Basel to Amsterdam as you get between points quicker (17 hours Cologne to Amsterdam vs. 24 hours the other direction) and with less engine noise. On ship entertainment was limited to the same lounge singer every night, plus one night with three classical musicians (very enjoyable), and another night with a local band (average). Included excursions with local guides were informative, sometimes humorous, but not exceptional in any way. My expectation is that the Avalon river cruise experience is on par with cruises provided by other comparably priced cruise lines. But I think they are all expensive relative to a land tour option covering comparable sites. Read Less

A European river cruise has been on the bucket list for years and we (7 family members) finally made IT happen! Several of us have taken numerous ocean cruises in the past and enjoyed them so we have something to compare this cruise to. Without a doubt, our Avalon Panorama cruise was special! Everything was so well-organized and the ease of shore excursions (without lengthy queuing) was so appreciated. We were delighted with the "extra" dinner concert at Engers and the nighttime tour of the Rheinstein Castle. Actually, all the excursions were top notch - guides were so knowledgeable and being able to select our tours not only based on interest but physical ability was greatly appreciated. BUT, the most enjoyable excursions were those in the dining room. Our tour guides, Rado, Gabriel, Emil and the delightful Maitre'd, Zjolt, made our evenings as pleasant as the day excursions. We were fortunate to have been able to dine at the same table (except one night) and were treated to an amazingly pleasant and efficient staff! The food was excellent - especially the "German" night! Breakfast and lunch buffets were fantastic - such a variety each day made the meals memorable! We crossed off "A European river cruise" from our bucket lists but added it back on to specify an Avalon Danube cruise next! Oh, yes! We will be back! Read Less

The active cruise interested us as we are both avid walkers and enjoy biking and hiking. We were disappointed in the Avalon service compared to our experience on a Uniworld River Cruise on the Danube River. We enjoyed the option of the flexible dining that Avalon Cruise provided, but found the food being removed an hour earlier than advertised e.g. 8:00 PM instead of 9 PM. Then when we tried to go to the main dining room because the lounge/bistro dining had been removed an hour early, we were scolded for arriving late and discouraged by the head waiter from getting the full menu in order to catch up with the rest of the dining room. We loved the panoramic room and the cabin steward was friendly and did a great job. The cruise director and the main receptionist were not as friendly as we would have expected. The cruise director was knowledgeable but seemed a little aloof and disconnected. The concert with the band that come on the ship and castle tour were great and would have liked more of that type of entertainment. The onboard entertainment would have been better with more variety such as DJ, second musician, etc. Read Less