We chose Avalon since we had sailed the Rhine with them 10 years ago and had a wonderful experience. We chose this Blue Danube cruise because it was 2 nights in Budapest, over night in Vienna and 2 nights in Prague. We had a first class experience again! Everything was phenomenal from the cabin to the food to the excursions we picked. We highly recommend all the excursions that have to do with food and wine both afternoon tours for tastings and evening tours for dinners and folk shows. We also ordered a basic Anniversary celebration package and it was wonderful. We had a special table in the dining room with 6 guests (folks we had met on the cruise). Our guests received beautiful invitations, our table was decorated, we had champagne and a cake and then our cabin as also decorated and we had champagne, flowers, candy and fruit in the cabin. All of which made this anniversary especially memorable. Avalon also came through with a free excursion to Salzburg and a free lunch in Regensberg when they were forced to change our itinerary due to low water on the Danube that prevented us from getting to Nuremberg. The speed with which they changed arrangements for 150 people some of whom were flying out of Nuremberg was amazing. None of the passengers could have asked for better customer service. Should we chose to do another river cruise it will definitely be on Avalon. Read Less

We had done the Rhine river cruise last year and wanted to do another in a different part of Europe. This trip from Budapest to Nuremberg and via bus to Prague, did not disappoint, the ship and staff were excellent and could not have been better. We booked our own air travel to and from the cruise and getting to the hotel in Budapest and the airport in Prague were not difficult. The Cruise Director was at the Hotel in Budapest to greet us with information about our stay; his orientation briefing was excellent as was his service for the entire trip. The on-shore excursions were led by great tour guides that provided an insight to the sights in a detailed and complete manner. The tour guide for most of the excursions in Budapest, Oliver, was entertaining, knowledgeable, and above all, friendly! Another of particular distinction was Michael, who gave us an insight to the Weltenburg Abbey's design and history in a detailed manner without making is boring. The hotels that Avalon selected in Budapest and Prague were exceptional! Both were very well appointed with full service restaurants and bars. The rooms were superior or deluxe and had all of the amenities one would expect. We are looking forward to our next trip with Avalon! Read Less

Friends took this cruise last year and raved! They went above and beyond adding freebies when high water caused us to miss 2 ports. Avalon did not miss a beat. They offered a free concert and choice of excursions. They refunded anyone who had paid for the excursions. Our only disappointment was that we couldn’t take advantage of their generosity as we gad booked a private tour thinking it would be free time. Not Avalon’s fault, and after a horrible experience on a Baltic cruise where they canceled 3 out if 5 ports with ni compensation or substitutes, this was remarkable. The food was great. The chef met with anyone with special needs or restrictions when we boarded. Every dish was safe for-those who had allergies! This is a relaxing cruise- port intensive and busy during the day and leisurely in the evenings. There were performers from the local area, wine and schnapps tasting, captain ‘s welcome and gala farewell dinner. The buffets were plentiful and delicious. There were 2 cookouts on the skydeck. They need to better organize these as the lines were too long, but this is a new ship and I predict they will figure it out! The rooms were well appointed and the panoramic windows facing the bed were super! Our stewards were efficient and provided excellent service- we hardly saw them but every request was fulfilled! The nice thing about river cruises is that basic tours are included in each port. One guide was better than the next! One nice experience was top service from a front desk employee. The high water on the river changed our schedule and we went to Saltzberg and Linz on what turned out to be a holiday. My husband only wanted a Linzer torte ftom Linz, but alas, the bakeries were all closed. He mentioned it to the woman at the desk, and Surprise, when we returned to our cabin the next night, there was an entire torte with plates and flatware!! Shout out to Dayana for making this vacation fantasy a reality ! Precruise hotel was Prague Hilton. Great hotel, but the old town Hilton and Intercontinental were better located. Budapest was last minute swap to the Sofitel instead of the Intercontinental. Location next to the Chain Bridge was perfect, but not having the rooms available until later in the day was inconvenient. Avalon brought passengers for 50+ rooms and it would have been nice if they had rooms earlier. Breakfast at both hotels was amazing. We cannot wait to plan our next Avalon cruise Read Less

Wanted to go on a relaxing and upscale Riverboat Cruise and this was Not my first one. I was really disappointed in the service and the staff. The food presentation was very nice but the food was not great. The Service from the dining room was really below par. Not at all what I expected. They were taking our dishes before we were even finished with our food. G-d help you if you were a few minutes later than others at a table. They rushed you out and even told you the others were almost done. What does that have to do with your dining? A majority of the staff, including the Hotel Manager and Dining room manager were wearing so much cologne that the trail followed them all the time. I have an allergy to perfumes and they were asked not wear it and after the request was made, they wore more. They were totally inconsiderate!!!! Made my trip a living hell.! I do not understand why people working in close quarters with the public have to wear fragrances and so much of it. It really is a pollutant. The ship was a new one and was pretty and well laid out. A shame the Customer Relations was So Poor. Also, I thought the included tours were really minimal. I guess thats how they get you to spend more for additional excursions. Avalon , I was told was upscale. I think Not. Last time I went on AMA and thought they did a much better job. The added entertainment on board was pretty bad also. They used the lounge for yoga, so you really could not relax during the classes. Read Less

Going Places Travel agent Judy Bakanec suggested it. We did this for our 50th wedding anniversary coming up in June. We liked having the AvalonGo app to keep us up to date on any changes to flights and schedules. The ship was new, spotless, and had everything we needed, the perfect size to feel at home and well-taken care of. The staff was friendly and completely professional. We teamed up with 3 other couples for meals and shore excursions, making the experience even more meaningful. We will definitely recommend Avalon Cruises and book another one, The only thing that would have made the cruise better would have been if Globus had us actually visit sites and not just see sites. Most days were rainy with temperatures in the low 40s Fahrenheit. Too many Globus classic excursions consisted of bus or walking tours around squares and not actually going inside places escorted. Read Less

We wanted to try Avalon after experiencing other river cruise operators. Overall, it was a relaxing cruise experience. Beautiful scenary and well organized. Great ship board cuisine. The variety and quality of food at all three meals were consistently outstanding. Overall service was very good, but after dinner coffee service was a bit inconsistent. Very smooth sailing, even though little day time cruising. Day tours were just adequate. Should improve embarkation experience - lenthy wait for room availability. Definitely need to improve communication on disembarkation transportation. We booked air travel directly through Globus, which resulted in an extended and inconventient air travel to the city starting the cruise and there was a lack of clarity and inconsistent written communication on disembarkation transportation to departure airport. Globus travel agent support prior to trip was below expectations for the costs for this 'luxury' cruise. We would have booked our own travel and transportation. This should not have been an issue and dampened our enthusiasm to return cruise with Avalon or to recommend them given the highly competitive landscape. Read Less