we are in our early sixties and my wife is retired and I am transitioning into retirement. This is our first river cruise and we did not know what to expect. the results? would we do a river cruise again? absolutely! there is no experience like the peace and solitude of sailing down a great river especially at dawn or dusk or as we experienced in the rain. would be cruise Avalon again?maybe if there was A good deal to be had. Would we go in another cruise line? absolutely.

the pros: Avalon was extremely well organized and professional.Everything went like clockwork, the tour guides were probably the best we have ever had. And the service was impeccable.

the cons: principally, the food fell short. While you can't do much to ruin a breakfast, which was ample with omelet stations, fresh breads,juices, etc., the lunches and dinners did not come up to what one would expect from a cruise of this cost. The entrees were tasteless affairs, portions small,thrown together. essentially, the food was good enough to satisfy ones hunger but not once during the whole week did I nor anyone else in my group have a WOW moment from anything that was served.disastrously, the ice cream was terrible, having been frozen and refrozen; most of it had ice shards in it. One waited to go ashore to buy ice cream from a street vendor that was ten times better than what was serve in board. To be fair the included wines were perfectly acceptable to us so unless you are a wine lover there is no need to buy the expensive drink package. Another con while the ship was kept spic and span clean, the furnishing were also nothing to write home about . Functional Danish moden no frills communist era issue.you do not get the understated elegant feel that you do on Celebrity.Lastly and least importantly the linens left much to be desired, the towels really threadbare and cheap. Read more