This was our first river cruise on any line. Before deciding, we researched many options and since we were a fairly large group (six couples), chose Avalon for the destination (wanted multiple countries), price, and generally good reviews. We were not disappointed, but as I said it was our first river cruise, so we did not have much to compare it to.

The itinerary was wonderful, with 3 small towns and 3 cities we got a good mix of experiences. I would highly recommend the side trip to Chesky Krumlof, which was extra, but other than that, each stop included informative local tours, with listening devices for each person. Our guides were local, and spoke excellent English. We took the wine tasting option in Grein, and it was a tour as good as any in Napa or elsewhere.

The food was great, buffet service for breakfast and lunch, with options to order off the menu for lunch. Dinner was 4 courses of delicousness wrapped up with plenty of wine. All the passengers could be seated in the dining room, and so just one seating. This allowed for much getting acquainted with others. Everyone was friendly and happy, folks from England, New Zealand, Austrailia and Canada as well as the U.S. Read more