The odd and personal stuff is at the end of my review, so if you want that jump to the bottom.

First river cruise ever. I had been looking for river cruises for some time because I wanted a vacation that my husband and I could enjoy with us having very different energy levels. River cruises fit that bill. Always someplace to walk, yet staying on board and reading and taking in the scenery works well too.

Embarkation was at a nice Hotel in Brussels. We scheduled one pre-night at the hotel and the rate through Avalon was excellent. I noticed that pre-nights were no longer available as it got closer to to the date of the cruise. Hotel location was great - plenty of places to walk to and very centrally located. The actual embarkation process itself was slightly boring - waiting at a set time in a hotel conference room until everything was ready and then filing into motor coaches that would take is to the Impression. Luggage could be stored with Avalon at the hotel for hours prior to embarkation so those arriving without pre-nights could meet at the hotel, deposit their luggage, and then walk around for a few hours. It went smoothly. Read more