This being our first cruise we were always attracted to taking a river cruise. Much more to see and do than on a ocean cruise. The included daily excursions would give us a opportunity to visit cities we may never get to. We started in Prague for three days and then caught the boat in Passau on the Danube. We stopped along the way in Linz, Melk, Vienna, and Budapest. In researching different cruise lines we settled on Avalon due to what was included and the meals and beverages included. Additionally we liked their room layout as rather than having a outside balcony they include this space within the room itself. The outside wall of the suite we were in was all glass with two of the panels sliders. With the added space they were able to orient the bed facing the outside wall and have a small seating area adjacent to the sliders. So effectively you had a balcony that was more usable. The bathroom was also pretty spacious with a good size shower. For the shore excursions they provided local tour guides for each area who were very knowledgeable. Overall cruise was better than expected. Cruise Director was excellent. Daily updates and itineraries provided. Meals were excellent. Buffet at breakfast with a large selection of things to choose from plus a omlet station. Lunch typically was buffet with food choices around local region we may be in. Dinners were sit down with a four or five course service. Meals were also structured around respective local region with several standard choices available if there wasn't anything you liked. Overall it was better than expected and would definitely use Avalon again.