My husband and I wanted to do a family cruise and we were limited to a week with our grown children's work schedules. Our travel agent suggested Avalon which I had not heard of before--and what a great suggestion it was. Everything was better than expected --although we did not know what to expect as this was our first river cruise.

The ship was like home--it felt comfortable and inviting without contrived interior design--easy to move from deck to deck and room to event. The rooms and bed were perfect, the balcony window allowed us to enjoy the view. The food and wine were local and prepared fresh--there was something for every one to enjoy. My favorites were the homemade soups and the variety of salads daily. There was always the perfect table available due to the arrangement for dining. The service, both for rooms and dining, were the best we have experienced on any cruise (luxury ocean lines). The friendly staff made it feel like family.

There was so much to do--excellent informative excursions--or if you want to just sleep in you can! You never felt as if you didn't do the right thing as each tour was something unique. I especially loved the activities you had on board, especially the wood carver and the classical musicians. Avalon had that right amount of events without exhausting us! Port cities were from a unique perspective as we would dock and see the city from the river as in the past when navigation was the mode of transportation. I had been to Strasbourg but it seemed new and different from the riverside. Europe was unusually hot this year but somehow it did not seem bad cruising on the river. What a blessing that was. Read more