Having visited Germany frequently over the years for both business and pleasure, it had always been a wish of mine to cruise the Rhine and this year my wife and I eventually got the opportunity to do so. A bit of research and price comparisons showed Avalon to be the front runner for us in quite a crowded market, and what a perfect choice it turned out to be! Every aspect of the cruise - ship, cabin, food, staff, excursions, fellow travellers - were superlative. From the minute we embarked in Basel, Switzerland, to our disembarkation, all to soon, in Amsterdam we felt truly relaxed, pampered, stimulated and valued. Every member of staff we came into contact with was friendly, courteous and helpful, showing the true meaning of the nowadays often over-used term "customer service". The enormous choice of food was plentiful and delicious, the bar well stocked and very reasonably priced, the public areas stylish, roomy and comfortable. The excursion guides were all knowledgeable and entertaining, my only quibble being that the excursions were all too short and only scratched the surface of each destination, but I suppose this is the down side of such cruises. All-in-all a wonderful experience which surpassed all of our expectations.