Avalon Waterways

It was the Paris to Normandy then to Marseille 14 day cruise. The whole cruise was terrible, ports were bypassed, crew was very inexperienced, the restaurant was unorganized, wrong meals, dropped meals, not just once but numerous time for everybody, the drinking water in the room was terrible it smelled and tasted bad, our little coffee room at the end of our floor, the coffee and drink machines were broken all 14 days, we tried to use the bikes twice and both times they had to leave early from the city we were in. The weather was perfect so no excuses, none of the crew informed us of any changes.

On a river cruise from Zagreb to Black Sea on Avalon Impression there was little to fault the 4+ star boat, the food and the crew (with the notable exception of one quite senior member of the catering staff who occasionally forgot he is in a service capacity as he heatedly ordered passengers and fellow workers about, causing anger and distress in both groups - I am sure that those on the 9th September sailing will know of whom I make this comment and suspect this is not the first time that his behaviour has been noted). Cabins, public rooms, service, shore visits and food were all for the most part exemplary. Not so the hand dealt to those staff on the ground (boat and shore) - and passengers - by back office management. On a journey described on Avalon's website as a "9 day river cruise" and "inclusive of accommodation, meals and free wine with lunch and dinner" only 5 days were spent actually cruising on the river and on only 5 days were all meals provided (1-2 on the other 4). The same cruise sold as "From Croatia to the Black Sea (at Constanta)" stopped some 70 km short of the port and the sea with an optional 3 hour bus/ walking tour of Constanta - which is not what was expected (an Avalon map of the journey indeed showed the journey as completed via the Danube/Black Sea canal - an engineering marvel to which many were looking forward). Staff on board were left surprised at the expectation of mooring on Constanta, saying there "just wasn't time". Thus a £5000 (rack rate) "9 day river cruise to the Back Sea" offered morphed in reality into a "5 day river cruise way short of a promised destination" of questionable value for money. At best misleading and deeply disappointing. Enough to drop this from a 4 star experience to 1 star
Probably not consciously deceitful but perhaps Operations and Marketing should talk details before extravagant claims are made and the inevitable disappointment follows. Surely Operations sign off on advertising claims is the norm these days? Not it seems at Avalon. No big deal for most of our fellow passengers I guess. But, sadly, we will not be travelling with Avalon again, even though almost all their people shone. Ah yes. One more thing. The wines were indeed free and generously dispensed but the quality quite poor - and no choice other than "red or white". A feeling of penny pinching.

the people were great i liked the size of the ship

My wife and I were looking to do something special for our 50th anniversary so we booked a weeklong cruise on the Rhone. We had done many ocean cruises but this was our first river cruise and it was wonderful. The food, the entire staff, and the excursions were all first rate. We made many new friends during the cruise and I suspect we'll be back on a 2nd river cruise with Avalon in the not too distant future.

The staff was very wonderful.

The hotel manager Mahai Stancui and his staff were fantastic. Went way above and beyond. Will be forever grateful. The food, beverages, tours and entertainment were all great too:)

Best river cruise that we have taken! Excellent food, included snacks, waters, and coffees in the back lounge. Nice light lunch and dinner options in the main lounge. Cruise director and tours were top notch. Cabin was lovely and, had the weather been better, the doors that open would have been wonderful! Looking forward to another Avalon adventure!

This was a time of many firsts for me. First time in Europe, first time on a cruise of any kind! It was amazing!

The ship was spotless elegance. Our room was amazing like every part of our trip! The food and the excursions were perfectly executed.

I can’t wait to go on another trip. Thank you Avalon!

This was my first River Cruise and I was very excited and truly enjoyed everything. The Cruise Director Daniela was amazing and very personable and keeping us all updated on where to be, when we were doing it and what was happening. Loved the different color codes for the excursions as well. We had many wonderful people that helped our experience go smoothly. Andrew, Mili, Omer, Kadak, Umit, Adrian, Julia (what a hoot), Deyar, Phyo Wai and especially Daniela. They were all very helpful in making us have a great Rhine River Cruise. Thank you to everyone on Avalon Expression.

My wife and I received an offer of free cruise and air tickets in return for attending their promotional in the Detroit area. We attended on July 12, 2023, Conf. # TS181. Upon leaving we were told that we did not qualify because we arrived late, were older than 72 years of age, and did not meet the income requirements. None of these requirements were stated on the invitation. If this is the way the company works, I certainly cannot recommend it.

We really enjoyed our cruise. The staff really made the trip. Everyone was very friendly and very well organized Big thanks to our travel director that kept things on time and buses and guides organized..very nice to see the captain mingle with people and be present every morning

I enjoyed all aspects of our cruise were beyond our expectations.The accommodations, the food, the excursions and, especially the crew and staff. A special shout out to Mihai in housekeeping and Windy ( Sp ?)in the dining room.

This was our first river cruise, and it exceeded our expectations in every way. We did the tulip time Amsterdam to Amsterdam cruise aboard the Avalon Impression. All staff were friendly, professional, and ensured that everything ran smoothly. The wall to wall, floor to ceiling windows allowed us to see the view even when lying in bed. The bed was comfortable and room had adequate space. The tours offered allowed us to choose various activities from active to more leisurely. The guides were very competent and knowledgeable. Both the bistro and the dining room meals offered a range of classic items to local cuisine. Food was delicious. The AvalonGo mobile app was very helpful with street directions and local information. The only negative that we found on this cruise was happy hour. There were not enough bar tenders to meet the needs of the servers/guests. One evening we were in the lounge at the start of happy hour and did not get served the entire hour. Ended up going to the bar and getting a drink on our way to dinner. Another night we ordered and did not receive the drinks. We are not big drinkers so it was not a big issue, just annoying. Overall the cruise was great and we would travel with Avalon again.

Great experience! Crews/staff very friendly

From the fun, attentive, and professional staff ensuring everything went smoothly to the beautiful scenery, delicious food, and informative tours, our trip was enjoyable and the only downside was how we couldn't stay for another week!