Avalon River Cruise Reviews

As a solo traveller and first time cruiser, I had my hesitations about a 14 day cruise. But it was wonderful in every respect - my room, the ship, the extraordinary Tour Director, the friendly staff and the company of interesting and friendly travel companions. It was a joy.

We absolutely loved our Avalon cruise from Prague to Budapest and the accomodation arranged for us at hotels in both Prague and Budapest by Global Journeys we’re fantastic. Everything went smoothly with on the holiday. The cabin on the Avalon cruise was perfect with floor to ceiling windows and the staff on the ship were great. It was our first river ...read more cruise and we would be keen to travel this way again in the future. The flights arranged for us with Emirates were well timed. I would gladly recommend Global Journeys and Avalon to others. The weather was very hot in August, so next time I would travel in September/October.

The cruise with Avalon was lovely. All personnel on board were great. Food and cabin great as well as optional excursions. However the optional excursion to Little Venice would not recommend had done a similar one the day before which was included in the trip.
The cruise along the Rhine beautiful and travelled through many locks.

Avalon were exceptional. Our cabin on the top floor and closer to front is important as too near the back is more noisy and fumes.
Our biggest disappointment was that we were totally unaware that the first day we were staying at a hotel and not on the boat. Also there was available an additional staying after in Prague which again we were not aware ...read more of.

The highlights for me included experiencing an organised bike tour for 3 hours during blocked Parisian streets before the Olympics, the Unusual Gardens of Etratat, historic Joan of Arc town of Rouen, and walking the path of Vincent van Gough. This is the second Avalon cruise I have done as I was able to avoid the solo supplement. I love the meals on ...read more board which are a contrast from my daily pre-packed dinners! I have already booked another Avalon cruise in France for 2025 with Hannah of Global Journeys who is always efficient and informative. (GJ: Great photo Alick!)

Absolutely wonderful trip. Loved every minute. The staff were so consistently cheerful and helpful. The Cruise Director was outstanding. Regarding embarkation - we were told we would be sent an email the day before to tell us the location of the ship, but it didn't come, which was a bit stressful. However, I emailed the ship early the same morning and ...read more was told the information.

The other suggestion I would have is to contact travellers a few weeks before, to ask for what they need after the cruise in terms of transport to airports, stations, whatever. I read a statement in the info that said not to have flights at Munich airport leaving before 8am. I assumed by that (wrongly) that there would be an automatic shuttle to the airport early in the morning. However, when I checked with the wonderful cruise director, she put me straight, and with difficulty managed to get me on a bus to the airport for my flight. Thanks again - amazing.

From start to finish we thoroughly enjoyed our first river cruise. Georgie managed the whole process for us and kept us fully informed in the lead up. Flights were great, albeit long from Perth. Arriving a day early and staying at the Radisson Blu meant we were fresh and rested for the river cruise. Coming from Perth we were blown away by the experience, ...read more the history and the culture. The ship was excellent and all staff went over and above to add to the experience. Excursions ashore were well planned to cater for individual interests and fitness levels. The whole trip operated like a well oiled machine. Really enjoyed the casual relaxed atmosphere and getting to know the other passengers. Would definitely recommend to anyone interested in doing a cruise and would do it again in a heartbeat.

We did have an unfortunate start to our holiday. When we arrived at Auckland Airport & attempted to check in at Qatar airlines we were told our Travel Agent had cancelled our booking, after a two hour wait trying to sort this out & not being able to get hold of Global Journeys because it was a Sunday we eventually had to purchase two more tickets to ...read more Prague. We have been fully reimbursed by Global Journeys & thank them & Maisie for their quick response. We are still awaiting a full explanation as to why this happened.

The Avalon cruise from Prague to Budapest was fantastic & lived up to our expectations as we had previously cruised on the Rhine with Avalon & were well aware of their very high standards. The excursions available were varied & appeared to suit all passengers. The meals were as expected excellent & the activities & onboard entertainment were very well received by all. Our cruise director Daniela did an amazing job of organising the daily activities & keeping all passengers up to date with up & coming events. We meet some lovely people on board & shared many meal times & a few beers & wines with them.

It was the most wonderful, well organised trip. The luxury on the Avalon Passion was beyond our expectations.. the staff were all welcoming and helpful.. and the food always reflected the region you were passing through. The excursions gave you many options or you could just choose to relax with a coffee, hot chocolate, on board.

Amazing tour from Bucharest to Budapest. The Transylvanian addition a must with some great scenery and castles. Daily tours were all included and full of fantastic sights and adventure. Avalon Ship and crew were excellent. Optional Serbian dinner in Belgrade was very disappointing. Food and service were below expected and overpriced for what it was. ...read more Better off doing your own dinner in a local restaurant if you wanted.
Would recommend this tour and booking through Global Journeys was easy.

This was our third Avalon river cruise and we weren’t disappointed. Despite the itinerary being changed due to low water on the Danube. Avalon handled the situation well. Stayed in cabin 210 which was only a short walk to the main sections of the ship. Food and staff very good, though there appears to be less staff on board. Due to the low water we ...read more stayed 2 nights on the Avalon Impression docked in Budapest. We were then bused to Bratislava for our day tour there and continued on to Vienna to join our correct ship the Avalon Envision.

All crew were the same on each ship which helped with continuation. Avalon provided each passenger with cash to purchase lunch in Bratislava and also some free optional excursions as compensation. Tracey handled our booking very professionally, as always! Appreciated the updates on the changes. The team at Global Journeys are great and will continue to be our go to agents. They offer great value and a friendly and helpful team.

A great boat, fantastic crew, beautiful food and an enjoyable and educational cruise and tours. Have booked another cruise .

Travelled on Avalon View, an excellent vessel. Cabin and crew were great. Our river time was cut short by one day due to low water levels in the lower Danube but Avalon responded well with alternate arrangements. Transylvania extension was excellent, thanks to our local guide, Stefan.

Excellent ship, meals, and crew. The river level became too low towards the end of the cruise, so we lost our second stop in Bulgaria and were diverted early to Romania. Our stop gap accommodation there was quite good and we got an extra day in Bucharest.

Avalon Panorama was a perfect experience, each day waking up in a new country was so fascinating. The on board experience from the beautiful big window , happy hour, four course meals or optional casual, a place to sit quietly and read or watch the world go by. The room was a good size with a very functional bathroom. The people who made the trip was ...read more the staff , the tour director Simona , our room gentleman Blessing ,every person I interacted with was kind, polite and happy to be there . They made it fun, interesting and a pleasure.

Although my husband and I have already been on previous Rhine cruise, it is still enjoyable and more appreciated the second time. We travelled with 6 other friends/family who are all first-time river cruisers and they all enjoyed and wowed by the river cruise, especially the food and services on board. The only thing which stopped me from rating this ...read more a 5-star is the lack of self-service laundry which other river cruise companies have.

Thanks Hannah, everything went great. Despite Emirates delay into Amsterdam. The booked pickup waited an extra thirty minutes for us. We made the boat with 45 minutes to spare. Cabin 312 was excellent as was the whole cruise. See you sometime 2024. Thanks.

The cruise exceeded our expectations. Beautiful scenery and wonderful towns to explore. Would highly recommend Avalon cruises.
Excellent service with friendly staff and the best cruise director we have ever had Tony Jenkins. And thank you Global Journeys for an easy and hassle free booking. Will certainly book with you again.

Absolutely loved the 8 day/ 7 night river cruise from Basel in Switzerland up to Amsterdam. The crew were amazing. The service and food was like being in a five star hotel throughout the whole time. Excursions were organized for us every day. We will definitely do another river cruise with Avalon.

We can't recommend Avalon Waterways cruise enough - it was brilliant from start to finish. The facilities were well maintained, modern and spacious (the bed was extremely comfortable). The staff went out of their way to make you feel welcomed. The excursions were very well run and informative. The food was delicious and plentiful, and the free drinks ...read more were also generous. Entertainment was great. With only 100 guests onboard we felt we were valued guests. Will definitely be returning to do another Avalon cruise.