Europe River Cruise

Clients have recently returned from an amazing European getaway during which they embarked on a voyage along the picturesque Danube River, sailing from Germany to Hungary.

In this Q&A session, we delve into their firsthand experience and insights from this memorable journey.

What was it about a European river cruise that attracted you to book one?

It was something we had been thinking of doing once we retired. Doing a river cruise always appealed to us.

Which river cruise operator did you book and why?

We went with Avalon Waterways. We had not heard of them until our Travel Agent told us about them. They were great!

Would you recommend this cruise operator to friends and family?

Yes, without a doubt.

Which river did you sail on and why did you choose it?

The Danube. It looked amazing and we felt it was going to be long enough to try out our first river cruise. The Danube had ports we wanted to visit.

How long was the itinerary? Did you feel it was long enough?

It was an 8-day cruise. The itinerary was the perfect duration for a first cruise.

What was your first experience onboard like?

Our suite surprised us. It was larger than we expected and the floor-to-ceiling sliding window you could slide open, which was just perfect for cruising along the river.

The crew were amazing, right from boarding they couldn’t do enough to ensure you were comfortable. Fantastic service was provided for the length of the cruise.

It just like a beautiful floating hotel!

What type of stateroom did you book and did it live up to expectations?

We had a Panorama Suite and it most definitely lived up to our expectations.

What was the service like onboard? Were there any special touches or memories of the service?

The service was beyond good. From the housekeeping staff through to the Captain. 

Every afternoon after Happy Hour there was a Port Talk by the Cruise Director giving a run down on what was on the agenda for the next day …sailing or port details, excursions etc.

Every morning, your room is made up and every night your bed is turned down.

Staff were always available to meet any requirements and always so friendly.

What was the food like onboard? Was it A la carte or set menu? Did the menu change each night?

The dinner menu was a set 3-course menu that changed each night. It was amazingly good! Except for the farewell Dinner, which was a deliious 5-course menu.

Breakfast was buffet style but with a chef on hand to cook eggs how you wanted or an omelette. A huge range of delicious cooked foods, fruits, cereals, toast, croissants and pastries, juices, coffee and tea.

Lunch was also very good, although we only had lunch on board once or twice. Lots of options to cover all tastes.

Drinks, tea and coffee are always available and if you wanted to make your own there was also a lounge with a coffee machine, hot water, an array of teas and biscuits or nuts. This lounge had a TV, board games and a great view off the back of the ship.

Were alcoholic drinks included with meals?

Wine and beer were included with all meals. Happy Hour each afternoon gave more options, e.g., G&T, or certain spirits and cocktails. Outside of meals and Happy Hour, you paid for your drinks.

Would you suggest buying a drinks package if there was one?

We didn’t, we learnt our lesson on a larger cruise we went on. We found we were never going to drink enough to make it worth purchasing the package. Wine and beer were included with all meals and daily Happy Hour was definitely enough for us…. And we like a drink!

What was the ambience like onboard?

The ambience was terrific. Before going on this cruise, we were a little worried it may have been a bit stiff and fancy for us. It was fancy and very beautiful but not stiff at all. The other passengers were like-minded people, and it was very easy to feel comfortable amongst everyone. We have come out of this cruise with a couple of great friends we will (and are already) staying in touch with.

There were a couple of very entertaining nights put on by the cruise staff and it was a lot of fun for everyone.

We think because the river cruises are a much smaller ship than large cruise liners, the atmosphere is very comfortable and relaxing. You can mingle or not, whatever you might feel like at the time.

Was the ship full? Did it feel crowded or was there plenty of space to move around?

I believe the ship was at full capacity, but there are only three levels and it is so easy to get around. It never once felt crowded.

The most people you saw at one time would probably be during Happy Hour and the entertainment nights.

There was definitely plenty of room for everyone and space to chill out alone if you wanted, either on the top deck lounges with a good book or for a snooze, or in either of the lounges to get together with others, play board games, read or just enjoy a drink and snacks.

Were there included shore excursions in each port? If so did you participate in any/all of them and were they worth doing?

There were shore excursions in each port, sometimes with a couple of options to choose the one that suits you. We did most but not all, they are definitely worth doing.

Did you do much self-exploring while in port, e.g., walk around the main town, eat in local restaurants, go for a bike ride, etc.?

Yes, we explored each port. The shore excursions we chose allowed free time to self-explore and come back to the ship later in the afternoon or make your own way back. Always options to suit everyone.

We ate and drank local, we shopped, we explored, we took a couple of bus trips… it was all worth it.

Did you do any paid excursions? If so, what were they and did you enjoy them?

We chose not to, I think there were only 2 paid excursions and neither of them were really our thing. We did our own thing in port on those occasions. It was definitely ok not to do the paid excursions.

What were the top 3 highlights of your river cruise holiday?

This is hard, overall it was an amazing experience, but if we had to choose, our three would be;

1. Location: the Danube River had some amazing and beautiful sights.
2. The Suite: it was pretty good to sit in your room with a glass of wine watching the castles, vineyards and beautiful scenery go by.
3. The places we saw and countries we went through, all in 8 days!

Was your river cruise affected by high or low water levels? If so, how did this impact your experience?

Low water levels affected where we embarked and changed a couple of our scheduled port stops. We actually got an extra port in and were able to visit an amazing town in the Czech Republic which we would not have seen otherwise. We were advised in advance of the change to where we would get on the ship and were given clear instructions on how to meet the coach to take us to a different port. It also meant we did another bus trip on day 3, but for us, it was just another opportunity to see more of the countryside. Each afternoon we were advised during the Port Talk of what was happening, the communication was very good.

The cruise company also gave refunds to those who had booked an excursion and missed it and also gave all passengers money to cover lunch on the days of the changes to spend in town.

We were also taken by bus to another small ship already on a part of the river we were going to miss, but they managed to get us all on a lunch cruise up and down the river, so we still saw it all and had a great lunch with wine included at no cost. 

We feel they provided a very good alternative when Mother Nature forced these changes.

Do you have any advice for others interested in doing a European river cruise?

• Don’t overpack! I think we did, and we took clothes we never wore.
• Don’t be shy to mingle. It took us a couple of days to get into the groove and we are so glad we did. We had a lot of fun joining in.
• Enjoy yourself and do it your way. The way the cruise runs, you can do as little or as much as you want… remember it’s your holiday.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

All we can say is we loved the cruise and would definitely do another and probably will!

Thanks to Lisa and Joe for sharing their Europe River Cruise experiences onboard Avalon Waterways.