Avalon Waterways

Our First Cruise…an it was Wonderful!

This was our first cruise of any kind, and it was wonderful. Avalon Cruises are the standard by which all competitors should be measured. Everything is first class: reservation website, communications, boarding, accommodations and amenities, food service, itineraries, on-shore excursions and transportation. The crew provides exceptional service. Did I mention that the food is great?! We went on a Rhine cruise and experienced dramatic scenery along the way, and enjoyed touring the various towns on daily excursions. It all exceeded our expectations.

The first class staff and service were…

The first class staff and service were impeccable! They called my wife and I by our name, and were quick to make sure you didn’t need anything.

Great experience from beginning to end

Great experience from beginning to end. Room, excursions, food, entertainment, staff … all of it 5stars! Avalon is top notch.

It was a wonderful experience

It was a wonderful experience! The entire journey was planned very meticulously. The excursions were very interesting. The crew was very friendly and helpful. The upkeep of the ship was also very good.

Relaxing and enjoyable

I must admit we took the Danube trip 2 years ago, and it was fantastic. The second trip was the Rhine cruise, and it was good but not as good as the Danube. The cruise director was so much better on the Danube cruise. The entertainment was fantastic on this cruise. The employees on both of these trips were great, very friendly, and helpful. Both trips were very relaxing and enjoyable

First Avalon river cruise

Our Avalon river cruise was from 11/29/25 to 12/3/25. This was our first European river cruise and we were very pleased. Avalon gave us a wonderful experience throughout. The cabins were lovely; the food excellent; excursions were interesting; access to Christmas markets was awesome; cruise atmosphere was casual and inviting; service on board was excellent. Avalon was excellent at keeping us informed before and during our cruise of any changes in itinerary. I highly recommend Avalon.

Wonderful Cruise

The service and care of the crew members was amazing. The panorama suite is a must!!

The entire experience was great.

Everything about the cruise was wonderful!

Everything about the cruise was excellent. All the staff from Avalon were friendly, warm and very helpful. There were plenty of options for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I was sad to leave because I had to go home and cook! The excursions were very good and enjoyed every minute of the cruise. On the wine options, it would have been a great option to provide wine that had no sulfites. I would have paid a little extra for that option. Also, the people on the cruise were friendly and made life time friends.

This is our third trip with Avalon

This is our third trip with Avalon. I can’t say enough good things about their service, cruise directors and staff. They definitely aim to make each trip special and memorable. We won’t travel with any other company any more. You won’t be disappointed.

We had the vacation of a lifetime!!!

We had the vacation of a lifetime! Stepheno and the crew were wonderful! The food was amazing and the service was top notch! They cleaned and straightened our room twice daily, (We loved that), everyone was very attentive and the maids were exceptionally helpful and all were very nice, greeting us with a smile everyday in the hallways. The ship was very clean and the rooms were stocked with all the amenities, (towels, wash clothes, shampoo, conditioner, etc), twice daily. The Christmas Market excursions and all of the tourist events were well organized and the tour guides were very personable. If we would ever be able to afford another river cruise, Avalon would be our only choice! On behalf of my wife and myself, we would like to extend our gratitude and sincere appreciation for treating us regular working class folks like Millionaires!

The staff was excellent overall

The staff was excellent overall, and the cabin was nice and well maintained. However, I was very disappointed that the bourbon brands I ordered ran out by the second day. I was told they would be restocked at the next stop, but that never happened. The WineMaster also showcased wines that were not available to purchase, which was particularly frustrating on a wine-focused cruise. The food was fine, but nothing stood out as exceptional. After hearing so many positive things about Avalon, we were not as impressed as expected. As travel professionals who booked 39 passengers on this sailing, the overall group feedback did not meet the expectations we had for this experience.

Third Wonderful Trip with Avalon.

The rooms are very comfortable with great beds and large bathrooms. But the staff always makes the cruise special, and this cruise was no exception. They go out of their way to make you welcome and attend to your every need with a smile. The food, drinks and wine are all excellent. I especially enjoyed the breakfast.

The crew was fantastic and loved this…

The crew was fantastic and loved this ship, especially happy hours!

High quality Experience multiple times

This was our 3rd Avalon cruise and we were not disappointed again! Boats are high quality, clean and the crew and every staff member are over the top friendly, helpful and eager to assure a top quality experience. Excursions are well done and plentiful. This was our 2nd Avalon cruise and we are booked for our 3rd this fall.

Motor very loud during the night. Do not recommend Transylvania add-on

Engine Motor very loud & vibrating during the night. We were on upper floor, too. I can't sleep like that. Viking ships were no issues. A couple stops weren't much to see. One we just walked thru a small town on a hot day, but didn't see anything special. Transylvania add-on guide was Not good. He did not explain that Transylvania was a region & not just the Dracula castle. We went there & really wanted to get souvenirs. The shop was closed after dinner & a number of people were not happy that it wasn't explained earlier. We could have shopped before we had dinner. He got "very snippy" to the whole group on the speaker & said someone was spreading rumors about what he was saying. I said I heard him say that we could get souvenirs & he pretty much called me a liar over the speaker, when other people had heard the same thing.

The whole experience from start to…

The whole experience from start to finish is first class. The ship crew members were great and very helpful with any needs. The food was amazing (hats off to the chef and his crew. Activities while on board were well thought out and the land tours were nice and informative as well. Great way to be able to learn and immerse yourself in the local culture. Would highly recommend to anyone wanting to travel and local culture without all the riffraff.

Avalon does EVERYTHING well

Avalon does EVERYTHING well. Polite and attentive crew. Small intimate number of passengers. Well thought out excursions. Excellent meals. Excellent rooms and amenities. I have been on 7 different Avalon River Cruises on European rivers, and would go on another in a minute.

The cruise met most expectations

The cruise met most expectations, not sailing to Basel Switzerland was a disappointment. The other stops and excursion were excellent. The food met all expectations. The cabin was spacious and well designed. The best test of our experience is would I cruise with Avalon again and the answer is yes.

Avalon took everything from the hotels…

Avalon took everything from the hotels to transfers. The food, the choices of our excursions. The port talks were very informative. Avalon kept us up to date on all the procedures for getting to the ship and disembarking. They made it so easy to sign up for excursions if you didn’t sign up before the cruise. The whole Relaxed atmosphere. A relaxed dress code sit where you want for dinner. The only thing was I wish they gave out paper maps of the city with Christmas marked. This was a Christmas market cruise.