Tim and Anne’s Romantic Rhine Avalon River Cruise (July 2023)
by Tim Larison, CLIA Certified Master Cruise Counselor
with comments by
Anne Larison, Family Travel Gurus Travel Consultant
Innovative ship design, quality dining, enriching shore excursions, and more are what Anne and I experienced on our July 2023 Avalon Expression Romantic Rhine river cruise. In this report we will share with words and pictures what made our Avalon cruise special.
Arrival
Arranging our flights through Avalon was a breeze! We flew from Phoenix to Zurich Switzerland on United Airlines. We found the airfare prices that Avalon offered very competitive with what we could book on our own, and booking air through Avalon included our 90 minute bus transfers to the ship in the price.
After our cruise we stayed in Europe for another 11 days, and Avalon also arranged our return flight from Amsterdam. Many other cruise lines charge an “air deviation” fee if you fly home on a different day from when the cruise returns. Not so with Avalon – there were no extra fees apart from the airfare cost.
Upon arrival in Zurich we were given detailed instructions on where to meet an Avalon representative at their welcome desk. After a short wait we were on our way by bus to our ship in Basel, Switzerland.
Unlike ocean cruises, we could board our Avalon Expression ship mid-morning before the previous cruise’s passengers had departed! We waited in the ship’s lounge until our stateroom was ready. A delicious lunch buffet was served – a lighter meal compared to lunches we would have in the Avalon Expression’s dining room on other days.
Another view of the lounge. We would visit this lounge frequently during our 7 night voyage.
Anne says:
Some of the other guests had arrived into Switzerland a day or two prior to our arrival. After a long flight with very little sleep it was a pleasure to relax, have a drink and enjoy the start of what would be an amazing week.
Our Stateroom
Wow! Upon entering we immediately saw how our Avalon Panorama Suite was different than other river cruise staterooms we have had in the past. Our suite featured wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling panoramic windows. The view from our bed faced this large window space. We enjoyed gazing out the windows from our bed upon waking up each morning. Avalon says their 200-square-foot suite is 30% larger than the industry standard – we appreciated the extra space!
Anne says:
There are three levels of rooms we were on the upper level. The room met all our needs and I found the shower to be above average in size (we’ve been on many cruises with much smaller bathrooms). Storage space was good. Don’t forget to bring a European travel plug adapter.
Dining
The opening buffet in the lounge was just a small sample of the delicious food we tasted on this cruise. We liked the ship’s main dining room, pictured above, with large windows all around. Avalon has an open seating policy so you choose your dining companions for each meal. This trip was part of our 34th wedding anniversary celebration. By arriving at the restaurant opening each night we were able to get a table for two every time.
Avalon offered a number of choices at meals as the sample dinner menu above shows.
The breakfast buffet was special, too. The made to order omelets I had were the best I have had on any cruise thanks to the skilled preparation by the Avalon cook.
Anne says:
Breakfast and lunch are buffet style, but also offer a limited menu that you could order from the kitchen in place of or in addition to the buffet. There was usually a soup each day at the buffet, a carving station or a specialty food station; also fresh salads, cheeses, a number of sides and a variety of desserts, including ice cream!
Other Ship Features
Avalon hosted a happy hour before dinner most nights where a variety of alcoholic beverages were served at no extra charge.
Anne says:
The first night on the ship everyone enjoys a glass of champagne as the guests share a toast with the captain. Every other night the happy hour was for a designated hour prior to dinner. Wine, beer and non-alcoholic drinks are available at each lunch and dinner. Drinks can be purchased at the bar in the lounge between meals and in the evening after dinner.
At happy hour our cruise director gave a thorough presentation on the next day’s activities. In addition to the drinks these talks made happy hour a “must attend” activity for us each night!
Avalon offered a yoga class every morning at 7 am.
The yoga classes were part of the ship’s fitness director program for the cruise. She also led hikes and bike rides for those interested in more active activities.
Anne says:
There was also a small fitness studio on the first deck. Other opportunities for fun and fitness include a small whirlpool, an extra large chess/checker board and one-hole putting green all located on the top deck. I would spend time on the top deck walking laps to work off the yummy desserts.
A smaller lounge in the ship’s aft was open 24 hours for light snacks, coffee, hot chocolate, and different types of water. I would often visit this lounge in the early morning before the restaurant opened for breakfast.
Cruising on the Rhine
Our Rhine cruise included more sailing time on the river compared to other rivers we have sailed on in Europe. And the views were magnificent!
During sailing we would often relax on the top deck to watch the scenery go by as we also read our books.
Castles, castles, and more castles! One afternoon we sailed through the Rhine River Gorge where we saw a variety of castles. I learned that the Rhine River Gorge has 40 hilltop castles and fortresses erected over a period of around 1,000 years. Our cruise director gave expert commentary on the ship’s loudspeakers as we sailed through this portion of the river giving details on all the castles and sights we were seeing.
We recommend taking a pair of binoculars with you (or borrowing a pair from Avalon) to enhance the magnificent views you will experience when sailing through the Rhine River Gorge.
Anne says:
In the above picture I’m standing in the Observation Lounge on the 3rd deck (just outside of the Panorama Lounge. So there is a variety of places to sit while enjoying the beautiful Rhine valley.
Shore Excursions
Except where noted our 7 night Avalon Expression cruise included more shore excursions in the price compared to other river cruises we have sailed on. Different tour options were offered at each stop. Below we describe the tours we took.
Basel Switzerland
For those who arrived early on the first day of the cruise, like us, Avalon offered a walking tour of Basel, Switzerland in the afternoon for an extra fee. I always enjoy visiting new cities, especially historic European cities like Basel. I learned that Basel was a strategic town in Switzerland. It’s on the borders of France and Germany. In fact you could stand in these three countries at once at the city’s tri border point.
Anne says:
If you arrive into Europe the same day as the cruise begins, it works to take a tour the first afternoon and stay awake. It helps to combat jetlag by staying awake and not napping the first afternoon of arrival day.
Breisach, Germany
Here we took our longest excursion on the cruise – a 6 hour tour including a bus ride through Germany’s Black Forest and a visit to the Black Forest Open Air Museum.
The bus ride was very scenic, complete with narration by our guide for the day.
After an hour’s drive we arrived at the Open Air Museum – historic farms showing how people lived and worked in the Black Forest up to 600 years ago. Our guide above described the surroundings.
We were free to explore the different farm buildings which gave us a feel for the life people lived long ago in the Black Forest.
The tour also included a presentation on the dress of the time, and a demonstration of how butter was made from cow’s milk.
Included in the tour was a delicious buffet lunch with the signature dessert of the region – black forest cake!
After lunch we attended a demonstration on how cuckcoo clocks are made. Here we were given the opportunity to purchase a hand-made cuckoo clock and have it shipped to our home.
We really enjoyed the scenic location of the museum! This excursion was included in our cruise fare at no extra cost – unique for such a long tour.
Strausbourg, France
We had visited Strausbourg on a past river cruise so instead of taking a walking or bike tour that Avalon offered we opted instead to take a guided optional excursion to the historic Maginot Line—the pre-WWII fortifications designed to protect the eastern border of France. I have always had an interest in this period as my Dad served in Europe during the War. I had read about the Maginot Line in the past but actually seeing one of the bunkers that was part of the Line surprised me – it was much bigger than I imagined. We toured one of 94 bunkers that made up the Line.
Our young French guide was excellent as she gave us a thorough tour of the bunker. For one hour we walked through dark tunnels learning how the bunker hosted French soldiers in preparation for War.
The bunker gave me the impression of being a battleship on land, with armaments, troop bunks, medical facilities, dining, and more.
Our guide explained how the Germans bypassed the Maginot Line in WWII, attacking France by way of Belgium and through the Black Forest instead.
Mainz, Germany
In Mainz we had an excellent guide, a professor at a local college. He first gave us a walking tour of the city.
The highlight of the tour was a visit to the Gutenberg museum. Our guide gave a demonstration on how Gutenberg created the Bible entirely by printing press. The invention of the printing press was a monumental achievement as the Bible had previously only been reproduced by laborious hand copies. We examined one of only 49 Guttenberg Bibles still in existence. The above picture is a recreation of one of the Bible’s pages displayed in another part of the museum (no photos were allowed of the original Guttenberg Bible).
Rudesheim, Germany
Here we took a tour of the Mechanical Music Museum. I was amazed at how these machines, before electricity, could create music. We had heard a mechanical music machine in a theme park and in Phoenix’s Musical Instrument Museum in the past. This museum had the biggest collection of mechanical instruments we had seen and a detailed explanation of how several of the machines worked.
Afterwards instead of taking a transfer back to the ship we walked the streets of the city. On our 20 minute walk on an uncrowded streets we experienced the atmosphere of a classic German town.
Cologne
Here we took a walking tour of Cologne’s Jewish Heritage sites. We were given the history of the Jews in the town – – especially the times of persecution during WWII.
We saw Stumbling Stones in Cologne and in other cities we visited. “Stumbling stones” are to remember Jews who died during the Nazi regime in WWII. Later I learned: “Known as “Stolpersteine”, or “stumbling stones”, there are now more than 70,000 such memorial blocks laid in more than 1,200 cities and towns across Europe and Russia. Each commemorates a victim outside their last-known freely chosen residence.” More than 45,000 of these stones are solidly rooted across cities in Europe. Placed in the payment in front of houses where Jewish families who died in the Holocaust once lived.
Anne says:
We didn’t go into the Cologne Cathedral on this visit; we had visited Cologne on a previous cruise. There are several other interesting sites around the city. We ended up visiting on a Sunday, so some of the shops were not open, but there were opportunities for souvenirs in Cologne and each of the cities in our itinerary.
Amsterdam
Our cruise concluded in Amsterdam. Instead of disembarking after arrival we had a full day in Amsterdam included in our cruise with an overnight stay on the ship.
We took a canal cruise this day, again included as part of our Avalon package. We especially enjoyed this tour as we were staying in Amsterdam several nights after the cruise. The canal cruise gave us a good overview of the city.
Anne says:
The first lesson when you arrive in Amsterdam – watch out for the bikes! There are bike lanes on every street because it is the number one form of transportation around the city. As we navigated our way around the bikes, we enjoyed seeing the canals, the beautiful buildings, house boats, flowers, etc. There are a number of museums, such as the Rembrandt House Museum, Anne Frank House, Rijksmuseum and much more.
Our Tour Guides
Pictured above is our tour guide in Amsterdam. She was an example of the excellent tour guides we had on all of our shore excursions. With Avalon being a division of Globus, a renowned Global touring company, Avalon has the means to select the best guides for their shore excursions!
Disembarkation
After a marvelous 7 days on our river cruise, we were sad to leave. Just like on arrival the departure was handled smoothly by the Avalon crew. We had hotel reservations for later in the afternoon and Avalon allowed us to stay in the ship’s lounge and have lunch in the lounge while we waited for our hotel’s check-in time. The Avalon front desk arranged a taxi for us to take us to our hotel. We appreciated that service as well as all the wonderful service we received from the crew throughout our 7 days.
Summary
Fifteen years ago I sailed on my first river cruise ever – also an Avalon cruise. That cruise got me hooked on river cruises (we’ve taken several on other lines since then) I had always wanted to sail with Avalon again – taking Anne with me this time. With this cruise I discovered Avalon river cruises are better than ever! I highly recommend Avalon for a first class river cruise experience!
Anne says:
From start to finish we enjoyed our Avalon cruise. The ship met all our wants and needs for a wonderful vacation, the food was excellent and we added new experiences to our memories.
If you would like to book your own Avalon river cruise contact us! We are glad to help.