My Avalon Trip!

Well what can I say? If you have not spoken with me recently, last week I went on a Avalon River cruise with my colleague David to the Dutch Waterways. It was my first river cruise and I don't think I could have picked a better brand to cruise with!



The ship we went on was one of Avalon's newest vessel's, the Avalon Imagery and as soon as we were escorted to our cabin, it became quite clear why Avalon are one of the market leaders for River cruising. The cabin was modern, had a full wall mirror on one side of the room, and the beds were facing the French balcony and the open country side. The shower (more like a wet room) was brilliant and all the toiletries were l'Octaine. There was masses of storage space and if it was hot you could slide open the balcony and let the fresh air in.

As you would expect, the ship itself is not massive, but where it sacrifices in size is sure makes up for in quality. Take the food for example, breakfast has as much choice as you would expect on an ocean liner. Lunch has both a buffet (very very high quality) and a menu were you could order fresh fish / steak etc. Dinner however was the main event. 3 / 5 course meals, all served to the highest possible standard which can only be described as sublime. In the 4 days on board I did not taste one dish that could not be described as fantastic.

Now the ship itself. There was a Bar that also doubled up as a second eatery that served Tapas / light bites on the night. This was where you went on the evening after dinner, to have a few drinks and listen to the nights entertainment (usually a Musician, but on some nights local dancers / acts etc). The top deck was all open air, where you could play chess / backgammon or even have a soak in the tub. There was even a gym area if you wanted to keep fit!.

The itinerary we went out was very well organised. We would get up have breakfast, go on a tour come back have lunch, then ship would set sail. Then about two we would be picked up for another tour. We would get back around 5.30 - 6 when we would get ready to go for dinner.

On each of the tours the Avalon local guides we excellent. Funny and knowledgeable you could ask them questions on anything. For those who have not been to the Dutch waterways, the windmills, dykes, history, beauty and sights are a must. Everything was interesting from a working saw mill to a full town built based on what life was like in the Netherlands 100 years ago.

So if you are thinking about a river cruise, I would highly, highly recommend Avalon. If you want to pick my brains or have any questions please, please let me know.