Onboard Avalon Panorama now

[MMDown Under]

Originally Posted by tassietravellers

OK..well again the internet has barely been available..so a bit longer than the hour that I though I'd been able to post.

With the low levels we were over 24hrs behind schedule..then the ship had an electticl problem..the engineers fixed it very quickly, but Avalon decided as a precautionary measure that a major part needed to be replaced, so it had to come from Amsterdam...so overall we ended up almost 2 days behind.

Our CD along with Avalon had to make some major decisions as we had already been bused 2 days o the tons on our itinerary and each one was 1.5 to 2 hours each way.
So the decision was made for us all to leave the ship in Regensburg, go by bus to Bamburg, have the tour as per our itineray then on to Wurzburg for 2 nights in a hotel and for the ship to sail non stop for over 2 days to make p the time.
Well the CD, staff and Avalon were extremely surprised that the majority of us decided to stay on board and just sail with the ship.

Lovely to hear from you again, tassietravellers.

I'm not surprised at all, as I think the majority made a smart choice to stay on the ship and enjoy a couple of relaxing days, whilst the ship caught up. After all 3 hours one day, then 4 hours the next day, on a bus, is not my idea of a fun holiday.

Avalon is to be congratulated on how it has handled this difficult situation.
Pleased to hear everyone seems very happy on board.

Good advice re taking a pegless clothesline. I always travel with two, as they are so convenient for drying clothes overnight!

[tassietravellers]

Rudesheim today..what a lovely town amongst the vineyards. We all went into the town on the little train, a bit of fun..then to the Museum of Mechanical Musical Instruments, what a fascinating place.
Then off to Rudesheimer Schloss for a 4 course lunch, with wine, then a Rudesheim coffee..lots of entertainment and great fun..as well as great food..far too much good everywhere!! :-)

[keenmolly]

Rudesheim what a lovely little town! Did you go up on the cable car? I hope you really enjoyed that delicious brandy/coffee drink at lunch. We both bought a second one yum!!!! Keep having a fantastic time as you are now on the final few boat days of your holiday but I am sure like us you still have lots planned and heaps more exciting places to see on your European Escapade. Cheers Lyn

[tassietravellers]

You're right Lyn..not too long left on the ship.
We were in Cologne today..lovely city..came back to the ship this afternoon for the La Strada concert..absolutely fantastic, so talented and very entertaining. Have just saiked away from Cologne..our last stop in Germany, tomorrow we will be in Amsterdam.
Tonight we have Captain's cocktails..then our Gala dinner...it will be sad to leave on wednesday its been a fantastic trip and I'm loving every minute of it.


Another tip: be very aware of pick pockets..especially in big cities like Vienna and Cologne..we had someone on board lose their wallet in Vienna and another in Prague before they boarded the ship.

[caviargal]

Originally Posted by tassietravellers

La Strada concert..absolutely fantastic, so talented and very entertaining. .

Yes, they are wonderfully talented and we very much enjoyed them last year.

Enjoy the rest of your trip.

[tassietravellers]

Thank you, we are :-)

[tassietravellers]

Captains cocktail party with champagne..was lovely..gala dinner was too..the presenting of the Bombe Alaska too..a lot of fun!
Tomorrow we berth in Amsterdam..our last day of the cruise , canal cruise, its all gone too fast, been so much fun and so many memories..I would definitely do it again..and with Avalon. :-)

[stretchcruz]

I haven't been on this board lately, and just saw your posts. What a lovely trip and what a great attitude and posts you had. Glad you had a great time.....I would have passed up 3 hours in a bus in a minute as well!!! Thanks for your great attitude!

[tassietravellers]

Our last day on the ship..this morning we went on the canal cruise then to the diamond factory...didn't buy any :-) After lunch my husband and I went for a walk, stumbled upon the red light district..even at 2pm there were still alot of ladies sitting in the windows..quite an eye opener, in Australia sex shops have painted windows etc..here everything is on display..and the bigger the better a!! Lol :-)

Got high walking the streets, from all the cafes..definitely a different way of life..we bought a gelato from a shop which had a sex shop on one side and a shop selling marajuana seeds..hash cookies etc on the other.

Tomorrow we leave the ship at about 9am..we are having 3 extra nights here, plenty we want to see..then off to the UK for a month...so hope you all enjoy cruising..planning..or just your memories. If any one has any questions, please feel free to ask on here as I will keep checking back or email me at tas_debbie@hotmail.com

:-) Debbie

[newfirsttimer]

Debbie, I have enjoyed your posts along the route and the great attitude. Enjoy the rest of your vacation.

[Silkroad]

Originally Posted by Paulinda

tassietravellers- you're the kind of cruisers we like to travel with. What ever happens is an adventure and a memory for life.

Keep posting!

I agree with you Paulinda. I want to travel with you too, Debbie Thank you so much for your posts. My DH and I have been considering a river cruise for some time, but wondered what would happen if the water was too low. I completely understand your choice to stay with the boat. After all, a vacation is partly about relaxation, and many of us find being on the water quite relaxing I admire your bright spirit! Michelle

[Realtor at Sea]

Have sooo enjoyed your posts! Thanks you for taking your valuable vacation time to take us along for the ride! Happy travels in Amsterdam and England!

[cruiserhal]

What a great review and a great attitude. Things happened and you went with the flow having a great time. As others said above, I would love to cruise with you and others like you.

Your notes reminded me of our Avalon cruise earlier this year and how much we loved it. now I want to go backl. Bottomless wine glasses at dinner - I never drank so much wine.

[keenmolly]

Well Deb you both seem to have really had a fabulous time on your Avalon Panorama cruise. It is the best isn't it? I will keep your email address and keep in touch. You may be in Victoria at some stage and we could compare notes. I am sure we would find lots to talk about. While you are in Amsterdam you must go to the sex museum(what an absolute crack up no pun intended). Also go to the markets lots to see and buy. I bought a lovely black leather jacket(pretend) for just 20 euros. Everyone back home here really admires it and I don't let on.LOL. Happy travels keep in touch Lyn

[tassietravellers]

Originally Posted by keenmolly

Well Deb you both seem to have really had a fabulous time on your Avalon Panorama cruise. It is the best isn't it? I will keep your email address and keep in touch. You may be in Victoria at some stage and we could compare notes. I am sure we would find lots to talk about. While you are in Amsterdam you must go to the sex museum(what an absolute crack up no pun intended). Also go to the markets lots to see and buy. I bought a lovely black leather jacket(pretend) for just 20 euros. Everyone back home here really admires it and I don't let on.LOL. Happy travels keep in touch Lyn

Thanks Lyn
Actually went to the Sex Museum this afternoon, and you're right it was a crack up..went to Anne Frank House this morning..so interesting.
We are thinking about going to the markets tomorrow..friday going on a tour to the largest flower markets in the world, The Hague and Rotterdam..might as well se a bit more of the country before we leave on saturday. :-)

[MMDown Under]

Originally Posted by tassietravellers

Tomorrow we leave the ship at about 9am..we are having 3 extra nights here, plenty we want to see..then off to the UK for a month...so hope you all enjoy cruising..planning..or just your memories. If any one has any questions, please feel free to ask on here as I will keep checking back or email me at tas_debbie@hotmail.com

:-) Debbie

Did you hear how the ones who decided to leave the ship enjoyed their trip by bus?

Hope you enjoy your month in the UK. Just love the way we Aussies make the most of our overseas travels, by combining land travel with overseas cruises.

[tassietravellers]

Originally Posted by MMDown Under

Did you hear how the ones who decided to leave the ship enjoyed their trip by bus?

Hope you enjoy your month in the UK. Just love the way we Aussies make the most of our overseas travels, by combining land travel with overseas cruises.

Hi, yeah they enjoyed their time off the ship too..we all seemed to be very happy with our choices..if I had the same sigustion again I'm sure I would do the same as we did.

Having a great time in the UK, thank you :-)

[reba]

We just booked this river cruise sailing in May from Budapest to Nuremberg and we were wondering about dressing for dinner. Have been on many other cruises but never a river cruise - any formal nights? or just wear casual clothes? What about the farewell dinner or captain's dinner?
Thanks for the advice.

[tassietravellers]

Originally Posted by reba

We just booked this river cruise sailing in May from Budapest to Nuremberg and we were wondering about dressing for dinner. Have been on many other cruises but never a river cruise - any formal nights? or just wear casual clothes? What about the farewell dinner or captain's dinner?
Thanks for the advice.

Hi, dinner was always a casual thing, most people changed out of the cloghes they'd been wearing, we always did..I wore pants and a top or a dress everynight, most people put a bit more effort in for the farewell dinner, one guy with a vest andbow tie, a couple with ties andmaybe one or 2 with a jacket, ladies looked nice , but overall it was very casual...shorts formen wasnt allowed in the dining room of a night for dinner tho.
Hope this helps :-)