Just returned / Cruise Review Avalon Felicity Basel to Amsterdam

We just finished our Rhine river cruise with Avalon July 3-10 and it was wonderful. I learned so much from these postings, I will list a few points for everyone.

We flew into Zurich 1 day early to adjust a little to the time change and we also toured on our own. We stayed at the Moevenpick at the airport - all arranged by Avalon. The bus transfer on Sunday to the boat in Basel was smooth. You board and hand them your passport (only for 1 day) and then we were escorted to our room and the luggage arrived in minutes.

The hard bed issue has been addressed and now they all have memory foam on them for utter comfort! Bottled water is provided each day at no charge.

The food was very good. Breakfast/lunch both buffet and dinner each night was at 7 pm with open seating. All dinners were 5 course with an entree of either meat, fish or vegan. Wine was free flowing. Chicken was always an option. The tables are for 4, 6 or 8 people - no tables for 2 - but then we had fun meeting people from all over the world. Happy hour was from 6-7 and before we went into the restaurant, our CD Robert, gave us an overview of the next days activities. After dinner we took our wine to the top deck and watched the sun set over the Rhine. On 'formal' night the men do NOT need coats - a dress shirt and dockers are fine. Women wore dresses (not fancy) or slacks and a little nicer top. This is very different from an ocean cruise. However, no shorts/jeans in the dining room for dinner.

We did the optional tour for a German dinner/show in Rudesheim. We all had so much fun and the food was good too. Suffice to say what happened that night will stay there!!!!

The included tours in each town were good, except that the devices we wore had static which lots of folks complained about. Tour guides need to hold mic closer to avoid this feedback. You will travel thru 14 locks - some at night and yes, some people heard some noises. Me, I slept thru all of them.

They had a piano player each night and dancing. One night the crew put on a little talent show and it was quite funny.

We stayed 2 extra days in Amsterdam and toured on our own. We toured the Anne Frank House and had bought our tix ahead of time online. When we saw the line that was blocks long, we were able to walk up and get right in as the tix are timed.

Everything was just as we had hoped for. I would sail again with Avalon anytime, anyplace!!

Thanks so much for your review. I am doing the same cruise next May. We are also flying into Zurich a day earlier and staying at the Movenpick. I have a few questions. How long did it take to get into central Zurich from the hotel? Around what time did you have to meet to take the bus to the ship? Is the Rudesheim the only optional excursion you took? If you took others, which ones? What was the feedback on the optional excursions? It seems like most posters recommend skipping them.

Ahhhh. Robert! Isn't he a delight? Co-ordinating his shirts and shoes to match takes a talent.

From the Movenpick in Zurich, we walked a short 5-7 mins to the tram station across the street. It took about 20 mins to the heart of Zurich. We bought a one day tix and rode all around the town, ending up on the lake watching the boats and eating ice cream.

The bus to the boat left at 3pm on Sunday. After you check out of your room, they have a conference room available for luggage storage if you want to do something till 3pm that day.

Yes, the German dinner was the only optional we took. Don't miss that one for a fun-filled evening. We skipped the other optionals for the very reason you stated. I did not talk much w/people who did take them.

My husband and I will be traveling to Amsterdam in April. How far in advance did you purchase your tickets to the Anne Frank house? This is something I really want to see, but want to avoid the long lines!

We bought our AFH tix about 2 months in advance. They are timed for 1/2 hour intervals. There are 2 doors when you arrive - those with tix can go to the left door and walk right in anytime during your 1/2 time slot - it is the only way to do it. It was very moving to say the least, and one of the highlights of my trip. Cost converted to about $12.75 USD.

Thanks Ohio lady, could you answer a couple of questions please. I am trying to eat a lower calorie, lower sodium diet. Are there many healthy options at lunch and anything other than chicken at dinner? Did you go to the ships' fitness room and did they have a scale in it?

Did you buy the all day tram pass at the station? Did your room at the Movenpick include breakfast?

What cities did you have the most free time in?

Thanks for any other details you have time to provide. I am away from home so if my documents have arrived I haven't been able to look at them yet.

Sandy

Thank you Ohio Lady! We will be on this same cruise/trip in October on the Felicity. I have several questions, but right now can only think of a couple.

The tours from the boat, where they in the morning or the afternoon? Also how long do you think they were? I love spending time on my own in a town, but also do want to go on their tours too.

Were the tours they offered pretty slow going or where they at a decent pace? I know sometimes walking tours can be so slow and then we were on one that I felt like we almost had to run. That was the exception though.

The optional tour you did in Rudesheim, can you tell me what the cost of that was. We won't get any documentation for a couple more months and I'm just curious.

We are looking forward to this as it will be our first river cruise. Only been on the larger cruise lines, so this is so different. Other than the one night of the Captain's dinner, I take it clothing is pretty informal in the dining room. That will be nice for a change. Not so much to pack.

Also, I want to bring my iPad to keep in touch at home, did the boat have wireless or was there any internet offered. I know we can pick up wifi in the towns, but curious while on the river.

Appreciate any information you can give me. I also had the same questions Sandy asked, so glad she asked before me. We are staying 3 nights at the hotel before the trip. Love Zurich and look forward to going back.

Thank you,

Susan

I do not really watch my diet, so I am sorry I cannot answer the questions about low sodium foods. However, all the breakfast foods are color coded to show healthy eating. Lunch has salads, fruits, and I am sure you can find something to satisfy your dietary needs. There is so much to choose from!

Chicken breast was the only option other than the 3 on the menu. Tram passes are sold on the tram itself. 7 Euro for all day or 2.60 Euro for 1 hr.

Yes, the room at the Movenpick included breakfast, both pre and post cruise. Again, they are all buffet, but plentiful and good.

All cities had a morning tour included. They lasted about 1 1/2 hrs. Some people opted out and went on their own, as we did in Cologne. All cities had some free time, but not alot. If you think of anything else, I am more than happy to help. I know I learned so much before we sailed from just reading these boards. Have a great time.

Thanks Ohio lady, could you answer a couple of questions please. I am trying to eat a lower calorie, lower sodium diet. Are there many healthy options at lunch and anything other than chicken at dinner? Did you go to the ships' fitness room and did they have a scale in it?

 

Did you buy the all day tram pass at the station? Did your room at the Movenpick include breakfast?

 

What cities did you have the most free time in?

 

Thanks for any other details you have time to provide. I am away from home so if my documents have arrived I haven't been able to look at them yet.

 

Sandy

Included tours were in the morning, always by 8:30. They lasted about 1 1/2 hours. They offered a slow walkers group. We did that one time, but not again. We did not get to see enough. In Cologne we actually just went out on our own. The German dinner in Rudesheim came to about $64. USD, worth every penny. It was just a fun filled night and free flowing wine had everyone feeling gooood!

Yes, the boat has wireless. I had my Netbook and I paid 15 Euro when we boarded and had it in my room for the entire week. Good connections all along the way. Again, if you think of anything else, please just ask. You will love it. We have done several ocean cruises, and this is no comparison. The cruise thru the Rhine gorge is just beautiful. We had no rain, so spent time on the sun deck as time allowed. It's laid back, relaxing and with only 138 people, you really get to know them.

Thank you Ohio Lady! We will be on this same cruise/trip in October on the Felicity. I have several questions, but right now can only think of a couple.

 

The tours from the boat, where they in the morning or the afternoon? Also how long do you think they were? I love spending time on my own in a town, but also do want to go on their tours too.

 

Were the tours they offered pretty slow going or where they at a decent pace? I know sometimes walking tours can be so slow and then we were on one that I felt like we almost had to run. That was the exception though.

 

The optional tour you did in Rudesheim, can you tell me what the cost of that was. We won't get any documentation for a couple more months and I'm just curious.

 

We are looking forward to this as it will be our first river cruise. Only been on the larger cruise lines, so this is so different. Other than the one night of the Captain's dinner, I take it clothing is pretty informal in the dining room. That will be nice for a change. Not so much to pack.

 

Also, I want to bring my iPad to keep in touch at home, did the boat have wireless or was there any internet offered. I know we can pick up wifi in the towns, but curious while on the river.

 

Appreciate any information you can give me. I also had the same questions Sandy asked, so glad she asked before me. We are staying 3 nights at the hotel before the trip. Love Zurich and look forward to going back.

 

Thank you,

 

Susan

I want to thank you for the response to the questions. That helps a lot. Heading out the door now, but will ask a couple more later. You have really helped a lot already. It is so nice to be able to ask and get the answers that are so up-to-date! It is appreciated. I really do feel quite out of it with knowledge on this river cruise.

Thanks again.

Will ask more later.

Susan

Robert was our CD on our first cruise and we loved him. I'm sure he still addresses most of his comments with 'Ladies and Gentlemen'.

He is an absolute hoot. When someone asked him if he was going to be part of the crew talent show, he said no....he has his own show every night before our dinners! Loved his clothing and choice of colors :)

He had us laughing so much during his talks. He does a great job.

My wife and I were on the same cruise so thought I would add some additional comments to Traveling OhioLady's posts.

I would agree with all the comments on the Felicity that OhioLady has made. The ship is a vast improvement over the Artistry that we cruised on a couple of years ago. This crew really worked hard to make sure it was an enjoyable cruise for the passengers. We had a good mix of US, Australian, NZ, Canada and Great Britain cruisers that really added to the enjoyment of the cruise.

Random thoughts for future cruisers to consider

1. If you have a spare day in Zurich try, as a minimum to get to Lucerne. We actually did a full day tour of Mt Pilatus/Lucerne, which is very easy to do on Swiss Rail. We booked the entire train/Cog railroad/Gondola/bus/train excursion at the Swiss rail office. That day was one of the highlights of our trip. One day is enough for sight seeing in Zurich.

2. We stayed downtown so it was easy to walk to all the Zurich sites. By the way I would not recommend the Zurich sight seeing trolley excursion. It was a waste of time and money – bad audio, redundant stops with a self-walking tour, and a driver who though he was in training for a Gran Prix.

3. Zurich is expensive, actually very expensive.

4. On the Felicity, we had the staff put a top sheet on the bed since the duvet was too hot.

5. We didn’t take the optional tours of the Black Forest or Wine tasting. From comments from several parties, people seemed to enjoy both tours. From what I understand about 70 went to the Black Forest and 11 to the wine tasting. From people’s comments, seems like Avalon had been reading cruise critic and made the trips more interesting.

6. We did do the German dinner excursion. I would differ with OhioLady and would not recommend it. Somehow I had gotten the impression the dinner was hosted by a German family, which was not the case. Instead we had 3 or 4 tables reserved in the restaurant that we were previously served our special Rudesheimer coffee. The food was OK, but nothing special (I thought the ship had a better selection of German food at Lunch). Besides that I found out the ship had lamb that night for dinner.

7. 1 additional day plus the ship days is probably adequate for sight seeing in Amsterdam. Our favorites were Anne Frank, Nieuwe Kerk and the Rijksmuseum. We got tired walking the city especially in the heavy traffic areas around the Central Train station. By the way, after you visit Anne Frank, go around the corner to visit the Roman Catholic Church of our Lady on Keizersgacht. It was one of the most impressive churches in the area.

8. We did the optional red light tour. Don’t really know what to recommend since it was informative, but yet depressing.

9. We had an extra day in Amsterdam so took the train to Delft for a short day of sight seeing. The trip was just OK and would probably not do it again knowing what I know now. We were also ready to go home.

10. American credit or debit cards are not accepted at either the self-service or agent ticket booths in Amsterdam train stations since our cards do not have microchips. Bring Euros and be prepared to go to the ticket counters.

11. Agree with the comments on Robert – did a great job. By the way, this was his last cruise on the Felicity. He is moving on to the Panorama.

OhioLady – it was great to talk with you over the time we were together. Glad you got home safely.

YLTraveler:

Likewise, it was nice to meet you too. We did a Grayline tour on Monday out to Volendam and then a ferry boat ride over to Markem. Actually ran in to 2 couples who were on our cruise. It was nice to get out of the city. I had wondered how the Red Light District tour went, as I did not talk to anyone who took it. We had fun on Sunday hopping from tram to tram exploring Amsterdam on our own. We all had a great time.

Our trip back to Ohio was uneventful, which is the way I like it.

As a TA who specializes in Avalon, I really appreciate the first-hand reports from both of you! They are really helpful. I also have clients who were on the Artistry last year and were wishing they were on one of the newer ships.

BTW - For anyone that has a cruise booked for 2012, Avalon is totally revamping it's website this summer. (No official date given to us yet). Now you will be able to complete your online registration, reserve additional shore tours, choose between 2 included tours ahead of time, order gifts, wine, and other services all online before you leave home. I'm sure it'll have a few bugs to work out at first, but this is a huge step compared to all the other river cruise companies!

I do have a question for those that have sailed recently: If you didn't bring an iPad or netbook, were you able to use the in-cabin internet service easily? How was the connection? After waiting for 20-30 mins. per page to download on the QM2 and the Ocean Princess, it has GOT to be better than that!

Thanks so much. :)

we brought a IPAD which we found easy to use anywhere on the ship. I really don't understand one part of your question about in cabin internet service. You have to have your own device (IPhone, IPAD or other like device) to use the WiFi internet in the room or anywhere else on the ship. You can also use either one the two ship terminals in the reception area.

Most of the time the internet download service was comparable to any wifi net you get while traveling. The only major issue I had was you had to re-enter your logon ID and password if you were inactive on the net for a while (15 minutes?).

By the way, for those that are interested, we took our IPAD on deck when cruising through Rhine Castle area. I had found a web site that graphically showed and described each castle. I will pass on the URL when I get my hands on my wife's IPAD.

For the tram pass into Zurich, do you know if they took credit cards? I'm trying to decide how much cash to bring with us. So they did take Euro's? I was thinking we would need Swiss Francs.

The tours: Is there always a slow and quicker tour offered each time. Hope that makes sense. I just don't want to be on the slow one. When you said all cities had some free time, but not a lot, does that mean you just didn't have much time at each of the stops? Is the only longer day the one where they offered the dinner in Rudesheim? I guess I was thinking that they boat would be at some of the stops for a full day.

Another question about the boat docking area. Have read in the past that sometimes these boats dock and then have to move during the day and people have come back not to find their boat easily. Was that ever a factor?

YLVTraveler:

We have been to Zurich and Lucerne before and I was actually considering taking a day trip to Lucerne again. It was such a pretty town. So the tour you set up at the train station was all on your own? Did you go to the information desk to help you? Quite interested in this.

Thank you for all the information. We are flying directly home from Amsterdam this time.

Susan

We bought our tram pass for Zurich at the desk of the Movenpick, and they accepted euros. In Zurich, if we used euros, we got francs back in change.

Yes, there was always a slow tour offered.

Boat is in one place for most days. If you venture on your own, you set your own pace and see what interests you - you just do not get the history a tour guide offers. On one day we were on a bus and the boat moved ahead to meet us after the daily tour. Never an issue.

I found that the Swiss train system will take a US credit or debit card. The only place I found a problem was in Amsterdam at the train station. What I did was basically use ATMs for cash. We did take a small amount of Euro's to last me until we found an ATM at the first or second cruise stop. I also used the money exchange booth in JFK to get a small amount of Swiss Francs so I could pay the cab driver for the ride from the airport to our hotel since I understood there was no ATM at the airport. After that I used the ATMs to get more Swiss Francs. I tried to manage my currency to minimize what I had left over. What I did at the end was to use left over Swiss Francs and excess Euros for tips to specific crew members. You can also put the general crew and cruise director tips on your credit card.

As far as the trip to Pilatus/Luzern we did everything ourselves (with help from friends that previously lived in Zurich). I had a written route that we wanted to take and gave that to the agent at the service counter. It really worked out well. Here is what we did:

Going

Train Zurich to Luzern

Train Luzern to Alphachstad (transfer)

Cog Railway Alphachstad to Pilatus Kulm (short walk between platforms)

Returning

Pilatus Kulm to Frakmuntegg (the short ride in the larger cablecar)

Frakmuntegg to Kriens PB (longer ride in the gondola)

A short walk down the hill to the Kriens bus stop (follow the signs)

Bus ride from Kriens to Luzern Bahnhof (last stop - central train station across the road)

Train Luzern to Zurich

It takes about 2 hours to get from Zurich to the top of Pilatus. We took the 8AM train since we were still on west coast time. Even though you are booked at certain times, the tickets are good for any time.

probably more then you wanted to know. We were blessed with good weather so it was a real good trip.

we brought a IPAD which we found easy to use anywhere on the ship. I really don't understand one part of your question about in cabin internet service. You have to have your own device (IPhone, IPAD or other like device) to use the WiFi internet in the room or anywhere else on the ship. You can also use either one the two ship terminals in the reception area.

 

Most of the time the internet download service was comparable to any wifi net you get while traveling. The only major issue I had was you had to re-enter your logon ID and password if you were inactive on the net for a while (15 minutes?).

 

By the way, for those that are interested, we took our IPAD on deck when cruising through Rhine Castle area. I had found a web site that graphically showed and described each castle. I will pass on the URL when I get my hands on my wife's IPAD.

Great information - I was wondering if you were able to use their computers and the internet access, so thanks.

The other posts also have terrific first-hand information. It is much appreciated!

Ohio Lady - glad you had a smooth trip home. Wish I could say the same for ours. On Monday Dian's allergies acted up so she woke up Tuesday morning sniffling like mad. We caught the 7AM BA flight to London with no problem. Got from terminal 5 to terminal 3 to catch our AA flight to LA with no problem other then Dian's continually running nose. When we got to terminal 3 we found AA 137 was delayed 2 hours because of mechanical problems. After the delay and the 12 hour flight we finally got to LA about 4 PM. Then the real heart burn started. It took us about 30 minutes to get through pass port control since the Immigration agents are now questioning and photographing everyone that came into the country. As a result of the slow pass port control, the luggage terminals were over flowing causing a big delay in finding your baggage. Then you were faced with a long line to get through baggage inspection. All told, it took us over an hour to get back into the US. We also had several dog sniffing dogs checking bags. We must seem like a police state for incoming foreigners. This is the worst entry process I have ever experienced in over 30 years of flying.

All told, we were home in 22 hours from our initial check-in at the Amsterdam airport. Of course Dian's was getting sicker by the minute.

We were told that US is introducing an expedited process for people that flight 3-4 times a year that will circumvent the delays I mentioned. I am sure going to check it out before we take our next international flight.

YLTraveler: No, that wasn't more than I wanted to know at all. In fact, it was exactly what I wanted! Wasn't quite sure as to how to tackle all that and now I have an itinerary. I'd looked at train schedules from the aiport/Zurich/Lucerne, but wasn't sure about the rest. Thank you so very much for your detailed description.

Now your comment about the tips was interesting. So you can put the tips on a credit card? Now that would be very helpful. Did you go to a desk onboard and tell them what you wanted for each person, though I know they have guidelines like the other cruiselines have. I have 2 credit cards that don't charge a foreign transaction fee, so that does help. Did you need a pin to be able to charge the tips on the ship for your cc cards? Sorry for all the questions, but this is definitely new for us traveling on a river cruise.

Ohio Lady: Thank you for the information on the tram and getting the tickets at the hotel. That will certainly make it easier. We do like to go out on our own. It is nice to take the tour and hear the history, but then I like to set out on our own for a while. Makes it nice. Glad they have both speeds for tours.

Thank you both for all the information.

Susan

Just to clarify the computer/internet situation. You can only use the two computers in the reception area if you have bought the wifi package from the ship. This is a change from our previous Avalon cruise where the two terminals were free.

On the tipping situation. Avalon recommends two separate appreciation tips - one for the cruise crew and one for the Cruise Director. They also give you per day, per person guidelines for both tips. Both of these suggested tips can be separately put on a credit card by going to the front desk. In addition, strictly as an option, you can give separate tips to specific people - i.e. waiter, bar tender, cabin attendant, etc. Those special recognition tips can not be placed on a credit card as far as I know. For those tips, I used Francs, Euros and American money. I also slightly adjusted the recommended cruise crew tip to partially recognize the special recognition tips.

I might also note that we probably came back with about 75% of the American money that we took with us. I used ATMs to get Euro's and Francs since that is the best rate you will get. For example our Amsterdam hotel wanted $1.74 per Euro exchange. The going ATM rate was about $1.44 with a fixed service fee. By exchanging larger amounts ($300 vs $100) you get a better equivalent rate.

Sorry for the tutorials - you probably knew all this.

Taking the Uniworld cruise on the Antoinette on Aug 7. Thanks for the info. It looks like a great route.