Avalon June Amsterdam to Basel

Six of us are celebrating "zero" birthdays - we were wondering whether to get the additional drink packagae on the ship? Would be nice to know what the average cost of wine/beer and mixed drinks are. We are sailing on 6/10 on the Visionary. Thanks for any info

The drinks are reasonably priced in the bar and beer and wine are gratis [sure you're aware of this] at dinner. That's enough for me and many folks. The drinks package is pricey and not worth it unless you really like to drink.

My husband and I will be on the same cruise. We are celebrating a "0" anniversary. We will be arriving in Amsterdam a few days early, and staying iin Zurich a few days after. If you have seen anything in either place that is a "must see", let us know. This is our first riveer cruise, but we have been on 16 sea cruises.

We are not going early to Amsterdam - we are staying a few days post cruise in Lucerne Switzerland. I have been there before and it is a beautiful city. We will take train from Basel. See you in June!

Hello Ms. Jer - I'll be leaving on an Avalon cruise from Amsterdam to Vienna on Mar 25. I'd like to refer you to a thread of posts on the topic of river cruise all-inclusive drink packages that I started in January. Go to the general "River Cruising" forum. Scroll back to Jan 6. It's entitled "All Inclusive Drink Package". Several of our fellow forum members weighed in on the subject. The general conclusion was that it was not worth the additional money, given the fact that the river cruise lines (at least Avalon) have very liberal practices regarding complimentary wine served at breakfast (sparkling) and dinner (both wine and beer); plus the fact that (unlike most ocean cruise lines) the river cruise lines have no objection whatsoever to you (openly) bringing your own selections onboard. No need to be a "bootlegger" or to even attempt it. I'm no stranger to a friendly drink myself, particularly in a social situation, but the economics just weren't there to justify purchasing the supplemental drink package. And I don't get the sense that Avalon was "pushing it", either. The package on my upcoming 13-day cruise would have been an additional $430 per person - not per room. That's an awful lot of booze you and your companions would have to be drinking in order to just "break even" on what the approximate amount of individually purchased drinks would cost you. And since you can bring your own with you (either in luggage or purchased in the towns you visit) - what's the point? To "break even" on the drink package cost, I'd have to be drinking virtually from breakfast until bedtime - and that would sort of negate the purpose of a "scenic cruise though Europe". $33 worth of drinks, each and every day, IN ADDITION to the booze that Avalon was already providing during meals on a complimentary basis, plus the bottle of favorite scotch I'll already be packing with me. I'd either be in the lounge, or the "head", or in bed for the entire cruise and I would be feeling as though I had to drink a lot just to "recoup" my additional beverage-package cost. The economics of a supplemental drink package might make more sense on an ocean cruise rather than on a European River Cruise. When I was investigating the subject for myself, I also discovered that even after paying the premium package cost - it did NOT include the premium brands - which would most likely be my choice in such a wonderful venue. My advice would be to budget for the purchase of reasonably-priced cocktails in the bar before/after dinner, take advantage of some of the nice beers/wine served at dinner, bring a couple of bottles of your favorite "hooch" with you to keep in your room, or pick up bottles of something special in the towns along the way as you travel down the river. MHO. Regards, Kelvin