MagnoliaNC
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Posts posted by MagnoliaNC
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Looking forward to the Legendary Danube in fall 2019 on the Illumination. Thanks for advice from previous posters.
I am sitting in my stateroom on the Illumination right now. We are tied up in Linz, Austria. You are going to love your trip!!
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Ok, I've heard of them using the Hilton as well as the Intercontinental. Not sure what one we will be at yet but sounds like both are good choices. Is this the Hilton in Old town or the other one?
No, this one is not in Old Town, though I wish it had been.
The trip to Nuremberg took closer to 4 hours, but it was very pleasant. We were split on 4 coaches and took a break midway. We were on the Autobahn! I am on the Avalon Illumination and so far it has been nothing short of fabulous😍 i am sitting in my cabin docked in Regensburg with a castle next to me!
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Avalon has us in the Prague Hilton, the one with the Casino I never saw! It is really nice and fairly close to everything including a grocery store across the street. Avalon has a hospitality desk downstairs for us as well.
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I am in Prague right now on the precruise with Avalon. We leave tomorrow via bus to Nuremberg. They said it was 3 hours with a stop midway. Prague has been wonderful! We travel to Budapest and then I am doing two days each in Amsterdam, Paris, and Edinburgh.
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I will be traveling on Avalon’s Illumination on the Danube as a solo traveler in a couple of weeks. I am doing the pre-cruise to Prague and leave the states on the 20th of May. I am booked in room 305, a panoramic suite. I will be happy to share my experiences with the group as it happens. I also will extend my trip after Budapest by flying to Amsterdam, Paris, and Edinburgh for two nights each. Crazy busy trip but it is my retirement bucket list. I only hope this will be the first of many. There is so much I want to see and experience.:hearteyes:
PS....they waived the single supplement on my cruise.....
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Leaving on May 20 for my first cruise....Avalon Illumination on the Danube!
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Doing my first Danube river cruise on Avalon May 22-June1. Really excited yet a tiny bit nervous not having anyone with me for the second part when I travel to Amsterdam, Paris, and Edinburgh totally on my own :-)
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When I was trying to decide which line to book, I looked at all of the trips and lines. Many similar tours to many similar places.For me, it is the opportunity to spend a pretrip in Prague for 3 days. I fly into Prague for three days of sightseeing. We will be bussed to Nuremberg to catch our ship The Illumination and on into Budapest 8 days later. I will spend an Extra day in Budapest before flying out for 2 Days each in Amsterdam, Paris, and Edinburgh. I fly home on June 8 to Atlanta. I am thrilled about a side trip to Jablonik where I see the Czech Beads made and go shopping. I was thrilled to take advantage of their waiving of the single supplement. Many weeks later I got the news that they had moved me to the Royal Deck:D Nice surprise! So, It also has a Panoramic Suite, one of my trip checkoffs!! Countdown to leaving from Atlanta date is 30 days!
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I am doing the Avalon pretour 3 days in Prague to Nurenburg to Budapest beginning May 22. I want to make the most of it so I am doing an extra day in Budapest; then 2 days in Amsterdam, Paris, And Edinburgh each before flying home. While in Prague I have arranged a tour of Jablonec and the Czech bead factories. This is going to be awesome!
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I will be on the Avalon Illumination May 25-june1. I have noticed a mention of an evening late night snack, Just curious as to what might be offered. Anyone taken advantage of it?
Just to clarify, I have one of those itty bitty stomachs due to surgery so I can never eat very much at one sitting. I usually find myself hungry around 10-11pm so just wondered what options I might have. Sounds like I really have nothing to be concerned with on that front!:D
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I will be on the Avalon Illumination May 25-june1. I have noticed a mention of an evening late night snack, Just curious as to what might be offered. Anyone taken advantage of it?
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Recent discussions concerning final payment for a river cruise have left me surprised - again - to read how much terms and conditions can differ from country to country. Or is it just different from one cruise line to another?
I want to know: what are the terms and conditions then? Help me create a list, please, for all to read and compare. When is final payment day? When did you pay, did you have a deal, etc? If you have been on more than one cruise the last one is probably enough to mention, unless you went with different companies.
To start off I give you my river cruise details (I know this is not representative, but I just want to make clear what sort of info I mean): Country of booking Germany, Transocean (German company), booked through TA, train journey added and paid together with cruise, regular payment according to the terms and conditions of final payment 21 days before the start of the cruise. Deposit of 10% at booking.
Thank you.
notamermaid
Saw this article today and wanted to share:
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Country of booking - USA
Company - Avalon
Booked through TA
Deposit - $250 non-refundable
Balance due 90 days before start of pre-cruise
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Last year we combined a land tour with a Danube cruise. Got a low cost flight to Lisbon and did a portugal and Spain tour. Got a non-stop from Madrid to Prague. Spent a couple of extra days there before joining A Danube river cruise. Then from Budapest flew to Paris for three days before catching a flight home.
I’ll keep looking at the possible land tours. So far I haven’t found the right one for me. :D
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There is a Cruise Flights forum on this board that will likely provide more help to your question about flights.
My husband and I have done this. Assuming you're paying cash for your flights (as opposed to frequent flyer miles) you can use the Kayak Explore function (link) to figure out what European gateways are offering the cheapest flights from each of those airports during your timeframe.
I'd avoid booking a return flight from London unless that's where you really want to end your trip, as the UK adds a few hundred dollars in departure taxes to each ticket. And given the region of Europe you'll be in, I'd also consider Munich, Frankfurt, and Zurich as possible gateway cities.
I will look at those cities as gateways. I have not tried the Kayak explore option, either. I will read through the board on flights, too. Everyone here is just so helpful!
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We have stayed pre and post cruise in Budapest, it's a great city. You could spend a few days there, then fly to Amsterdam.
That's a relatively easy airport to fly out of, fun city to wander around, and you should find a direct flight. If you wanted to hit another city, you could take the train to Paris, 3 hrs 20 minutes. That way, you are downtown to downtown. Trains are very easy to figure out, there are even you-tube video's with how to buy your ticket.
Are you looking at open jaw plane tickets, into one city and home from another? Check google flights and then go to map view. You can easily check prices from various cities leaving from Atlanta, then Charlotte, etc. Very easy to comparison shop that way.
Yes, so far I was looking at into Prague and out of Budapest with buying tickets to any place else that I decide to do, like Amsterdam. I had already decided that an extra day in Budapest would be great. I will definitely retry google flights with the map view! Thank you !!
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I live in North Carolina and will be doing an Avalon cruise starting on May 22 with 3 days in Prague before heading to the 8 days on the Illumination. We will disembark in Budapest on June 1.
I am trying to figure out the best exit airport (ATL, CLT, GSP, AVL) and then picking a hub city so I can see some of Europe when I disembark at the end of the cruise.
I have been looking at Amsterdam, Paris, London, Athens, Rome, Dubrovnik. Regional flights have been running $100 or so, so I think it could be doable to visit a couple of cities/countries beyond the cruise. Have any of you done something like this?
Any suggestions or concerns? Thank you in advance!!
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My TA told me that the Avalon Illumination will have just come out of refurbishing when I cruise in May on the Danube. Pictures show it is already a nice fairly young ship, so this will be very interesting.
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Enjoy every minute of it! Take half what you planned to take and let them do your laundry, they did a great job!
I have pictures of our cabin if you are interested. Tons of storage!
I would love to see some pictures! I am so excited!
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We were on Illumination!
I will be on the Illumination in May. Any recommendations?
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I too an taking an Avalon Cruise in MAy on the Illumination.I will taking my phillips cpap on board. From what I have have readabout, all I will need is THE ADAPTER. NOT SO MUCH THE CONVERTER WHILE ONboard. You will need an adapter while staying in Prague. I also purchased a battery backup from Freedom Battery(google it) it will let you sleep with your CPAP for 2 nights before recharging.
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Here's a link to Verizon's International plans.
https://www.verizonwireless.com/solutions-and-services/international-travel/
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I am taking my first river cruise in May 2018. It is Avalon's The Legendary Danube cruise. I am doing it solo and taking advantage of Avalon waiving single supplements for 2018 travelers. I have booked a B room, one of the panoramic rooms with 11 feet of window that opens. I am so excited!! I have never been to Europe and can't wait to see the beautiful countries and learn about them.
My problem right now is figuring out just how to make my flight dollars go farther. I am looking at flying in to one place and visit a few days and then fly a Local airline to Prague... And then do the same out of Budapest. Maybe take a train from Budapest?
So, if anyone out there is planning on doing the May 22-June 1 cruise, please let me know!
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I love to try new foods. So whatever the cuisine is each day I cannot wait to sample it! The only things that may make me pass will be anything liver and frog legs and oysters. Just could not accept the taste! I like fried Trype so go figure!
All Things Avalon
in River Cruising
Posted
I am just back from being on the Illumination from Nuremberg to Budapest. (May 25- June 1) The river level was excellent but the weather was really unexpectedly warm. I packed for cooler weather but not as many lighter layers to fall back on. Other than that, the trip was awesome! I had booked a B (225) category, but got bumped to a P, 305. Both were Panoramic Suites and had the single supplement waived. I traveled solo and met some new friends who I hope to travel with in the future. Best experience ever!