We had high water river flooding so Avalon had to scurry and make our trip the best it could be under the circumstances. We were very impressed with their actions. They notified us via email that there was high water and things were going to have to change. We had planned on the newest ship in the fleet and smooth sailing but that was not to be the case for us. However, we did not get put into a hotel or taken just by bus as I had heard horror stories in the past.

They got a different ship there in Amsterdam for us so we were in good shape. They explained that Sat, Sun, Mon, and Tues we would be enjoying our cruise on that ship with their staff. They could not have been any nicer. Then on Weds we did have to pack up and be taken by bus to our excursion and from there they would take us to the new ship! For that inconvenience they even offered us a monetary reimbursement which I thought was outstanding as they were not obligated to do that. So then we were finally on our ship....it was fantastic and our super cruise director Isabel went with us so we still felt like home. That could have been an awful experience and they worked doubly hard to make sure that it was not!

The beginning of the trip we stayed in Amsterdam for three days on a houseboat which was pretty awesome too. Then went to the Movenpick Hotel for free soft drinks and meeting other travelers and then whisked off by bus to the Keukenhoff Gardens tour. It was unbelievable--the reds, oranges, pinks, yellows in the fields and then the best garden we have ever toured and we have been to Versaille, etc. It is only open 8 weeks out of the year so if you are lucky enough to be there then I heartily recommend going. We were not besieged by crowds as we had a plan of which places we wanted to see and we walked directly to them. The orchid place was one of our first to visit and it was phenomenal. After that tour then we were taken back to the ship. Read more