First River Cruise in Europe (previously did the Nile in Egypt). First with Avalon. I researched many European River Cruise companies and talked to friends and family before selecting Avalon. It exceeded every expectation. Rooms were spacious with more storage than we could use. The L'Occitane amentities were great. The ship was spotless everyday and the crew could not have been nicer. We had a problem with our room door lock sticking which maintenance resolved.

The food was excellent. Always great fresh fruit at every meal and multiple entrees at every meal. Many salads, soups, and entrees were low-fat and low-sodium, but tasted great! Chef Nemo worked very hard to ensure the meals were delicious. He even went to local bakeries to get bread and gluten-free items for passengers. Wine flowed freely at dinner and we never had a glass we didn't like.

Our captain Viktor was excellent. We were really glad he was on board when we hit some low water at Konigsberg. He got us out of a really tight spot. (He must be "the guy" for low water as he had to fly down to the Danube for 2 days to help out another Avalon ship.) We enjoyed all the ports but felt that we got short-changed on Cologne and Mainz. We were at Cologne late Saturday night and 1/2 day on a Sunday so could not tour the cathedral during daylight. At Mainz, we arrived late on a Monday and the Gutenberg Museum was closed. Most churches closed before we could get inside. (Check your itinerary if these spots are important to you.) If you want to see the Ann Frank House, book the optional tour with Avalon. We bypassed all the lines! Also, Roman Trier was excellent. We heard Jewish Cologne tour was good. (We did the "regular" Cologne trip.) I would forego the Luxembourg excursion. It was boring and there wasn't much to see there and to/from. The Black Forest museum was good, although a long bus ride to/from. Read more