Avalon Vista Review
Avalon Vista, Dec 5-14, 2014 Nuremberg to Basel Christmas Markets
Rating by category
Additional details
Cabin 213, husband & wife sharing
Bottom line for me– the cruise was great but I’m not a river cruiser. River cruises are more expensive than ocean cruises in general because they are small (numbers of passengers) and they include most of the tours/shore excursions, sodas with lunch and sodas/wine/beer with dinner (varies by company). However – I prefer a more independent travel where I can pick and choose what I want to do, and most of the time I just want to explore on my own. But since I paid for the included tours of the river cruise, I hated to skip them (though we did a couple of times). Because of the where boats are told to dock, it’s not always possible to walk into town in each port – many would require a taxi if we wanted to go independent, or relying on the bus schedule of the ship.
We opted for a Christmas Market from Nuremberg to Basel river cruise because my husband wanted a river cruise with German ports (he’s an avid homebrewer and wanted to sample many different German beers) and I love Christmas Markets in Europe but have not been to Germany.
Cabin Review
Our cabin (213) was a great size, well laid out with excellent storage. The way Avalon has its balconies on the suite ships are basically just huge sliding windows- so if you want a balcony experience, you open the window and sit in your cabin. But when the windows are shut (as they were for most but not all of our December trip!) you don’t lose any cabin space. We thought this design worked well and would likely choose this cabin layout over a true balcony. The bathroom is angled and the bed faces the windows directly, which is lovely. The bathroom is also well laid out, and since the shower has glass walls & a door, you don’t feel claustrophobic at all.