Embarkation – and introduction to the "Avalon Tapestry"

Guests depart the hotel around 15:30 by coach to the Avalon Tapestry. Cruise check-in was fast and efficient; you are issued your room key card at the Reception Desk and the Purser keeps your passport for the duration of the cruise which is a convenience for the guests, so the ship can clear with local authorities at each port on your behalf.

The Tapestry has a familiar layout and as with most of the newer river ships there is a main lounge and a main restaurant forward, both can accommodate the ship’s full capacity in one seating. The accommodation is all aft of the main lobby and purser desk, ideally suited should the lounge/bar get a little boisterous in the evening. I was also interested to hear that the "mechanics" of the ship are all located fully aft (think of an engine room/garage) joined to the rear of the ship with flexible rubber mounts thereby virtually eliminating vibration, noise and exhaust emissions from the main part of the ship. There is wireless hi-fi (and a computer corner) and a fitness studio available as well as a Hair-Salon.

Departing Budapest.

The ship departs Budapest at 5:00pm –  The departure from Budapest is impressive, the Danube at this point is lined on both sides with historic and impress buildings. On the Buda side the old city with it's Royal Palace, old Town fortifications and church (currently undergoing cleaning and renovation to it's facade)

On the Peste side the gothic-style Parliament House (second largest to the Houses of Parliament in England) sits right on the bank of the river this imposing structure has recently been cleaned and renovated and really sparkles. The Tapestry passes the island of ....  and gradually the city fades into open country.

 

The Cruise Starts.

The first night on board is really an introduction to the ship and staff followed by the Gala Dinner.  It's an impromptu affair with all the guests gathering in the lounge where welcome champagne is being passed by the staff.  The evening begins with an introduction by our TD (Tour Director) she is with our party from before the start of the cruise to past the end to assist not only with the on board tours offered but also the pre & post tours.  As you can surmise this means there is a rotation of TD's for each cruise.  An unusual but very effect idea for guest continuity.

During the Welcome Cocktail Party the TD introduces the Tapestry's Captain who in turn introduces us to all the crew.. a nice idea to do it at the beginning of the cruise and not at the end as so often happens.  At least this way we know who is who and who to go to with questions.

Following this, we all adjourn to the dining room to partake in the Gala Dinner.. another unusual idea, doing it on the first night and not the last, but why not indeed, everyone is starting to get into the cruise mode and this cements it all together.

Dining On-Board.

Meal times are always the center of everyone's day.  The ship pretty much rotates its schedule around meal times, with shore excursions and on-board activities being planned around the meal times.  I stands to reason then that the food presented and the service given is an important part of the cruise experience.

The following is my personal impression and as I found not shared by all on board, many people though the meals to be excellent, unfortunately I was not totally impressed.

Let me start with the good  indeed excellent parts:  The bread and other bakery items where all prepared fresh on-board, the quality was excellent and the choice of items where many and varied. The actual food products where on the whole of a good standard and overall well prepared and nicely present in a modest way.

There was a choice of the regular menu as well as a "light" and vegetarian main course choice available on the dinner menu.  Breakfast and lunches where always "buffet" style so one simple ate whatever appealed and there was ample choice to choose from including a daily chef prepared breakfast special one could order from the wait staff..

For dinner - wines, mineral waters where included.  I personally felt that this should also have been extended to lunches as it feels rather like being 'nickel and dimed" to exclude beverages with the meal.

My problem with the dining experience was a certain lack of creativity and choices in the offerings.  The menu choices for dinner for example where uninspiring and somewhat repetitive with the some dishes being offered both on the light menu and the main menu sometime on the same night and/or following nights. The menus could use an additional choice of main course for dinner although I am told one could always order a steak or salmon - as a last resort.. which appeared quite often on the menu anyway.

Our chef was a very personable and profession Austrian gentleman.  His food reflected his background to a great degree but obviously influenced by the menu's he was directed to prepare coming from head office where in fact most of the provision also emanated from.  I have always liked the idea of eating region foods when the opportunity arises so this aspect did not both me to any degree, in fact I felt it added something to the on-board culinary experience. I simply felt when it deviated from this concept the food did not match my expectations.

Service and Staff

So important to the enjoyment of ones cruise, in fact a make or break in my opinion are the people one interacts with on a daily basis while on-board.  On this front I have to say Avalon Waterways have chosen and excellent group to serve on the Tapestry.  I honestly cannot think of one occasion when I had anything negative to say about the crew.  Obviously one meets the domestic staff mostly and these where all personable, bright and attractive young people, many from eastern European countries, but all speaking excellent English amongst other tongues. Our Captain was a Dutchman and quite a character, he always seemed to have a smile and a joke on hand, but at the same time an sharp eye on the proceedings.

Staterooms

There are three distinct classes of staterooms available on the Tapestry these are located on three decks in total including the Sky Deck which offers outdoor seating, bar service and when weather permits, dining under the stars.

The ship has eighty two staterooms including two suites. Staterooms are appointed with all facilities you would expect including the Comfort Collection by Avalon bedding, feather duvets, plush pillows and fine cotton linens.

The most luxurious being the two suites (268 sq.ft).  These are a generous size and certainly benefit from the addition of the lounge area,  The main deck staterooms are also a generous size (172 sq.ft.) especially when compared to some of the staterooms on modern main stream cruise ships.  Ample wardrobe space, nice and well appointed bathroom (no bath just shower) and more than enough space to move around in the stateroom Image: Suite without having to ask your partner to  "move over".  These staterooms have large sliding doors which open on one side to allow a feeling of actually being part of the scenery / countryside one is cruising through. 

The lower deck staterooms are similar in many respects but only have two port holes which obviously detracts from the cruise experience, but as many would argue.. how much time do you spend in your stateroom anyway!

Bathrooms are larger than usual with well chosen amenities. All staterooms feature flat-screen TV, mini bar, safe, ample closet storage and drawers. Flowers, champagne and a fruit platter are nice amenities provided upon arrival.

Image: Cat A&B

Cruising on The Tapestry

The 4 day - Budapest-Vienna itinerary we cruised is an ideal introduction to river cruising. It's      long enough to decide if it's for you and it covers some very interesting and picturesque / scenic places as well as starting and ending in two of Europe Major Cities both loaded with history, great shopping and good restaurants.  It is also a great itinerary for corporate use, add in flights and an over-night stay and you have  wonderful weeks program.

The itinerary does not properly describe the cruise the Tapestry makes as to many peoples surprise the ship sailed right past Vienna on its outward trip going as far up the Danube as Linz in Austria where you have a day's sightseeing and then overnight the ship hustles back to Vienna for disembarkation.

The itinerary makes stops at Bratislava, Melk, Durnstein and Linz at each stop there is a complimentary tour - usually a walking tour as well as more comprehensive shore excursions which can be purchased on-board.  We found all the stops to be quite fascinating particularly for those interested in European history. There are so many Kodak moments that it seems one might wear ones camera out.

The tours are very well organized and professionally presented with mostly local and well informed Tour Guides hosting.  The group are all given headsets at the outset, these have limited range but do allow you to keep up with the description without having to be within 5 feet of your guide.

Tapesty alongside at Durnstein

The final night onboard sees the farewell gala dinner .  This is a special event that starts in the lounge/bar with cocktails and senior members of the crew present, followed by an extensive dinner. Our group was treated to a model of the ship made from a cake and icing.  quite spectacular and lots of work for the pastry chef I am sure.

In 2011, Avalon Waterways will once again re-invent itself with the introduction of the Avalon Panorama, the industries first suite ship, followed by the Avalon Vista in 2012. It is expected that this new class of vessels will revolutionize the river cruise industry.

These ships will feature a total of 66 suites - 200sq.ft of living area (including 2 Royal Suites), plus 17 Deluxe Staterooms for a total capacity of 83 rooms for 166 guests. This space comes complete with a large seating area adjacent to a Wall-to-Wall Panoramic Window. When opened, this floor-to-ceiling window is nearly 11’ x 7’, and transforms the entire Suite into the category’s first Open-Air Balcony.

All staterooms feature upgraded L’Occitane toiletries, complimentary bottled water, robes & slippers. These last amenities will be rolled-out fleet-wide for the 2011 season; it is worth noting that their Comfort Beds are already in place in all their vessels.

Public areas will include the main lounge and dining room and a secondary lounge called the “Club Lounge”. In addition a Sky Deck shade system with premium lounge chairs, whirlpool and open air Bistro. Other features will include an expanded fitness center, a well-stocked library and a hair salon (most of these new features are not found on typical river vessels).

Of Particular interest to the Corporate Market

The new Panorama class has a lounge (Club Lounge) located at the extreme aft end of the main deck which can be use for private meetings/presentation and is equipped with audio/visual equipment.

Half ships charter are now also a possibility as the dining room has been split in two length-wise and affords a certain privacy for a corporate program to dine together.

Of the many itineraries offered several lend themselves to corporate programs - for example;

A 7-night Seine River Cruise, Round-trip from Paris (Round trip air means savings)

Some of the highlights of this itinerary are:

• Two-full nights in Paris (including city tours, Versailles and other highlights)

• Conflans (guided tour of Van Gogh’s hometown or a tour of the Chateau de Malmaison, owned by Napoleon & Josephine)

• Vernon (Visit Monet’s house and the gardens at Giverny)

• Two full days in Rouen (learn and visit sites about Joan of Arc, and on day 2, a tour of Normandy including a visit to Omaha Beach or join a gastronomical tour of the region famous for Camembert cheese and Calvados.

• Les Andelys (visit this quaint village with its imposing Chateau Gaillard built by England’s King Richard the Lionheart in 1196)

• Arrival in Paris.

Inclusions: All tours mentioned above, all meals on board, guided tours with wireless headsets for all guests, wine, beer & soft drinks with dinner, taxes, gratuities.

Ship: Avalon Creativity (built in 2009 with 70 staterooms including 2 Royal Suites, ideal charter size for if your group is from 120-140 guests. The Avalon Creativity features the additional lounge and Sky Deck features that will be on the Panorama. These features were introduced on the 5 ships built between 2009 and 2010.

Estimate cost: USD$2,000-$2,500 per person, depending on seasonality.  Compare this to a hotel program in Paris and discover real / serious value.

The European Rivers cruise season generally runs from April – October, however, some interesting pricing can be obtained for whole ships charters on either side of these dates (Contact us for details).  There are also so several winter events in Germany which lend themselves to a river boat charter (Enquire)