Avalon Artistry II Review

Disappointed

Review for Europe River Cruise on Avalon Artistry II
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picky_cruiser
6-10 Cruises • Age 60s

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Sail Date: Aug 2018

We have enjoyed a number of ocean cruises on various cruise lines and were ready to try a river cruise. The appeal of a small upscale ship, docking right in the city was alluring. Our vision was interrupted by reality. When we arrived we were told that the water levels were too low and we would be boarding a different ship in a few days. This was not their fault and the ship was identical, but it was a bit sneaky not to let us know in advance. We were given an identical cabin on the new ship, and none of this part was a problem except that we ended up being bused instead of cruising to the next port. I am not a fan of bus tours, hence why I cruise. We also spent the last night of our cruise in a hotel, not on the ship. We were fairly compensated for our troubles and the cruise director, Nico, was apologetic and wonderful to work with. Other unseemly tidbits prevalent in our cruise are that we did not dock right in the city with the ability to walk on and off the ship while docked. We docked mainly in outposts. We also docked next to a ship and had to walk through to get to our ship. We were told that this was a common practice (so much for your view). The Danube from Regensburg to Melk is quite narrow, so there isn't much to see anyhow. The Danube has over 60 locks, this was fun at first, but there was a lot of starring at the lock walls and hearing the sounds of the ship as it was raising and lowering. We also didn't realize that if the water is too high then the ship can't proceed because it won't fit under the many bridges. We missed the entertainment of big ships and thought the food was mediocre. Big ships from now on for us.

Cabin Review

Cabin Inside

Smaller than anticipated.

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