We had never been on a river cruise. Yes, we had done multiple ocean cruises in the Caribbean and even Alaska, but never a river cruise. So we thought we would splurge and do it!
We booked airline arrangements through Avalon and planned for an extra day in case of airline problems - a good decision. We arrived in Zurich at 8:30pm and walked to the hotel at the airport where arrangements had been made. Raddisson Blu is a great place to stay. We were picked up the next morning by an Avalon representative and taken to the ship to check in and start our first excursion.
The Visionary was spotless and there was a nice lunch buffet ready for us when we arrived. For every excursion there were receivers (we were given headsets and a lavaliere for the receiver at check in) that were color-coded for each excursion so that you could hear the guide. Avalon also had bottles of water available (at no extra charge). Upon return from the excursion they took the receivers in exchange for a warm, damp washcloth and a glass of juice or flavored water.
The cabin was superb. Plenty of storage when you unpacked. Twenty clothes hangers in the closet. An in-room safe. USB ports for electronics. Bed faced the floor to ceiling sliding glass doors which had room darkening drapes. The shower in the bathroom was roomy. The bathroom had plenty of storage space and two sets of L'Occitane toiletries as well as color coded towels. Everything was cleaned twice daily and the in-room water bottles were replenished as needed. The TV (which I didn't watch) did carry a wide variety of channels including one that had a simulated fireplace scene. Overall, best room I've had on any kind of cruise ship!
Nice tour, pretty city
pretty place