FamilyTravelGurus

by Tim Larison

Last summer I took an Avalon River Cruise on the Danube through parts of Hungary, Austria and Germany.  It was a fantastic trip!  Tim was fortunate to have sailed with a river cruise “expert” on that voyage – Kathleen Kavanagh from Globus.  We recently talked with Kathleen about river cruising and what’s new with Avalon Waterways.

FamilyTravelGurus: Many of our readers have cruised on the big ocean ships - what about a River Cruise is different and would appeal to people who like cruising?

Kathleen: “River Cruising is a much more intimate cruising experience. Think of it as similar to a huge hotel versus a boutique hotel. Our largest ship holds only 180 passengers and our newer ships only hold 132. River Cruising takes you into the villages, towns and major cities on the rivers versus commercial shipping ports. In many instances, you walk to the city center and truly can experience the area. River Cruising appeals to the more experienced traveler who looks to combine the unpack once concept but experience the different destinations. River Cruise ships are dry docked every year for two months for cleaning and updating versus the dry docking of larger vessels is every 2-3 years for upkeep so our vessels maintain their ‘newness’ for much longer than ocean vessels.”

FamilyTravelGurus: What has been your favorite River Cruise and why?

Kathleen: “My personal favorite is Rhine and The Moselle because I like wine and the smaller towns. The Moselle has over 150 vineyards and the villages are like pictures from fairy tales. The castles on the Rhine are a must but the trade off is the Danube because everyone equates the Danube with Vienna and music so it depends on the type of person you are. I would personally love to take our North Sea to the Black Sea which is a 21 night cruise that goes all the way from Amsterdam to the Black Sea. That way, I would sail every major river in Europe on one vacation.”

Read our complete interview with Kathleen on our website.  After my river cruise experience I am a big fan of this type of cruise experience!