We have found over the years that cruising holidays are not ideal for young children. For this reason, we do not take bookings for children under 8 years of age and there are no special arrangements or activities for children on board.

Journeys Club is Avalon’s loyalty scheme which gives you special offers with selected partners and great benefits on your second Avalon cruise onwards. For full details please click here.

Yes if you recommend Avalon to a friend and you provide us with their details who hasn’t travelled with us before and if they book within 90 days of your recommendation not only will you receive a £100 Avalon voucher but your friends will also save £100 off their first Avalon booking.

Yes we would love to hear about your river cruise experience and what made your holiday so special. We like to share reviews with other customers by publishing them in our brochures, promotional literature and on our website. We would also love to see any photos you would like to share on your Avalon cruise. Please send them to Marketing Department, Avalon Waterways, Wren Court, 17 London Road, Bromley BR1 1DE or email reviews@avaloncruises.co.uk

Yes. If you have booked a flight or rail packaged holiday with us then arrival and departure transfers are included to/from ship or hotel.

All of our river cruise ships offer staterooms with a choice of either twin or double beds. Please request the type of stateroom you’d prefer when booking.

Voltage is 230v. Electricity sockets on board take European style two-pin plugs. British appliances with three-pin plugs will need an adaptor.

Most ships in our European fleet have a lift for ease of mobility; these include Avalon Expression, Avalon Artistry II, Avalon Vista, Avalon Visionary, Avalon Panorama, Avalon Luminary, Avalon Felicity, Avalon Affinity, Avalon Creativity, Avalon Scenery and the. Lifts do not access the Sky Deck. The ships which do not have an onboard lift are; Avalon Tranquilityand Avalon Imagery.

There is not a Captain’s Dinner but during every cruise there is a Captain’s Welcome Reception, with Champagne and canapés, a Welcome Dinner and a five-course Farewell Dinner.

The dress code for dinner is casual and comfortable. The Welcome and Farewell Dinners give you a chance to dress up but are not formal.

The restaurant is spacious enough to accommodate all guests at a single sitting. Seating is open, so you can choose to sit wherever you wish, and tables can seat 4 to 8 guests each. Tables cannot be reserved.

Breakfast and lunch are both buffet style. Breakfast includes a choice of tea, coffee, juices and freshly made hot and cold dishes while lunch includes a selection of hot and cold dishes as well as fresh fruit, desserts and a cheese table. Dinner includes 4 courses chosen from a set menu and typically includes a selection of soups and entrees and a choice of desserts. Champagne is available at breakfast, soft drinks are included with lunch and unlimited red and white wine, beer, and soft drinks are included with dinner. For more information, please see our Dining section.

Shore visits can include tours on foot, scenic coach trips or a combination of both. In some cases, when your ship is able to dock in the city centre, it may be more practical to explore on foot whereas if the ship docks in a port near to an attraction, the excursion will be made by coach. Almost every excursion will include some walking.

With Avalon, our onboard ship experience is as lively and captivating as your time on shore! Get behind the scenes as you tour the Galley and Bridge. Join new friends for special events or movie nights. Depending on the cruise destination, there may be regional wine tastings, local musicians performing folklore shows or classical recitals, and guest speakers who are welcomed aboard to talk about local cities and attractions. A resident pianist is on every Avalon ship and a selection of board games and a small library available on board.

We have found over the years that cruising holidays are not ideal for young children. For this reason, we do not take bookings for children under 8 years of age and there are no special arrangements or activities for children on board.

Gratuities for the Cruise Director and ship's crew are included in the price of your holiday for all European cruises, Mekong and Yangtze. Gratuity vouchers for this purpose are included on the last page of this booklet. Just put the vouchers in the tipping envelope at the end of your holiday. Tipping for local guides is not included.

If you have mentioned you are a Journeys Club Member when you booked your holiday and there is a comment in your booking then staff onboard will know. We also ask you to take your Journeys Club Members card with you for validation so you receive all the added benefits on your cruise.

No, there is included guided sightseeing in every port (complete with headset) with expert local guides. On each cruise there will be a few optional excursions if you wish to immerse yourself more in the local culture. These will be explained by your Cruise Director and purchased onboard.

There is not a doctor on board Avalon Waterways cruises. The nature of river cruising means the ship will never be too far away from a town or city where medical assistance can be provided.

Smoking is only allowed on the ships outside decks where ash trays are provided.

Complimentary Wi-Fi is included on board all of our European river cruises and cruises on the river Yangtze. On the river Mekong there is no internet service available.

In Europe: Most of the countries you will be visiting in Europe use the Euro. Exceptions are Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania; they all have their own currencies but the Euro is accepted in many establishments. Many locations accept major credit cards; however in small towns they are not widely accepted. In these cases and for incidentals or small vendors, you will need some local currency. Cash machines are located on shore at some stops. Prior to your departure, confirm with your bank that your cash or credit card and PIN number will work abroad. All purchases on board are charged to your room account. The currency on board is the Euro. Shipboard accounts can be settled by credit card (American Express, Visa, Mastercard or Diner's Club) or with cash. Traveller's cheques are not accepted. In China: U.S. dollars are widely accepted on shore. The local currency is the Yuan. Cash machines will dispense yuan or they can be purchased on board the ship using U.S. dollars. The currency on board is the yuan. Shipboard accounts can be settled in cash or most major credit cards. In Southeast Asia: Although, each country has its own currency including the Riel (Cambodia), Dong (Vietnam), Bhat (Thailand), and Kip (Laos), U.S. dollars are widely accepted in each country. Cash machines are available in most large cities and will dispense the local currency. The currency on board is the U.S. dollar. Shipboard accounts can be settled by credit card (Visa or Mastercard) or with cash. Traveller's cheques are not accepted.

A laundry and pressing service is available on board for a small fee – prices are listed in your stateroom. Clothes cannot be dry cleaned on board and for safety reasons we ask that passengers don’t iron clothes in the staterooms.

Free flowing complimentary regional wines are included with dinner; these wines are paired specially with your dinner each day. Alternatively beer or soft drinks are available.

We will try our best to accommodate dietary requirements if they are mentioned at the time of booking.

Mid – Afternoon tea is offered every day in the lounge or on the Sky deck. The afternoon tea consists of tea or coffee and a selection of cakes.

There is a safe in every stateroom on board an Avalon cruise ship.

On embarkation all passports are collected for safe keeping and held at the Guest Services Desk.

Yes onboard all Avalon ships there is a fitness centre.

The latest time for disembarkation is 10:00 am. If you are not flying until later on in the day and have included transfers, you will be transferred to a local hotel where you can leave your luggage until it is time to transfer to the airport. The Cruise Director will give full information onboard.

In each stateroom a mini refrigerator is provided. If a passenger needs more space to store medication, a crew member will gladly take care of this and make sure it is stored appropriately.

On occasion there maybe times were the ship is docked alongside another ship.

Most stateroom doors and toilets are not wide enough to allow access by conventional wheelchairs, and bathrooms and other doorways may be fitted with coamings.

We cannot provide you with the docking position of your ship until 24 hours prior to the departure of the ship. In your documentation there will be a contact number for your cruise director who will have the docking address 24 hours before your cruises departs.

Unless you have a late flight you will be transferred to an Avalon meeting hotel where there will be refreshments available. You can store your luggage at the hotel and explore the area, your cruise director will be able to suggest some sights to visit and things to do.

At the time of booking your holiday with us, you will provide details of the address where you would like to be picked up from. You will then receive a letter via post or email approximately 14 days prior to departure confirming your collection time. 24-48 hours before your departure the chauffeur company will phone you to reaffirm your pick-up time and pick-up address.

After confirming your booking you will receive a Confirmation/Invoice to the email address you have provided or in the post. Your Avalon documentation containing information regarding accommodation, transport, on board information, excursion information and much more will be sent 3-4 weeks prior to departure. If you have purchased flight/train packages you will also receive these tickets in your documentation pack. Please be aware that most airlines provide E – tickets which are included in your pack.

The choice of departure airport varies depending on the cruise destination you've chosen. The airports we fly from are listed in the ‘Dates and Prices’ section of each cruise and in our brochure. We try to provide a wide range of regional airports but if the airport you would like to travel from isn’t shown please ask your Avalon Specialist to see if we can offer this for you.

Luggage allowance is usually 20 kilos but we recommend you visit the airline’s website that you are travelling with to get up-to-date luggage allowance.

Please call the airline directly to reserve your seat or to discuss any special requests. If you have internet access many airlines also allow you to book any special meal requests as well as your preferred choice of seat online. Please note that not all airlines allow seats to be pre-booked in advance and airline policies vary on how far in advance this can be done.

You are welcome to state a preference for a particular stateroom when making your booking but although we try our best to accommodate your request, it is not always possible to reserve specific staterooms.

If you would like to add extra hotel nights, we will try to make arrangements for you at our contracted rates. Rates are per person, per night, and include room with private bath, breakfast, service charges and taxes. Extra hotel nights are only available immediately prior to or after your holiday and are not available on some cruise-only itineraries. If your holiday includes a hotel stay, every effort will be made to reserve extra nights at that hotel where are you staying. If space at the hotel is not available, alternative accommodation will be reserved at a hotel of equivalent standard. When this is the case, the transfer to and from the included hotel is at our expense. During particularly busy periods, hotel space in certain cities can become limited and we may be unable to sell extra nights.

There is no better side of the ship to be on while cruising. Both sides of the ship will have spectacular views and as this is a river cruise the ship can dock at either side of the river.

The board basis of extra night hotels is Bed & Breakfast. Avalon only use 4 or 5 * hotels including famous chains such as the Hilton or InterContinental.

Yes this is possible. We have a selection of celebration packages or gifts ranging from a private cocktail party with you new friends onboard to champagne, flowers or box chocolates delivered to your stateroom. If you would like any more information please call for further information.

Yes drinks packages are available for all of our cruises. We offer drinks packages which include alcoholic beverages or soft drinks packages.

We have no single staterooms but a supplement is charged for a twin stateroom used for sole occupancy. The price of the supplement varies depending on cruise length, hotel stays and what category stateroom you would like to stay in. Please call for a quote.

The Cruise Code is the holiday code which you will find on the first page of the documentation. The Departure Number is the date of your holiday.