Ryan and I had the opportunity to attend our second River Cruise Expo again this Spring. Last year it was in Budapest, and this year in Amsterdam. This Expo is an excellent opportunity for Travel Consultants to learn about the different river cruise companies in person. We get to hear from their executives, interact with staff members, dine in their restaurants, attend educational sessions, and intimately explore ships that have sailed to Amsterdam to be with us for four days. Here’s a little glimpse into what that looks like:

Above are the twelve ships that participated this year. They are stacked in groups of three, which means that to get to the ones furthest from the dock, you actually have to go through the other ships. It’s very interesting…the first time you do this – and typical when you are sailing on a river cruise and docked for the day.

Just a word of warning, however. If you are sailing in a beautiful panoramic or balcony stateroom with floor to ceiling glass windows, do remember that you may wake up docked next to another ship, with their balcony pressed up right next to yours. Why does this matter? Well, let’s just say you may want to keep your curtains closed overnight…or be sure to be either fully dressed or make good use of the nice fluffy white robes provided when you wake up. Enough said.

We happened to be docked on the “outside” most days, which was really nice, because we could enjoy the views and the fresh air from our stateroom while waiting to depart for the next port before dinner. We only had one morning where we were in the middle, and it wasn’t a big deal. We just like to make our clients aware so they know what to expect when docked.

After the River Cruise Expo, we were given the chance to sail on our very first river cruise. We were excited to see and experience all our clients have or will be experiencing. Who would like to join us?

Of the options available this year, we chose the Avalon as a post cruise option after our River Cruise Conference. I’ll be sharing photos of the ship, the destinations, and for our foodie friends especially, some of the meals we enjoy while on the Imagery II. Come experience and learn with us. Let’s start with our beautiful Avalon ship below, the Avalon Imagery II.

The ship is 361 feet long and has only 64 staterooms. We loved how small it was in comparison to the now-massive sized ocean cruise ships. The size and narrow width of river cruise ships like Avalon allow them to navigate easily on European rivers as well as seamlessly get through lochs along the way. These ships are also able to dock right by most of the cities they sail to, and getting on and off the ship is a breeze.

It took only a moment to check in. We were personally escorted to our Panorama suite right away. The staff was warm and welcoming, and insisted on carrying our bags. As we walked down the long narrow hall toward our room, our excitement started to build.

We were let into our suite and then given a “tour” of how everything worked. Before I move on, I really need to mention how soft and comfortable the bed was. At first, we thought our mattress was a bit hard, but then remembered that we could actually choose how soft or hard we wanted the mattress. Apparently you can opt for soft, very soft, firm, or very firm. After our first night, we requested “soft” and were curious to know if this was just a gimmick or a sales pitch. Nope. They actually adjusted our bed so that it was much softer and perfect for what we needed!

I also snuck a peak at other rooms next door not yet occupied and snapped a few quick shots. The first photo above is our stateroom. The next few are staterooms close by. I love the leather matt they placed at the foot of the bed for our luggage, making it easier to unpack. The beds are high enough that once you’ve unpacked, you can slide two full suitcases below, completely out of the way.

These suites can be set up with one king bed as above or two twins.

I loved our stateroom, especially the panoramic windows from floor to ceiling and wall to wall! And the best thing about the windows? They could be open fully, transforming your whole stateroom into an open air balcony. This way, you can still enjoy all of the benefits of a balcony, and yet not lose space in your stateroom.

One additional advantage to this concept is that all of your furniture stays dry and clean, unlike traditional balconies that are subject to weather conditions. Oh, and one more highlight that is somewhat unique to Avalon…the beds face your windows, so you can lay in bed reading, working, or relaxing, all while enjoying some beautiful views.

We spent a lot of time enjoying our views and the fresh breeze on our faces!

Sometimes we would also sneak back to our stateroom before dinner, drinks in hand, and wave goodbye to the city we were visiting that day as we sailed off to the next destination. These were some of my favorite, most relaxing moments.

Here are a few more shots of our stateroom, the spacious bathrooms onboard, and one of the closets. It was surprising how much space we had. That was unexpected.

River cruises are not sailed with the ship itself as the focus like ocean cruises often are with tons of activities, pools, zip lines, wave surfers, movie theaters, rock climbing, etc. The focus of a river cruise prioritizes the countries being visited. As a result, you will find a much more laid back ambience, a lounge or two, maybe some light evening entertainment, a library, and a bar. Some river cruise ships may have a small pool and jacuzzi, a one room spa, and even pickle ball on the top deck. Overall though, don’t expect the same kind of amenities you’d find on an ocean cruise ship. Here are a few of the public areas we enjoyed.

Well, there’s still so much more to share, but I will stop for now. Thanks for joining us! For more information on our itineraries, feel free to email us at dtgainor@gmail.com or visit Global Getaways to learn more about who we are and how we work.