On an Avalon Waterways cruise, you’ll only have to unpack once, leaving you time to indulge more. 

However, if you fly to your departure destination, remember that most airlines limit passengers to specific weight check-in suitcase per person. 

Your airline may also have other restrictions relating to the size of luggage. A good rule of thumb is that check-in suitcases have a maximum size of 76 x 53 x 28 cm, and hand luggage is 30 x 28 x 14 cm per person (depends on airline restrictions).

Don’t forget the tags – even on hand luggage – so in case accidents happen, your belongings can always find their way home.

Your comfort is Avalon Waterways first concern. Onboard and onshore dress codes are casual. Mix-and-match pieces that come together in various ways will be your best travel friends. Think comfy but smart, easy-care and wrinkle free. 

Casual for day, smart casual for night.

• Casual, comfortable clothes for day, that don’t distract you from the incredible adventures you’re having. 
• Dinner attire is casual – open-neck shirts and slacks for men; slacks, skirts, or dresses for ladies. Coats and ties may be worn if preferred. 
• A dressier outfit, if you have special events planned. 
• Enough underwear to avoid frequent laundry. 
• Warm layers for evenings.

Besides, please bring comfortable walking shoes for sightseeing. The Welcome and Farewell Dinners in Europe are dressy, but not formal. On the Mekong, Ganges, Amazon, and Galápagos, dressy attire, coats, and ties are not recommended due to the warm, humid climate.

1) Bring at least one pair of socks. Even on a summer day, the weather can get chilly.
2) Sacred, Religious & Special sites – Avalon Waterways encourage all guests to be respectful of local and traditional customs.

• For women – a multi-purpose scarf is a travellers’ best friend. In religious sites, it’s useful for covering your hair or bare shoulders. 
• For men – you’ll likely need long pants (ones that zip into shorts might be the perfect option). 

3) Winter – no one likes being left out in the cold, but winter is great fun when you’re warm. Make sure you layer up with thermal underwear/socks, coat, scarf, gloves and hat. 
4) Keep a woolen hat in your jacket pocket – it can make all the difference. 
5) Footwear – Two words: cobblestone streets. Exploring is wonderful but it can be hard on your feet. Choose footwear with plenty of cushion, and it’s probably best to avoid heels. Try to limit to two pairs – open toe and closed. Your feet will thank you later.
6) Toiletries – Mini, refillable, travel bottles make it easy to take your favorite toiletries on the road. 
7) Cabin pressure and moving luggage around can cause spills. Keep liquids where they belong by keeping your bottles in zip lock bags.
8) Before you go, make sure to:

• Pack travel adaptors/converters.
• Check your phone roaming plan.
• Keep spare clothes in your carry-on in case of delays. Rolling your clothes will also keep them wrinkle-free. 

Avalon has designed included excursions and onboard activities for a choice of experiences. They invite you to select the included tours, adventures, and events that interest you most, so you can enjoy your cruise your way.

• Classic: Your local expert is ready to guide you through the history and heritage of local destinations. You’ll marvel at the legends, lore, and spectacular architecture of iconic and historic sites.
• Discovery: They’ve found inspiring and interactive activities designed to speak to your interests – from cooking classes to blessing ceremonies – making it easy to immerse yourself in each culture you explore.
• Active: Embark on energetic excursions to keep you in motion and on the go – with guided walking through scenic locales.

Signing of a Liability Release is required on Active & Discovery cruises and for the activities that have higher levels of participation on all cruises. On the first day of the cruise, the Cruise Director will ask you to sign this Liability Release.

Give yourself even more flexibility for your holiday with the SafetyNet Protection for USD 79 per person. This allows you to cancel with no penalties up to 30 days prior to your holiday, or transfer your holiday to another date with only 24 hours' notice.

* The SafetyNet Protection is payable per person per booking (not per tour) and is non-refundable. SafetyNet Protection must be purchased for each individual passenger and the purchase covers an individual passenger’s Globus family of brands products booked at the same time the SafetyNet Protection is purchased. SafetyNet Protection applies to the tour, associated pre/post accommodation and transfers booked directly with the Globus family of brands. SafetyNet Protection does not apply to any airfares or third party fees and charges. SafetyNet Protection can be utilised in one of two ways only: Cancellation Protection or Transfer Protection. Cancellation Protection enables passengers to cancel their booking in full up to 30 days prior to the commencement of services, without any applicable cancellation charges or penalties. Transfer Protection enables passengers to amend their booking (once only) up to 24 hours prior to the commencement of services to a later date in the same or subsequent year (value will be held as a Future Booking Credit) without any applicable cancellation charges or penalties. If Transfer Protection is applied and the booking is subsequently cancelled by the passenger, the cancellation penalties relating to the transfer date of the original booking will be compared to the cancellation penalties of the new transferred booking and the higher penalties will be charged. SafetyNet Protection can only be applied to a booking once only e.g. 24 hours prior to commencement of services, the passenger utilises Transfer Protection and amends their tour to a later departure date. The passenger cannot then use Cancellation Protection to cancel the tour in full without incurring the applicable cancellation charges or penalties – as per the Globus family of brands terms and conditions.

Prior to departure – and for the duration of your holiday – you can log in to check transfer information, review your itinerary, and customise your trip with a host of entertainment, sightseeing, dining and shopping suggestions. Bistros, bars, bookstores, bakeries – they’re all in there! Best of all, when you’re at port on an Avalon Waterways cruise, you can safely wander without Wi-Fi and discover without draining data, as built-in GPS navigation works offline for on-trip ease

Download, dock and go!
* Avalon Waterways recommend you download the app prior to travelling to familiarise yourself with the app’s functions.

Europe: All Avalon ships in Europe have complimentary Wi-Fi available. Internet cafes can be found in many towns in Western Europe, generally with reasonable charges.

South America: Wi-Fi is not available in the Amazon or Galápagos.

Asia: On the Mekong and Ganges, complimentary Wi-Fi access is available in the Panorama Lounge. The signal is not always reliable, as you will be cruising through remote areas. To access the ship's Wi-Fi Internet network, you will be given a PIN number at reception to use on your laptop, tablet, or mobile device.

Laundry service is available on board for a modest fee. Check the price list in your stateroom. Clothes cannot be dry cleaned on board. For safety reasons, passengers cannot iron clothes in the staterooms as this is a safety hazard. Onboard laundry service will press your clothes for a fee.

Laundry service is not available in the Galápagos.

Due to the proximity to land, onshore medical services can be called rapidly.

On Amazon and Galápagos ships, first-aid-trained staff is available.

The onboard daily newsletter features information about daily activities, shore excursions, and tour departure times.

The language on board is English. All staff, crew, and tour guides speak English. All announcements and commentary will be in English.

Each ship has a shop area offering souvenirs and some select personal and toiletry items.

There is no shop on board ships in India or the Galápagos.

Europe: Each stateroom has color satellite TV and will receive some English programming. There is a shipboard information channel and a channel with a wide selection of movies and music.

Mekong: Each stateroom has color satellite TV and will receive some English programming with a selection of movies and music.

Ganges: Each stateroom has a color satellite TV, however, service is limited.

Amazon: There is no television service.

Galápagos: Television service is limited and offered in the ship’s library only.

For your convenience, all purchases and paid services on board are billed with a guest check and added to your personal shipboard account.

Europe: Onboard electricity is 220v. Wall sockets take a European 2-prong plug. To use any small personal appliance such as an electric razor, curling iron, or electric plug-in type alarm clock, you will need an adapter to plug in to the wall sockets for dual voltage appliances and a converter as well as an adapter for appliances that are not dual voltage. Converters must be EU certified. Cheap, non-certified converters may damage your appliance and are a fire hazard on the ship. Staterooms are also equipped with USB outlets which are useful for charging phones, tablets, cameras, etc.

South America: Onboard bathrooms have a dual 220v/110-120v plug for shavers and small appliances. You will need an adapter or converter to use in other outlets in the stateroom for any small personal items such as a razor, curling iron, or alarm clock. Electricity on board the Treasure of Galápagos is 110v. Electricity on board the Amazon’s Delfin III is 220v.

Asia: Voltage is 220v. Outlets are combination and accept the below. So, if the plug fits and using modern dual voltage electronics, no adapter/converter is required.
Onboard bathrooms have a dual 220v/110-120v plug for shavers and small appliances. You will need an adapter or converter to use in other outlets in the stateroom for any small personal items such as a razor, curling iron, or alarm clock. 

Gratuities for your Tour/Cruise Director, Local Hosts^SM, Local Guides, driver, and ship’s crew are not included in the trip price (unless otherwise noted in pricing details) and are discretionary.

All ships have non-smoking interiors. Smoking is permitted only in a designated outdoor area of each ship.
Apart from this, smoking is not allowed on transportation that is exclusively provided by The Company. Smoking includes cigarettes, e-cigarettes, cigars, e-cigars, or any other smoking or vaping device. You are responsible to abide by and adhere to Service Provider's terms & conditions, including as they relate to smoking. This includes, but it not limited to, smoking only in designated sections of vessels, hotels or restaurants.

Docking positions at each port are assigned by local authorities. River cruise companies have no control over where they can dock. This can sometimes result in double-docking – when more than one ship is assigned to the same dock and the ships are rafted together, temporarily obstructing the view. When double-docked you might be required to pass through another vessel to embark or disembark. In those cases, you will have to follow the instructions given by the Master or the crew of the vessel you will pass through. The Company will not be responsible for any inconvenience or injury sustained as a consequence of embarking or disembarking not under the direct control of The Company for reasons of such assignment.

River and other local authorities often need to carry out repair or maintenance work on the river or canal banks, stretches of river or canal, bridges, locks or docks, or other areas that may impede river cruise travel. This is frequently undertaken with little or no advance notice to river cruise operators, and can cause The Company to make changes to the published itinerary or to operate part of the itinerary by substitute vessel, motorcoach or hotel accommodation with little to no advance notice. These events are beyond thier control, and The Company will not be responsible for any loss, expense, or inconvenience caused by reasons of such changes.

Navigational Locks
The challenge facing the early navigators was how to tame the rivers and make them navigable along their entire lengths. One of the answers was the invention and development of the lock – a device used for raising and lowering boats, ships and other watercraft between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. Locks employ a fixed chamber in which water levels can be varied to accommodate a vessel. Normally, water levels on each side of a navigation lock are different, so a lock has to work like an elevator. This is accomplished by using two sets of gates to enclose a chamber.

The lock starts with one set of gates open, and the water level in the chamber is the same as the water in the channel on that side. A vessel enters through the open gates. Once the vessel is moored inside the lock chamber, the lock operator closes the lock gates behind the vessel. With the vessel securely tied up and the gates closed, the lock operator can then open the valves at the opposite end of the lock. To adjust the water level in the lock chamber to match the water level of the waterway on the opposite end, water is allowed to enter into the chamber from the high-water side, or drained out of the chamber to the low-water side, thus raising or lowering the ship.

Once the water levels are equalized, the gates at that end are opened and the vessel can continue on its way.

Avalon Waterways strives to bring you the best docking locations along Europe’s rivers. In many cities, this includes multiple docking sites. Docking positions at each port are assigned by local authorities, and may vary depending upon the number of ships in port on any given day. This can sometimes result in double-docking with more than one ship assigned to the same dock and the ships “rafted” together, temporarily obstructing some views from on board the ships. Exact docking locations will be available 24-72 hours prior to embarkation.

Before your cruise’s docking location is available, you can download a map of all possible docking sites for your embarkation city at AvalonWaterwaysPorts.com. Once your ship’s docking assignment is available, you can download a map that shows only that specific location, including address.

Additionally, you can view all possible docking locations for all cities by downloading this PDF of all embarkation cities.

Mother Nature (water levels and weather conditions), as well as man-made conditions (maintenance or repair of locks that all ships must pass through), as well as logistical obstacles due to labor strikes or natural elements can create unforeseen disruptions to river navigation.

Avalon’s extraordinary expertise in river cruising keeps them prepared for all such unlikely disruptions or delays – with your comfort and convenience always their paramount priority.

The dedicated ground team, fleet of comfortable motorcoaches, long-term relationships with quality hotels, and a global tour operations network allow them to quickly address any changes (other than minor deviations stated in “Terms and Conditions”) that require alternative plans during your cruise. Avalon’s 100% Suite Ship® fleet will often make it possible to transfer their guests to a sister ship – when water level disruptions are unchanged after 48 hours – for seamless accommodations and expedited continuation of your journey. Each circumstance is assessed as unique, based on their more than 90 years of experience in travel touring. With real-time updates via social media, they provide complete transparency and valuable information for the guests.

Avalon Waterways makes reasonable attempts to accommodate the special needs of disabled and mobility impaired travelers but is not responsible in the event it is unable to do so. Because they cannot provide individual assistance to travelers in many situations, and most of the transportation services are not equipped with wheelchair ramps.

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. ATM machines are located on shore at some stops. Prior to your departure, confirm with your bank that your ATM or credit card and PIN number will work abroad. All purchases on board are charged to your room account.
For payment of shipboard accounts, Euro and U.S. dollars are accepted as well as American Express, Visa, MasterCard, and Diners Club. A fee is charged for the use of traveler's checks. Personal checks cannot be cashed on board.

In Southeast Asia
In Vietnam (Dong) and Thailand (Bhat), local currency is used primarily while in Cambodia U.S. dollars are widely accepted in addition to the local currency (Riel). ATMs are available in most large cities and will dispense the local currency. It is advised that you check with your bank to ensure your card will work; otherwise we recommend you bring all the money you’ll need from home.
The currency on board is the U.S. dollar. Shipboard accounts can be settled by credit card (Visa or MasterCard) or with cash. Traveler's checks are not accepted.

In India
The Indian rupee is the currency used throughout the country. ATMs are available in most large cities and will dispense the local currency.
The currency on board is also the Indian rupee. Shipboard accounts can be settled by credit card (Visa, MasterCard, or American Express), or with cash. Traveler's checks are not accepted.

In Ecuador
Ecuador uses U.S. dollars as their official currency. Credit cards are usually accepted in larger towns; in smaller towns, cash is recommended.
Shipboard accounts may be settled by credit card (Visa, MasterCard, or American Express), cash, or traveler’s checks.

In Peru/Amazon
Peru uses Nuevo Sol (PEN) as their official currency; however, U.S. dollars are widely accepted. Credit cards are accepted in Peru, and you should have no problems using them in larger shops and restaurants. Visa and MasterCard are most accepted. Smaller shops may ask you to pay in cash or have a minimum amount required to use a credit card.