Life on Avalon's Panorama

Captain Ralph Entertaining the Crowd

Cruise Director Andrzej (Andre)

By this time, we have grown a little tired of the food. The breakfast buffet is the same each morning. Lots of fruit, breads, cheese, smoked salmon, capers, pickles, cucumbers (but no bagels), croissants, home made omelets, potatoes, yogurt and cereal, including “creamy” oatmeal. Lunch is mainly buffet, with a carved meat, one or two kinds of stews, salads, cheese, fruit and a small cake or pastry and ice cream. Dinner usually consists of several courses, but they are tiny – more like tasting courses, except for the main dish which is still not too filling. One does not starve on this cruise, but I would rate the quality of the food – much of which seems to be prepared and frozen in advance (particularly the pastries) - above average but not outstanding. That is understandable because of the limited storage space on the ship. Wine and beer flows freely at dinner, and we can always have that cappuccino in the back lounge whenever we want.

Waiting to serve us Baked Alaska at the Captain's Dinner

When we return from our day off the ship, we are always greeted by the staff waiting for us with a cold drink (on warm days) or hot chocolate on cold days, as well as a wet cloth to wipe our faces. The ship has disinfectant dispensers at the main entrance and in front of the dining room for everyone to clean their hands.

Every night at 6:45, our cruise director gives a short "port talk" about the next day's activities. Then we all go to dinner, which often happens as we cruise down the river. By the end of dinner, it is 9:00 p.m. and we are just about ready to crash - on full stomachs!

Our rooms are made up twice a day, and are very comfortable even 10 days into the cruise.

Cruising this way is really nice if you want a relaxing vacation without having to change hotels every day or two. The little villages and towns along the way are interesting, although much the same, but a nice break for a few hours off the ship. We have definitely gotten our share of exercise – walking along cobblestone streets for 2-3 hours each day, up and down cobblestone stairs.

As we head to Vienna, and the bigger cities, I can safely say I do not miss Los Angeles traffic one bit – and dread having to return to it 10 days from now.