Burgundy & Provence Reviews

I have booked with Global Journeys before and I highly commend Georgie for her professionalism in assisting me to plan our Avalon Waterways Cruise and flights. Our trip was faultless with all flights, connections, transfers and meeting points working out perfectly.

The Avalon cruise met our expectations and more. Our cruise host Gayle was warm and ...read more welcoming and carried out her role with fantastic organisational skill. Our cabin was spacious and comfortable with the wide sliding windows affording wonderful views as we glided along the Rhone and Saone Rivers in southern France.

Freedom of choice for meals, seating and optional shore excursions allowed for flexibility and an opportunity to meet and mix with fellow passengers. We thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience - exceptional dining, good onboard entertainment and interesting land tours - a highly recommended French River Cruise!

Avalon probably exceeded our expectations, as we had cruised with Uniworld last year from Istanbul to Amsterdam which was spectacular in every sense. However cruising on the Affinity from Arles to St. Jean De Losne was lovely. Although an older ship it was extremely comfortable, well maintained and the cabins though not their new design were immaculate, ...read more quite spacious with lots of storage and L'occitane products in the bathroom. Food in the dining room was very good and plentiful and they were very generous with the free wine, beer and soft drinks served with meals. Tea, coffee and delicious biscuits were available in the lounge at the "back" of the ship 24 hours. The staff on board were amazing, well trained and couldn't do enough for guests, always smiling and nothing was too much trouble. A special mention for Laura and Thomas for excellent service in the dining room, but all a great team.

Included shore excursions were interesting with well informed local guides. The general feeling was that the cruise director could have been better, perhaps more friendly and approachable although the nightly run down or the next days events was adequate and also posted on the board in the foyer. She made a proper stuff up of organising the train journey from Dijon to Paris.

A couple of suggestions about the hotels before and after the cruise. The Meridien Beach Plaza in Monte Carlo, though an impressive hotel on the beach, it was quite impersonal, and food and drinks were very expensive and the location of the hotel was a long way from any outside restaurants, only a couple of beach bars serving burgers etc. In fact I'm think that it would be much better to start the tour in Nice and have an optional tour to Monte Carlo for those who wanted to see this overcrowded, over rated rich man's playground.

The journey from Monaco to Arles was a four hour coach journey on the freeway nowhere near the deep blue Mediterranean Sea which is a spectacular coast drive or train ride. The hotel in Paris Hotel Du Collectionneur, although an impressive entrance and a large comfortable bedroom had so many short comings, it would bore you to list them all, but the reception staff and Avalon Rep did their best to apologise and address the issues, which became amusing really. Overall we enjoyed the holiday very much and met nice fun people on board. Of course can't forget the excellent, efficient and knowledgeable service from Georgie at Global Journeys which we've come to rely on for a few years now. Thanks again Georgie.

Our cruise came at the end of an extended holiday which included two coach tours, one through Scandinavia and the other through Italy. The cruise was certainly the most relaxing way to travel. We could do as much or as little of the shore activities as we chose, and there was a range of activity levels, which was excellent. The gentle pace suited us ...read more well, allowing us to visit new places without becoming exhausted. We travelled in mid-June, early summer in Europe, but with an unexpected heat wave as we neared Paris.

The ship was always comfortable. You could soak up the sun on the sky deck, or enjoy air conditioned comfort in the privacy of your own room, or any of the communal areas of the ship. Our room was very comfortable, and our steward, Alex, took great care of us. My one piece of advice: take some clothes with an elastic waist! The food was magnificent - from the breakfast buffet, full (or light) lunch and four course dinner. You might find your clothes a little tight by the end of your trip! We will definitely book another river cruise with Global Journeys again.

This was our first river cruise and our first booking through Global Journeys. The cruise was with Avalon Waterways Cruises and the ship was the 'Affinity'. The cruise certainly exceeded our expectations. Documentation arrived in plenty of time. Hotel check-in and ship boarding were both very well managed. The 'Affinity' was immaculate. The rooms and ...read more facilities were exceptionally clean, including public areas. The staff were very efficient, they were friendly but did not get overly personal. All meals on board were another highlight that exceeded our expectations.

On-board documentation of the trip was also of a high standard. We went on most of the additional side trips and believe they were good very value. Where buses we required they were of a high standard and the itineraries were excellent. Our highlight was a visit to the lavender fields with lavender fragrance in the air as we walked by the fields. However there were many other highlights in the old towns and villages, the picturesque scenery etc. The only disappointment was the slow internet service onboard. We strongly recommend the Avalon brand and we were very satisfied with the service provided by Global Journeys.

We thoroughly enjoyed our Avalon river cruise between Arles and Paris. We couldn't fault the ship, the crew or service. Our Avalon travel director provided support and guidance, being always there but unintrusive. To go with the beautiful ship (Avalon Poetry II) Avalon chose fabulous hotels in Monte Carlo and Paris. Yvonne at Global Journeys made the ...read more booking process easy and problem free.

Our 2nd cruise with Avalon, and once again the food was fantastic, the room was beautiful, the crew were exceptional. A much more relaxed cruise when compared to the Gems, but still very enjoyable. The ship was only about half full. We did many of the optional outings to ensure we enjoyed ourselves and to see as much as we could (although choices are ...read more limited when compared to the Gems cruise but we knew that), Cannes, Avignon, Lyon, Old Medieval Town, Old Chateau for wine tasting, and ending in Paris in a wonderful old yet magnificent hotel. A friendly bunch of people on the cruise, and we all got on well.

We stayed in Paris for 3 extra nights to do our own relaxing and sight seeing (Paris Disneyland was fabulous). We should have come into Cannes a few days earlier, but didn't realise Nice and Monte Carlo were so close and easy access by train. We will do some more travelling, and look forward to travelling with Avalon and Global Journeys again (Thanks again Hannah).

We will book with Global Journeys again for sure. Hannah has always looked after us and we would recommend to anyone. Avalon was great to cruise with. This was our second time with them. Unfortunately the first time the Danube did not have enough water and this time the Rhone had too much water to pass under bridges. Our cruises were cut a little ...read more short but not our cruise ship experience. Avalon and the cruise directors handled the problem very well.

Cannot offer any more as it was all excellent. Can highly recommend to people who are thinking of taking an Avalon trip.

Couldn't fault our cruising experience. The staff, service and food were excellent. The service we received from Georgie, Global Journeys was also excellent.

Had the most amazing time! The MS Scenery was brilliant and all the staff on the ship were more than willing to bend over backwards to assist and make their passengers happy. Mum and I had the trip of a lifetime. The scenery, the tours, the service on the ship was highly commendable. We did not want to come home! Thank you from two very happy tra ...read morevellers!

We found that Avalon provided an exceptional service. Having previously travelled with a pricier river touring company, we found Avalon every bit as good. We actually liked paying for optionals separately as we did not want to do a number of them anyway. We were happy to explore independently. Our only complaint was the final hotel in Paris which we ...read more felt was below the standard we'd come to expect. One of each type of tea bag and cardboard cups was a bit ordinary as was the breakfast and location. We do realise you don't get much for your money in Paris but we were disappointed with the Pullman Montparnasse. Otherwise, everything was wonderful. Thank you for your assistance. Global Journeys was excellent.

Global Journeys was an easy fuss free booking for our Avalon cruise. Great service from Georgie our consultant. The cruise was great, the cruise director staff and other passengers made the holiday. I would recommend this cruise to anybody who likes history, wine and food - we will definitely book another river cruise with Avalon.

Only minor disappointment was the location and quality of accommodation at the Pullman Montparnasse. Given how very good the Fairmont and the river cruise were.

Ideal for our age group. Tour had a variety of ages & nationalities. We liked the freedom to choose our activities and pace ourselves. Guides were most informative. Excellent organisation and the dining superb. We enjoyed this year just as much as last year on the Danube. We have been spreading the word that Avalon is the way to go.

We would like to add our appreciation to Yvonne Brooks who has organised two trouble free cruises for us. She is very thorough thoughtful and approachable. It has been a pleasure to deal with Global Journeys and Avalon.