Posted by David Porter on June 2, 2018 · 6 Comments
Review: Dining Aboard the Avalon Waterways Tapestry II
As people consider a river cruise for their vacations, the idea of an unpack-once floating hotel is appealing.
While destination considerations are generally the first draw, beyond that, people want to know about the ship, the staterooms, the shore excursions, and of course the food. And as such, the cruise industry puts a lot of their resources into designing cuisine that will appeal to their target audience as well as giving them the opportunity to sample local flavors.
If we take a peek at the dining page on Avalon’s website, the first thing we will encounter is Avalon Fresh, appealing to a more active and informed traveler who desires to eat healthily and abhors the idea of coming home 5 pounds heavier after their cruise.
Secondly, we’ll notice a variety of dining choices offering “FlexDining” that allows for a resort-casual dress-code and a come-and-go-as-you-please atmosphere.
Here is a peek at Avalon Waterway’s current meal schedule and dining choices:
Our group of 10 “roaming boomers” aboard the Avalon Waterways Tapestry II
As I mentioned in this article, we absolutely loved the design of the Avalon Waterways staterooms, but as we consider a review of our Avalon Waterways experience, many will want to know, “how was the food?”
Well, as we had a group of 10 people with us, let’s turn to them for the answer.
When we got home, I posed to all of them the following question: please give me a rating of the food quality from your perspective (1- 5), where 1 = food fit only to slop the hogs and 5 = they deserve a Michelin star.
Here are their responses:
- Bonnie: My overall rating is a strong 4. A few misses but nice, fresh variety and gracious willingness to accommodate special requests.
- David and Judy: I say 3. David says 4
- Robert: My feeling is a 3. I thought the dinners were mostly very good, although the Dover sole I had was definitely not Dover Sole. The breakfast buffet was normally very good as long as you got made to order eggs or omelet, but items that were supposed to be hot were many times cold.
- Chris: 3.5 overall. Breakfasts were wonderful, lunches good, but dinners left a lot to be desired especially since we had a couple of dinners in Paris at neighborhood cafes that were excellent. I wanted especially to experience the local cuisine which we did not seem to get.
- Jim and Shirley: We’d give them a 3 – pretty amazing considering the size of the kitchen. The presentation and attentive service were 5 stars.
- Paul: 3 (clearly a man of few words).
Our Review of the Food Aboard the Avalon Waterways Tapestry II
First of all, food is a very subjective thing, right? Where some folks might be very content to eat at Denny’s every night, others towards the foodie end of the spectrum have much higher expectations.
So, before I give you my answer, understand that Carol and I trend towards the foodie end of the spectrum. And, you should also know that we had just spent three glorious days in Paris before boarding the ship where we enjoyed dining in Michelin-star restaurants and decades-old French bistros.
So, we came aboard expecting good food and great service. To say it another way, we expected 4-star food and 5-star service as this might also describe Avalon Waterways niche in the river cruise industry.
Well, to be honest, Carol and I both felt as though the dining experiences were more in the 3 – 3.5-star range. There were moments of brilliance, the savory crêpes come to mind, but there were also misses: cold eggs on the buffet, slow service with my morning coffee, and while the service was cordial, it lacked the expected “we’re going to wow you with our service” mentality. As Jim Collins advised in his best-selling business book, “good is the enemy of great”.
So, now, does that mean that we would advise against Avalon Waterways? Absolutely not! Think of it this way; no sports team is always on their game. They have up weeks and down weeks. To my mind, we hit Avalon Waterways during one of their off weeks. Further, Carol and I have sent scores of folks to Avalon Waterways over the years and we’ve always received good reports about the food.
I feel bad that we must share this less-than-desirable review, but the trust of our reader is more important than trying to appease any cruise line. Plus, as a business owner, if I needed to up my game, I would want to have that feedback.
Going forward, Carol and I will continue to confidently recommend Avalon Waterways, and perhaps sometime in the future, we will get the opportunity to again sail with Avalon Waterways were we might enjoy the expected 4-star food with 5-star service. After all, I absolutely loved the staterooms and everything else about our experience. 🙂
Stay tuned for more articles about our Avalon Waterways river cruise experience as we sailed the River Seine from Paris to Normandy and back. We have lots more to share about our wonderful journey.
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Posted by David Porter on June 1, 2018 · Leave a Comment
The Pathway to Giverny
Click photo for a larger view. ©2018, David A. Porter
What is it about a pathway the grabs our attention?
Whenever I’m out and about with my camera, and I see a pathway, I’m very likely to grab a photograph of it to see if I can create something pleasing for the eye.
I shot this photograph with my iPhone and made the final composition using some of my favorite post-production software.
I found this scene in Giverny, France, as we made our way to Monet’s famous gardens. I’ll share my photograph of Monet’s gardens in a separate post. For now, I hope you find this scene as compelling as do I. Doesn’t it make you want to walk the path to see where it leads?
Note: Carol and I were in Giverny on a river cruise with Avalon Waterways.
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Roaming Boomers Travel Services is an Independent Affiliate of Cadence, a Virtuoso® member. CST#201120-40
Posted by David Porter on May 31, 2018 · Leave a Comment
Sweet and Savory Crêpes with Avalon Waterways
Holy Mouthwatering Goodness Batman! I’ve never had a savory crêpe before, but this puppy was out of this world!
On the second day of our river cruise with Avalon Waterways on the River Seine in France, one of the alternative lunch offerings was homemade sweet or savory crêpes.
Crêpes are especially popular throughout France. The common ingredients include flour, eggs, milk, butter, and a pinch of salt. Crêpes are usually of two types: sweet crêpes (crêpes sucrées) made with wheat flour and slightly sweetened; savory galettes (crêpes salées) made with buckwheat flour and unsweetened (via Wikipedia).
As I’ve had many sweet crêpes over the years, I opted for the savory, and boy; I was surely not disappointed. In fact, when I am offered crêpes again, I’m sure to be on the lookout for a “savory galette“. YUM. YUM. YUM.
Have you ever had a savory crêpe? If not, do!
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Posted by David Porter on May 31, 2018 · 1 Comment
Click chart for larger view.
Top 2018 European Summer Travel Destinations
We find that baby boomer travelers are always interested in what’s hot as it relates to travel destinations.
When I saw this piece from our friends at Allianz Global Assistance USA on the top 2018 European summer travel destinations, I thought I would share it as a very large percentage of our clients and readers are interested in European travel.
The big mover on the list is Reykjavik, Iceland, moving from 17th place last year to 3rd place in 2018.
Here’s the article from Allianz Global Assistance USA:
“London and Paris continue to be the most popular European destinations for American travelers this summer, but the remaining spots on the Top 20 list saw significant movement from 2017, according to an analysis* by Allianz Global Assistance, a leading travel insurance provider. This year, Reykjavik, Iceland jumped from 17th to third, Barcelona, Spain slipped from fifth to seventh and Nice, France cracked the Top 20 for the first time to come in at 11th.
Photo courtesy of Visit Reykjavík and ©RagnarThSigurdsson.
Allianz Global Assistance reviewed trips planned during the 2018 summer season from Memorial Day to Labor Day, revealing that the number of American travelers visiting Reykjavik has grown significantly in the last few years. Ranked 28th in 2015, the destination cracked the top 20 in 2016 and 2017, when it ranked 16th and 17th, respectively. Thanks in part to increased direct airlift from the U.S. to the island nation, Iceland’s otherworldly landscapes and colorful city homes have been trending on social media in recent years. Despite talk of over-tourism and discussion to potentially limit the number of annual visitors to the country, Reykjavik’s popularity continues to rise this summer.
Interested in visiting Iceland? CLICK HERE.
Barcelona’s fall in rankings from fifth in 2016 and 2017 to seventh in 2018, may have been caused by several recent incidents. In the last year, Barcelona experienced a terrorist attack in the popular Las Ramblas area; political turmoil as Catalonia attempted to cede from Spain; and organized street protests in Barcelona, where residents who are vastly outnumbered by visitors expressed concerns about over-tourism and preserving their way of life.
CLICK HERE for other European travel options
Nice lands on the list for the first time, with nearly 2 percent of the analyzed trips flying into the city in Southern France this summer. This suggests that American perception of the city’s safety has recovered from the 2016 terrorist truck attack during the city’s Bastille Day celebration.
“More and more Americans are flocking to Reykjavik, Iceland this summer, along with other new popular summer destinations like Nice,” said Daniel Durazo, director of communications at Allianz Global Assistance USA. “Regardless of whether you’re traveling to a longtime favorite or new hot spot in Europe, it’s important to protect yourself and your travel investment with a travel insurance policy. In these uncertain times, travel insurance can assist in the case of trip cancellations and delays, medical emergencies and more. For instance, it may be important to find a policy that covers cancellation for a terrorist attack occurring at your destination prior to your arrival.”
The top 20 destinations in Europe for summer travel are led by London, United Kingdom (19.9 percent); Paris, France (15.6 percent); and Reykjavik, Iceland (7.6 percent); followed by Rome, Italy (7.1 percent); Amsterdam, Netherlands (6.6 percent); Dublin, Ireland (6.1 percent); Barcelona, Spain (4.7 percent); Athens, Greece (3.0 percent); Madrid, Spain (2.8 percentage); Frankfurt, Germany (2.2 percent); Nice, France (2.0 percent); Zurich, Switzerland (2.0 percent); Edinburgh, United Kingdom (1.8 percent); Milan, Italy (1.7 percent); Munich, Germany (1.6 percent); Prague, Czech Republic (1.5 percent); Venice, Italy (1.5 percent); Berlin, Germany (1.4 percent); Copenhagen, Denmark (1.3 percent); and Florence, Italy (1.1 percent).”
Well, did you find a destination on the list that needs to come to the top of your bucket list? Carol and I have yet to visit Iceland and I’m beginning to think that it is high time we fix that problem.
Travel Tip: As you can see, Iceland has become very popular these days, and finding a hotel room in the busy summer months has become a real problem. Therefore, book well over a year in advance, try to avoid the busy summer months, and perhaps even consider a visit by cruise ship.
For more information about booking a fun Iceland or European journey, please call Roaming Boomers Travel Services at (480) 550-1235 or use our convenient online information request (click here) and we’ll reach out to you.
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Posted by David Porter on May 25, 2018 · 1 Comment
Visiting the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial
Note: click photos for larger views
For a thinking person, visiting the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial is a formidable undertaking as you stand on the very ground where thousands of American boys sacrificed their lives to bring freedom to the European continent.
I snapped the panorama above and the staggering number of crosses commemorating the dead leaves a very somber first impression.
The Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in France is located in Colleville-sur-Mer, on the site of the temporary American St. Laurent Cemetery, established by the U.S. First Army on June 8, 1944 as the first American cemetery on European soil in World War II. The cemetery site, at the north end of its half mile access road, covers 172.5 acres and contains the graves of 9,385 of our military dead, most of whom lost their lives in the D-Day landings and ensuing operations. On the Walls of the Missing, in a semicircular garden on the east side of the memorial, are inscribed 1,557 names. Rosettes mark the names of those since recovered and identified.
The memorial consists of a semicircular colonnade with a loggia at each end containing large maps and narratives of the military operations; at the center is the bronze statue, “Spirit of American Youth Rising from the Waves.” An orientation table overlooking the beach depicts the landings in Normandy. Facing west at the memorial, one sees in the foreground the reflecting pool; beyond is the burial area with a circular chapel and, at the far end, granite statues representing the United States and France (via Normandy American Cemetary website).
Looking down at Omaha Beach
We were visiting the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial on a full-day excursion as we sailed with Avalon Waterways on the River Seine from Paris to Normandy and back.
Our memory of visiting the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial is one that is certain to stick with us for many years to come. And particularly when I combine it with the memories of standing on Omaha Beach and the cliffs at Pointe du Hoc overlooking the beaches below.
If you have the opportunity to visit the Normandy Beaches, we highly recommend it. To explore the various ways that one might visit the Normandy Beaches, CLICK HERE.
For more information about a vacation that includes the Normandy Beaches, please call Roaming Boomers Travel Services at (480) 550-1235 or use our convenient online information request (click here) and we’ll reach out to you.
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Roaming Boomers Travel Services is an Independent Affiliate of Cadence, a Virtuoso® member. CST#201120-40
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