Avalon Illumination
The Avalon Illumination shines in luxury river cruising, featuring expansive Panorama Suites with innovative Open-Air Balconies. Guests enjoy a Fitness Center, complimentary Wi-Fi, and the Sky Deck's premium amenities, ensuring a journey as splendid as the scenery.
Avalon Illumination Cruises View all Choose from 573 holidays cruising on board the Avalon Illumination
Avalon Illumination Reviews (24) View all 480 reviews of Avalon Illumination from past clients of Global Journeys
4.6
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1 Star
In Bucharest the Hilton Athenee Palace provided rooms of widely varying quality eg. Room 352 : Cracked hand basin; dirty, stained lounge chairs; torn, stained office chair; entrance carpet loose - a trip hazard. But some other rooms were 4 star. Perhaps a change of hotel would help. The Sofitel Chain Bridge Hotel in Budapest was the epitome of a first ...read more class hotel.
Onboard our breakfast and lunch meals were buffet and quite good. For evening meals, whilst the waiters were superb, food took forever and evening meals typically took 2 hours and sometimes longer. When two chefs quit on the same day, and it took an hour between the appetiser and the main course, the Maitre D' insisted that there was no problem. Hotel staff and crew were otherwise friendly and obliging.
Onboard our breakfast and lunch meals were buffet and quite good. For evening meals, whilst the waiters were superb, food took forever and evening meals typically took 2 hours and sometimes longer. When two chefs quit on the same day, and it took an hour between the appetiser and the main course, the Maitre D' insisted that there was no problem. Hotel staff and crew were otherwise friendly and obliging.
This was our second river cruise with Avalon and was just amazing. A 5 star floating hotel through the best parts of Europe! Incredible staff, who have the attitude of 'nothing is a problem' and do anything & everything to make your holiday the best. The food is amazing and be prepared to come off weighing more than when you started your cruise. The ...read more array/selection at every meal is extremely good, as is the selection of wines, beers etc. Our room was very comfortable and always serviced twice a day! Beautiful amenities are provided and all linen is very nice. Each town that we stopped in was incredible, as were the activities and extra options. We also had great entertainment on board too!
We were lucky enough to have Hannah Campbell help us again with our bookings and can’t thank her enough for the great and very professional job she did of organising our trip. Also the price of the trip, compared to other travel agencies, was very good. Highly recommend Global Journeys for all types of travel! Many thanks Hannah, you made our booking so easy and always kept us very well informed! Great job!
We were lucky enough to have Hannah Campbell help us again with our bookings and can’t thank her enough for the great and very professional job she did of organising our trip. Also the price of the trip, compared to other travel agencies, was very good. Highly recommend Global Journeys for all types of travel! Many thanks Hannah, you made our booking so easy and always kept us very well informed! Great job!
Best cruise I have been on. The staff were excellent, friendly and always helpful.The ship was great - rooms were much better than a large ocean cruise ship room. We all enjoyed the whole cruise and would have no hesitation in doing another trip with them.
I have just returned from my trip on the Danube. From arriving in Bucharest to leaving Budapest I could not fault this wonderful journey. I chose to do the Transylvania Extension - and the cruise that had the Danube Delta excursion (photo). Both one of the many highlights for me. All hotels Athenee Palace Hilton (Bucharest), Kronwell (Brasov) and ...read more Intercontinental (Budapest) exceeded my expectations. The local guides were all so friendly and knowledgeable and I learnt so much - in particular Juliana who joined us in Bucharest for the Transylvania Extension and left after the day trip to Constanta. I have travelled extensively and she was one of the best, a great young lady. I was a solo passenger and the cruise and airfares were organised by Madeline at Global Journeys. I have rated all aspects of this river cruise 10/10!
Took the 8 day cruise from Bucharest to Budapest via the Danube Delta. More remote than the western part of the Danube with few towns on the river, hence there were some long coach trips for sightseeing. However all worthwhile as there are many interesting places to visit. Highlights were the bird life on the Danube Delta, the river mouth at the Black ...read more Sea, the town of Constanta, passage through the Iron Gates and Veliko Tarnovo and Belogradchik in Bulgaria. Also took the pre-cruise extension to Transylvania which was worthwhile. Avalon Passion is a near new ship and pleasantly fitted out. Food was excellent with many local specialties available. Entertainment other than the resident pianist was only two shows before dinner, much less than previous cruises with Avalon and other operators.
It was our first ever river cruise and we had medium expectations. Well, we simply loved the whole experience. Everything was perfect. The food was exceptional, the cabin was large with a balcony which we enjoyed and we were surprised how well the bathroom was designed. The cruise manager, Hendrick, was confident, humorous, organised and left us with ...read more no doubt that we were in good hands. We have been back home for five days and tonight we are already planning our next Avalon river cruise.
We've recently returned from the 13 Day Blue Danube Discovery with Avalon Cruises. All in all the cruise was a great experience even though the waters of the Danube were very low in parts and our ship and itinerary had to be changed. We were unable to visit Nuremburg at all and stayed overnight in Linz and two nights in Passau which differed from the ...read more itinerary. Avalon were very kind in offering the Vienna concert to all passengers free of charge due to the changes.
However we still had our 7 nights on the ship which was very pleasant. Food was great; company was excellent and the wine and beer tastings were also fun. We had a singer aboard one evening who was also very good. Our tour director, Robert was very efficient and made us all laugh with his very dry wit! Global Journeys were excellent to deal with and I would certainly book through them again.
However we still had our 7 nights on the ship which was very pleasant. Food was great; company was excellent and the wine and beer tastings were also fun. We had a singer aboard one evening who was also very good. Our tour director, Robert was very efficient and made us all laugh with his very dry wit! Global Journeys were excellent to deal with and I would certainly book through them again.
Only spent 7 nights on cruise ship, then was told that the cruise could not continue due to low water levels on the Danube and the drought in Europe. I believe that Avalon Waterways would have been aware of this prior to our departure therefore giving us the option to opt out. We were given the option to leave the cruise after 7 days but that would ...read more have been costly for a lot of people and a great inconvenience as we had other airfares and accommodation booked for after the cruise.
We did enjoy the 7 nights of cruising but not happy with the long bus trips used to fulfil the rest of the programme. Avalon did do a wonderful job to put plan B into action but not the holiday we were after. River cruises need to be thoroughly invested before booking as we believe this has happened on a number of occasions, although no mention of this from agents etc. Had no problem booking with Global Journeys, thank you Hannah.
We did enjoy the 7 nights of cruising but not happy with the long bus trips used to fulfil the rest of the programme. Avalon did do a wonderful job to put plan B into action but not the holiday we were after. River cruises need to be thoroughly invested before booking as we believe this has happened on a number of occasions, although no mention of this from agents etc. Had no problem booking with Global Journeys, thank you Hannah.
We had a great time, even though there was trouble in the channel with it being blocked by another ship. Avalon overcame the problem by changing us to another one of their ships on the other side of the blockage, so we could continue our trip, if we had gone with a smaller company this would not have been possible. Staff were very good and food was ...read more great, the site seeing was good but I would have preferred to stop longer in some ports.
We had a wonderful experience on board the Illumination. Maria was an amazing cruise director. The staff were all very pleasant and went out of their way to please. One of our group had food allergies and they always met her requirements and in fact always remembered. We would recommend this way to travel to all our friends. We really enjoyed the small ...read more town experiences but the big cities had their points of interest as well. Included sightseeing was always led by excellent guides.
Life on Board Avalon Illumination What can you expect when cruising on board Avalon Illumination
Avalon Illumination
Float along Europe's most famous waterways in relaxed luxury aboard one of Avalon's award-winning Suite Ships. Read more
Our Vision. Your View.
With the only Open-Air Balconies in river cruising, experience Europe with a view like no other in a Panorama Suite. Read more
Exclusive Meets Inclusive
Avalon features all the right inclusions which compliment your luxurious river cruise experience. Read more
Avalon Choice
Personalise your cruise to make it your own with Avalon Choice. Select whichever included excursions interest you the most. Read more
Active & Discovery
Avalon's Active & Discovery river cruises offer activities for travellers with varying interests & for all energy and fitness levels. Read more
From View to Table
Savour regional cuisine and familiar favourites using the freshest local ingredients throughout your river cruise. Read more
Deck Plans
Deluxe Stateroom (Cat. E & D)
Deluxe Stateroom (Cat. E & D)
Panorama Suite (Cat. B, A & P)
Panorama Suite (Cat. B, A & P)
Panorama Suite (Cat. B, A & P)
Royal Suite
Cabins
River View
Deluxe Stateroom (Cat. E & D)
- Deluxe Stateroom (172 sq ft)
- Twin Windows
- Comfort Collection Bed with Egyptian super-combed cotton linens, woolen blankets & European style duvets
- Private bathroom featuring full shower, hairdryer & premium L'Occitane bath amentities
- Spacious three-door closets and easy under-bed luggage storage
- Flatscreen satellite with movie channel
- In-room safe, writing Desk/Vanity & direct-dial telephone
- Complimentary Wi-Fi access
- Individual thermostat
- Bathrobes & slippers
Balcony
Panorama Suite (Cat. B, A & P)
- Wall-to-wall Panoramic Window measuring 11'- 50% larger than industry standard (200 sq ft)
- Wall-to-wall Panoramic Window opens to transform the living space into a large Open-Air-Balcony
- Open-Air-Balcony with spacious sitting area
- Comfort Collection Bed with Egyptian super-combed cotton linens, woolen blankets & European style duvets
- Private bathroom featuring full shower, hairdryer & premium L'Occitane bath amentities
- Spacious three-door closets and easy under-bed luggage storage
- Flatscreen satellite with movie channel
- In-room safe, writing Desk/Vanity & direct-dial telephone
- Complimentary Wi-Fi access
- Individual thermostat
- Bathrobes & slippers
Suite
Royal Suite
- Wall-to-wall Panoramic Window measuring 11'- 50% larger than industry standard (300 sq ft)
- Wall-to-wall Panoramic Window opens to transform the living space into a large Open-Air-Balcony
- Open-Air-Balcony with spacious sitting area
- Comfort Collection Bed with Egyptian super-combed cotton linens, woolen blankets & European style duvets
- Private bathroom featuring full shower, hairdryer & premium L'Occitane bath amentities
- Spacious three-door closets and easy under-bed luggage storage
- Flatscreen satellite with movie channel
- In-room safe, writing Desk/Vanity & direct-dial telephone
- Complimentary Wi-Fi access
- Individual thermostat
- Bathrobes & slippers
Avalon Illumination Cruise Schedule All 573 cruise sailings by departure date on board Avalon Illumination
| Starts | Days | Name | Itinerary | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday 30 Mar 2025 | 10 | Danube Dreams with Prague | Prague to Budapest | 6,436 |
| Tuesday 01 Apr 2025 | 8 | Danube Dreams | Vilshofen to Budapest | 5,479 |
| Tuesday 08 Apr 2025 | 8 | Danube Dreams | Budapest to Vilshofen | 5,779 |
| Tuesday 08 Apr 2025 | 10 | Danube Dreams with Prague | Budapest to Prague | 6,736 |
| Tuesday 22 Apr 2025 | 8 | Danube Dreams | Budapest to Vilshofen | 6,079 |
| Tuesday 22 Apr 2025 | 10 | Danube Dreams with Prague | Budapest to Prague | 7,036 |
| Sunday 27 Apr 2025 | 10 | Danube Dreams with Prague | Prague to Budapest | 7,186 |
| Tuesday 29 Apr 2025 | 8 | Danube Dreams | Vilshofen to Budapest | 6,229 |
| Monday 05 May 2025 | 11 | Active & Discovery on the Danube with Budapest and Prague | Budapest to Prague | 7,957 |
| Monday 05 May 2025 | 9 | Active & Discovery on the Danube with Budapest | Budapest to Vilshofen | 7,000 |
| Tuesday 06 May 2025 | 8 | Active & Discovery on the Danube | Budapest to Vilshofen | 6,529 |
| Sunday 11 May 2025 | 8 | Danube Symphony with Munich | Munich to Budapest | 6,318 |
| Sunday 11 May 2025 | 9 | Danube Symphony with Munich and Budapest | Munich to Budapest | 6,742 |
| Tuesday 13 May 2025 | 6 | Danube Symphony | Vilshofen to Budapest | 5,030 |
| Tuesday 13 May 2025 | 7 | Danube Symphony with Budapest | Vilshofen to Budapest | 5,455 |
| Sunday 18 May 2025 | 8 | Danube Dreams | Budapest to Vilshofen | 6,679 |
| Sunday 18 May 2025 | 10 | Danube Dreams with Prague | Budapest to Prague | 7,636 |
| Friday 23 May 2025 | 10 | Danube Dreams with Prague | Prague to Budapest | 7,636 |
| Sunday 25 May 2025 | 8 | Danube Dreams | Vilshofen to Budapest | 6,679 |
| Sunday 01 Jun 2025 | 16 | Magnificent Rivers of Europe | Budapest to Amsterdam | 13,127 |
| Monday 16 Jun 2025 | 15 | Magnificent Europe | Amsterdam to Budapest | 12,152 |
| Sunday 29 Jun 2025 | 11 | Active & Discovery on the Danube with Budapest and Prague | Budapest to Prague | 7,957 |
| Sunday 29 Jun 2025 | 9 | Active & Discovery on the Danube with Budapest | Budapest to Vilshofen | 7,000 |
| Monday 30 Jun 2025 | 8 | Active & Discovery on the Danube | Budapest to Vilshofen | 6,529 |
| Saturday 05 Jul 2025 | 10 | Danube Dreams with Prague | Prague to Budapest | 7,336 |
| Monday 07 Jul 2025 | 8 | Danube Dreams | Vilshofen to Budapest | 6,379 |
| Sunday 13 Jul 2025 | 11 | Active & Discovery on the Danube with Budapest and Prague | Budapest to Prague | 7,807 |
| Sunday 13 Jul 2025 | 9 | Active & Discovery on the Danube with Budapest | Budapest to Vilshofen | 6,850 |
| Monday 14 Jul 2025 | 8 | Active & Discovery on the Danube | Budapest to Vilshofen | 6,379 |
| Saturday 19 Jul 2025 | 10 | Danube Dreams with Prague | Prague to Budapest | 7,336 |
| Monday 21 Jul 2025 | 8 | Danube Dreams | Vilshofen to Budapest | 6,379 |
| Monday 28 Jul 2025 | 16 | Magnificent Rivers of Europe | Budapest to Amsterdam | 12,527 |
| Tuesday 12 Aug 2025 | 15 | Magnificent Europe | Amsterdam to Budapest | 12,002 |
| Tuesday 26 Aug 2025 | 8 | Danube Dreams | Budapest to Vilshofen | 6,979 |
| Tuesday 26 Aug 2025 | 10 | Danube Dreams with Prague | Budapest to Prague | 7,936 |
| Sunday 31 Aug 2025 | 10 | Danube Dreams with Prague | Prague to Budapest | 8,086 |
| Tuesday 02 Sep 2025 | 8 | Danube Dreams | Vilshofen to Budapest | 7,129 |
| Tuesday 09 Sep 2025 | 8 | Danube Dreams | Budapest to Vilshofen | 7,129 |
| Tuesday 09 Sep 2025 | 10 | Danube Dreams with Prague | Budapest to Prague | 8,086 |
| Tuesday 16 Sep 2025 | 10 | Illuminations on the Danube | Vilshofen to Budapest | 9,229 |
| Thursday 25 Sep 2025 | 16 | Magnificent Rivers of Europe | Budapest to Amsterdam | 13,127 |
| Friday 10 Oct 2025 | 15 | Magnificent Europe | Amsterdam to Budapest | 12,002 |
| Friday 24 Oct 2025 | 8 | Danube Dreams | Budapest to Vilshofen | 6,679 |
| Friday 24 Oct 2025 | 10 | Danube Dreams with Prague | Budapest to Prague | 7,636 |
| Wednesday 29 Oct 2025 | 10 | Danube Dreams with Prague | Prague to Budapest | 7,336 |
| Friday 31 Oct 2025 | 8 | Danube Dreams | Vilshofen to Budapest | 6,379 |
| Friday 07 Nov 2025 | 16 | Magnificent Rivers of Europe | Budapest to Amsterdam | 12,527 |
| Tuesday 07 Apr 2026 | 8 | Danube Dreams | Budapest to Vilshofen | 5,974 |
| Tuesday 07 Apr 2026 | 10 | Danube Dreams with Prague | Budapest to Prague | 6,962 |
| Thursday 30 Apr 2026 | 10 | Balkan Discovery with Budapest and Bucharest | Budapest to Bucharest | 7,455 |
Cruise Content
Cabin images are sourced from Avalon River Cruises. These should be treated as indicative only. Cabin inclusions, upholsteries and room layout may differ to the image(s) shown depending on sailing dates.
Cabin images are sourced from Avalon River Cruises. These should be treated as indicative only. Cabin inclusions, upholsteries and room layout may differ to the image(s) shown depending on sailing dates.
