Budapest Cruise Disembarkation

WHAT HAPPENS DURING CRUISE DISEMBARKATION DAY IN BUDAPEST:

Amsterdam to Budapest River Cruise – Avalon Waterways – Day 15

Time flies when you’re having fun and all too quickly our Amsterdam to Budapest 15-day cruise had come to an end. Tony and I thoroughly enjoyed the cruise and from the high-spirits of our fellow travellers and the many celebratory toasts at our farewell dinner last night it was apparent that everyone else enjoyed it too, thanks to the great crew and our very hardworking and efficient cruise director.

Disembarkation

At our Disembarkation briefing yesterday, we were given instructions on the procedures for disembarkation day.

Bills – On the morning before the final day we were provided with an interim bill covering the costs for optional tours and additional drinks or services consumed. If you’ve spent all your cash shopping at the Central Market Hall or downtown, there was no problem as your bills could be settled with Visa, Mastercard or Amex card.

Breakfast – On disembarkation morning full breakfast was available till 9 am and then the restaurant was closed. This was to allow the restaurant crew time to prepare the ship for the next cruise travelling that very evening in the opposite direction from Budapest to Amsterdam.

Bags Out – Regardless of the time of your departure, all suitcases had to be left outside the cabins before 9 am for the crew to transfer and hold them in the lobby and then take them on to the pier in time for your departure.

Vacating your room – The cabins had to be vacated by 9 am so that the cleaning crew could prepare them for the next cruise. For those departing a little later in the day, there was no problem as you were allowed to wait in the lounge.

Gratuities – As a guide, Avalon now recommends gratuities of 12 Euros per passenger per day (a total of 168 Euros per person) to be shared amongst the crew and 3 Euros per passenger per day (a total of 45 Euros per person) for the cruise director. If you’ve prepaid your gratuity, you will find gratuity vouchers in your documentation. There is a Tip Box at the Reception and all gratuity envelopes and vouchers are deposited in this box. If you’ve spent all your money shopping, fear not, you can also pay for your gratuities by credit card.

Airport Transfers – If you have an included transfer, you would be advised of your departure time and other details. Some people, like us, did not have pre-paid transfers included in our tour package, but this was not a problem. Our tour director, Hendrik Jan, efficiently booked taxis for everyone who needed one and arranged the correct time to leave for the airport. These days it’s easy to pre-book your own airport transfer with companies such as Viator.

If you’re staying on in Budapest, the reception can also arrange a taxi to take you to your hotel.

We thought that the Disembarkation went pretty smoothly and our reliable taxi driver took us to the airport for an agreed price which was reasonable and much cheaper than what Avalon was charging.

More information on Budapest here: Budapest Info-briefing

Photos of Budapest: Budapest Photo Gallery

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If you think of anything I left out of this post, please feel free to put that on the comment.