Q – We are extremely excited to be joining our friends, there will be five couples, all from Springfield, Illinois on a cruise next year that will take in some of the Dutch ports and the flower shows. We booked the cruise with the Avalon people who were nice but not exactly useful when we started asking questions about insurance and our plans to see some of the smaller villages and countryside after our cruise ends. We’re thinking about another week, perhaps using B&B’s. We were wondering who we should talk to and how to go about finalizing our plans. One of the couples suggested we try to turn the reservation over to a travel agency but we’re not sure if Avalon would allow that or how to go about it.
A – If you book directly and then spend a week in B&B’s, you are going to have to do this trip on your own. There would be no profit in it for the agent since B&B’s almost never pay commission to the booking agent. If, on the other hand, you decide to use small, quality hotels, you can easily turn your bookings over to a qualified river boat specialist who can assist you with the entire trip. All river boat lines will allow you to easily transfer your deposited booking over to an agent for handling. This is done all the time and it costs you nothing, Meanwhile, you should receive help with all of your questions. Do have your agent look into the possibility of setting this up as a group. There would be benefits and ten guests should qualify. We applaud your choice of itineraries and your after-cruise plans. Hope you enjoy great beer accompanied by a selection of fine cheeses. Wooden shoes are not at all required.
