Is an Avalon Waterways river cruise for you? Assuming your Mother didn’t raise any foolish children, then we think there is a great deal to rave about and a great deal of enjoyment to be had when you sail aboard one of the incredible river ships of Avalon Waterways to; Europe, Vietnam and China.
A review of Avalon Waterways should start with first and maybe most importanty to their guests, the fact that Avalon is owned by the Globus family of brands, a well-established, family-owned, 80-plus year old world-wide tour operator. This relationship allows for a seamless integration of the cruise and land portions of your vacation and trust us, there’s a big difference when your vacation provider, in this case river cruise company, takes care of all the details from arrival to departure and all in between.
Avalon’s river cruise and small-ship cruise ships [also sailing to the Galapagos Islands] all feature elegant interiors with abundant glass, polished metal, vibrant colors, modern designs with contemporary appointments, state-of the-art technology, warm personalized service, fine dining, spacious suites and staterooms, and remarkable amenities. And ladies, if you enjoy a wonderful bathroom, by far and away the most remarkable marble bathrooms of any river cruise line.
Avalon Waterways operate the newest [averaging two years old], quietest and most spacious river cruise ships sailing the great rivers of Europe, Egypt, Vietnam and China. They are the only river cruise line also providing cruises to the fascinating Galapagos islands made so famous by Charles Darwin.
After reading the article, why not take a few minutes to enjoy the Avalon Waterways' videos? Just click the "Videos" button in left column to begin. Click HERE to continue reading article below.
 |
Call for LOWEST Price & Save Up To $1000!
To get our unpublished prices, call for FASTEST response,
or email using the “Get Quote” button. |
|
Back to Top
With Avalon river cruise, you'll can enjoy the world's most beautiful landscapes from the privacy of your luxury stateroom. That's because on an Avalon river cruise ships, all staterooms enjoy an outside location and are designed to enhance your river cruising experience. Their beautifully appointed staterooms feature a minimum of 172 square feet of space [larger than most ocean cruise ships] and are among the largest on the European rivers today. 
Their deluxe European fleet of soon to be 12 remarkable vessels will be augmented by the launch of two more "Suite" ships in 2013. These gorgeous new additions include; the Avalon Artistry II and Avalon Expression which join sister "suite" ships; Vista, Panorama and Visionary, all launched in either 2011 or 2012.
Avalon is rushing to add more"Suite Ships" to their fleet because of the overwhelming demand created by these innovatively designed ships. The Suite ships are purpose build reflecting the comments and requests of Avalon's river cruise passengers. Each ship not only provides state-of-the-art contemporary designs and decor, each offers guests a unique opportunity to really enjoy their river views. This unusual approach literally combines an indoor/outdoor living experience to most of their spacious 200 square feet staterooms.
In addition to boasting 17 award-winning Avalon Deluxe Staterooms on the lower deck, each Space Ship features 64 newly designed Panorama Suites. Positioned on the top two decks, this new suite category showcases a full, 200-square feet of living space, 30% larger than the industry standard. The suites come complete with a large seating area adjacent to a Wall-to-Wall Panoramic Window. When opened, this floor-to-ceiling window is nearly 11' x 7', and transforms the entire Suite into an open-air balcony. For those of us at Premier, one of the best features of the Suite Ships is that they represent great value. While Avalon calls them "Suite ships," these large staterooms are really not priced as suites, but more like standard staterooms of other lines. What that means to you is they provide you will possibly the best value of any new ships sailing the Rhine and Danube.
The Suite Ships will sail a variety of programs including the 15 day “Magnificent Europe” itinerary from Amsterdam to Budapest and the 9 day “Christmastime on the Danube” cruise-tour itinerary on the Danube River from Prague to Vienna. For 2013, you can enjoy a variety of Rhine and Danube River cruises aboard the Suite Ship of your choice.
Although young in age, Avalon Waterways has already garnered numerous industry awards, including: Travel Weekly Magellan Awards in 2009 for “Silver Winner/Cruise Ship: River Cruise Ship (Avalon Affinity)” and “Gold Winner/Cruise Ship: Best Overall River Cruising”; Conde Nast Traveler award for “Top Cruise Ships” in 2011; and Travel Age West WAVE award as the editor’s pick for “Best Overall Cruise Line for River Cruising”.
The balance of their impeccable European fleet accommodate between 138 and 178 pampered guests. All the beautifully appointed staterooms enjoy river views and are equipped with individual climate controls, flat-screen televisions, radios, telephones, mini-bars, safes, and hair dryers and Wi-Fi access. Approximately 80% of all cabins have French balconies with sliding glass doors while the remaining cabins feature large picture windows. Their elegant staterooms and suites are further enhanced by the use of deluxe woven carpets, L’Occitane toiletries, and Avalon branded premium bedding, including European-style duvets and Egyptian super-combed linens. All ships follow an English language only policy.
Avalon travelers come home with more than photographs and curios; they come home with exciting stories and a new perspective on their travels. Avalon says that they “transform tourists into travelers by bringing the world’s stories to life.” They can do this because their highly skilled cruise directors – whether it is an Egyptologist on the Nile or a Naturalist in the Galapagos – all deliver historical and cultural commentary as the ships glide down the river or serenely sail from one island to the next. And of course, all your eye-opening and very inter-active shore excursions are included in your value-packed price as is your own personal headset for easy listening.
Because Avalon’s parent has been operating tours in Europe and throughout the world so long, they are well connected and we believe truly embrace the fact that many American’s truly like to learn and experience as much as they can during their destination vacation. Avalon does an exceptional job with their complimentary shore excursions and don’t be surprised that when you are berthed in some of the smaller medieval towns and villages you will actually see [or go with] crew as the buy local food items for the ship. In a recent trip within France on the Seine River, crew members and guests went into the beautiful town of Honfleur to buy local cheeses for the ship’s cheese tasting night and on the next day, it was an incredible selection of French pastries [OMG], they were over the top! On Avalon you can do as much or as little as you prefer, but no matter how much you choose to participate, you will come back knowing you got the most out of your brief visit.
In addition to their very comprehensive “included” shore excursion program, Avalon also provides guests with a number of “Enriching Theme” cruises that allow one to discover more about a destination and its culture. These theme cruises include; wine cruises through the wine regions of France and German, music lover cruises, and art and impressionist cruises within France and Germany as well. Local entertainment also plays a large part on every Avalon departure. Guests will enjoy a local folklore group on the Rhine, lessons in Tai Chi or calligraphy while on the Yangtze, or daily talks on the wildlife found throughout the Galapagos.
Because so many folks are new to river cruising, our focus in this overview of Avalon Waterways has been to Europe. That said, the quality that we talk about on the European river cruise product is matched in every aspect when you select one of the other exciting destinations serviced by Avalon including; Egypt and a Nile River cruise, China and the awe-inspiring Yangtze River cruise and of course one of our favorites, a small ship cruise to Darwin’s immortal Galapagos.
So we’ve told you about Avalon’s sensational fleet of newer ships, their very detailed and exciting included shore excursion program – so what’s left you ask? Ah… could it be their “inspired” and creative dining program? YES!
When we at Premier look at Avalon, we see a company who fully grasps the constantly changing tastes of today’s discriminating American vacation traveler. On all their river cruise destinations, Avalon employs 5-star chefs who are experts at crafting local ingredients into culinary masterpieces. To make your dinner even more unforgettable, you’ll enjoy complimentary regional wines and beers paired specially with the chefs’ fresh creations. We’re not talking limited selection here, but rather 4-6 nightly entrée choices plus a full grill just in case you cannot find that perfect choice on the menu. While they cannot accommodate kosher meals, almost all other preferences can be accommodated given the incredible selection and array of soups, salads, entrees and desserts that are offered up each day.
There’s always a romantic table for two available in the open-seating dining room where meals are offered in an elegant, yet relaxed atmosphere. Yes, it’s okay to wear jeans to dinner as long as you dress them up just a bit. The dining experience on Avalon ships is even further enhanced, as their dining rooms are positioned to expose unimpeded shore side views through full panoramic windows, guess that means dinner with a view and it’s really cool to watch the sun set on a warm summer or fall evening as you glide along the river – it doesn’t get much better.
Unlike many other river cruise lines, Avalon recognizes that this is your vacation and you may not want to hurry. If you desire is to linger in bed for a while, you can enjoy an in-stateroom Continental breakfast, in addition to the regular breakfast service. If you’re like me – I want to take get in as much as I can do each day – so Avalon also satisfies my needs with their early-riser breakfast… then I can get going on my busy day of sightseeing and meeting the locals. If you’re back on board for lunch, you can enjoy it inside the dining room or above deck where light fare is offered at the Open-Air-Bistro. The Bistro is a perfect place to meet friends, enjoy a great meal and watch the world float by.
Why not complement your Avalon Waterways cruise with a pre or post stay? Well, you can now do just that by taking a Monogram Independent Vacation. Monograms is a sister company to Avalon Waterways, and is the perfect marriage of independent travel with the convenience of an all-inclusive package. And all designed with you, the guest, in mind. Why not spend a week in London or Paris before that South of France Cruise. Enjoy more time in Vienna and experience Munich after you leave your Taste of the Danube River cruise. All programs include a choice of hotels, daily buffet breakfast, sightseeing, the services of a local host, and transfers to/from the ship.
We are very confident that your choice of an Avalon Waterways River Cruise booked with one of our river cruise experts at Premier River Cruises will afford you a memorable and worry-free vacation at a great price!
We think that Avalon “gets it.” They understand that river cruising has to adapt to the guests, rather than the guests adapting to the cruise. They do an excellent job of providing their guests with an enriching and memorable journey aboard a fleet of contemporary ships offering up fine food and wine in a relaxed and very comfortable atmosphere. Their service standards are high, but the service rendered to you, their guests is unpretentious and warm.
So, if you’re looking for that perfect blend of pampering service, an enriching destinational experience married with exceptional accommodations, and then you need look no further than an Avalon river cruise or small ship cruise for your next vacation.
Back to Top
 |
 |
TERMS AND CONDITIONS: Unless otherwise noted, prices and offers are in USD, cruise only per person, based on double occupancy, include any applicable discount(s) and do not include airfare, taxes or fees. Prices are based on minimum category stateroom and applicable to the sailing date(s) shown. Prices for other dates may vary based on the date and stateroom selected. Discount/price shown may have restrictions or conditions that you must meet to qualify for the discount and/or price. Certain discounts or prices may require full payment at the time of booking in order to be eligible. Savings shown are per couple. The VISA® Gift Card offer applies to new 2013 bookings made prior to 09/30/2012. VISA Gift Cards are earned on a per cabin basis, based on double occupancy, not per person. The value of the VISA Gift Card may vary based on the cruise and category you purchase. Solo Travelers: please ask how the program applies to you as it does vary slightly. Prices and availability may change without notice and are not guaranteed until a deposit is received and applied to your reservation. Call for complete details. Issuing bank for VISA Gift card to be determined and issuance is pursuant to a license from VISA® U.S.A. Inc. We reserve the right to correct any informational or typographical errors. ©2013 Premier River Cruises, LLC. All rights reserved worldwide. CST #2104636-40
| To view Avalon Waterways' brochure pdfs, you'll need to use Adobe Reader®. If you don't have the Reader, you can download it by clicking on the icon at right and installing it on your computer. |
 Get Adobe Reader Now! |
