There’s more to discover with Avalon river cruises
If you sail all the way from Amsterdam to Budapest on Avalon Waterways’ (cruise.center/avalon) magnificent 15-day Magnificent Europe river cruise, you’ll cover five countries, three rivers, one canal, and 68 locks on a single voyage. That’s impressive.
I only joined the pretty, 166-guest Avalon Expression for half of that voyage, disembarking in Nuremberg, and I was still particularly pleased with the entire experience. I always feel a good measure of a cruise is a reluctance for the journey to end, and I certainly could have used another week of river cruising the Rhine, Main and Danube aboard Avalon Expression.
Following the successful introduction of its Active Discovery cruises on the Danube this season, Avalon is introducing its first Active Discovery cruises on the Rhine in 2018; eight-day sailings from Amsterdam to Frankfurt (Wiesbaden) or reverse. These new itineraries pack multiple ports of call into a single day, mixing big-name cities with smaller, off-the-beaten path locales.
On my sailing, Avalon previewed some of its Active Discovery excursions for us. Despite having been to many of these ports before, I found Avalon had something new and unique to show me in every port of call.
Some of these excursions were so-called “soft adventures” suitable for a wide range of people, like the off-the-beaten-path tour of Cologne, where we visited a local neighbourhood filled with hipster laundromats, cafés and beer halls.
Other tour options showcased on our voyage down to Nuremberg included a soft hike and wine tasting in the picturesque town of Rudesheim, famous for its boozy Rudesheimer Coffee of whipped cream and local Asbach Uralt brandy; and a guided cycling tour of medieval Bamberg.
Of course, Active Discovery isn’t all hiking and cycling through the countryside. In Amsterdam, I joined an afternoon painting class in the city’s fashionable Jordaan district.
I also appreciated that Avalon offers more than one optional tour excursion included in almost every port of call.
Then, there’s the overall river cruising experience itself. Avalon makes a big deal about it’s 443-foot-long (135 m) Suite Ships like Avalon Expression, and rightly so. More than 80 per cent of staterooms are 200-square-foot (18.6-squaremetre) Panorama Suites featuring what Avalon calls “Wall-toWall Panoramic Windows.”
I’ve been on a lot of river cruises, but these Panorama Suites are noteworthy standouts. Instead of facing the wall, the ultra-comfortable beds are angled toward the open-air French balcony. A small sitting area near the giant mass of windows includes a small loveseat and a chair.
Like its contemporaries, Avalon Waterways is semi-inclusive. That means you can expect complimentary Lavazza coffee and specialty coffees throughout the day along with bottled water and tea. Beer, wine and soft drinks are free-of-charge with lunch and dinner, and drinks outside those hours come at a reasonable cost.
Guests on my sailing — a refreshing mix of Canadians, Australians, Brits and Americans — seemed to enjoy the nightlife aboard Avalon Expression: playing cards, socializing over cocktails, and listening to the nightly live music on offer each evening.
Service from the ship’s charming European crew was spot-on throughout. Avalon’s culinary director, Jörg Pennecke, summed it up best during my voyage to Nuremberg: “On the ocean, you are a number,” said Pennecke, who has had a 17-year maritime career on several high-profile ocean and river cruise lines. “On the river, you are a name.”
Happy (river) cruising. Visit portsandbows.com, sponsored by Expedia CruiseShipCenters, 1-800-707-7327, www.cruiseshipcenters.com, for daily updates on the latest cruise news, best deals and behind-the-scenes stories from the industry. You can also sign up for an email newsletter on the site for even more cruise information. Aaron Saunders may be contacted directly at portsandbowsaaron@gmail.com.