The only European hull in the fleet not built in the Netherlands
The Avalon Alegria was built in 2024 at the West Sea yard in Viana do Castelo,
Portugal. Every other European hull in this fleet comes from Den Breejen in the
Netherlands. Eighty metres, 51 staterooms, 102 travellers, around thirty crew,
four decks.
The reduced format is not a styling choice. The Douro sets the size: its locks
and its gauge rule out hundred-and-ten or hundred-and-thirty-five-metre hulls.
The line's president told the trade press plainly that this ship will not leave
Portugal; she is built for this river.
What she has that the others do not
A heated pool on the sun deck, the only one in the European fleet. An
observation deck fitted with a misting system, useful in August in the valley. A
Portuguese chef and local menus. A lift linking decks one to three. The ship
carries a gold-level Green Award.
Two honest reservations. On the legal ownership of the hull, sources conflict:
the yard names the line as its client, while a third-party database credits the
ship to a Portuguese owner said to charter her out long term. So we write what is
verifiable, a ship built for the line in Portugal and operated exclusively by her
on the Douro. And on the exact number of staterooms, sources give 48 or 51
depending where you read.
One last thing the line does not publish: the detail of the lower-deck
categories on this hull. On the European ships, the entry-level stateroom does
not have the sliding wall. Have the exact category confirmed before booking
rather than assuming it.
The other ships in the fleet
The Avalon Artistry II holds Bordeaux. The Avalon Poetry II holds the Rhone and the Saone. The Avalon Tapestry II holds the
Seine. The Avalon Imagery II covers four central European rivers.
The fare, line by line
Included: the stateroom, every meal aboard, wine and beer at lunch and
dinner, sparkling wine in the morning, the lounge's all-day self-service, a
daily happy hour, guided excursions in each port, and use of the bicycles on
the European ships.
Not included: air travel, gratuities, optional excursions and the spa. On
gratuities, be careful. The contract leaves them to your discretion.
Promotional offers cover them on chosen departures, never across a whole
season: an agency page that presents them as a standing feature of the line is
wrong, and you would find out when the invoice arrives.
Included excursions come at three effort levels. Active means walking a long
time, often uphill and on cobbles. Classic exists for good reasons and nobody
will judge you for taking it. You choose the evening before, port by port,
which leaves time to read the weather and your own legs.
Satellite Wi-Fi is provided in Europe with no contractual service
commitment. The link drops under bridges, inside locks and in closed
valleys.
What the glass wall does, and what it does not
Across two full decks, the stateroom opens through a full-height glass panel
more than three metres wide that slides back about two. A second pane rises from
the floor as a guardrail. The bed looks at the river. The line calls this an
open-air balcony; a specialist in the trade describes it more accurately as a
French balcony at large scale, and that description is the right one.
In practice you gain air, sound and light across the full width of the room,
and a view from the bed that few competitors offer. You lose private outdoor
space. To take a coffee outside you climb to the sun deck, which is shared. A
traveller attached to a personal patch of terrace should know that before
booking, not after.
The lower-deck stateroom is a different category rather than a smaller
version of the same thing: two fixed windows high on the wall, which do not
open. It costs less for exactly that reason.
The rest of life aboard is quickly told. Shower only, no bathtub. European
outlets, so bring an adapter. A lift serves the cabin decks and the public
rooms, never the sun deck, which is reached by stairs.
Leaving from Quebec
This trip really starts at the airport, and the flight is not part of the
cruise fare. Depending on the embarkation city and the season, the trip from
Montreal is either direct or routed through one European connection.
One simple rule, learned the hard way: arrive at least a day before
embarkation. Jet lag does not clear in a few hours, and a late bag needs a day
to catch up with you. On the way home, keep the day free.
We put the flight, the cruise, the hotel nights, the transfers and the
insurance into one file, with the protection of Quebec's compensation fund for
travel agency customers. Tell us about the trip before you pick the date.
