The mistral, low water, and what the contract then allows
The Avalon Poetry II is a 110-metre hull delivered in 2014 by Den Breejen. One
hundred and twenty-eight travellers, 64 staterooms. Refurbished in 2024. She
carries the densest calendar in the European fleet after the Avalon View: our
inventory counts more than one hundred and seventy dates.
Her ground is the Rhone and the Saone: Burgundy and Provence, with
embarkations at Lyon, Arles and Chalon-sur-Saone. Combined Rhine-and-Rhone
products appear on the calendar; nothing indicates this hull herself climbs to
the Rhine, and those chains probably use two ships.
Two constraints particular to this river
The mistral first. It comes down the Rhone valley in gusts, sometimes for
several days running, and a river ship standing high on the water takes that wind
like a sail. Docking manoeuvres get harder and some calls shift.
Then low water. A dry summer drops the river, and the line's terms then allow
it to run all or part of an itinerary differently: by coach, by hotel, or on
another ship. That is neither an abuse nor an exception; it is a standard river
cruise clause. Better to know it before leaving than to discover it on day
three.
The other ships in the fleet
The Avalon Artistry II holds Bordeaux. The Avalon Tapestry II holds the Seine. The Avalon Alegria is the Douro ship. The
Avalon Visionary works the Danube and the Main.
What is included, and what is not
The fare covers life aboard: the stateroom, three meals, wine and beer at the
two main meals, morning sparkling wine, self-service coffee, tea and snacks,
and a happy hour each evening. It also covers guided excursions, one per port,
chosen among three formats of differing effort, and access to the bicycles on
the European ships.
Three items stay outside, and one of them surprises people. Air travel is
not included. Optional excursions and spa treatments are paid aboard. And
gratuities are not included in the contract, contrary to what many third-party
pages claim: the line leaves them to your judgement. Time-limited offers cover
them on selected departures. Treat that as a possible bonus, never as a feature
of the product.
Satellite Wi-Fi is provided aboard in Europe. The line's terms guarantee
nothing about its quality, and experience agrees: the link weakens in locks and
under low bridges. A traveller who must stay reachable should carry a local
solution as well.
The stateroom, measured
The category the line is known for occupies two entire decks. Its outside
wall is a glass panel running floor to ceiling and wall to wall. It slides open
across about two thirds of the room's width. A second glazed panel rises from
the floor, with a handrail, to serve as a guardrail. The bed faces the view.
It is worth saying what this is not. It is not a balcony: no outdoor space
exists, you do not leave the room. It is a very wide opening window in the
French balcony tradition, at a larger scale. A reader comparing brochures from
competing lines needs that distinction, because the word balcony sometimes means
a real terrace there.
On the lower deck, the entry stateroom has neither sliding wall nor opening:
two fixed windows, set high, at water level. It suits someone who sleeps aboard
and lives ashore, and suits far less anyone dreaming of falling asleep to the
sound of the river.
Also worth knowing: shower without bathtub, European current at 220 volts,
and a lift that stops short of the sun deck.
What this trip asks of you from Montreal
A transatlantic flight, not included in the fare. Some embarkation cities are
reachable non-stop in high season, others need a connection. Total door-to-door
time often exceeds what the brochure suggests, and that has to be planned
for.
Arrive the day before at the very least. It is the only margin that absorbs a
delay, a lost bag or a sleepless flight. Many of our clients take two nights in
the city before embarking and have never regretted the expense.
Our advisors bring flight, cruise, hotels, transfers and insurance into a
single file protected by Quebec's compensation fund for travel agency customers.
Write to us: we will verify the real dates before anything is booked.
