The first glass guardrail, and the difference from the bed
The Avalon View is the newest of the 135-metre hulls and the busiest in our
inventory: she carries close to two hundred departure dates. She was presented as
the fourteenth ship of the fleet at her christening. Eighty-four staterooms, one
hundred and sixty-six travellers.
Sources contradict each other on her year: 2019 at the yard, 2020, 2021 or
2022 elsewhere. The best-established fact is the inaugural cruise of April 2022.
So we speak of entry into service rather than of construction.
What actually changes on this hull
A detail only those who have sailed the sisters notice. On the earlier ships
the guardrail rising in front of the open glass is made of steel tubing, and from
the bed those bars cut across the view. On the Avalon View that guardrail is
made of glass panels. The difference does not show in a brochure photograph and
shows very clearly from the pillow.
The interiors were entrusted to a Dutch designer, with works commissioned from
two artists. The ship is not in the fleet refurbishment programme for the same
reason as the Avalon Envision: she was built to the standard the others are
returning to.
The 2026 calendar shows her exclusively on the Rhine, between Basel,
Amsterdam and Lucerne.
The other ships in the fleet
The Avalon Envision shares the same build standard. The Avalon Panorama is the lead hull of the series.
The Avalon Passion covers the lower Danube and the upper Rhine. The Avalon Impression belongs to the same
135-metre series.
The fare in detail
Aboard, the fare covers accommodation, every meal, wine and beer at lunch and
dinner, sparkling wine at breakfast, self-service coffee, tea, water and
snacks, a daily happy hour and guided excursions in every port. The European
ships carry bicycles, electric-assist ones among them, for use during port
calls.
Air travel, optional excursions, spa treatments and gratuities stay on your
account. That last point deserves a second reading: the line's terms state that
gratuities are not included and remain discretionary. The "prepaid gratuities"
notices in circulation refer to selected departures of a seasonal offer,
asterisk included. Your travel advisor will check the exact sailing.
Included excursions are chosen among three families: the classic guided
visit, a hands-on immersion, or an active outing on foot or by bicycle. A given
port offers one at a time per traveller, which is why the numbers the line
publishes describe options offered rather than excursions taken.
Satellite Wi-Fi is provided on the European ships, with no service guarantee
written into the contract.
Aboard
The public rooms come down to a few places: a single seated dining room, a
panoramic lounge forward, a sun deck with loungers and often a walking circuit,
a small fitness room. The refurbishment programme under way redoes the interiors,
adds strength equipment and a second satellite antenna, and tops up the bicycle
fleet with electric-assist models.
The stateroom deserves a straight explanation. The signature category opens
through a sliding glass wall, floor to ceiling, with a second pane rising as a
guardrail, and the bed turned toward the river. It is not a balcony: there is no
outdoor space, you stay inside in front of a wide opening. The lower-deck
stateroom has two fixed windows high on the wall that do not open at all.
On mobility the line is clear in its terms: outside the United States you
must be able to walk up and down steps and ramps without a wheelchair or
walker. A folding wheelchair is accepted within stated dimensions, with the
warning that gangways and motorcoaches may not be wide enough. River quays,
side-by-side moorings and cobbled old towns do the rest.
Arranging this trip from Quebec
The flight to Europe or to the destination is not included in the cruise
fare. From Montreal the connection is direct to several cities in season, and
routed through one connection the rest of the year or for the far
destinations.
Plan one night ahead before embarkation, two if the time difference is large.
That margin is used exactly once, but on that day it saves the trip. Keep the
return day free as well.
We build the complete file, flight, cruise, hotels, transfers, insurance,
under the protection of Quebec's compensation fund for travel agency customers.
One call is enough to check what the season really allows.
