TORONTO — Avalon Waterways is ensuring that 2019 offers a wealth of river cruise experiences for intrepid travellers by revamping its Avalon Choice program and adding a new itinerary on the Rhône River.
“Our guests tell us they want to explore in a whole new way,” says Stéphanie Bishop of Avalon’s Canadian office. “So we’d included more choice in their cruise price, choices that make each day according to your mood.”
Next year, the company is introducing a completely revamped Avalon Choice program, offering travellers ‘Classic’, ‘Discovery’ and ‘Active’ options on every river cruise itinerary as well as a new AvalonGo App.
There are three excursion styles:
- Classic: A local expert guides travellers through the history and heritage of local destinations
- Discovery: Travellers engage in interactive activities designed to cater to their interests, from cooking classes to painting workshops
- Active: Energetic excursions that range from a guided jogging tour of Amsterdam to biking and hiking through destinations
To further help their guests go their own way, Avalon’s new AvalonGo App invites them to independently explore each destination with a detailed daily schedule of their itinerary, a list of nearby attractions, maps, directions to local restaurants and bars, and entertainment options. “We’ll even provide a picnic!” says Bishop.
The new eight-day Active Discovery on the Rhône includes an array of ‘Active’ and ‘Discovery’ excursions such as:
- Hiking or biking through the Camargue Regional National Park or a visit to a local oyster farm in Port-Saint-Louis
- Hiking in Val d’Enfer or participating in a Van Gogh painting workshop in Aries
- E-biking through Tavel, wine tasting or touring the Musée des Aromes in Avignon
- Canoeing through the Gorges de l’Ardéche, hiking through the Natural Reserve of Cirque d’Estr, wine tasting in an underground cave, visiting a crocodile farm or embarking on a ghost tour in Viviers
- Rail-biking along the Gorges du Doux, hiking through vineyards, making chocolate bars or joining a cooking demonstration in Tournon/Tain L’Hermitage
- Hiking in Parc de la Tête d’Or, joining a culinary walk, or making Saucisson brioche in a cooking class in Lyon
Bishop added that all such excursions are included in the cruise price.
In 2019, Avalon’s eight- and nine-day Active Discovery Cruises sail on Suite Ships featuring 200-square-foot Panorama Suites, open-air balconies and beds facing the views. Cruises sail on the Rhine, Danube and Rhône Rivers, and include more day sailing and time in atypical ports of call. For instance, on the Rhine River, cruisers spend time in destinations like Cologne and Amsterdam, as well as Xanten, Eltville, Duisburg and Wiesbaden.
To entice Canadians to book their 2019 river cruise now, Avalon is offering savings of up to $3,000 per couple or a waived single supplement if booked by April 24, on select air-inclusive Europe and Asia river cruises.
For more information go to agentlingo.ca.
