Avalon Waterways unveils latest ship to undergo 'Better By Design' upgrades

“Design and tastes change over the years,” continues Ms Hoffee. “It doesn’t mean the ships weren’t beautiful, they were just very bright with geometric designs which was the style when we started building those ships. While we always refreshed the ships, it was to the same design that was there before and that design has shifted and evolved.”

She says the latest interior design was inspired by Avalon Envision, which launched in 2019.

“That was when the new look and feel started,” she says. “The colours were toned down from a bright look to being more neutral and evolved even more with Avalon View and Avalon Alegria. That’s the look we have now and we want to bring it across the fleet.”

She said the reaction from travel agents, who saw Avalon Impression and Avalon Passion at the recent ASTA River Cruise Expo held in Vienna, was the update made the ships look bigger and lighter.

“It was always a contemporary, modern design and we have refreshed it to what that means now,” she explains. “Our goal is always that when our guests come on board they feel at home and they feel they are coming back to a place that they know. All of our ships are consistent in that they all have the same exact layout, although some might be a bit bigger or smaller based on destination.”

The updates to the Sky Deck include plush outdoor lounge furniture at the front of the ship, which was previously a bike storage area. Unlike many river vessels, Avalon’s suite ships have a two-level sun deck which means this forward section can always be used by passengers, even if the higher section of deck is shut when passing beneath low bridges.

“We wanted to create a lovely lounge space there,” says Ms Hoffee. “People can go out there to enjoy drinks and it has good access for members of our bar team. At night it is a great place to sit, and in the day it is a super comfortable space.”

New tables have been added to the outdoor section in front of the Panorama Lounge, which Ms Hoffee says was in response to guest demand.

“We previously had seating there and noticed passengers were taking food from the Panorama Bistro, our alternative dining venue, outside to eat. So, we first put dining tables there on Avalon Envision and have added that across the fleet.”

Avalon pioneered a more active style of river cruising with its Active & Discovery sailings, and this theme continues with its upgraded gym area and addition of 15 new bikes and four e-bikes on every ship. Replacing free weights, the gyms have a Speediance Gym Monster 2 machine which provides adaptive resistance and weight modes to offer tailored workouts. This was also a result of passenger feedback.

Ms Hoffee says, “We were hearing from guests that the weights we had weren’t heavy enough and the Gym Monster allows you to lift heavier weights, you can set goals and it tells you what to do. It is a pretty cool piece of equipment.”

Elsewhere, Avalon panorama suites are another constant on all Avalon ships. Comprising 80% of the accommodation, in a space that’s 30% larger than the industry standard, the cabins have an open-air balcony concept where the 3.4m-wide floor-to-ceiling window slides back to a total width of 2.1m.

“When we started building this class of ships, and the first one launched in 2011, a lot of river cruise lines were starting to put out ships with balconies,” says Ms Hoffee. “Our sales team kept saying we have to have balconies as everybody is doing balconies. But our operations team were saying that would take away interior space as on river ships you only have a width of 11.5 m to fit into locks, so you cannot widen shops to have external balconies.

“What we have done is create an experience that gives our guests the best of both worlds. You have a window that opens to provide a balcony experience and is a seat in front of the window and a table that raises and lowers. You can have room service delivered and have a balcony experience and then you can close the doors and have the whole space when you need it. On a river ship you want to use every little bit of space in the best possible way, not waste it.”

Additionally, Avalon has river-facing beds, which originally evolved from having a slanted wall in the main cabin area to accommodate a larger shower. This design element was highlighted on Avalon Artistry II’s pre-inaugural Bordeaux cruise. One day, guests returned to their cabins to find their beds had been temporarily turned to face the wall, which is the norm on virtually all river lines.

“We want to elevate river cruising by being different,” concludes Ms Hoffee, who says the line was looking to grow with the addition of one new ship per year. “We describe our DNA as relaxed luxury. It’s all about feeling at home and feeling comfortable with high levels of personal service.”

Avalon is part of the Globus family of travel brands, which also includes Cosmos Tours and Globus Journeys. Avalon Artistry II will sail on new one-, two- and three-week sailings on the Garonne and Dordogne Rivers, plus cruise combinations that also include the Seine, Saone, Rhone and Rhine, representing a 30% increase in its French itineraries.

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