The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the U.S. recently bumped cruise ship travel to its highest travel advisory level, recommending that Americans avoid cruise travel due to “very high” COVID-19 levels.
But Avalon Waterways says they operated more than 100 cruises this past summer and fall without incident.
“In fact, after operating more than 100 cruises this summer and fall across Europe, Egypt and the Galapagos Islands – and testing every single cruise passenger in preparation for their journeys home – Avalon Waterways ended its 2021 cruise season with ZERO (0) COVID-19 cases onboard. Not one of our guests or crew members tested positive for COVID in 2021.”
Avalon officials said they assume that “similar stories and statistics can be found with other small- and river cruise-ship operators.”
“We’re witnessing a new wave of cruisers for 2022,” said Pam Hoffee, managing director for Avalon Waterways. “Travellers recognize that river cruising offers them a cruise without question marks. No crowds, sailing with just 150 or fewer fellow cruisers, no lines, no concerns about fellow traveller vaccinations, stringent health and safety protocols and an unparalleled opportunity to experience a wide range of shore excursions while also enjoying limitless access to incredible ports of call.”
Avalon said their results show that it’s possible to cruise without crowds, explore new cultures with ease and sail in intimate settings.
“And, there’s a real appetite for river cruises among Canadian travellers.”
An Expedia group official in November said that cruise travel was rebounding strongly.
Avalon said the number of Canadians taking river cruises has doubled in the past decade.
Avalon Waterways is ready with some NEW incredible itineraries for 2022 for this new wave of cruisers. Here are eight (8) great options:
1) NEW Active & Discovery on the Seine. On this new cruise that starts and ends in Paris, enjoy your pick from 23 INCLUDED “Active,” “Discovery” and “Classic” excursions. SEINE-SATIONAL!
2) NEW Sex & the City of Lights. Sail the postcard-perfect Seine River (from Paris to Paris) with celebrity host, Sex & the City’s Candace Bushnell.*
3) NEW Wild & Whimsy on the River. Cruise the legendary Danube River (from Budapest to Deggendorf) with a legend: Celebrity storyteller Cheryl Strayed!*
4) NEW Active & Discovery on the Moselle. This cruise winds and bends along the beautiful Moselle River, from Remich to Frankfurt, and INCLUDES 21 “Active,” “Discovery” and “Classic” excursions to customize your vacation, from start-to-finish.
5) NEW Springtime in Holland & Belgium. Blooming just once a decade, this special sailing invites you to enjoy the FLORIADE in 2022!
6) NEW Danube Dreams with Oberammergau. This 12-day journey provides you a once-in-a-decade opportunity to experience Oberammergau’s world-famous Passion Play!
7) Active & Discovery on the Rhone. Sail through the South of France on this incredible vacation that invites you to customize your cruise with 28 INCLUDED “Active,” “Discovery” and “Classic” excursions.
8) ANY Christmastime Cruise. These sailings (more than a dozen different itineraries) take you to Europe’s famous Christmas markets. Don’t miss the boat to enjoy Christmas in Europe (Christmas cruises sell-out quickly)!
*Other NEW Storyteller Series cruises feature authors Gillian Flynn and Christopher Moore and musicians Edwin McCain and Sister Hazel.”
And, if needed, here are even more reasons for cruisers to go small this year:
· Size is seismic. It matters more than ever. River cruise vessels are built to port in storybook settings. To sail under centuries’ old bridges and squeeze between 12-meter-wide locks. Avalon Waterways’ floating “boatique” hotels hold an average of 150 guests.
· See not sea. There’s a (big) difference. On a river cruise, travellers are not at sea. Instead, river cruises wind and bend through the heart of fascinating countries providing a panoramic view of the Old World. Always within a few feet of shore, on a river vessel, travellers pass clifftop castles, hillside vineyards, ancient villages, and capital cities. Every day – and night – travellers have quick and easy access to ports-of-call.
· Cruising focused on “to dos,” not crowds and queues. River cruise itineraries are destination-focused, with local guides who help travellers experience – and connect with – the world around them. And queues are not news on the world’s rivers (Avalon Waterways’ excursions typically accommodate no more than 20 guests at a time, providing every traveller an immersive and authentic experience).
· Fresh air and perspectives. On board Avalon’s innovative and award-winning Suite Ships, guests on two full decks are welcomed with 200-square-foot Panorama Suites, each featuring a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows that open 7-feet wide (the widest-opening windows in cruising). This wall of glass converts into an Open-Air Balcony, but that’s not all. No Avalon Waterways ship has interior-only cabins. Instead, every Deluxe Stateroom and Panorama Suite offer guests natural light and most feature beds facing the views for which river cruising is famous.
Editor’s note: I’ve taken two river cruises in my life, one with Viking on the Danube and the other with AmaWaterways in Bordeaux, France. Both were terrific. I loved that we exited the boats in, for the most part, the heart of every city and village we visited. I also liked the intimacy of the ships, and I thought our tours were excellent with both.
