Avalon to Build Two More Riverboats

PHOTO: Avalon Waterways is building two more vessels with plenty of Panorama Suites. (Courtesy of Avalon Waterways)

Avalon Waterways is building two more “Suite Ships” that will begin sailing European rivers in 2015. The new Avalon Tranquility II and Avalon Tapestry II will accommodate 128 passengers each.

The announcement comes as Avalon prepares to welcome three new Suite Ships this year — the 166-passenger Avalon Impression and 128-guest Avalon Poetry II in March and the 166-passenger Avalon Illumination in June. When the two new ships enter service next year, Avalon will have 10 Suite Ships, which will comprise 66 percent of its fleet.

“Eighty percent of the rooms on our Suite Ships are 200-square-foot Panorama Suites or 300-square-foot Royal Suites,” said Patrick Clark, managing director of Avalon Waterways. “And our smallest stateroom in the fleet is still a very comfortable, 172 square feet. No other European river cruise line can say this.”

The suites have what Avalon calls an “Open-Air Balcony,” a sliding glass door that opens seven feet wide to a spacious seating area. The Open-Air Balconies can be enclosed against inclement weather. The Suite Ships also have a Sky or Panorama Bistro for alternative dining as well as three lounges. Avalon Waterways is part of the Globus Family of Brands.

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