| Avalon gets set to reveal its Artistry

A fourth Suite Ship, Avalon
Artistry II, will join Avalon
Waterways fleet next year,
opening up more opportunities
for Aussies to explore the
historic Rhine River.
SPEAKING to Cruise Weekly, Avalon
Waterways’ marketing manager, Christian
Schweitzer, said that launch of Avalon Artistry
II was in direct response to the massive success
of the company’s first Suite Ship, Avalon
Panorama which was launched last May and
enjoyed a sell out debut season.
“The market response has shown clearly that
travellers want larger cabin space and enjoy
the open-air balcony concept of our Suite
Ships,” said Schweitzer.
“Avalon’s sales are currently 42% up on this
time last year, which was itself an excellent year.
“We attribute much of this success to the
Suite Ship concept,” he added.
Avalon Artistry II will launch in Apr next year,
and will offer 30 percent more space than its
average competitor, with 64 suites, each with
wall-to-wall panoramic windows designed to
turn the cabins into open air balconies, spread
across two decks.
The overall look of Artistry II is based on the
Avalon Panorama, however it will be slightly
smaller like Avalon Visionary (launching in
May), meaning that in 2013 Avalon will have
two 83-cabin Suite Ships (Panorama and
Vista- which is also launching in May) and two
64-cabin Suite Ships (Visionary and Artistry II).
From Apr 2013 Artistry II is scheduled to
operate Avalon’s popular eight-day Romantic
Rhine itinerary between Amsterdam and
Zürich, whilst her sisterships Panorama, Vista
and Visionary will offer other itineraries on the
Rhine, Moselle, Main and Danube.
“Together the four Suite Ships give Avalon
the flexibility to offer a greater range of
itineraries, with varying durations, on all four
rivers,” Schweitzer said.
Coinciding with the announcement, Avalon
has released a 2013 Preview Brochure
featuring more than 20 different cruise
itineraries on the Rhine, Danube, Main,
Moselle, Rhône and Seine rivers, as well as a
selection of Christmas cruises and exotic
itineraries along the Nile, Yangtze and Mekong
Rivers and around the ecological powerhouse
of the Galapogas Islands.
The Preview Brochure is the first offered
exclusively online as an e-brochure, enabling
readers to browse, search, share and print
itineraries as required.
Other highlights of the brochure include
savings of up to $1,000 per couple on a selection
of over a dozen 2013 Europe cruise itineraries,
as well as savings of up to $500 per couple off
a selection of other 2013 European cruises.
To view the brochure CLICK HERE.