A more active river cruise? That's the plan at Avalon
ABOARD THE AVALON PASSION -- Intrigued by the idea of a European river cruise but worried it will be too sedentary? You'll want to take a look at the newest offering from Avalon Waterways.
The Colorado-based river line is rolling out an itinerary on the Danube that will include hiking, biking and even canoeing among daily activities.
The Active Discovery on the Danube sailings will debut in 2017 and be tailored to Baby Boomers who are looking for more activity on their vacations as well as younger travelers, Avalon managing director Patrick Clark told cruise writers Monday aboard the line's newest ship, Avalon Passion.
"We think we need to do more to attract (active) Boomers," Clark said during an on-board press conference. "They're going to health clubs, they're biking, they're walking, and some of them view river cruising (as being) for people who just spend a lot of time sitting on the ship."
The new sailings will cover a scenic stretch of the Danube between Budapest, Hungary and Linz, Austria.
Examples of active outings planned for the trips including sightseeing in Vienna by bike and a running tour of the city. A biking tour of Budapest also is the works as is a bike ride along the Danube as it cuts through the vineyard-lined Wachau Valley. There also will be such unusual offerings as a walking tour with a local in Budapest that features a teacher giving lessons in Hungarian.
Avalon will offer eight departures of the itinerary in 2017. The trips are eight nights long, including an overnight stay in Budapest and seven nights on an Avalon ship.
Clark said the trips will have less active options, too.
"You can be as active as you want to be. You'll get choices," he said. On a day where canoeing on the Danube is offered, "for those who don't want the exercise, there (also) will be a visit to a local farm."
Most of the activities including hiking and biking outings will be included in the fare, Clark said. There also will be a few more-involved activities available such as archery and golfing that will come with an extra charge.
Avalon isn't alone among river lines in making changes to target more active travelers. Rival AmaWaterways recently announced a partnership with active travel company Backroads to offer biking and hiking tours on its sailings.
Clark on Monday also revealed that Avalon would begin carrying bikes this year on all of its ships in Europe for passengers to borrow during port calls. In addition, the line is adding more optional biking excursions on itineraries that pass through areas that are particularly known for biking.
If the new Active Discovery itinerary is a success, Avalon could add more departure dates on the Danube and eventually expand the concept to more rivers in Europe, Clark suggested.
"We're excited about it," he said. "Our goal now is to make sure we've got it right."
Fares for the new Active Discovery trips will start at $3,549 per person, based on double occupancy.
Cruise writers are aboard Avalon Passion this week in advance of its christening Wednesday in Linz, Austria. The ship is one of two that Avalon is adding in Europe this year. Also new is the 128-passenger Avalon Imagery II, which is sailing on the Rhine. Avalon also recently unveiled its first vessel in Myanmar, the Avalon Myanmar.
For our first-look tour of the Avalon Passion, scroll through the carousel at the top of this story. For our first-look tour of the Avalon Myanmar, scroll through the carousel below.