WHY IT RATES: With these shorter river cruise options, travelers are able to have a quick getaway to Europe to experience a river cruise without disrupting their packed work and personal life schedule. —Alex Temblador, TravelPulse Associate Writer
There was a time when Americans took an average of 20 vacation days per year. That time has passed. In fact, according to a recent Global Travel Insights survey, 80 percent (80%) of North American travelers planned trips of seven days or less in 2018.
In 2020, Avalon Waterways is the only river cruise company offering time-starved travelers or those wanting to dip their toes in river cruise waters for the first time a choice of 4-, 5- and 6-day river cruise itineraries: NEW! A Taste of the Rhine, NEW! Heart of Germany and A Taste of the Danube.
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Priced from $1,999, NEW! A Taste of the Rhine is a 5-day cruise featuring immersive opportunities to explore must-see sites along the Rhine River including: Taking a culinary walk through Amsterdam, enjoying a guided tour of Cologne, participating in wine-tasting in Boppard, spending free time in Rudesheim and of course, cruising through the picturesque, castle-dotted Rhine Gorge.
Formerly a featured Christmas cruise, the NEW! 6-day Heart of Germany is making an appearance year-round in 2020. Priced from $2,099, this itinerary features stops along the Main River and Main-Danube Canal including a guided hike through a picturesque Bavarian village, spending time in Würzburg with its towering fortress and Baroque Bishop’s residence; enjoying Bavarian wines in Itzingen, partaking in an onboard beer-tasting near Volkach, and taking in the sites of Bamberg, a Bavarian oasis built on seven hills. The cruise concludes in Nuremberg.
Priced from just $1,099, 4-day A Taste of the Danube has become a very popular itinerary for first-time river cruisers and time-starved travelers alike, with time spent in Budapest, Bratislava, Melk and Dürnstein. The cruise ends in Vienna.
For those travelers who are just testing the river cruise-waters but want to add-on time on land in popular European destinations, Avalon Waterways is introducing three Your Way options for 2020: 1) An Avalon Waterways land extension; 2) A Monograms independent vacation package or 3) A Globus escorted touring vacation.
“With our new Your Way program, we’re making it easier for travelers to extend their river cruise vacation with land itineraries that are perfectly suited to their preferences and budget,” said Hoffee. “In addition, with our exclusive onboard Avalon Choice menu on each and every river cruise itinerary, our guests have their pick of the widest array of included excursions, from classic sightseeing to immersive discoveries and active adventures.”
All cruise itineraries—short and long—sail on Avalon Waterways’ signature Suite Ships which provide guest two full decks of 200-square-foot, one-of-a-kind Panorama Suites featuring the industry’s only Open-Air Balconies and beds facing the incredible views for which river cruising is famous.
The Suite Life Sales Event: Book a 2020 Europe cruise early and receive $299 air and SAVE $1,000 per couple on select sailings.
SOURCE: Avalon Waterways press release
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