News from Buy The Sea for May '11
The Avalon Creativity
If you’ve never experienced a European River Cruise…or if your only frame of reference is the now-defunct Peter Deilmann – then “you ain’t seen nothing yet!”
Avalon Waterways offers a very high level, elegant, boutique river ship experience. This review covers the Avalon Creativity, which travels westward along the Seine River in the direction of Normandy. The boat carries 140 passengers in 68 cabins and 2 suites. With the exception of the eleven cabins on the lowest passengers deck (of three), all staterooms feature floor to ceiling sliding glass doors – also known as “French balconies”. The remaining eleven have half-wall picture windows. The suites are 250 square feet, while the cabins are 170 square feet – with perhaps the most usable function and storage space afloat. The French balconies make all the difference is the world when it comes to this type of cruising. You can basically open your entire wall, facing toward the coast line...which is always VERY close to the boat. It’s like cruising the inside passage in Alaska…only better – since you have a view of the shore the entire journey. And there are LOTS of scenic things to see along the way – villages, farms, medieval and stone houses, beautiful foliage and the spectacular countryside. It’s like being on a continually changing movie set! And you cruise a good deal during daylight hours – so you have plenty of time to enjoy the view! The boat also goes through dozens of locks along the course of the voyage. The concept is identical to that of the Panama Canal – only on a smaller scale.
Closets and bathrooms are spacious, however the most impressive feature is the bedding. Each bed features a tempurpedic mattress topper, providing the most comfortable sleep afloat by far! What an absolutely lovely surprise! Although in king configuration, all beds can be converted into twins. The showers offer fantastic water pressure and all bath products are L’Occitane. Avalon has done something that EVERY cruise line should do….the towels in bathroom are grey and white, instead of all white – making it much easier to “claim” your own towel should you choose to reuse it. What a concept!
In each stateroom, you will find two bottles of water (replenished daily) as well as personal ear phones to be used on the included bus tours. As you depart the ship for a tour, you are given a small color-coded device that corresponds to your tour bus. This, and the ear phones, allow you to hear the tour commentary without having to stand “on top of” the guide. A basic overview or attraction tour is generally provided in each port in the morning – unless you are at sea, in addition to a handful of optional afternoon (additional cost) tours. The tours on this particular cruise are excellent. The excursion in Auvers sur Oise takes you to the place where Vincent Van Gogh spent the last seventy days of his life. The trip in Vernon is an exploration of Claude Monet’s house and gardens. Both of these trips give you such an incredible perspective on these famous men – how they lived, what gave them their inspiration to paint their masterpieces. Other trips take you to the town of Rouen, Honfleur and a visit to the medieval castle of Richard the Lion Hearted. The crowning glory is a full day to Normandy to visit and learn about the local culture and of course visit the D-Day Landing Beaches. You don’t need to be a history buff to enjoy any of these places. The motor coaches are air conditioned and very comfortable. The guides are very knowledgeable and of course fluent in English. Groups on any given tour are kept to about 25 guests.
Breakfast and lunch are served buffet-style in the dining room. A light lunch is also served in the lounge. Occasionally, the ship offers lunch out on the sun deck. The aft lounge has a wonderful Melita coffee machine for complimentary 24-hour latte, cappuccino, etc – as well as fruit, cookies and other snacks. Beer, wine and soft drinks are free at dinner ONLY. Soft drinks are provided at lunchtime. Dinner is provided at a single open seating and is table service only. The food is excellent with more choices than I would expect on such a small vessel. The service is wonderful and the staff is very accommodating.
The boat has a small (two machines) fitness center and a similar-sized beauty salon. The sun deck runs the entire length of the boat with a small whirlpool for “maybe” four guests to enjoy at once. There are plenty of lounge chairs, both in and out of the sun – a perfect place for a “sail away” cocktail party!
A few things that surprised me: wireless internet is provided for 15 euros for the entire WEEK and laundry service is very reasonable as compared with a hotel counterpart in a European city.
In keeping with river ship tradition, the passenger compliment is pretty much of retirement age – however the guests are much more active and “down to earth” than what you would find on a luxury line such as Silversea for example. The staff all speak fluent English and announcements are only made in English. Actually, on this ship, only two crew members are French – the captain being one of them. There are seven nationalities represented onboard. They will know your name and any of your special needs immediately. It’s actually pretty incredible and refreshing – and I can’t remember the last time I felt so welcomed and “at home.”
Some of the nice surprises I encountered on the Creativity: the cruise director is also the shore excursions manager. He or she is extremely knowledgeable about the ship, the ports of call and the history of the region. It makes the experience all that more congruent and wonderful. In the different towns, our cruise director brought on local “flavor”. One day it was a fantastic classical music group. Another day it was a pastry chef who gave a cooking demonstration which was followed by a tasting. We also had the chance to hear a gentleman speak about Normandy and the history of World War II. One afternoon, we had an opportunity to taste cheeses made from unpasteurized milk as well as wine and cider from the region. It is incredible how Avalon brings the flavor of the country on to the boat. When you are out on deck, traditional French music is playing – a la Edith Piaf and Charles Aznavour. This is what makes Avalon, and river cruising in general, so much more authentic as compared to the large mass market vessels that sail the Mediterranean for example. We have many groups that take RCCL ships on r/t Barcelona cruises – and they enjoy wonderful experiences. But the difference is…when you leave port and get back on the ship, you are basically back in the USA in terms of food, entertainment, etc. When you leave port on a river cruise, the port “follows” you back onboard.
If the rest of the Avalon fleet is anything like the Creativity – then I highly suggest you find a group that can charter one of these beauties. Your guests will have an experience of a lifetime!
The Team at Buy The Sea
Shari, Caryn, Sandy, Lina, Jaci and Rivka
