Avalon Waterways christened its two newest ships — the 128-passenger Avalon Visionary and the 166-passenger Avalon Vista — in a dual christening ceremony in Enkhuizen, Holland on Friday.
Nicole Mazza, chief marketing officer at travel agency consortium Travelsavers, served as the godmother of the Visionary. Vanessa Lee, owner and publisher of Cruise and Travel Lifestyles magazine, was godmother of the Vista. Lee also is president of Cruise Strategies, a company that markets and represents six small-ship brands in Canada.
The ships were built in the Den Breejen shipyard in the Netherlands and join Avalon's Panorama class of vessels, or Suite Ships as the company refers to them.
Suite Ships feature staterooms on the two upper decks with wall-to-wall sliding-glass balcony doors. When the door is opened, the cabin is effectively transformed into an open-air balcony.
Additionally, the ships feature fresh flowers in each stateroom, L’Occitane toiletries, marble bathrooms and Comfort Collection by Avalon bedding.
The new ships also house a main lounge and dining room, hair salon, fitness center, and a pool and open-air bistro on the sky deck.
The Visionary will sail Avalon's eight-day Romantic Rhine cruise, and the Vista will sail the 11-day Legendary Danube cruise, the 13-day Blue Danube Discovery and the 15-day Magnificent Europe itinerary.
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