Suite Tranquility II
Avalon Waterways 15th Panorama Suite Ship

with Suzanne Christie

With the
rise in popularity of river cruising showing no sign of abating and the advent
of ever more ships and brands plying the rivers of Europe, it is critical for
lines to highlight their identity with distinct points of differentiation.

According
to the Canadian trade guests invited to celebrate the Christening of Avalon
Waterways 15th Panorama Suite ship
Tranquility II in Strasbourg last
week, the Globus family of brands have aced it.

The ship is a
beauty - sleek, contemporary and very functional. What all the
professional travel agents agreed on is that the 200 sq. ft. Panorama suites
with beds facing floor to ceiling windows is the key factor that differentiates Avalon. This unique feature makes a huge difference in cruise enjoyment and saleability.

Josee
Mathieu Owner/Manager of 3 Cruise Ship Centres in Ottawa told me her favourite
pastime on our inaugural cruise was relaxing in her stateroom on the super comfortable
bed with the sun streaming in her open windows as we floated past the gorgeous
Rhine castles, wineries and bobbing swans. Of course on Avalon you also have the
option of enjoying room service or your 'brought onboard' drinks and
snacks. Another point of differentiation with Avalon.

Renata
Grant, Owner of CruiseShipCenters Rosedale says that not only was her large
stateroom very comfortable, she found the lounge particularly inviting. Its
layout is conducive to enjoying a drink or chat with your partner or taking in
the nightly entertainment with all your cruise mates. "It is so
inviting," and
having
the entertainers and dance floor in the centre of the room gives everyone an
excellent vantage point.

Burghardt
Lell who heads up Operations for Avalon Waterways has no concerns about the
Rhine's ability to handle the dramatic increases in river cruise capacity and
traffic. Although in the past decade the number of river cruisers has
grown from an annual total of about 100,000 to approximately 600,000 pax from
English speaking countries alone, cruise lines and ports are making adaptations
to mitigate crowding, lock and docking capacity. Lines have
begun varying their embarkation days as well as their durations. And due to river cruising's
importance to the local economies, towns and cities along the rivers are
eager to help manage docking facilities to enable the purchase of local
food and other goods.

This
ties in nicely with the small ships' very limited storage capacity and the
ongoing culinary revolution which increasingly demands complex and creative
meal presentations as well as locally sourced ingredients and wines. We had the
opportunity to tour
Tranquility II's compact galley with Executive Chef
Michael who demonstrated how it is possible to deliver 126 perfectly plated
multi-course dinners every evening. It is a carefully orchestrated performance
and despite having the secrets revealed of how it is all managed, it remains a
bit of a mystery to me.

In
addition to formal dining in the Restaurant, several times each week it is also
possible for 20 guests to enjoy a private dining experience in the Lounge
Bistro.

According
to Avalon Waterways President Patrick Clarke,
Tranquility II is
virtually sold out for its 2015 maiden season on the Rhine with its load factor
currently at about 97%. A significant portion of which is made up of full ship
charters and groups. Booking patterns have taken an interesting “top to bottom"
turn with the ship's 2 Royal Suites selling out 1
^st as opposed to
the recent past where the least expensive cabins always sold out most quickly.

While
2014 was a record year for Avalon Waterways, 2015 has already exceeded that and
Canada, in particular, is out in front notching record growth in
bookings.

Ellie
MacPherson, Senior Vice President of Strategic Meetings + Incentives (a
division of Vision Travel) says the ship is ideal for the CME market with the
large and flexible layout of the Panorama Lounge as well as the smaller Club
Lounge.

Connie
Day of Muskoka Travel Service in Bracebridge has a group booked on Tranquility
II for September. The combination of before and or after Globus tours or
Monograms add ons work well for her clients and she loves the 200 sq. ft
panorama suites.

Most
definitely, the highlight of the all-Canadian Christening Cruise celebration
last week was godmother extraordinaire Jann Arden who mingled with guests,
performed her duties with grace and obviously enjoyed the river cruising experience. The
quick witted singer/songwriter is also a natural comedian whose commentary
would have made even Ivanna Gabbalot blush.