- Launched
- 2013
- Gross tonnage
- ~2,900 GT
- Passengers
- 166 guests
- Crew
- 47
- Length
- 135 m
- Home port
- Amsterdam / Budapest
Avalon Expression is a full-length Suite Ship working the long Amsterdam-to-Budapest corridor across the Rhine, Main and Danube.
The 166-guest layout gives her the class's largest public rooms, including a full-width forward lounge.
Panorama Suites occupy the Royal and Sapphire decks, with Deluxe staterooms on the Indigo deck below.
The long corridor itinerary crosses the Rhine-Main-Danube canal and its watershed locks, one of European engineering's stranger sights.
Avalon Choice, in-house Globus land extensions and the ship's bicycle fleet all apply.
Highlights
Full-length hull
166 guests with the class's largest public rooms.
Three-river corridor
Amsterdam to Budapest across the Rhine, Main and Danube.
Globus land extensions
In-house pre- and post-cruise touring rather than subcontracted.
Accommodation
Cabin types and classes
Deluxe stateroom
Lower-deck cabin of around 16 sq m with a fixed half-height window and a full bathroom.
Panorama Suite
Around 18 to 19 sq m on the upper decks with an eleven-foot sliding glass wall and the bed turned to face the view.
Royal Suite
Around 28 sq m on the Envision class with a separate seating area, the full window wall and upgraded amenities.
Solo staterooms
A small number of dedicated single cabins with no or reduced supplement on selected departures.
Accessible stateroom
Available on most ships with a wider door and a level-access shower; not every deck is lift-served.
Food and drink
Dining options
Included in your fare
Main restaurant
Open seating with regional menus, always-available options and a daily vegetarian and lighter-choice list.
Sky Bistro / Panorama Bistro
Forward casual venue for breakfast, lunch and a smaller evening menu, with panoramic glazing.
Sky Grill
Warm-weather outdoor grill service on the sun deck at lunch.
Room service
Continental breakfast and light meals delivered to the suite at no charge.
Speciality restaurants (charged)
Chef's dinner
A regional tasting menu served once per itinerary in the main restaurant, included in the fare.
Local dining ashore
Included farmhouse, château and market lunches on selected Discovery excursions.
There are no cover-charge dining venues; every restaurant aboard is included in the fare.
Venue line-up reflects the Avalon Waterways standard; the exact restaurants aboard Avalon Expression vary with the ship's class and most recent refit.
On board
Entertainment
Live music
A resident musician in the lounge each evening, plus regional performers once per itinerary.
Cruise Director briefings
Daily port talks, cultural briefings and a nightly overview of the next day's Avalon Choice options.
Fitness and sun deck
A small fitness room, a whirlpool, a walking track, shuffleboard and a putting green on most hulls.
Adventure Center
On the Envision class — a storage and briefing space for bicycles, e-bikes and kayaks.
Bars
Drinks packages
Included with meals
Regional wine, beer and soft drinks poured at lunch and dinner.
Welcome and farewell receptions
Complimentary sparkling wine and cocktails at the captain's receptions.
Premium beverage package
All-day spirits, cocktails and premium wines, charged per person per day.
Speciality coffee and tea
Complimentary espresso and tea service throughout the day.
Ashore
Excursions
Avalon Choice offers up to three included excursion tracks in most ports — Classic sightseeing, Active options and Discovery experiences — chosen on board rather than at booking.
Classic
Guided walking or coach sightseeing with a local guide and audio headsets.
Active
Cycling, hiking, kayaking or canoeing led by an Adventure Host, graded by effort.
Discovery
Food, craft and local-host experiences — markets with a chef, workshops and private visits.
Optional premium excursions
Helicopter flights, private dining and further-afield tours, charged separately.
Value
What the fare includes — and what it doesn't
Included
- Avalon Choice excursions in most ports across all three tracks
- All onboard meals in every venue
- Regional wine, beer and soft drinks with lunch and dinner
- Bicycles and e-bikes for guided and independent use
- Wi-Fi and port charges
Not included
- Airfare and transfers unless booked as a package
- The all-day premium beverage package
- Optional premium excursions
- Gratuities for crew, guides and drivers
- Laundry and pressing
Connectivity
Wi-Fi at sea
Technology
Shore-based cellular aggregation
Included in the fare?
Included in the fare for all guests throughout the ship.
Standard Wi-Fi
Browsing, email and messaging on multiple devices, included.
Streaming
Possible in urban moorings but unreliable in gorges, locks and rural stretches.
Bandwidth is shared across the ship, so peak evening use slows noticeably.
Same class
Sister ships
Launched 2011
Avalon Panorama
The ship that launched the Suite Ship concept — Panorama Suites with eleven-foot window walls and beds facing the view.
Launched 2012
Avalon Visionary
A shorter Suite Ship at 128 guests — the same Panorama Suites on a hull sized for tighter European waterways.
Launched 2013
Avalon Artistry II
A lower-Danube Suite Ship running Budapest to the Iron Gates and the Danube Delta.
Cruise line
Explore the brand
Avalon Waterways
Panorama Suite Ships with beds facing wall-to-wall windows and an Avalon Choice programme that lets guests pick classic, active or discovery excursions.
Globus family of brands (parent group)
The Swiss-American touring group behind Globus, Cosmos and Avalon Waterways, applying a coach-tour operating model to European rivers.