Hi I'm Gary Bembridge of Tips For Travellers. I'm going to show you around an Avalon
Waterways River cruise ship. They have what they call "signature suite ships", and
they have a couple of features which make them unique and different in river
cruising on European rivers. I'm actually on the Avalon Imagery II. This is a very
typical ship for their whole fleet. First of all, one of the most important
areas on board is the lounge. This is a pretty big room. In here you'll meet for
Port Talks, if there are briefings, if there's any entertainment. You have the bar, which
is pretty much manned when people are up and around, and then you have this
complimentary 24-hour coffee making option. It's also important to know that
in this lounge they have an "early riser" and "late riser" breakfast. They have a
light lunch served here, and also they have a late night snack at about 10:30
at night. This is a multi-purpose and important part of the
ship. Leading off there, you have the reception area where you have a
manned 24-hour reception desk. You also have the cruise directors desk here.
So very handy. What else do you have? Well, there is another lounge at the rear
of the ship. It has windows on three sides, so it's a great place to
sit when you're cruising through scenic parts. In here you have a 24-hour tea and
coffee making facilities, and there's always snacks here. Biscuits, muffins
and other little treats. There's some games. There's daily quizzes and crosswords,
and it's a very popular place to just sit and relax. Just outside is the
smoking area. This is the only place that you can smoke on board. It is right at the
back of the ship on this little small balcony. Another really
important room is the dining room. This is on the lower level, and this is
where you have a buffet breakfast, buffet lunch and then you have a
full served dinner. The meals are great. At dinner, for example, you have a choice
of up to three starters, you have two soups, four main courses and normally four
desserts. Wine, beer and soft drinks with lunch and dinner are included in the fare.
The river cruise boat, like most, has three decks and then the top deck is a
Sun Deck. This is a big open area that basically stretches the whole length of the
ship. Up here you have lots of space to sit
and watch the scenery go by. There's also a small jacuzzi. This space to eat
outside when the weather's particularly good. There's a couple of other
little features on board. There's a small hairdressers, so
you can make appointments and have your hair done.
There's also a small fitness centre, which has a couple of machines and some
free weights. So what about accommodation? The Avalon "signature suite ships",
like the Imagery II, there are three decks which have accommodation. Two of
the decks are given over to what are known as their Panorama Suites. As you
can see here, the rooms are pretty big. One of the things that Avalon talk about
is that their rooms are up to 30% bigger than the standard size of most other river
cruise ships. The beds in the Panorama Suites face outwards, and so
they face towards the window. So you get to see the scenery. One of the big
features are the windows and the doors. They are extremely large and the great thing
about them is they can open - and they open to up to 7 feet. Bathrooms are a
good size. To go on a river cruise you need to be fairly fit and fairly mobile.
The ship's generally don't cater extensively for people with mobility
issues, but there are some features which cater for people with less mobility.
For example, there is a lift which can be used to go across all the different
decks. And there will also be a gentle walking tour as an option. The Imagery
II is pretty standard for the Avalon "signature suite" ships, so if you're
looking to go on an Avalon ship, this is what it's going to look like. The decor
is pretty contemporary. Again like all of the river cruise ships, it is relative
limited in terms of facilities. You have the lounge, you have the smaller
lounge at the rear. You have the dining room,
hairdressers, a small fitness center and the very big Sun Deck on top with the
jacuzzi. Hopefully you found that helpful and it's given you a good sense of
what to expect. What I'd really like you to do is "like" the video and please also
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