What to Know About Avalon Alegria, the Newest Ship on the Douro River

Avalon Alegria, Avalon Waterways’ newest ship, has set sail on the Douro River after a cheerful christening ceremony last week in Portugal. 

For Avalon’s Douro debut, the 20-year-old river cruise line wanted to get things right. Avalon, part of the Globus family of brands, enlisted the same ship designer who envisioned all of Avalon’s 15 vessels to help birth one of its smallest ships while still offering spacious suites, as well as incorporating Portuguese influence and sticking to Avalon’s casual yet elevated vibe. 

“The ship is a little bit different from the look of other ships on our fleet, and that was purposeful,” Avalon President Pam Hoffee told TMR. “This ship won’t leave Portugal; it’s built for this river, so we wanted to choose a look that really felt like it had a sense of place.” 

 

 

 

 

 

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The result is a 262 ft luxury river cruise ship with 33 crew members and 102-guest capacity. The vessel’s interior is elegant with a natural color scheme, plus artwork with pops of pastel color in the hallways of the Alegria, which means “happiness.” 

Among the most important aspects of the ship’s design was ensuring the stunning view of Portugal’s sloping hills and village valleys are visible through panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows. 

“On other rivers such as the Rhine and the Danube, they are very beautiful, and there are areas that we know that sailing is scenic. We point out that, ‘Tomorrow, we’ll be sailing through the scenic part,'” Valentin Georghe, cruise director at Avalon, told TMR. “Whereas here, the scenic part is throughout the trip. Whenever we are sailing, wherever we are sailing, you see something beautiful. It is all spectacular from day one to day seven.” 

Alegria is also expected to receive the gold level Green Award for having the most environmentally friendly engine possible, as well as nearly eliminating all use of single-use plastics and paper on board. 

Public spaces 
Alegria has four decks: the Sky Deck, Royal Deck, Sapphire Deck, and Indigo Deck. Overall, there is “a calm, relaxed experience throughout the ship” due to the guest-to-space ratio, said Steve Born, chief marketing officer for Globus. 

New for Avalon, the Sky Deck has a swimming pool and nook seating along the perimeter railing for optimal ways to take in the view. The top deck also sports the Sky Grill and plentiful seating to comfortably fit all guests on board. 

On the Royal Deck, the Panorama Lounge also has enough seating to accommodate all guests on board at once. This area has a bar and a circular space for multipurpose use – morning yoga, evening live performances, and late-night dancing, to name a few. 

The Royal Deck is also home to the lobby for guest services and excursion planning; an outdoor observation lounge at the front; and the cozy Club Lounge at the back, where guests can relax, make use of the Starlink Wi-Fi available throughout the ship, play a board game, read a book, and indulge in complimentary coffee, tea, and pastries. 

“This is called the River of Gold, so the colors in [the Panorama Lounge] are copper, goldish colors, and then in the Club Lounge, it’s shades of green like you’ll see on the hillsides with the vineyards,” Hoffee said. “And the dining room reflecting the blue tiles that you see, so we really tried to do colors and feelings that brought to life the color palette that you’ll see traveling around Portugal.” 

Alegria also has a small fitness room on the Indigo Deck. 

Accommodations 
There are a total of 51 guestrooms – 37 panorama suites and 14 deluxe staterooms – on the Alegria. All rooms have beds that face the windows. Avalon’s panorama suites have floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall windows with a sliding glass door that transforms the room into a balcony. 

Host agency executives on board Alegria’s christening sailing shared that Avalon’s panorama suites are leaders in the industry. Three of them reported loving having their bed face the sliding glass door. 

The rooms have a lighter, brighter feel than the rooms on other Avalon ships. The wood is lighter-colored, the artwork has pops of pastel, and there are yellow, handmade Portuguese blankets draped on each bed.  

Speaking of beds – guests have two choices of pillow firmness and four choices of bed firmness and can request their preference through guest services. Suites also have adjustable tables and small seating areas. 

Dining 
Alegria has one dining room serving buffet breakfast, buffet lunch, and sit-down dinner, which has seating from about 7 to 8:30 p.m. Guests can also order room service for breakfast and grab snacks and other meals in the lounges and Sky Grill when available. Dishes are Portuguese-inspired. The ship also serves Avalon Fresh meals, which are healthy, mostly vegetarian options. 

“Each dining experience includes an Avalon Fresh selection of items [curated by] Austrian chefs that specialize in healthy fare,” Born said. “A lot of it is vegetarian. It is designed to have a healthy option at every meal. A lot of our guests say they just try it, and they prefer it because it’s a little bit different, a little more innovative.” 

As far as the ambiance, Alegria offers upscale dining in a casual environment. Most of the tables are for two but can easily be moved together to fit multiple people at one table.  

“The majority of our travelers are couples,” Born said. “What we find is during the course of the cruise, the twos become fours. They meet other people and mix and meld together.” 

Excursions 
The Douro Valley region is known for its wine – Port wine and otherwise. So, there are plenty of opportunities to visit vineyards and embark on wine tastings. However, with Avalon’s diverse selection of excursions – active, classic, and discovery – there is something for everyone, whether it’s a walking tour of Porto, hiking, food tours, kayaking on the river, or afternoon biking. 

“We spent time here in Portugal going on all the tours and choosing those that are most suitable for our guests from the perspective of the experience and being closer to how we do things at Avalon – a bit different, a bit away from the big crowds, and as much as we can involving the locals,” Georghe said. “It feels great because you don’t feel like you are only taking from these places you’re going. It feels like we are there like equal partners. They are as happy to see us as we are to see them.” 

Avalon Alegria’s sailings are sold out for 2024 and about 60% booked for next year.