Search Travel Market Report

mainlogo
www.travelmarketreport.com
  • News
  • Tours & Packages
  • Cruise
  • Hotels & Resorts
  • Destinations
  • Retail Strategies
  • Niche & Luxury
  • Well-Being Travel
  • Training & Events
  • Who We Are
    • Anne Marie Moebes
    • Brian Israel
    • Dan McCarthy
    • Denise Caiazzo
    • Marilee Crocker
    • Paul M. Ruden
    • Dori Saltzman
    • Kelly Fontenelle

Godmother Meredith Vieira Names Avalon View in Bratislava

by Dori Saltzman / April 13, 2022
Godmother Meredith Vieira Names Avalon View in Bratislava

Meredith Vieira and Avalon Waterways's Pam Hoffee.  Photo: Dori Saltzman. 


Under a bright blue Bratislava sky, next to the sparkling blue Danube, TV personality, journalist and original “The View” co-host Meredith Vieira officially named Avalon Waterway’s newest Suite Ship. As the bottle of Slovakian sparkling wine smashed against the hull, the ship transformed from lot number 02338024 to Avalon View.  

“Such beauty as this magnificent vessel now begins its river journey… May all aboard her travel safely with eyes wide open to the wonders that await… I now christen thee, the Avalon View,” Vieira said before cutting the rope that held the bottle high above the ship’s bow. 

Joining Vieira were Pam Hoffee, the newly named president of Avalon Waterways; Steve Born, chief marketing officer of the Globus family of brands; executives from the Den Breejen shipyard where Avalon View was built; and a contingent of Globus employees, travel advisors, and media from around the world.

“A christening symbolizes a new beginning and 2022 is a new beginning for all of us,” Hoffee said during opening remarks before the crowd moved outside for the breaking of the bottle. “It’s a chance to get back to the world and all of its wonder. A chance to say yes to adventure and life-enhancing memories. We’re thrilled to be here in Bratislava.”

Saying yes, Hoffee added, is what Avalon Waterways is asking travelers to start doing again. “That’s our mantra for 2022. Just say yes to travel, to new ideas, to exploration. That’s really been at the heart of this event.”

Two Year Wait
Originally scheduled to debut in April 2020, Avalon View has been in wet dock for the past two years awaiting its debut.

“The waiting for the two years for everything has been painful in many ways,” Hoffee told Travel Market Report. “But there were good things that came from waiting. It makes everything so much more special once it happens. And there were chances to do things in a different way as we made our plans.”

The scheduled 2020 naming was set to take place in Vienna, but during the pause, Avalon changed direction and chose to hold it in a city they’d never named a ship in before.

“We chose to do it in Bratislava. And, when we were picking the docking location, we picked to have it in the new part of the city, which is symbolic of emerging and something new,” Hoffee added.

Vieira, too, has been waiting for her role as godmother to begin, having been named to the position in 2019. 

Vieira, who is traveling onboard Avalon View for a four-day preview sailing with her daughter and future son-in-law had never been on a cruise before. Neither ocean nor river. 

“My first impression of the ship was it’s beautiful. It’s striking,” she told Travel Market Report.  “It’s very classy and elegant, yet warm.”

After a few days on board, she’s sold on the idea of river cruising and has already started looking into her next sailing.

“I think it’s fabulous,” she said at a small gathering with the media. “It’s so warm and inviting. I love the size of the ship. You feel like you’re part of a family. There’s an intimacy to it that’s really lovely. I use this word immersion a lot, but I really feel like I’m immersed in the culture around me because of the fact that we’re constantly stopping in these wonderful little towns along the way and you have an opportunity to do so many different things.”

The 16th ship in Avalon’s fleet, Avalon View is nearly identical to its fleet mates. The 443-foot, 166-passenger vessel has 83 cabins, 80% of which are Panorama Suites. Unique to Avalon, Panorama Suites feature an 11-foot-wide wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling window with a door that opens a full seven-feet, turning the entire suite into an open-air balcony. 

Avalon View will spend all of its 2022 season on the Danube River offering six- to 22-day itineraries including “Taste of the Danube,” “Danube Symphony,” “Active & Discovery on the Danube,” and “Gone Girl!” (a storyteller sailing with celebrity host, Gillian Flynn).

  18
  0
Related Articles
Steel Is the Latest Supply Chain Disruption Impacting the Cruise Industry
Flavours for Foodies: A Culinary Guide to European River Cruises
MSC Cruises to Christen Newest Ship Seascape in New York City
5 Small Things that Make a Big Difference on Avalon Waterways
How Is the War in Ukraine Affecting the European River Cruise 2022 Season?
Why Viking Cruises Is Still the Standard on Rivers
Advisors and Suppliers Gratefully Gather in Budapest for ASTA’s Inaugural Global River Cruise Expo
12 Insider Tips for Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas
First Look: Cunard Reveals Details of Newest Ship, Queen Anne
AmaWaterways Hasn’t Changed 2022 Itineraries Yet, But Will ‘If Necessary’

MOST VIEWED

Brought To You By
  1. A&K Purchases Crystal Ships, Revives Crystal Cruises Brand
  2. CDC Adds Three Caribbean Destinations to “High-Risk” COVID-19 List
  3. Travel to Italy Is Officially Back to Normal
  4. Viking Drops Onboard & Pre-Cruise COVID-19 Testing
  5. Three Cruise Lines Bring Masks Back in Alaska
  6. How Travel Advisors Can Cope With Chaos in Air Travel

MOST EMAILED

Brought To You By
  1. Travel to Italy Is Officially Back to Normal
  2. Report: U.S. to End COVID-19 Air Travel Testing Requirement
  3. A&K Purchases Crystal Ships, Revives Crystal Cruises Brand
  4. Japan Could Boot Tourists Who Disobey COVID-19 Rules
  5. Viking Drops Onboard & Pre-Cruise COVID-19 Testing
  6. Bahamas Eliminates Travel Health Visa, But COVID Test Requirement Remains
rental escapes
TMR Subscription

Subscribe today to receive daily in-depth coverage, analysis of industry news, trends and issues that affect how you do business. Subscribe now for free.

Subscribe to TMR

Top Stories
How the COVID-19 Pandemic Changed Safari Bookings
How the COVID-19 Pandemic Changed Safari Bookings

As bookings for African safaris surge, new trends are emerging. 

Read...
SeaDream Yacht Club Opens Entire 2024 Med Season
SeaDream Yacht Club Opens Entire 2024 Med Season

Between the line's two mega-yachts, SeaDream will call on 86 unique ports across 16 countries.

Read...
AmaWaterways Adds Second River Cruise Ship to Egypt
AmaWaterways Adds Second River Cruise Ship to Egypt

River cruise line AmaWaterways is expanding its Egypt offering, adding a second ship to the Nile River in 2024. 

Read...
5 Things to Understand About Emerald Azzurra
5 Things to Understand About Emerald Azzurra

Interested in selling a cruise on Emerald Azzurra to your clients? Here's what you need to know first. 

Read...
L’oscar London, London’s Newest Boutique Hotel, Offers French Luxury in Holborn
L’oscar London, London’s Newest Boutique Hotel, Offers French Luxury in Holborn

L’oscar London is the newest hotel from Michel Reybier Hospitality.

Read...
The Four Seasons Will Take Over Venice’s Historic Hotel Danieli
The Four Seasons Will Take Over Venice’s Historic Hotel Danieli

The hotel, whose structure goes back to the end of the 14th century, is one of the city’s most notable properties. 

Read...
TMR OUTLOOKS & WHITE PAPERS
CP White Paper
Multi-Gen Outlook
Distribution Outlook (1)
New to Cruise Outlook
Expedition 2020
River Cruise Outlook 2019
View All
Advertiser's Voice
https://img.youtube.com/vi/QTPIinGDcIY/0.jpg
Video: Can Booking Bachelor and Bachelorette Party Groups Be Profitable for Advisors?
About Travel Market Report Mission Editorial Staff Advisory Board Advertise
TMR Resources Webinars Calendar of Events
Subscribe to TMR
Select Language
Do You Have an Idea Email
editor@travelmarketreport.com
Give Us a Call
1-(516) 730-3097
Drop Us a Note
Travel Market Report
71 Audrey Ave, Oyster Bay, NY 11771
News|Leisure Travel|Land Vacations|Cruise|Canada Retail Strategies|Well-Being|Luxury|Training
© 2005 - 2022 Travel Market Report, an American Marketing Group Inc. Company All Rights Reserved | 243 South Street, Oyster Bay, NY, 11771 USA | Telephone (516) 730-3097| Terms and Conditions
Cookie Policy Privacy Policy