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Your health and safety

Today’s world has changed, but what remains certain is Avalon’s commitment to your safety, comfort and peace-of-mind. To that end, we’ve established a set of enhanced onboard protocols and procedures through a new Avalon Assurance program, to ensure the health – and happiness – of our guests throughout their cruise with us.

It all starts with our Global Health & Safety Team, dedicated to ensuring that the cleanliness of all operations exceeds today’s travel standards—from start to finish.

  • New embarkation procedures to offer you a safe start to your journey
    • Social distancing throughout embarkation
    • Mandatory health screening, including touch-free temperature-check, for all guests and crew
    • Luggage disinfection prior to onboarding (with crew wearing gloves and masks)
  • Fresh air, inside and out
    • In addition to our Open-Air Balconies in every Panorama Suite, the air in our ships is not circulated between staterooms; only within an individual stateroom and mixed with fresh, outside air.
  • Blending cultural proximity with social distance
    • New social distancing guidelines for guests throughout their Avalon cruise include:
    • Reducing ship capacity as required for more space on board per guest
    • Introducing more dining venues for more dining space per person
    • Crew wearing masks for the duration of the cruise during any guest interaction
    • Providing masks for guests to wear during any event where social proximity could become an issue, including disembarkation for excursions and safety drills
    • Adjusting ratio of guides and coaches for excursions, as required
  • New technologies to ensure cleanliness
    • Electrostatic disinfecting systems
    • UV disinfecting systems
  • Touching hearts, not hands
    • Reducing risk with hands-free service, including:
    • More hand sanitising stations throughout the ship
    • Required use of hand sanitising stations when leaving the ship, returning to the ship and entering dining venues as well as entering each public/common space
    • Self-serve stations, including buffets, drinks, speciality coffees and snacks have been replaced with crew service
    • All buffets (breakfast and lunch) replaced by a full range of á la carte menu choices
    • Hourly (or more frequent) disinfection of all public areas
  • Focus on crew health
    • Ensuring a healthy crew, including:
    • Medical certificate required prior to start of contract
    • Daily temperature checks
    • Social distancing in crew living quarters
    • Regular health screenings
  • Commitment to the cleanest ships
    • Enhanced cleaning procedures throughout each ship, including these additional steps that go above-and-beyond Avalon’s already strict procedures:
    • Deep disinfection of each stateroom between cruises, using disinfectants and cleaning materials that meet the highest standards. Soft goods in each stateroom (mattress, sofa, window coverings, chairs, etc.) disinfected between cruises.
    • Disinfection of all dining areas between meals
    • Disinfection of all shared items like umbrellas, bicycles and other Adventure Center items
    • Disinfection of all goods prior to loading on the ship
    • Ongoing crew training in protective equipment use and hygiene

Avalon will continue to review and update Assurance initiatives as we make our return to the world’s waterways including adhering to – and building upon – the standards set forth by travel and health agencies across the globe, including the European Centre for Disease Prevention (ECDC), Center for Disease Control (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) and United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA).

Travel update: latest Coronavirus (COVID-19) information

When you travel with us, the welfare of all our guests is our highest priority. See our latest travel updates and policies connected to the current COVID-19 outbreak.

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Suite, safe and sound cruising

Over the last 10 years, river cruising has grown, making waves in the travel industry and proving that, when it comes to bodies of water, ships, and cities, bigger isn’t always better. Avalon Waterways has led the way with our spacious, innovative, and award-winning Suite Ships. Our travellers enjoy a more intimate experience with an appealing crew-to-passenger ratio, personalised attention, and seamless dock-and-go sightseeing at the most welcoming of ports. Combined with the highest health standards and environmentally conscious practices in the industry, an Avalon Waterways river cruise gives travellers peace of mind throughout their vacation—from embarkation to the last goodbye.