Double Avalon christening marked in Holland
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Avalon Waterways christened its two new suite ships, the Avalon Vista and the Avalon Visionary, last Friday in Enkhuizen, Holland.
Nicole Mazza, chief marketing officer for US-based TravelSavers christened the Visionary and Vanessa Lee, chief executive of Cruise Strategies based in Canada christened the Vista.
More than 150 guests attended the ceremony, including Enkhuizen’s Mayor Jan Baas; Jacques den Breejen, owner of Den Breejen Shipyard, which built both ships; Burghart Lell, head of operations for Avalon Waterways and Patrick Clark, managing director of Avalon Waterways.
The christening party included a champagne reception, entertainment by two bands and a five-course captain’s dinner aboard the Vista. After dinner, guests could choose from five varieties of desserts laid out on two decks aboard the Visionary. The cruise line put on a 15-minute fireworks display to celebrate the twin christening. Avalon also hosted an inaugural cruise through Dutch waterways for both ships for travel agents and the press, who got to test-drive the passenger experience both on board and on shore excursions.
Avalon’s two new ships each have two full decks of suites, each of which has floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall windows, giving guests panoramic views of the rivers and landscapes around them. Avalon’s Suite Ships also feature a club, main lounge and dining room lined with windows offering river views.
These are the second and third Suite Ships that Avalon has launched in the past year.