With the popularity of river cruising unabated in 2025, Avalon Waterways recently sampled nearly 10,000 of its passengers to compile a deep-dive look at where they are planning to, and want to, go this year, and how they expect to do it.

According to Avalon Waterways’ recent Wish List Survey, cruisers are setting their sights on Europe’s most popular rivers next year: specifically, 51% are eager to sail through Switzerland and Germany on the Rhine while 39% are eager to set sail on French waterways, including the Seine, Rhône, Saône, Garonne and Dordogne Rivers. Rounding out the top three, 33% say they want to discover Portugal on the Douro River.

Who’s Onboard?

 While 60% of past Avalon cruisers plan to travel with a partner, there’s a growing wave of interest in cruising with friend groups (27%) and on their own as solo travellers (12%).

Off-Season

Further, according to survey results, Avalon’s cruisers are increasingly interested in ditching peak-season crowds and embracing the off-season, with 75% saying they want to book fall and winter sailings.

Longer cruises

 Finally, of those 10,000 survey respondents, nearly 50% said the ideal length of a river cruise is 10 to 12 days. This year, Avalon Waterways unveiled 16 new itineraries that stretch beyond the traditional, weeklong getaway.

“The pent-up desire for long-haul travel, combined with an increased interest in garnering more mileage out of air costs, as well as the rise in remote work are contributing factors to this post-pandemic travel trend,” said Pam Hoffee, president of Avalon Waterways. “Today’s cruisers have a stronger interest – and broader abilities – to make the most of their time away.

For more, travel advisors can visit www.traveladvisorportal.ca.

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