River cruises are creating waves across the industry, helping to lead travel’s comeback. Avalon Waterways is coming off its strongest first quarter sales season ever. From witnessing a surge in bookings across France on the Seine and Rhône, to the Rhine and Moselle Rivers, to sell-out status on special interest cruises, Avalon Waterways is adding new departures to meet 2023 and 2024 river cruise demands.

“We’ve just witnessed the biggest first quarter bookings swell in our history,” said Pam Hoffee, president of Avalon Waterways. “While the Rhine River is leading this wave of interest, our most popular destination for 2023 is France. We expect both the Seine and Rhône Rivers to sell-out this year. And, thanks to an increased interest in longer journeys, we’re also enjoying a growing trend in two-week vacations, including 14- and 15-night river cruises that cover more ground like our Magnificent Europe and Grand France itineraries.”

According to Hoffee, Avalon is also experiencing a rise in off-season travel. The company’s Festive Season cruises are nearly sold-out for 2023 so the company has added two new cruises featuring some of Europe’s best Christmas Markets on the Danube, between Budapest and Vienna, in late November to provide cruisers more availability and options.

Another special interest cruise trend? Avalon Waterways’ wine-themed cruises. According to Hoffee, they’re nearly sold-out for 2023 so Avalon has added two additional wine-themed cruises that take cruisers along the postcard-perfect Rhône River through Burgundy and Provence in early- and mid-November – reaching even more cruisers in the off-season.

And, to prepare for more river cruise ripples next year, Avalon Waterways is extending its 2024 cruising season into November on the Seine and Rhône Rivers while also adding a plethora of additional departures on the Rhine and Danube Rivers, including more Festive cruises.