Age Policy
Minimum Age Requirements
- General Cruises: The minimum age to sail with Avalon Waterways is 8 years old. Children under 8 are not permitted on any Avalon vacation.
- Booking Requirement: You must be at least 18 years old to make a reservation.
Special Itineraries: Some unique land-and-water packages have higher minimum age requirements due to the nature of the activities:
- Camino de Santiago: 12 years old.
- Victoria Falls Safari Club: 10 years old.
- Galapagos (Iberostar Grand Amazon): 10 years old.
- Chobe Princess: 7 years old (though general Avalon rules often supersede this to 8).
Supervision & Accommodations
- Minor Policy: All travelers under the age of 18 (minors) must be accompanied by an adult.
- Rooming: Minors must share accommodations with an adult.
- Responsibility: The accompanying adult is strictly responsible for the behavior, security, and supervision of the minor at all times.
Onboard Experience for Children
It is helpful to keep in mind that Avalon ships are designed for an elegant and quiet atmosphere.
- No Youth Programs: There are no dedicated kids’ clubs, babysitting services, or youth-specific entertainment programs on board.
- Atmosphere: Most passengers are seasoned travelers looking for history and culture. While children are welcome, the environment is not family-fun focused like a large ocean liner (e.g., no slides or game rooms).
Drinking Age Policy
- Standard Rule: For most cruises, the minimum age to consume or purchase alcohol is 18 years old, reflecting the local laws of the European and international regions where they sail.
- Exceptions: On itineraries involving U.S. ports or specific regions with stricter laws, this age may be raised to 21.
- Inclusions: Avalon typically includes regional wine and beer with lunch and dinner for all guests of legal drinking age.
Dining Information
Avalon Waterways is known for its FlexDining approach, which moves away from the rigid schedules and assigned seating found on traditional cruises. Instead, they focus on open-seating and varied venues to suit your mood.
Primary Dining Venues
- Panorama Dining Room: The main restaurant offering floor-to-ceiling windows. It serves a full buffet breakfast (with a made-to-order egg station), a buffet lunch, and a formal four-course dinner.
- Panorama Bistro: A more casual, intimate alternative for dinner. It often features regional specialties and tapas-style tasting portions in a relaxed atmosphere.
- Sky Grill: Located on the Sky Deck (weather permitting), this venue offers al fresco lunches with grilled favorites like burgers, hot dogs, and local meats while you watch the scenery.
- Club Lounge: A 24-hour station for premium coffees, lattes, teas, and hot chocolate, along with cookies and fresh fruit throughout the day.
Beverage Inclusions
Avalon is quite generous with their beverage package compared to many ocean lines:
- With Meals: Regional wines, beer, and soft drinks are complimentary at every lunch and dinner.
- At Breakfast: Sparkling wine (Buck’s Fizz/Mimosas) and specialty coffees are included.
- Happy Hour: On most European sailings, there is a daily Happy Hour featuring a selection of complimentary cocktails, wine, and beer.
- All Day: Complimentary soft drinks are available throughout the day, and high-quality filtered water stations (BeWell) are located around the ship.
Avalon Fresh
A standout feature of their menu is the Avalon Fresh program, created in collaboration with Austrian chefs Leo and Karl Wrenkh. This initiative focuses on high-quality, plant-forward, and healthy options:
- Includes energizing juices at breakfast.
- Features creative, high-protein vegetarian and vegan dishes at lunch and dinner.
- Ensures that guests with dietary restrictions or wellness goals don’t have to sacrifice flavor.
Special Touches
- Picnic Lunches: If you plan to spend the entire day exploring a port independently, you can request a complimentary picnic lunch to take with you.
- Afternoon Tea: Served daily around 4:00 PM in the Panorama Lounge, featuring tea, coffee, and sweet treats like cakes or sandwiches.
- Night Fare: A late-night snack buffet is usually offered in the lounge for those who stay up for local entertainment.
Fuel Surcharge Policy
Avalon Waterways, like most cruise lines under the Globus family of brands, maintains a specific policy regarding fuel surcharges to protect against significant fluctuations in oil prices.
While they strive to provide all-inclusive pricing, their terms and conditions generally include the following provisions regarding fuel:
The Right to Surcharge Clause
Avalon Waterways reserves the right to impose a fuel supplement if the price of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) fuel exceeds a certain threshold (historically around $100 per barrel).
- Amount: If triggered, the surcharge is typically a set daily rate per passenger (often between $10 and $15 USD per person, per day).
- Application: This surcharge can be applied even after a booking has been made and a deposit has been paid, provided the final payment has not yet been processed.
Price Guarantees
The most effective way to protect yourself from a fuel surcharge is to pay in full.
- Locked-In Rates: Generally, once a reservation is paid in full, Avalon cannot retroactively apply a fuel surcharge to your booking, even if fuel prices spike before your departure.
- Quotes vs. Deposits: Simply having a quote or a deposit on file does not always guarantee protection; the guaranteed price usually only kicks in once the final balance is cleared.
Where to Find the Current Status
Because fuel prices are volatile, Avalon does not always have an active surcharge in place. You can verify the current status of your specific sailing through:
- Your Invoice: Check the Taxes and Fees breakdown on your booking statement.
- Terms & Conditions: Review the Price Policy section of your travel documents or the Avalon website for the most recent WTI price threshold.
Payments / Refunds
Avalon Waterways has a structured payment and refund policy designed around fixed deadlines. To protect your investment, they highly recommend travel protection, as their standard cancellation fees are strictly enforced.
Payment Schedule
- Initial Deposit: To secure your cabin, a non-refundable, non-transferable deposit is required at the time of booking.
- Standard Cruises: $250 per person.
- Specialty Cruises (e.g., Delfin III, MS Farah): $500 per person.
Final Payment: The remaining balance is due 90 days prior to the commencement of services.
- If you book within 90 days of departure, full payment is typically required immediately to confirm the reservation.
Cancellation Fees
If you need to cancel your trip, the refund amount depends on how far in advance you notify them. The fees are calculated as a percentage of the total vacation price (excluding travel protection premiums, which are always non-refundable).
| Days Before Departure | Cancellation Fee (Per Person) |
| 90+ Days | Forfeiture of the Deposit |
| 89 – 60 Days | 35% of Total Price |
| 59 – 30 Days | 50% of Total Price |
| 29 – 1 Days | 80% of Total Price |
| Departure Day or Later | 100% of Total Price (No Refund) |
SafetyNet Protection
Avalon offers a unique SafetyNet Protection plan (usually around $149 per person) that can be purchased at the time of deposit. It provides two main benefits:
- Cancellation Protection: Allows you to cancel your cruise for any reason up to 30 days before departure with no penalty (though the SafetyNet fee itself is non-refundable).
- Transfer Protection: Allows a one-time move of your booking to a different date or itinerary in the same or following year up to 24 hours before departure without a change fee.
Revision Fees
If you need to make changes to your booking (like name corrections or changing a departure date) before the final payment date, a fee of at least $30 per person usually applies. Changes made after the final payment date are treated as a cancellation and will follow the fee schedule above.
Smoking Policy
Avalon Waterways maintains a fairly strict smoking policy to ensure the comfort of all guests, as the ships are smaller and more intimate than ocean liners.
Indoor Areas
All indoor areas of the ship are strictly non-smoking. This includes:
- All staterooms and suites
- The Panorama Lounge and Club Lounge
- The Dining Room and Bistro
- Hallways, reception, and fitness centers
Stateroom Balconies
Unlike some ocean cruise lines, smoking is not permitted on balconies (including Avalon’s signature Open-Air Balconies). Because the balcony in an Avalon Suite is essentially part of the room when the windows are open, the non-smoking policy applies to the entire suite area to prevent smoke from entering neighboring rooms or lingering in the upholstery.
Designated Smoking Areas
Smoking is only allowed in specifically designated outdoor areas. These areas are typically located:
- On the Sky Deck: Usually a designated section at the rear (aft) of the ship.
- Destination Dependent: The exact location can vary slightly depending on the ship and the region (e.g., Europe vs. the Mekong or Galapagos), but it will always be clearly marked with signage and ashtrays.
E-Cigarettes and Vaping
The same rules apply to e-cigarettes, vaporizers, and pipes. They are not permitted in staterooms or public indoor spaces and may only be used in the designated outdoor smoking sections.
Note: If a guest smokes in a non-smoking area (especially in a stateroom), Avalon reserves the right to charge a significant deep-cleaning fee to the passenger’s onboard account.
Travel Protection
Avalon Waterways offers two distinct ways to protect your trip: their flexible SafetyNet Protection and their comprehensive Trip Protection (insurance).
Here is the breakdown of how they differ and what they cover for 2026 sailings.
SafetyNet Protection
This is a low-cost, peace-of-mind product that provides flexibility rather than medical insurance. It must be purchased at the time of deposit and is non-refundable.
- Cost: Approximately $149 – $175 per person.
- Cancellation Protection: You can cancel for any reason up to 30 days before your trip begins. You will receive a refund of your trip costs (minus the SafetyNet fee and any non-refundable airfare).
- Transfer Protection: You can move your booking to another date or itinerary in the same or following year (one-time move) up to 24 hours before departure without paying a change fee.
- Best For: Travelers who aren’t worried about medical emergencies but want to be able to change their minds or reschedule easily.
Trip Protection (Insurance Plan)
This is a more traditional, comprehensive insurance policy (often through providers like Allianz or Trawick) that covers what-ifs during the actual journey.
| Coverage Type | Typical 2026 Benefits |
| Trip Cancellation | 100% of Trip Cost (for covered reasons like illness/injury) |
| Trip Interruption | 150% of Trip Cost (covers the flight home and unused cruise days) |
| Medical Expenses | Up to $50,000 – $150,000 (Primary coverage for illness/accidents) |
| Emergency Evacuation | Up to $300,000 – $1,000,000 |
| Baggage Loss/Delay | $2,000 for loss / $400 for delays |
| Travel Delay | Up to $1,000 (covers meals and hotels if your flight is delayed) |
Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR): Many Avalon-branded plans include a Cruise Credit benefit. If you cancel for a reason not listed in the policy, you may receive 100% of the cancellation penalty back as a Letter of Credit for a future cruise rather than cash.
Pre-Existing Conditions: Usually covered if the plan is purchased within 14 days of your initial deposit.
Tipping Policy
Avalon Waterways has a nuanced tipping policy that varies depending on your region of travel and your booking country. Unlike some ocean lines, they do not automatically add a daily service charge to your onboard account unless you specifically choose to prepay.
European River Cruises
For most 2026 European sailings, gratuities are not included in the base fare (unless you booked through a UK or Australian agency, where they are often bundled into the price).
- Who to Tip: It is customary to tip the Cruise Director and the Ship’s Crew (which is split among the waitstaff, cabin stewards, and galley team).
- Suggested Amounts (per person, per day):
- Cruise Director: €3 – €5
- Ship’s Crew: €12 – €15
- How to Pay: You can pay at the end of the cruise via cash (Euros) or by adding it to your shipboard account via credit card.
- Prepayment: You have the option to prepay these gratuities at the time of booking to avoid dealing with them on the ship.
Southeast Asia (Mekong), Egypt, & South America
In these regions, tipping culture is more prominent, and the distribution is slightly different.
- Mekong (Vietnam & Cambodia): Gratuities are generally not included. Suggested amounts are roughly $10–$15 USD per person, per day for the crew, and $3–$5 USD for the Cruise Director.
- Egypt (Nile): Tipping for the crew, guides, and drivers is usually handled by a gratuity kitty or prepaid to simplify the constant need for small local currency. Check your specific invoice to see if this was collected upfront.
- Galapagos & Amazon: Gratuities for the ship’s crew and naturalists are typically discretionary and paid at the end of the journey, usually totaling around $20–$25 USD per guest, per day.
Local Guides and Drivers
Regardless of the region, gratuities for Local Guides and Drivers used during shore excursions are almost never included in the cruise fare or the Prepaid Gratuities package.
- Suggested Tip: €1 – €2 for a local driver and €2 – €5 for a local guide, depending on the length and quality of the tour.
Why Avalon?
Innovative Panorama Suites
Avalon’s signature Open-Air Balconies® provide unobstructed river views and more usable living space than traditional cabins.
Relaxed, Flexible Cruising Style
Open dining, flexible excursion options, and fewer scheduled formalities allow guests to cruise at their own pace.
Immersive Shore Experiences
Avalon offers included guided excursions plus Active, Discovery, and Classic touring styles to match different interests and energy levels.
Premium Value Inclusions
Cruise fares include accommodations, meals, shore excursions, Wi-Fi, and beverages with meals, offering excellent overall value.
Destination-Focused Itineraries
Avalon sails Europe’s most iconic rivers, including the Danube, Rhine, Seine, Rhône, and more, with thoughtfully designed itineraries.
FAQ
What is included in an Avalon Waterways cruise fare?
Fares include accommodations, all meals, guided shore excursions, Wi-Fi, and complimentary beer, wine, and soft drinks with lunch and dinner.
Are shore excursions included?
Yes, Avalon includes a variety of guided excursions, with multiple touring styles available on select sailings.
Is Avalon Waterways all-inclusive?
Avalon offers a highly inclusive experience, though some optional excursions and premium beverages may incur additional cost.
What is the dress code onboard?
The dress code is casual and comfortable, with no formal nights.
Does Avalon offer Wi-Fi?
Yes, complimentary Wi-Fi is available onboard.
Are gratuities included?
Gratuities for the ship’s crew are included; tips for local guides are optional.
Is Avalon suitable for solo travelers?
Yes, Avalon offers select sailings with reduced or waived single supplements.
What kind of travelers choose Avalon Waterways?
Avalon appeals to couples, solo travelers, and culturally curious guests seeking comfort, flexibility, and immersive experiences.
Are bikes available onboard?
Yes, complimentary bicycles are available for guest use in many ports.
How large are Avalon ships?
Avalon river ships are intimate in size, typically accommodating around 160 guests.