Avalon Waterways this month welcomed its first guests aboard the Avalon Alegria, a 102-passenger ship that marks the line's debut on Portugal's Douro River.
It was about time, according to the travel advisors and their clients who had long been asking the company to put one of its signature Suite Ships in the popular river cruise market.
"We are a very customer-driven brand," said Avalon Waterways president Pamela Hoffee. "We ask our guests where they want to travel next, and Portugal had been high on their list for a few years."
Demand was a key reason behind Avalon's decision to make the Douro the 12th river in its portfolio, which includes the Danube, Rhine and Rhone in Europe, the Nile in Egypt and the Peruvian Amazon in South America, among others.
While travelers are largely to thank for this new destination, known for port wine, rolling hillside vineyards and winding river bends, Hoffee said that advisors are credited with boosting sales for the Alegria's inaugural season.
"Advisors have been the key to our success here with our debut sailing year being almost sold out and 2025 being almost 60% sold already," Hoffee said. "We are incredibly thankful for the support they've given us with this new launch."
A Panorama Suite onboard the Avalon Alegria. Photo Credit: Nicole Edenedo
What makes the Alegria different
The success of the Alegria's inaugural season begs the question: Why didn't Avalon Waterways arrive on the Douro sooner. Plenty of other river cruise lines have been offering the region for years, including AmaWaterways, Viking, Tauck, Uniworld and Scenic and Emerald Cruises.
So why now? Hoffee said the reason had to do with opportunity, primarily when it comes to shipbuilding in this region.
"We had investigated the opportunity of the Douro in the past and could not build an Avalon Suite Ship with the partner that all cruise lines needed to build with at that time," Hoffee said, referring to Douro Azul, the Portuguese company that for years was the sole shipbuilder for Douro cruise vessels. Lines wanting to operate ships on the river usually worked with Douro Azul, which builds and owns the vessels and then charters them to different brands.
But recently, Hoffee said, the shipbuilding landscape changed, giving Avalon the opportunity to have a ship built in the style it wanted and that it could own and operate on the Douro.
"Our 200-square-foot Panorama Suites, with their wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling window that opens seven feet -- creating the industry's only open-air balcony -- are beloved among our guests," Hoffee said. "We didn't want to add this destination in any compromised way. As soon as we could build our own ship here, we did it."
The interior design scheme of the Alegria was headed by Avalon's go-to designer, Liane van Leeuwen, founder of Studio-L, an interior architecture and design company based in the Netherlands. Leeuwen oversees all of the interiors in Avalon's fleet, Hoffee said.
The inspiration for much of what guests see on the Alegria comes from its natural Portuguese surroundings. Since its permanent home is on the Douro, instead of moving from river to river like the rest of Avalon's European fleet, Hoffee wanted the Alegria to have a "sense of place."
"The Douro is called the 'River of Gold.' For that reason, we chose the warm tones in the Panorama Lounge and chose bright-yellow accents for the staterooms," Hoffee said. "In the Club Lounge, the shades of green are reflective of the incredible hillsides we sail through, covered in grape vines and citrus, almond and olive trees."
The dining room, which features deeper shades of blue, is inspired by the traditional azulejo tiles that come in many colors but often are blue and white.
"Liane took that traditional inspiration and elevated it to Avalon's modern and comfortable style, creating the four art installations of tiles that were produced for the ship by Gazete Azulejos in Porto," Hoffee said.
The Avalon Alegria offers two itineraries: the eight-day Vida Portugal: Vineyards & Villages Along the Douro and an 11-day version that includes three nights in Lisbon. Both itineraries sail roundtrip from Porto.
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Correction: The Avalon Alegria has capacity for 102 passengers. A previous version of this report mistakenly said the ship has 102 cabins.