Flowing Praise
Almost as rewarding as the wide smiles of our guests is the wide recognition we receive from readers of travel publications and travel industry experts alike. While your happiness is our greatest reward, it’s always nice to be recognized with awards like “Best New Ship,” “Best Cabins,” “Best Dining,” and “Top European River Cruise Ship Line.” We’re proud to chart new courses in the best river cruise experiences on the world’s magnificent waterways. Join us on the legendary rivers of Europe, Southeast Asia, India, or South America to see why cruisers, readers, and reviewers know that happiness flows on Avalon Waterways.
Awards | Affiliations | Sustainable Travel | Tourism Cares/Cambodia Project
Awards
Cruise Critic
2019
- Cruisers' Choice Award Top European River Cruise Ship Line
- Editors' Pick Best Shore Excursions
- Cruisers’ Choice Award Top 10 River Cruise Ships - Avalon Imagery II®, Avalon Expression®, Avalon Poetry II®, Avalon Tapestry II®
2018
- Best River Cruise Line Cabins
2017
- Best River Cruise Line Cabins
2016
- Best River Cruise Line Cabins
2015
- Best River Cruise Line Cabins
2010
Cruise Report
2017
- Best River Cruise Accommodations - Avalon VistaSM - Panorama Suite
- Best Panorama Lounge - Avalon VistaSM
USA Today 10Best
2019
- Avalon Waterways ranked in the top 10 River Cruise Lines in USA Today's 10Best 2019 readers' choice awards.
- Avalon Envision® ranked in the top 10 River Cruise Ships in USA Today's 10Best 2019 readers' choice awards.
2018
- Avalon Waterways ranked in the top 10 River Cruise Lines in USA Today's 10Best 2018 readers' choice awards.
2017
- Avalon Waterways ranked in the top 10 River Cruise Lines in USA Today's 10Best 2017 readers' choice awards.
2015
- Avalon Waterways ranked in the top 10 River Cruise Lines in USA Today's 10Best 2015 readers' choice awards.
Travel Weekly Readers Choice Awards
2011
- Best River Cruise Ship (Avalon PanoramaSM)
Sherman's Travel
2011
- Best River Ship Debut (Avalon PanoramaSM)
Travel Weekly Magellan Awards
2011
- Silver Winner/Cruise Ship: Advertising/Marketing Campaign (Avalon PanoramaSM)
- Silver Winner/Cruise Ship: Overall River Cruise Ship (Avalon PanoramaSM)
- Silver Winner/Cruise Ship: Overall River Cruising (Avalon Waterways)
2009
- Gold Winner/Cruise Ship: Best Overall River Cruising
- Silver Winner/Cruise Ship: River Cruise Ship (Avalon Affinity®)
- Silver Winner/Cruise Ship: Marketing Campaign (Virtual Tours)
Conde Nast Traveler
2018
2016
- Finalist - Top River Cruises
2015
- Finalist - Top River Ships
2014
2013
- Top 40 Cruise Ships 2013 (Avalon Creativity®)
2012
- Top 5 Best River Cruise Lines
- Top 40 Cruise Ships 2012 (Avalon Scenery®)
2011
- Top 5 Best River Cruise Lines
2010
2009
- Gold List
- Top Cruise Ships 2009
2008
- Voted a Top 10 Small-Ship Cruise Line in 2008 Reader's Choice awards
Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel
2009
- Best Value in River Cruising
Travel + Leisure World's Best Awards
2019
- Avalon Waterways ranked in the top 10 among River Cruises in Travel + Leisure's World's Best Awards 2019 readers' survey.
2013
- Avalon Waterways ranked in the top 10 among River Cruises in Travel + Leisure's World's Best Awards 2013 readers' survey.
2011
- Avalon Waterways ranked in the top 5 among River Cruises in Travel + Leisure's World's Best Awards 2011 readers' survey.
2010
- Avalon Waterways ranked in the top 5 among River Cruises in Travel + Leisure's World's Best Awards 2011 readers' survey.
2009
- Top 10 Small-Ship Cruise Line - #2
2007
- Top 10 Small-Ship Cruise Line
Travel Age West WAVE Awards
2019
- River Cruise Line with the Highest Client Satisfaction
- Best New River Cruise Ship (Avalon SaigonSM)
- Best River Cruise Onboard Dining
- Best River Cruise Suites
- Best River Cruise Line for Families
2011
- Best New River Cruise Ship (Avalon Luminary®)
2009
- "Editor's Pick" for Best Overall Cruise Line for River Cruising
2008
- "Editor's Pick" for River Cruising
2007
- Best Trade Advertising Campaign
- "Editor's Pick" for River Cruising
Affiliations
Avalon Waterways is a proud member of the following associations:
Sustainable Travel
Avalon is committed to minimizing its impact on the environment and to reducing its dependence on non-renewable resources. In this endeavor, we have implemented policies to support this mission and are working carefully to enhance our products with this mission and our values combined. We are committed to complying with all relevant legislation and/or regulations.
Avalon maintains a policy of "Leave Only Footprints and Take Only Photos". Our staff and major service providers strive to ensure that no removal of any natural or cultural artifacts or materials to ensure our environment looks and functions the same before and after our visit. Our cruise directors educate passengers on our "do no harm" code of conduct to ensure that the passengers comply.
Avalon Traveler Icons: Cambodia Project
Kailyan Mith program Siem Reap; part of the ChildSafe Network
Visiting Cambodia can be a life-changing experience. Two things that visitors remember are the amazing archaeological treasures and the Cambodian people. Their warm, friendly personalities truly leave a lasting impression-as do their touching stories. Today, there is no story more important to tell than the growing number of children living in poverty.
Siem Reap, with its proximity to the temples of Angkor, has developed into a major tourism center in Cambodia. In 2013, Cambodia saw 4.2 million tourists and over half of these visitors arrived through Siem Reap. This recent growth in tourism has brought a good deal of wealth to the city, which has led a growing number of impoverished families to move to the city from surrounding villages in hopes of a better life. Often unprepared and with few employable skills, the hope for economic opportunities has instead increased the number of children, families, and mothers with small babies begging or selling souvenirs to tourists on the streets and around the temples.
To respond to these challenges, Avalon, in partnership with Tourism Cares, is proud to help fund the ChildSafe Network. Initiated by Friends-International, this powerful, proven program enlists the tourism community, both local and international, to support the welfare, advancement, and safety of children.
In Siem Reap, the ChildSafe Network is run by the Friends-International program Kaliyan Mith, which offers a comprehensive range of services and projects. This includes outreach to children and youth living on the streets, providing a safe space for young people through drop-in centers, an educational center and school re-integration, vocational training and employment for youth and their parents, and the provision of temporary accommodation through a transitional home. The program also includes awareness-raising campaigns where child begging is especially prominent as well as a 24/7 ChildSafe Emergency Hotline.
Avalon is a firm believer in this mission. Education is the key-not only for the children but for all visitors, and we do all we can to ensure that the begging lifestyle is not promoted on our journeys that visit Siem Reap and the rest of Asia.
