(Cancelled) Travel with Our Team on a Danube River Cruise

October 22-30, 2020, priced from only $2498 per person

Call your favorite agent at The Joy of Travel today and grab your cabin. We have entry-level cabins as well as those amazing Panoramic Suites Avalon is famous for.

You've always wanted to join The Joy of Travel on our annual team trip and here's your chance. Our agents will be boarding the gorgeous Avalon Illumination for an exciting Active & Discovery Danube river cruise on October 22-30, 2020. Best of all we were able to grab some extra cabins so you can come along, too. Even better, our current promotion that honors all online discounts as well as an additional $150 off per person, free pre-paid gratuities, and a $50 onboard credit is applicable to this sailing.

Active & Discovery is a new concept in river cruises. Not only does it offer the classic experiences and excursions you expect from a luxury river cruise, but it also offers your Avalon Adventure host. Your host is able to add (at no additional charge) a bike for a scenic ride through town, Nordic walking sticks and hike to a hillside vineyard or castle. You can even join a jog or active walk through the great cities or the great outdoors. They offer yoga classes on board and optional kayaking excursions. I want to try their picnic basket lunch so Doug and I can slip away to a secluded spot and enjoy a delicious picnic on the banks of the Danube. What about you? I forgot to mention cooking classes and painting classes; the list goes on and on.

CRUISE AT-A-GLANCE

Day 1 Linz (Embarkation):Onboard welcome reception

Day 2 Engelhartszell—Schlögener Schlinge—Linz:Choice of visit to Jochenstein power station, or visit to Engelszell Abbey, or guided hike along the Danube trails; scenic cruising around the Schlögen Oxbow

Day 3 Mauthausen—Grein:In Mauthausen, choice of visit to St. Florian Monastery, or guided tour of Mauthausen Concentration Camp, or guided bike tour; guided walk in Grein, visit the historical theater and Clam Castle to meet the owner

Day 4 Spitz—Vienna:Choice of canoe tour, or bike tour from Spitz to Krems, or Wine World Experience with tasting, or local encounter showcasing regional products

Day 5 Vienna:Choice of bike tour, or jogging tour, or meet with local people, or guided tour, visit to Belvedere Palace

Day 6 Vienna:Choice of early risers guided tour, with breakfast at a Viennese café, or guided tour, see Habsburg private art collection and the Italian and Dutch Masters Gallery, or guided tour, see Habsburg private art collection and the World Museum

Day 7 Visegrád—Budapest:In Visegrád, choice of medieval knights tournament, or guided hike in Danube-Ipoly National Park, or canoe tour

Day 8 Budapest (Disembarkation):Choice of walking tour with language lesson, or guided bike tour, or city sightseeing tour

Day 9 Budapest:Your vacation ends this morning

DAY-BY-DAY ITINERARY

(B) = Breakfast   (L) = Lunch   (D) = Dinner

DAY 1

(D)

LINZ, AUSTRIA (EMBARKATION)

Welcome to Austria! Your Suite Ship® Awaits in Linz.

Flights into Linz must arrive by 3:30 pm.

Guests must be on board ship by 5 pm.

Enjoy any free time today by shopping, exploring on your own, or stop in a café for Austria’s world-famous pastries.

EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO ENGELHARTSZELL

DAY 2

(B, L, D)

ENGELHARTSZELL–SCHLÖGEN OXBOW

Memories and Beer in the Making

DISCOVERY

Join a Guided Tour to the “House by the stream” (Haus am Strom) and walk across the Danube Power-Station Jochenstein, OR:

CLASSIC

Visit the stunning rococo-style Engelszell Abbey, and explore its Sensory Garden—complete with stone labyrinth, herb garden, and vineyard. Sample cheese and beer made by the resident Trappist monks.

ACTIVE

This afternoon, enjoy a scenic Guided Hike along the Danube’s Schlögen Oxbow bend that cuts a dramatic landscape made by centuries of natural elements.

Enjoy free time on the Sky Deck this afternoon while you sail through the amazing horseshoe bend of the Danube’s Schlögen Oxbow on your way back to Linz.

Later, enjoy live entertainment on board.

OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN LINZ

DAY 3

(B, L, D)

LINZ–MAUTHAUSEN

History Lessons and Monastic Life in Austria

ACTIVE

Take a Guided Bike Tour along the Danube and discover how fertile this area is. Stop at a local farm and learn more about farming life and flood protection, OR:

CLASSIC

Visit the 9th-century St. Florian Monastery—the largest monastery in upper Austria and home to Augustine monks, OR:

CLASSIC

Join a sobering Guided Tour of Mauthausen Concentration Camp, one of the largest and most brutal Nazi camps of WWII. In the afternoon sail to Grein.

GREIN

Theater History and Modern-Day Castles

CLASSIC

Take a Guided Walk of Grein, including its historic theater, the oldest in Austria still holding regular performances.

DISCOVERY

See Burg Clam on a Guided Visit, and meet the Count of Clam during your tour.

EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO SPITZ

DAY 4

(B, L, D)

SPITZ

Take a Hike, a Canoe, or a Bike to Explore Austria’s Wine Country

ACTIVE

Paddle a canoe on a Guided Tour to see the Austrian waterways and shoreline scenery from a unique perspective, OR:

ACTIVE

Take a Guided Bike Tour from Spitz to Krems, and enjoy a stop in Dürnstein to see the mesmerizing blue Stiftskirche, and to sample local specialties, OR:

DISCOVERY

Join an interactive Wine World Experience with wine tasting, OR:

DISCOVERY

Enjoy a Guided Tour that showcases the production of regional fruits, vegetables, wine, or other products.

Relax this afternoon as you cruise toward Vienna.

This evening, perhaps join a Guided Optional Hike through the vineyards outside Vienna, with a wine tasting and dinner at a local Viennese Heurigen (Wine Tavern).

OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN VIENNA

DAY 5

(B, L, D)

VIENNA

Strauss, Schnitzel, Strudel and Sachertorte

ACTIVE

Take a Guided Bike Tour along the famed Ringstrasse and pedestrian avenues of Vienna to see the city’s highlights from a unique perspective, OR:

ACTIVE

Join a Guided Jogging Tour of the City of Music to see highlights of the gilded architecture along the way, OR:

DISCOVERY

Get an Insider’s Tour of Vienna to get behind the scenes of her sights and attractions. You will meet locals, have the chance to prepare some food, and enjoy other surprises, OR:

CLASSIC

Enjoy a Guided Sightseeing Tour of Vienna, including a tour of Belvedere Palace to see Gustave Klimt’s renowned “Kiss” painting.

Spend free time this afternoon strolling through the pedestrian Kärntnerstrasse then take a break for a piece of Sachertorte.

OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN VIENNA

DAY 6

(B, L, D)

VIENNA

A Feast for the Soul in Vienna

DISCOVERY

Enjoy a morning Guided Walking Tour to see the city in her best light, along with breakfast at a Viennese café, OR:

CLASSIC

Dive into European history and drama with a Guided Tour of the Habsburg family’s private art collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, and the Italian or Dutch master works, OR:

CLASSIC

Take a Guided Tour of the Museum of Fine Arts, followed by the World Museum Vienna, commemorating the past of the Habsburg Empire.

This evening, enjoy live entertainment on board your ship.

EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO VISEGRÁD

DAY 7

(B, L, D)

VISEGRÁD, HUNGARY

Jousting Tournaments and Dracula’s Tower

DISCOVERY

Join a Guided Excursion to the Medieval Knights Tournament at Visegrád’s Lower Castle, featuring targeting and fighting demonstrations by members of the St. George Knightly Order, OR:

ACTIVE

Take a Castle visit and scenic Hiking Tour to Count Dracula’s prison tower in Visegrád, OR:

ACTIVE

Take part in a canoe excursion through the picturesque Bend Region of the Danube for a truly unique perspective of one of the river’s most beautiful stretches.

This afternoon, relax on the Sky Deck while sailing into Budapest and enjoy magnificent views of the beautiful Parliament Building.

BUDAPEST

The Pearl of the Danube

Take some free time this afternoon to explore the vibrant and stunning city of Budapest. Enjoy a Farewell Dinner on board your ship this evening.

OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN BUDAPEST

DAY 8

(B)

BUDAPEST (DISEMBARKATION)

Bike, Walk, and Talk in Budapest

ACTIVE

See the sights from a different perspective by joining a Guided Bike Tour along the bike paths of the city, OR:

DISCOVERY

Enjoy a Guided Walking Tour combining the sights of Budapest with “Fungarian” instruction of useful local words and phrases, OR:

CLASSIC

Take a Guided Walking Tour of Budapest to see the city’s most iconic sites.

Spend free time shopping for Hungarian paprika or handcrafted souvenirs, or savor a piece of cream cake in one of the many cafés.

DAY 9

(B)

BUDAPEST

Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning.