Avalon Sends Guests up the River with World-Famous Storytellers
The famous waterways of Europe come to life with depth and imagination as guests travel with best-selling authors
Avalon Waterways will be running a new, celebrity-hosted Storyteller Series, inviting travel enthusiasts to turn the page on their vacation plans and step into a novel world of the well-considered word. The planned series allows river cruisers enjoy a Suite Ship sail through time and tales in storybook settings with chart-topping troubadours and capture insider narratives outside the pages of novels, scripts and song lyrics.
Confirmed storytellers on these 2021 and 2022 sailings include world-renowned authors and musicians. They are:
– Diana Gabaldon, international bestselling author of the Outlander novels
– Candace Bushnell, international bestselling author of the Sex in the City anthology
– Cheryl Strayed, international bestselling author of Wild
– Gillian Flynn, international bestselling author of Gone Girl- Christopher Moore, international bestselling comic fantasy novelist
– Edwin McCain, Billboard-topping singer-songwriter
“Our new, exclusive Storyteller Series invites travelers to enhance the storytelling tapestry of their lives by embarking on incredible, ‘once upon a river’ vacations,” said Pam Hoffee, managing director of Avalon Waterways. “Through this special series of sailings, Avalon guests get to spend a week in Europe with their favorite storytellers. They’re invited to meet legends in legendary landscapes.
“Our special Storyteller Series departures invite travelers to enjoy an intimate experience on board Avalon’s signature Suite Ships, featuring the industry’s only Panorama Suites and Open-Air Balconies. On each sailing, with no more than 160 fellow travelers, fans of our celebrity hosts will be privy to special gatherings – from book-signings to concerts and Q&A sessions – not to mention, off-the-cuff opportunities to interact with their host, while on ship or in port.”
Yarns will be spun along Avalon Waterways’ Europe’s most popular waterways – the Rhine, Danube and Seine Rivers. The series schedule starts with a particularly apt focus on time travel:
THROUGH THE STONES: Disappear on a Magical Sailing with Diana Gabaldon
Get insider stories from “Outlander” Author Diana Gabaldon, on a week-long Romantic Rhine cruise. Disappear in the magic of this river that gifts you a sail through fabled, fairytale lands. Departing October 30, 2021 (rescheduled from June 2020).
SEX & THE CITY OF LIGHTS: Sail the Storied Seine River with Candace Bushnell
Calling all Carries, Samanthas, Charlottes and Mirandas … sail the Seine River from Paris to Le Havre with stylish storyteller Candace Bushnell and fall in love with storybook scenery on this Suite Ship sailing through France. Departing July 19, 2022.
WILD & WHIMSEY ON THE WATER: Suite Sailing Down the Legendary Danube with Cheryl Strayed
Dear Sugars … pin, plot and plan a sweet, Suite Ship sailing from Budapest to Deggendorf with lyrical legend, Cheryl Strayed. Let imagination and improvisation be your guide on this adventure through craggy cliffs, terraced vineyards and tradition-rich villages. This is an Active & Discovery on the Danube itinerary, departing July 22, 2022.
GONE GIRL!: Come Sail Away with Gillian Flynn
She’s known for her runaway hits – Gone Girl, Sharp Objects and Dark Places – and now, Gillian Flynn is inviting travelers to run away to the Danube River. Hear her twisted narratives while winding along the Danube from Budapest to Prague, discovering the Old World in new ways. This is an Active Discovery on the Danube itinerary, departing September 14, 2022.
STORYBOOK SCENERY, SATTIRE & SARCASM: Sail Away & Make Memories with Christopher Moore
The Rhine isn’t just a river for poets, princes and painters … it’s a river for satirical scribes. If you’re looking for more Christopher Moore in your life (the writer who imagined Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff), you’re invited for a meander through storied scenery – from Basel to Amsterdam – with comic spin. Romantic Rhine or Rhine & Rhône Revealed itineraries, departing September 20, 2022.
I’LL BE … ROMANCING THE RHINE: Sweet Tunes on a Suite Sailing with Edwin McCain
Sail the romantic Rhine River with “great American romantic,” Edwin McCain, the tireless troubadour who’s known for leaving his heart on the road (or, in this case, river). This is an Active & Discovery on the Rhine itinerary, departing May 3, 2022.
