Avalon Alegria Review - International Traveller

Avalon Waterways has introduced its first ship on the Douro, Portugal’s majestic historical river. We boarded Avalon Alegria to see how she stacks up.

The 16th ship in the Avalon fleet is in some ways very unlike like the others yet, in the most important ways, the same as the 15 that came before her.

The Douro does not accommodate the typical 135-metre ship as the locks are smaller. Therefore, Alegria is 80 metres in length with a max of just 102 passengers versus the 166-passenger capacity of the others. But when it comes to Avalon’s signature quality of service and experiences, it delivers the same standard as the rest of its fleet.

Alegria translates to ‘happy’ in Portuguese, we spent four nights onboard to figure out just how happy it could make guests.

About Avalon Waterways

Avalon has built a reputation around three core guest commitments.

the Avalon Alegria cruising down the Douro River, Portugal — Avalon Waterways unveils *Avalon Alegria* on the Duoro River, Portugal.

First, the hardware (industry talk for the ship, interior spaces rooms, et al.) is designed to be as immersive as possible with an emphasis on making sure every view from any part of the ship welcomes the outside in and vice versa. The logic is pretty straightforward; you don’t board a river cruise ship to look internally.

This is best expressed in the floor-to-ceiling windows throughout and its 2011 innovation of in-suite sliding doors that create a balcony without sacrificing floor space. This is the Panorama Suite for which they are famous.

the Panorama Suite onboard Avalon Alegria — Panorama Suites feature open-air balconies.

The second is around choices.

There are no set dining times as per other river cruise ships but you can dine between 7pm and 8:30pm and receive a full meal. The flexible dining room configurations means there are mostly tables for two and then you can combine if you find friends with whom you want to share a meal.

Or alternatively, the Bistro Dining option in the lounge is more tapas style than the formal dining room. Breakfast in your suite is also available and the in-room coffee table can be lowered or raised depending on how you choose to use it.

the Panorama Dining Room onboard Avalon Alegria — The dining room onboard *Avalon Alegria* has special sound-absorbent structures so guests can enjoy lively conversations (depends on how many complimentary wines you have right?).

But the choices are not just around food. There are seemingly endless bedding options – three different pillow styles and you can request four different levels of bed firmness, from fluffy cloud to concrete slab (my words, not theirs). That is a lot of choice.

The third and final pillar is the mix of excursions that offer classic, active and discovery options. Each of these is designed to give passengers a choice to suit their particular travel style or mood on any given day.

the cosy seating area onboard Avalon Alegria — *Avalon Alegria*‘s Panorama Lounge has a mix of large lounge settings for groups of friends or more cozy lounges for couples.

This review is divided into the following if you wish to jump ahead:

Panorama Lounge
Dining Room
Club Lounge
Sky Lounge
Rooms and Suites
Excursions
Food and beverages
Sustainability
Gym
Itineraries
What we loved
What we would change

Panorama Lounge

The heart of Avalon Alegria, the lounge is as it should be: a relaxed space perfect for a pre-dinner drink or after-dinner drink and boogie.

Seating for about 100 is spread across tables and lounge chairs plus squares of three-seater- sofas for larger groups. The palette is beige and cream with velvet chocolate ottomans.

the Panorama Lounge onboard Avalon Alegria — Relax with a drink, bistro-style tapas meal or late-night jive in the luxe Panorama Lounge.

The dance floor takes pride of place. And true to the Avalon DNA, the bar is tucked into a small corner of the lounge so to not depreciate the view.

In pursuit of the choices mantra, there is an extensive selection of included cocktails at happy hour – think Cosmopolitan, Margarita’s and Old Fashioned or a good ol’ G&T or V&T.

the Panorama Lounge & Bar, Avalon Alegria — Pull up a chair at the Panorama Lounge & Bar.

The Panorama Lounge does have an additional al fresco space at the very bow of the ship. Cinnamon chocolate outdoor tables and chairs, plus a delightful lover’s swing, make for a great ‘front porch’ experience. Much like the Club Lounge (see below) but al fresco, the outdoor area lends itself to soaking in the spectacular scenery or lazing on the swing with a book.

Club Lounge

Tucked into the very back of the ship, Avalon has chosen not to turn this sought-after real estate into suites but a small lounge. Open 24 hours the coffee machine makes a wicked hot chocolate and there is a constant supply of muffins, double chocolate chip cookies and nuts.

The BeWell water station is novel. Serving up flavoured ‘wellness’ water drinks like the Body Guard; Lime + Ginger or something called Magnesium Mineralised Water that BeWell describes as “Water, but better".

The green lounges and tables and chairs make a relaxing and inviting space that guests utilise for everything from the 2am jet lag tea to breakfast and an afternoon spent relaxing with a book.

green chairs and tables with panoramic windows at the club lounge, Avalon Alegria — Cosy up with a drink in hand at the Club Lounge.

Dining Room

The dining room is awash with vivid blues and lilacs. The room is divided by a centre bench seat dotted with tables designed for a couple that can then be pushed together to make larger seating configurations.

At the far end is the service area for the breakfast and lunch buffet.

In a nod to the location, four large round Portuguese tile artworks are hung on the walls. Careful consideration has been given to sound so the ceiling above the main bench seating has wooden slats designed to keep ambient sound to a minimum, allowing pleasant conversations to be had without the need to yell.

Sky Lounge

The signature experience of any river cruise is enjoying the rooftop deck while playing spot a castle, church or cellar door. Alegria has an added couple of highlights worth mentioning.

the Sky Deck with chairs and sun umbrellas — Weather permitting, the open-air grill is used for a BBQ dinner twice on each sailing of the Duoro River.

The heated pool is a worthy guest service. Unfortunately during our stay, relentless rain didn’t inspire a dip.

the rooftop pool onboard Avalon Alegria — The scenery is even better from the heated pool on the Sky Deck.

The other highlight, again not realised thanks to the precipitation, is the grill area. In better weather, a barbecue on the Sky Lounge will be a highlight.

the rooftop deck with sun loungers, Avalon Alegria — The loungers on *Avalon Alegria*‘s Sky Deck are suited to Portugal’s warm temperatures.

Rooms and Suites

There are two room types onboard Alegria, 37 of the signature Panorama Suites and 14 Deluxe Staterooms for a potential total of 102 guests.

Deluxe Stateroom

The entry-level Deluxe Stateroom is on the bottom deck at water level. The elevated window gives you a swimmer’s view of the river flowing past.

At 172-180 square feet (16-16.7 square metres) Avalon claims they are offering a far bigger space than its competitive set.

The Deluxe Stateroom is much the same clever floor plan of the Panorama Suite with the bathroom placed behind the bedhead offering a sizable WC space.

Panorama Suite

The signature Panorama Suite is cleverly designed to maximise space. The queen-sized bed faces the floor-to-ceiling three-metre sliding doors. The door retracts two-thirds of the way to form a balcony (there is a verandah structure on the outside to form the barrier) again, bringing the outside into the space.

The bed is on a slight angle, so the bathroom widens at the shower well to form a spacious shower.

the Panorama Suite with views of the Douro River, Portugal — Panorama Suite ushers in dreamy river cruise vistas; the essence of a river cruise.

A single adjustable shower head (no rainwater shower head) has great pressure and temperature controls. L’Occitane pump bottles ensure high-grade toiletries without the single-use plastics (see Sustainability below for more).

Avalon Alegria Panorama Suite bathroom — The suites come with a spacious bathroom and oversized shower.

The beds can be configured as two queen singles or a queen double against the wall. Meanwhile, up to four suitcases can fit under the bed and the hanging cupboard accommodates roughly 20 items of clothing on coat hangers plus five shelves.

the bed facing the curtains at the Panorama Suite, Avalon Alegria — Check into the cosy Panorama Suite. (Image: Quentin Long)

A lounge chair swivels to either face the large wall-mounted television (it’s on a bracket that can swing out to face the bed), the view through those magnificent floor-to-ceiling windows or (when they are retracted) the great outdoors, or the 1.5-seater lounge.

a close-up shot of the bed at the Panorama Suite, Avalon Alegria — The Panorama Suite is complete with modern amenities. (Image: Quentin Long)

Meanwhile, the adjustable table can be set high to accommodate a laptop or low for a bottle of wine, glasses or breakfast.

the adjustable table with water and wine glasses, Panorama Suite, Avalon Alegria — The in-room adjustable table has all you need to get yourself comfortable. (Image: Quentin Long)

And finally, the bed has the aforementioned four firmness settings and the housekeeping staff can offer you three different sizes and types of pillows from wafer-thin to plush trampolines for the head.

the bed at the Panorama Suite, Avalon Alegria — Choose between three different types of pillows and four different bed firmness’ onboard *Avalon Alegria*. (Image: Quentin Long)

Food and Beverage

The food and beverage are slightly hit-and-miss (understandable on a first sailing). It is more hit than miss and the failsafe always available “alternative options" do make sure you can always find something to please.

Breakfast and lunch in the dining room are buffet style or guests can choose from the small a la carte option.

The a la carte breakfast menu has four options including a classic eggs benedict or breakfast wrap. The buffet option is the typical breakfast buffet ranging from pastries, fruit, yoghurts, cold meats and cheese plus the usual hot inclusions of bacon, sausages and an eggs and pancake station.

Lunch standard a la carte options are Caesar salad, burger, cheeseburger and veggie burger. Items from the buffet that we enjoyed included a white cabbage and cumin seed salad, roast lamb, roast veal and creamy Portuguese-style clam chowder.

Dinner is al a carte. The menu typically has three starters, two soups, four main courses and five desserts. Again, leaning into their determination to offer choices, aside from the daily menu the always available “alternative options" are Caesar salad for starters and for main grilled chicken breast, beef tenderloin or salmon with sides of the day.

Matching wines are served complimentary during the dinner service and the Avalon team have crafted an impressive local list. We enjoyed a huge variety of Portuguese wines that is fair to say will not be arriving in Australia anytime soon. For example, a zesty Arinto dos Acores from the Azore islands.

It is worth noting that the Douro is different to other European rivers in that the locks are not open overnight, so ships stay docked for an evening. Therefore, depending on the village, you can venture into the local restaurants. Specific mention for Bomfin 1896 in Pinhão.

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Shore Excursions

Shore excursions come in three categories: Classic, Active and Discovery.

They do what they say on the tin.

Classic is an overview of a destination and is typically very relaxed and easy to walk.

Active tours are more energetic so think kayaking, biking and hiking.

Discovery is more immersive with greater insightful experiences like meeting a countess on a historic vineyard or a wine museum in Porto.

scenic views during a shore excursion with Avalon Waterways onboard Avalon Alegria — Explore the towns and villages with the excursion program. (Image: Quentin Long)

The Active excursions for the Douro are still being assembled.

Our Discovery and Classic excursions were outstanding. The highlights included a tour of the historic Casa dos Viscondes da Várzea house and vineyards with the enigmatic Countess Maria Manuel Cyrne and a walking tour of the medieval wonder and birthplace of Portugal, Guimarães.

the view of rolling vineyards from the Avalon Alegria ship — Wake up to panoramic views of rolling vineyards.

Gym

It’s there, it’s tiny. Observe the sunken treadmill that allows those taller than a typical Portuguese waiter to run without the threat of bumping their head.

You are encouraged to take the mats and TheraBand to the SkyLounge to exercise in the open air.

Sustainability

Avalon tells us that their shipbuilder claims Alegria is the most sustainable ship on the Douro largely due to Alegria using the latest generation engine that meets the Stage V emission standards set out by the EU.

In addition to the lowest possible emissions from the engine, a power lock system allows the engines to be turned off while docked, which partnered with low-energy LED lighting does reduce the requirement for generating electricity.

The waste management has been greatly improved with no single-use plastics and a 95 per cent reduction in paper (think daily itineraries are now on the app, etc.) plus a recycle and reuse system conducted by the staff.

the Avalon Alegria ship cruising along the Douro Valley, Portugal — Venture into the Douro Valley with *Avalon Alegria*.

And finally, Avalon does offset every passenger’s journey; two trees are planted for every passenger via the Trees4Travel initiative. A worthy effort.

Further, Avalon is part of the Globus Family of Brands that have the Lighthouse Project. Through the Lighthouse Project, they support some worthwhile initiatives to better the planet, people and places.

This is visible onboard where your earpiece for the ‘Whispers’ audio guides is delivered in bags made by Landmine Designs, a charity that employs women at risk of being trafficked in Cambodia to make jewellery and textiles. See all the Lighthouse Project work here.

Disappointingly for everyone and despite their best efforts Avalon has said they will not meet their stated objective of having a zero-emission ship on a river by 2027. The battery technology has unfortunately not evolved fast enough to meet their ambitions.

the Avalon Alegria ship on the Douro river, Portugal — *Alegria* is the most sustainable ship on the Douro. (Image: Quentin Long)

Itineraries

The itinerary for Alegria is eight days, seven nights from Porto to Porto.

There is a three-day pre-departure Lisbon extension available.

What we loved about the Alegria

The overall aesthetic design and comfort were relaxed luxury at its best. The team and excursions were excellent.

The Douro is a magnificent region almost custom-built for river cruising.

It was such a pleasure to cruise on and we were left wanting more, particularly remarkable considering we had rain the entire trip.

the reception area at the Avalon Alegria — Relaxed luxury is at the heart of the *Avalon Alegria* experience.

What we would change

The food could be a little fresher with less overpowering sauces. Having said that, there were enough choices to keep us interested.

Temperatures are soaring this summer, breaking records across Europe and the UK.

Euro summer is a feeling like no other. But when a heatwave hits? The dream trip quickly turns into a sweaty mess. Extreme heat is sweeping Europe and the UK this week, with record-high temperatures impacting travel plans across the continent.

And while Australian summers are typically hotter in absolute temperature, many European cities aren’t equipped for high temperatures, resulting in unbearable weather.

Why is it so hot in Europe?

Signs of a hot summer loomed in May, when the mercury hit unprecedented spring highs. Now, extreme high temperature warning alerts have been issued in countries such as Spain, Italy, France, England, the Netherlands and Germany.

France saw its hottest day on record on Wednesday, with an average temperature of 30°C across the day and night. This surpasses the average temperature for June, which is 15°C to 25°C. Dozens of people have died, including 40 from drowning.

In Spain, 212 deaths have been linked to the heatwave.

The UK recorded its hottest June day ever on Wednesday with temperatures soaring to 36.1°C. In an article published by the Met Office – the UK’s national meteorological service – Professor Stephen Belcher CBE, Met Office Chief Scientist, shared his concerns about June’s heat. “To see temperatures like this in the UK in June is sobering. Events like this bring home the implications of climate change, with very high temperatures and humidity bringing significant health implications from heat stress, as well as impacts to a range of sectors such as transport, energy and water supply,” he said.

Heatwaves are becoming increasingly common in Europe and the UK, neither of which is prepared for such extremes. The World Meteorological Organization reported that in 2025, at least 95% of Europe experienced above-average annual temperatures and that the continent was heating up twice as fast as the global average.

How travel is impacted

A pharmacy sign displaying 40 degrees Celcius — A pharmacy broadcasting local weather data. (Credit: Getty/Dragoncello)

During a heatwave, power grids, water systems and transport networks can be affected, resulting in disrupted itineraries for travellers. In France, power outages have left thousands without electricity and early closures have been implemented for two of Paris’s biggest attractions, the Eiffel Tower (early afternoon rather than late at night) and the Louvre (two hours early). Eurostar cancelled its London to Paris and Paris to London services from the 22nd to the 25th, and major UK rail companies have been advising travellers to avoid using trains where possible, or to travel during early hours.

If a heatwave is predicted, being flexible with your itinerary and having fully refundable/changeable tickets is key, as extreme heat can force the cancellation of outdoor activities, impact rail and flight services and change the opening hours of sites and eateries.

Why does summer in Europe often feel hotter than summer in Australia?

people swimming in the Canal Saint-Martin in Paris — People swimming in the Canal Saint-Martin in Paris to cool off. (Credit: Rachael Thompson)

With some of the highest UV levels in the world, Australians are no strangers to the heat, adapting well to intense weather. But our infrastructure is largely equipped to withstand soaring temperatures with climate-responsive passive design, refrigerated air conditioning or evaporative coolers, as well as swimming spots aplenty.

Buildings in Northern and Western Europe and the UK, however, are constructed to retain heat and handle frosty winters. The lack of universal air conditioning means it generally feels hotter even though the temperature on your app might not look it. During a heatwave, it can feel like you’re in a sauna as cities act like heat traps.

How to stay cool and prepare for another heatwave

Relief is expected across Europe and the UK later this week, but more heatwaves are still possible in the coming months. Summer heat typically peaks in July and August.

Public transport often doesn’t have air conditioning, and buses in particular can be swelteringly hot. If you’re heading outside or your accommodation has no air conditioning, it’s worth buying a spray bottle and a handheld fan from a pharmacy or tourist stand. Check ahead of time if restaurants and cafes have air conditioning and make a booking in advance. The highest temperatures typically hit between 3pm and 6pm, so aim to head outdoors outside of these hours.

Rising temperatures invite travellers to enter a more intentional era of seeing the world. Now more than ever is the time to embrace lower-impact “coolcations” and off-season getaways.

What it’s like to cruise the Douro onboard the new Avalon Alegria