On paper, a lot of travel concepts sound amazing. The real test, however, is in the execution of those concepts.
Avalon Waterways' Active & Discovery itineraries serve as an excellent case in point, which is something I found out for myself on a four-night Danube River sailing aboard the new Avalon View, which sailed from Vienna to Budapest, calling at Bratislava, Slovakia - where it was christened by broadcast journalist Meredith Vieira - and Esztergom, Hungary, along the way.
For the uninitiated, the Active & Discovery cruises were launched in 2017 and enable guests to choose from a collection of one-of-a-kind excursions that include Active options such as and hiking, cycling and canoeing, and Discovery options like cooking, dancing and painting classes.
Guests can also opt for the line's Classic excursions as well.
I chose to sample one excursion for each category: a Discovery excursion in Vienna, an Active excursion Bratislava and a Classic excursion in Esztergom.
Suffice it to say they all exceeded my expectations. I was impressed with the depth and breadth of the choices in each category, as well as the execution of the excursions themselves.
In Vienna, my Discovery excursion was a cooking class at the Wrenkh Vienna Culinary school, which is owned by Karl and Leo Wrenkh, the brothers who serve as Avalon's partners in developing Avalon Fresh dining selections.
The class, which was taught by the incredibly charismatic Karl Wrenkh, was both interesting and comprehensive - and maybe most importantly, really fun. We created such dishes as mushroom stroganoff and dumplings and sampled a wide variety of wines. What's not to like?
In Bratislava, my Active excursion was a hike through the Raca vineyards with stops along the way to sample wines. The tour culminated with a delectable lunch at the Zoya Museum and Gallery and Elesko wine park, which houses a permanent Andy Warhol collection and featured the art of Daniel Bidelnica during our visit.
(Warhol is a revered figure of sorts in Slovakia, as the Slovakian town of Medzilaborce serves as his parents' birthplace. In the early 1990s, his family created The Andy Warhol Museum of Modern Art in the town.)
In Esztergom, Hungary's capital from the 10th to 13th centuries, my Classic excursion included a tour of the Esztergom Basilica, the seat of the Catholic Church in Hungary, followed by an excellent wine tasting in the Primas Pince, a wine cellar and restaurant located beneath the Basilica.
In the final analysis, Avalon's Active & Discovery itineraries sate travelers' ever-increasing desire for a wide choice of curated experiences.
Since the concept's inception in 2017, Avalon said it has "grown its Active & Discovery offerings by 560 percent and upped its berths by 610 percent."
And this year, the line is offering the itineraries on every major river in Europe.
Simply put, today's travelers want more choices, and Avalon is providing just that.
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