Avalon Waterways is a river cruise company owned by the Globus family of brands and offers cruises in Europe, China, Southeast Asia, South America, India and the Galápagos Islands.^[1] The company became a member of Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) in August 2009.^[2]

Avalon Waterways started operations in 2004 with just one initial ship, called Avalon Artistry. The following year, the company added the Avalon Poetry to its fleet.^[3]

As of 2019, the company operates ships on the Danube, Rhine, Moselle, Rhone, Seine and Saone in Europe;^[3] The Mekong River in Southeast Asia,^[4][5] as well as on the Yangtze (in China), the Ganges (in India) and the Amazon River (in Peru).^[3]

Avalon Waterways has earned river cruise operator awards including "Best European river line" in 2019.^[6]

Since its launch in 2004, Avalon Waterways has christened 23 new ships in Europe and three new ships in Southeast Asia.^{[7][8][9][10][11]}

Avalon has offered a range of special interest cruises including culinary-, beer- and Christmas-themed itineraries.^[12][13]

Godmothers of its ships in Europe have included TV personality Meredith Vieira,^[14] Eat, Pray, Love author Elizabeth Gilbert,^[15] Outlander author Diana Gabaldon,^[16] singer/songwriter Jann Arden,^[17] 1,000 Places to See Before You Die author Patricia Schultz^[18] and U.S. Women’s National Team coach Jill Ellis.^[19]