News / Air & Airports

Do's & don'ts of river cruising with Avalon's Nancy Paredes

06-03-2016 10:44 am

If anyone knows anything about river cruising, it’s Nancy Paredes, cruise director for Avalon Waterways.

“With cruise directors, there’s no manual. You just have to know your history. I’m an historian first, a concierge second,” said Paredes, speaking with a small group of travel trade journalists over breakfast at the Windsor Arms Hotel in Toronto this week.

Paredes, in association with Globus family of brands, was in town to help with Avalon’s 2017 launches, which includes Avalon Active – special-interest cruises that include biking, hiking and canoeing activities – and Avalon Fresh, a new partnership with Europe’s Wrenkh brothers that offers new culinary options.

More pointedly, Paredes met with PAX to share her own wisdom about river cruising – what she thinks is working, not working, and how companies can take service to the next level.

Paredes joined Avalon in 2009 after almost quitting the river cruising scene altogether. It was after sailing an Avalon river cruise that she was inspired to get back into the biz - simply because she thinks no one else does river cruising better. “I saw the difference. 100 per cent,” said Paredes, who is based in Budapest.

“I love my industry and I need everyone to step up. When one of us fails, we all fail,” said Paredes.

With that, the high-energy cruise director offered her input on river cruising and why she thinks Avalon Waterways is leading the charge:

ONLY SAIL RIVERS YOU KNOW YOU CAN SAIL ON

According to Paredes, what separates Avalon apart from others is their commitment to having a backup plan in case something on the cruise goes wrong. “Every year we have high water, low water, no water, lock break…you name it,” said Paredes. That extends to managing weather risks too. “We only sail rivers that we can 99.9 per cent sail on,” said Paredes, noting the company avoids Italy’s Po, Spain and Portugal’s Douro and Central Europe’s Elbe rivers, which Paredes says you can only navigate 50 to 60 per cent of the time. “We’re not going to put ships on rivers where we’re going to end up bussing you all the time. That’s not what the travel agent is selling the client,” she said.

Photo: Avalon Waterways

FORGET ABOUT BALCONIES

“Outdoor balconies don’t make any sense. I can’t make ships any fatter,” said Paredes, praising Avalon’s functional and precise design, which is rooted in Avalon's Swiss-heritage. Avalon instead opts for 11 foot air open windows with a seven foot sliding door instead. While Paredes admits 99.9 per cent of clients come from ocean cruising, and that a balcony may come expected, the outdoor amenity isn’t worth it. “We don’t have the year-round weather, so you’re only going to use the balcony once in a while,” she said.

LARGER ROOMS = LESS CAPACITY (AND THAT’S A GOOD THING)

“River cruising is supposed to be intimate,” said Paredes. “We need to get to know each other.” As far as ship capacity is concerned, Paredes believes less is more. The optimal passenger numbers, in her opinion, is 126 on a 110 metre ship and 166 on a 135 metre ship. However: “I never want to see less than 100,” she said. “Less than that, they don’t know what to do with themselves.”

BUILDING SHIPS FROM SCRATCH

Paredes praises Avalon for building its ships from scratch. “Refurbished ships are like facelifts. Facelifts are great. You look great. But the insides stay the same,” said Paredes. In doing that, the company angles the walls of its suites so beds can face the window. “That’s the view people want,” Paredes stressed. “It’s something that can only be done from scratch.”

SWIMMING POOLS AND MOVIE THEATRES?

“It drives me crazy when I hear about companies putting swimming pools on river ships,” said Paredes. “If you’re seeing Paris or Vienna, you’re not going to be spending time in a pool.” Other onboard thrills Paredes thinks are ridiculous for river ships are movie theatres. “You’re going all the way from North America where the movie isn’t already released to sit in a theatre on a ship. We’re not on an ocean,” she said.

PLACEMENT IS EVERYTHING

Paredes doesn’t understand why some river cruise companies put their most expensive suites in the back of the ship. “Huge mistake,” she said. “The vibration is primarily in the back of a ship. If you’re selling those suites, [clients] are going to get a 24-hour massage.” Paredes also said it’s most effective to build the lounge and dining rooms underneath each other. “That way you don’t bother the cabins,” she said.

ASIA IS WHERE IT’S AT

“True travellers have long left Europe,” said Paredes. “They’re in Asia.” Those type of clients – the type who’ve done Africa and South America, and “who’ll go with every bump and just enjoy the moment” – are in every agent’s portfolio. The issue, Paredes believes, is that agents don’t sell Asia because they don’t know how. “It really helps to study it,” she said (agents can learn more about Globus family of brands’ Asia products at agentlingo.ca). The best cruise Paredes said she ever sailed (and that’s saying a lot) was down the Irrawaddy and Mekong rivers in Vietnam and Cambodia. “Beg, borrow, steal, use your child’s inheritance...This needs to go high on your bucket list,” she said, noting the perfect passenger number for those specific cruises is under 40 people.

For more on Avalon Waterways, visit avalonwaterways.ca.