On 28 November 2022, Avalon Waterways welcomed 19 of Flight Centre Travel Group’s top team leaders, consultants and support staff from across Australia and New Zealand to experience one of its new festive Avalon Waterways cruises, Festive Season in the Heart of Germany.
Spanning five nights and six days on the Avalon Artistry II, attendees from Flight Centre, Travel Associates and FCTG Independent kicked off the Christmastime River cruise with a guided visit to Nuremberg, including a tour of its Old Town, which is illuminated with lights and decorations, and a stop at its traditional Christmas market, where they savoured lebkuchen, a spicy gingerbread that’s a speciality of the city.
Keeping the festive spirit alive, the group then launched into UNESCO World Heritage Site, Bamberg, to view the town’s locally built nativity scenes before cruising to charming Würzburg to sip Glühwein (hot mulled wine), learn how to bake traditional cookies and soak up Christmas traditions. A guided walk of one of the many postcard-perfect Bavarian villages that line the Main River, a tributary of the Rhine, left guests dazzled before the cruise sailed into its final port of Frankfurt.
Guests praised the experience, calling out its flexibility and their excitement to recommend Avalon to clients.
“Like their chocolates, watches and trains, the Swiss know how to do it very well, and Avalon is no exception to that. Having just sailed
firsthand with Avalon, it is going to be hard to recommend anyone else,” said Matthew Coyle, Director of Melbourne Travel Project.
“You just don’t want it to end. The whole experience leaves you planning for your return,” said Jason Buckley, General Manager, FCTG Independent New Zealand. “Having the flexibility to do as much or as little as you like was just perfect.”
Globus family of brands Global Account Manager Mitch Spencer led the charge as organiser and host of the trip, alongside fellow co-hosts Susie Coughlin, Regional Sales Manager for Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and the Northern Territory, Brett Simon, Head of New Zealand and Peter Douglas, Head of Sales for Globus in Australasia. Adding to the experience, Avalon’s Cruise Director was on hand to help coordinate excursions and uncover local gems for all those on board.
