VIENNA -- Eager for a glimpse of Avalon Waterways' newest ship, Avalon Passion? USA TODAY Cruise this week is getting early access to the 166-passenger river vessel ahead of its christening Wednesday in Linz, Austria, and we're posting photos in the carousel above and at our Twitter page and Facebook page.
Click HERE to see the photos in larger format.
Scheduled to sail this year on the Danube, Passion is the latest of Avalon's Panorama class of ships, which began debuting in 2011 and feature a large number of extra-wide cabins called Panorama Suites.
Passion has 67 of the Panaroma Suites, which offer 200 square feet of living space. That's about 30% more square footage than the standard river ship cabin.
Avalon has been touting the Panorama Suites as a key difference between its vessels and those of other river lines in Europe that cater to North Americans. The rooms make up nearly 80% of cabins on Avalon's Panorama class ships and have several unusual features. Among them: Floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall panoramic windows that stretch 11 feet wide and open up 7 feet wide.
Founded in 2004, 12-year-old Avalon is known for a young fleet of ships with a stylish, contemporary design. As can be seen in the tour, Passion features clean lines and sleek furniture.
Passion is one of two new ships that Avalon is rolling out in Europe this spring. Also new is the 128-passenger Avalon Imagery II, which is sailing on the Rhine. Avalon also recently availed its first vessel in Myanmar, the Avalon Myanmar. For our first-look tour of that ship, scroll through the carousel below.
