Avalon Waterways is starting a new celebrity-hosted Storyteller Series, inviting travel enthusiasts to turn the page on their vacation plans and step into a novel world of the well-considered word. The planned series allows river cruisers enjoy a Suite Ship sail through time and tales in storybook settings with chart-topping troubadours and capture insider narratives outside the pages of novels, scripts and song lyrics.
Confirmed storytellers on these 2021 and 2022 sailings include world-renowned authors and musicians. They are:
– Diana Gabaldon, international bestselling author of the Outlander novels
– Candace Bushnell, international bestselling author of the Sex in the City anthology
– Cheryl Strayed, international bestselling author of Wild
– Gillian Flynn, international bestselling author of Gone Girl
– Christopher Moore, international bestselling comic fantasy novelist
– Edwin McCain, Billboard-topping singer-songwriter
“Our new, exclusive Storyteller Series invites travelers to enhance the storytelling tapestry of their lives by embarking on incredible, ‘once upon a river’ vacations,” said Pam Hoffee, managing director of Avalon Waterways. “Through this special series of sailings, Avalon guests get to spend a week in Europe with their favorite storytellers. They’re invited to meet legends in legendary landscapes.
“Our special Storyteller Series departures invite travelers to enjoy an intimate experience on board Avalon’s signature Suite Ships, featuring the industry’s only Panorama Suites and Open-Air Balconies. On each sailing, with no more than 160 fellow travelers, fans of our celebrity hosts will be privy to special gatherings – from book-signings to concerts and Q&A sessions – not to mention, off-the-cuff opportunities to interact with their host, while on ship or in port.”
Yarns will be spun along Avalon Waterways’ Europe’s most popular waterways – the Rhine, Danube and Seine Rivers. The series schedule starts with a particularly apt focus on time travel:
+ THROUGH THE STONES: Disappear on a Magical Sailing with Diana Gabaldon
Get insider stories from “Outlander” Author Diana Gabaldon, on a week-long Romantic Rhine cruise. Disappear in the magic of this river that gifts you a sail through fabled, fairytale lands. Departing October 30, 2021 (rescheduled from June 2020).
+ SEX & THE CITY OF LIGHTS: Sail the Storied Seine River with Candace Bushnell
Calling all Carries, Samanthas, Charlottes and Mirandas … sail the Seine River from Paris to Le Havre with stylish storyteller Candace Bushnell and fall in love with storybook scenery on this Suite Ship sailing through France. Departing July 19, 2022.
+ WILD & WHIMSEY ON THE WATER: Suite Sailing Down the Legendary Danube with Cheryl Strayed
Dear Sugars … pin, plot and plan a sweet, Suite Ship sailing from Budapest to Deggendorf with lyrical legend, Cheryl Strayed. Let imagination and improvisation be your guide on this adventure through craggy cliffs, terraced vineyards and tradition-rich villages. This is an Active & Discovery on the Danube itinerary, departing July 22, 2022.
+ GONE GIRL!: Come Sail Away with Gillian Flynn
She’s known for her runaway hits – Gone Girl, Sharp Objectsand Dark Places – and now, Gillian Flynn is inviting travelers to run away to the Danube River. Hear her twisted narratives while winding along the Danube from Budapest to Prague, discovering the Old World in new ways. This is an Active Discovery on the Danube itinerary, departing September 14, 2022.
+ STORYBOOK SCENERY, SATTIRE & SARCASM: Sail Away & Make Memories with Christopher Moore
The Rhine isn’t just a river for poets, princes and painters … it’s a river for satirical scribes. If you’re looking for more Christopher Moore in your life (the writer who imagined Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff), you’re invited for a meander through storied scenery – from Basel to Amsterdam – with comic spin. Romantic Rhine or Rhine & Rhône Revealed itineraries, departing September 20, 2022.
+ I’LL BE … ROMANCING THE RHINE: Sweet Tunes on a Suite Sailing with Edwin McCain
Sail the romantic Rhine River with “great American romantic,” Edwin McCain, the tireless troubadour who’s known for leaving his heart on the road (or, in this case, river). This is an Active & Discovery on the Rhine itinerary, departing May 3, 2022.
Beyond the Cruise: Hotels with Art for Art’s Sake
If local and landed art surroundings are more the interest, these art-focused American lodging options will nourish the eyes as well as the spirit.
Hotels have long known that hospitality and art make great bed fellows. And several hotels around the U.S., gearing up for pent-up demand for friends and family visits and road trip explorations, are putting out their best works and becoming backdrops for fine art, allowing guests to literally sleep with the masters. The following is a short list of hotels to target with the hope of getting a little museum time in with your stay.
Frida Kahlo at the Hotels of Oak Brook near Chicago
A serene suburb setting 15 miles west of Chicago, the Hotels of Oak Brook in DuPage are a great alternative with lower rates, similar amenities, less crowds, and now an art exhibition that any city would hang its hat on. Beginning June 2021, guests at the Hotels of Oak Brook can visit the College of Dupage to see the largest exhibition of original Frida Kahlo works in the Chicagoland area in over 40 years. There will be 26 original works, over 100 images from her life, recreations from her house, of her dresses. For city vibes, consider The Drake Oak Brook, the suburban counterpart to the renowned hotel on Chicago’s Michigan Avenue. For a restorative retreat, book the Spa Serenity offering at Le Meridien and be pampered in a Spa Suite.
Art Lovers Road Trip with Quirk Hotels in Virginia
The first boutique art hotel to open in Charlottesville’s downtown, Quirk Charlottesville opened just last year following the flagship Quirk Richmond in 2015. The Instagram-worthy pink-hued hotels are each home to Quirk Gallery that showcases rotating art exhibitions by local and national artists. You can visit to both Quirk Galleries, including free parking, room upgrades, beverage credits for celebratory cocktails up on the hotel Q Rooftops, and a guide to the best places to explore in each city. Don’t miss the onsite retail shops, featuring a curated selection of artisan gifts, jewelry and art.
Artist Window Series at The Allegro Royal Sonesta Chicago
In the heart of Chicago’s Loop, The Allegro Royal Sonesta Hotel has partnered with artist and ‘Jazz Painter’ Lewis Achenbach of Jazz Occurrence to curate a rotating artist window exhibition in concert with monthly Jazz performances for guests and the public to enjoy while sipping craft cocktails from the hotel’s signature bar cart. Hosted live at the Palladium Stage in the Allegro Hotel, the performances will feature musicians and artists simultaneously improvising and creating art in response to each other. The completed fresh artworks will become part of the Jazz Occurrence Art Exhibition in the windowfronts of the hotel.
Mobile App Art Tour at Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel Chicago
Located inside of Chicago’s iconic Aqua Tower designed by famed architect Jeanne Gang, Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel Chicago features a permanent art gallery boasting the work of local Chicago artists in sculpture, painting, and photography. Download the first-ever hotel art tour mobile app designed by AcoustiGuide, which also created an app for the Guggenheim, and showcases the hotel’s striking architecture. The gallery is at the back of the hotel lobby and complemented by a 50-foot-long fireplace. The art is hand-selected from the River North neighborhood, an area recognized as the largest arts district in the country outside of Manhattan.
Gray + Monet in Chicago with Kimpton
Experience Monet at the Art Institute of Chicago with an overnight stay at the Kimpton Gray. The Gray x Monet offer includes 2 Fast Pass Museum Tickets and access to Monet & Chicago Exhibition at the Art Institute, as well as two bottled Concierge Cocktails that are available to be enjoyed on the go.
Author: Lark Gould
Lark Gould has been a travel industry journalist for more than 30 years. She shares her insight on cruise travel, air travel, hotels, resorts, popular activities, attractions and destinations to assist travel advisors and travelers with the current news and information they need to travel well.
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