This splendid river cruiser aims to please on all fronts. Julietta Jameson indulged in every aspect of the European cruise and wholeheartedly recommends taking to the water this way.

Embarkation point: Amsterdam.

“Mayhem’s broken out,” says cruise director Tony as I pass through the foyer of the ship on the final evening of her maiden voyage. “But they’re happy, so I’m happy. It’s only if they’re not happy that I could have a problem.”

It’s mayhem, but of the refined cruise passenger kind. After a sumptuous six-course dinner and eight days of great tours and extraordinary scenery, everyone is in fine form.

A crew member has taken to the mike and is singing, in his native Spanish, surprisingly well. And after, to the delight of the night owls assembled in the lounge and with the permission of the ship’s official musician, a fellow passenger takes to the ivories. It turns out he’s a concert pianist.

One of the more lively ladies has coaxed the bar manager from behind his post for a little dance. Newfound friends are laughing, smiling, making the most of their final hours together.

The cruise director is happy. One of Avalon’s newest babies, the Creativity, began her life cruising the waterways of Europe in August 2009, taking on Avalon’s nine-day Amsterdam to Basel journey along the mighty Rhine River. Following 2009’s debut of Avalon Creativity and Avalon Affinity, the current season brings the launch of two new ships – Avalon Felicity in March this year and Avalon Luminary in July – lifting the company’s total European fleet to 10 luxury ships with an average age of less than three years.

The newness and modernity of Creativity makes for very pleasant sailing indeed.

She’s functional, comfortable and above all, intimate; the final night revelry a testimony to the bonds formed between the 120 (she can carry only 20 more than that) or so passengers and the enthusiastic, friendly crew.

Staterooms have floor-to-ceiling French balconies, a large writing desk, plenty of stowage and a good-sized shower with excellent water pressure. There is individual climate control airconditioning and a real sense of privacy once you close the door.

Life onboard revolves around four common areas: the main lounge and bar, a smaller lounge to the rear of the ship, the dining room and the expansive sky deck with an assortment of seating arrangements including deck chairs and shaded table settings.

But equally as important to this vessel’s life are activities onshore. Because Globus was originally a land-tour business, its program of included port tours is outstanding, its guides top class and organisation and access to attractions seamless.

We enjoyed a canal boat tour at our embarkation point of the Dutch capital, Amsterdam, and in Cologne a fascinating guided tour of the German city’s cathedral. Next, a walking tour of the sweet little German town of Koblenz in the morning followed by a visit to Siegfried’s Mechanical Music Museum in the equally delightful Rudesheim, further up the Rhine.

Next, a highlight, a riveting tour of Heidelberg’s wonderful sandstone castle, from which Europe’s 30-year war was launched. The astonishing Notre Dame cathedral with its exquisite historic clock gave us plenty to talk about.

From there, it was over to France at Strasbourg for another canal boat cruise and a tantalising glimpse into French and European Union life in this city that acts as the seat for the EU parliament. Our last daytrip was into the Black Forest from Breisach, where cuckoo clocks were purchased and Black Forest cake consumed. And still, there was plenty of free time to explore and additional tours at extra cost.

But this trip was, of course, a cruise, and there was plenty of time on the river including the afternoon spent gliding through the Rhine Gorge, one of the world’s most scenic stretches of water with its plethora of castles, vineyards and picture-perfect riverside villages.

The company prides itself on catering, and food onboard Creativity is superb, from the buffet breakfast fulfilling every taste requirement of the Australian, New Zealander, American and Canadian passengers, to barbecue lunches up on the sky deck, and those six-course gourmet dinners with wine included. That’s not to mention afternoon cake and coffee.

We all rolled ashore at Basel on our final day, vowing to keep in touch with our new friends – and vowing to diet when we got home after all that wonderful food.

Friendships made, cuisine consumed, scenery soaked up and lifetime memories formed; that cruise director had every right to be as happy as he was.

Visit: www.avalonwaterways.com for information, bookings, special offers, details of Fly Free offer and Single Supplement waiver and virtual tours. (Pre-registrations are now open for 2011 cruises.) The writer was a guest of Avalon Waterways.