Avalon Waterways unveiled the Avalon Creativity this weekend in Volendam, the Netherlands, as Nancy Telliho, president of Newsweek Budget Travel, Inc. and godmother of the vessel, christened the ship.

“May you ply these great rivers of Europe with respect and grace,” Telliho said before breaking the champagne bottle across the bow. “May you serenely carry the merriment, laughter, joy and creativity of those travelers seeking new and enriching vistas. And may you fulfill your responsibility to promote understanding and harmony amongst all cultures.”

Dr. Thomas Ritter and Helge Jansen of Seehandlung, the financing company for the Avalon Creativity; the ship’s Captain Istvan Fckete; Jacque Den Breejen, owner of the Den Breejen Shipyard which built the new vessel; and Burghart Lell and Patrick Clark of Avalon Waterways were on-hand to deliver speeches after the christening.

The Avalon Creativity marks the company’s eighth new ship in Europe since 2004. It will soon set sail on its inaugural Romantic Rhine cruise, filled to capacity, before moving to Western Europe in 2010 to cruise the Grand France and Paris to Normandy’s Landing Beaches itineraries.

Visit www.avalonwaterways.com/difference to get a virtual tour.