July 18 – 25, 2028 · Arles to Lyon · Rhône & Saône
Eight days. Seven nights. One unpacking. Sail from Arles to Lyon, cook in Avignon, and sit down to dinner without having to organize the table yourself. Hosted by Nick Vannello of Dorothy Society aboard Avalon Poetry II, from $3,599 per person.
If you are a traveler in the second half of life who is tired of trips that look better in the photos than they felt in the moment, who has money set aside for "someday" and a growing suspicion that someday is now, then join us for Delicious Decadence: eight days and seven nights on the Rhône and Saône with a hosted Dorothy Society group aboard a 128-guest ship.
You'll cook in Avignon, taste Chardonnay in a castle cellar, and sit down to the voyage's Bocuse-inspired dinner. Nick will be aboard to make introductions and help with excursion choices. You can come on your own; you won't have to make every first introduction on your own.
The Dorothy Society difference
Do you belong on this cruise with us? Mais, Oui!
You have stopped waiting for someone to be free. Half the people you would once have called about a trip like this are caring for a parent, or a knee, or a business. You are not organizing anyone. You are showing up to a table that is already set.
You will not be the odd one out. Single occupancy is priced and available, and Nick makes the introductions at the welcome cocktail, so you are not walking into the first evening wondering how to meet people. Open seating means you sit where you like, with whomever you like, every single night.
You're tired of spending half the trip figuring out the trip. One unpacking, seven nights. The ship moves between towns while you sleep or sit on deck, so there are no hotel checkouts and no train timetables. Nick helps you sort through excursion choices. Flights and airport transfers are separate, so plan those before you book.
You want to actually learn something, not watch someone else do it. In Avignon you shop Les Halles yourself and then cook with a chef. In Lyon you can choose a second hands-on class. Most culinary cruises hand you a chair and a demonstration. You will be holding a knife.
You are tired of pretending pleasure needs a justification. Wine with lunch. Sparkling wine with breakfast. Cheese before dessert. Nobody here is going to ask whether you should.
8
Days on the river
128
Guests aboard, no more
12+
Tastings & chef-led outings
The route
Avalon offers this culinary sailing only once in 2028: July 18–25.
You’ll sail from Arles to Lyon, following the Rhône north into the Saône, with two of your seven nights spent in Lyon—the food capital of France.
Along the way, you’ll taste olive oil where it is pressed, shop an Avignon market and then cook with what you discovered, tour the Valrhona chocolate works, sip Chardonnay in a castle cellar, and enjoy a menu inspired by the tradition of legendary chef Paul Bocuse.
Explore the days below to see what awaits you.
Day 1 · July 18 · Arles
Welcome to Provence
The first glass, tied up in Provence
You board in the afternoon and the week starts slowly, which is the correct way to start this particular week. Arles is where Van Gogh made three hundred paintings in fifteen months, and the light he was chasing still does the same thing to the buildings at six in the evening. Welcome reception before dinner, and the ship stays docked overnight.
Flights into Marseille must land by 3pm. Aboard by 5pm. Dinner.
One departure. One small group. Claim your place at the table.
Culinary programming
Two chances to cook with a chef.
Most river cruises marketed as culinary give you demonstrations to watch. In Avignon, everyone shops the market and cooks. In Lyon, the cooking class is one of your included choices for the day, alongside the Culinary Walk. Pick it and you cook twice.
Day three · Avignon
The morning you shop, the afternoon you cook.
You walk into Les Halles before the good stuff is gone, with a guide who knows which of the forty stalls is worth your time and is willing to say so. You will buy things. You will not entirely know what they are.
Then you carry them to a chef, and for the next two hours you cook — not watch, cook — and at the end of it you sit down and eat what you made, in Avignon, on a Thursday, having earned it.
Back aboard by early evening. The rest of the day is yours, and the ship does not leave without you.
Day seven · Lyon
The city that wrote the cookbook.
You meet the chef in a kitchen that smells like butter and stock long before you arrive. Lyon is where French cooking became serious, and for the next few hours it becomes your classroom.
You will make dishes this city is famous for — not perfectly, but personally — and then sit down to eat them with the people who have become your crew over the last week.
By the time you carry the last plate to the table, you will understand why Lyon does not just have restaurants. It has a reputation.
“Food is proof that pleasure doesn’t always require an apology.”
The food
You notice the food before you ever see a menu.
It is a little after four on the sixth afternoon and you are coming back aboard from a castle cellar in the Mâconnais, still holding the tasting notes you did not really need. The gangway is warm underfoot. Somewhere below, someone has started the bread.
You go up to the sky deck instead of to your room. The vineyard you were standing in an hour ago is still visible from here, a pale green seam on the hillside, and the river is doing that flat silver thing it does before evening. A cheese tasting is being set out along the rail. You tear one of the gougères open too soon and it burns your fingers, and you eat it anyway.
The woman who sat across from you at lunch on the first day comes up with two glasses of the Chardonnay from the cellar you both just left. You did not know her a week ago. You will be texting her about tomatoes next August.
You stay on deck a little longer. There's no restaurant to find and no bill to divide tonight. You'll go down to dinner, find a seat, and pick up the conversation where you left it. Welcome to Delicious Decadence.
Eleven tastings across seven nights, each one tied to the place you woke up in that morning.
The ship
An intimate 128-guest river ship designed entirely for the view. Floor-to-ceiling windows, an open-air sky deck, and a crew that remembers how you like your morning coffee.
- 128 guests, 1:3.5 crew-to-guest ratio
- Panorama suites with wall-to-wall windows
- Open seating, farm-to-table cuisine
The bar
Someone who knows what you drink by Tuesday.
Wine and beer come with every lunch and dinner, sparkling wine arrives with breakfast, and happy hour is on us every evening. Come up before dinner, stay after, and let the barman make you something you would not have ordered.
Life aboard
Staterooms & suites
These fares are a close estimate based on current Avalon pricing. The crossed-out prices are the regular published fares; the new prices reflect a Dorothy Society group savings of $1,500 per person, plus additional perks I am negotiating for our hosted cohort.
Fares are per person based on double occupancy, vary by departure, and are subject to availability and change until booked.
Meet your host
Nick Vannello
Founder · Dorothy Travel
Nick is the person actually on the ship with you—and he has spent more than four decades learning how to make travel feel easy.
His work has taken him to more than 30 countries, and he has slept in all 50 states multiple times. Along the way, he has organized travel for Broadway touring productions, fitness programs, educational groups, and travelers who simply wanted someone else to worry about the details. He has also led group journeys through Morocco, Indonesia, Mexico, the Netherlands, and across the United States.
Through all those years, his philosophy has stayed remarkably simple: comfort and convenience matter. A beautiful itinerary means very little if everyone is exhausted, confused, or dragging luggage through a train station they never needed to visit.
That thinking is behind Dorothy Travel. In practice it means an arrival night with nothing scheduled so you can recover, written instructions before every transfer so you are never guessing, and a host who walks you over and introduces you rather than leaving you to hover by the bar.
Aboard the Avalon Poetry II, Nick will be making introductions at the welcome cocktail, helping you sort through excursion choices, and quietly keeping an eye on the details so you can concentrate on Provence, French wine, Valrhona chocolate, and whatever delicious thing has just landed in front of you.
Come with questions. Nick has answers, opinions, four decades of travel stories, and—if you catch him in Lyon—probably a second glass of wine.
What's included
Here's what your cruise fare covers, and what you'll budget for separately.
Once you're aboard, you stop reaching for your wallet at most meals. Flights, airport transfers, insurance, and optional pre-cruise stays are extra.
Included
Your cabin
- Seven nights aboard Avalon Poetry II in the stateroom or suite category you book.
- L'Occitane bath products, robes, and slippers in every stateroom.
- Continental room service for breakfast in bed or a quiet night in.
- Porterage of one bag per person, on and off the ship.
Meals and drinks
- Breakfast, lunch, and four-course dinner daily, with regional dishes and lighter Avalon Fresh® options.
- Open seating in the Panorama Dining Room, plus the Panorama Bistro and Sky Grill (weather permitting).
- Regional wine, beer, and soft drinks with lunch and dinner. Sparkling wine with breakfast.
- Daily happy hour, welcome and farewell cocktails, and select happy hours hosted by Dorothy Society.
- 24-hour coffee, tea, and afternoon tea with sandwiches, scones, and pastries.
Culinary programme and outings
- Avignon market walk and cooking class at Les Halles.
- Tastings: olive oil, Viviers walk, chocolate and wine aboard, Mâconnais castle-cellar Chardonnay, and cheese.
- Valrhona Chocolate Factory, a sommelier-led pairing dinner, and the Bocuse-inspired dinner.
- Lyon: your choice of the Culinary Walk or a second cooking class.
- Classic, Discovery, and Active excursions in every port, with Certified Local Guides and audio headsets.
- A Certified Sommelier aboard for the voyage.
Hosting
- Nick Vannello aboard, making introductions and helping with excursion choices.
- A dedicated Cruise Director and English-speaking crew.
Aboard the ship
- Starlink Wi-Fi, live evening entertainment, and cultural programming.
- Sky Deck whirlpool, Observation Lounge, fitness centre, and daily yoga or stretching.
- Adventure Center bikes and e-bikes, with an Adventure Host for active outings.
- Elevator access and a fully non-smoking interior.
Taxes and tips
- Port charges, taxes, and shipboard gratuities for the Cruise Director and crew.
Not included
- International airfare into Marseille and home from Lyon
- Airport transfers, which can be added at the time of booking
- Travel insurance. Not included, and strongly recommended. We will not book you without a conversation about it
- Optional excursions, including the Pont du Gard Roman aqueduct and the wine cellars at Châteauneuf-du-Pape
- Gratuities for local port guides and drivers
- Bar drinks outside of meal service and happy hour, including cocktails, spirits, and wine by the bottle
- Laundry service, available aboard for a modest fee
- Personal expenses, souvenirs, salon services, and premium specialty drinks
Before you board
Come early. Pack less.
Why rush into Arles on embarkation day when you could begin your French adventure a few days early, and possibly without your pants? Within the Arles region, Piémanson Beach stretches along the wild Camargue coast, with a naturist area at its eastern end. No boardwalk, no beach clubs, just dunes, flamingos in the lagoons behind you, and a lot of sand.
Then, if it appeals, head west along the coast to Cap d'Agde for a few clothing-optional beach days. If it doesn't appeal, Provence is right there and full of things to do with your clothes on. These stays are optional and booked separately. Either way, meet us in Arles on July 18 and put your napkin back on.
The cruise is the trip. Eight days, seven nights, eleven tastings, and a ship where everyone is dressed for dinner and behaving themselves — more or less.
The naturist days are an add-on, and a genuinely optional one. We mention them because Dorothy Society travelers tend to be people who find the human body considerably less scandalous than the French find a bad lunch, and because if you’re one of those people, you should know that two of Europe’s best clothing-optional beaches sit within easy reach of your embarkation port. It would be strange not to tell you.
So: come three days early and go to Cap d’Agde. Or come three days early and go to Paris. Or fly into Marseille on the 18th and skip the whole conversation. All three are the right answer, and once you’re aboard, nobody will ask which one you picked.
Need a hotel recommendation? Mention it when you register and we’ll point you toward a few favorites.
Arrive a little earlier
Bastille Day is Friday, July 14, 2028. The perfect excuse to arrive early.
France throws its biggest party on Friday, July 14, 2028, and it is the ideal reason to fly in a few days before the cruise. Watch fireworks light up a French city, join the street parties, and let the country remind you that pleasure is a national priority here.
Then, if it appeals, take the train down to Cap d’Agde, about ninety minutes west of Arles, for a few clothing-optional beach days. Hotels and trains are booked and paid separately, and we're glad to suggest an order. Then meet us in Arles on July 18 and put your napkin back on.
Need help sequencing Paris, Provence, and Cap d’Agde? Mention it when you register and we’ll share a few favorite routes.
Tentative pre-cruise schedule
Coming in early? Here is the rhythm.
Wed, July 12, 2028
✈️ Fly from wherever you are → Paris overnight
Thu, July 13
🇫🇷 Arrive Paris; check in to hotel, dinner, wander
Fri, July 14
🎆 Bastille Day in Paris
Sat, July 15
🚄 Morning train from Paris → Montpellier/Agde, transfer to Cap d’Agde
July 15–17
🍑 Cap d’Agde Naturist Village — 3 nights
Tue, July 18
🚄 Train from Agde → Arles in the morning
July 18–25
🚢 Delicious Decadence cruise, Arles → Lyon
July 25
✈️ Fly Lyon → back home
This is a suggested sequence, not a required one. Join for all of it, part of it, or none of it — just be in Arles by July 18.
Solo? You don't have to sail alone
Need a roommate?
Meet CruiseRoomie.
Want to come on your own, but not pay for a cabin on your own? CruiseRoomie is a free interactive quiz for men looking for a cabin mate. It shows you up to 20 eligible travelers who match your pace, your idea of a perfect market morning, and your budget. A match isn't guaranteed, and you both agree before anything is booked. Once you do, come back here and each of you registers for the cruise separately. Anyone is welcome on the cruise itself.
Take the quiz
A short, fun, interactive quiz about how you travel: early riser or night owl, museum crawler or market wanderer, lights out at ten or midnight.
Meet your matches
CruiseRoomie matches you with up to 20 eligible men who would be ideal to share a cabin with, based on how you sleep, how you travel, and what you want from the trip.
Both say yes
You each review your matches and agree. Nothing is arranged until both parties say yes, and no money ever changes hands between roommates.
Come back and book
Once you've found your match, return here and reserve your space at the double-occupancy fare, together on the same sailing.
Free to join, free to match. Once you and your match agree, come back here and reserve your space at the double-occupancy fare.
Is this your trip?
Let’s make sure this is your kind of cruise.
Yes, please
This trip is for you if…
- You believe the best years should be savored, not saved — and you travel to feel something.
- You love good food and good wine, and you want a ship that takes both seriously.
- You would rather someone else handle the logistics so you can do the actual experiencing.
- You enjoy the company of curious, funny, well-traveled people — including at dinner.
- You are happy to try the market, the cooking class, the cellar, and the second glass.
Maybe not
This trip is not for you if…
- You want every minute of every day scheduled and accounted for.
- You are looking for a party boat — this is spirited, not a floating nightclub.
- Southern France in July is warm, and heat is a dealbreaker for you.
- You would rather stay in one town for a week than move gently through a region.
- You prefer to travel entirely on your own and would rather skip a hosted group.
Holding your cabin
The deposit, and what happens if life changes.
Deposit
$500
Per person, whether you share a cabin or travel solo. It counts toward your cruise fare and holds your cabin category at the Dorothy Society group fare. Nothing else is due that day.
Please note: the deposit is non-refundable. Paying by card may add a small processing fee, shown before you submit.
Final payment is due approximately six months before we sail, and we will remind you well in advance.
Cancellation, in plain language
- The $500 deposit is non-refundable in all cases, so book when you are confident in your dates.
- If your plans change, call Nick; any credit toward another departure depends on the cruise line and is not guaranteed.
- Avalon Waterways operates the cruise. Dorothy Society hosts the group, and your registration and deposit go through our secure booking page.
- Once final payment is made, the cruise line’s published cancellation schedule applies, with fees increasing as the sailing approaches.
- Travel protection is strongly recommended, and we can point you to a policy that covers cancellation for covered reasons, medical care abroad, and delays.
- The complete written cancellation policy is provided at registration, before any money beyond the deposit is due.
Fares are per person based on double occupancy, vary by departure, and are subject to availability and change until booked.
Good questions
Things you were going to ask anyway.
Interested in other Dorothy Society sailings? A Christmas Cruise is planned for 2027 — learn more at cruisewithdorothy.com.