CroisiEurope Review – Van Gogh on the Rhone River – Some comparisons to Viking

I have just returned from a one week cruise on CroisiEurope’s Van Gogh on the Rhone River. I thought I would post a review since I found so little on line when I was considering the cruise.

CroisiEurope is a French cruise company—according to their website they operate 25 boats on European rivers. They apparently market primarily through travel agencies, which sell package tours. On my cruise there was a group of about 50 from Denmark on a package which included three days of bus transportation and two overnights to the cruise and two days back with one overnight. Their package also included a guide/translator and all excursions (using their bus, which drove while the boat cruised and met them at the next mooring). There was a similar group with a similar package of about 25 from Holland. There were about 145 passengers (the capacity is about 160—the difference was apparently due to single occupancy of some cabins) and almost all of the rest were French-speaking (from France and Belgium), who booked as individuals and small groups of friends. There were five primarily English speaking on board—four from the UK, and I was the only American. For passengers who were not on the package tours, transportation to and from the cruise and the excursions were arranged by CroisiEurope. All announcements on board were first in French and English, and then the guides from Denmark and Holland would take the microphone and translate the announcements for their cruisers. Thus, the cruise had a distinctly European feel, but we English-speakers always knew what was going on.

The excursions provided by CroisiEurope are sold on an a la carte basis. The first night, passengers choose and pay for the excursions they want. Most people took most excursions. I had bicycled down the Rhone River and had seen many of the sights already and I had a preference for being on the boat rather than a bus, so I took only one. I relied on the section of the CroisiEurope website in English and two English language travel agency websites for information before booking and all warned that there might not be English commentary on the excursions if there were not enough passengers wanting that language. However, my tablemates from the UK took most of the excursions, and they reported that everything was translated for them, even though they were the only two English speakers on the bus. The entertainment was essentially language free. We had a singer and dancer one evening, a crew show with music video type dancing and pantomime skits another and bingo (numbers translated into all four languages) a third, for example.

The food was French. Lunch and dinner were seated meals following the French pattern of an entrée (appetizer), main dish and dessert. The food was beautifully presented—my tablemates and I commented almost every meal about how attractive the plates were. Portion sizes were French, that is smaller than we are accustomed to in the US. I was delighted because I didn’t want to worry the whole week about over-eating. The menus featured familiar food, but with a difference emphasis than in the US. We had fish three or four times during the week for the two seated meals, for example, and duck twice—once duck breast and once drumstick (really good!). I only remember salad once. The evening we had a cheese course it was on the plate with the cheese after dinner. Almost always, the meat had a sauce. Desserts were very tasty, but much less sweet than the US. All the food was delicious—I enjoyed every bite.

There was no choice. The menus were posted the night before, and one evening my tablemates and I noticed a curry dish for the next day. One of them has an allergy to chili powder, so discussed this with the cruise manager. The next evening, her meal had a mustard sauce instead, so they are obviously willing to make some adjustments. I don’t know how they’d handle a vegetarian—I’d be sure to inquire carefully if you’re in that category.

Wine was provided at no additional cost. There were eight wines available—three reds and whites and two roses. Two of them were from the Rhone valley and only one was not French. There was a wine menu if you wanted to order from it at extra charge, but we were very pleased with the choices and never even looked at it.

Breakfast was a buffet with items to appeal to the Danish and Dutch passengers as well as the French, so there were sliced cheese and cold cuts, an appliance with simmering water so you could boil your own egg, a toaster with sliced bread, etc. It took me a few days to figure this out, but the breakfast allowed passengers to balance out their diets. For example, I eat much more fresh produce at home than the plated meals provided, so I took to filling my breakfast plate with the sliced fresh fruit. There were also whole fruits (apples, oranges, pears, etc) available at breakfast. No food was available between meals.

The cabins were nice, with plenty of storage under the beds for suitcases and a closet with shelves and hanging space. There was a night stand between the beds with more storage and a small desk. The satellite TV, which only operated when the boat was moored, had two English language stations—CNBC and BBC news. The carpets and wall coverings looked very new and the whole boat was kept sparkling clean.

My search for a Rhone cruise turned up several competitors to CroisiEurope, and its cruises seemed generally less expensive than the others. When I was searching, I gave Viking my address and I’ve been inundated by their mailings ever since. There are lots of boats operating on the Rhone and mooring space is limited, so often boats moor up side by side. One day, we had to go through a Viking lobby, so I can make some comparisons of public spaces. The Viking lobby is larger than the Van Gogh’s, and seemed “richer,” with more brass and wood paneling. There were glass cases selling jewelry (I assume costume). The Van Gogh’s shop sells postcards, lavender and olives and other souvenirs of Provence, etc. The Viking ship had a twenty-four hour front desk (I believe Van Gogh’s is staffed from 6 am to midnight, and there is an emergency number that can be dialed from the telephone in the room). The Viking ship had coffee and cookies out and available. The overall dimensions of the boats on the Rhone are dictated by the locks and bridges. The Van Gogh has two decks of cabins while the Viking ship had three. The bottom of the windows on the Viking’s lower deck were at the water line, and according to the most recent mailing, these are shoulder height. I certainly felt that these bottom deck cabins would be much less desirable than any of the Van Gogh’s. A highlight of our trip was the evening cruise to see the illuminated buildings in Lyon. Since the bridges are very low, the deck chairs fold down to a “super-reclining” position, which allows passengers to sit on the top deck and enjoy the buildings on shore. The Viking ship’s top deck was much higher than the Van Gogh’s (to accommodate that third deck of cabins), so a similar outdoor cruise doesn’t seem possible on that ship. Along the Rhone, there are other low bridges, so it looks like their passengers may have to leave the sundeck from time to time while underway. On the Van Gogh, it is possible to remain on the sundeck despite the bridges, as long as you are seated. My general impression has been that Viking aspires to be a “Ritz-Carlton.” CroisiEurope is a “Holiday Inn,” completely comfortable with everything you need for a wonderful vacation, but not luxury. Croisi-Europe is less expensive than many of their competitors, and I felt it was an extremely good value.

I know many Americans cruise in order to experience a level of luxury for a week they don’t get in their everyday life, and CroisiEurope would not be a good choice for them. Also, I know the chance to meet new people is a reason many Americans cruise. I loved the couple from England who were my tablemates (we’ll be lifelong friends) and I had many nice conversations with the others on board (most Dutch and almost all Danish speak English and I dusted off my high school French to talk with the others), but the opportunities for new American friendships were certainly limited compared to a ship catering to Americans. Sailing on a French river, I wanted a French ship. I go to Europe to experience different cultures, so I was completely pleased with the cruise. I’d recommend CroisiEurope without reservation to anyone looking for a great value in a French/European experience. If you’d like things more familiar or more luxurious, I’d pay more and find a ship that caters more to the American market.

Long post…hope it helps someone.

Thank you - great review!!

I had never considered CroisiEurope - but it might be worth a look.

Thank you so much for taking the time to post and do your review!! I was wondering about that cruise line, and you have answered many questions. I, also, love meeting people from other countries, but I, unfortunately, speak only English. It is nice to know that you had such a great time and you were able to communicate well. Thanks again!!

Thank you so much for your review. We will be sailing on the MS Rembrandt up the Rhone next year. The ship only hold 78 passengers, so it will be cozier that the Van Gogh. We opted for one of the 4 suites because it had a French Balcony.

On our Rhine cruise last year we had a French Balcony and really enjoyed it. We will post a review after our cruise.

I sailed on the Croisieurope ship MV France last year along the Danube, which is reported elsewhere on CC Forum. Like you we had groups on board covering 14 different nationalities speaking 12 different languages. A total pleasure which I hope to repeat on Croisieurope's ocean vessel next year (around the Adriactic) followed by the Seine in 2013.

Thank you so much for the lovely and detailed report for CroisiEurope cruise line. My extended family, all 28 of us are cruising with them next summer for an 8 night 5 river cruise mostly in Germany. Our travel agent also booked another family of 40 from the US on the same cruise so we Americans will have almost 1/2 of the ship. I emailed your review to all the family members and it put them at ease hear from someone in the US who had first hand experience on the ship. Thank you again for taking the time to leave this review, it really helped all of us be at ease for next summer.

Just returned from Croisieurope 5 day Rhine cruise on the MS Botticelli. Can't recommend highly enough it was great! Your review covers all the main points. The majority of passengers were French, but there was also a large American group from the mid-west. We were the only Brits but were sat for meals with other English speakers from Canada and Australia - so a Commonwealth table!

All the tours also offered English speaking options and all announcements were in English too. The food was terrific and the choice of wines was particularly appreciated. We would certainly go with this company again. The only fault on the entire trip was Eurostar which managed to breakdown without even exiting St Pancras station! This caused an hour and a half delay and we had to be transferred to another train. We missed our connection in Paris, but were able to hop on to the next Strasbourg train - all very smooth. The Croisieurope dock is just a short cab ride from Strasbourg station. Be sure to take the Strasbourg tours - it is a gorgeous city.

Thank you for taking the time to write a detailed report. We are scheduled for the Douro River cruise on September 3, 2014 and because I could not find much on Croisi I was beginning to worry. My only remaining concern is "smoking." We have traveled on a much less provisioned boat then this in Greece so not hard to please but is anyone had smoked in our room, I would have a very difficult time sleeping.

Hello FrenchRiverCruiser,

Thank you for your detailed review of your cruise and the company. I had a look at the MS Gérard Schmitter, their luxury cruise ship - as they advertise it - in Cologne at a recent open day. The reception was very nice and the lounge a stylish French-European decor. It was appealing but I preferred the Transocean Belvedere that I sailed on in Spring. A matter of taste. I spoke to a representative who was very natural and happy to answer my questions. I did not have a look at the cabins. I am considering a cruise with them as the itineraries along the Rhine and Moselle slightly differ from the other cruise lines. I have ordered their catalogue through a TA.

notamermaid

Host Jazzbeau, may I ask you to move this thread to the Cruise Reviews section of Cruise Critic, please? I wrote it before there was a section for posting reviews, but I hope it would be helpful to people to be able to access it now, particularly since CroisiEurope is infrequently mentioned on this board.

Since we have a guest from CroisiEurope this week, I also thought it might add to the discussion to bump it up today.

Thanks.

Mary

Mary- Thanks for bumping this, I enjoyed reading it.

You bring up a very good point about the sundeck being off limits due to low bridges, and ship design contributing to that.

On our Amsterdam to Budapest Viking/Longboat cruise, I think we couldn't go onto the sundeck for 5 or so days, mostly along the Main section.

I would be interested in seeing which ships are least impacted by this, along with what routes have the most low bridges. And I do understand that water level is another variable here.

So thanks, your 2013 thoughts are still helpful! :)

FrenchRiverCruiser,

Thank you very much for the time you put into your review, and for bringing it back to light. Even 6 years down the road, a lot of your points hold true. We still have that very international feel, great French Cuisine, wonderful French Wine (now included), and the best price point in River Cruising.

A lot has changed as well! Our fleet has grown to over 40 ships, and many of our ships are now 5 Anchor Rated - with modern design and luxury. We are growing in all markets, including North America, the UK, and Australia - so English speaking excursions are normal on our programs.

We continue to pioneer new locales for our cruises - make sure to check out our Belle de Cadix from Seville, the Loire Princess in France's Loire Valley, or the Elbe Princess cruising from Berlin to the Heart of Prague - all exclusive itineraries with CroisiEurope.

the Elbe Princess cruising from Berlin to the Heart of Prague - all exclusive itineraries with CroisiEurope.

How do you do that? Neither Berlin nor Prag are located on the river Elbe.

I am not stating this to be mean or condescending in any way, but could long reviews, such as the OP's, be written and posted with spacing between paragraphs? I found that review to be very difficult, almost impossible to read. All the words and lines just meld into one another--could be my so-so vision.

Thank you and again, please do not take this in the wrong way!!

Hi Floridiana!

The Elbe Princess begins on the Havel in Berlin, before joining the Elbe River and cruising through Germany and into the Czech Republic, stopping in Magdeburg, Dresden, and Litomerice (among others) along the way. From Melnik, the ship joins the Vlatva River, to cruise into Prague.

You can find the full itinerary, on our website, here:

http://www.croisieuroperivercruises.com/cruises/berlin-prague-cruise-elbe-and-vltava-rivers

How do you do that? Neither Berlin nor Prag are located on the river Elbe.

EDIT: I see they beat my slow typing...

I was in Prague two weeks ago and the river is so low that I can't imagine a hotel ship cruising on it. Maybe it is fine in the outskirts of Prague with the two paddlewheels in back. The Elbe Princesse looks really nice.

We will board our Danube cruise with Croisi next Friday. Your review provided a mine of information, especially since this is our first ever cruise. Thank you very much........counting the hours now!!

Very helpful review. I think if more Americans knew about this company and what to expect, they would consider it based upon the price point.

Host Jazzbeau, may I ask you to move this thread to the Cruise Reviews section of Cruise Critic, please? I wrote it before there was a section for posting reviews, but I hope it would be helpful to people to be able to access it now, particularly since CroisiEurope is infrequently mentioned on this board.

 

Since we have a guest from CroisiEurope this week, I also thought it might add to the discussion to bump it up today.

 

Thanks.

 

Mary

Cruise Critic basically has a split personality: the reviews and the boards don't connect. I can't move your post to the reviews section, and I don't have any role there. My experience is that most people only read one section or the other, so I always advise posters to copy their review into a new thread on the appropriate board. In this case, I don't know whether you can still post a review of a cruise you took in 2011.

Hello xiki66,

We will board our Danube cruise with Croisi next Friday. Your review provided a mine of information, especially since this is our first ever cruise. Thank you very much........counting the hours now!!

I can understand you being excited about your first river cruise. I was given the chance to go on my first river cruise at fairly short notice and I had no idea what to expect. I did not know cruisecritic then.

Travelling on the Belvedere with passengers from four or five different countries was a great experience, I enjoyed it greatly. The crew, by the way, was made up of people from seven different countries.

Please tell us about your cruise when you are back (as a separate thread). There is still not very much about CroisiEurope out there.

Which ship will you be sailing on?

Have a great time.

notamermaid

On Oct. 9th we will start on our third Croisi and our 22nd river cruise. We have traveled with Road Scholar on all the Croisi trips. We have a difference in the first two. It was with drinks. On the first the ONLY free drinks were at meals. You had to pay extra for anything--even coffee and tea--at all other times. On the second trip, there was a charge only for premium spirits and wine. Cannot tell you anything about the tours. Road has their own tour director on board. This trip will be on the Loire. Can't wait to take a river cruise on the only boat on a river--no rafting--no glut of people in small towns. Will post about it when we return. Pat

On Oct. 9th we will start on our third Croisi and our 22nd river cruise. We have traveled with Road Scholar on all the Croisi trips. We have a difference in the first two. It was with drinks. On the first the ONLY free drinks were at meals. You had to pay extra for anything--even coffee and tea--at all other times. On the second trip, there was a charge only for premium spirits and wine. Cannot tell you anything about the tours. Road has their own tour director on board. This trip will be on the Loire. Can't wait to take a river cruise on the only boat on a river--no rafting--no glut of people in small towns. Will post about it when we return. Pat

No rafting for sure, but there are still land tours that can produce a glut of people in small towns (and chateaux)!