What Cruise Line is best for France?

[boatsafloat]

We want to do a back to back river cruise in France in 2015 around May or June, but can't decide what cruise line to go with. We know these cruises fill up a year in advance.

We have done the Budapest to Amsterdam on the Avalon and just loved it.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Boatsafloat

[Got2Cruise]

Which part of France do you want to visit? We used Avalon for the Paris/Normandy beaches and it was great. Awesome tours and guides, that is what is important on this sailing. There are also Southern France cruises which others on your Paris sailing did beforehand, as sort of a b2b, the Cruise Director travels on both sailings as a set. There is a name for the tour if you do both, but you do change ships and have to travel by train or bus between rivers. The folks on the Southern France cruise loved Southern France, even more than the Seine.

 

That said, most cruise lines have the basic itineraries, it is the extras that some think are necessary, and others like myself, are quite pleased with the amenities on the more moderate lines such as Avalon and Viking. Since you said you have traveled Avalon, you know the product, and that is something to keep in mind also.

[alexandra cruiser]

and it was not one of my favorites.The ship(forgot exact name)was new a few yrs.ago,but cabin smelled of sewage the whole time.Having been on river cruise boats before, I thought the food,service,amenities were below par.That being said, maybe it was a fluke,ea.ship in same line can be different.

But, I d try AMA or Scenic.Doing Scenic for northern France in 2015,put a hold already.They sell out,for specific cabins,very fast.Will be my first with them,but love the brochure and good itinerary,dates for us.AMA is one of my favorite,but didnt have the full balcony ship doing that itinerary.So will try Scenic in June 2014 .

But did love the river,ports,sights,etc. on cruise itself.Stayed extra pre and post in Paris and Nice.;)

[Ozjohnno]

I'd like to suggest you also look at the Tauck itineraries for both the Seine and Rhone rivers. You might be able to find back to back tours that suit. I like the Tauck product but I'm sure you'll find something to suit your requirements no matter which company you choose.

[boatsafloat]

Thanks for the input.

 

We did love Avalon and I am glad to hear they used the same cruise director for South and North. I would like to know the name of the ship that smelled like sewage. Was it the Creativity or the Scenery? They are using these two ships in 2014 for the Grand France WPA North and South.

 

Does anyone know how long the train takes to get from Paris to Tournus?

 

Boatsafloat

[beverlyjack]

Whichever one you select, try to take one that includes Honfleur on the Seine cruise. It was the a can't miss on that cruise. We took Grand Circle for that trip and loved it. Many of the other cruise lines, go as far as Rouen and then return to Paris. With Grand Circle, you do take a bus between Honfleur and Paris in one direction, but you get much more port time than any of the others. For my blog/trip report on that cruise see http://jackthetravelingman-seine.blogspot.com. The Southern France cruise has smaller more intimate ships than most, if not all, of the others, with 46 passengers each. The Bizet, on the Seine has a capacity of 120. The program directors are outstanding. The 2 cruises are separate, but they will put them together for you, with or without air included. The South of France cruise is on our list, but we just could not fit in the two of them on one trip. With the smaller capacity on the South of France ships, this itinerary will probably drive the date selection.They do not sell through TAs and do not sell directly on the web, only through their own in-house travel councelors. Their web site is http://www.gct.com. Their two France cruises are http://www.gct.com/trips/river-cruises/europe/cruising-burgundy-and-provence-to-the-cote-d-azur/2014?v=66 and http://www.gct.com/trips/river-cruises/europe/the-seine-paris-to-normandy/2014?icid=global%3asmallshiprivercruises%3arivercruises%3asen2014&v=66.

Edited January 2, 2014 by beverlyjack

[tassietravellers]

Thanks for the input.

 

We did love Avalon and I am glad to hear they used the same cruise director for South and North. I would like to know the name of the ship that smelled like sewage. Was it the Creativity or the Scenery? They are using these two ships in 2014 for the Grand France WPA North and South.

 

Does anyone know how long the train takes to get from Paris to Tournus?

 

Boatsafloat

 

 

We are on these tours b2b with Avalon in June/July this year, will be interested to read the feedback you receive.

 

Deb

[Yggdrasil98]

My vote if for Uniworld. I am doing a repeat of North and South this year.

 

They sail from Seine to Seine in the North, bus to Chalon sur Saone

and sail to Arles, I think they may do an extension too. Same cruise director on this route.

 

This time we are repeating the the North but doing Bordeaux instead, and the Lyon leg next time.

 

Enjoy your cruise :)