Croisi europe

[PA newbie]

 

 

 

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[nana541]

Nothing there....

 

 

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[PA newbie]

Seems like this is a widely unknown cruise line.

 

 

I found this cruise company but finding any fairly current reviews is non-existent. Anyone have some personal experience with Croisieurope ? Thanks !

[nana541]

They just don't market to North Americans and the English speaking market.

 

Been around since 1976, Google them there is tons of info. They only just started marketing to English speakers. German company very large. Very few English speaking travelers on board, as long as that is ok with you they apparently have a great product!

 

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Edited September 3, 2014 by nana541

[PA newbie]

They are now looking to the US for new business.

 

 

I found this cruise company but finding any fairly current reviews is non-existent. Anyone have some personal experience with Croisieurope ? Thanks !

[nana541]

http://www.rivercruiseadvisor.com/cruise-companies/croisieurope/

 

This will give you additional info !

 

 

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[PA newbie]

Thank you but I already saw that information. Looking for some personal experience.

 

 

I found this cruise company but finding any fairly current reviews is non-existent. Anyone have some personal experience with Croisieurope ? Thanks !

[nana541]

There won't he much of anything on CC yet as they only just entered the English speaking market. There was some mention of someone who went on one this summer, think they liked it but only 4 passengers spoke English and that was not enough for Crosi to provide an English speaking guide.

 

To me,for now this is a problem!

 

Maybe by next summer there will be some current reports, just to soon for now.

 

 

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Edited September 3, 2014 by nana541

[nana541]

Did you check Trip Advisor?

 

 

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[pinotlover]

One of my younger employees took one of their French tours. He liked it to staying at a Super 8 motel and eating at a Hardy's buffet line for a week. He ate ashore whenever the occasion permitted. The cruise represented a one step up from staying at youth hostels for a week across Europe

 

He did believe that for the price they delivered a very good product.

 

One must first determine if staying in a tiny Super 8 motel room is what they want for their vacation.

[apuleius]

I've been on 3 croisieurope cruises and have written extensively about them on cc- search for a thread on croisieurope bordeaux estuary from earlier this summer. We think their product is great at a very competitive price.

 

 

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[nana541]

I've been on 3 croisieurope cruises and have written extensively about them on cc- search for a thread on croisieurope bordeaux estuary from earlier this summer. We think their product is great at a very competitive price.

 

 

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Curious if you sailed on tours arranged for UK passengers and was English the primary language or were you in the minority?

 

I too have heard they have a great product!

 

 

 

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[nana541]

Seems to be a lot of Information here!

Hope it helps ....

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=43149345

 

OP I just noticed this link was a thread you started back in June asking the very same thing.

 

 

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Edited September 3, 2014 by nana541

[PA newbie]

Hoped someone along the way did them. I did speak to them. They have office in New York and crew is English speaking. That's what they said but who knows.

 

 

I found this cruise company but finding any fairly current reviews is non-existent. Anyone have some personal experience with Croisieurope ? Thanks !

[squarevanman]

They just don't market to North Americans and the English speaking market.

 

Been around since 1976, Google them there is tons of info. They only just started marketing to English speakers. German company very large. Very few English speaking travelers on board, as long as that is ok with you they apparently have a great product!

 

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CroisiEurope is a French family owned company second largest river fleet in Europe since Vikings new builds. Prior to this were number 1 with around 30 boats. If you do a CC search there are a few posts including my review of Douro Cruise in July.

Many of their cruises are featured by at least 3 tour operators in the UK. They also have a UK office here in London.

Main language on board is French with English second.

[apuleius]

All the tours were done in English even though we were just a small group of English speakers.

 

 

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[PA newbie]

If you have time, please say more about the ship, food, service, and your satisfaction. Thanks.

 

 

I found this cruise company but finding any fairly current reviews is non-existent. Anyone have some personal experience with Croisieurope ? Thanks !

[Shebely]

Midwest based US travel company chartered boat for Seine cruise Paris to Normandy in May 2013. MS France. Would I travel with them again? The answer is no. I did not like the set, no choice menus for lunch and dinner. We are not fussy eaters, but I always want to pick out what I want to eat on a particular day.

One night the meat served was venison. I am sorry, but I don't eat venison.

Lunches were sit down long drawn out affairs and that does not give you time to go back to your cabin and relax before afternoon activities.

At dinner, you were assigned to a table for the entire cruise with the same people. Boring!

The boat was older and well kept. All the cabins had standard windows so no French balconies. We were on the second level which was fine. Friends on the lower level reported noise from engines?

Bathrooms were extremely small and it was hard to turn around in the shower.

The crew was fantastic and very helpful and friendly. Since the group sailing was from US, English was the language spoken.

[pacmom]

We sailed from Bordeaux last summer as part of a Road Scholar tour, the previous week was a land tour. The Cyrano was brand new and wonderful. We did have our own tour manager so never took any of the ship tours.

 

The cabin was roomy, bright and spotless with a large picture window. The deck above us had french balconies and the one below portholes. The dining room had assigned tables for the various groups on board, but you could move amongst your group's tables. The lounge was lovely with plenty of seating. There was another small lounge on deck 3 aft where we had our private wine tastings and lectures every morning.

 

Food is so subjective. For us it was not 5 star but well prepared and served hot. Breakfast was a buffet with a good variety more European style than other lines we have been on. Lunch and dinner were one seating and plated. The menu for the day was published in advance. If there was something you could or would not eat, the chef would try to please you. One in our group was gluten intolerant--the chef always made sure there was something wonderful for her to eat. Wine flowed freely at lunch and dinner.

 

We have looked at other trips of theirs and will probably take them--especially since they are now offering a few English speaking trips.

Pat

[squarevanman]

If you have time, please say more about the ship, food, service, and your satisfaction. Thanks.

 

 

I found this cruise company but finding any fairly current reviews is non-existent. Anyone have some personal experience with Croisieurope ? Thanks !

 

Here is a reprint of my post made in July. I hope this helps you. Just one slight change I have booked the Po and Venice for next August.

 

 

A review of my CroisiEurope trip from 7th to 14th July.

I travelled on the Infante De Henrique which is one of 3 CroisiEurope ships operating the Douro. Being a family owed French company I expected a majority of French passengers on board. I could not have been more wrong. There was a large number of French on board but they were outnumbered by all other nationalities. A very large number of English speakers mainly from UK but one couple from USA one couple from Russia and a very large Norwegian group. In addition we had Belgians and Spanish on board. Announcements were made in French, English and Spanish by the Portuguese Purser/Cruise Manager Suzanna. The crew consisted of 24 Portuguese and 3 French being the Captain, Head Chef and one of the entertainers.

The ship has 3 pasenger decks plus sun deck. My cabin on the lower deck was larger than I had expected and (like the rest of the ship) was spotless.

Restaurant situated on lower deck with one sitting for all passengers. As to be expected from a French Chef food was to a very good standard. I know there is no choice of menu. However lunch and dinner menu is posted early on TV and should you not be able to eat what is on offer then the chef was always willing to find an alternative. Breakfast is a buffet with cereal, cold cuts, hot food and fruits etc all available.

The Bar and Lounge on deck two was also the venue for the evenings entertainment. This consisted of singers one night, Flamenco Dancers the night we were docked at the Sanish border, The crew show and a 24 person folklore group of Musicians and Dancers. I felt all of this entertainment was very good.

Excursions are not included in the cost of the cruise but can be purchased on board. I felt they were reasonably priced and offered value for money. The local guide stayed with us for 5 of our 7 excursion days. In Spain we had a spanish guide and on the Sunday in Portugal we had an alternative guide. All three were excellent and went out of their way to explain and answer questions.

The ships all seem to Dock in Gaia which is on the opposite side of the river to Oporto. CroisiEurope has its own dock which is just outside the main area. On the first night we double docked on the inside of sister ship (or is it brother) Vasco de Gamma. This was reversed on our last night. I did notice there was double and triple docking in the center of Gaia when we cruised there on our last night.

As I stated there was a good mix of nationalities on board as there was ages. The oldest I met were 2 83 year olds (both on my table for meals) then a good mix of people in their 70's right down the their 20's. The youngest on board were the captains daughter who was about 10 and one young man who celebrated his 1st birthday on the first day of the cruise. When docked alongside the Vasco de Gamma I could see at least 4 youngsters under 12 on board. If I read the CroisiEurope brochure correctly (is in French) they operate a kids club for 4-12 year olds on certain sailings.

Tipping at the end of the cruise is by envelope placed in a box at reception. Although if one wishes to give to an individual crew member this is possible.

This was my 3rd Croisi Cruise and once again I cannot complain about any aspects of my holiday. CroisiEurope was the largest operator of river cruises in Europe but since Viking has built so many ships recently it is now down to number 2 with I think 27. Certainly not the top end of river cruising but certainly offering good value for money in the UK market. I am already considering the River PO and Venice with CroisiEurope for next year.

[KCcruisin07]

Thank you for posting your review. I'm glad your cruise was a success. I gather that the guides spoke English for your group?

Did you have assigned seating at dinner?

Did you sail in July 2014 or 2013?

Thanks,

Edited September 8, 2014 by KCcruisin07

[apuleius]

Here is a copy of our Croisieurope cruise taken on May 2014 and posted elsewhere on CC FYI -

 

This is a review for a

short break - 4 nights - on Croisieurope on the Princesse d'Aquitaine to the bordeaux area wine region. The Cyrano de Bergerac also sails in the estuary and is one of the fleets newest ships. We were moored alongside it and its three decks provide more public spaces than the ship we sailed on and some cabins have French balconies otherwise the two ships looked similar.

 

 

 

This was our third trip on CroisiEurope - the previous were also short 5 day cruises to the Rhine and the Douro. CroisiEurope is a family owned company and this is the atmosphere that their staff try to create. It is very low key and friendly. The crew are quite small and double up on duties (the Captain and Cruise Manager were helping serve dinner on the Gala evening for instance), but the lynch pin of the team is the Cruise Manager, who on our Bordeaux cruise was Jose. He was excellent. Although predominantly catering for French speaking passengers (it is a French company), most of the crew are bi- or even trilingual and all announcements are in French and English. The tours are run in both languages too. Sometimes here more emphasis and lengthier explanations are given to the French contingent, but this is understandable. Passengers are given the wireless audio guides to use, but none of our tour guides used them as the groups were quite small. On previous cruises there have been enough English-speaking passengers to warrant a dedicated English-speaking guide with separate tour bus for our group, but on the Bordeaux trip we were only six english speaking passengers (ourselves, another English couple, and two Australians). Likewise, dining is grouped by language, so we have always had english-speaking dining companions.

 

CroisiEurope caters for a number of groups but they have never been large enough for one to feel that the cruise has been taken over by the group.

 

 

 

The cabins are basic but comfortable with large picture windows (some of the newer ships have French balconies) - Holiday Inn as opposed to Inter-continental (which maybe equates to Uniworld or Viking). The shower is particularly small but very powerful with plenty of hot water. Towels were replaced daily. Toiletries are provided. The cabins are made up early. This may be a three star ship but I do not think you get a three star experience. The ship was sparkling having had a complete refit in 2011. The carpets and soft furnishings look new. This year for the first time all drinks (except for champagne and premium wines) are included not only at meals but at all times. This is a nice touch - I like not having to worry about payment for extras whilst on board. The lounge-bar is where all activities and relaxation takes place, there is also a small library collection and travel guides relating to the destinations. At each stop, maps were distributed as well as information about the ports of call. The dining room has one sitting and once allocated a table you remain there for all meals. There was an excellent buffet breakfast with fresh fruit, cereals eggs,hams cheese, breads, pastries etc. Juices, teas and coffee were served too.

 

 

 

 

 

On this cruise, we did take all the excursions, and were told by Jose, the host on board, that the newer lines to the region (Uniworld, Viking) have based all their tours on CroisiEurope's so are in effect offering the same tours. The tour round the Haut Medoc region was the weakest. We found that the guide directed her comments at length to the French contingent, and the English group, being only 4 on this occasion were given short shrift. If you look at the reviews on the Viking Forseti Bordeaux cruise, people there were also not happy with the 'drive past' of the major chateaux. Our guide also took us to a Chateau Beychevelle to which she had exclusive private access which was a nice extra. Our wine tasting was at Chateau Loudenne which interestingly is now Chinese owned. Both these properties had lovely river front settings.

 

 

 

The two other tours were both excellent, one to the corniche along the river at Blaye, the troglodyte houses and the fisherman's huts plus the village of Bourg (where there was a local market, but not enough free time here) and a tour of Blaye Citadel,and the third and final tour (we were on a four night itinerary) was to St Emilion, which was just marvellous and was only marred by poor weather as it was cool and raining. This is such a picturesque village and the visit to the winery Chateau Soutarde was outstanding. This was in contrast to the the Haut Medoc visit as we were given a number of wines of differing vintages to taste and the process of tasting and manufacturing was fully explained. This chateau has had major investment in it by a French finance house and is now equipped with state of the art equipment. The tour guide and the chateau guide between them ran an excellent simultaneous commentary in both languages.

 

 

 

At all stops and we could get off and wander on our own when not on tours - entry on and off the pier were secured by code locked entry gate. We disembarked at Liborne, Blaye and Paulliac, all of which were pretty sleepy, Liborne more so as it was a Sunday and everything was shut. We also elected not to take the Bordeaux at night tour when we returned on our final evening, and spent some time wandering round this attractive city on our own.

 

 

 

We found the crew to be delightful and very helpful. The Captain and the Purser even helped with the service on the Gala evening. The purser, Jose who I thought was excellent told me that he had originally started at CroisiEurope as a waiter and had been promoted. This strikes me as a very positive sign: a good company that promotes their own staff from within the ranks. We were even asked if we would like a drink when we were relaxing on the sun deck. However, (thankfully it would seem), there were no entertainments offered other than the crew show, the wine tasting on board, and the daily exercise class. That suited us just fine. There was a musician in the lounge most of the time but we did not care for his heavy handed plonking on the keyboard!

 

 

 

We found the food not as good as on previous trips but it did get better towards the end. There are certain things we don't eat and as long as we gave notice we were always given acceptable alternatives. We had a superb magret de canard on the last evening. The gala evening meal was also good: Foie gras, quail, baked cheese, and baked alaska, all served with aplomb. I think a choice of wines - three reds, whites and roses at each meal and in the bar is more than acceptable - I'm not sure that we've been offered more on Seabourn or Silversea as standard! We also found plenty of choice in the breakfast buffet with different fresh fruit on offer each day. I don't drink coffee at breakfast so can't comment but there was a good selection of teas, and the coffee from the espresso machine in the bar was very good (at no extra cost). Free wifi was a bonus since our trip last year, as well as all inclusive drinks at all times including meals, and we found it worked in the cabin too.

 

 

 

Embarkation and disembarkation were swift and efficient and we were not pushed off the ship early as happens so often - if one was spending the day in Bordeaux you had the option of leaving your luggage on board to pick up later, as the following cruise was not departing until the next day.

 

 

 

We travelled to Bordeaux by Eurostar and TGV with an overnight stop in Paris on the outward journey. The quai is an easy tram ride from the the railway station (with a single change) costing Euro 1.40 or a quick taxi ride costing about 15Euro.

 

 

 

In summation, we would return on CroisiEurope - we like the short itineraries they offer and the pricing is very good, and as long as one is aware of the limitations it's a very good river cruising option.

 

 

 

 

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[KCcruisin07]

Thank you for taking the time to write such a thorough reviews. A previous reviewer had been disappointed with the food. It is good they offer an alternative if you do not want their main entree.

I believe Croisieurope is trying to gain footing in the American market, and if they are successful in attracting more Americans, probably more English guides will be available.

Did you have any changes in your ports, especially at embarkation? (That was another problem two previous PAX mentioned.)

[squarevanman]

Thank you for posting your review. I'm glad your cruise was a success. I gather that the guides spoke English for your group?

Did you have assigned seating at dinner?

Did you sail in July 2014 or 2013?

Thanks,

 

My Douro trip was July 2014 although I went with CroisiEurope on the Danube in 2010 and CroisiMer on the Adriatic in 2012.

All three cruises were, in my opinion, excellent and good value. No itinerary changes and every local guide as well as a high proportion of crew spoke good English.

Each cruise had assigned seating for meals. This is something I am used to as I have encountered this also on the Nile, in Russia and the Norwegian Hurtigruten coastal cruises. There is a very simple explanation that CroisiEurope like the above mentioned trips cater for an international clientel.Tables are allocated so that speakers of the same language sit together. If open seating were the norm then you could find yourself sitting on a table where no one else speaks your language. Also if one purchased a bottle of wine and did not finish this at lunch it would be placed on your table for dinner. With open seating the waiter/waitress would waste valuable time in searching for the owner of the wine when they could be serving food.

I note from another post that lunch was considered to be drawn out thus not giving ample time to relax before afternoon activities. This is a fact of life in some European countries. Lunch is not rushed and I would not expect it to be any less than one and a half hours. Indeed when I took a day trip from London to Boulogne a few years ago with a group of friends lunch lasted four hours. I would suspect the crew would like to rush so thay can prepare for the next meal and have their downtime.

[Shebely]

The cruise we were on included only English speakers so the assigned table for dinner was not because of language, but apparently because it is their practice.

Our travel group was not told that we could request alternatives if we did not want to be served, for instance, venison. I looked around that night and I saw many plates that were returned uneaten. Overall, I did not find the food memorable.

I was responding to the question what was a Croisi Europe cruise like. My previously posted comments were meant to be informative to others who are going to make decisions a about which company to travel with. For the money that is paid for a river cruise, I want choices for my lunch and dinner menus and I don't want to be stuck with an assigned table when it is just my husband and I traveling. We enjoy very much meeting and talking to many of our fellow travelers.