surgie Posted February 19, 2020 #1 Share Posted February 19, 2020 Which cruise lines travel in France? I was hoping for Crystal but didn't see any itineraries for France in 2021. Viking does but wondering what other cruise lines offer France? We are going from Amsterdam to Basel this summer on Tauck so we'd like to try a different country and possibly different cruise line next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoyaheel Posted February 19, 2020 #2 Share Posted February 19, 2020 Of the "major" companies operating in Europe, I think Crystal is the ONLY one without France itineraries, and that's due to its current few number of ships. Uniworld, AMA, Avalon, Croisi, Scenic - pretty sure they all offer French options. And I'm sure I've missed a few. Assume by "French" you don't mean the Rhine (though it does include France 😉 because that's what you're doing this year? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Lois R Posted February 19, 2020 #3 Share Posted February 19, 2020 Hi, yep, all the major lines do a "Seine" cruise...….except Crystal. I looked at them multiple times but seems have decided not to put it on their itineraries. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Roz Posted February 19, 2020 #4 Share Posted February 19, 2020 I think Croisi has the most ships in France. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare notamermaid Posted February 19, 2020 #5 Share Posted February 19, 2020 Hoyaheel has mentioned a good selection already. I add Arosa and Nicko Cruises (German lines) and Riviera Travel (UK). They all sail the Seine and/or the Rhone. A few lines sail the Garonne. As far as I know, CroisiEurope is still the only one sailing the Loire. notamermaid 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare gnome12 Posted February 19, 2020 #6 Share Posted February 19, 2020 I believe that there are also Bordeaux cruises, but they are generally more wine focused and don't sail much. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharkster77 Posted February 19, 2020 #7 Share Posted February 19, 2020 Somebody's brochure came in the mail the other day, and they were advertising that this was their last year on the Seine. May have been Vantage?? Not sure--help me out here? Pitched the brochure in the recycling, unfortunately. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPT Trips Posted February 19, 2020 #8 Share Posted February 19, 2020 Vantage and Grand Circle both do France (Rhône and Seine) and are among the few that dock in Honfleur. Grand Circle overnights, two nights there. Vantage? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CroisiEurope America Posted February 20, 2020 #9 Share Posted February 20, 2020 France is a fantastic destination for River Cruising: The country is crisscrossed by major rivers, charming villages, wine regions, and great gastronomy. Options include: Paris, the Seine River and the Norman Coast Burgundy and Provence on the Rhone River The Loire Valley: Home of French Royals The Garonne and Dordogne Rivers and the Gironde Estuary in Bordeaux and the Aquitaine And some other options: Strasbourg, in France's Alsace, lies just south of the Romantic Rhine Valley. It is a European Capital and a gateway to the Rhine, Main, Neckar, and Moselle Rivers. French Canals - Canal Barging is a more intimate cousin of River Cruising, and available all over France. St. Pierre and Miquelon: This tiny archipelago off of Newfoundland is French territory in North America: Cruise between it and Montreal on the St. Lawrence River. Bon Voyage! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathyK13 Posted February 20, 2020 #10 Share Posted February 20, 2020 On 2/19/2020 at 10:43 AM, sharkster77 said: Somebody's brochure came in the mail the other day, and they were advertising that this was their last year on the Seine. May have been Vantage?? Not sure--help me out here? Pitched the brochure in the recycling, unfortunately. Yes, it was Vantage; i received the same brochure. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathyK13 Posted February 20, 2020 #11 Share Posted February 20, 2020 On 2/19/2020 at 7:14 AM, surgie said: Which cruise lines travel in France? I was hoping for Crystal but didn't see any itineraries for France in 2021. Viking does but wondering what other cruise lines offer France? We are going from Amsterdam to Basel this summer on Tauck so we'd like to try a different country and possibly different cruise line next year. Be careful if you are considering Viking. Nothing against the Viking experience, but their longboats are not allowed to dock in Paris because of the size of the boat, so they dock in a town outside the city. They do provide buses to take people back and forth from Paris, but the trip can take an hour each way. Much nicer to actually be docked in Paris; less time spent sitting in traffic and we could see the Eiffel tower from the deck of our ship during our Avalon cruise! Also the Viking longboats only went as far as Rouen this year; most other lines go at least as far as Caudebec. I believe Viking will introduce 2 new ships in 2021 that will be small enough to dock in Paris, so if you're set on Viking, make sure to choose one of the smaller ships. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharkster77 Posted February 20, 2020 #12 Share Posted February 20, 2020 19 minutes ago, KathyK13 said: Yes, it was Vantage; i received the same brochure. Thanks @KathyK13, sometimes you wonder if you actually read/heard something, or did you imagine it!!!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surgie Posted February 21, 2020 Author #13 Share Posted February 21, 2020 Thanks to all for advice. Yes, I wanted a different river than the Rhine since we are doing that this year. Some of the lines mentioned I had not heard of so that will help my search. And I definitely want to be able to dock in Paris and have no allegiance to Viking or any other line so I'm open to exploring options. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4774Papa Posted February 23, 2020 #14 Share Posted February 23, 2020 On 2/19/2020 at 8:41 AM, Hoyaheel said: Of the "major" companies operating in Europe, I think Crystal is the ONLY one without France itineraries, and that's due to its current few number of ships. Uniworld, AMA, Avalon, Croisi, Scenic - pretty sure they all offer French options. And I'm sure I've missed a few. Assume by "French" you don't mean the Rhine (though it does include France 😉 because that's what you're doing this year? We did a wonderful Rhone/Saone cruise in SE France in 2012 with AMA. That is a great cruise with lots to see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare terry&mike Posted February 24, 2020 #15 Share Posted February 24, 2020 DH and I are sailing a nice itinerary in July on Scenic from Lyon on the Rhone River, in the Provence area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleob Posted February 24, 2020 #16 Share Posted February 24, 2020 Be careful if you are considering Viking. Nothing against the Viking experience, but their longboats are not allowed to dock in Paris because of the size of the boat, so they dock in a town outside the city. They do provide buses to take people back and forth from Paris, but the trip can take an hour each way. Much nicer to actually be docked in Paris; less time spent sitting in traffic and we could see the Eiffel tower from the deck of our ship during our Avalon cruise! Also the Viking longboats only went as far as Rouen this year; most other lines go at least as far as Caudebec. I believe Viking will introduce 2 new ships in 2021 that will be small enough to dock in Paris, so if you're set on Viking, make sure to choose one of the smaller ships. Fortunately Viking has added new ships to their fleet that can dock in Paris. We booked on the new Viking Radgrid which sets sail this year. Sent from my iPhone using Forums 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare notamermaid Posted February 25, 2020 #17 Share Posted February 25, 2020 10 hours ago, cleob said: Fortunately Viking has added new ships to their fleet that can dock in Paris. We booked on the new Viking Radgrid which sets sail this year. Sent from my iPhone using Forums It will be a kind of happy ending for the unfortunate story of the ships not being allowed into Paris. The Viking longships, it started on the Seine in 2015 with the Viking Rinda I believe, are 135m long and after initial indications that it could work out, the local authorities kept the size limit at 125m. Hence the fact that Uniworld reacted with building a 125m ship and Viking followed suit. I have been wondering if the restriction was the determining factor for Crystal to redeploy their initial ships for the Seine, the Crystal Ravel and the Crystal Debussy, to the Danube and Rhine. They are both 135m long. notamermaid 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caripoo Posted February 25, 2020 #18 Share Posted February 25, 2020 We were on the Crystal Debussy in October....Thought it was beyond FABULOUS......sadly they will not be putting any France on for a few years..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Host Jazzbeau Posted February 25, 2020 #19 Share Posted February 25, 2020 8 hours ago, notamermaid said: It will be a kind of happy ending for the unfortunate story of the ships not being allowed into Paris. The Viking longships, it started on the Seine in 2015 with the Viking Rinda I believe, are 135m long and after initial indications that it could work out, the local authorities kept the size limit at 125m. Hence the fact that Uniworld reacted with building a 125m ship and Viking followed suit. I have been wondering if the restriction was the determining factor for Crystal to redeploy their initial ships for the Seine, the Crystal Ravel and the Crystal Debussy, to the Danube and Rhine. They are both 135m long. notamermaid In Crystal's original plans those two ships were shorter, to accommodate French rivers. When they changed their itinerary plans they built all four ships to the same [longer] spec. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare notamermaid Posted February 25, 2020 #20 Share Posted February 25, 2020 42 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said: In Crystal's original plans those two ships were shorter, to accommodate French rivers. When they changed their itinerary plans they built all four ships to the same [longer] spec. Thank you for the explanation. Sort of the opposite scenario of what I had been wondering. A pity for river cruisers who like their ocean product and would like to try it on the river Seine. notamermaid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare AllisonJames Posted February 26, 2020 #21 Share Posted February 26, 2020 Maybe I dreamt it 😊 but I thought I saw news a little while ago that Crystal was going to be offering France — perhaps in two years???? Anyone have any info or did I make that up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Respbj Posted February 29, 2020 #22 Share Posted February 29, 2020 We did Vikings Frances Finest last summer, Avignon to northern France. It is a lovely cruise, in Lyon you transfer to Paris boat( FYI 2021 Viking will dock some ships in Paris, we were out in La Perq but it didn't matter to us as we had done a Rick Steve Paris and saw all the big sites) the transfer was seemless, they took our bags and they were in the same room different ship when we got to Le Perq, first class train tickets, on the bus to train Viking got us all to our seats, in Paris train station Viking waiting for us and took us by bus to our boat. It was 14 days and every day was enjoyable. I booked some tours that I would not have given a look at but for recommendations on this site ( Chateau de Fletcher's, Luminaries). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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