Princess Excursion: Monet’s Garden - advice please

[nikitty]

Hi there,

 

I booked this tour for my mum who loves Monet’s Garden. It’s the tour she has been most looking forward to on the cruise we are on currently.

 

If someone has been on this tour, can you let me know how difficult it is for someone that has mobility issues? My mom can walk without assistance but is very slow. 
 

I don’t want to inconvenience anyone on the tour but I do t want her to miss out either so just wondering about logistics.

 

Thanks in advance!

[Rick&Jeannie]

Sorry...I'm going to have to show my ignorance here.  Where are we talking about?  What port? (I don't know much about Monet, obviously!)

 

Regardless...the tour description *should* give you an idea about the mobility issues and whether it is recommended.

[nikitty]

It’s near Paris (Le Havre). There’s no indication in the description that there is an issue but the tour operator said there might be an issue since there’s a lot of walking. 
 

This is a question for those who have done this tour. If we can walk slow at our ien

pace, that would be helpful information.

[HKM]

It's been many years since I took this tour but at that time we were able to tour the gardens on our own and were given a time to meet to tour the house.  The house does have stairs so she might or might not want to do that portion of the tour.  You'll want to get comments from people who have taken this tour more recently to make sure it hasn't changed.

[cr8tiv1]

Is there a twin tour that is wheelchair accessible?  You might care to look into that one.  Maybe they would have a few more accommodations or modify the time.

[nikitty]

2 hours ago, HKM said:

It's been many years since I took this tour but at that time we were able to tour the gardens on our own and were given a time to meet to tour the house.  The house does have stairs so she might or might not want to do that portion of the tour.  You'll want to get comments from people who have taken this tour more recently to make sure it hasn't changed.

 

 

Thank you! Hopefully someone who has taken it more recently will know. Apparently it is very crowded so not sure if it was like that for you as well. I think she was going to avoid the stairs for that.
 

 

 

 

[nikitty]

1 hour ago, cr8tiv1 said:

Is there a twin tour that is wheelchair accessible?  You might care to look into that one.  Maybe they would have a few more accommodations or modify the time.

 

Apparently the path is very narrow so it’s not wheelchair friendly. She isn’t in a wheelchair though. She just walks extremely slowly. 🙂

[1965]

We took this tour in 2017 so not exactly recent. We loved it. At that time we were 70 & 73, fairly active without mobility issues. We felt the pace was comfortable. Not sure this helps but this was our experience. I hope your mum is able to take this tour. For me it was a thrill. 😊

[LynnSD]

When we have done this, we were able to tour at our own pace.   The guide gives you a meeting time & place.  
But be sure to clarify that upon arrival!  
 

It was crowded but the worst crowd was around the house, shop, restrooms.  

[nikitty]

52 minutes ago, 1965 said:

We took this tour in 2017 so not exactly recent. We loved it. At that time we were 70 & 73, fairly active without mobility issues. We felt the pace was comfortable. Not sure this helps but this was our experience. I hope your mum is able to take this tour. For me it was a thrill. 😊

 

Thanks so much! Yea she really wants to go and I don’t want her to sit out for this one. Hopefully it will work out!

[nikitty]

43 minutes ago, LynnSD said:

When we have done this, we were able to tour at our own pace.   The guide gives you a meeting time & place.  
But be sure to clarify that upon arrival!  
 

It was crowded but the worst crowd was around the house, shop, restrooms.  

 

That’s awesome. Going at your own pace is what I hoped for. I will clarify to see if it’s still the same. I did ask but I think they weren’t sure so that info really helps. Thanks very much!

[ontheweb]

I do hope she gets to see this as it is one of the most beautiful places on the planet. Can't help with your question as we saw this when we were in Paris on a land trip. (Rather romantic to land in Paris on your wedding anniversary.)

 

Funny story while there, DW wanted to buy a tee shirt and they were all either large, extra large, or children's sizes, none of which would have fit her. We somehow found one small, but when she went to pay for it, the cashier said this will never fit you. She then took it out of its wrapper and held it up to her, and the size was perfect.

[CruiseMGM]

We didn't visit Giverny by cruise ship, so can't really advise you about what the ship offers. But I just wanted to say that we LOVED our visit to Monet's gardens. It was really beautiful and peaceful. A bit rainy on our day, but it added to the romanticism we felt there. The house was very crowded and wasn't very mobility-friendly (stairs, tight spaces, etc.), and it seemed like a one-way loop (into the ground floor, up the stairs, down the stairs and out). You may experience something different on your visit.

 

I agree with the poster who said to notify the guide and then go at your own pace and meet up with them at the appropriate time. While the commentary is nice, it's not paramount to your experience and enjoyment. Hope you have a wonderful visit!

[nikitty]

5 hours ago, ontheweb said:

I do hope she gets to see this as it is one of the most beautiful places on the planet. Can't help with your question as we saw this when we were in Paris on a land trip. (Rather romantic to land in Paris on your wedding anniversary.)

 

Funny story while there, DW wanted to buy a tee shirt and they were all either large, extra large, or children's sizes, none of which would have fit her. We somehow found one small, but when she went to pay for it, the cashier said this will never fit you. She then took it out of its wrapper and held it up to her, and the size was perfect.

 

That’s a lovely story! I’d love to go to Paris with my hubby one day!  

[1965]

My souvenir from Monet's Home & Garden tour-a dish towel. We travel with carryon only so my souvenirs must weigh nothing & take up no luggage space. BTW, this dish towel has never touched a dish. It's for decorative use only. 😊

[nikitty]

4 hours ago, CruiseMGM said:

We didn't visit Giverny by cruise ship, so can't really advise you about what the ship offers. But I just wanted to say that we LOVED our visit to Monet's gardens. It was really beautiful and peaceful. A bit rainy on our day, but it added to the romanticism we felt there. The house was very crowded and wasn't very mobility-friendly (stairs, tight spaces, etc.), and it seemed like a one-way loop (into the ground floor, up the stairs, down the stairs and out). You may experience something different on your visit.

 

I agree with the poster who said to notify the guide and then go at your own pace and meet up with them at the appropriate time. While the commentary is nice, it's not paramount to your experience and enjoyment. Hope you have a wonderful visit!

 

Thank you for the info and the amazing photo! Is it bad I don’t really care about going into the house? 😀

 

We went to Crawdor Castle (near Invergordon) and we didn’t have time or the inclination to look at the castle. Only time to look at the garden which was gorgeous! 
 

I don’t think we will have a lot of time but hopefully a couple of hours in the garden (factoring in the walking time from the tour bus to the location) and hopefully it won’t be too difficult to manage. 🙏

[ontheweb]

2 minutes ago, nikitty said:

 

That’s a lovely story! I’d love to go to Paris with my hubby one day!  

The trip was actually 3 days in Paris and then 3 days in Amsterdam. We landed in Paris on our wedding anniversary which is in mid-August. I had broken my ankle during Memorial Day Weekend. When we told the surgeon of our travel plans, he made a face and said if the recovery worked out perfectly, we could do that.

 

BTW, the only time we have ever had a bag not show up from an airline was the short flight from Paris to Amsterdam, one bag there, one missing. And that was the only flight on that trip, that we were charged for baggage. (I did make a claim with my credit card company for the fee for 1 bag and had it refunded as I do not think the airline contested it.)

[nikitty]

6 minutes ago, 1965 said:

My souvenir from Monet's Home & Garden tour-a dish towel. We travel with carryon only so my souvenirs must weigh nothing & take up no luggage space. BTW, this dish towel has never touched a dish. It's for decorative use only. 😊

I have no idea how you can travel with a carry on only because my luggage weighed  the max when starting my trip so hats off to you but I definitely want that towel and maybe two (one to use and one to stay pristine.) 🤣

[nikitty]

1 minute ago, ontheweb said:

The trip was actually 3 days in Paris and then 3 days in Amsterdam. We landed in Paris on our wedding anniversary which is in mid-August. I had broken my ankle during Memorial Day Weekend. When we told the surgeon of our travel plans, he made a face and said if the recovery worked out perfectly, we could do that.

 

BTW, the only time we have ever had a bag not show up from an airline was the short flight from Paris to Amsterdam, one bag there, one missing. And that was the only flight on that trip, that we were charged for baggage. (I did make a claim with my credit card company for the fee for 1 bag and had it refunded as I do not think the airline contested it.)

 

Sounds like a great trip! (Except for the lost luggage)

 

Our luggage went mysteriously missing from the cruise terminal in Hong Kong and when I went ballistic after they said to file a report our luggage was found very quickly after that. 🤠

 

Also - on our last cruise my mom had broken her ankle the day before we got on board but the ship doctor told us it was just a sprain. Oops!  That was fun trying to manage that trip. 

[ontheweb]

3 hours ago, nikitty said:

 

Sounds like a great trip! (Except for the lost luggage)

 

Our luggage went mysteriously missing from the cruise terminal in Hong Kong and when I went ballistic after they said to file a report our luggage was found very quickly after that. 🤠

 

Also - on our last cruise my mom had broken her ankle the day before we got on board but the ship doctor told us it was just a sprain. Oops!  That was fun trying to manage that trip. 

I cannot imagine a trip with a broken ankle. I was still using a walking boot for the Paris/Amsterdam trip.

 

Another site we visited in Paris was the Palace at Versailles. DW started climbing a very steep and very crowded staircase. I yelled at her that I could not do that and would fall and hurt someone. An attendant then said "Monsieur, elevator." There were very well hidden elevators. In fact, we could not find the one going back down even though we had come up in it. We had to ask, and I am sure if it were not for my walking boot, we would not have been told where it was.

[OzKiwiJJ]

I also concur that your mum shouldn't bother going through the house but just enjoy the gardens. They are beautiful. The iconic lake where the waterlilies are is across the road but it's very easy walking and there are places to sit around the lake. She should probably tell the guide that she is just going to wander around and arrange a time to get back to a meeting place. 

 

We enjoyed sitting under a willow tree for a short break, enjoying the views of the waterlilies. It's such a beautiful place!

 

 

[nikitty]

On 9/1/2023 at 9:06 PM, ontheweb said:

I cannot imagine a trip with a broken ankle. I was still using a walking boot for the Paris/Amsterdam trip.

 

Another site we visited in Paris was the Palace at Versailles. DW started climbing a very steep and very crowded staircase. I yelled at her that I could not do that and would fall and hurt someone. An attendant then said "Monsieur, elevator." There were very well hidden elevators. In fact, we could not find the one going back down even though we had come up in it. We had to ask, and I am sure if it were not for my walking boot, we would not have been told where it was.

 

I do find accessibility an issue in general and it’s not easy to get assistance without having to ask for it. 

[nikitty]

1 hour ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

I also concur that your mum shouldn't bother going through the house but just enjoy the gardens. They are beautiful. The iconic lake where the waterlilies are is across the road but it's very easy walking and there are places to sit around the lake. She should probably tell the guide that she is just going to wander around and arrange a time to get back to a meeting place. 

 

We enjoyed sitting under a willow tree for a short break, enjoying the views of the waterlilies. It's such a beautiful place!

 

 

 

OMG. This is so gorgeous. 😍

 

Thank you for sharing!

 

I definitely would not want to miss this pond  so I’m really glad that you pointed that out.

 

I can’t wait to show my mom your pic. Thanks again! 💖

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, nikitty said:

 

I do find accessibility an issue in general and it’s not easy to get assistance without having to ask for it. 

Yes, we were lucky to find it at Versailles. And I do believe that they keep the elevators so hidden so that they can make use of them for those who truly need it as opposed to those just too lazy to climb the stairs.

[tml1230]

Nikitty, I am guessing you are on the Regal P..... as according to its web cam the Regal  is en route LeHavre. It is our favorite ship! Please let us know  how your trip to Giverny went!

Even though  we visit Paris at least once a year, Any time we are on a cruise that docks in LeHavre, we take the Paris "on your own" bus tour. Paris and / or the Monet gardens is ALWAYS a good idea and your mom will do great!  Dont miss the opportunity

safe travels....