Viking or Avalon for France?

[imisseurope]

Hi, Sorry, first time poster. Hopefully this will post on the River/Canal Cruises. I am considering a Viking or Avalon river cruise in France. Any

thoughts on comparison of the two cruise lines? Also, any thoughts on the Heart of Normandy route vs. Southern France?

Thank you.

[rundent]

As fate would have it this past year I did an Avalon cruise in Normandy and a Rhone cruise on Viking. The Viking ship was an older one [no longer in service] but I felt the food and staff were comparable. Of course I got a very good deal on Viking - not the phony 2 for 1 that annoys everyone, but a near the sailing true bargain and that might have sweetened the experience. I think that Avalon is rated slightly higher.

Ask more questions of me if you want.

[Talisker92]

We are booked next year on Vantage cruise in Burgundy. I might suggest you look into them.

IMO they have the most bang for the buck as far as what is included They also do a Paris and Normandy cruise

[imisseurope]

Thank you SJGOCH and rundent.

I will look into Vantage.

Rundnet, which itinerary did you enjoy the most and why?

[rundent]

True, they both are in France but they are different. I am a WWII buff so Normandy was special, but even my wife was very touched and cried at the cemetery [not to be missed] and Pont du Hoc was inspiring [how did they get up there?]. There are so many variables, the weather was much nicer in the fall during our Lyon trip and that can alter your perspective. They were about tied as far as content was concerned - you can't go wrong. One piece of advice is don't pick the cheap cabins on the lowest deck.

[rickdeni]

We just returned from Avalon Scenery tour of Nice to Paris. We spent the night in Monte Carlo before boarding the boat in Arles. The Scenery is in excellent shape and we had a room with French balcony on level 2. Food was good and plentiful and the wine flowed at dinner. The walking tours were very informative and the optional tours were expensive but worth it. The 2 nights in Paris at the end were in a nice hotel but far from most tourist spots. My only complaint is that I am a shopper and in most towns when we arrived the shops were either closing or closed.

[biotech]

I just recently returned from Viking's France's Finest tour which includes both of the itineraries that you are considering. Please contact me at mleuniss@gmail.com for the more details if you wish. Briefly they are quite different tours and it will depend on your focus as to which one you chose.

[imisseurope]

rickdeni,

The Avalon Scenery is pretty much the one I have narrowed it down to. I would love to hear more details. Will you be reviewing the cruise anywhere? I like to shop as well, so that is good to know about the stores closing. We are planning to start in Paris and arrive a few days early. Thinking of staying in a cute small hotel I'd stayed at about 10 years ago in a great location, then making way to Avalon's hotel to check in for the 2 nights included in tour. Although, it would be easier just to check in to their hotel to begin with, but you say the location is not great? What hotel was it?

Thank you!!

[imisseurope]

biotech,

thank you. I think I've decided on the south of France route.

Can you give me any details on that part of the cruise?

So you enjoyed Viking?

[Konachloe]

Hi - I'm new to cruise critic, but we are about to go on our first rivercruise and are going on Tauck on the Danube. Tauck is beginning rivercruises in France now so I would suggest looking at their itineraries. Tauck guests stay at centrally located hotels and everything is included in the price. We traveled with them to China years ago and it was memorable.

[btoohill]

We're taking the Tauck Monte Carlo to Paris tour at the end of September which includes a 9 day river cruise up the Rhone and Saone. It also includes 2 nights in Monte Carlo at the beginning and 2 nights in Paris at the end at the Westin which is near the Tuileries and Place de la Concorde. Next year the hotel is the Tour Eiffel Hilton. They always use centrally located hotels which I love since you can just walk out the door and be in the thick of it. This the first time they have offered that cruise. This will be our 3rd Tauck tour. Our China trip with Tauck included a 3 day cruise on the Yangtze. I really like that Tauck is essentially all inclusive. I'll write a cruise review when I return.

[lutzguy]

We just completed the Burgundy & Provence river cruise (Southern France) aboard the Avalon Scenery (Jul 26 - Aug 3) - Arles to Chalone. This was also our first river cruise so I have no comparison. All I can say was that it was wonderful. The Avalon Scenery was clean, neat, and up to date. The service during the cruise was outstanding. Far exceeded my expectations. The cabins were small, but very comfortable with plenty of storage space both in the cabin and bathroom. The food was good, not the best, but good. Beer and wine flowed freely during dinner. Drink prices in the lounge were very reasonable (considering France and the euro) - beer and wine would run about 3.5 euros with mixed drinks being about 7 euros. Complimentary walking tours were great as were some of the optional tours. We didn't like the wine tasting tour. They only visited one winery, and the wine wasn't that good, again considering all the great wine in France. The Scenery holds about 130 passengers, but our cruise only had about 65 passengers. We were quite surprised and not sure why it wasn't sold out. I wouldn't hesitate again to take Avalon. I wrote a review today, but it has yet to be posted. Should be there soon. If you have any further questions please contact me.

[lutzguy]

imisseurope - BTW - We only booked the cruise portion since we were on a group tour prior to the cruise. The week before the cruise we stayed in the center of Paris (Concorde Opera Paris Hotel) - St. Lazare. Very, Very Busy area. We took the TVG to Arles and then back to Paris from Chalone. We spent one night a the Hotel Aiglon, 232 Boulevard Raspail. To be honest I enjoyed that area more than the St. Lazare area. Seemed to be less congested, plus tons of cafes. Only bad thing with the Hotel Aiglon was the bed - very small and hard, but hey, one night only.

[lutzguy]

Sorry - Forgot to mention that when we arrived back in Paris by train from the cruise, that evening we just happened to meet two ladies who were on the cruise and took the Avalon transfer and hotel to Paris. Don't know the name of the hotel, but they said it was just down the street on Blvd Montparnasse, next street over from Raspail where we were staying. They left the ship around 9:00 am by bus, we left by train at 10:00am. We arrived Paris at 2:00 pm, they arrived Paris at 6:00pm.

[SunDapple]

....... They left the ship around 9:00 am by bus, we left by train at 10:00am. We arrived Paris at 2:00 pm, they arrived Paris at 6:00pm.

 

 

My guess is that the bus probably stopped in Beaune for lunch and a bit of sightseeing.

[webfoot]

Yes, there is a stop in Beaune for lunch and a choice of 2 different tours. One is of the old hospital which has been restored and the other to a winery! We found a great place for lunch (wish I could remember it's name) where my plate overflowed with an omelet, salad, and fries!

[imisseurope]

Thanks Lutzguy and Webfoot,

Webfoot, you have been on quite a few Avalon cruises, I see.

Once it came down to doing the deposit, I hesitated because of two things,

a) the cabin category I wanted was sold out, so i'd have to upgrade for $599 per person.

b) started finding some not so good reviews

c) the 2 people I talked to on separate occassions at Avalon/Globus, gave me a uncomfortable first impression. Not enthusiastic, not friendly, etc.

So I let my hold on the reservation go.

I then called Viking and got a fabulously friendly and efficient and enthusiastic girl on the line. The only reason I didn't put down a deposit is the deposit is double that of Avalon and they want final payment by Sept. 30 for the 2 for 1 special. (Going in July of 2012)

Is there anyone out there that has any advice? I've been trying to plan this for awhile now, settled on a South of France itinerary, but now seem to be in limbo.

I'd love to book the Viking, just didn't want to put all the money up front so far in advance.

comments....advice?????

[imisseurope]

I see you are taking your first river cruise in Jun 2012?

How did you decide on Avalon???

[stretchcruz]

I can tell you that we have been on only one river cruise...on Avalon...after over 40 river cruises. It was from Budapest to Prague. We loved it, the ship (Tranquility) was modern, and food was great. The walking tours were good.

We narrowed it down, for our first river cruise, to Avalon, AMA, and Uniworld, based upon reviews, comments, cabin sizes, and amenities.

Don't book through Avalon/Globus, you can save about 10 to 15 percent by booking through a travel agent, as we did.

We booked our next river cruise for next April from Amsterdam to Paris, we loved Avalon so much, I did look at all of the other lines, but decided to go with what we knew and enjoyed....booked with a TA and saved. Also we booked our air with FF miles, so we are set! Last year the TA that we booked with had a special for $200 roundtrip air, from Tucson to Budapest and then back from Prague, so we took advantage of that.

[Mariners04]

imisseurope - BTW - We only booked the cruise portion since we were on a group tour prior to the cruise. The week before the cruise we stayed in the center of Paris (Concorde Opera Paris Hotel) - St. Lazare. Very, Very Busy area. We took the TVG to Arles and then back to Paris from Chalone. We spent one night a the Hotel Aiglon, 232 Boulevard Raspail. To be honest I enjoyed that area more than the St. Lazare area. Seemed to be less congested, plus tons of cafes. Only bad thing with the Hotel Aiglon was the bed - very small and hard, but hey, one night only.

 

Lutzguy:

 

We are taking the Viking river cruise to Southern France next April, 2012. Could you givel me any hints about taking the TVG back to Paris from Avignon? Is there a place to put your luggage in economy class on the train or do you need to upgrade?

 

Thanks for any info you can give me.

 

Mariners 04

[webfoot]

IMISSEUROPE:

 

My husband and I have had wonderful success with Avalon cruises. We do not book directly with Avalon as we deal with an online discount company, so I have not talked to anyone at Avalon directly. I agree with you that I do not like being pressured into paying in full right away.

 

We booked rather late last year (using a 2 for 1 offer) and found that there were only cabins left on the upper deck, which did cost more, but we felt it was worth the money. If we book again, we will pay for the upgrade. My husband has some medical issues and he liked being able to open the door and walk only a few steps to the back lounge where they had fruit and cookies available all day long.

 

No matter which company you book, I am sure you will have a wonderful time. We loved our France cruises!!!

[lutzguy]

Mariners04 - Taking the TVG in France is easier than I had expected. We took the TVG back to Paris from Chalone at the end of the cruise. The Avalon Scenery receptionist ensured that we had a taxi waiting to take us to the train station when we left the ship. We booked our train tickets on-line at http://www.raileurope.com about 3-4 months before the cruise. Check the website to see when you can book in advance. If you do, you will receive a confirmaiton number (don't lose that number). You will need your confirmation number to retrieve you tickets at the station. The website also gives you all the information on how to print and validate your tickets at the station. The longer you wait to buy the more expensive it becomes, so book early. We booked second class, we were assigned a car and seat number (very comfortable seats with plenty of leg room). All cars have plenty of luggage racks as soon as you enter the car (free). The TVG was a very quite and smooth ride. We took the TVG back to Paris Gare de-Lyon (train station). We did have one train transfer after leaving Chalone and ensured that I had plenty of time to catch the TVG to Paris. The website will tell you how long the layover is. Some were 10 - 15 minutes. I opted for the 1 hour layover, just to be safe. Once there, we got on the Metro to our hotel. The hotel management gave us specific directions (Metro Lines) to their hotel. If you use the Metro, be prepared to carry you luggage up and down stairs. Within Gare de-Lyon they have numerous escalators. Please contact me if you need any further assistance.

[lutzguy]

imisseurope

I also booked through a travel agency. I also heard from someone else that when they called is wasn't very pleasant. I called them to see if we could add on the end of cruise transfer with them, but since we had booked with a travel agent they would not let us book a transfer. Thought that was kind of dumb on their part. I'm glad we didn't, if was actually fun to do our own thing. However, the Avalon sales/reps are not an indication of what the service was aboard the ship. As I said, it was some of the best service that I have ever experienced on any cruise or resort stay.

[annie99]

We did an Avalon cruise last year on the Danube and loved it. Scenic and Tauck include more of the optional shore excursions in their price and this is a good deal it you want to take all the extra excursions.

Looking forward to our next river boat down the Rhone - again with Avalon.

We like to wander around on our own after the initial orientation excursion.It is a nice blend of structure and free time.

[jaxon41]

As fate would have it this past year I did an Avalon cruise in Normandy and a Rhone cruise on Viking. The Viking ship was an older one [no longer in service] but I felt the food and staff were comparable. Of course I got a very good deal on Viking - not the phony 2 for 1 that annoys everyone, but a near the sailing true bargain and that might have sweetened the experience. I think that Avalon is rated slightly higher.

Ask more questions of me if you want.

 

Could you please expound on the phony 2 for 1.