France-Burgundy/Provence Cruising

[newfirsttimer]

I am trying to sort through the various cruise companies and their offerings for fall of 2013. Some are already sold out as I am finding, some have their ships chartered etc. I love to visit all the small towns/villages, get a feel for local history, the way of life etc and am not all that concerned about museums, churches etc. While the quality of the food and onboard service are important, I am not a foodie, I would like the best daily tours. Any opinions? I have looked at Viking, Uniworld, AMA and Scenic. I also want a post cruise extension to Barcelona, not Nice or Monte Carlo. All suggestions greatly appreciated. Thanks

[rundent]

Did the Soane/Rhone cruise with Viking 2 years ago and it was great. I have cruised on Uniworld and would imagine that they would offer a little more opulent ship, but the ports of call would have to be pretty much the same since it's not like driving through the French countryside where you have endless places to visit. The guides that they employ are hit or miss, with some somewhat boring and others delightful - but they can't screw up the experience.

[Talisker92]

We will be taking the Vantage Burgundy cruise in about 2 weeks. The ship is the MS Rembrandt, which only has 78 passengers. Depending on which direction you sail, you can either fly or take the train to Barcelona.

We will be posting the trip story around mid July.

[Kununoppin]

We just returned today from an AMA Provence cruise. It was wonderful and the excursions did a great job of introducing the local culture and its history. Well done.

[amd1234]

We are booked on the Uniworld June 2013 River Royale Burgandy-Provence. We are doing a pre cruise extension to Paris on our own. We picked this itinerary because we like the Uniworld Boutique ships and also we wanted to see France. We have been to Monaco, Monte Carlo so this itinerary fits us perfectly. The ships fill up fast so start planning..

[beverlyjack]

Have you considered Grand Circle. The have 2 ships that cruise this itinerary. They are both 46 passenger cruisers. about 1/3 the numbers of passengers or the other lines. We have never done this cruise with them, but it is on our list. We have done 6 of their river cruises, in addition to 7 other trips. Our most recent cruse with them was on the Seine. If you are interested, I have published a blog on that trip. It is jackthetravelingman-seine.blogspot.com. There primary emphasis is on the local people and culture. Here is a link to this itinerary. Click Here. They do not have and extension to Barcelona, but you can either do your own air, or see what custom air arrangements they will do. They do not do mass marketing or use travel agents. Word of mouth is their primary marketing tool. If you have any questions about them, we would be glad to try to answer them.

 

Jack

[nordski]

Posters have recommended Vantage and Grand Circle. Unfortunately, since the OP lives in Canada signing up for their cruises is a more challenging process than say choosing Viking, Uniworld etc.

 

My understanding is that you would have to use an American travel agent and they will not provide flights from Canadian airports.

 

This raises a point to consider for someone choosing to river cruise. You might want to consider their target market and how that effects the nationality of your fellow cruisers.

[beverlyjack]

Yes, Grand Circle's target market is American, and, to the best of my knowledge, they only ticket from American airports, but they do not restrict Canadians or citizens of any other country from traveling with them. They do not use travel agents. If you choose to book your own air through a travel agent, that is your choice. I have not used a TA in about 20 years, whether with group travel or independent. You could check their air prices from and American airport and see if they could beat what you could get, including your connection to the US airport. To save money, or other reasons, many of their travelers book their own arrangements to the international departure airport. It looks like Milton is under 100 miles from Buffalo. Many people have to go that far within the US.

 

Jack

[newfirsttimer]

Thank you everyone for your input and suggestions. I had not considered Vantage or GCT for the reason mentioned. I have done quite a bit of research on this and am still fence sitting with respect to which line. My experience with AMA has been very positive, and at this point all lines are offering an early booking discount and prepay discount, not that I plan to prepay. I do want to go to Barcelona and not all the cruises offer a post cruise there and some lines only go in one direction, southbound. AMA does include the cost of the pre and post cruise in their pricing vs an add on. Hopefully I will make a decision soon.

[Ozjohnno]

For our 40th Wedding Anniversary in 2014 we are saving for Tauck's French Waterways and Vineyards cruise. As Australians companies like Vantage and Grand Circle required US Addresses when we enquired with them in 2010 so in reality they are not available to Australians. We really enjoyed our last Tauck cruise last year and this area of France looks really inviting.

[Fairfield Nana]

We just completed the Arles to Chalon-sur-Saone trip on the River Royale and we rate it 5 stars in all main categories. My brief post in the RR reviews area should be posted in a couple days. Couldn't/didn't add much to the reviews by the two folks who were on this shhip just ahead of us in April as they totally nailed it with their comments--right on!The only thing I would strongly suggest is to spend some time in Aix-en-Provence & the surrouding areas of Gordes, St. Remy, and the Camargue--spectacular scenery and local color!!

[Wendy The Wanderer]

That's why I'm not choosing Vantage or Grand Circle. Plus I have a little knowledge of both companies, since I've seen them operate in Tahiti. Nothing bad, just not my style.

[amd1234]

I am glad you had a wonderful time. We are doing a 3 day precruise to Paris and we are on the fence about a post cruise extension. Aix Provence ?? would you suggest a day there before we head home. Next year the itinerary is reversed on the Royale we head home from Marseille. Thanks

[Talisker92]

I have been on 2 river cruises, and ocean cruise and a land tour with Vantage, and really like them. We leave in 2 weeks on our Burgundy cruise

[sperantei]

I just got back from Uniworld's cruise through Provence and Burgundy on the River Royale and couldn't have been happier. I wrote a review in the member review section of this website and gave it 5 stars in all categories. I also wrote a blog during the cruise, which details the shore excursions. If you're interested, it's at http://www.riverroyale.weebly.com.

Kathy

[newfirsttimer]

Jack, a great blog. It was great to read to know what to expect along the Seine. Thanks for sharing.

[franski]

Residents of Ontario (Canada) booking with Vantage or Grand Circle should ask one question beyond booking guidelines and/or air. Are they affiliated with TICO...

 

I did discuss one of these companies with my TA (can't remember which one now...) but they were not affiliated with TICO, so decided against it.

 

Perhaps not an issue for everyone, but there are lots of similar excursions run by companies that do work with TICO, so we take that into consideration when we book.

 

Fran

[newfirsttimer]

Residents of Ontario (Canada) booking with Vantage or Grand Circle should ask one question beyond booking guidelines and/or air. Are they affiliated with TICO...

 

I did discuss one of these companies with my TA (can't remember which one now...) but they were not affiliated with TICO, so decided against it.

 

Perhaps not an issue for everyone, but there are lots of similar excursions run by companies that do work with TICO, so we take that into consideration when we book.

 

Fran

Fran, that is also my concern. Lots of money not to be protected by TICO when there are other options available. I thought ocean cruising was difficult to make decisions, river cruising is even worse! All the itineraries sound pretty much alike, it is the fine print that and 'extras' that will kill you. Thanks as always for your input.

[delraydoll]

About 2 yrs. ago, we did Avalon's Paris-Arles with an extension to Nice which included Nimes, Mer St. Eglise (I think) and Aix -- excellent. This trip was billed as a special wine cruise (besides wine at lunch and dinner), and it was really special. We've also done Uniworld (which caters to a large English-speaking group, not just Americans) and in fact are booked on a 5/'13 Uniworld Basel-Amsterdam (followed a few days later w/Viking Berlin-Prague).

 

Look at the cabin configuration of any ship you're interested in. You'll find Uniworld/Avalon are a lot more luxurious/larger than Viking. Frankly, we wouldn't consider Grand Circle because of this.

 

As posted elsewhere under River Cruising, Uniworld also offers large discount, up to $1,000 pp if one pays in full at time of booking. Plus most lines offer discounts for past passsengers.

 

We usually book our own air arrangements as we often have miles for upgrading.