French river cruises and barge cruises

[june1]

Who has taken a river cruise or barge cruise in France? Please give opinions and suggestions. Thanks June 1

[joek]

We took a Grand Circle cruise in April, 3 nights in hotel in Paris, 7 day cruise from Chalon-sur-Soane to Arles, 1 night in Nice. Boat was the MS Provence, 46 passengers, really get to know shipmates. Cabins 200SF+, Staff excellent, food quite good.

 

There are many lines that do the same trip, larger ships but most have small cabins. You have to do your homework to compare, and browse through these posts.

[LoveBora]

We took a six-night cruise on the Esprit with French Country Waterways. The barge held 18 passengers. It was a fabulous cruise. FCW is an upscale company that provided a true gourmet food and wine experience. Staterooms were quite small but the experience more than made up for the coziness.

[AWED23]

We took a six-night cruise on the Esprit with French Country Waterways. The barge held 18 passengers. It was a fabulous cruise. FCW is an upscale company that provided a true gourmet food and wine experience. Staterooms were quite small but the experience more than made up for the coziness.

You made my day!....I am considering back to back next July with FCW taking both the Champagne and Alsace/Lorraine cruises....I note that they are smaller barges[8 and 12] passengers only....Do you think this is a good plan?

[jdrblue]

We did the same GCT cruise as joek. Ours was aboard the M/S Chardonnay and in reverse order. We did the pre-cruise in Nice and Paris at the end. I echo joek's comments - nice size staterooms, good food and good service. We really enjoyed the trip. We did a lot of touring around the Nice area. The time on the cruise was a slower pace and then the time in Paris was some pretty intense sightseeing. We did almost all of the pre and post cruise sightseeing on our own. In Nice, we took the GCT half day tour to Saint Paul de Vence which was well worthwhile.

[joek]

I've met people that have taken the barges and they loved it, especially the serious food and wine buffs. Some said that at times, the boats moved so slowly, they could walk alongside from lock to lock.

 

The only reservation I have is the fear of having some 'unpleasant' passengers....noisy....complainers....intrusive.

[Michael J]

Joek: We are taking our first river cruise next month with GCT. Holland and Belguim. Assuming we like it we are interested in taking the cruise on the french watereways. Paris to Nice next November. Will probably add the extra nights in Nice. We thought that that route was better for us as we have to Paris many times. What deck was your cabin and do you think it mattered?

Thanks Mike

[AWED23]

:D

I've met people that have taken the barges and they loved it, especially the serious food and wine buffs. Some said that at times, the boats moved so slowly, they could walk alongside from lock to lock.

 

The only reservation I have is the fear of having some 'unpleasant' passengers....noisy....complainers....intrusive.

JOEK....If I find myself surrounded by fools I will do the same thing as I did as an Ensign away back in 1956....Throw the bum off the fantail when no one is looking.....

[joek]

Michael J

We opted for the upper deck. Cabins are the same size but have sliding doors and a TINY balcony (like 2.5 feet wide by 20 feet long...crazy) just wide enough for a chair. It was nice though to sit outside or inside on a loveseat, have a drink, and watch the countryside.

 

AWED23

If we ever sail together, I'll behave for sure.

[AWED23]

Michael J

We opted for the upper deck. Cabins are the same size but have sliding doors and a TINY balcony (like 2.5 feet wide by 20 feet long...crazy) just wide enough for a chair. It was nice though to sit outside or inside on a loveseat, have a drink, and watch the countryside.

 

AWED23

If we ever sail together, I'll behave for sure.

Because your profile indicates that you are 7 years my senior I shall show you all due respect!,,,Also, it is not possible for you to be a fool or boor as you are CERTIFIED as being CIVIL if my eyes are correct when I read your profile....Bet we would have fun over a few adult beverages if ever we are aboard together.!!!.....PS.,We were at anchor in Guantanamo Bay when My breach of sensability occoured and an idiot Bos'un 3rd swam in the midnight moon...

[The Golds]

We did the same GCT cruise as joek. Ours was aboard the M/S Chardonnay and in reverse order. We did the pre-cruise in Nice and Paris at the end. I echo joek's comments - nice size staterooms, good food and good service. We really enjoyed the trip. We did a lot of touring around the Nice area. The time on the cruise was a slower pace and then the time in Paris was some pretty intense sightseeing. We did almost all of the pre and post cruise sightseeing on our own. In Nice, we took the GCT half day tour to Saint Paul de Vence which was well worthwhile.

 

Hi Jdrblue, we are taking the same trip in May of '07. Any insight as to what to look out for good or bad. Taking the M/S Chardonnay from Paris to Nice with the pre-trip to Normandy.

 

We did the Queen Mary Crossing last year and got mucho info from these boards...even had a meeting of the Cruise Critics on board and drank a little bubbly.:)

 

The Golds

[ezel]

Anyone do this river cruise from Lyon to Avignon. My wife and I are going over Xmas on the Chardonnay. Any comments or suggestions?

[jdrblue]

The Golds - We did the reverse itinerary so Normandy was the post-trip option. The Normandy extension was cancelled because not enough people signed up. We had just wanted to stay in Paris so that wasn't a factor for us. We didn't take any of the optional excursions in Paris. We had been to Versailles and there is plenty to keep you busy in Paris. I see you are scheduled to stay in the Le Meridian Montparnasse. We were somewhat disappointed with our Paris hotel. Our hotel was in Montparnasse just down the street from the LeMeridian. I think you will be well please with it. We were in the bar there and the hotel is very nice and handy to a Metro stop in the Gare Montparnasse (train station).

 

At the end of your cruise you will go by bus to Aix-en-Provence, the Rhone American Cemetery and Nice. We had a fairly short stop in Aix for lunch and had time on our own. I wish we had done some homework in advance concerning Aix. It is very picturesque. I'm sure there are things there we missed though. Arles is an interesting place. There are some very impressive Roman ruins. When we were in Arles the mosquitoes almost carried us away. Maybe May will be better than September but bring some insect repellent just in case. That was the only place on the whole trip we had an insect problem. I understand there is a huge wildlife and bird sanctuary near the Rhone estuary. We were told they don't spray for mosquitoes in Arles because the birds eat the bugs. The day we were in Arles the bugs were winning that battle.

 

Van Gogh did some great work in Arles. There are lots of places where you can see the subject of some of his paintings such as Cafe Nuit, Starry Night, the Arena and the Hospital. If you're interested you might study up on Van Gogh's time in Provence.

 

Our hotel in Nice was nice. Sorry, I couldn't resist the nice in Nice thing. It was the same as yours. It is well situated near old Nice and a main bus station. We did our pre-cruise in Nice and really enjoyed the excursion to St. Paul de Vence.

[H2Otstr]

We did Viking this past May from Lyon with a 3 day extension in Nice. Was wonderful. No problems with insects. Rick Steves had a special on TV today about Provence. You can get his videos for $20. Showed a lot of the same places we visited.

[The Golds]

Our hotel in Nice was nice. Sorry, I couldn't resist the nice in Nice thing. It was the same as yours. It is well situated near old Nice and a main bus station. We did our pre-cruise in Nice and really enjoyed the excursion to St. Paul de Vence.

 

jdrblue, thanks for the quick reply:) ...We did the QM2 crossing last year and had a ball. Cruisecritics got together in the bubbly lounge for a few and to discuss the boards.

 

Have also done the Danube on the Mozart ship. Another great trip, thanks to these boards.

 

Once again we thank you for your insight.

 

Look forward to hearing from more people who have made the trip.

The Golds.

[The Golds]

ezels:

Please keep us posted on your trip, we are going in May and would like to hear all about your trip prior to taking ours.

Thank you,

The Golds

[skandls]

We did a barge in Burgundy in 2004 thru A&K. It was a 20 passenger boat and so the rooms were tiny tiny and the bathroom even smaller. It was the best trip we have taken. We did a river boat (Poetry) in 2005 Budapest to Amsterdam. We both much preferred the barge for the food - tours and 'overall' experience.

 

For one thing our tour guide was also the van driver. So there was not a lot of repeat talk about gothic baroque etc architecture. We toured some very interesting sites. The river cruise had 150 passengers so it was by bus with different local guides.

 

We had no problem with any of the other passengers. Even when the air conditioning barely worked (we were told it help to leave the cabin doors open) no one complained.

 

If you have questions let me know - I can't really go into detail on both trips.

[The Golds]

We did a barge in Burgundy in 2004 thru A&K.

 

Skandls, thank you for your insight, we did the Mozart on the Danube with 125 other passengers and it was very nice. We are looking forward to this one with 40 next June. Just wanted to get a feel for it..:)

[getfuzzyfan]

Would any of you have pictures you could post of the canal barges you travelled on? Cabins, public areas, etc. Thanks.

[Carhut]

Yes, that would be great if somebody had pictures to post on the internet. I'm booked for GCT from Nice to Paris Aug. 22, and getting psyched up about the trip. Would love to see somebody else's pictures. Also if anybody has any advice about the trip, it would be greatly appreciated.

 

Carole