Paris Seine river Deilmann Cruises

[grfennell]

Returned 11/05 and had a great time and ready to go again. First, I hope of many river cruises. You only need to dress formal two nights during the cruise. The rest of the time its in the evening its sports causal. I took to many dress up clothes. The whole trip was excellent. Good food, good company, good tours. etc. First class all the way!!! I highly recommend the Deilmann cruise line.

[OhioDogLover]

grfennell,
We are taking a Deilmann cruise this summer. When you said two formal nights, how formal is formal? I was under the impression that a dark suit or sport coat (with a tie) would be fine for the men and a cocktail type ourfit would do it for the women. I don't want to be overdressed, and thought the river cruises were a lot more informal than ocean cruises. Also, I understood that the Deilmann line was frequented more by Europeans than North Americans. Was this also your experience?
Thanks for the info.

[grfennell]

Suit/sport coat with tie are fine. Cocktail dress is also fine. Yes, we were told they were far more formal, but found this not to be true. One gent from Germany wore blue jeans most of the cruise. There were about twelve Americans on this cruise, the rest were mostly German. Dress attire not much different than a Caribbean cruise, if any.

[nyfeds]

We, too, will be taking a Deilmann Seine river cruise, June 3-10 on the Cezanne. Can't wait to experience river cruising for the first time.

What were your impressions of the ship? Would you please elaborate on the food, tours and guides. Was there entertainment in the evenings?

Thanks for providing your input!

[grfennell]

Food was as good and maybe better than any cruise ship i've been on. Not a bad meal ever. Same goes for our cabin (lowest rate cabin on ship), it was excellent, more than we expected. The tours i went on (3) were also very good and the guides were very knowledgeable.I'm ready to go back on the same cruise and the same ship!!!!! One of the best vacations i've had in along time. Now for the entertainment. Basically its a very good piano player in the lounge, with a singer on some nights. Very relaxing. No casino.

[gillianrose]

We are very interested in taking a cruise on a Peter Deilmann boat, but hesitate only because we do not want to be concerned about having a problematic vacation due to secondhand smoke.

Could you please describe the smoking rules onboard, how much of the boat is dedicated to non-smoking areas? I especially don't want to inhale cigar smoke and if it is allowed indoors then we won't book.

I think I read that Deilmann (ocean and river) now disallows any smoking in dining rooms, but I don't have more information than that.

Thanks.

[nyfeds]

Thanks so much for sharing your experiences. We've ocean cruised four times with Radisson, exclusively, and this is our first river cruise experience. Peter Deilmann's reputation is impeccible and we are very much looking forward to seeing for ourselves.

Smoking policy was a very big concern for us, as well. Upon reading the Deilmann brochure, their smoking policy states "smoking on open deck and in one designated area of the lounge."

[grfennell]

Yes, there was some smoking in the lounge on our cruise, but very minimal and did not bother us at all. Our room didn't seem as it ever had smokers in it. The dining room I believe was non smoking, but not sure. I didn't see anyone smoking. Go and enjoy as I am sure you will!!!!!!

[nyfeds]

Thanks, once again. I'm very glad to hear that smoking was a non-issue.

Where did you embark and how close was it to the city area? Did you take a cab and, if so, how much did it cost?

Thanks!

[grfennell]

We landed in Paris and they bussed us to the city of Rouen. The dock is in the city. You can walk to do some shopping and/or sight seeing. The bus trip took about two hours. Lots of traffic as we neared Rouen. I recommend going this route, then you end up in Paris for your flight home. Otherwise you will be bussed back I would imagine.As I said we had a terrific time.

[nyfeds]

Our itinerary is Paris to Paris; therefore, no bussing to Rouen or from Rouen.

We've arranged a pre stay in Paris, prior to our cruise, as we've never been to Paris before.

What would you consider to be the highlight of this itinerary?

Thanks!

[Judith02]

On the website for our Mozart music theme cruise on Deilmann, it lists day by day tours and opera performances in several cities. It doesen't say how to order these excursions. They don't come with the price of the cruise, do they?

[nyfeds]

Hi Judith,

You can call Deilmann and inquire of the cost of a tour package or you can purchase individual tours. I believe the tour package for our Paris to Paris cruise is $280 per person. You can either pre-book the tours with Deilmann prior to your cruise or while on the vessel.

Have a great time!

[Judith02]

We are doing the music theme cruise in October on the Mozart. I read that they also do one in France in September on the Cezanne, but I can't find out anything about it. We can't do it this year as we'll be on a Mediterranean cruise in September on Crystal, but I would love to do it next year. When I go into themes on their website, they only show the three river cruises on the Mozart. Anyone know anything about the French music themed cruise?