France

We just returned 2 weeks ago from cruising the Seine and Rhone. We went from Paris to Normandy, back to Paris, switched ships and cruised to the Cote d' Azur and then added the extension in the Provence. If anyone has any questions, I'll try to answer them. Great trip and excellent time of year to cruise France. (in the catalog it is called "Grand France with extension")

FWIW...I've put some comments Re: "Grand France" in the thread "Group River Cruise from Chicago". c

We are doing the grand france with Avalon end of April....Out 1st time on Avalon...did Viking-in 2008... Amsterdam to Vienna incl. a short detour down the Moselle which was beautiful...I understand there are some tour choices with Avalon in France..Do you have any suggestions on the choices ?

We are doing the grand france with Avalon end of April....Out 1st time on Avalon...did Viking-in 2008... Amsterdam to Vienna incl. a short detour down the Moselle which was beautiful...I understand there are some tour choices with Avalon in France..Do you have any suggestions on the choices ?

Hope to do the France cruise in2013 which cabins / deck would be best? And I like to sit outdoors! So need a balcony. Whichavalon boat were you on?::)

Sorry, I tried to respond earlier but the boards were down. We were on the Scenery and Creativity. If you are on the Grand France you will be bused to the next ship upon completion of the Paris/Normandy/Paris part. The Rhone and Seine do not meet so you will be put on a bus and taken to Beaune. My husband and I split up optionals here; I went on the wine tasting and he went to the Hospice. We both liked what we did!

We took the optional to Honfleur and also to the Evening at the Moulin Rouge. On the second cruise we took the optional to the Pont du Gard and Uzes. We enjoyed all of the them and would rec'd them. We did not take optionals at any of the other places since we did our own thing. By using the metro Paris is very easy to DIY, especially walking around Montmarte and the Marais. Lyon is also very easy to DIY. If you are taking the Provence extension the Camargue is part of the itinerary. I loved the Camargue!

We opted for Auvers-sur-Oise (VanGogh's last home) on the 1st cruise which I rec'd highly (the fields and cemetery are wonderful) so we did not take the "Footsteps" optional on the 2nd cruise but since you visit Arles you do see many of the places VanGogh painted.

Some of our fellow passengers took the wine tastings and really enjoyed them but at Beaune and then with the free flowing wine on board we really had the opportunity to sample many. At every dinner you may ask for white and then switch to red or vice-versa and try the roses.

Hope all of this helps you both!

Ship question: since you are on a river boat the "balcony" is really a large sliding glass door which we always get on the top deck. The choice of deck is personal since there is no difference in the actual rooms on the top deck and the deck just below. The rooms below those 2 do not have the "french balcony". There are 2 suites on the top deck which are larger. I personally need the light so I won't go for the lower decks but others said they were just fine for them.

Most people go to the sundeck for some period of time regardless of which deck they are on just for the 360 view. Others like the small deck area in front of the main lounge and others are in the aft. If you don't like being outside the main lounge is very comfortable. Sometimes the top deck can get "happy" especially if happy hour is underway but it's all part of cruising and there are certainly very quiet places to go if you want. Hope this helps.

Hi

I am looking at cruising the south portion and wondered if you could answer some questions for me. I think I have talked my dad into coming with my husband and I, but he has some mobility issues and uses a walker for balance. He can manage stairs, but for a full flight of stairs, multiple times a day, an elevator would be better.

Can you tell me if the Avalon ships had elevators, or if not, how spacious are the stairs? Lots of room with good railings will do in a pinch.

Also, when the ship docks, is it usually relatively straightforward to get off the ship? Small gangplank and then on a sidewalk or something? I can't really picture river boat docks.

And are you usually in a good part of town to stroll to a cafe and get a glass of wine if you want?

Also, on board in the evening, is there any music entertainment? Piano or anything?

thanks

There is some evening entertainment and there is a "house" piano player. Let's see if I can help with the mobility situation: Gangplank is a ramp with slight raised bars for traction about 12"apart and has roped sides. There is a step up and a step down. There were a few times when the gangplank was established from the top deck and other times from the reception area which is 1 deck down. The reception area placement should not hinder your dad but the top deck placement might. There are narrow steps from reception to top deck (sun deck) with handrails and the elevator does NOT go to top deck. People were able to do it but it took time. He would be able to take the elevator from his cabin to the dining room and to the main lounge (those 2 are on different decks).

If he has mobility issues even walking the sidewalks might be a problem as the cobblestones can be tough for even the most agile so the walker could be a problem. However, Avalon does group passengers so he would be able to join the "slow walkers" group; not everyone in that group is elderly so he will be with a range of ages. The ship always berthed right in center city and cafes and restaurants are very close. Perhaps the only exception was Lyon but we walked to Old Town. It would be quite an undertaking for him but mass transit or cab is always an option.

Now that may sound rather pessimistic but I think he'll be fine. He may not get to see everything but it is a wonderful gentle way of traveling and if he gets weary while he's in a town, there are usually plenty of places to rest, grab a drink and just people watch. There were several people on board with different levels of mobility and all were able to participate. Perhaps someone will read this who has traveled with mobility issues and will be able to answer your questions in more detail.

I would encourage him to go, the memories you all would have and just being together in a family adventure would be so worth it. Hope this helps.

I second cbb's recommendation that he go. Most river boats have an elevator and you can always ask the cruise company. I know Tauck has one on all their boats. We cruised the Rhine and Danube with a woman who I suspect had even more problems than your Dad. She did fine and when necessary the CD would get a cab for her.

On the Rhone section of your cruise, how easy was it to get into old Lyon? Could you walk from the boat?Did you have the whole day in Lyon on your own? Were there any overnights in any ports?

Thanks!

Sometimes we spent the night at the port and then very early in the morning we left for the next port. The only port that we spent the day, overnighted, and then a full day the next day was Lyon. We docked just south of the university bridge so we walked over the bridge into Old Lyon. We took the metro also. We did not take any of the optional tours so that we would have the time to ourselves but did take the offered city tour because I wanted to see the traboules. I had done my research but feared I would be unable to find them. We were taken through 2 of them and they were very cool so I'm glad we took the guided tour. Les Halles Paul Bocuse de Lyon was part of one of the optionals but it is very easy to do on your own as well. One of the

coolest things was the outdoor market right where we docked. We loved Lyon and the trip was excellent. (sorry I'm in italics and can't get out!!!)

Is this where your post cruise extension was in Provence? I can't find Uniworld's info for March, it may not be offered as far as my TA can tell. It seems very costly and I don't really know whether it is somewhere to send a couple of days on my own post cruise.

Any illumination appreciated :)

Hi Cbb, another question (or anyone else who can answer) about the set up of the bathroom. Specifically for the Avalon Scenery, can you describe the shower, or if you have any pictures I would really appreciate seeing them? Were there grab bars in the shower? Is it a curtain or glass door?

(Also, anyone else that has shower info or pictures on the other ships doing the south France, I would love to hear it - please just tell me which ship. We are looking at Uniworld royale and Amadagio at this point.)

Thanks

We purchased the extension which ended in Nice. We are trying to recall the shower situation. I believe that it was a curtain with a flexible shower head and I don't honestly remember grab bars. I do know that there was not a "lip" into the shower but there would not be room for a walker or stool. Hope this helps a little.

I was in a hurry on the last response so here is more on the extension with Avalon:

-bused through the Camargue (which I loved) and had some free time in

Aigues Mortes, a great little sea side town with wonderful ancient walls

-back on bus to Aix where we had some free time and then to Nimes where

we spent 2 nights

-Then on to Nice where we had a free day, spent the night and then to airport

The extension was excellent.

We can't remember grab bars in the shower, mostly because on a river boat there is no motion as one would feel on an ocean liner so I didn't even think to look for one....sorry I can't be of more help. One of the most fascinating things about river boating in Europe are the locks and dams so that you can be sailing along (you think) and suddenly the room you're in (dining or cabin) begins to grow dark and you look out the window and you see.....stone! Try to be up on top or on one of the small outside decks when the ship goes through. The wheelhouse collapses, the railings go down and under a bridge and through the locks you go...excellent! The Rhine and Danube are filled with them and so is the Seine and Rhone and they are very, very old. (They don't have to collapses the top deck every time, but there are times on the rivers that the whole top deck is closed to passengers.

Thanks cbb. Just heard back there is no available extension on the March departures. I will have to try and organise something on my own. I appreciate your feedback.

We are planning on this trip next spring. I assume you were sailing with GCT. What boat were you on? We are planning on the M/S Provence since we have heard bad things about the M/S Chardonnay. What part of the trip was the most memorable. Whick optional trips did you take and were they worth the time & money? Thank you in advance.

We were on the Avalon Scenery and Creativity. I loved the whole itinerary so picking one place is very hard to do. Having said that we did have a once in a lifetime opportunity given us by Avalon. We arrived at the American Cemetery at Normandy on 9/11 and the people there in cooperation with Avalon had a small ceremony for us. They asked all of the veterans to step forward and then thanked them for their service to their country. We had reps from WWII to the Middle Eastern wars. They played our National Anthem and then all of us were given a red rose to go place on a grave of our choosing. I chose one of the many marked "Known Only to God" while others chose graves from their home states or from a branch of the service they had some connection with. It was very moving to all of the Americans to be there on 9/11 and then to see all of the white markers in front of us.

You will enjoy this itinerary very much. It is a beautiful part of the world.

CBB: That is awesome that you were able to attend a wonderful ceremony. I am glad that Avalon was able to make this trip so special for you!

To cbb,

How wonderful that must have been? It's something you will remember forever! We were at the American Cemetery in Luxembourg two summers ago with Tauck Tours and they gave us long stem white roses to place on the graves.

Sheila

Webfoot, I see you were on the Magnificent Europe with Avalon. We have taken this one also and I loved it. We arrived in Budapest a week earlier and using the Monogram Tours did Budapest for 3 days, then trained to Vienna and were there for 3 days, trained to Prague and were also there for 3 days, trained back to Budapest and boarded the ship. We loved that cruise and our only day we didn't like was with the young tour guide in Nuremberg who kept telling us the city used to be beautiful until the Americans bombed it. Our ship was filled with mostly Australians, a few Canadians, and even fewer Americans but none of us liked her because every one of us had had someone fighting in Europe in WWII. If you know WWII you know what historical significance Nuremberg had so I pretty quickly tuned her out.

We also did the Paris to Normandy with GCT 2 years ago and visited the same cemetary and experienced the identical ceremony you mentioned. It was very inspirational and moving. The US Park Service does a great job maintainng the facility and the providing a very dignified rememberance to our fallen heros. I sent the Park Service a letter commemting on proceedings.

We are doing the Paris to Nice river cruise in the spring and will have an opportunity to visit the cemetary in Draguignan to pay our respects to the 861 fallen American soldiers buried there.

That will be wonderful for you to be able to visit that Rhone Valley cemetery. We unfortunately did not spend any extra time beyond the extension in the Provence. In retrospect we wish we had spent some time pre and post cruise as we usually do but it just didn't work out for us this time; hopefully there will be a next time and we can. Will you rent a car to get there? I know you will love the itinerary as much as we did.

ccb-I found your "post" based on your response to my post on the river cruise lines

From all the information you have been sharing it certainly sounds like Avalon will be able to give me an itinerary I want

I am also looking into Spring of 2013 (that sounds so far away!)but I love to research options before I make my choices so you have given me a lot to think about. I think I could really get excited about another Avalon river cruise!

Thanks for all the info!