Avalon Creativity Paris to Normandy Trip Report - May 31, 2016: Flooding and all

I really enjoyed my Avalon Creativity river cruise, in spite of the heavy rain and flooding in Paris. For those not aware, May 2016 was the wettest May ever in Paris and the Seine flooded worse than it has in almost 50 years.

I flew in a day early and stayed at the Paris Pullman Montparnasse, which was the Avalon hotel in Paris. Avalon took care of my transfers. Someone was waiting for me just outside baggage claim with a sign with my name. It was pouring rain most of the day. It took about 1 hr 15 min to get to the airport. This was due to it being a Monday morning and very heavy traffic due to the rain. I was lucky that my room was ready when I got to the hotel around noon. I had a very nice room on the 15th floor. I didn't have much of a view, mostly because of the rain and fog. I freshened up and walked about 12 min to a stop for the hop on / hop off bus. I took the green ones, which have 4 separate lines with over 100 stops. Price was €33. I thought this was a good way to get an over view of the city, especially with the rain. I started up at Montmartre. I took the funicular up to the top and toured Sacre Coeur. I then rode around town and stopped at L'Arc de Triomphe, Les Invalides, and a few other places. I gradually made my way back towards the hotel as I was getting tired. I hadn't slept at all on the plane on the way over. I found a very cute cafe near the hotel: Le Maine Cafe. This is a wonderful small cafe with amazing mushroom crepes and chocolate mousse. I returned to the hotel after dinner and slept very well.

Breakfast was included the next morning at the hotel. Avalon arranged for a meeting room that was staffed after 8:30 am. Danielle, our cruise director was there along with two other Avalon local reps. I checked in with them, dropped my luggage and was off to explore Paris. It was still raining very heavily. I purchased a 1-day Metro pass for €7. I started off at Notre Dame and toured the church as well as the crypt that was across the square. The crypt opened at 10:00 am and I was one of the first visitors. I was a bit disappointed in the crypt as it was only early Roman ruins unearthed in the 1980s. At least it was dry. I then headed to the Eiffel Tower. I had not prebooked anything because I wasn't sure what I wanted to do and I knew the weather was going to be nasty. Luckily for me, there really wasn't much of a line to buy tickets. The top was closed due to a problem with the elevator, but I went up to the 2nd level. The top was opened once I was at this level. I was able to purchase a 2nd ticket and go up. It was very foggy and still raining so the view wasn't the best, but at least I was able to go to the top. I walked past the Louvre but didn't go in - I'm not a huge museum person. I wondered a bit and made my way back towards the hotel. I had lunch at the same cafe as yesterday - Croque Monsieur. It was a huge sandwich. It was about 1:30 when I headed back to the hotel.

We were told to meet at the hotel at 3:30 pm for transfer to the ship. There were 50 total passengers, and the ship capacity is 140. There were 20 Americans, 10 Canadians, 4 Brits, 2 Kiwi's, and 14 Aussies. Before we boarded the coaches, we were informed that our captain had moved the ship out of downtown Paris because he was very concerned that he would not be able to get under some of the bridges. We were very lucky that he did so because some ships were not able to sail at all. We boarded in Saint Dennis, a northern suburb of Paris. We were told that we would immediately have the safety briefing in the lounge so that we could sail as quickly as possible. We started sailing at 6:00 pm. Dinner was at 7:00 pm. It was still raining.

The food was wonderful on the ship. Most nights had a choice of a starter, soup or salad, entree and dessert. Some nights had more courses. I really enjoyed everything that I had to eat. They had items that were always available: Caesar salad, steak, grilled chicken breast, and salmon. There was always an ice cream as one of the dessert options. A cheese plate was also always available after dinner. Wine and beer are included with dinner. There was a choice of 4 included wines and at least 2 beers on draft. I'm not sure if there were other beers available as I did not drink any. Every night there was a happy hour in the bar with 1/2 priced drinks. Each day there was also a drink of the day that was on special and was even cheaper during happy hour.

Because there were only 50 passengers, we were only using one side of the dining room. Avalon also gave some of the waiters vacation time for our cruise. There were always at least 3 waiters for all meals and towards the end of the cruise, more staff came back from vacation. They rotated which side of the dining room we used, depending on where the better view was.

The next morning we arrived in Vernon. In the morning, we were informed that the Seine had reached a critical level and we needed to speed up our itinerary so that we could get under a low bridge in Rouen and reach Caudebec in time. Guests had an option of visiting Giverny or a walking tour of Vernon followed by a visit to Bizy Castle. I went to Giverny. It was sprinkling lightly but never turned into a heavy rain. We had about a 15 minute drive to Giverny. We started walking through the Japanese water garden, then walked through the flower gardens, then had time to tour the house as well as walk around the town of Giverny. It was probably the highlight of the trip. The gardens were all in full bloom and were absolutely spectacular. We returned to the ship for lunch and the ship sailed at 12:45, heading towards Rouen.

We were hoping to be able to take a bus from Vernon to Les Andelys to see Chateau Gaillard and we would meet up with the ship in Les Andelys. Unfortunately while we were visiting Giverny, the Seine had risen even further and the docks in Les Andelys were under water. Instead, we had a nice afternoon of sailing towards Caudebec. A pastry chef had come onboard for lunch and made savory crepes. In the afternoon, he gave a pastry demonstration and we were able to try what he made. We were still sailing during dinner and arrived in Caudebec around 8:30 pm. Every evening there was a piano player in the lounge. He was okay. It turned out he was more of a guitar player than a piano player but we were able to find some songs that we liked that he could play. Evenings are pretty quite on a river ship, and with our small passenger load, there were normally 10-15 of us in the lounge after dinner.

Thursday morning we had the choice of the Normandy Abbey Trail or the Thatched cottage route. I chose the thatched cottage tour. We drove along the roads and passed many thatched cottages. There were 2 different places where we were able to get off the bus, walk and take pictures. We were back on the ship for lunch. Those who went on the Abbey tour also seemed to enjoy it. After lunch was the optional excursion to Honfleur. We had about a 45 coach ride to Honfleur. It is a very pretty coastal town. We had about a 1 hour walking tour and then had free time to explore and shop. Normally a visit to the church is a highlight but there was a funeral taking place so we couldn't go in.

Before dinner there was a lecture about D-Day and WWII in preparation for our visits the next day. The lecturer was very good. He talked for about one hour. We had dinner afterwards.

Friday was the all day tours to Normandy. There were three options: US Beaches & Cemetery, British / Canadian Beaches & Cemetery, or a "Taste of Normandy". I did the US beaches tour. We left the ship at 8:00 am. We had about a 1:45 min. drive to the first stop. We did make a restroom break on the way. Our first stop was in Arromanches. We had about 1 hour to walk around the town, shop, & go to the museum if desired. We then met for an included lunch at a nice French cafe. We were served salads, quiche Lorraine, & dessert. It was very tasty. We then boarded the buses and drove through the French countryside to Pont du Hoc. This is a cliff between Utah & Omaha beaches that the US forces needed to take as part of D-Day. We had a bit of a guided walk and then had 45 min to explore the bunkers and visitor center. We then drove to Omaha beach and were able to walk on the beach. It was low tide, so fairly impressive to imagine how much time the troops were exposed on the beach. We then went to the US Cemetery. Everyone in our group was given a rose to lay at a gravesite. It was a very moving day. We had plenty of time to walk around the cemetery & tour the visitor center. We then drove back to the ship. The ship sailed for Rouen at 6:45 pm.

At dinner we were informed that the Seine was closed to all traffic between Rouen & Paris. Our ship would not be sailing any further. We would spend 2 nights docked in Rouen, then do Conflans on Sunday for lunch by bus vs in the morning. We would have a very short stop in Conflans, then do one of the included excursions, either Auvers-sur-Oise or Malmaison. We would then bus into Paris and stay 2 nights at a 5 star hotel close to the L'Arc de Triomphe. We would be given money for 2 lunches, breakfast & dinner would be at the hotel. The only issue with this was that it required cancellation of the optional trip to Versailles on Sunday afternoon, which I had prepaid. I was given a letter that night that explained that I would be getting a refund. Avalon was also giving us refunds for part of the 2 days that we would be staying in hotels. Everyone on the ship was happy with this resolution. We talked to some passengers on one of the Viking ships and were told that Viking was going to keep the ship docked in Rouen and the passengers would be bused into and out of Paris (2 1/2 - 3 hours each way) for their Paris days. We definitely were going to get a better deal.

After dinner 2 local entertainers performed - Bruno & Fabrice. One played piano and the other is kind of like a French Tom Jones. They were surprisingly good and most of the passengers attended and danced as well. We arrived in Rouen around 11:30 pm.

Saturday was our scheduled day for Rouen. We were docked about 4 km out of town because of all the ships that were docked. Avalon provided buses into the center of the Old Town area. We had an included walking tour in the morning. We toured the Church of Joan of Arc, saw where she was burned at the stake, and then walked to the Cathedral. Our guide gave us a guided tour of the cathedral. We then had free time to explore Rouen. There were 2 scheduled transfers back to the ship for lunch. After lunch, we had an included trip to Chateau Gaillard and Les Andelys. We had missed this on the sail out because the docks were under water. Our buses dropped us off at the top of the hill and those who wanted to were able to walk down the hill and into town. We had a guide with us during the walk. We went past the ruins but didn't go inside them. Those who didn't want to walk down the hill were able to ride the bus down into town. We then had about 1 hour to walk around Les Andelys. There was a wedding in the church so we weren't able to go inside. It seemed that most of the town was waiting outside the church for the bride & groom to emerge. There was a very nice farmer's market in Les Andelys that we were able to explore.

The buses took us back to the ship for dinner. We had our embarkation talk before dinner and then the Farewell "Gala" dinner. Dinner was very good.

Sunday we had to have our luggage outside our rooms at 8:15 am. We left the ship on buses for Conflans. It was about a 1.5 hr drive to Conflans. Those going to Auvers-sur-Oise had to be on the buses by 12:45 and those going to Malmaison were leaving at 1:00 pm. Looking back, I wish we had just skipped Conflans and had lunch in Auvers-sur-Oise instead. By the time we arrived in Conflans, we only had 50 min for lunch. I should have just gotten a sandwich at the Farmer's market but instead we walked about 10 min to a restaurant. We asked the waiter if sandwiches could be ready in the short time we had and were assured there was enough time. We were the only customers. I should note that in my group, we had a woman who was fluent in French, so we know they understood us. Being typical French, lunch took forever. We ended up having to get the food to go. We had all ordered open faced ham and cheese sandwiches, which came with fries and a salad. We were each given a pizza box with all items in it. I ended up eating my fries on the walk back to the bus. Once on the bus, we ate our sandwiches. It was very rushed. It was partly my fault for picking a restaurant vs. the farmer's market. Oh well. It was interested.

We then drove to Auvers-sur-Oise, which is where Vincent van Gogh painted during the last years of his life and died here. I was disappointed with this excursion. The group was split into two. Some of us started walking up to the cemetery to see his grave, then we walked back to the house in which he died. It turned out to be a very warm and humid day and didn't rain. The walk was pretty but we all got warm. The house was unbearably hot and even though there was a film on van Gogh, none of us watched it. We had about 1 hour of free time to explore the town, even though there isn't much to it. I found a shop selling ice cream bars and sat in a lovely park and waited to return to the bus. I think I would have enjoyed Malmaison much more.

After this excursion, we had about a 1.5 hour drive to Paris. We stayed at the L'Hotel du Collectionneur which was about a 12 min walk to L'Arc de Triomphe. Once we arrived at the hotel, we were all given our keys to our rooms. We did not have to register but in the envelope was a form to fill out giving our information. It was a nice touch. The porters were supposed to deliver our luggage, but after waiting almost 1 hour, I went down to reception and collected my own bags. Most of our rooms were on the 3rd floor. My room looked out on a very pretty courtyard. Unfortunately the room was rather warm. I let reception know and although it didn't get as cold as I wanted, it did cool down a little bit. After dinner, the room was still warm and I was shown 2 alternate rooms but they were both warmer than my room. I stayed where I was.

We had a bit of time before dinner so I walked up to the Arc de Triomphe with some fellow passengers. Paris was very warm & humid - but no rain. Yeah!! Dinner was included at the hotel and was a disappointment. We had a frisee salad with a terrine, which was very bitter. There were no options. There was also only 2 types of included wine - a red Merlot / Cabernet blend and a Chardonnay. The chardonnay was okay, but not nearly as good as the wines on the ship. The entree was a chicken dish with roasted veggies and a sauce. This was good but dry. Dessert was a strawberry & raspberry parfait. This was good as well. Service was very poor. The servers placed the food and then disappeared. We had to find our own wine refills, which we did very well. Oh well, at least we weren't in Rouen stuck on the ship. After dinner, we were treated to the Paris by night drive. This is normally an optional excursion but Avalon included it for anyone who wanted to go. We had 2 buses so everyone could have a window. We left the hotel at 9:15 pm and were able to see the Eiffel Tower sparkle at 10:00 pm. We then drove around Paris and returned to the hotel about 11:15 pm. It was very nice.

Monday breakfast the next morning was included and was very good. Very similar in offerings to what we had on the ship. There was a choice of 2 included excursions: a bus tour city overview tour or a walking tour of Ile de Cite and then a tour of Notre Dame. I felt that the bus tour would be a repeat of what we saw on the tour the night before and I had already toured Notre Dame. I passed on both excursions and instead decided to get a metro pass and just explore the city. It was going to be a rather warm day but no rain in the forecast. Using the metro was a bit challenging this day because some stations were closed to some lines. Instead of taking direct trains, I had to be a bit creative, but station agents were very helpful in telling me how to get where I wanted to go. I started up at the Opera house. It opened for tours at 10:00 am and I was a little early but sat in a cafe until it opened. After the Opera, I went to the Louvre stop. The Louver and other museums were closed because they had to move all the artwork that is usually stored in the basement up to higher ground. However, the metro was still working. I walked through the shopping mall at the metro stop and was able to look at the tip of the pyramid underground. Then I walked around a bit to see the statue of Joan of Arc.

I then walked through the Tuileries. I also walked along the Seine and took pictures of the flooding. I did some final shopping during my walk. I walked through the length of the Tuileries and up to the Place de Concorde. I then walked up the Champ Elysees. It was a beautiful day for a long walk. The sun actually came out and it was fun to watch all the tourists and Parisians. I stopped for lunch at a cute cafe a few blocks off the Champs and had wonderful quiche. I walked the rest of the Champs, all the way up to L'Arc de Triomphe and then back to my hotel. I was trying to decide if I wanted to see any more of Paris, but decided I was done. I finished all of my packing and just relaxed for the afternoon. The hotel had a spa and I went down to check it out. I was interested in using the hot tub but unfortunately I was told there was a couple using it and they needed privacy. I was told I could come back in 45 min. but I decided that I didn't want to use it after whatever they were doing in it. I returned to my room and took a nap.

We had our final dinner at the hotel. It was a bit better than the night before. The salad was the same unfortunately. The entree was listed as "quasi veal" and everyone was trying to figure out what that was. It turned out to be steak. We were not given the option as to how we wanted it cooked but by trading plates, we were all able to find steaks that were cooked to our liking. I had one that was between medium and medium rare. It was very flavorful. It came with escalloped potatoes and veggies. Dessert was a wonderful apple tart. Service was much better tonight. Danielle must have said something because the waiters stayed in the room most of the time and were even pouring wine. There was plenty of wine, even if it was the same options as the night before. Some people went to the Moulin Rouge show this night and had dinner as part of it. I just couldn't justify spending €200 when I knew I was going to have to be up early the next morning. Everyone said their goodbyes.

I had a pick up at 6:45 am for the drive to the airport. Breakfast started at 6:30 am so Danielle had arranged for those of us with an early pick up to be given boxed breakfasts by the hotel. These were available starting at 6:00 am. They had 2 pastries, a cup of coffee, a cup of orange juice, and a fruit cup. There were no spoons or forks to eat the fruit. I don't drink coffee or OJ but I ate the fruit and pastries in my room. I went into the breakfast room and picked up an apple and a few pastries to take with me to the airport. It only took 35 min. to reach the airport. We arrived about 7:20 am. Unfortunately Air Canada didn't open for check ins until 8:00 am. I had printed by boarding passes the day before at the hotel. I also had premium economy, which has a separate check in line from regular economy. I was first in line. I wasn't sure how bad security would be in Paris due to the prior terrorists attacks last November and Euro 2016 (major soccer tournament) starting later that week. I was through check in, all security, and at the gate by 8:35 am. Not bad at all. The flight was delayed about 30 min because the incoming plane was late.

All in all, despite the rain and flooding, this was still a great trip. I was very happy with most of the changes to the itinerary that Avalon made. I was happy with the location of the hotel and felt that Avalon took care of us very well. We were given constant updates and always knew what the status of the river was. I never felt that I was being kept in the dark about anything. Danielle was very present and available for questions. I know that some ships did not sail this week at all as they got stuck in Paris. I also know that some companies bused their passengers from Rouen to Paris. Avalon is a class act and took care of us in the right way. I felt bad for the crew because they were missing out on a few days tips, but I had prepaid my tips and didn't mind. I also tipped plenty of people extra for the wonderful service. I don't know what Avalon was doing for the next group of passengers who were supposed to board the Creativity. I don't know when the Seine opened for sailing. I know when I flew out on Tuesday, it was still closed. Avalon probably put guests up in a hotel in Paris for at least one night and then bused them to the ship in Rouen. I do know there were going to be 72 people on the next sailing. I should note that Avalon did give us the option of returning home early if we didn't want to stay in a hotel in Paris for the 2 nights. No one took this option. They also informed the incoming group of passengers that the Seine was closed between Paris and Rouen and passengers were given the option of cancelling the trip if they wanted to rebook for later in the year.

I have the daily newsletters as well as the menus if anyone wants more details. I hope this review / trip report is helpful to some. I know that there aren't a lot of trip reports for this itinerary.

Thank you for sharing your report! Glad you enjoyed your trip despite it all. Sounds like Avalon did their best to adapt and overcome.

Glad you had a great trip, even with all the flooding. Thanks for the review.

Sounds like you rolled with the punches and had a marvelous time. Thanks for sharing. It's a testament to the professionalism of the captain that he was proactive in getting you along the river

Rolling with the punches is one of the tips I give to new cruisers. Things happen. Relax ancd enjoy the trip. My first France River Cruise was during the volcano erruption which affected air travel. Our CD handled everything the best she could. For those not able to get home Avalon made arrangements for hotels. The second portion of the trip, Burgundy and Provance had very few passengers. Enjoyed both cruises despite these interruptions.

Pat

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What a great attitude you maintained during tribulations that would cause many people to melt down.

I would love to travel with you someday!

JC

Lemonade can be delightful! Good review.