Using Paris Pass

[firstplacechef]

Has any one used this before? http://www.parispass.com/how-it-works/index.html 105 euro for 2 days, includes metro pass and bus transport, Louvre, Notre Dame, Versailles, Musse de Orsay, arc de triomphe , opera house, river cruise, wine tasting plus many other sites. Just wondering with one and half days in Paris. Allows you to skip lines at most attractions.

[Ozjohnno]

When we went to Paris in September 2011 for 5 days we considered the Paris pass but on advice we decided not to buy it as it is not as economical as it sounds. We found that it is almost impossible to see all the museums in the time allowed by the pass and that it was very easy to buy a carnet (10) of metro tickets and they were very cheap. I'm not convinced the Paris Pass is the best option but you may find other posters who disagree.

 

The one sure thing is that you'll enjoy Paris - What a city!

[Paulinda]

I agree with Ozojohn. Save your money and instead buy a carnet of metro tickets and do a lot of walking to get around. You could spend a week in the Louvre and still not see all of it. Go to the Tripadvisor website and look for some information regarding skipping the lines to get in.

 

A day and a half in Paris isn't much time. You could spend an entire afternoon at Montmartre, another half day just walking the Champs Elysee, sitting at a sidewalk cafe and ordering a glass of wine or a croissant with espresso is chic. Spending all your time while in Paris at a museum wouldn't be our cup of tea, especially if it's only a day and a half.

[firstplacechef]

Thanks, kinda what I was thinking. We are cruising on Viking Spirit the week of Christmas and will just have the day and a half.

[CRM114]

On the other hand, if you did want to visit any of the museums, you might want to consider a Museum Pass. They are less expensive than a Paris Pass and let you bypass the lines to enter the museums - a real advantage on a short visit.

[Live4cruises]

If you're on a mission to see highlights of several museums/attractions in a short period of time, the Paris Pass is a good choice. It allows you to spend more time inside museums rather than waiting in the lines. We recognize that we'll never see or do everything that's in the packet, but if it's anywhere close to a financial break even, we consider the convenience well worth it.

[SOShrink]

Chef, you don't get passes in Europe to necessarily save money, but for the convenience! You are already spending thousands of dollars on your cruise, airfare, and excursions. Are you really going to worry whether or not you get your "money's worth" by using a pass? If you are providing your own transportation from the airport, then you should get a Paris Visite Pass. Otherwise, get a one day unlimited Mobilis metro pass (€5.80). I found the Carnet of 10 tickets (€11.40) to be cumbersome, and they took away my ability to get off, on a whim, as many metro stops as I wanted. I found that I was always one or two tickets short or bought too many! If you plan to blitzkrieg into many museums and use public transportation to get around, then I agree with Live4Cruises who recommends you get the PARIS PASS and hit the road running! Just make sure you do your research and plan where you want to go and what you want to see, and convenient Metro strategy between each sight. Also remember that some museums stay open til 9:45 on certain days of the week, so you should go to those at the end of the day or in the evening.

[WarEagle76]

Assume you are flying overnight, have the day you arrive and board the next day. If that is the case here are a few thoughts. Keep in mind based upon the fact your cruise is over Christmas, times/tours/etc. might be different:

 

1. If you are like us, flying east is a killer, and jet lag will set in the afternoon of the day you arrive. We booked a Louvre tour the afternoon of the day we arrived and were dragging by the end of the tour. We ate dinner early (around 4PM) which helped boost our energy and allowed us to stay up until normal “bed time” and try to synch our bodies to local time. Odds are you will not be able to “check-in” to your hotel until mid-afternoon. While the hotel will generally have a luggage storage area, be prepared not to be able to check in immediately.

 

2. With a limited amount of time, make a list of what you really want to realistically accomplish in the time you have. There will be other opportunities while on the cruise to take advantage of some of the places you want to see so you don’t necessarily need to cram them into the limited amount of time you have pre-cruise.

 

3. Do you just want to “visit” or see all of the sites you have listed or really “experience” them? Most of the museums are huge and unless you have a plan of what you really want to see in them it can get very frustrating. Most of the private tours offered online will take in the highlights of a given museum which is what most people generally want to see. You might consider booking those to maximize your time, and in the case of the Louvre, take the ship’s tour (see below).

 

4. Add to that the time it will take to get from one to the other. We bought one of those fold out maps that you can write on with erasable pens and it helped us to understand where everything was we wanted to see and the best way to get there. For us, we used the Batobus (http://www.batobus.com/english/index.htm) which was perfect for what we wanted to accomplish in the limited time we had and based upon where we were staying, while being able to view Paris from the Seine while getting from point to point and getting to view all of the great bridges up close. I’m not sure what their winter schedule is like but they are covered and glass enclosed so you are protected while getting from point-to-point.

 

5. On the day you board the ship, you will not be able to get to your cabin until around 3PM. So don’t worry about rushing to the ship as if you get there earlier than that you will be sitting in the lounge area waiting until the rooms are ready. That will give you extra time to see Paris during the morning and early afternoon of boarding. Once you get to your room, since you are in Paris overnight you’ll have additional time that evening should you wish. On our cruise in October, we had a safety drill at 6PM, Embarkation briefing at 6:15PM and dinner at 7PM.

 

6. On the first full day on board you remain in Paris. You have an included tour of Paris in the morning which has a stop and a good bit of time at Notre Dame. Since the lines are long, if you want to climb the bell tower you’ll probably have to do that at a different time. That afternoon there is an optional tour to the Louvre (59 Euros/pp at the time of our cruise) so you could put the Louvre off until then. Later in the cruise on the way back to Paris, you’ll have the option of a half-day Versailles tour (79 Euros/pp) or full day which includes the Versailles tour, bus to the Champs Elysees, and then bus back to the ship (89 Euros/pp). Those that took the full day arrived back on board just before dinner. Those that took the half-day re-board and sail back to Paris.

 

7. Finally, should you wish to do something not on the itinerary, the Program Director and staff will be more than happy to assist to help you accomplish it if possible.

 

I’m sure others will have ideas that differ from mine, but wanted to pass along what worked for us and give you some ideas to think about. Obviously in the time between now and when you cruise times/prices/tours might change, but you’ll get a book in your packet from Viking before your cruise outlining the day-to-day itinerary.