Northern or Southern France

[franski]

Caviargal,

 

Do you know if any of the river cruise lines will have any new boats on the French Waterways in 2014? We tend to enjoy the amenities of the newer river boats and hoped for 2014 to possibly book one. I was told by our Avalon CD this past October that they would have a new riverboat for French waterways in 2014 but have not seen anything posted about it. Does AMA have any newer boats for France?

 

Scenic has a new boat on the Seine for 2014.

 

Fran

[alru66]

Went on GCT from Paris to Normandy this past June. Wonderful trip, ship and crew were perfect. Went to the American Cemetery, most of the beaches and was totally moved. They had an elderly speaker from the Resistance on the ship the night before and he was wonderful. Have been on GCT in April of 2011 to The Netherlands. That was the greatest trip yet. This year starting South in Nice to Paris on GCT and the ship has only 46 passengers. Can't say anything regarding other cruise lines since GCT has been the only one I've been on, but all the people I have met on the ship have traveled with them and OAT have been with them for 10 and more trips. I guess word of mouth works since GCT doesn't do alot of advertising. Also, I booked my trip in July 2012 and left deposit only. Just paid last payment and got a discount!

 

Have heard good reviews of other ships and just pick one that is good for you. Prices are about the same. Have fun

[Miz Aris]

You can do both by combining 2 or more cruises. And if they're all with the same company they will advise and/or assist with transport between arrival/departure ports. Viking does 2 which can be combined - one is from Avignon to Lyon and the other is from Paris to Normandy and return. I know other companies run similar cruises too.

[cbb]

We did the b2b going from Paris to Normandy to Paris, then bussed to Chalon Sur Saone for the river cruise south to the Provence with Avalon.

 

From our observations most of the river cruises stop at the same ports and offer most of the same excursions.

 

After talking to one of the city tour guides I now know that most of the cruise lines use the same tour guides. She said her company was working for Avalon that day and in a couple of days it would be Viking, followed by AMA.

 

I think you look at the itineraries and dates and follow your personal interests. The Paris to Normandy is loaded with history and art (Monet and Van Gogh) whereas the southern route seems to be tilted a little more towards wine and food. (Pont du Gard is truly amazing)

 

Whichever you choose, you will love. There is no bad choice! c

[coolmom]

I am also planning my first river cruise for Fall 2014 and am so glad to have found this thread! I have only spent 1 1/2 days in Paris and want to go back.

 

My question : is it better to spend a few days in Paris before or after the cruise? The last time I cruised to Alaska, we spent time in Vancouver after the trip and wished we had done it before. I find that at the end of a big ship cruise, i just want to go home but I realize that river cruising is going to be a much different experience. That and having a week or so to adjust to the time change makes me lean towards experiencing Paris after the trip.

[cbb]

coolmom, I think the answer to whether to do Paris pre or post cruise depends on personality.

 

I am very excited when I begin my vacation so I would (and have done) Paris at the beginning of the trip when my energy and enthusiasm is at its peak.

 

When my cruise is over, I find adding on days at the end of a trip for a city tour to be anti-climatic and I have much less enthusiasm. I'm the kind of person who is ready to go home when the ship docks!

 

So, you know yourself and how you want to see Paris.

[franski]

I am also planning my first river cruise for Fall 2014 and am so glad to have found this thread! I have only spent 1 1/2 days in Paris and want to go back.

 

My question : is it better to spend a few days in Paris before or after the cruise? The last time I cruised to Alaska, we spent time in Vancouver after the trip and wished we had done it before. I find that at the end of a big ship cruise, i just want to go home but I realize that river cruising is going to be a much different experience. That and having a week or so to adjust to the time change makes me lean towards experiencing Paris after the trip.

 

We are doing the South of France in June 2014. Our cruise starts with one night in Cote D'Azur, and has 2 nights in Paris at the end... we are extending a couple of days beyond that.

 

We are always excited about starting a cruise - and can deal much easier with non-direct flights when we start out. We do have to change planes on the way over - but can get non-stop from Paris on the way back.

 

Although we expect we will be (pleasantly) tired after our cruise, we won't be jet-lagged at the end - and feel we can enjoy Paris more then.

 

We have gone in a couple of days early (ie: spent 2 nights in Amsterdam when we did our Tulip Time cruise) - but tend to extend at the end. Just our preference....

 

Fran