Experienced cruisers Paris to Normandy - which itinerary?

[Cruising Quilter]

My husband and I want to take our first river cruise on the Seine. On our ocean cruises we always picked based on itinerary. Since we have no experience with any of the river cruise lines and haven't been to France before I am asking for recommendations on which stops shouldn't be missed. Since the itineraries are of differing lengths and make different stops any advice would be appreciated as we try to pick. Thanks in advance for your help.

[notamermaid]

Hello Cruising Quilter,

 

before embarking on and even booking a river cruise I highly recommend (and not just me :)) reading host jazzbeau's page, i.e. the sticky "new to river cruising". I have not done the Seine, but would nevertheless like to point out two things: the Normandy beaches is a "mainstay" of the itineraries marketing to North-American cruisers. Some European operators will differ here a little. I have read of some cruises offering an optional tour to see the Bayeux tapestry. That has been highly recommend to me.

 

There has been "a bit of annoyance" about the Viking itinerary on the new longships as the dock had to be moved (Paris authorities thing) to LePecq, reducing the time spent in Paris affectively. There is a thread on this here on CC.

 

I have just remembered, think about the weather conditions, what season do you prefer? Something to consider in Western Europe.

 

Right, over to the experienced Seine travellers... :)

 

notamermaid

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I have done a fair amount of research into some of the major lines doing the Seine, and have found that the itineraries vary in only minor ways. You have to drill down pretty far to find differences such as how long you have in a particular port--I've not paid too much attention to that yet. I haven't yet decided which line we'll take, waiting until fall when we do our first Tauck cruise Amsterdam - Budapest. Here is my recent thread on the subject:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2303192

 

And here is another thread: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2147530

 

Here are some of the differences I see among Tauck, AMA, Avalon and Scenic. I excluded Uniworld because the cabins are too small but now see they have a new riverboat on the Seine for 2017 so may revisit them since we loved our one Uniworld cruise. Also did not consider Viking, and only mention Vantage because I know they are one of the few lines that manage to get all the way down to Honfleur.

 

- Tauck includes 3 nights in Paris, not great for us since we'd rather be there on our own. They do Jumièges Abbey which appears unique, but also appear only to do the American WWII beaches. They also do at least one special event, a lunch I believe. They sail to Le Havre, across the harbor from Honfleur, so just a short bus ride away.

 

- AMA, in Conflans has a choice of Malmaison or Auvers-sur-Oise, again sails only to Caudebec which means a bus ride to Honfleur, and has option of Commonwealth WWII beaches

 

- Avalon has option of WWII beaches (including Canadian) or optional tour to Bayeux Tapestry. Also in Conflans has choice of Malmaison or Auvers-sur-Oise. Also sails only to Caudebec--that means, as with the others, that a tour to Honfleur is by bus

 

- Scenic. Sails all the way to Honfleur (if tides cooperate). Also has an option of doing the Somme Battlefields, which is unique I believe.

 

In general, all of these do Conflans, Vernon, Caudebec, Rouen and Les Andelys, with one day for the D-Day beaches if you wish, and a visit to Honfleur. They all offer trips to Giverny, and most to Auvers-sur-Oise (Van Gogh's village for a while).

 

This is what I've learned. Sounds wonderful to me. We are leaning towards Avalon because of the cabins on Tapestry, but I am going to give Uniworld another look.

[acwmom]

I did this trip on Uniworld last March. I agree with Wendy, that most tours are very similar. We seemed to be docked, throughout our week, with Avalon and Viking ships, and often, our tour guides would be working with the Avalon group on either the same day, or the next.

 

Since we were on only the second sailing of the season, we did not see Monet's Gardens, in Giverny, as they hadn't opened yet. Instead, our itinerary was altered a bit, and a tour to Versailles, at the end of the cruise, was substituted.

 

We traveled to the Normandy Beaches from Rouen, and there were three included options, one to Juno Beach, one to Arromanches 360 degree theater, and the third to see the Bayeux Tapestry. We chose the Bayeux Tapestry choice, still went to Arromanches first, then Bayeux, where we also had time to walk around town. All three tours ended at the American Cemetery.

 

We didn't dock in Honfleur, but it was one of our favorite stops. We took the optional tour to Etretat and the Calvados farm, where we had an amazing lunch, then went to Honfleur for the afternoon.

 

All seem to have a "guided" day in Paris. Since we had arrived in Paris a couple of days prior to the start of the cruise, we were very familiar, and comfortable, with "the lay of the land", and went out on our own on that last day.

 

The weather in March was chilly, but we dressed in layers, and were fine. We had some morning rain on the way to the landing beaches, as well as in Etretat, but by afternoon, it was sunny. There weren't many crowds anywhere, traveling at this time of year, except for Versailles, which was miserable. (And, we thought Napoleon III's apartment at the Louvre was more impressive)

 

Happy to answer any other questions. Yes, the cabins on the River Ambassador were TINY.....there is no way I could do that again, even though all we did there was sleep.

 

Robin

[CPT Trips]

We leave in two weeks :D for a cruise wth Grand Circle. https://www.gct.com/trips/river-cruises/europe/the-seine-paris-to-normandy/2016?icid=global:smallshiprivercruises:rivercruises:sen2016

 

It is 13 days (including your travel days) scheduled with two overnights in Paris and Honfleur (actually in Honfleur) as well as one each in Vernon and Rouen. Return is a bus from Honfleur with a stop in Caen the final night in a hotel near CDG.

 

If interested . . . http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=49391810&postcount=27

[rogerdawhip]

I did GCT's Paris to Normandy cruise two years ago and prefer it because it is 10 nights on the ship one way form Paris to Honfleur or reverse. Most other lines are only 7 nights and they are roundtrip Paris. We were able to spend more time at each stop as well as more day time cruising. GCT is not a luxury type cruise but their ships are well maintained, the food great and the crew fantastic.

[Cruising Quilter]

Thank you to all who have poasted. This is exactly the type of information I was seeking!

 

notamermaid - The tip about where the Viking ships dock for the Paris stop is very important to us. We have not been to Paris previously and would like to maximize our time there.

 

Wendy The Wanderer - Wow - what great information. I will be watching to see which trip you finally choose.

 

acwmom - It was good to hear from someone who has taken the trip. It is interesting to hear that local guides work for more than one cruise line.

 

CPT Trips - I didn't realize that there was a trip that ended with a bus ride back to Paris. How long does that take?

 

I suppose I should have asked this question as well - or maybe it should be a separate question - but here goes. For us the total price is a concern. Would you consider a less expensive line with a room with a Juliet balcony or a more expensive line with a cabin with the small windows? On the Seine is the time spent cruising very scenic?

 

Again all advice is welcome and appreciated.

[Cruising Quilter]

rogerdawhip - just saw your post. I hadn't thought about how much time is spent at each port. About how many hours did you spend at each stop? Thanks for taking the time to post.

[caviargal]

 

I suppose I should have asked this question as well - or maybe it should be a separate question - but here goes. For us the total price is a concern. Would you consider a less expensive line with a room with a Juliet balcony or a more expensive line with a cabin with the small windows? On the Seine is the time spent cruising very scenic?

 

Again all advice is welcome and appreciated.

 

We find this area to be quite scenic. That being said, you should consider how much time you will actually be in the stateroom. We like having at least a French balcony but friends we travel with never book more than the minimum category. It is really personal preference.

[TravelerThom]

...I suppose I should have asked this question as well - or maybe it should be a separate question - but here goes. For us the total price is a concern. Would you consider a less expensive line with a room with a Juliet balcony or a more expensive line with a cabin with the small windows?...

IMO (note: opinion) on nice sailing days most passengers will be on the sun deck where they have a 360 degree view and can focus on what is most interesting at that moment. Less pleasant days (cool, rainy, whatever) many people will be in the observation lounge (on most ships the front portion of the upper enclosed deck). I have had an outside balcony on a few previous river cruises, but now generally book "aquarium class" (bottom deck where the floor is maybe 3 feet below water level, and the smallish window starts about a foot above water level). If you cruise at night I find the gentle swish of the water on the hull quite relaxing, and when docked sometimes the ducks and swans will paddle over and peer in:p. OTOH I'm sure that some will definitely vote for a balcony.

 

Personally I vote for saving the money and using it to spend another week in Paris or Normandy or Brittany or Provence.:D

 

Thom

[acwmom]

rogerdawhip - just saw your post. I hadn't thought about how much time is spent at each port. About how many hours did you spend at each stop? Thanks for taking the time to post.

 

On our Uniworld cruise, I felt like we spent "enough" time at each stop. We only did one afternoon of sailing, and one dinner time sailing (and it got dark quickly). We were docked in Rouen 2 nights, in Paris 2 nights, and the other 3, were in motion.

 

We had a full day to the landing beaches, a full day with Versailles in the am/Auvers-sur-Oise in the afternoon, a full day with Etretat in the am and Honfleur afterwords; the remainder of the days had morning "tours" and afternoons free to do as we pleased. There was never a stop where we felt rushed.

 

As far as price and room selection goes, like CaviarGirl said, it really is a personal preference. Our first river cruise, we had a French Balcony, it was 150sf. The second, Paris/Normandy, we had a large picture window (which was great, because it was too cool to have the door open), but the cabin was only 128sf. It was amazing how much smaller that second cabin felt. Next month, we are trying out an Avalon Panorama suite.

 

But, honestly, all we do in our room is sleep and shower. If we are sailing, we are on the top deck, weather permitting, or in a lounge with a view. We just returned from a short ocean cruise, and river cruises definitely keep you "more occupied", in a good way!

 

Robin

[Cruising Quilter]

Thanks for the advice caviargal and TravelerThom. I would love to get a picture of a duck or swan looking in a window I imagine if booking in "aquarium class" the cabins are very similar on all ships. Is that true? However, I think I read on a different thread that one of the lines has beds that turn into couches and are not comfortable....

 

Thanks again for the advice.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

We liked our french balcony in Egypt because of the floor to ceiling windows. When it was hot, and we were sailing during the day, we could lie on our bed and watch the scenery go by in air-conditioned comfort. I admit this may not be as important in Normandy.

 

I did GCT's Paris to Normandy cruise two years ago and prefer it because it is 10 nights on the ship one way form Paris to Honfleur or reverse. Most other lines are only 7 nights and they are roundtrip Paris. ...

 

I can't see what difference it makes really, since you see some places going downstream, and some upstream. And I would prefer not to have the bus ride. I would prefer to sail into Honfleur, however, it's a delightful place. And I admit that overnighting there, as GCT does, is attractive.

 

I am now looking at Uniworld with new eyes, but they have few details about their new boat, S.S. Joie de Vivre, other than prices for 2017--not surprising since I assume it's not built yet. I would imagine it will be much like the other ships in that class, which means Cat 2 or 3 cabins with french balcony, and just under 200 sqft.

[Cruising Quilter]

acwmom - thanks for your explanation of your uniworld cruise. Would you recommend that cruise for our first river cruise?

 

As for the cabin question I think my husband and I will save $ on the cabin and perhaps pick a slightly more expensive cruise line or an extra day in Paris or an extra excursion. However 128 sq feet is very small. Where did you put your suitcases?

 

Thanks again

[Cruising Quilter]

Wendy The Wanderer - I share your feeling about a bus ride. Yet many people are saying very positive things about Honfleur and I am wondering about the reason that cruise lines do not dock there. Does the size of ships or the number of places to dock have something to do with that choice?

 

I really appreciate how helpful this thread has been. Thanks for your contributions!

[CPT Trips]

CPT Trips - I didn't realize that there was a trip that ended with a bus ride back to Paris. How long does that take?

 

I suppose I should have asked this question as well - or maybe it should be a separate question - but here goes. For us the total price is a concern. Would you consider a less expensive line with a room with a Juliet balcony or a more expensive line with a cabin with the small windows? On the Seine is the time spent cruising very scenic?

 

Again all advice is welcome and appreciated.

 

Good question, I don't know but come mid-April I'll let you know. ;) Google maps tells me an hour to Caen, then another three (or so) to CDG. I guess there will be a comfort stop between Caen and CDG.

 

Grand Circle does have those fixed beds you mention in another post. At 6"+ and 275 I don't find them uncomfortable. You might want to check those other posts and see whether those that say they are uncomfortable ever actually cruised Grand Circle. All cabins are 160 sq. ft.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Wendy The Wanderer - I share your feeling about a bus ride. Yet many people are saying very positive things about Honfleur and I am wondering about the reason that cruise lines do not dock there. Does the size of ships or the number of places to dock have something to do with that choice?

 

I really appreciate how helpful this thread has been. Thanks for your contributions!

 

Honfleur is a lovely little protected harbor, but the entrance is on the Seine estuary and subject to ocean tides and waves -- so only ships with the proper hull design are allowed in (and it seems to require the usual amount of bureaucratic red tape to get permission even with the proper design). It would greatly enhance your cruise if they could dock right in Honfleur -- but then the quaintness of the little harbor would be ruined if all the river cruise ships on the Seine were able to get in and clog it up! At the moment you have to choose between the more luxurious cruise lines which can't get in, and a few more basic ones that have the permits. Crystal has announced that their new river ship Crystal Debussy will be docking in Honfleur, but we will have to wait until it actually gets in there to know for sure [as they say, "Man proposes but Le Bureaucrat disposes"!]

 

As to the one-way vs round-trip question: the total mileage [or however you count distance on rivers in Europe] is short so I assume the issue is similar to the Duoro -- sailing takes up so little time that it needn't affect port time to any great extent. The round-trip itinerary may give more of a feeling of actually sailing? On the Duoro the one-way has the virtue of starting in Madrid and ending in Lisbon so the bus rides extend your experience; this bus ride from Honfleur back to Paris would not seem to add as much.

Edited March 14, 2016 by Host Jazzbeau

[TravelerThom]

...many people are saying very positive things about Honfleur and I am wondering about the reason that cruise lines do not dock there. Does the size of ships or the number of places to dock have something to do with that choice?...

The turning basin in Honfleur restricts boats longer than about 366 feet from entering. Not only does the boat have to be shorter than that, one has to go through a long bureaucratic process to be certified. There are also limited docks - when I was there we were one of only two cruise boats in Honfleur, and we had to raft (tie up to the side of the other boat, not to the dock itself, and walk over the sunroof of the other boat to get to shore).

 

It has been 10 years (!) since I sailed on the Bizet (GCCL boat now on the Seine). I am 6'3" and 230 lb and the pull down single bed was fine for me. One of my early river cruises was in Russia over 20 years ago, and I think the cabin was 89 sq. ft. - now that was tight, but the only thing available, so I gladly signed on.

 

Thom

[acwmom]

acwmom - thanks for your explanation of your uniworld cruise. Would you recommend that cruise for our first river cruise?

 

As for the cabin question I think my husband and I will save $ on the cabin and perhaps pick a slightly more expensive cruise line or an extra day in Paris or an extra excursion. However 128 sq feet is very small. Where did you put your suitcases?

 

Thanks again

 

Are you asking about Uniworld, or the Paris-Normandy Seine cruise, as a first river cruise? We have been very pleased with Uniworld for our first two cruises, and actually liked our Seine River cruise better than our Venice/Po River cruise (even though it was Venice, and it was sunny and warm). There was simply more to see on this cruise. My husband would return to France in a heartbeat. The only thing "extra" we paid for was the extra excursion to Etretat/Calvados farm.

 

I thought the itinerary was fantastic, even with missing out on Giverny and Monet's Gardens. One day, we had cruise mates skip the afternoon tour, and go out on their own, but we didn't want to "miss anything". We felt like we had a good balance of free time, and organized time.

 

We are lucky in that we can fly nonstop to Paris, so were at our hotel by 8:30am. Our room was ready by 9, the hotel had our 2 day museum pass ready for us, and, after showering, we were on the move. We arrived 2 days prior to departure, and jam packed those two days with whatever we could. Our hotel had a private pool/spa that we reserved for the end of our second day. Much needed!

 

As far as our tight quarters on River Ambassador, we put our suitcases under the bed, though it took some finagling to get them both under there, as the space between the bed and wall was tight. We also took advantage of being past passengers and getting a free bag of laundry done, each, which allowed us to pack less.

 

I will say, in looking at various lines' prices now, if next year is anything like this year, it may pay off to book airfare, and wait.......both Avalon and AMA have huge discounts for this route. Worst case scenario, you're in Paris for a little over a week. And, the travel time to Rouen, by train, according to our guide, is only 90 minutes.

 

Robin

[CPT Trips]

This is part of the bus ride from Honfleur to CDG: "This morning, disembark your ship and transfer to the Peace Memorial Museum in Caen, a state-of-the-art facility that does an outstanding job of presenting the events of World War II, including D-Day, very vividly. It's an excellent way to put into context what you saw at the Normandy beaches."

 

Someone, a while back, posted that most river ships are too big for Honfleur's docking basin.

[caviargal]

We have been interested in this itinerary for awhile and it is on our short list for next year. Our favorite cruise itinerary so far was on the Rhone and we are excited about Bordeaux next month.

 

Uniworld did not make the cut for Normandy as we are not wiling to spend a week in a cabin of only 128 sq ft, no matter how wonderful the cruise line. And we were very pleased with Uniworld and would definitely consider them if the boat was one of their newer vessels.

 

Viking is never on our radar and Avalon did not measure up to either AMA or Uniworld, based on our tastes and preferences. That leaves AMA and Scenic (of those lines we will sail with) and we will have to make that decision after we cruise next month.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

We have been interested in this itinerary for awhile and it is on our short list for next year. Our favorite cruise itinerary so far was on the Rhone and we are excited about Bordeaux next month.

 

Uniworld did not make the cut for Normandy as we are not wiling to spend a week in a cabin of only 128 sq ft, no matter how wonderful the cruise line. And we were very pleased with Uniworld and would definitely consider them if the boat was one of their newer vessels.

...

 

We'll be interested to hear about your Bordeaux trip. There will be even less river cruising there, I expect. I've been up the estuary in an ocean ship, loved that part of the world. But I expect you will be bussed a fair amount.

 

As for Uniworld, as I said above, I've discovered they are introducing a new ship in 2017, an S.S. class one, with larger cabins, no doubt. Their prices are very high, however.

 

All this talk about Honfleur makes me want to take back everything I said about it--the last thing this town needs is to be overrun with river cruisers--they get enough tourists as it is. If riverboats want to make it to the end of the river, let them dock at Le Havre!

[caviargal]

We'll be interested to hear about your Bordeaux trip. There will be even less river cruising there, I expect. I've been up the estuary in an ocean ship, loved that part of the world. But I expect you will be bussed a fair amount.

 

As for Uniworld, as I said above, I've discovered they are introducing a new ship in 2017, an S.S. class one, with larger cabins, no doubt. Their prices are very high, however.

 

As well appointed as their SS ships are, we preferred AMA on the Rhone as the Catherine was not able to navigate as well due to her size. This resulted in three overnights in Avignon, while with AMA we were only docked one night in Avignon. We would have enjoyed more time elsewhere but according to the staff onboard, this was dictated by the draft and size of the Catherine.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

As well appointed as their SS ships are, we preferred AMA on the Rhone as the Catherine was not able to navigate as well due to her size. This resulted in three overnights in Avignon, while with AMA we were only docked one night in Avignon. We would have enjoyed more time elsewhere but according to the staff onboard, this was dictated by the draft and size of the Catherine.

 

I found the press release for the Joie de Vivre:

 

http://www.marketwired.com/press-release/vive-la-france-uniworld-announces-new-super-ship-joie-de-vivre-in-france-2097797.htm

 

128 guests only, and 125 metres long so it can dock in the heart of Paris.

Edited March 14, 2016 by Wendy The Wanderer

[caviargal]

I found the press release for the Joie de Vivre:

 

http://www.marketwired.com/press-release/vive-la-france-uniworld-announces-new-super-ship-joie-de-vivre-in-france-2097797.htm

 

128 guests only, and 125 metres long so it can dock in the heart of Paris.

 

Sounds lovely! And expensive :)