CroisiEurope - open day on the MS Symphonie

[notamermaid]

Yesterday I took a trip out to Koblenz where the MS Sypmhonie was docked. Presented by the exclusive booking agent for CroisiEurope in Germany the ship was open for visitors free of charge and I had a good look round.

 

First of all here is a page on the MS Symphonie with photos better than I would be able to take them: http://medias.croisieurope.com/fiche_bateau/BATO/EN/2018/SYM_5A.pdf

 

http://www.croisieuroperivercruises.com/ships/sym-ms-symphonie

 

The MS Symphonie was refurbished in 2016 I was told, the sheet says 2017. It might have been the winter time 2016/17, if one wants to try and explain the discrepancy.

 

The ship is of the shorter but relatively standard built for CroisiEurope - they do not have 135m ships sailing the rivers whereas many other companies have opted to go for that larger type.

 

The MS Symphonie also stands out as being a two-level ship as opposed to so many newer ships with three levels - CroisiEurope also sails with those.

 

The refurbishment has given a more modern - younger - look with white dominating in the hallways giving it a clean but for me also colder feel. The lounge area is attractive with soft flooring, a nice blue dominating both the lounge and the dining room. I quite liked the artwork in the interior design, like the white "lattice" and the wall lighting. It is inviting, for me it was lacking a little in "grandeur". But I am sure many people prefer this cleaner look to an opulent one like that having been reported from Uniworld ships.

 

More from my "day on the MS Symphonie" to follow.

 

notamermaid

[ljandgb]

We did a cruise on the MS Lafayette. It looked much the same, but with purples instead of blues. At first I thought it was a little stark, but it started to grow on me. By the end, it felt cozy and welcoming, not too ostentatious. There was always a fresh, modern flower arrangement in the entry which wasn't overwhelmed by its surroundings.

 

This was our first river cruise, so when we were docked against a Tauck and Viking ship towards the end of our cruise, my first thought when walking through those ships was "shiny!" It is definitely a different look. If you are used to that sort of interior design, a Croisi ship may be a bit of a surprise.

 

The smaller ship, with what seemed like a pretty young crew (minus the upper officers), was very nice. Our crew, mostly Hungarian, was delightful.

[notamermaid]

Hello ljandgb,

 

Thank you for your post. The MS Lafayette is even smaller than the MS Symphonie so I can imagine that walking through the Viking and Tauck ships was quite a contrast!

 

I found the assistants very nice, trying to deal with all the people and questions. It was a sunny day meaning many people were strolling along the embankment and having a look round the ship. The crew seemed to be mainly Eastern European on the MS Symphonie as well. I could talk to the captain on the bridge briefly and he told me he was Hungarian. I mentioned the booming river cruise industry and he confirmed that many people from Eastern European countries find work in the industry, but the industry is know attracting also interest from Asia as work opportunities. He also compared routes and finds the traffic on the Rhine almost too much, the Main is much quieter. We hit upon the subject as I asked him about the sundeck...

 

On the issue of the sundeck being closed on the large river cruise ships sailing the Main and Main Danube Canal

 

There has been quite some mentioning of the sundeck being closed on the 135m ships like Viking from more or less Frankfurt on the Main till the end of the Main Danube Canal at Kelheim. While this has been mentioned as being stated in the small print it appears not to be an information readily available to prospective cruisers. It is not something that is a feature just of the large ships rather the problem arises from the ships having three decks. The captain on the MS Symphonie informed me that his ship being a two-deck one, the sun deck stays open during that stretch.

 

More to come.

 

notamermaid

[CroisiEurope America]

Hi everyone!

Thanks for taking notice of the MS Symphonie - she's a beautiful ship that has joined our fleet of "5 Anchor" vessels.

The Symphonie (Along with the Douce France) was renovated between the 2016 and 2017 seasons, launching in April of 2017.

These are not refurbishments so much as they are re-builds - we are totally taking the ships apart, and starting fresh with larger cabins, less cabins, larger windows and french balconies, and more modern design throughout.

We find the size of these ships (between 80-110 passengers) is the ideal size for river cruising - River Cruisers don't always want bigger, they are looking for intimate ships, comfort, and great experiences. Look for the rebuilt Renoir on the Seine, and Van Gogh on the Rhone, to launch this April!

We're headed the same way with our New Builds - including the Loire Princesse (2014), Elbe Princesse (2016), and the Elbe Princesse II, our third ship scheduled for launch this Spring.

[notamermaid]

CroisiEurope is offering open days on their ship again. This November the MS Symphonie will be in:

Karlsruhe

Speyer

Mannheim

Frankfurt

Mainz

 

Full details with addresses here: https://www.kreuzfahrt-aktuelles.de/news/croisieurope-bietet-schiffsbesichtigung-in-fuenf-deutschen-staedten-an/41263/

 

I seem to have forgotten to add a few details in 2018. Sorry. There must be a couple of photos deep down in my archives.

 

notamermaid