ACWMom "Official" Trip Review-Uniworld SS Joie de Vivre-Paris to Normandy

[SOShrink]

Thank you! A few more pics to share.

 

On our return to the ship, we spent some time on the sun deck, spoke to our CD about future bookings, and onboard booking discounts, and then went and explored the nearby shopping mall.

 

We watched as a few shipmates prepared for the sidecar tour, and found it interesting that the small boat was "investigating" ours so closely.[ATTACH]421044[/ATTACH][ATTACH]421045[/ATTACH][ATTACH]421046[/ATTACH][ATTACH]421047[/ATTACH][ATTACH]421049[/ATTACH][ATTACH]421051[/ATTACH]

 

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Robin, I was wondering if you actually ended up booking another cruise with the CD while on board? We actually did for the Burgundy&Provence trip next year. It’s good because you get a discount for that and repeat passenger and you can cancel if you change your mind (I forgot the time limit)

 

 

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[ShyOne60]

What was the onboard booking discount--and is it worth it to wait to book on board (in your opinion)?

[acwmom]

What was the onboard booking discount--and is it worth it to wait to book on board (in your opinion)?

It was 5% after the repeat passenger discount was removed. Seemed a little low to me, but we did take advantage of it, knowing we could always cancel later.

 

Robin

 

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[acwmom]

Robin, I was wondering if you actually ended up booking another cruise with the CD while on board? We actually did for the Burgundy&Provence trip next year. It’s good because you get a discount for that and repeat passenger and you can cancel if you change your mind (I forgot the time limit)

 

 

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We did. We currently have a booking for The Splendors of Egypt and the Nile next spring. The total discount ended up totaling around 20%. Having said that, flights to and from Cairo are not looking "fun," with regard to duration. We have also always wanted to do an Adriatic cruise, so have a Viking Ocean Empires of the Mediterranean cruise booked. We will make our final decision in the next couple of months. It will be our 25th anniversary next year, so wanted to make it a longer cruise. I think Uniworld refunds all but $400, but you have 5 yr to use that toward a future booking, and we know we will do another Uniworld cruise. Burgundy/Provence is definitely on our list (as this is the cruise that was canceled this year, causing us to do the Paris/Normandy one again)

 

Robin

[sawtooth]

We did. We currently have a booking for The Splendors of Egypt and the Nile next spring. The total discount ended up totaling around 20%. Having said that, flights to and from Cairo are not looking "fun," with regard to duration. We have also always wanted to do an Adriatic cruise, so have a Viking Ocean Empires of the Mediterranean cruise booked. We will make our final decision in the next couple of months. It will be our 25th anniversary next year, so wanted to make it a longer cruise. I think Uniworld refunds all but $400, but you have 5 yr to use that toward a future booking, and we know we will do another Uniworld cruise. Burgundy/Provence is definitely on our list (as this is the cruise that was canceled this year, causing us to do the Paris/Normandy one again)

 

 

 

Robin

 

We are doing the Uniworld Nile cruise in February 2019 and the Viking Star, Empires of the Med in June 2019. Sounds like good choices.:)

[jpalbny]

Robin, when we did Egypt and Jordan we flew Air France to/from NY with one connection in Paris. Since you remain "in transit" there is no passport control at CDG. Very smooth. Hope you find a way to get there. Egypt is worth the trip.

 

Our 25th is the year after yours. What will we come up with...

 

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[acwmom]

Robin, when we did Egypt and Jordan we flew Air France to/from NY with one connection in Paris. Since you remain "in transit" there is no passport control at CDG. Very smooth. Hope you find a way to get there. Egypt is worth the trip.

 

Our 25th is the year after yours. What will we come up with...

 

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We have a non-stop on Delta from CVG to Paris, but the layover is 7 hours, and the flights back leave at 3am! My travel agent probably thinks I'm crazy to have 2 different reservations, but since we are both still working, we need to look at time away from work. United has better times, bit, overall, the flights to Athens and returning from Venice are much more palatable

 

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[SOShrink]

The way I understand it we get $300 past passenger discount, plus the 5% for being on the cruise, but I’ll know for sure when I get the invoice.

[acwmom]

Powering through.....we came back to the ship, and packed:-(. As we were finishing, Ion, our butlers, brought us our afternoon snack. The fried wontons were so good that we called and asked if there were any leftovers.....he brought us a fresh batch, that the chef made just for us! We enjoyed, while looking at the catalog for our next cruise

 

We headed to the bar, then dinner. About 20 guests went to the Moulin Rouge/Crazy Horse, close to another 20 had the tastings dinner. There were probably several who ate in Paris. The dining room was fairly quiet.....except for the poorly supervised 5 year old.

 

The Eiffel Tower light show is every hour, on the hour. Champagne was served on the top deck. Unfortunately, one of the Croisi ships had this huge spotlight, shining on us, so we went to the adjacent bridge to watch.

 

The next morning, we enjoyed breakfast, before heading to CDG, by bus. The transfer was very well organized, and with Sky Priority, check in and security was a breeze.

 

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[acwmom]

Our last dinner

 

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[acwmom]

Pre-light show....

 

 

 

You can see the spotlight from the bridge, but it didn't have nearly the negative impact on view that it did on the ship

 

[acwmom]

And, a few more. Like Steve, the French toast, even from the buffet, was excellent. Final thoughts to follow

 

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[acwmom]

Final thoughts, hits and misses.

 

First, the hits. The onboard crew......we were the first cruise of the season, and the crew was well prepared for every little hiccup, and there were several, all of which were unexpected and beyond the control of the crew. Pierre, our cruise director, had a plan for EVERYTHING, and made the changes look effortless. Daniella, our hotel manager, was more than a hotel manager, as she often assisted Pierre with his duties. The bartenders and waitstaff knew our orders, and often had them at the table shortly after we sat down. And, having 2 butlers? Wow, even though we didn't use them a lot, it was a very special treat for us. Since we had done this itinerary before, we went with the "less traveled" excursions, and thoroughly enjoyed them. Mont St Michel, though extra $$, was a huge treat (except for the nasty omelette), for my husband, golfing at Etretat, on a picture-perfect day, was his highlight. And, the ship itself, all I can say is, breathtaking. The cabin, well-appointed, roomy, and the Savoir bed......I love to cruise on Uniworld for the bed.....The only downside of a suite is that it is on the top deck, so when they were dropping all of the rails in the middle of the night, it was extremely loud.

 

Before the misses, just my general impression about French river cruises......it's my understanding that French captains must sail the ships......and we are 2/2 on captains who aren't exactly passenger friendly. On the first trip, we thought it was just because he was older, but this one was young, and still very aloof. And, to agree with Steve, the food, compared to other Uniworld cruises (outside of France) was good, but not "outstanding". I'm not a foodie, by any means, and the food was okay, cooked to order, etc, but I wasn't blown away.

 

The misses.....the ship is only a year old, and the WiFi is TERRIBLE. They were renting out portable wifi units (and, sadly a group of travel agents snagged them all, so there weren't any left for anyone else). We had much better wifi on the Baroness, 3 years ago. Next, there were no late riser breakfasts, no farewell dessert party (on the last day), and the RHC cocktail party really wasn't limited to RHC members (not really a big deal, but a little disappointing). Limited hours in the Bistro was also disappointing. I would have loved to have had lunch, or dinner there, but it was only open from 2-6. Next, There was no onboard musician. We had entertainment 2 nights, and neither was very good. There's a beautiful baby grand piano, and no one to play it. Instead, we had to listen to the bartender's music mix, played pretty loud.....it wasn't good. Lastly, the age policy, in that children down to 4 years can sail. This is the first time we've had a child on a cruise, and it wasn't pleasant. Turning cartwheels on the dance floor, running around the dining room, running up and down the halls......

 

We monitored the weather closely, and knew we were in for cold weather, and packed accordingly. Lots of long underwear, winter coats, hats, gloves.....We were fine. And, the free laundry helped. Though it snowed, it was really cool. We didn't expect the high water, but were able to hit all of our ports, and make it back into Paris, with 40cm to spare:-)

 

Happy to answer any questions! Thanks for all of the comments and compliments, and I hope future travelers will enjoy as much as we did.

 

Robin

[dolllover]

Thank you for your review. Glad overall it was a really nice trip. Bad wifi this day and age is inexcusable. DH needs it to touch base at work. Unfortunately some of us can't unplug on vacation. I've been to Paris many times and your photos brought back wonderful memories.

[Got2Cruise]

You can’t blame the child for that behavior. River Cruises are no place for young children! The poor child had nothing to do in such close quarters. Some parents are so self absorbed they put their needs before the needs of the child. End of rant. On the other hand, Uniworld does offer family-centric cruises and even though I doubt a 4 year old would appreciate it, there would be age appropriate activities a available.

[acwmom]

You can’t blame the child for that behavior. River Cruises are no place for young children! The poor child had nothing to do in such close quarters. Some parents are so self absorbed they put their needs before the needs of the child. End of rant. On the other hand, Uniworld does offer family-centric cruises and even though I doubt a 4 year old would appreciate it, there would be age appropriate activities a available.

Not blaming the child, at all. I'm simply disappointed that Uniworld has dropped the age so low, for all cruises, not just the generations ones.

 

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[Got2Cruise]

Not blaming the child, at all. I'm simply disappointed that Uniworld has dropped the age so low, for all cruises, not just the generations ones.

 

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This is more in line with the “theory” that Uniworld is aiming for a younger demographic. (PS I knew you weren’t blaming the child)

[sawtooth]

We have a non-stop on Delta from CVG to Paris, but the layover is 7 hours, and the flights back leave at 3am! My travel agent probably thinks I'm crazy to have 2 different reservations, but since we are both still working, we need to look at time away from work. United has better times, bit, overall, the flights to Athens and returning from Venice are much more palatable

 

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We are LAX to Dubai NS on Emirates then on to Jordon for a pre trip to Petra.

A long trip from wherever you leave from for sure! But, we’ll worth it.

[djett]

We are doing the Uniworld Nile cruise in February 2019 and the Viking Star, Empires of the Med in June 2019. Sounds like good choices.:)

 

We did the Nile in January and loved it. Please enjoy my review and blog:

https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=605970

 

 

https://dpjetton.blogspot.com/

[sawtooth]

We did the Nile in January and loved it. Please enjoy my review and blog:

https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=605970

 

 

https://dpjetton.blogspot.com/

I have thoroughly enjoyed your review!

Makes me even more anxious for the trip to start!

[acwmom]

To make it worse, this particular child's family were "acquaintenances" of either Ellen Bettridge, or the Tollman family.....can't remember which.....if that were me, I'd be on my very best behavior......

 

Uniworld needs to market U to the younger demographic, and leave its traditional line as is.....

 

 

 

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[PNFL]

Going to the top of the Eiffel Tower is such an experience. From level 2, it takes 1 min 15 sec. And, what a ride it is!

 

The tower will be undergoing a massive renovation, as they remove all of the layers of paint, make repairs, and put on a new coat. It may not be too pretty for the next few years.

 

Enjoy its parts:-)[ATTACH]418457[/ATTACH][ATTACH]418458[/ATTACH][ATTACH]418459[/ATTACH][ATTACH]418460[/ATTACH][ATTACH]418461[/ATTACH]

 

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I am rereading your review since I am starting to decide what we are going to do the first few days in Paris. Did you take a tour to the summit or did you just wait in line. I am considering doing fat tire tours to the summit but still waiting for the Aug dates to open up.

[acwmom]

I am rereading your review since I am starting to decide what we are going to do the first few days in Paris. Did you take a tour to the summit or did you just wait in line. I am considering doing fat tire tours to the summit but still waiting for the Aug dates to open up.

I got tickets directly from the Eiffel Tower website. It was a timed entry. I think it was 25 euro each.

 

https://www.toureiffel.paris/en

 

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[PNFL]

Thank you. I am sure I will be asking more questions as I continue to plan.

[need2travel1]

Hi Robin,

I keep referring back to your review as I step up the planning for our trip, only 6 weeks to go! Thanks again!!