Please share you experience with Paris City Drive & The Louvre Museum LEH-110

[JimAOk1945]

My wife and I are booked on a Princess British Isles cruise next summer. I came across this excursion on the Princess website.

 

I hope someone who has done this excursion can answer a couple of questions. I’ve searched Cruise Critic and the internet but can’t find any information that has the specific information I’m looking for. Often times, descriptions don't go into details.

 

Question one: During the Louvre visit, is there a guide that stays with the group for the entire visit, or only part of the time and then you are free to wander around the museum?

 

Below is a description from the website about the Louvre visit.

 

“Upon arriving at the Louvre, you'll marvel at this former royal palace. Today, it's perhaps the greatest repository of fine art in the world. Experienced guide offer highlights of this vast collection, including the Venus de Milo, the Winged Victory, Leonardo de Vinci's immortal Mona Lisa, and other paintings by such masters as Delacroix and Gericault. You'll have free time to browse in the museum shop before departing for lunch.”

 

Question 2: Is there any free time to take pictures after lunch? I noticed on internet pictures there seems to be a outside walkway on the same level as the restaurant. Below is a description from the Princess website about lunch.

 

“You'll enjoy lunch at 58 Tour Eiffel, a restaurant on the first floor of the tower, while viewing charming views of Paris from the venue's large windows. When it's time to call it a day, you'll snap a photo or two of the imposing tower before your return drive to the pier.”

 

Often times, descriptions are incomplete. Thanks for sharing your experience with me.

[FLCruise7]

This sounds just like the tour we did when we did on our cruise in 2015. I probably have some pictures that I can share, but I'll tell you what I can remember.

 

Once we were at the Louvre, the guide took us to the Mona Lisa. After that, we had some free time (maybe an hour??) for wandering. We did find the Venus de Milo & hit the gift shop.

 

We enjoyed our lunch at the Eiffel Tower & had a little time for photos on the way to/from lunch. I'll see what I can find for photos.

 

One note - it was about a 2 1/2 - 3 hour bus ride from the pier to Paris. On the way, we did make a comfort stop about halfway.

 

I'll look for pictures & post what I can find.

[JimAOk1945]

This sounds just like the tour we did when we did on our cruise in 2015. I probably have some pictures that I can share, but I'll tell you what I can remember.

 

Once we were at the Louvre, the guide took us to the Mona Lisa. After that, we had some free time (maybe an hour??) for wandering. We did find the Venus de Milo & hit the gift shop.

 

We enjoyed our lunch at the Eiffel Tower & had a little time for photos on the way to/from lunch. I'll see what I can find for photos.

 

One note - it was about a 2 1/2 - 3 hour bus ride from the pier to Paris. On the way, we did make a comfort stop about halfway.

 

I'll look for pictures & post what I can find.

Thanks for taking the time to reply to my questions! This is exactly what I needed to know. Please post your pictures. It will give us an idea of what to expect. Also my wife has her own website and hopes to be able to take lots of pictures. We are looking forward to seeing your pictures!

 

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[JimAOk1945]

This sounds just like the tour we did when we did on our cruise in 2015. I probably have some pictures that I can share, but I'll tell you what I can remember.

 

Once we were at the Louvre, the guide took us to the Mona Lisa. After that, we had some free time (maybe an hour??) for wandering. We did find the Venus de Milo & hit the gift shop.

 

We enjoyed our lunch at the Eiffel Tower & had a little time for photos on the way to/from lunch. I'll see what I can find for photos.

 

One note - it was about a 2 1/2 - 3 hour bus ride from the pier to Paris. On the way, we did make a comfort stop about halfway.

 

I'll look for pictures & post what I can find.

Am I correct in thinking you were on a Princess excursion?

 

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[dickinson]

I took this tour in 2015. The comfort stop on the way to Paris was a large rest area that had a large souvenir shop. Many of us bought things there. We passed the Arc d'driomphe and drove along the Champs Elysee. I recognized the Place de la Concorde. We could also see the Seine. When walking onto the bus we were on the right side. Had great views. We were supposed to have a guide in the Louvre but something happened and we did not. The place is a zoo and so very crowded with people. It was easy for us to find the Mona Lisa (Winged Victory was on a staircase landing on the way. Not many people stopped as I think many haven't heard of it). Be prepared for large crowds pushing and shoving to get a view of Mona Lisa. Make sure your belongings are secure as I hear there are lots of pick pockets. Your photos of Mona Lisa will also contain lots of people holding up their cameras! I was surprised at how small the painting was.

 

After this we wanted to see the Venus de Milo. We had a horrible time finding it. The map we were given was not good and there really wasn't anyone who worked there to ask. We were so afraid we would be late getting back to the meeting spot that we kept rushing into room after room without really seeing. I remember a lot of statues. We did finally find it and then worked our way back to our meeting spot 30 minutes early. I wish I could have enjoyed our time there. I bet most people do much better with the guide.

 

Next we drove to the Eiffel Tower. We were there beginning of May so crowds were not bad. We did not have to wait long for the elevator. We had plenty of time to take photos. When you go back down the elevator there are some places to buy souvenirs if you choose to do so. I suppose if there were big crowds waiting for the elevator then much of the free time we had would have been lost. One tip about lunch. Ask your guide what you will be having to eat. No one told us. They put a slab of something colorful in front of us. My dh didn't like it. I didn't either but I thought it was lunch so ate it all anyway. I found out later that it had frois gras in it, among other things. It was quite filling. THEN came the main meal. Oh no... I was already full!! It was chicken with something on top that looked like soap suds. Very salty. The chicken was boneless and delicious but I could only take a few bites. I think there were also mashed potatoes. I don't remember the desert that was served. There were rolls served but no croissants.

 

The ride back to the ship was uneventful with no stops. Probably was 2.5 hours at most. Many people slept. I watched the view of the countryside.

 

I would recommend this tour in a heartbeat.

[juniper berries]

We did this tour a long time ago but the description has not changed. The bus ride into Paris you see some of Paris.You have a guide with you on the buss and in the Louvre you have a museum guide. When we did the tour the bus parks under the Louvre and you enter from there.The museum guide stayed with us the entire time. I think the tour guide die as well. The only free time we had was time to shop in the gift shop and use the rest room, Then it was off to lunch at Eiffel tour. After lunch we were able to take pictures from the observation deck. The lunch menu was a set menu. After lunch and leaving the Eiffel Tower we went some place else and did a bit of site seeing and then were on the bus back to port, Hope this helps.

[billslowsky]

Spend some time online ahead of time on the Louvre's website and plan your route. Figure out what you want to see, it takes planning and there's also a lot you won't want to bother with. Everyone wants to see the Mona Lisa, and many will say "oh is that it?" afterward.

[FLCruise7]

Here are some of the pictures we did. (Hopefully they will post correctly - I don't post a lot of pictures & it's a learning experience every time!) Yes - this was a Princess tour. We wanted the peace of mind since Paris is so far from the port & decided to let them be responsible for us! :cool:

 

 

Our guide on the tour did give us a good tip - a lot of people think the French people are rude, but they react very well if you don't just blurt out a question before greeting them. When we were looking for the Venus statue, we saw museum staff in various spots -- I just walked up & said hello. And THEN I asked for directions. They were very accommodating!

 

 

1 - At our comfort stop on the way to Paris. I don't think this place charged to use the restrooms, but we sure paid when we used the one at the Louvre!!

 

2 - We did see the Arc de Triomphe from the bus

 

3 - Crowds at the Louvre

 

4 - View of the Mona Lisa from the side - it's so tiny!!

 

5 - Thankfully, there's a rail so no one can get close & we could get pictures without people!

 

6 - Winged Victory

 

7 - Venus de Milo

 

8 - Approaching the Eiffel Tower

 

9 - Restaurant for lunch

 

10 - Having lunch

 

11 - View from the Tower (taken after lunch) - there is some time for photos

 

12 - Another view as we were leaving (this may have been from the bus)

[TracieABD]

My brother and his wife did this tour in 2015. There was a ton of construction and traffic to and from the cruise port and Paris. They actually had very little time in Paris to enjoy themselves.

They said they would have been better off doing Paris as a land tour...

[JimAOk1945]

Flcruise7,

Thanks so very much for posting your fantastic pictures.

 

You had great weather. Do you remember which month you there?

 

You also got wonderful pictures from inside the bus. Do you remember which side of the bus you were sitting on?

 

I really appreciate all the wonderful useful information you shared. Please let me know if you think of anything else. Even small tips can help.

 

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[JimAOk1945]

Spend some time online ahead of time on the Louvre's website and plan your route. Figure out what you want to see, it takes planning and there's also a lot you won't want to bother with. Everyone wants to see the Mona Lisa, and many will say "oh is that it?" afterward.

This is a great tip! I'll do it. Thanks!

 

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[1965]

Flcruise7-Thank you for sharing those great photos! It looks like you were allowed to take pix in the Louvre as long as no flash.

 

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[FLCruise7]

Flcruise7,

Thanks so very much for posting your fantastic pictures.

 

You had great weather. Do you remember which month you there?

 

You also got wonderful pictures from inside the bus. Do you remember which side of the bus you were sitting on?

 

I really appreciate all the wonderful useful information you shared. Please let me know if you think of anything else. Even small tips can help.

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using Forums mobile app

 

We were there in late May (date on the pictures was 5/20). Weather was beautiful! We did wear our fleeces for most of the trip, but being from Florida anything below 70 starts feeling cool. At least it was a pretty, sunny day.

 

Not sure about which side of the bus we were on. We did get some nice pictures, but some of them had reflections from the windows so they weren't the best - but still not horrible. I'm thinking we were probably on the left side of the bus (facing forward) because we have some pictures with other passengers & they appear to be on the right. My husband is the photographer for us. Going back to the ship, I seem to recall sleeping. It was a long day since we had to meet up early and then 6+ hours on a bus, plus the touring, etc. just wore me out!!

 

I would highly recommend this tour for a sampling of Paris. It would've been nice to spend more time & see more things, but we knew we couldn't do everything. So, we opted for a "taste" of the city.

 

Glad you enjoyed the pictures. Brought back some nice memories for me as we did this in 2015. If I think of anything else, I'll let you know. We also did Ireland, Scotland, etc. Our trip was a transatlantic & then British Isles. Enjoy your cruise!!!

[FLCruise7]

Flcruise7-Thank you for sharing those great photos! It looks like you were allowed to take pix in the Louvre as long as no flash.

 

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Glad you enjoyed the photos. Yes to pictures in the Louvre - we actually took a lot of pictures there. We rarely use the flash when taking pictures inside.

[rocklinmom]

Wow great photos!! Thanks for posting. I am also researching Paris excursions for next summer and am considering this one, the river cruise lunch one, or the Best of Paris one. It's helpful to read all of these details.

[dickinson]

FLCruise7 - you were on the same cruise as us! Interesting that you got a guide in the Louvre. We did not. They said there was some kind of computer problem and somehow that made it so we could not have a guide. tour bus guide was not allowed to guide us inside. We were there on a Wednesday. The Louvre was closed on Tuesdays so probably a few more people than usual. Who knows. I remember trying to see the Mona Lisa where people were shoving me from both sides. No one seemed to be moving out from in front of me so I never got to the front. All my pictures have people in them. When we tried to find the Venus de Milo we looked for guards or museum employees to ask directions but surprisingly found none. we were racing into room after room til we finally found her. Not a way to enjoy the museum. I wish I had thought to read up online about the museum!

 

The lines to the rest room in the Louvre were so long that even though we were 30 minutes early to the meet up spot I was afraid I would be late. Went to the restroom in the Eiffel Tower.

 

As I said earlier... when walking onto the bus we took seats on the right side. From that view we saw the Arc d'driomphe, Place de la Concorde, Champs Elysee (I could see the street along with shops on the other side). Actually, the bus we were on was the best we had been on as there was a lot of leg room (dh has long legs).

[FLCruise7]

It's a small world Dickinson!! That was such a great cruise - even with the delay at Belfast. I was really tired when it was done since the BI portion was so port-intensive & we had long excursions everywhere. And then we stayed in London for 5 days after. I needed a long rest when we got home!! Good thing we had retired a few months before this cruise (this was actually our retirement present to ourselves)!

 

I'm not sure how much researching the Louvre ahead of time would have helped. We had a map, but it was too confusing!!

[CruisingObsessed]

My wife and I are booked on a Princess British Isles cruise next summer. I came across this excursion on the Princess website.

 

I hope someone who has done this excursion can answer a couple of questions. I’ve searched Cruise Critic and the internet but can’t find any information that has the specific information I’m looking for. Often times, descriptions don't go into details.

 

My answers in BOLD

Question one: During the Louvre visit, is there a guide that stays with the group for the entire visit, or only part of the time and then you are free to wander around the museum?

 

Below is a description from the website about the Louvre visit.

 

“Upon arriving at the Louvre, you'll marvel at this former royal palace. Today, it's perhaps the greatest repository of fine art in the world. Experienced guide offer highlights of this vast collection, including the Venus de Milo, the Winged Victory, Leonardo de Vinci's immortal Mona Lisa, and other paintings by such masters as Delacroix and Gericault. You'll have free time to browse in the museum shop before departing for lunch.”

 

There was a guide and they preferred to keep everyone in a big group, but, we hate that. We were able to get the guide to tell us a meeting spot and time, then went on our way. It appeared others did so as well when we rejoined them.

 

Question 2: Is there any free time to take pictures after lunch? I noticed on internet pictures there seems to be a outside walkway on the same level as the restaurant. Below is a description from the Princess website about lunch.

 

“You'll enjoy lunch at 58 Tour Eiffel, a restaurant on the first floor of the tower, while viewing charming views of Paris from the venue's large windows. When it's time to call it a day, you'll snap a photo or two of the imposing tower before your return drive to the pier.”

 

There was free time after lunch, but not long, maybe half an hour? Skip desert if you want more. We walked up to the top, then bought a fridge magnet on the way down (yes, there's a store ON the tower), and had a bathroom break and the buses were loading.

 

Often times, descriptions are incomplete. Thanks for sharing your experience with me.

 

Overall not a bad excursion. I would have preferred it was a city WALK instead of DRIVE, but the guide was interesting, and it covered the sites we wanted to see for an overview. We hadn't been there before. The ride in and time on your own would be fine too, but we wanted lunch in the tower, and the view was magnificent. We are glad we took this excursion. Hope that helps.

[dickinson]

It's a small world Dickinson!! That was such a great cruise - even with the delay at Belfast. I was really tired when it was done since the BI portion was so port-intensive & we had long excursions everywhere. And then we stayed in London for 5 days after. I needed a long rest when we got home!! Good thing we had retired a few months before this cruise (this was actually our retirement present to ourselves)!

 

I'm not sure how much researching the Louvre ahead of time would have helped. We had a map, but it was too confusing!!

 

Yes, it was a great cruise. It was our first to Europe and we loved it. In Belfast I had booked online before we left the HoHo bus and also the Titanic museum. When I found out we were going to be delayed or not arriving at all I emailed both. Only heard from one which gave me a refund. The other I emailed again and still no response (I think it was HoHo). When I got home I disputed the charges on my credit card and got the refund that way. We ended up taking a ship tour so got to see the Titanic museum and a ride around Belfast.

 

The map of the Louvre seemed useless to us. I had tried to post two photos of the food we ate at the Eiffel Tower. Never tried before but it failed. Maybe the pictures were too big.

 

We used a tour company to pick us up from the ship and take us to Salisbury cathedral, Windsor Castle and also Stonehenge. By 6 pm they would drop us at our hotel. International Friends if anyone is interested. They were great. then spent two days in London seeing the highlights. Exhausting but great.

[JimAOk1945]

Hi everyone! I'm the OP. I am really enjoying reading about your experiences. Please feel free to share anything else you may think of.

 

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