Best Of

After 30+ land tours we changed to river cruises because of my husband’s advancing age and mobility issues. We have done one (1) Ponant small ship cruise (Great Lakes) and would never do another one.

We were both very disappointed in the onboard experience and amenities. There was a very nice auditorium-type room but it was only used for an occasional briefing and was locked all other times. The bar area was one big room with virtually no ambiance. Our level did have a small and very nice area which we used for reading. There was a very small counter/bar area there but it was never operational.

The dining room looked like a cafeteria—again, no ambience in my opinion. There was a small alcove which housed the tiny buffet area with less than stellar food selections. The soups were the best offerings. Dinners were mediocre at best. I rarely eat red meat but one night I had a filet of beef and it was delicious. For the most part we stayed with soup and salad—the salad being iceberg lettuce, never mixed greens.

We never experienced the ship rocking but the tender was very uncomfortable due to the inclement weather one day. I didn’t realize how rough the lakes could become. We were hoping for a lecture on the lakes and their microclimates but that never occurred.

When comparing my small ship experience to that of Tauck’s riverboats, there is no comparison. It would be like riding a skateboard versus traveling in a luxury car.

Of course this is merely my opinion but it is one based on factual experiences.

Postscript- I agree with taking ginger; I never travel without it.