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Paris Arrival and Extended Day Suggestions
We are scheduled for this cruise in 2023. I have a few questions regarding "day of arrival". I am assuming arrival from the US will occur early in the morning. What have others done while waiting for the 4:00 pm cruise start? I assume we shall be driven to the boat - where is it moored? Do we have access to our room? Food? Are their interesting sights nearby accessible by foot? We are also staying 2 days after the cruise in order to take in a bit more of Paris. Is the Moulin Rouge Cabaret worth seeing? There is an option for the dinner as well - it is a bit pricey and wondering again if worth it. Any suggestions and/or opinions are appreciated.
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The ship has been docked in the past at either Quay Javel or Grenelle which are just down river from the Eiffel tower on the left bank. You could easily walk to it or to a nearby metro stop and get anywhere in Paris.
The driver - who Tauck will send to pick you up at the airport - will know where the ship is and take you directly to it. Make sure Tauck knows your travel arrangements if you book your own flights. If you arrive early they will store your luggage and you're free to go sightseeing until your room is ready. The staff will tell you when that is. Your luggage will be in your room when you get back. If it's close enough to cruise start time and you don't want to go anywhere you an hang out in the lounge or sundeck. They'll likely have drinks and snacks on offer.
I've never done the Moulin Rouge though most reports is it's a bit tacky and I definitely didn't care for that part of Paris even in daytime. If you want a truly special evening I'd recommend instead Ciel de Paris. It's on the top of the Montparnasse skyscraper (tallest in Paris) with a gourmet restaurant and rooftop observation platform. This was where our Normandy/Brittany tour had our farewell dinner. Not cheap but the views are amazing and the food excellent.
HI Donna ~ The rooftop of the Georges Pompidou offers great views, too, and is fun for a cocktail. Myself, I'd always plan to arrive at least a day prior to the tour, especially with the way travel is these days. On our last trip, United cancelled our outbound flight the morning of, at 5:30 am We scrambled and ;left for the airport in an hour, so we could get earlier flight and have long layover ion Newark. United surprised us with a cancellation (4:30 am) for the return flight from Venice. Luckily we snagged two of the last 5 seats on a Delta that afternoon. Tauck had already booked our water taxi, good thing since there was a vaporetto strike. :-) The French often have strikes going on, especially it seems during the heavy tourist season. So, new motto: go early, stay late :-)
DonnaM - Claudia is correct re Moulin Rouge. Touristy, tacky and over priced. Up the hill from there is Montmarte. We always spend a few hours walking around there watching the artists. Have even bought a few items over the years which we get framed at home. Prices are very negotiable. On one of the nights when you get back to Paris you could do a dinner cruise on the Bateau Parisienne. That is a vey upscale version of the Bateau Mouche. This Tauck vs. Viking. We reserved front of the boat and the food was quite good. It is a completely different experience than your Tauck cruise. Under All of the bridges on the Seine. Entertainment. Arrive back at the Eiffel Tower at dark with the lights twinkling. If I remember correctly we did the top package at around 150 Euro each and it was worth every penny. Will do it again next time we are in Paris. Enjoy your trip!!!
Another vote for the extra day at the start if you can. Our first Tauck tour started at the Paris Intercontinental. Our flight out of JFK was 3 hours late so we didn't arrive at the hotel til after 1. Room not ready. Walked around a bit til we could get in then collapsed for a few hours until dinner at Fouquet's. Surreal evening.
Yes, I also recommend arriving a day early, to help with travel delays and to help with jetlag. If you live on the east coast, the flight is so short that even in Business class, by the time dinner is served, it’s late and then they wake you at least an hour before arrival, so you only get chance for a couple of hours of sleep.
I would not recommend buying tickets in advance for just day until you know how you feel on arrival. If you go a day early, you can plan for something the next day before you go to the ship.
Yes, the French strike a lot but they get a great lifestyle as a result which I sometimes envy
Thanks to all who commented. As others will be taking this cruise throughout 2022 - any new information, suggestions etc. will be appreciated.
I'm doing this trip in October 2022, but my friends and I are arriving two days early (on or own dime), plus using our Gift of Tme for a third night at the beginning, so I don't know that I can be of much help. I've been to Paris on two Tauck river cruises but because they were on the Rhone, they started at the Intercontinental in Paris and then we took a train to Lyon to board the boat. Completely different than this one that starts on the boat in Paris..
Of the five river cruises I have already done, I came in at least a day early for three of them. I just worry less about flight delays, plus I'm usually ready to go home by the end of the trip. I'm much fresher to see a city before the trip starts.
That said, I did arrive on the departure date on my two Christmas Markets cruises. In each case, the driver took us directly from the airport to the boat and if I remember correctly, I just went to the lounge and waited until my cabin was ready. I had booked flights that arrived around noon and didn't want the stress of trying to get back to the boat at a certain time. Plus I like to unpack as soon as we can get into our cabin so I'm all set for the cruise. And sometimes you can get into your room earlier than stated on the itinerary.
If you like classical music, please see Classictic for possible concerts options. Relatively inexpensive and held in fantastic venues like Sainte Chappelle and L'eglise de la Madeleine. If you choose Sainte Chappelle, opt for the session that begins around sunset for the best illumination of the stained glass.
Has anyone gone to the Louve on Friday evenings when they are open until 9:45 pm
Unless I'm mistaken, the Louvre closes to the general public at 1800 daily and I believe they are closed on Tuesdays.
From the official website:
Suspension of late-night openings
The Covid-19 pandemic requires changes to the organisation of museum staffing at the Louvre. The museum management has therefore been forced to temporarily suspend the Wednesday and Friday late-night openings, as well as the free late-night opening on the first Saturday of the month. We apologise to our visitors for any inconvenience and hope to be able to open these time slots again as soon as possible.
That answers my question. Thanks