Pre-Cruise Hotel -- Arriving Early in the AM
Hello!
My 81-year old mother and I will be arriving in Paris one day before our Impressions from the Siene River Cruise in September. We booked the Pre-Cruise Hotel directly through Tauck and will be staying at the Hotel Napolean. Our flight from the US arrives at CDG at 6:00 AM! We have the Tauck provided transportation to the Hotel.
My question is has anyone who has done this been able to check in to their hotel when they arrive that early in the morning? We will have been up for a full 24-hours by that point and thinking about having to wait to check in at 3:00 PM is daunting. I can't imagine what we would do if we had to wait around until 3:00 PM...obviously do some kind of sightseeing to pass the time. Someone on another travel site suggested we book 2 nights at the pre-cruise hotel and then just call the hotel the day we leave the US and tell them we will be late, thus guaranteeing we have a room available when we arrrive. That seems like an unecessary and pricey expense for what might be a few hours. I called Tauck and a representative told me that if a room is available, we will be allowed to check in. I realize there are no guarantees.
Has anyone experienced this when arriving a day before the cruise at such an early time? Were you able to check in and if not, what did you do to pass the time? My mother wants to visit Saint Chappelle, so I am going to get tickets for that in advance, but trying to decide if we just head right there after arriving at the hotel or get tickets for later in the day.
Many thanks!
Comments
First off assuming your flight arrives on time, you still have to clear customs and claim your baggage. The ride to Paris is about 45 minutes, possibly longer at morning rush. So you're likely to get to your hotel between 7:30-8 am.
We have arrived hours before check in time on different trips and only a couple of those were the rooms available early. Generally we have them lock up the luggage and go sight see, find an ATM for some local cash, walk around, get a meal, and just sit in the lobby. Other than paying for an extra night, you could contact the hotel ahead of time, let them know which tour you're with and ask to be assigned a room that's ready. We did this once in Amsterdam and they said the only way they could guarantee it was if we paid a fee (less than the full price of a night's stay) to check in early. We opted not to pay the extra and by luck or because we'd contacted them, we did get into our room right away.
While it can be a pain, the best thing you can do for jetlag is walk around in the afternoon sun at your destination. That's true for east bound travel.
My husband and I took this trip April 8-17 this year. I wrote a 3 part review under the Impressions from the Seine: Paris to Normandy Category. You can read my trip review there.
Our flight arrived at 7:30 am at CDG and we arrived at Hotel Napoleon at around 10:00 am. I was also concerned about being able to check into our room when we arrived as we were both exhausted. As it turned out, it was not an issue and a room was ready. Now, this may not always be the case and arriving at 6:00 am, you are likely to breeze thru passport control, so it may not take as long to reach your hotel. There really is no way to assure that your room will be available unless you pay for an extra night. So, if you need that assurance, the extra cost may be worth the comfort of knowing that you have a room when you arrive. As Claudia mentioned, it may be worthwhile to contact the Hotel ahead of time to let them know if you can be assigned a room that's ready, it never hurts to ask.
I had a similar experience when I attended a workshop in Lisbon earlier this year by myself and I arrived at my Hotel at 7:00 am and I decided booking an extra night was worth the extra cost as I always have terrible jet lag when I travel overseas. This is a choice only you and your Mother can make. Hotel Napoleon is a lovely Hotel.
Some hotels will give you an early check-in for a fee that's less than a full night. Contact the hotel and see what they say.
I am in the same boat (pun intended - haha) for an upcoming Savoring France river cruise. I emailed Hotel Lutetia to inquire about early check in and I am waiting for a response. At least they can take note of the request. Fingers crossed that we can freshen up before heading out for the day! First trip with Tauck, first river cruise, first time in Paris! YAY! Getting very excited!
Amy: It looks like you are not staying at the Tauck hotel, so you need to be clear about the ground transport arrangements. You may need to get to the ship on your own.
Sealord - Hotel Lutetia is a Tauck hotel = we are staying there in May before our Rendezvous on the Seine cruise - Tauck is offering 2 hotels in Paris now for most river cruises. We were initially assigned to Hotel Napoleon, but requested to change to Hotel Lutetia due to the location and the outrageous price since we are using Gift of Time. If you go to the page for these trips, under 'accomodations,' two hotels are listed. We've got our paperwork for May 2025 and Hotel Lutetia is there as our GoT pre cruise night.
Terrilynn/ Hotel Lutetia is fantastic - very well situated. The hotel has quite a history. Check out Wikipedia!
First,, congratulations on making this memory with your Mother and best wishes for a wonderful trip. Best way to do that is to start rested. Good suggestions above. Next year you will have forgotten the cost and the rest, especially for your mother, will help ensure a terrific trip. Arriving two nights early is our practice for that reason.
Please excuse my error. The only hotel listed on the website for the “Impressions …” tour is the Napoleon. The Lutetia must be a ‘stealth’ offering. (;-)