Review of Cruising the Seine Plus Paris and London
We just got back from the tour and thoroughly enjoyed it.
We arrived in London the day before the tour started.
We were going to walk to an outdoor market, but it was too hot to be outdoors.
Instead, we walked to the British Museum...but didn't realize that it was not air conditioned.
Many restaurants, museums, etc are not air conditioned in London.
Around the corner from the Rosewood Hotel is a cute little tavern called The Ship Tavern that is hundreds of years old. The history of the tavern is very interesting.
You leave the hotel, make a left, and go through a short alley and there it is.
The pub area is downstairs and a restaurant upstairs. We chose the pub area.
They do take reservations for the pub area up until 5pm...after that it is for walk ins...and you may have to wait for a table.
You can google Ship Tavern in London and make a reservation online.
We had the best fish and chips.
The Rosewood Hotel is beautiful.
A comment about the rooms...very well appointed, but it it was not easy climbing in and out of the shower...the bathtub was high.
I didn't know we could request a "walk in" shower. If needed, you may want to inquire about that.
The welcome dinner was very nice. Winston Churchill's great granddaughter spoke about him.
We were surprised that 75% of the men did wear sports jackets.
The visit to the Churchill War Rooms was very interesting. We were given headsets and walked around ourselves.
Now for the cruise...(Ms Sapphire) ... everything about the cruise experience was wonderful.
The cabins were very comfortable. The crew was amazing...very friendly and so accommodating.
Every meal was delicious. The service on the ship was excellent.
Hats of to the pianist, Marius. He entertained us in the lounge every evening.
Our three tour directors...Andre, Jeff and Ines were great. All were very knowledgable, very friendly and very approachable.
The excursions were very interesting.
Even though this tour is rated a 2 in pace and activity, there was a substantial amount of walking.
Many cobblestone streets.
A highlight of the cruise for me was everything relating to D Day.
The day before we went to D Day, many of us went to the Peace Museum. And back on the ship, we heard a lecture about what led up to D Day.
The stops we made the following day at the Normandy beaches and the American Cemetery were very moving.
Of course there were many other wonderful experiences we had on this tour, but time and space are limited.
This Tauck tour was our 16th and it did not disappoint. Another winner for Tauck.
Sue
Comments
Just a lovely review Sue, thank you! Your tour with your son, correct?
Excellent review which brought back many fond memories. I don’t remember her name but we had a female British historian who spoke to us about the many contributions of women—mainly British—during the war. Fascinating. Thanks for sharing your story.
Something to think about when picking a date....
This May we went on the France land tour. We also thoroughly enjoyed the visit to the beaches and the American cemetery in Normandy. Through no planning of ours we visited the beaches and the cemetery on US Memorial Day. The cemetery visit was in the afternoon. Every grave had both French and American flags on them. In the morning there had been a ceremony where officials representing the surrounding towns attended and brought wreaths.
We were there at 4PM when the American flag was lowered with taps playing in the background. Everyone was moved as we stood motionless and quiet.
I don't know how much in advance of Memorial Day or how much later the flags remain but the visit was some much more moving and memorable because of the recognition of the special day.
Sue very nice review.
I traveled with my husband.
The woman who spoke about what let up to D Day was also a British historian. Perhaps it was the same one.
I forgot to mention in my review about the special dessert nights they had up in the lounge after dinner.
It is these special touches and attention to detail that make Tauck stand out as a top notch tour company..
And oh my goodness, besides the desserts...the rolls (all kinds) were amazing....so hard to resist... and we didn't!
Good thing I brought pants with elastic waistbands!