Itinerary Questions

Claudia Sails

For anyone who has taken this cruise I have a couple of questions.

I know it can change, but where was the ship docked in Paris? Is it easy to walk to see some of the sites from there?

How much time do you spend at Giverny (guided and/or unguided time)? Could you go back again after lunch?

lvgregger

In 2014 we docked in the Seine just across from the http://www.ballondeparis.com/ . We were fairly heavily scheduled while in Paris so didn't have a need to walk to see anything from the Swiss Sapphire. We went to Giverny in the morning arriving for essentially a private tour prior to the public opening and left after lunch. Given the crowds after lunch I am not sure we would have wanted to go back. We did enjoy a walk up to the cemeteries and around the Village. We very much enjoyed this travel experience.

rosepetal

We will be taking this cruise this September starting in London. Could you tell me how far is the Eiffel Tower from where you were docked. Is it within walking distance?As we have been to Paris before and the schedule is fairly heavy, we would like to get tickets prior to leaving the US and go the afternoon when others are at the museums. I am so looking forward to this cruise. It looks like an amazing time.

Claudia Sails

For rosepetal - it looks like it's about 2.7 kms according to google maps. There's a couple of metro stops near the dock.
I'm just hoping we have a view of the tower from the ship at night. We did the French Waterways in Jul and they had us back to the hotel after dinner before the Eiffel tower had lit up for the night and our room had a view of the garden.

Since we aren't going til 2017 I'll look forward to your comments when you get back.

Thank you lvgregger for the info. You're right that Tauck does keep you busy on cruises. As much as I enjoy the info the guides provide, sometimes its so nice to take off the Vox and just stroll on your own.

New Question - since the hotel is so close to Versailles, I'm hoping the day of arrival to be able to stroll the gardens only. Is this doable? I really like to spend some time in the fresh air and sun to help with the jet lag.

lvgregger

My wife (also named Claudia) and I were able to take a very short walk to a Versailles entrance and rent bicycles which we rode throughout the Versailles Palace area. We were there on a Palace closure day and it was delightful with no crowds. We managed to stay upright even though we had not been on bikes of 30+ years. Great fun and fabulous photo memories. We did extend our time in Versailles trying to take full advantage of all Versailles has to offer.

We had a very nice view of the Tower from our mooring, day and night. They did have transportation from the boat to the Tower for the lighting festivities at the Tower. We did not take part as we were exhausted from the day's activities. ( Note we arrived in Paris just as the sun was setting...another beautiful experience on the upper deck.)

Claudia Sails

Yeah, another Claudia. We're a bit few and far between.

I'm trying to imagine handling a bicycle on jet lag but it does sound fun. I'll be happy just to stroll at leisure.

Glad about the Eiffel tower. We saw it near sunset with the weirdest pink sky. Made for interesting pictures. Will be content with sitting on the top deck of the ship sipping Moet et Chandon watching the tower lights twinkle.

Thanx for your help. Any cruises on your bucket list?

rosepetal

Thank you both for your responses. Glad to hear that the Eiffel Tower is not too far and the Metro is close by to the boat. Definitely on my bucket list to go to the top. Like you Claudia we did the French Waterways in June 2014 and never did see the Tower lit up as they had us back to the hotel before it was dark. Looks like I may get my wish that we can see the Tower from the boat!

lvgregger

CaludiaSails, when you mentioned biking on jet lag it occurred to me that you must be starting the river cruise in Paris. Everything may well be different than what I indicated as we ended our cruise in Paris then coach to Versailles having started at the magnificent Savoy in London.

Yes, we will be spending three weeks doing the Budapest to Amsterdam cruise with extensions in both Budapest and Amsterdam.

Claudia Sails

Yes, we want the Northbound version so we end in London and have our Gift of Time there.

We did the Rhine/Mosel last Oct starting in Amsterdam. Hope you have better weather than we did. Too grey and wet. Beware the bicyclists. Especially in the central section where the sidewalks are narrow and often blocked by parked cars, bicycles, tables, etc. The canal boat cruise was a joy since you could gawk at the buildings without being run over.

lvgregger

Have a great trip. We certainly enjoyed our Cruise on the Seine and especially enjoyed being at Normandy for the 70th Anniversary of the invasion. Where are you traveling from? We are from Las Vegas.

Claudia Sails

We live in the mountains outside Albuquerque so not far from you.

Hope your Rhine/Mosel cruise is great too. We really enjoyed Heidelberg and Strasbourg. Baden Baden was a bit boring and the food surprise at the casino wasn't worth the calories especially compared to the food on board the ship. When the ship got to Basel we opted for the day in Lucerne and didn't regret it even with the bus trip. I wrote a fairly long "lessons learned" post about the trip that is posted to the Rhine/Mosel forum.

TTFN

rosepetal

We did the Rhine/Mosel early June 2015. We have done four cruises and for me this was the best so far. We started in Basel so had an extra day and of course went to Lucerne. Enjoyed it all -- the MS Inspire, the tour directors, the crew were great, the city and town tours. Going up and down the Mosel River was wonderful especially in the evening after dinner on the sundeck; it not as wide as the Rhine. The weather was great but it did rain in Baden Baden and I would agree with Claudia it was a bit boring. lvgregger, you will have a great trip. By the way, we are from New Hampshire.

Claudia Sails

The worst part of Baden Baden being boring was that the ships mooring was in a fairly ugly industrial area. We went back to the ship for lunch instead of staying in Baden Baden and tried to go for a walk but there wasn't much to see.

Agree the Mosel is a real highlight to the trip and the mooring places there were very nice for independent exploring.

Aside from the weather, the Oct date was also a problem since the days were so much shorter. It was dark at breakfast and dark at dinner. I'll stay with summer cruises in the future even if it means more crowds.