We are back from our RENDEZVOUS ON THE SEINE RiverCruise
Quick overview = it was flawless - amazing weather, great food, guides, excursions. We flew RDU>ATL>CDG in Premium Select on AirFrance & flew home direct CDG>RDU. Flights uneventful.
We traveled w/another couple - it was their 3rd Tauck Trip w/us and our 10th Tauck Trip. We arrived one day pre-cruise & used our GoT at Hotel Lutetia. We arrived at the hotel by 0830 from CDG & our rooms were both ready. We pushed thru & did a full day of a little shopping, Luxembourg Gardens, exploring, eating, etc. It was all of ours 1st time in Paris. The hotel was fantastic and full of history (Nazi). Miley Cyrus was also staying there, so the crowds outside the hotel were a little crazy at times. The next day we explored until we met the coach at the hotel at 1415 for transfer to the ship.
Our ship was the MS Sapphire. Our guides were Carmen from Croatia, but lives in Madrid -- Darrow from the States, but lives in Nice -- Dan from Transylvania. Our Cruise Director was Lindsey from the UK, but lives in Rouen. They were all fantastic. The food and service on the ship was top-notch all the way around. We did have a 1920s party one night in celebration of Tauck's 100th Anniversary.
Day#1 - Paris - Versailles & a surprise visit to the Louvre. Versailles was so gorgeous. We had the standard tour, plus a special tour only for Tauck guests of many rooms/wings not open to the public. We had ample time to explore the gardens before boarding the coach back to the ship for a wonderful lunch. After lunch, we had a surprise visit to the Louvre which was not on the itinerary. While we were only there for a couple hours, we did get to see major highlights-- the Medieval part, the Mona Lisa, Venus, Sphinx, the Stairway to Victory, the popular paintings, and sculptures by Michelangelo.
Day#2 - There was a choice of excursions today - we chose a City Bus Tour which took us to many of the Paris highlights w/stops for photos - Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, the major streets, a Military Museum & current Military Hospital & cathedral where Napoleon is buried. Then free time on our own in the Latin Quarter (Tauck gave us 30Euros per person for lunch). We were back on the ship by late afternoon and began sailing to Normandy.
Day#3 - Rouen (Home of Joan of Arc). We loved this stop. There was an optional tour that left early to go w/the Ship Manager & Maitre D to the farmers market where they buy cheese, veggies, tomatoes, etc. I'd say about 1/3 of us went on this. We had a small tour of the town before arriving at the Market where we got to sample many types of cheese. The market was so nice - lots of cheese, seafood, all types of meat, pastries, all types of veggies. We met the rest of the passengers at the cathedral for our main tour of the town - the cathedral is 12th Century and was stunning. We learned a lot about Joan of Arc and saw where she was burned and toured the church dedicated to her w/stained glass windows from 1456. The famous restaurant that Julia Child ate in which made her fall in love w/French cooking is also in this town in a 1/2 timbered home from the 1500s. Tauck gave us all another 30Euros per person for lunch in town this day-- but we opted to return to the ship for a delicious lunch and salad bar from the Farmer's market that morning. Rouen was a fabulous town, my favorite from the trip.
Day#4 - Choice of excursions today -- Etretat & Honfleur VS Caen WW2 Museum & the Bayeux Tapestry -- we chose the later since the main reason we did this trip was for Omaha Beach & the American Cemetery. I would have loved to have been able to do them both & wish Tauck would add a day to this tour so we could have. The WW2 museum is very well done. It would certainly take a full day to see it all. We then went to Bayeux, where we had lunch on our own, and then saw the Tapestry which was pretty incredible to see.
Day#5 - Omaha Beach & American Cemetery-- a long day, but the reason most of us chose this tour. We started at Pointe du Hoc, which I had never heard of before. It's where the US Rangers had to climb cliffs to reach land. Germans were in bunkers. Often they cut the ropes of the US Rangers. We got to see & enter the German bunkers here. We then went to lunch at an old house that is now a small hotel - gorgeous with more gardens to see (Wisteria was in full bloom and all over the area). Next, on to Omaha Beach for about 30min - then to the American Cemetery. It's a powerful day & Tauck did it all very well.
Day#6 - Caudebec-en-Caux -- quaint town with 1/2 timbered homes, stunning cathedral, pastries, good shopping. Got back on the boat and sailed to Abbaye de Jumieges - ruins of an Abby from 654 - this was an unexpected highlight for us all. One of my favorite things to have seen on this trip.
Day#7 -- Les Andelys -- town built in the 1st Century BC to the 12th Century -- another quaint town with 1/2 timbered homes, a cathedral, and incredible history. We then drove to some ruins from the 1100s. Final stop was an organic farm that also makes apple ciders, apple brandy, mustards, honey, candy, body creams, etc.
Day#8 -- Giverny Monet's Gardens -- another highlight! Tauck gets us in 1.5 hours before it opens to the public. The gardens were unbelievable! We got thru the entire garden area and some of the house before it opened to the public. We had free time to explore, see a museum, walk thru the town, and see the church.
Day#9 -- Debarkation -- we booked another 2 nights at Hotel La Tamise on our own which was near the Louvre. We did LOTS of walking, touring, eating, shopping, saw NotreDame, saw an incredible Bach-Beethtoven-Vivaldi concert at St. Chappelle's which is one of the most beautiful cathedrals I've seen in all of Europe...full of gold & stained glass windows.
I must say, this was one of the most casual-dressed tours we've been on. Lots of jeans and sneakers in the Compass Rose Dining Room. Even saw a few men wear shorts. On the night we went to the Chateau for dinner, about 30-40% of men wore a sports coat, no tie, a couple men had on suits. One husband and wife wore jeans with a golf shirt for him and a casual t-shirt for her.
We go back to Europe in December for another Tauck Tour and want to book Savoring France, The Duoro w/Lisbon & Madrid next. One of our TGs, Carmen, is moving to the Rome, Almalfi Coast, Sicily Small Ship Tour which also looks amazing.
Comments
Sounds like a great trip! Thanks for a terrific review. We’ve been to Paris a dozen times and we are returning next year. It never gets old. We are booked for the Paris, Bordeaux, Dordogne tour.
Thx Terrilynn. Great report. I am going in July. My father was in France with the 66Th from 44-45. I have been doing a lot of research and hope to uncover some more info on this trip.
Thanks for this great trip review. We went on a similar route with Tauck a couple of years ago and your description brought it all back. We are doing the Rhine Enchantment this summer with friends who have never traveled with Tauck and were excited for their first experience!
Great review, I went n this cruise a few years back, chose the same options as you and I can see it remains about the same, the tapestry was amazing and Omaha Beach very emotional, WW II Museum is well presented and I wished I could have had more time there.
Thank you Terrilynn for the detailed review of Rendezvous on the Seine, as I will be on that river cruise in 57 days. Last summer was my first Tauck tour and first river cruise (Grand European) and I'm looking forward to another wonderful travel experience. I've booked back to back river cruises, Rendezvous and French Escapade as I prefer longer visits while in Europe. I'm staying at The Lutetia post cruise (GOT) and I've heard it's a magnificent hotel. I'm told breakfast is always included at hotels on Tauck tours. As this is my first GOT, I wonder if you could tell me how it works for breakfast at the hotel, i.e. which restaurant, what is included, do we sign the bill to the room, etc.? Thank you for any help you could provide, as I'm still a Tauck novice.
Your breakfast(s) during your gift-of-time and pre-and-post tour days (as long as you stay at the Tauck designated hotel) will be covered by Tauck. Let the restaurant’s host/hostess know you are a Tauck guest and give them your room number. If there are multiple restaurants, typically only one will offer breakfast. Regardless, you will be advised where to go. I have not needed to sign a receipt/voucher in a very long time. Enjoy your trip.
When you check into the hotel, you will learn which restaurant serves breakfast, and at what time. In my experience, when you enter the diningroom for breakfast, you give your room number to the host or hostess. Most of the hotels offer buffet breakfasts, and some also allow you to order from a menu in addition to the buffet. There will not be any need to sign anything, unless you order alcohol (and maybe a soft drink, though on one of my trips, one of my fellow travelers refused to pay for her soft drink, and the tour director said not to worry about it and picked up the tab -- no pun intended). You just leave when you are finished eating.
Yes, all the hotels Tauck has booked us into included breakfast. Where and when info given either by the reception desk personnel upon check in or listed in printed info left by your TD ahead of time. Most hotels only serve breakfast in one location so it usually isn't hard to figure out.
FYI, if you book your room yourself at the hotel Tauck uses, breakfast may not be included in the rate. I've known people who either reserved a room themselves to save on the price or because they had reward points to use.
We did encounter a huge problem with an extra day at the end of a Tauck tour. It was a fairly new tour and when we went to check out they tried to charge us for the extra day, we explained Tauck had paid but they more or less called us liars. The manager was called and they took the charge off. But then when our credit card bill came, they had put it on. We called the credit card company and they took it off and then it was put on again, the hotel had called us liars. This happened over several weeks and we eventually called Tauck and they sorted it out. The agent said this does happen occasionally. The experience really upset us.
The final tour documents always include the information on pre/post tour nights including both GoT and ones we paid for. Now that the green book is digital I make sure to print those pages so I have documented evidence.
I guess as we were checking out and heading to the airport, we never thought about our documents and we thought it had been sorted. This was on the tour that ends in Palm Springs and it was a Ritz Carlton hotel.
88Grand - when you check in and tell them you are there w/Tauck, they will tell you where the breakfast is and the times. There are a few restaurants at the hotel, but they will tell you which one is for breakfast. This one was a great buffet and a limited menu to order from, plus juices & coffee/cappuccino. GET THE CREPES!! When you arrive in the breakfast room, they will ask your room #. You will not get a bill, but we did actually have to sign a 'prepaid receipt' when we finished breakfast. The hotel is walkable to Luxembourg Gardens and many great shops & restaurants. We actually ate lunch at a wonderful Lebanese place and dinner was a wonderful pizza place.
Thank you, terrilyn, for the informative review. We will be doing this tour in September then back-to back with Savoring France... We have two nights to start at the Lutetia, which coincidentally we stayed there on a vacation with our kids about 30 years ago. Go figure! We will probably do Notre Dame and walk around Ile Saint-Louis on our own before the tour starts. BTW, there is an interesting detailed review of Ile Saint-Louis in the Wall Street Journal (subscription required) on Feb 28, 2025. Search for Ile Saint-Louis.
inlanikai - if you are going to NotreDame, right around the corner is St. Chappel's - which we thought was stunning. If you haven't seen it, please do. It is STAINED GLASS HEAVEN. Built in the same time frame as NotreDame (1248). We saw a great Bach, Beethoven concert there.
The Hotel Lutetia has been completely redone. It is the nicest hotel I have ever been in. All of the electrical system in the rooms are iPad like devices. If you are interested in a concert, try Classictic Paris. They do have concert at a number of unique locations including St Chapelle which should may be at the time when the stain glass is illuminated by the sunset.
Thanks to everyone who has provided feedback/suggestions for this tour. We are going in September - our son and daughter-in-law will be joining us for their first Tauck tour. This will be our first time in Paris and we are excited!
Thank you for the review. We are doing this trip next year on the new ship. A couple of questions, when do you get information on when the ship docks and leaves each port and where is the ship docked in Paris? What was your favorite meal on the ship? Also, how was the included wine or did you purchase bottles to drink on the ship?
Thank you terrilynn, and also kfnknfzk, MCD, and Claudia Sails, for your advice and for answering my question re breakfast at the hotel. I so appreciate you sharing your experience and knowledge via this forum. Ever since last year when I booked my first Tauck tour, I have enjoyed reading and learning from the many posts all of you submit. It's a great service to fellow Tauck travelers and I am very grateful.
Have a wonderful time!
Kathrine_Wnek - Docking locations can change depending on river traffic, weather, special events in the cities, et al. Each day you will receive a tentative schedule of events with pertinent information.
Regarding favorite meals, we have always enjoyed the “Signature Meals “ as well as many of the regional specialties (not just this tour). The soups have always been delicious.
Wine on board has always been good and varied. For the specialty meals, there will be wine pairings which I have found to be exceptional.
Kathrine - in Paris Tauck usually docks at Quai Grenelle which is on the left bank about a mile down river from the Eiffel Tower. As to timing, if for some reason you need the info before leaving the US, you can call Tauck and the agents have the info. They don't share it ahead of time because lots of things can cause changes.
We've always loved the food and wine on Tauck's river cruises. What I love is that for lunch and dinner they include local specialties. Our first couple of cruises the food was good but they didn't include this regional focus. If you found a bottle of wine during your excursions, the wait staff will serve it for you. No corkage fee. We've never felt the need. Dinner every night on board the wines are specifically chosen by the sommelier to go with what the chef is serving.
Enjoy.
Thank you Claudia, I’m very picky about the wine. It’s more about the wine sometimes with me versus the pairing. Lol - I eat lots of fish with red wine, I’m not a big fan of most white wines! I’m glad to hear about the regional choices. I can eat salmon at home!
I will have to call them about the ship location and timing, I may want to do more our own thing in a couple of locations, we have been to Paris at least 10 times, so we will be doing our own plans at the beginning of the trip. Looking forward to this very much.
Kathrine_Wnek -- when we 1st boarded the ship, it was pretty far away, way down the river, not really even in Paris. All the lines are assigned a location, they have no say on where they dock.
Later that night, we sailed to Paris and we were very close to the Eiffel Tower. Tauck even pulled into the middle of the Seine, right in front of the mini Statue of Liberty for photo ops - we all got amazing photos of the Statue of Liberty and Eiffel Tower during the Light Show.
AMA, Avalon, and Uniworld were all docked nearby, but Tauck was the only ship to pull into the middle of the Seine for us for photos- we stayed there for over an hour.
We stayed docked there for our remaining time in Paris and returned to the same location at the end of the tour.
As far as food, we learned that the menu is set by Tauck headquarters and it does rotate & change seasonally. I had always thought the chef or MaitreD set the menu, but that is NOT the case. We took a Galley Tour one afternoon & learned a lot about the kitchen, cooking, menus, prep, etc. All the food was amazing - even the lunch buffets. Breakfast also excellent. As kfnknfzk said, the soups are always a favorite. Some nights I wasn't very hungry, as they feed you so much - so I'd just get soup and a salad (maybe a baked potato). The ice cream is also excellent - we especially liked the coconut & pistachio & chocolate. The night they did Crepes Suzette was excellent.
We love Red Italian wines - we absolutely loved all the French red wines at night on the ship. No need to have separate wine. You can also ask for different wines at dinner like the ones they serve at the bar if you want - many were drinking the ROSE I noticed (which wasn't even mentioned during dinners as an option).
Even Athur's changed their menu for this cruise and had French food over their typical flatbreads, macaroni, burgers, etc.
That's a bummer that you didn't dock nearer the Eiffel tower but nice of the captain to take you in for a photo op. I noticed on our upcoming cruise that ends in Amsterdam we are docking on the other side of central station than we did before. Still close to the action but different.
Terrilynn, Would you recommend Hotel La Tamise ? The reviews sound wonderful and I like the location. There are so many hotels in Paris that it is overwhelming. We are adding days at the end of our cruise and the Tauck hotels are usually a little pricey.
Thanks
Which side? Is it the dock by Movenpick Hotel?
I just got back from a Holland tulip cruise with another company. The departure dock is the one facing Old Church and the return dock is far from any action, 20 minutes walk to the closest site the Maritime Museum. Scenic also docked there when we returned from Rotterdam.
Never saw uniworld once, was docked parallel to Tauck at Antwerp.