As I’ve mentioned in earlier posts, I thoroughly enjoyed this cruise, and it exceeded my expectations. Spending the entire time in France enabled us to get a much better understanding of the country and its history, and I especially enjoyed visiting a mix of small villages and large cities.
I loved our time in France, and everyone we met was polite and often friendly. We certainly never encountered the stereotypical “rude” French person. I firmly believe that if you are polite and friendly to someone, that person will return the favor.
One big negative was the crowds we encountered almost everywhere, especially at most attractions. I don’t know if it’s only because more people are traveling again, but I think France is just a place everyone wants to visit. I asked the concierge at our hotel in Paris if we needed to return in the winter to avoid the crowds at the Louvre, and she said that it’s crowded all year.
Guides in France are some of the best we have ever encountered, reflecting the required exams they must take. As a result, I enjoyed our excursions, both the ones that were included and those that were optional. Tim and I did not take any private tours while on the cruise and were quite satisfied with the tours offered by Viking.
I loved the Viking longships and their minimal Scandinavian décor, and our stateroom worked well for us. Although we never actually sat on the balcony, I did enjoy the extra space in the room. I glanced at one of the cabins with a French balcony, and although the room was a lot smaller, I would probably be ok with that type as well.
The crews on both ships were outstanding and always went out of their way to accommodate us. Because of the smaller size of the ships, it seemed to be easier to get to know the staff.
There is a big difference between Viking Ocean and River cruises beyond the size of the ships and the itineraries they cover, and it did take me a while to adapt to some of these differences on this cruise. Here, the schedule was much more regimented, with all passengers doing mostly the same things at the same times, particularly with regards to meals. Although I thoroughly enjoyed our meals in the Restaurant, I did miss being able to grab a quick dinner at a buffet at a time of my choosing.
This cruise was also much more social for us than our ocean cruise, and sitting with other people at meals was definitely a change. I did like getting to meet different people, particularly those from other countries, but we never seemed to sit with the same groups more than once or twice. As a result, it did get a bit tiring repeating our story to new people all the time. A quiet dinner for two would have been welcome on occasion, and Tim and I really enjoyed the time by ourselves at breakfast.
Most river cruises are quite short, and for me, a seven-day cruise is just not long enough. France’s Finest is actually two seven-day cruises connected by a train ride, and I was just settling in when we had to pack and move to the next ship. I would definitely look for one of the few longer cruises in the future, although there are several places I’d like to visit where that is not an option.
Although one big advantage of a river cruise is that the ship docks right in town, Tim and I did not take advantage of that benefit. We never walked into town in the evenings instead of dining on the ship, and we usually rested in the afternoons after touring in the morning. I did, however, enjoy the views of the cities from where we docked (unless we were tied up to another ship!), instead of looking at a large port.
 |
| France's Finest Was a Great Cruise |
No comments:
Post a Comment