MS Cyrano de Bergerac: she boards in Bordeaux, and Bordeaux is a non-stop flight from Montreal
The MS Cyrano de Bergerac is 110 m long by 11.40 m wide, has 3 decks and 86 cabins, and carries 172 passengers with 34 crew. Built in 2013, rated 5 anchors: 13 years of hull and no published refit. She sails the Gironde, the Garonne and the Dordogne from Bordeaux, at 5.1 guests per crew member.
One of the few CroisiEurope programmes a traveller from Quebec reaches without a connection
Bordeaux is served non-stop from Montreal-Trudeau, at 26 flights a month. Only four CroisiEurope embarkation ports offer that: Paris for the Seine, Amsterdam for the Rhine, Lyon for the Rhône and Bordeaux for the Gironde. Anywhere else means a connection and a transit day each way. On a cruise of 2 to 5 days, those 2 days are half the trip.
Three decks, so a lift
CroisiEurope describes its three-deck boats as fitted with a lift giving access to the different levels, and writes nothing of the kind for two-deck boats. This one has three. The restaurant is on the intermediate deck, the lounge bar forward, and the sun deck carries the loungers.
Three waterways, three landscapes
The programme is short and dense: 2 to 5 days, against 6 to 8 on most of the rest of the fleet. The Gironde is the largest estuary in western Europe, and a 110 m boat looks small on it. The Garonne runs up towards Cadillac, the Dordogne towards Libourne and Saint-Émilion. The ports line up Blaye and its citadel, Pauillac in the heart of the Médoc, Libourne and Saint-Émilion. It is the only itinerary in the fleet where the vineyard is the subject rather than the scenery.
Choosing a cabin, and the warning that goes with it
The 86 cabins are spread over 3 decks, and the gap between them is the widest in the fleet. The upper deck has large picture windows with a French balcony. The intermediate deck has large windows. The main deck has portholes only. A guest who books category C expecting a window is disappointed on the first morning. Cabin size is not published for this boat, and we will not invent it.
Thirteen years with no published refit
Built in 2013, the boat shows no refit year on her official page. As with the MS Gérard Schmitter, built in 2012 on the same 3-deck, 172-passenger architecture, an absent date is not proof of wear, but it is said rather than hidden. Put the question to the operator before selling to a group.
What the fare includes and what it does not
Included: full board, drinks with meals and at the bar, Wi-Fi, port taxes and onboard entertainment. Not included: shore excursions, gratuities, the premium wine list and transfers. On a Bordeaux vineyard cruise, the premium wine list deserves a conversation before departure, because it is precisely the subject of the trip.
Who this boat is not for
Anyone after a small vessel, since she carries 172. Anyone booking category C hoping for a window. Anyone who wants a pool, a spa or a gym, none of which are on board. And anyone wanting a long cruise, since the programmes top out at 5 days. See also the MS Camargue on the Rhône and the MS Loire Princesse on the Loire, and our CroisiEurope page.
