MS Madeleine: 22 passengers on the Alsatian and Lorraine canals
The MS Madeleine was built in 2014. She is 38.50 metres long and 5.07 metres wide, carrying 22 passengers in 11 cabins across 2 decks with 6 crew. CroisiEurope rates her at 5 anchors. Cabins start at 8 square metres, and an accessible cabin for passengers with reduced mobility, at 11 square metres, is provided on board.
She shares her region with the MS Jeanine, and the question our clients ask most often is which to choose. The answer comes down to 2 dates: the Jeanine came out in 2013 and was refurbished in 2017, the Madeleine came out in 2014 and has not yet had a refit. A hull one year newer on one side, a fit-out redone 9 years ago on the other. There is no universally right answer, only yours, and an advisor puts the 2 deck plans side by side for you.
What you see from an Alsatian canal
The canals of Alsace and Lorraine are nothing like the Rhine. The barge sails three metres from the bank, between lines of trees and half-timbered villages, and works locks one at a time, often within earshot of the lock keeper. The landscape does not pass by: it surrounds you. It is the exact opposite of a 110-metre ship in mid-river.
A barge moves at the pace of an unhurried cyclist. On most itineraries, passengers step off to walk or ride the towpath and rejoin one or two locks further on. No other cruise format allows that, and it is why people who would never have considered a cruise book a barge.
The figures, so you can compare the 6 barges: 38.50 metres long, 5.07 metres wide, 22 passengers, 11 cabins, 6 crew, 2 decks, 5 anchors, built in 2014. All 6 came out between 2013 and 2016 and share those dimensions to the centimetre. Only one, the MS Jeanine, has had a refit, in 2017.
The season, and the Alsatian winter
The canal season runs from spring to autumn, and CroisiEurope then programmes Christmas market departures in Alsace. The barge ties up in the town centre: you walk down the gangway and you are in the market, with no car park and no shuttle. On that specific point, the format beats a hotel.
Getting there from Montreal
Strasbourg has no non-stop service from Montreal-Trudeau. A connection is required, usually through Paris or Frankfurt, followed by a ground transfer. Allow a full day outbound. It is the longest journey of the fleet's 6 barges: Burgundy, Champagne and Belgian Flanders are all reached after a single flight. We place arrival the day before embarkation, without exception.
What is included and what is not
Full board, drinks with meals and at the bar, excursions in the programme: that is the CroisiEurope barge formula, more generous than the river ships on the excursion line. Gratuities are not included, and neither is travel insurance. We itemise every line and explain what Quebec's FICAV fund covers before anything is signed.
Who she suits
Travellers who want Alsace for its own sake and accept the travel time, walkers, small groups, winter travellers. If the region does not hold you, the MS Raymonde offers Belgian Flanders with a non-stop flight to Brussels, and the MS Anne-Marie offers Provence. The full fleet is on our CroisiEurope cruises page.
