MS Raymonde: the only one of the six barges sailing in Belgium
The MS Raymonde sails the Belgian canals between Ghent and Bruges, in Flanders. CroisiEurope's other 5 hotel barges stay in France: Provence, Burgundy, Champagne, Alsace and Lorraine. That is the only difference that really counts when comparing the 6, because on paper they are identical.
She was built in 2014, is 38.50 metres long and 5.07 metres wide, and carries 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.
Ghent and Bruges from the water, which changes everything
Bruges and Ghent were built around their canals. The facades of the guild houses face the water, not the street: that is the side they were designed to be seen from. A visitor arriving by train discovers the back of the buildings and rarely notices. A barge coming up the canal puts you exactly where the architect imagined the eye would be.
The two cities are less than 50 kilometres apart, which makes for a dense itinerary: short sailing, long calls, and you do not spend your days watching fields go by. It is the opposite of the Rhine or the Danube, where distance is part of the programme.
A non-stop flight, and why it is decisive
Brussels is served non-stop from Montreal-Trudeau, and Ghent is under an hour from the airport by train. That is the shortest approach of the fleet's 6 barges, alongside Champagne. At the other end, the Alsace barges need an air connection plus a ground transfer, a full day. On a one-week trip that gap matters, and it appears in no brochure.
Two decks, a jacuzzi, no lift
The restaurant, lounge-bar and jacuzzi are on the upper deck; the sun deck above is laid out with loungers. There is no lift. There is also no pool, no gym, no second restaurant and no evening show. With 22 passengers, the evening happens at the table. We would rather write that down than let the brochure suggest otherwise.
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 share those dimensions to the centimetre and came out between 2013 and 2016. On this one, the 2 cities on the itinerary are less than 50 kilometres apart, and Brussels airport is under 60 minutes from Ghent by train.
The season, and the Flemish Christmas markets
The Belgian canal season runs from spring to autumn, and CroisiEurope adds year-end departures between Ghent and Bruges, port to port. The Flemish Christmas markets are less well known than those in Alsace, which in December translates into fewer people on the squares.
What is included and what is not
The barge formula covers full board, drinks with meals and at the bar, and the excursions in the programme. Gratuities are not included. Travel insurance never is. We give you the line-by-line detail, with the scope of Quebec's FICAV fund, before you sign.
Who she suits
Travellers who want two cities rather than a landscape, lovers of architecture, and anyone unwilling to lose a day to travel. If you prefer countryside to cities, the MS Danièle in Burgundy and the MS Anne-Marie in Provence answer better. For Alsace, look at the MS Jeanine. The full fleet is on our CroisiEurope cruises page.
