MS Renoir: the exact twin of the MS Van Gogh, on a different river
The MS Renoir is 110 m long by 11.10 m wide, has 2 decks and carries 105 passengers with 26 crew. Built in 1999, refurbished in 2018, rated 5 anchors. She sails the Seine from Paris.
Two identical boats that never meet
The MS Van Gogh is 110 m by 11.10 m, carries 105 passengers, dates from 1999, was refurbished in 2018 and is rated 5 anchors. So is the Renoir, to within one crew member. They are the same boat twice over, working different rivers: the Van Gogh the Rhône, the Renoir the Seine. A guest who liked one can book the other sight unseen, and that is the kind of thing no brochure tells you, because a brochure sells an itinerary rather than a hull.
Where she sits among the Seine boats
CroisiEurope runs four boats on the Seine, and the Renoir is the second quietest:
- MS R.E. Waydelich L.J.: 81 passengers on 101.4 m
- MS Renoir: 105 passengers on 110 m
- MS Seine Princess: 136 passengers on 110 m
- MS Botticelli: 145 passengers on 110 m
Forty passengers separate the Renoir from the Botticelli on hulls of identical length. That is the difference between finding a lounger at Honfleur and waiting your turn.
French balconies on the upper deck
Upper deck cabins have large picture windows with a French balcony; main deck cabins have large fixed windows. The wording matters: a French balcony is a window opening onto a railing, not a space for two chairs. You breathe there, you do not have lunch there. On the Seine, where much of the cruising happens in daylight, a window that opens is worth more than it is elsewhere.
Two decks, so no lift
CroisiEurope fits lifts only to its three-deck boats. The Renoir has two, so she has none. The restaurant, the lounge bar with dance floor and the sun deck are all upstairs. A main deck guest will use the stairs several times a day.
Where she sails in 2026
Four programmes from Paris. The Seine valley: art, history and nature in 8 days via La Roche-Guyon, Honfleur, Rouen and Les Andelys, on 31 August and 1 September. The finest ports of the Seine valley in 6 days, on 26 August and 5 September. Essential ports of call in 5 days via Poissy, Mantes-la-Jolie, Honfleur and Rouen, on 28 August and 7 September. And a Christmas in the Seine valley in 5 days, on 23 December.
Paris is a non-stop flight from Montreal-Trudeau, on the busiest transatlantic route out of Quebec. No domestic transfer.
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 Normandy programme where the visits are the content, price the excursions before you leave.
Who this boat is not for
Anyone who cannot manage stairs. Anyone who thinks an upper deck cabin buys a real balcony. Anyone who wants cabin size confirmed before paying, since it is not published. And anyone looking for a pool, a spa or a gym, none of which are on board. Our CroisiEurope page gathers the whole fleet.
