Ten metres shorter, and Paris in exchange
S.S. Joie de Vivre measures 125 metres instead of the usual 135. That is not
a saving, it is a decision. A shorter hull berths in the heart of Paris rather
than on the outskirts, and the difference is counted in travel minutes every
morning and every evening. Across a week's cruise, that adds up to several hours
handed back to the traveller.
The cost, if you want to call it that, shows in the cabin count: 128 guests
rather than 150. The ship is smaller because it has to be.
The hull
One hundred and twenty-five metres, 128 guests, 59 crew. Out of the De Hoop
yard in 2017, named by the actress Joan Collins. The fitness club holds a heated
pool fitted with a counter-current system, which lets you swim on the spot in a
river ship's basin. On deck, a life-size draughts board.
The public rooms carry the names of Parisian districts and figures. The
bistro has windows that drop, which turns a summer meal into a terrace on the
Seine.
The Seine, and the rest
Itineraries run down to Rouen, Les Andelys and Honfleur, with the Normandy
landing beaches as an excursion. The river is calm, the locks are few, and much
of the sailing happens by day, which makes the upper deck useful.
Elsewhere in France, S.S. Bon Voyage holds the Garonne and the Dordogne, S.S. Catherine the Rhone and
the Saone. On the Rhine, look at S.S. Victoria, and for an Italian cruise, S.S. La Venezia.
What the package covers
Shipboard gratuities are included. That is unusual, and it changes the end of
the cruise, which is normally spent working out envelopes. Meals are included,
along with a selection of wines, beers and spirits served through the day.
Scheduled excursions are included, as are the transfers written into your
file.
Wi-Fi is offered aboard as a courtesy, with no guaranteed speed. In locks, in
tunnels and along remote banks the connection drops. Treat it as a convenience
rather than a working tool.
You still pay for airfare, visas, travel insurance, laundry, spa treatments,
communications and optional excursions.
Reduced mobility, the plain answer
Uniworld commits to reasonable efforts and does not guarantee full
accessibility. The line supplies no mobility equipment, and a traveller who
needs help must be accompanied by someone able to give it. The gangway tilts
with the water level. Old towns are walked on cobblestones. Ask about the lift
arrangement on your specific ship before booking, because the answer changes
from hull to hull.
Booking from Quebec
You leave from Montreal, which adds a day at each end of the trip. The
transatlantic flight departs in the evening and lands in Europe the next
morning, six hours out of step with your body. Most travellers arrive the day
before embarkation and sleep a night on the ground. That night is the
difference between boarding rested and spending day one fighting sleep.
Voyages AquaTerra holds a licence from Quebec's Office de la protection du
consommateur. The money you pay moves through the trust account required by
law, and your trip is covered by the Compensation Fund for Customers of Travel
Agents. Your advisor gives you the documents that establish this protection.
