{"id":25963,"date":"2017-01-02T17:38:59","date_gmt":"2017-01-03T00:38:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/?p=25963"},"modified":"2017-02-05T08:20:41","modified_gmt":"2017-02-05T15:20:41","slug":"croisieurope-new-years-eve-cruise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/2017\/01\/croisieurope-new-years-eve-cruise\/","title":{"rendered":"The Only Two Americans On Board: CroisiEurope New Year’s Cruise In Provence"},"content":{"rendered":"
\nI spent the days after Christmas up until New Year’s Day in France. Part of my time was spent in Paris, where I visited\u00a0a friend before heading off to Lyon to spend time with another friend,\u00a0Lou Le Jacq, nearly three decades ahead of me at 87, an affable and energetic traveling companion who I had met a couple of years earlier on the Loire.<\/p>\n
Lou and I\u00a0are a mix of surrogate father and son combined with a dose of Laurel &\u00a0Hardy, the early-last-century comedy duo. Lou\u00a0contacted me this past fall and said he was wanting to spend the days after Christmas in France. He\u00a0spends most of his days caring for his dementia-ridden wife and needs periodic breaks to restore his energy. (Lou wrote me later say, “A jarring way of characterizing it. Rather, I reenergize my batteries so as to give quality care to a great lady and my wife for 65 years.”)<\/p>\n
Lou\u00a0made a successful career in publishing medical journals and has the means to cruise on any river cruise ship he wants, but partly because of\u00a0his French heritage, he\u00a0prefers Strasbourg-based CroisiEurope.\u00a0He told me that he appreciates the French flair along with the cuisine, which is, as might be expected, decidedly French. Over the years, I’ve come to appreciate CroisiEurope as well for the many\u00a0reasons that I have written about frequently on this site.<\/p>\n
Unlike many river cruise companies, the only buffet offered on CroisiEurope is at breakfast. Lunch and dinner are served as fixed, sit-down affairs, with typically three-to-four-course menus offering\u00a0French favorites. That said, don’t think you’re stuck with only one choice. Anyone cruising CroisiEurope should know that they can preview the menus the day before and order something else should they not like what’s being offered. Lou and I never strayed from the menu, on this trip or the last one. Plate after plate, they were all delicious.<\/p>\n
And why shouldn’t they be? CroisiEurope’s\u00a0chefs have worked alongside such Michelin-starred greats as Paul Bocuse and Marc Haeberlin. The company’s\u00a0head chef, Alain Bohn, was recently nominated as a member of the Ma\u00eetres Cuisiniers de France. This esteemed French association, created 50 years ago, includes only 250 chefs worldwide.<\/p>\n
So while you might not have the menu selection that you’ll find on other river cruisers, rest assured that you’re going to have something that approaches gourmet French cuisine along with the ability to order something not on the menu.<\/p>\n
The\u00a0cuisine\u00a0is complemented by\u00a0European wines (French on our trips),\u00a0which come as part of CroisiEurope’s all-inclusive beverage package. \u00a0That package means you can order cocktails, beer, wine, soft drinks and sparkling wine at no charge at any time during your cruise, not just during lunch and dinner<\/p>\n
As I’ve said before, CroisiEurope\u2019s all-inclusive cruises impress me with their French flair, inventive itineraries and innovative ships, including paddlewheelers that can operate on the Elbe and Loire. Just last week, the company announced a second paddlewheeler to operate on the Elbe. The paddlewheelers boast a draft of less than 3 feet, which makes it possible for CroisiEurope to be the only river cruise company that can reach the heart of Prague.<\/p>\n
CroisiEurope also serves up one of the best values in river cruising. But as I have written before, CroisiEurope is not for everyone. See my story: Is CroisiEurope Right For You?<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n I was curious to see how CroisiEurope performed on a cruise that wasn’t designated as an English-speaking only cruise. After leaving Gare du Lyon in Paris, I arrived two hours later in Lyon by TGV. Steps from the station, I hopped on a tram, and made my way to the Rh\u00f4ne river, where I wheeled my luggage for about five minutes to reach CroisiEurope’s Mistral.<\/p>\nHow Does CroisiEurope Handle English-Speakers When There Are Only Two?<\/h2>\n