SUNSHINE1223

My sister will be turning 50 next year and we are planning a trip with our other sister to France in May 2005. The question is my sister would like to see Provence and South of France. Is it better to do a land tour or else take a cruise and see other cities?
Thank you in advance for your comments. I have become addicted to this site and most everyone is very friendly in their comments.

desertduds

We have done both cruise and land tour and I would say the thing to consider if you take the cruise is how far the daily bus tour is going and how long it will take.....We were on one cruise and when we got off the ship we were several hours getting to our destination round trip with several hours there, thus making about twelve hour days...if the land tour looks close along the shore line, it would be fine. Otherwise, I would go with a tour company.

Cruiser

Sunshine:
I would also suggest a land tour for your French sites. I was on a wonderful tour about 4 years ago that was strictly France! We started in Paris, then encircled the country and returned to Paris (even visited Nice, Cannes, and Monte Carlo) It was a fantastic trip with GLOBUS TOURS. I have done 12-14 tours with Globus and they have been great for every trip I have taken. Go to a local TA or visit the website and request a tour book.

Keep researching until you find the cites, the length, and the mode you prefer. It is a beautiful part of the world. Have a great trip whatever you decide!

Patty

You could look into a river cruise on the Rhone. The advantage would be that your accomodations travel with you and you don't have to pack/unpack.

SUNSHINE1223

Thank you for answering. My sister went yesterday to get a few cruise books for the meditteranean plus some barge cruises. It will be up to her what she will decide. I think she will go for the mediteranean since it will show us many other cities in Europe.
Thanks again for your help

ed

We have traveled on the river cruises and for your question I would suggest the Rhone cruise.

You get to see large amounts of Provence and, as has been said, you only have to unpack once.

There are excursions off the boat that are fun, and interesting and even the optional tours are not as expensive as the ocean cruises.

We traveled with Uniworld and Grand Circle. I have seen ads for Viking cruise lines for comparable trips.

Whatever enjoy your vacation..:-B

MMSF

Cruise is a sampler. You get to see many cities without the hassle of packing and unpacking. But as the time is limitted in any one city, you don't get to know any place in-depth, such as wondering around the city after dinner mingling with locals. Your impression of the place is removed. But it sure is an easy way to cover a lot of ground in a hurry. You don't get to try too many local food, either, because you are seldom there at dinner time. It's easy, though.

BudgetQueen

I have traveled all over Europe- land touring is the way to go.

goforfun

The river cruise on the Saone and Rhone rivers with Peter Deilmann is outstanding. (Other companies offer a similar itinerary, but I don't think any can compare in quality to Deilmann.) The cruise and excursions began in Lyon--a lovely city--and went up the Saone River as far as Dijon. We went south on the Rhone River as far as Arles, venturing on excursion through the Camargue to the Mediterranean. We visited the wine regions of Burgundy, Macon and Beaujolais, as well as the colorful towns in Provence, not to mention the historic sites of Arles and Avignon.

We took a second river cruise with Deilmann Cruises very recently and can report that they consistently deliver a top quality experience.
Recommend!

MMSF

Ship and the cruise itself is the vacation with interesting cities/places thrown in to make it interesting. Cruise and land tours are two entirely different kind of vacation with different objectives. You need to decide if you want to get to know the place, or want to have an easy relaxing passive experience.

SUNSHINE1223

Thanks again for your responses. My 2 other sisters and I have all traveled to Las Vegas for our 40th Birthdays. This time my older sister wants Paris/France or Paris/Cruise for her 50th. We have only visited Paris and London so far. My other sister has never been there so we think the cruise will be best for first time. We know that we won't be able to do much except get a flavoring for each city. It will help us when we want to go back. We read up alot on all our trips so we will have enough info to write our own books.

petlover

With 3 of you traveling together, I think the cruise or riverboat idea would be the easiest way to go. It will take all the travel planning (transportation from city to city, hotel reservations) out of the mix and will probably be much more relaxing for all 3 of you. Also, it will be nice having your meals paid for so you won't have any chix to divy up as you would at land restaurants. (you may want to even consider one of the "all inclusive" cruiselines where even tips, liquor and beverages are included in the fare). Sounds like a great time together!

SUNSHINE1223

Yes Petlover. I posted another question. We are booking RCC Splendour of the Seas. There are now 4 of us going. My brother in laws sister will be joining us. I have a great time with my sisters. We usually all go away at Christmas on a cruise with my sister and her family. We will be on RCC the week of Christmas on Adventure of the Seas. This will be our 3rd cruise at Christmas.