Heavens, Don't be intimidated... give it a try! Unfortunately I have no other language skills than English myself, but have never found this to be a problem in visiting Europe (Amsterdam, Paris, Venice, Geneva are my experiences).

My best advice is to keep things very simple. For example, fly to Paris and stay there for 10 days. Taking the train for some day trips maybe. Or Paris and Venice make a nice combination that is not hard to figure out. I have only been to Paris once but did not experience anything negative, not even close.

See, I hear both sides. Horrible, horrible, and loved it, loved it. Ugh. Just not sure what to do...but you guys are helping out quite a bit. Thanks again.

Well... I would find a way to do both... cheaper cabins on the cruise, perhaps? Cheaper hotels and restaurants in Europe?

What the heck, I would load my credit card, pay off later, won't take a vacation for 2 years after that, but I'd find a way to do both.

I would venture a guess that the vast majority of people who (in recent years) have claimed rude treatment by Parisians to Americans fall into 1 of 2 categories:

1) They don't understand that French customs are different from American, so they perceive as rude what the French perceive as courteous - such as French waiters not stopping by your table frequently and asking cheerily how you're doing, people not smiling and saying hello on the street, etc.

2) They're doing something wrong to offend in the first place. Some people (of all nationalities) feel they own the world, and they can do whatever they want and expect people to thank them just for being them. Others simply don't know - they walk into a small shop, don't say hello, start manhandling the merchandise (because they can at home), and then get peeved when the salesclerk isn't particularly friendly. Or, they walk up to a stranger on the street and ask in loud english where to find something instead of simply starting with "parlez-vous anglais" and then get peeved when that person simply says they don't speak english and walks away.

If you want to have a good time in Paris, learn to say "hello", "please", "thank you" and "do you speak english" in french, and recognize that a lack of overt friendliness is not the same as rudeness. No promises that you won't meet a rude person, but you won't generally have problems this way. And you might just meet a rude person on an Alaskan cruise too. ;)

But, as I said, you sound like you'd really rather take the cruise but are feeling guilty. You don't have to want to vacation in Europe just because so many people do - go with what you really want. :)

I WANT BOTH! Waaaahhhh! But life is about choices. Europe intruiges me and there are so many places I haven't seen. We haven't seen. I agree with DH, we are almost there, let's go further. So, will look into that. About the cruise, well...have to put down deposit first of Jan. so will have to figure that out soon. Thanks all for your help.

jlm-mi, I agree with what you say. My neighbor went on a cruise in Europe last summer and told me they had a horrible experience on the French airline and at the Paris airport and we have never had time to discuss. They are the nicest people in the world, so will find out what the story is.

Secretly, I want to go to Paris, I think...but am afraid to admit that I am intimidated by it, ME, the world traveler. So, maybe need to get past that, yes? Could be quite an adventure. Will have to look into it.

Heavens, I totally understand your concerns. My husband and I have traveled quite a bit around Europe but just made our first trip to Paris in November. We were both hesitant because we've heard the same things, but we fell in love with the city. Its beautiful and there is so much to see and do. And nobody was rude, I promise!

If you are nervous, perhaps you can do what we did; we just went for three nights. Plan an itinerary that includes just a few days in Paris and the rest of your trip elsewhere. Then if you like it you can plan on going back. If you don't like it, three days will go by fast.

Good luck with whatever you decide!
Tracy

I think everyone should go to Paris once ;)!