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CroisiEurope

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Review of CroisiEurope

The CroisiEurope line brand ("Alsace Croisieres" until 1997) is a French river cruise company, which is family owned and run, and based in Strasbourg. The line specializes in river cruising and also Mediterranean coastal cruises. Mr. Gerard Schmitter founded CroisiEurope in 1976, chartering ms Alsace - his first riverboat - in 1982.

CroisiEurope is one of the leaders on the European river cruising market. The line's riverboats ply most of the of Europe's main waterways - both rivers and canals. CroisiEurope's ships also sail in Asia (Vietnam and Cambodia region). The company also charters boats that cruise on Volga River in Russia, on Irrawaddy River in Burma, and on Chobe and Zambezi rivers in South Africa.

CroisiEurope logo

Two of the line's ships are ocean-going and offer Mediterranean small ship cruise deals on coastal itineraries in southern Europe. Throughout the 1990s and the 1st decade of the 21st century, Croisi underwent rapid expansion and as its fleet grew, the line expanded operations outside the French borders. Gerard Schmitter handed management of the party over to his children in 1999.

CroisiEurope currently owns a fleet of prestige category boats cruising all of Europe’s rivers. The cruise experience on board their ships features:

  • Accommodations vary from 100 to 180 guests depending on the design of the ship. The facilities offer comfort, safety, and cutting-edge technology.
  • The fleet of is partially renovated each year and carefully maintained, being mostly made up of less than 5-year-old ships. All boats have Veritas certifications. The itinerary options are varied with many of the stops classified as World Heritage Sites.
  • French is the primary language spoken on board (although most of the staff also speak English and other European languages). The announcements are made in English and in French.
  • What distinguishes Croisi from other river lines are the moderately-priced fares. Like most European river cruise lines, CroisiEurope deals include soft drinks, beer and wine year-round with lunch and dinner and offers unlimited drinks during the high season April through October, including house spirits. However, the biggest difference is that the guests of the line have to pay extra for shore excursions, though many other lines include these within their fares.
  • Cruise cabins sizes are comparable to other European river ships, though the decor is more functional than deluxe.
  • In addition to the main dining room, onboard public spaces include indoor lounge spaces for relaxing. The lounge bar is the main spot for evening entertainment, ranging from traditional regional programmes and music from resident musician to crew shows. The reception area or mezzanine features a small shop. A number of deck chairs for use on sunny days are found on the outdoor-carpeted top deck.

In 2006, CroisiEurope celebrated the company's 30th birthday, and in 2007 opened CroisiMer, a subsidiary company, to manage La Belle de l'Adriatique - its one ocean-going cruise ship. In 2010 Croisi created CroisiYacht brand to manage chartered sailings on Russia's Volga River. In 2014, CroisiEurope bought "Compagnie Fluviale du Mékong" (Mekong River Cruise Company), adding 4 ships on Mekong River.

Fleet expansion (new ships)

In March 2016, CroisiEurope announced the addition of 4 new riverboats to its fleet in 2017. The ships' regions of operation are the rivers Mekong, Douro, Rhine, and Danube. The new ships are in addition to riverboats inaugurated in spring 2016:

  • the 80-passenger paddlewheel Elbe Princesse, designed to navigate on the complicated Elbe River
  • and two 22-passenger hotel barges - Daniele (Burgundy rivers) and Deborah (Briare Canal in Upper Loire Valley).

The new Douro river cruise ships - Miguel Torga (2016) and Amalia Rodrigues (2019) -  are the company's 5th and 6th boats in Portugal. Each of them carries 132 passengers and features 3 decks and a sundeck swimming pool. The itineraries (roundtrip from Oporto) stop in Vega de Terron, Ferradosa, Pinhao and Regua.

Indochine 2, announced in 2015, started cruising on Mekong River also in 2017. The vessel carries 60 passengers in cabins with private balconies. This is the fifth CroisiEurope ship on the Mekong.

For Rhine and Danube, the company built two new ships:

  • Symphonie 2 (debuted in April 2017) accommodates 106 guests in 54 cabins
  • Douce France 2 debuted in June 2017, featuring 68 rooms for 135 passengers.

CroisiEurope France river cruises

In 2016, CroisiEurope expanded the company's "Cruise and Bike Program" on 3 European rivers, adding Loire River to Danube and Rhine.

  • Prices for 8-day Loire River cruise and biking tour start at USD 4,880 per person. These deals are on the Loire Princesse ship (launched in April 2015) and include professional guided cycling trips on a daily basis, plus all meals, unlimited beverages, and free Wi-Fi.
  • The "Cruise and Bike Program" is operated in groups averaging 8 passengers per tour (max 14 passengers), 1 group leader (for every 4 passengers) and cycling along Loire River. Included are stops for walking tours in all local towns (along the river) and also wine tasting (ashore).
  • The program also includes 8-day "Garonne Biking Cruise" (pricing per person from USD 4,490) and 8-day "Saone and Rhone Biking Cruise" (pricing PP from USD 4,790).
  • Early booking discounts (done by October 31) are 10% per person.
  • All cruise tours are price inclusive of all meals and complimentary unlimited drinks and onboard Wi-Fi.

Itinerary of CroisiEurope

CroisiEurope operates on Europe's major waterways. Among the line's specialties are the France river cruises, including on luxury hotel barge ships. The company owns and operates the following vessels:

Note: Mekong cruises (in Cambodia and Vietnam) are operated between August and April.

CroisiEurope is the only cruise company that offers 6-day Douro River cruisetour itineraries in Portugal. The voyages include towns that are usually not listed in other companies' itineraries, among which are Folgosa and Ferradosa, as well as Senhora da Hora and Leverinho (both in the Porto Metro City district).

"Petite Seine Cruise" (France hotel barge itinerary)

In 2018, CroisiEurope introduced a new cruise barge itinerary in France - a 6-night / 7day roundtrip from Paris along Petite-Seine River (Seine's tributary).

  • The new itinerary visits the capital city's outskirts (the neighboring Evry, Melun, St Mammes) and also offers to explore the magnificent Paris City itself. There is also excursions to the chateaus Vaux-le-Vicomte and Fontainebleau, town tour in the medieval Troyes and champagne wine tasting in Champagne.
  • "PetiteSeine Cruise" prices started from USD 3,175 pp. The fares are inclusive of all onboard meals (served on the hotel barge), all shore excursions, beverages (at the barge's bar), as well as port fees and travel insurance.
  • The 2018 departures were scheduled for October 6, 13, 20 and 27.
  • The itinerary is also available in 2019 (September and October).

Follows the list of ports of call along the new barge cruise itinerary from Paris.

  • (DAY 1) PARIS - 6 pm embarkation at Grenelle wharf, onboard dinner, Paris canal cruising, overnight at Bercy wharf.
  • (DAY 2) PARIS - EVRY - morning coach travel and foot tour of Paris City, visiting Place de la Republique, grand boulevards, Palais Garnier, Madeleine Church, Place Vendôme, Louvre museum. Walk tour leaves from Palais-Royal. Follows afternoon cruising to Evry, onboard dinner
  • (DAY 3) EVRY - MELUN - ST MAMMES - morning cruising towards Melun, afternoon tour of Fontainebleau Palace and gardens, Melun town tour, onboard dinner, overnight port stay
  • (DAY 4) ST MAMMES - Troyes / Champagne route - MELUN - coach travel to Troyes, local restaurant lunch, Champagne route scenic cruising, visiting a wine cellar (Champagne tasting), overnight in Melun
  • (DAY 5) MELUN - EVRY - PARIS - coach travel to Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte, afternoon cruising towards Paris (overnight Orsay wharf stay).
  • (DAY 6) PARIS CANAL ST MARTIN - morning cruising across Canal Saint-Martin, afternoon guided tour (Saint-Germain-des-Pres district), onboard gala dinner
  • (DAY 7) PARIS BASSIN DE LA VILETTE - onboard buffet breakfast, disembarkation at 9 am.

CroisiEurope cruise ship tracker

Our CroisiEurope cruise ship tracker is a function integrated into all CroisiEurope river cruise review pages. At page-bottom in each page, you'll find a map with the boat's current location (AIS position). All the real-time tracking data is provided by VesselFinder. It's all about convenience - you will find where is your CroisiEurope ship cruising today and now along its current itinerary! Enjoy the "luxury France" river cruising on your CroisiEurope vacations!

Note: You can see the CruiseMapper's list of all river cruise ships and riverboats in the "itinerary" section of our River Cruises hub. All river passenger shipping line companies and their fleets are listed there.

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