ms Loire Princesse

The 2014-built MS Loire Princesse ship cruises on Loire River Loire Valley wine region in northwest France) departing from homeport Nantes (Brittany France) on roundtrip itineraries.

The CroisiEurope-owned vessel is powered by 2 side paddle wheels. The paddlewheel propulsion technology allows the boat to be the only large cruise ship able to navigate Loire River's shallow waters.

Loire Princesse only mimics the traditional "waterwheel" technology (developed for riverboats deployed on deep waterways in the USA) as the vessel can safely navigate in just 1 m (3 ft) of water. CroisiEurope's paddle-wheeler was specially designed for the Loire River (France's longest) whose depth greatly varies due to tides and weather.

Decks and Cabins

The riverboat has 3 decks and 48 passenger cabins (equally sized at 160 ft2 / 15 m2) in 3 grades, including 1x wheelchair-accessible cabin (for passengers with reduced mobility). Main Deck staterooms (18 double) are with Riverview windows (non-opening). All Upper Deck cabins (30 double, each with a private balcony) are with floor-ceiling windows (slide-opening) and step-out balconies (furnished with two deckchairs).

Standard amenities provided in each stateroom (regardless of the cabin category/deck location) include a double bed (Queen-size, convertible to two twins upon request), bedside cabinets, smart HDTV (satellite reception), radio, phone (only for internal calls), a small table with stool, a small wardrobe, electronic safe box (in the closet), an en-suite bathroom (wall-mounted toilet, mirrored single-sink vanity, shower cubicle, hairdryer, toiletries), individual air-conditioning.

Shipboard facilities

The ship's amenities and facilities include a lounge (with a dance floor and its own bar), a dining room (restaurant with patio terrace), sundeck relaxation area (with chaise loungers and deckchairs), gift shop, library, also complimentary bicycles and Wi-Fi Internet usage. The ship’s Loire River cruise itinerary is on France's longest river leaving from Nantes.

This river flows northbound from Nevers to Orleans, then westbound through Nantes, reaching the Atlantic Ocean at St Nazaire. The provided by CroisiEurope gourmet dining options on the ship, along with the organized tours with themed food and wine tasting events allow the Loire Princesse's guests to enjoy the local cuisine and French wines along the cruise itinerary routes.

CroisiEurope Loire River cruise itineraries

MS Loire Princesse cruises have durations of 6-days ("The Loire, a Royal legacy") and 8-days ("The Loire, a Royal river"). Both itineraries are with included overnight stays in all ports along the route.

Tours and excursions along the CroisiEurope's Loire itineraries include:

• Nantes (day 1) - embarkation at 6-7 pm, Welcome Cocktail, Dinner and Party on board; an optional excursion offers to cruise along Erdre river.
• Nantes (day 2) - optional guided city tour (included visits to the shopping areas around Graslin Theatre and Passage Pommeraye, also the Castle of the Dukes of Brittany), ship lunch, optional bus tour to Saint Nazaire (included visit to the St Nazaire shipbuilding yard), re-boarding the ship in St Nazaire for dinner
• St Nazaire (day 3) - morning departure, afternoon arrival in Ancenis; an optional wine-themed excursion offers bus travel along "Muscadet Wine Route" (wine production region), with included La Chapelle Heulin tour and a Loire chateau visit (vineyard, cellars, white wine tasting), visit the town of Clisson and returning to the ship for dinner.
• Ancenis (day 4) - morning departure (en-route to Bouchemaine) with an optional excursion to Angers (Anjou region's capital) and returning to the ship for dinner.
• Bouchemaine (day 5) - morning departure to Ancenis; a day-long "Castles of the Loire Valley" excursion offers bus travel to the Azay-le-Rideau castle (located in the middle of river Indre), then to Villandry (lunch, free-time exploration). Follows the afternoon travel to Rigny-Usse Castle and re-boarding the ship in Ancenis (Gala Dinner formal event), nightly cruising to Nantes.
• Nantes (day 6) - disembarkation at 10 am.

CroisiEurope Loire Princesse cruise prices are per person and based on double occupancy. These are only indicative CroisiEurope France cruise rates. They might be different when you book your CroisiEurope Loire river cruise deals, influenced by travel agency promotions, special offers, and discounts, group travel booking or last-minute deals rates.

Know, that CroisiEurope cruises in France are price-inclusive of all beverages (coffee, tea, juices, soda drinks, also wine and beer at lunches and dinners), but tours and excursions ashore are optional and cost extra.

The Loire Princesse ship cruises on Loire River in France. Departures are from Nantes, with round-trip itineraries.

The boat is labeled “Green Ship”, as she was designed with great respect for the environment. One of the fleet's newest members, this CroisiEurope riverboat was christened in Nantes France, on April 2, 2015, with 2 godmothers (the Mayor of Nantes and the Mayor of Sarrebrucken) and 1 godfather (the General Manager of STX France).

The CroisiEurope company is family-owned and based in Strasbourg France. Established in 1976, this premium line operates all aspects of its cruises: from the vessel building (design and construction) to cuisine and hotel services. CroisiEurope is among Europe's largest cruise line companies.

CroisiEurope river cruise deals are inclusive of soft drinks and alcohol (wine and beer with lunch and dinner (year-round). The line offers deals inclusive of unlimited drinks during Europe's high season (April through October) each year. However, unlike most river cruise lines, CroisiEurope charges its guests additionally for shore excursions.

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 companies and their fleets are listed there.