Luxury in the details on MS Emerald
River cruise in south of France includes all beverages, gratuities and excursions
Fall is my favourite time to river cruise, and particularly to river cruise through the south of France. The crowds have left, the weather is cooling, and as the leaves start to change, I swoop into Charles de Gaulle airport, intent on spending 10 days with Tauck (tauck.ca) as part of its fantastic Savoring France river cruise that travels from Paris to Lyon.
With an included two-night stay at the Intercontinental Paris Le Grand and a week on the Rhone river aboard the classy MS Emerald, Tauck offered us every conceivable way to discover the best of France. Imagine truffle hunting on a local farm near Viviers, or a
Beaujolais wine tasting at a rural vineyard. In Paris, we were invited to make macarons at the famed Le Cordon Bleu cooking school and enjoyed a private dinner at Fouquet’s (open since 1899) on the Champs-elysees.
In a nod to more active adventure, I participated in a 13-kilometre guided cycling tour around Avignon and its surrounding countryside. It’s a nice counterpart to the Palace of the Popes and the famous Pont du Gard aqueduct — both offered as tours by Tauck — but the choice of how to spend your day is yours.
The highlight of my Rhone river experience, however, was our private dinner at the Duchy of Uzes, a palatial castle in the town of Uzes near Avignon. Here, we had a welcome cocktail reception in the outdoor courtyard accompanied by a classical trio, a private tour of the grounds, and a sumptuous multi-course dinner — just for us. It’s the sort of experience that’s tough to come by, and exactly the type of thing that Tauck specializes in.
Built in 2006, Tauck reconfigured the MS Emerald a few years back, taking her from 118 guests down to just 98. River cruising is pretty spacious business, but 98 guests is a rarity in a world where most river cruise ships carry between 130 and 190 passengers. My Category 6 stateroom measured 225 square feet and included a French balcony, a fixed window, a ton of closet space and a spacious marble bathroom stocked with L’occitane toiletries. There is even a full deck of suites measuring 300 square feet aboard MS Emerald.
As you might expect, Tauck isn’t the least expensive river cruise out there. But that adage — “you get what you pay for” — is appropriate here. All beverages are included in the fare. All gratuities — for shipboard staff, guides and drivers — are covered. Every excursion is inclusive. The experience from airport to airport, even, is seamless. I’ve never met a river cruise I didn’t like, but Tauck distinguishes itself with little touches and unexpected wonders.
Service is exceptional. Tauck’s directors — dedicated guides who journey with the group from start to finish — are among the best in the industry. They work hard to please, and they make it look effortless. That kind of dedication continues aboard ship, where “no” is a word seldom heard. Problems — if there are any — are rectified immediately, with a smile.
Tauck’s Savoring France itinerary operates again next year aboard the MS Emerald from April until October. If you want to extend your time on the Rhone, Tauck has a new itinerary (French Escapade: Paris to the Riviera) aboard the MS Emerald that travels for 14 days from Paris
to Cannes. After four Tauck river cruises, I’ve learned it doesn’t matter so much where you go with the company. It’s how you get there — in Tauck’s own gracious style — that makes all the difference.
Happy river cruising.
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