Our ultimate goal was to see the beaches at Normandy, and since we had such a great experience on a Viking Ocean cruise, we decided to try Viking's River Cruise from Paris to Normandy. The embarkation and disembarcation were done very smooth, as we have come to expect from Viking. We were not prepared for the enormou size of the Charles DeGalle Airport.

Since this was a river boat and not an ocean liner, we knew the cabin would be small, but not that small! Only one of us could pass at a time in the narrow space between the end of the bed and the dressers. However the bathroom was certainly up to Viking's high standard, including the heated floor. I love a balcony, but having a cabin on the 2nd deck put our window even or just below the port sidewalk. I felt I was on display. My bigget disappointment was that since we did nearly all of our cruising at night, there was really very little time to sit on the balcony and watch the scenery go by.

All of our meals were up to Viking's high standards and the menus always included fresh ingredients and used many French recipes. I did miss the opportunity of dining at alternative resaturants like those on Viking ocean ships. The service staff, from our wonderful stateroom attendant to the front desk and the waiting staff were all superb. Read more