Riverboat Cruising via St Pancras ?

[Manoverboard]

Sounds a bit odd I know but we hope to be joining a Riverboat Cruise on the Seine via Paris courtesy of the Eurostar Rail Service from St Pancras.

So ...

Does anybody have any experience of travelling on the Eurostar ?

What are the procedures, do they handle you and your luggage in the same way as Cruise Terminals and Airports ... etc.

All info would be appreciated.

[Dancing Queen]

I don't but I know a lady who does, she went via Eurostar last week ( don't think she is back yet though ) so if you don't get any first hand information I'm sure she'll be able to tell you shortly.

[qbman1]

I was wondering how they got the boat into St Pancras but all is clear now !!

Seriously, though, we are thinking about a river cruise and I will be interested to hear more about this

[Manoverboard]

I don't but I know a lady who does, she went via Eurostar last week ( don't think she is back yet though ) so if you don't get any first hand information I'm sure she'll be able to tell you shortly.

Cosmic, I will look forward to that ... and any other info as well of course.

I was wondering how they got the boat into St Pancras but all is clear now !!

Seriously, though, we are thinking about a river cruise and I will be interested to hear more about this

A lot of people are getting increasingly interested in these Cruises, as demonstrated by the number they are building.

The standard they offer is high and we think it makes a nice change to float through the countryside rather than bobbing about in an Ocean someplace. Room for both options but a change is as good as a rest.

[Boris+]

I was chatting to the lady in question who is afloat at the moment, and she did say that if possible a stateroom on the upper level was better than one on the lower level.

I'd really like to have a go at this - and especially if we could go by train from London, because I have always wanted to have a go on the Chunnel.

2015 perhaps? We'll see, but it is going to be very interesting to see how the she got on with her river cruise.

Hope she's having a really good time.

Em

[paultheeagle]

David

I ain't been thought he 'tube' myself but I have friends who use it quite a lot...They like places like Lille and Paris...but that is their problem...

Anyway they like it...They have never had any problems and it has always worked smooth for them...The booking in bit and going through customs is a bit like getting on a plane, except you ain't got the crowds and queues....Mind, having said that they go via Ebbsfleet not St. Pancreas.

Did you know that you can join a River Cruise by coach, direct from a local pick up point...That's how I did it as I don't want to use the tunnel and it's easy peezy...very relaxing,...very efficient....and surprisingly quick.

[Manoverboard]

... the upper level was better than one on the lower level ...

Indeed so Em, that is clearly reflected in the prices of the cabins.

David ... The booking in bit and going through customs is a bit like getting on a plane, except you ain't got the crowds and queues ...

So you check in and they stow the cases away securely some place and at the other end you have to collect it/them from the carrousel ?

ps ... who's David ?

[paultheeagle]

Sorry MoB

I am watching the cricket on me Sky at the moment and David Gower is talking and I'm half listening to him...I must learn how to multi task properly.....

No...I don't think they take your luggage off of you and stow it away like when you fly...but from what I understand the security checks and passport bit is the same...i will ring and ask them if you want.

Sorry....I ain't much help am I.

[Andrea S]

The only people that I know have done them it was coach pick up and ferry.

If you have chosen the UK part yourself that could make a difference.
I would have (probably wrongly) presumed there was a meet and greet as in fly / coach tours.

River tours are being advertised so much recently that it is giving people a nice alternative to ocean cruising.

As with all reports it will be interesting to hear different opinions.

[Mrs Pugwash]

We did Disney two weeks ago on euro star. Handled all our luggage ourselfs. Train is nothing special, just like aeroplane seats, in rows with pull down trays. Only a small place to place you luggage in train, go threw customs just the same, every thing is scaned . At the time all the staff seamed very unhappy and unhelpful . Hope you get a service from the cruise company as I wouldn't really be bothered about using it again.

[Meg 50]

I don't but I know a lady who does, she went via Eurostar last week ( don't think she is back yet though ) so if you don't get any first hand information I'm sure she'll be able to tell you shortly.

Back now!

we did Eurostar last week - booked St Pancreas* to Lyon return...

We collected our tickets at St Pancreas* - a totally painless experience - even though we had 4 journeys worth.....
you check in a minimum of 30 mins before departure . All the usual security stuff - xrays, belt removal etc etc.

Once in the terminal there are the usual shops and comfy seating (I'll add piccies to the gallery once I've finished typing this).

when the train is ready you go up the travelator to the platform. You are in charge of your own luggage throughout - so if it's heavy, consider packing in smaller cases. I assume there's trolleys - but I didn't need any so didn't look.


we booked seats with a table and regretted it - less legroom unless you know the peeps opposite!


On the way to Lyon we had to change train and stations in Paris - the Eurostar booking adds in timings to make it work and it did - perfectly!

on the way back we changed at Lille - just a platform change - but Lille Europe stn is a dump - we'd prefer the slightly more complicated Paris route another rime




*sp intentional throughout!

[Meg 50]

David ... The booking in bit and going through customs is a bit like getting on a plane, except you ain't got the crowds and queues ...

So you check in and they stow the cases away securely some place and at the other end you have to collect it/them from the carrousel ?

nope - no carousel - you keep it with you

[Meg 50]

I was chatting to the lady in question who is afloat at the moment, and she did say that if possible a stateroom on the upper level was better than one on the lower level.



Em

first river cruise we had a water level cabin.
... never again...

This time we had the next level up - much better

[Meg 50]

http://www.cruise-community.me.uk/galle ... lbum_id=85

[Manoverboard]

... Back now! - booked St Pancreas* to Lyon return...

Indeed you are, many thanks that is exactly what I wanted to know.

[arrbee]

We've cruised from Venice, Rome and Barcelona and as I don't fly, went by train from Yorkshire, where we used to live, to Kings Cross, then across the road to St Pancras for the Eurostar. In Paris, we usually had to cross the city to pick up an overnight train onwards. We are therefore well used to travelling by train to join our cruise, although not of course a river cruise.
I'm afraid you're completely responsible for your own luggage on Eurostar. We have, however, taken as many as 4 large cases but there is not a great deal of space to store it on Eurostar, so we try to position ourselves near the barriers and look down through the large windows onto the train, trying to work out where exactly our carriage is positioned. We're usually waiting so as soon as the train is announced and the barrier is open, we're there waiting to go through!! Once the train moves off, we tend to wander along to the buffet which is pretty pricey but you feel less cramped than in the airline style seats. Overall, it's a good, fast way to travel and we love emerging from the tunnel and speeding through the French countryside. We're spending a few days in Provence and the Eurostar goes straight down to Avignon from St Pancras and that's amazing and I can thoroughly recommend it

[Meg 50]

just to clarify - Eurostar goes to Avignon on Saturdays only

[Manoverboard]

In our case, sorry about that , we are planning on only going as far as Paris on the Eurostar.

But .... four large cases, WOW

We have travelled previously on the TGV from Poitier to Paris but our luggage on that occasion was taken care of by the coach tour operator, we didn't see it or even think about it ... hence my question in the OP.

[Meg 50]

I suppose if you booked with someone like Titan they might include porterage..... but I think they only do flights

[Manoverboard]

I suppose if you booked with someone like Titan they might include porterage..... but I think they only do flights

Titan ( Hi Tours ) are a company that we have used umpteen times in the past and you are right they generally do fly but since the change of ownership they seem to be more flexible, my appreciation is that they now offer rail transfers on some of their tours, riverboat or otherwise.

[lioness]

We would not do another river cruise. We went by coach to germany and joined the boat somewhere or other. Dinner was so early every night, once even 17.45 After dinner there was just a guy playing the keyboards. Deck was crowded during the day and I found the river part quite boring after a few days. We did some nice tours, but it's just nothing like a real cruise. then we had the constant problem of the water being too high, so we couldn't get under the bridges. Wouldn't do it again.

[Manoverboard]

Based on our first ever Sea Cruise we could also have said " never again " but we opted to give it one more go ... same applies to Riverboat cruising I would have thought.

Try a modern more upmarket Riverboat later in the year and the experience will be entirely different to an ageing chugger boat doing her stuff in flooded waters .... albeit the price will be considerably higher than an inside cabin on P&O's Arcadia for example.