For this particular France river-cruise itinerary, we cruised on the MS River Royale southbound: Chalon to Arles (or Lyon to Marseille). Lyon is about an hour-and-forty-minute drive from Chalon, where the vessel is docked. It might be good to know after along journey to France to prepare for another long drive prior to boarding!

Chalon to Lyon to Tournon/Tain L’Hermitage

Chalon is in the heart of France’s Burgundy country. Here, the included tour was to Beaune, about a 45-minute bus ride from Chalon to visit the famous Hospices de Beaune, a charitable institution in the 15th century. The pretty village features cobblestone streets and tiled roofs with colorful bougainvillea lining the walls. Note: State-of-the-art Quietvox portable audio headset systems are used on all shore excursions, which meant we could hear our guides clearly.

The highlight in our first port of call, Lyon, was Bastille Day on July 14, which is France’s Independence Day. The River Royale was the only vessel given permission to dock upon arrival to Lyon around 10:30 pm near the famous Place Bellecour; located on the Peninsula between the Saône and Rhône rivers. This was the perfect spot to watch a firework display that went on for 45 minutes and was outstanding. What a way to start off the week!

The next morning was the included city tour of Lyon by bus. We drove to the best vantage point to see all of Lyon and its city from the Basilique Notre Dame de Fourvière; Lyon’s hallmark church. We stopped on the Croix-Rousse Hill for a dramatic view of the Beaujolais Mountains and Saone Rover. Afterwards; we had free time so we hit a local tavern and had a glass of Beaujolais -- or two!

Later this evening after midnight we set sail for our next port of call: Tournon/Tain L’Hermitage. The included walking tour was of Tournon with a visit to the Ferraton Cellars and in Tain L’Hermitage with wine-tasting. These two cities are twin cities: Tournon sits on the right bank of the Rhone River clustered around its massive castle, originally the main protection of the town and Tain L’Hermitage sits on the left bank of the Rhone River at the bottom of the Hermitage Hills.

In 1937, Hermitage was awarded a local A.O.C., which means “Appellation D’Origne Controlee” or “Controlled Term of Origin.” This is the French certification granted to certain wines (and cheeses and other products) that indicates a product has certain qualities or enjoys a reputation due to its origin. The red wine is made from the syrah grape along with a taste of violet and black currant. The white wine is made from the Roussanne and Marsanne grapes.

Viviers to Avignon to Arles

At our next port, Viviers, we had a guided city tour, followed by a picnic lunch at the former Bishop Palace. Note: There is no scheduled lunch on board during this day, however, the few people who did not disembark to Viviers, said they were contacted in their cabin in the morning and asked if they would like a light lunch served.

Since July is “festival month” in France, we enjoyed many local celebrations—with street performers and open-air markets—on this trip. Avignon was particularly lively. We went ashore after dinner with some other guests to walk through the streets packed with people and puppeteers, mimes and various food and sweets stands.

A guided city tour of Avignon was included in the morning and an optional tour to the Luberon villages after lunch. We visited the small village of Roussillon, about an hour’s drive from Avignon. It’s known for its unique golden-yellow, yellow-brown or red ochre used to color the facades of the buildings, giving the village a rich and inviting appearance. On the way back to the River Royale, we stopped at the Senanque Abbey in Gordes Provence to snap photos of the gorgeous lavender fields, in full flower and fragrance in the middle to end of July. Many oil painters aligned the narrow road leading up to the abbey to paint these lavender fields.

We had a very early morning wake up at 3:30 am as our transfer was heading to the Marseille airport at 4:30 am. It is about an hour’s drive from the dock to Marseille, at least at that hour in the morning going about 80 miles an hour!

MS River Royale: Dining, Public Space, Cabins

Dining
The excellence of the cuisine on board was such that I wasn’t once enticed to eat on land, even in Lyon, where the city is known as the gastronomical epicenter in France.

Breakfast and lunch were buffet style in the Cezanne Restaurant, while dinner was plated service. All of the meals were open seating. The Cezanne Restaurant is very appealing with blue, white and silver hues. The big windows on two sides of the restaurant are practically at waterline. Unlimited red and white wine is included with dinner (and unlimited bottled water is free in your cabin).

Public Rooms
The ship’s main public area, the Renoir Lounge has windows on three sides and decorated in bold reds and dark wood. Comfortable groups of sofas and chairs make this a very large living room! It is used for just about every type of on-board function.

Outside the dining room is the patio lounge; this is where the internet café is with fees of about $35 for two hours. The free drink station was a great feature. Opened 24 hours; serving several types of coffees, hot chocolate and ice water.

Off the patio lounge is a small shop of sundries, logo items and a variety of local specialties including Provencal fabrics, dried lavender and the renowned Valrohna Chocolates made in the village of Viviers. The chocolate representatives came on board and gave a chocolate tasting!

Cabins
I had a category 2, room 209, with large picture window. All cabins contain the same amenities: queen-sized bed, converted to two large doubles, two nightstands, two chairs and a cocktail table, a vanity/desk with stool, large hanging wardrobe and a smaller one with shelves with safety deposit box and fairly generous bathroom with shower. All cabins have flat panel TVs with two movie channels which change daily, phone, hair dryer. You’ll also find both 220v and 110v outlets in both the cabin and the bathroom.

The décor and the appointments of the cabins are first-rate, with wood floors, granite countertops and Egyptian cotton bedding.

MS River Royale: Entertainment, Spa & Fitness, Gratuities, Crew

Entertainment
For the most part, the ports and the scenery provide the entertainment in my opinion. Most evenings, the Renoir Lounge has some type of live entertainment, generally with local artists. I don’t think there were enough activities going on throughout the evening. The only times where there was something other than music was Monday, when they had a trivia contest mostly about France (I finished second and received a 24 Euro credit towards my cabins) and Tuesday evening was a “Liars’ Club” where the ship senior staff gave statements and you had to guess who was telling the truth. Those are the nightly activities, folks!

Spa & Fitness
All the way aft on deck 3 is the ship’s small fitness and spa center with hair salon. Three treadmills and two exercise bike face the large moon shaped area with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the ship’s wake. Flat panel TV’s are at eye-view on either corner of the room. There is also a two-person sauna; you have to notify the front desk if you want to use. Also, the ship has six bikes onboard for guests to use free of charge at any port of call.

There is an ample amount of deck space on deck 4, the sun deck. It has space within the sun, and thanks to huge white canvas canopies, in the shade as well. Note: The canopies are not in use when the ship is sailing as they would catch the wind and hold the ship back or break off. There are several umbrellas with chaise lounge or table/chairs, located forward on the sun deck, where you can sit in shade while ship is sailing. During our cruise the temperature was very hot but dry, and flirted with 100 degrees each day so shade was very important if you wanted to stay on the sun deck and watch the scenery.

Gratuities
The ship’s policy is simple: it suggests 10 euros (about $14) per person per day to be pooled among the ship’s crew and another 3 euros (about $4) per person per day for the cruise manager or cruise director. Pooled tips are placed in envelopes in a box set out at the purser’s desk the last night of the cruise. All tips are in cash and the US dollar is accepted for the tips.

Crew
The staff was outstanding, the best I have ever experienced. In fact, all of the other guests agreed -- the service on board was praised regularly. The stellar crew was definitely the "talk of the town"!