I sailed on the first paddlewheel river cruise ship on the Seine – it was like traveling through a painting
Cruise editor Marc Shoffman was impressed by the unusual vessel on a trip through France’s capital
Aliver
It looked like a tight squeeze as my river cruise ship approached a low bridge on the Seine. We were warned to stay seated to avoid head injuries as we glided through, close enough to touch the stone above us.
On the other side, our reward for sitting still was a close-up view of the Eiffel Tower, lighting up the night sky.
I was sailing on CroisiEurope’s MS RE Waydelich, which the cruise company describes s the “first paddlewheel ship ever to travel on the Seine.” A paddle steamer named Daphne travelled on the river between Rouen and Paris in 1826, but its methods of propulsion were slightly different – and so CrosiEurope has the title.
At MS RE Waydelich’s rear, a paddlewheel propulsion system provides the power to push through all levels of water, including narrow locks.
Previously built in 2018 to sail on the unpredictable water levels of the Elbe and Vltava, the ship has been brought to France to fulfill rising demand for river cruises in the region.
It felt as if we were being rowed, rather than rocked, as the 30 paddles rotated, pushing us through the Seine.
The ship is named after Raymond Émile Waydelich, an artist from Alsace who was a close friend of CroisiEurope founder Gérard Schmitter.
Inside, the lounge bar is decorated with splashes of lime green and yellow, which continues in the 42 cabins, spread over two decks.
The cabins may be smaller than on other river cruise lines but I was impressed by the storage space and choice of plug sockets – something that is lacking on other vessels.
Plus, you can easily open your Juliette balcony onto a different part of the Seine each morning, gazing at the scenery as the ship navigates through the waterway.
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This isn’t the type of cruise where you sit in your cabin anyway. The days are for exploring in port or watching the scenery float by on the sun deck.
There was a talk each evening – accompanied by the cocktail du jour – which informed us of the daily itinerary. Afterwards, we all dined at the same time.
One thing that shocked me initially was the lack of snacks. There were plenty all-inclusive drinks, but my afternoon cookie was missing.
This was probably good for my waistline. Lunch and dinner consisted of three to four courses, ranging from delicious fish and pasta dishes – so within a few days there was no need for an afternoon biscuit fix.
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Breakfast was happily Gallic, with baskets of croissants and cheeses welcoming us each morning.
The small size of the ship, at just two decks, gives us an advantage against other vessels on the water. We could reach parts of the Seine that others couldn’t.
This included navigating under the many low bridges of the river for a Paris-by-night tour, where the railings and canopy on the sun deck are removed to help us glide under. I felt like a VIP as we floated by landmarks such as the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower and the Notre-Dame, without having to wrestle with land-based crowds.
Another benefit was that it could stop in the southerly, shallow parts of the Seine (something that other ships simply can’t do).
This gave us closer access to the picturesque cobbled streets of medieval Saint-Mammes and the village of Moret-Loing-et-Orvanne, which has long been an inspiration for Impressionist painters.
There was plenty of photo opportunities, and I imagine Raymond Waydelich would have loved to have painted from the ship’s perspective.
Plenty of passers-by were equally enamoured by the site of the paddlewheel ship, snapping their own photos. I don’t blame them – it was a remarkable sight.
How to do it
A six-day “Gems of the Seine” roundtrip from Paris start from £1,109per person and include meals, drinks and wifi.
