April 29, 2008

Europe | France | Paris

Jewel of the Seine

By Karena Akhavein

Go château-hopping on the world's first "boutique-luxury" cruise.

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Among the current trends in cruising are ever-bulging vessels (3,634-passenger ships, Royal Caribbean?), and the obsessive quest to compel (hello rock-climbing, bowling alleys, ice-skating). So it’s comforting to know there’s an alternative: New outfit Jewel River Cruises have just unveiled details of what they’re somehow trying to toute as the world’s first “boutique-luxury” cruise. Set to sail this August, the all-suite MS Jewel Imperial Blue hosts only 80 guests, and a quite civilized 2:1 guest-to-crew ratio. Launched by former Silversea honcho Albert Peter, the line debuts a 10-day experience along the Seine from Paris to Rouen, passing through Versailles, Giverny and all the de rigueur villages and chateaux along the way.

Jewel River Cruises’ R&R philosophy is rooted in anything but endless entertainment and activities. Think cigar lounge, wine bar and a menu of on-land “lifestyle experiences” — including private tours of the Louvre and the Opera Bastille, private cooking classes with a Michelin three-star chef, and helicopter rides over vineyards in the Champagne region. On board, you can expect open seating in multiple restaurants plus a full-service spa (the first in river cruising). Oh, and cabin fever seems unlikely: from 215 to 473 square-feet, the MS Jewel Imperial Blue has some of the largest rooms anywhere on water.