Next year, Scenic Tours is poised to continue its debut in France with the brand-new Scenic Gem – and the itinerary she will sail will feature one unique element.
The latest vessel to join the line’s highly successful fleet of “Space Ships,” Scenic Gem is going to be smaller than her fleetmates, with a capacity of just 126 guests. Essentially a slightly scaled-down “Space Ship,” Scenic Gem’s smaller size will allow her to take guests along the River Seine, where she will do something few, if any, other river cruise ships can: Come alongside in the commune of Honfleur, France.
Located near the end of the Seine, Scenic Gem will sail under Pont de Brotonne, the oldest bridge of its kind in the world, as well as the Pont de Tancarville suspension bridge that stretches nearly 1.5 kilometers across the Seine.
Once in Honfleur, Scenic’s guests will be able to enjoy two days docked in this beautiful French port of call. Here, they can choose between a walking tour of Honfleur or discover the rural beauty of Normandy’s Cider Route with a visit to Domaine Saint-Hippolyte. There is also the option to enjoy a self-guided bicycle from Honfleur to the nearby English Channel.
The following day, guests will be able to take a full-day tour to the historic beaches of Normandy where the D-Day landings took place, or visit the playground of the rich and famous in Deauville, France, which includes a tasting of the region’s renowned Calvados. Since the ship is docked in Honfleur all day, guests are also able to stroll this attractive city at night.
Despite its smaller size, the Scenic Gem will maintain the same generous passenger-to-space ratio found aboard the line’s larger “Space Ship” vessels; a feat that is achieved by carrying slightly fewer guests than her larger fleetmates.
Scenic Gem will launch in 2014 and will begin operating Scenic’s new 11-day Gems of the Seine itinerary that departs roundtrip from Paris, with calls on Les Andelys, Rouen, Honfleur, Caudebec-en-Caux, Vernon and Conflans.
More information on Scenic Tours, its fleet and destinations, can be found by viewing our complete Scenic Tours overview here on River Cruise Advisor.
We just returned from the Seine River Cruise aboard the Scenic Gem. Although they advertise that this new ship can dock in Honfleur, they have not received permission from the French government to dock there. We had to dock in Le Harve and were taken by bus to our various excursions. It was very disappointing. I believe they should refrain from using this as a selling point until they get permission to actually dock there.
I was on CroisiEurope, and we did dock in Honfleur, so I can imagine your disappointment. I hope this will link to the article that shows us there: http://www.avidcruiser.com/2014/06/26/croisieuropes-botticelli-brings-us-into-the-heart-of-postcard-perfect-honfleur/
We also cruised into the heart of Paris, under the bridges and past Notre Dame. That was special too. —
Best regards, Ralph
Was just about to book this cruise but luckily found your review re not docking at Honfleur. Still not resolved & agree Scenic should not advertise this until they have approval ! Their customer service was not aware of this until it was brought to their attention……………………cheers