2025 September ABD Seine River Cruise

Tuesday September 16th Carol booked us a red-eye overnight flight from Toronto to Paris, Air Canada Flight #872 scheduled for an 8:40 departure and supposedly landing at Charles DeGaulle at 10:10 a.m. on Wednesday. The first time we visited Paris we planned to see Notre Dame Cathedral but the tragic fire happened two weeks before we arrived. It reopened for visitors two weeks after our second trip to Paris . . . so we were hoping that our third trip would be more successful. We really wanted to tick this off our bucket list so Carol arranged a guided tour for 2:00 p.m. Wednesday. Naturally our Air Canada flight was delayed. They always are - Always! After an 85 minute wait, we taxied away from the gate at 10:05 p.m. We took off at 10:25 p.m. and landed in Paris at 11:15 a.m. We spent almost all the waiting time in the comfort of the Air Canada Lounge and once we boarded the plane we got comfy in our Business Class seats. Lots of leg room, lots of elbow room, and seats that fully recline into a bed. They even served hot and tasty meals. NICE!
The Air Canada Lounge	Business Class - plenty of room! We could stretch out and sleep!

Wednesday September 17th Our Seine River Cruise was booked through Adventures By Disney and their vacation packages include transportation to and from the airport. Our driver was waiting for us just past the baggage carousel in Paris and took us directly to the Paris Opera Hilton Hotel. Our room wasn't ready when we arrived at 1:45 so we left our luggage with Bell Services and called an Uber to take us to Notre Dame Cathedral. We were about 20 minutes late arriving so we missed our tour, but the 3:00 tour was soon going to start. The tour guide called his office and got the okay for us to join his group. Off we went at 3:00 on a walking tour around the exterior of the church. The guide pointed out features of the building and explained some of the history of the famous landmark as well as the recent rebuilding project. Then he gave us all ticket to enter the building and explore on our own. We spent a leisurely 90 minutes poking around the interior of the massive building!

There is still plenty of restoration work going on!



Gargoyles are intended to keep evil spirits out!



	The cathedral has three massive rose windows, each about 42 feet in diameter.
The north rose window was crafted in the middle of the 13th century, around 1250. It is the only rose window to retain its original glass, with most of the 13th century glasswork still intact.



The Louvre	The Tuileries Gardens in the background.
Dinner at our hotel.	The beer is Gary's, not Carol's!

Thursday September 18th In the morning we met our Adventures By Disney guides in the hotel lobby where they explained where and when to meet for a short bus ride to our ship, the AmaLyra which was moored on the Seine. not far away. We spent an hour or so strolling around streets near the hotel, had a bite of lunch, then returned to the Hilton for our 2:45 bus ride to the ship. We are travelling as part of a smaller group within a large group. There are 122 passengers aboard the AmaLyra and 35 of the 122, including Carol and I, are part of a group affiliated with Lou Mongello of WDW Radio and Beci Mankhen of Mouse Fan Travel.	One of our ABD guides, Hugo.

Gare Saint Lazare train station.

Boarding at 3:30. Our cast off time of 4:00 p.m. was foiled by a nationwide one-day transportation strike.	In the lounge. All the guests can meet here at once. There were 118 Americans, 2 Aussies and these 2 Canadians!


Our ABD Guides, Dusty, Michaela, Laura and Hugo
Every night we enjoyed a cocktail hour in the lounge before dinner in the dining room.	The first night Beci and Lou arranged for their group to have dinner at 'The Chef's Table'
Beetroot Carpaccio	Cured and Marinated Salmon
Coconut Lemongrass Soup	Sorbet with Sparkling Wine to refresh the palate!
Skin Grilled Walleye	Short Ribs Prime Beef

The Captain made sure we were near the Eiffel Tower at precisely 10:00 p.m. The tower is illuminated all night but at 10:00 it 'sparkles' with flashing lights for 5 minutes! Wow! It's pretty!
Beci and Lou with Dusty.

Friday September 19th Our original schedule included a tour of Les Andelys and Chateau Gaillard but the plans had to change because of France's national sport - labour strikes! Transportation workers went on a one-day strike on Thursday, and that included the workers at all the locks along the Seine. That meant that we didn't get through the four locks we were supposed to pass through overnight. Instead of being moored at Les Andelys Friday morning we were still in Paris. Passenger and freight traffic was backed up all along the river! We had to get to Caudebec-en-Caux by Saturday morning to make it in time for the D-Day Beaches tour so we skipped right past the scheduled Les Andelys stop. The Captain 'put the petal to the metal' and raced the day away to catch up! The good news was that it was a glorious day, sunny, warm and bright. A perfect to sit on the top deck and watch France pass by! In the morning one of the ship's chefs demonstrated how the popular French meringue treats known as macarons are made and our ABD guide Hugo, who is from Normandy, told us all about the cheeses made in the area and we tasted many of them. We enjoyed several hours on the top deck before the heat became too much for us and we returned to the air-conditioned lounge.


Cheeses from Normandy	Very tasty.

Freshly piped macarons.	A bit too sweet for me!

There's plenty of freight traffic on the European rivers!

	Passing Les Andelys.


	Oh look, we're entering another lock!
	It was bingo night in the lounge.
	Almost to Caudebec-en-Caux.

Saturday September 20th In the morning we were moored in Caudebec-en-Caux and back on schedule. We boarded busses and our entire group headed to the beaches of Normandy where allied troops landed June 6, 1944 and began the liberation of Europe. It was a very humbling and moving day!

The American Cemetery, overlooking Omaha Beach, at Coleville-sur-Mer.
	There were several American veterans in our group and they laid a wreath at the D-Day Memorial. After the wreath was laid one of our guides read the John McCrae poem, In Flanders Fields.



Carol sits at the edge of the cemetery with Omaha Beach behind her. Our guide for the day was Dr. Jean-Pierre Benamou, a noted military scholar and the founder of the D-Day Academy. In the picture on the right he is using the map to explain battle strategies and plans.

A fleet of vintage WW2 vehicles, owned and operated by the D-Day Academy, was on hand to transport us. First they took us to a nearby restaurant for lunch and then on to the Omaha Beach Memorial site. Carol and I rode in a German jeep. It was the Volkswagen pictured on the right.




	We gathered on the beach with Dr. Benamou. He used pictures, charts and actual relics from the battle to explain what happened on that beach 81 years ago.
On June 4, 1944 there were 2,400 American casualties on this 5 mile stretch of beach.
	Remnants of an American flag recovered after the battle.
Our drivers, who volunteer with the D-Day Academy showed us plenty of charts, pictures and diagrams.
We re-boarded our antique vehicles and drove a few miles to see the German defensive positions.	There were massive guns here, trained on the incoming fleet.


Sunday September 21st We took a short bus ride to nearby Étretat, a picturesque seaside town just a few miles from Le Havre on the English Channel. It's almost directly across the channel from Portsmouth England, 130 miles away, and has striking white cliffs similar to Dover England. The pictures of the Etretat shore will be very familiar when you see them. Claude Monet painted the cliffs of Étretat many times!









Carol and Beci	We wandered the streets of Étretat enjoying the sight of the many half-timber medieval buildings. The buildings in this picture are examples, all were built before 1520.
Carol spotted a boulangerie!
We shared this delicious éclair!
Do you see that medieval chimney behind Carol? There's a close up on the right! Why do you suppose they did that?
Back on the bus, we're heading to Honfleur.

	We had crepes for lunch at the Bistrot.
Jambon et fromage! (Ham and cheese)	Salted caramel and cream.

Saint-Catherine's Church in Honfleur.	It's the largest wooden church in France and dates back to the mid-to-late 1400's





Our last stop of the day was at an apple orchard and cider brewery.
They make traditional apple juice but most of their production is fermented and distilled into cider.	In Normandy cider is more popular than wine.

They make a 6% alcohol cider, a 16% alcohol version and Calvados which is a whopping 42% alcohol.	We didn't really enjoy the cider . . . but this guy did!

We quickly switched to apple juice.	There were some sweet apple treats too!
	This trio performed a number of old Andrew's Sisters hits in the lounge. They were great!

Monday September 22nd We sailed overnight and woke up moored in Rouen. We were in the middle of the city and could walk to the many sights in this historic old city.	A bridge abutment honouring the Norse invaders who conquered the area in the ninth century.
The abutment across the bridge honours French explorer LaSalle, a familiar name in Canadian history.
	Claude Monet painted this cathedral 29 times, the lighting conditions fascinated him!
Our local French guide.	This clock dates back to the 1500's.
It used to display constellations and phases of the moon. The clock no longer works. I don't work either, and I'm not nearly as old as the clock! The arch under the clock, on the right, is very ornate!
More medieval buildings. The second floor projects further than the first.	If the building gets larger as it rises, it's quite likely medieval.
The oldest restaurant in France. La Couronne, opened in 1345.
The Market Square where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in 1431. She was 19 years old.	The foundation of the ancient Joan of Arc church with the modern church behind it.
	Joan of Arc's sword is represented in this obelisk.
	We tasted more local cheese and cider here!

	We stuck to apple juice.

Is it medieval? You bet!	The backside of the cathedral.
	Let's have some chocolate!

	Dusty got to lick the spoon!
	Our ship, the AmaLyra, is moored directly ahead of the Swiss Sapphire.
Late in the afternoon I was able to tour the wheelhouse.	There's no wheel - they steer it with a joy-stick!
The entertainment was a Can-Can style follies show.
	Dusty joined in the show!
They were energetic but their talent didn't match their energy. We left before it was over.	The cathedral is beautiful at night.

Tuesday September 23rd Once again we sailed overnight and in the morning we were moored at Vernon. This day we ticked off another of Carol's bucket list items, a visit to Claude Monet's gardens and home at nearby Givency. Monet founded the Impressionist movement in the late 19th century. He was fascinated with the interplay of light and colour. He didn't paint to replicate scenes, he painted to display his impression of scenes. We had hoped for a bright sunny day in the gardens, but it was overcast and drizzling. Nonetheless, the gardens were amazing!	A swan outside the window as we ate breakfast. There are plenty of swans on the Seine.




Peeking through the flowers is Monet's house. He lived here for 43 years.	Even on a cloudy day, the colours in the garden 'popped'.

That famous Japanese bridge that appears in many of his paintings.	Here we are on that bridge.





	Monet had a big house, he had 2 sons and lived with Alice Hoschedé who had 6 children. A family of 10 needs plenty of room!








We walked through the pretty village of Giverny before boarding the bus to head back to the ship for lunch. It's a beautiful place!



Outside our stateroom window. Carol fed him a donut!	Chateau de Bizy. The last king of France, Louis-Philippe was the owner when he ascended to the throne. He moved from here to The Palace at Versailles.




Beautifully hand-carved oak . . .	. . . and a glass domed roof.
The current owner, Madame Vergé. She's 93 and is a descendant of Napoleon.
This noble couple taught us to dance!







Wednesday September 24th When we awoke on Wednesday we were docked at Conflans, on the outskirts of Paris. We took a short bus ride to Chateau Malmaison (Bad House), the home of Napoleon Bonaparte and Josephine de Beauharnais. The couple divorced in 1809 because she could not give him a son. She retained ownership of Malmaison and lived here until her death in 1814. Napoleon returned in 1815 and lived here briefly until he was exiled to Saint Helena that same year.	Chateau Malmaison







	Napoleon's bedroom.

Josephine's bedroom.
We spent a leisurely afternoon aboard the ship as we sailed into the heart of Paris. This was our last day of cruising, tomorrow morning we disembark. It's always a bittersweet time saying goodbye to the ABD Guides and the new friends we connected with during the cruise . . . but as one adventure ends, another begins. We're heading to Disneyland Paris! The Captain managed to sail us past a sparkling Eiffel Tower again at 10:00 p.m. Spectacular!	Beci and Lou with the guides.
	It was chilly so we wrapped up in blankets to watch the Eiffel Tower sparkle as we passed at 10:00 p.m.


Thursday September 25th We left the ship at 9:00 a.m. and travelled by car directly to the Disneyland Hotel. Our room wasn't available at that early hour so we left our bags with Bell Services, explored the lobby area a bit, then headed to the park!
	The hotel is magnificent!



On the street it's Halloween, in the shops it's Christmas.	We shared a Casey's hot dog for lunch. It took 16 napkins to scrape off the excess mustard.
Carol's favourite Disney castle.
	A dragon lives under Sleeping Beauty Castle/




Our room at The Disneyland Hotel. Carol said, 'Let me get a picture before you mess it up!'	Ground floor with a patio.
La salle de bain.	This ghost has a toothache. The dentistry school is up the stairs behind him!
We had dinner at The Plaza Restaurant. The buffet was OK . . . not great, just OK.	These characters were performing in the hotel lobby when we got back from dinner.

Friday September 26th	Back to the Royal Banquet for breakfast.











	Phantom Manor

	These Dios de las Muertas characters are big!








Outside the Lego Store.

Stars on Parade at 5:30 p.m.





Dinner at Walt's American Restaurant.	The restaurant is filled with memorabilia from Walt Disney's life.
A vintage elevator, reminiscent of Club 33 in California.	The restaurant is very well appointed but the food and the service is disappointing.
	Sleeping Beauty Castle is magnificent at night.
	Projected images and music tell a story.
Fireworks add to the magic.	Add some water for yet another dimension.

WOW!


Let's add some drones . . .	. . . and lasers!




Saturday September 27th Breakfast at the Royal Banquet.	In the hall near the restaurant.
The crystal castle in the lobby chandelier is stunning!


	The new screws and pins in Carol's back survived the Tower of Terror!
	Look out, it's an infestation of Spider-bots!
We helped Spiderman defeat the Spider-bots. He was outside the building to thank us when the adventure was over!



	Up the trail behind Phantom Manor is 'Boot Hill'.

Ice cream from Gibson Girl!

	Hook and Smee were waving as we passed on the train.



Don't miss the second floor in Sleeping Beauty Castle. It's magnificent!













	It was nice to relax on our private patio.

Sunday September 28th






Sir Mickey's Shop.





	The new screws and pins in Carol's back also survived Big Thunder Mountain!





Our last night at The Disneyland Hotel.

Monday September 29th We were booked on Air Canada Flight #873 to Toronto, scheduled to depart at 12:40 p.m.
	They were tinkering with the lights on the castle while we ate breakfast.
Pink lights above, blue lights here!

A somber ride to the airport!	Carol has her bed all made up!
It was Air Canada so naturally we left about an hour late!	We left the Toronto airport and picked up our car at 5:00 p.m.. Rush hour traffic was horrible, we got home to some very happy dogs at 8:30.