Travelers who want rivers big ships cannot reach, on a shallow-draft paddle-wheeler.
Think twice if: Very few cabins; shallow-water itineraries can change with river levels. The ship page notes there is no laundry service on board.
See her Europe sailings ↓ · Where is she now? → · CroisiEurope's page for this ship →
What she's like
Docks close to the town centre in most ports. Under 200 guests, so no lines and no tender boats.
French and English official; announcements in both. Line is French.
Our judgment, from $ (budget) to $$$$$ (ultra-luxury).
Full board; drinks at meals and at the bar (water, wine, beer, juices, coffee) except special lists; free Wi-Fi; port fees; repatriation insurance. Excursion package chosen (Classic or Discovery) on All-Inclusive rates. Transfers not automatic.
Children welcome incl. babies; family offers, some cruises free for kids up to 16; supervised kids' programme in July-August on some routes
Casual by day; one gala night with no set dress code
Where she sails in Europe
Loire
We don't have her sailing-by-sailing schedule yet. See the line's site for dates.
What it costs beyond the fare
| Tips for the crew | Not included; suggested GBP 5-10 per person per day (as written on the US FAQ), pooled for all crew; Added to your bill automatically? No; envelope left in cabin last night |
|---|---|
| Drinks package | included (special wine list and premium spirits extra) |
| Wifi | included (lounges, bars, reception) |
| Specialty restaurants | none |
| Money on board | unknown (not stated on US FAQ) |
How tipping and money work on a European cruise → · Build a full trip budget →
Her restaurants · 1 included, 0 extra
| Where to eat | Cost |
|---|---|
| Restaurant (all meals) | Included |
Which cabin to book, and which to avoid
The line doesn't publish cabin sizes for this ship that we could find.
Good to know before you pick
- The lift does not reach the lowest cabin deck. Guests in those cabins use the stairs.
- The lift does not reach the sun deck.
- One PRM (reduced-mobility) cabin on the Upper Deck
- Upper Deck forward cabins are nearest the bow (more motion on open water, rarely an issue on rivers)
- Upper-deck cabins have private terraces with outdoor furniture.
- Cabins with windows that don't open: 1 (Main Deck): window type not stated on the plan.
If you use a wheelchair or walk with difficulty
Official cabin photos include a cabin and/or bathroom adapted for reduced mobility (PMR); number not stated. No elevator is mentioned. Three-deck boats have elevators; adapted cabins on some boats; tell an agent before booking Our accessibility guide →
Find your way around
Our own deck plans, drawn from the line's official plan: tap a deck to see it from above, with what's at the front, middle and back of the ship. Use “Find on board” to light up every deck with a pool, a bar or a restaurant. Not to scale.
- Deck 3 · Sun Deck , Sun loungers; Shaded seating area; Wheelhouse
- Deck 2 · Upper Deck , Terrace (stern); Lounge / Bar; Reception; Cat. A, B, C double cabins, Cat. A singles, PRM cabin Cat. C
- Deck 1 · Main Deck , Restaurant; Cat. A, B, C double cabins
Open CroisiEurope's official deck plan →
section "View the location of each cabin on board"
What to book, and when
Booking, check-in and reservations
Deposit 30%; balance 30 days before departure; 7-day free option hold. Excursions changeable before departure by phone/agent.
Paying and cancelling
Penalty schedule not found; Cruise Flexibility add-on $179 lets you change date up to 30 days out
Tips for her Europe sailings
Douro ships MS Miguel Torga and Amalia Rodrigues have a pool that lowers for low bridges. Boarding docks may change season to season.
Where she docks
Dock addresses listed per destination; can change by season
How much walking on the included tours
Classic (walking tours, museums) or Discovery (more active, e.g. cycling); some excursions involve several hours of walking
Low bridges and the sun deck
Douro pool lowers 'when passing through the low decks' [sic]; general sun deck closures not addressed
The ship in numbers
- Cruise line
- CroisiEurope
- Kind of ship
- River
- Built
- 2015
- Guests
- 96
- Crew
- 24
- Guest decks
- 2
- Length
- 89 m (291 ft)
- Width
- 15 m (49 ft)
- Flag
- France
- Class
- CroisiEurope shallow-draft paddle-wheel ship (descriptive grouping)
- Ship number
- ENI 01840389
- Sister ships
- MS Elbe Princesse, MS R.E. Waydelich L.J.
- In Europe 2026–27
- Loire
Highlights
- First French river ship built to sail the Loire; side paddle wheels and shallow draft
- Upper-deck cabins have terraces with outdoor furniture
- Fireplace in the lounge; paddle-wheel mechanism visible from reception
- Rated 5-anchor by CroisiEurope (94 guests, 24 crew)
- Rivers: Loire (Nantes, Saint-Nazaire, Ancenis)
More pictures
Sources & what we could not confirm · 6 sources · checked 2026-11
- CroisiEurope US site: MS Loire Princesse ship page
- CroisiEurope international site: MS Loire Princesse
- CroisiEurope ship sheet PDF
- VesselFinder (registry aggregator)
- CroisiEurope US FAQ
- Deck plan images on the MS RE Waydelich LJ page (file names say Elbe Princesse II)
- Class label is our descriptive grouping by size and deck count; CroisiEurope does not name classes.
- Flag from VesselFinder (registry aggregator), not from CroisiEurope.
- Cabin count not stated on the official ship page.
- CroisiEurope: Onboard currency not stated explicitly.
- CroisiEurope: Cancellation penalty schedule not found.
- CroisiEurope: Tip figure is given in GBP on the US page.
- Deck plan: The images on the Waydelich page are named for Elbe Princesse II; assumed to represent the shared paddle-wheel design
- Deck plan: No lift symbol on the plan
- Deck plan: CroisiEurope cabin categories describe location, not size: Cat. A premium location, Cat. B intermediate, Cat. C standard location or slightly smaller (ship page)
- Deck plan: The downloadable 2026 PDF deck plan returned 404; plan facts come from the deck plan images on the ship page