river cruise from Avignon to Lyon

I%26#39;ll be spending 2 weeks in France next spring and am considering booking an 8 day river cruise with Viking River Cruises. The cruise goes from Avignon to Lyon. I have never done a cruise before and usually do independent travel though I prefer not to have to rent a car / drive. Can anyone give me some insights about Viking or river cruises in general? Do you recommend this as a good way to see some sights and cities in France? We would spend additional days on our own in both Provence and in Paris so hopefully would have a good mix of organized tours and independent adventures.

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We went on the Viking Seine cruise a few year ago. It was wonderful - a great way to see France without having to ride a bus or rent a car. The food was very good to excellent - and plenty to eat. You dock as close to the center of town as possible so you are able to explore on foot - or get a taxi - if you want. Tour guides were good to excellent. The staff was great. Buses are provided for tours not in town.

We are thinking of taking the Rhone River cruise also - it%26#39;s 2 for 1 pricing right now! - but I have been reading bad things about these cruises on message boards. They say the food is not good, they charge for bottled water, service is not as good etc. It makes sense they%26#39;d have to cut corners some way to offer such a great price. I hope to hear from other people who have gone on one of Viking%26#39;s recent cruises to see if they also had a bad experience.

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We were considering the Lyon to Avignon river cruise thru Viking. Some of the crticism of this cruise was that you are a obligated to sit with the same table partners every B,L,D, all week. Also, the tours left a lot to be desired, and the good ones were optional and pricey. Can you please comment?

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The information I%26#39;ve received from Viking is that all the shore excursions are included and that seating at meals is informal and open - there are no assigned tables. I%26#39;ve done some searching on the internet and so far have only found good reviews. I%26#39;m glad some of you have had good experiences as well. I%26#39;ve booked the April 25th 2010 cruise at a great price, so I%26#39;ll hope that we have a good experience

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I believe there is one optional shore excursion - to Chateauneuf de Pape for a wine experience - and I%26#39;m not sure the cost of that. I am told we can sign up for that when we board the boat in Avignon.

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My husband and I are looking at doing the same cruise in Autumn 2010 and Avalon Waterways look really nice with a 5 star rating. Hope you enjoy your trip!