River Baroness Cruise Photos

From: Uniworld River Baroness cruise review

Day 8: Disembarkation

On our day of departure from River Baroness, we got up in time to vacate our cabin by 8 a.m. We'd already put out suitcases in the hall the evening before, although the deadline wasn't until morning.

The captain had moved River Baroness to a more convenient mooring during the night. Officers and sailors were taking the last of the luggage ashore. (On river ships, officers don't stand on ceremony: Everyone in the crew pitches in when there's work to be done.)

As we left the ship after breakfast, we encountered the cruise manager, Ramona Kurcsics, on the gangway.

The captain and two of his officers stood at the foot of the gangway to guard the luggage and say farewell. 

We took a final picture of River Baroness at its mooring on the Quai André Citroën in the Port de Javel-bas.

A few minutes later, we boarded an RER train (Line C), which we took to the Saint-Michel-Notre Dame station. There, we changed to Line B for the Gare du Nord, where we'd catch another RER Line B train to Charles de Gaulle Airport the next morning.

We'd already booked a room at the very pleasant and affordable New Hotel Gare du Nord, just across from the station.

One oddity: The Paris-Versailles 16-km footrace was due to start by the Eiffel Tower at 10 a.m., and when we boarded the train, nearly all of the other passengers were athletes in running gear.