Loire River Cruise suggestion please

[Rhinohides]

Does anyone know please of any companies offering river cruises along the Loire, or possibly the Lot?
I have tried online but while ama eaterways and Avalon both offer cruises in France, they tend to be in northern France along the Seine.
Are there any companies which offer cruises along the Loire lasting approximately 5 to 7 days, four or five stars? Thank you.

Croisieurope does the Loire.

Thanks for your reply,
I haven’t heard of this company before. Do you mind asking if you have any experience of them, please? Thank you.

Not personally, abut friend's parents went with them several times and were happy. Some years ago now, though.

They're pretty well established, but a French company, I believe.

We used CE once - never again !

Beds were short - DH slept with his head against the wall & his feet up against the wardrobe.

He's only 6'3" - but taller than the people the boat was designed for !

Food was poor. Every morning the eggs ran out, & every lunch & dinner was a form of stew - no matter what name they gave it.

Big problem was the mixture of nationalities. When the announcements of the activities were said in English, the French & Germans carried on shouting at talking to each other.

Thanks @Ellmau

@Georgyporky since Elmau mentioned the cruise line, I have checked it out and it gets very mixed reviews

https://www.emeraldcruises.eu/river/destinations/europe/france

That's not the Loire though. I think that's the problem, not many lines sail that river.

@MissAmbrosia and @Ellmau - thanks for the reply lies. The Emerald Cruise line looks amazing.
You are right @Ellmau, other than day trips I cannot find anything offering a longer journey along the Loire. We are looking for the typ of holiday where we sail at a sedate pace, along a beautiful river with the option of visiting a different chateau most days.
Can’t imagine we are the only people who would like to do this, so I wonder if the French have previously vetoed this with the aim of trying to prevent over tourism?

https://www.leboat.com/en/boating-holidays/france/burgundy/nivernais-loire You could drive your own boat? We did this a couple of times but on the Canal du Midi and through the Camargue. Brilliant holidays.

Last year I went on a river cruise with AmaWaterways on the Rhone through Provence. We sailed from Arles to Lyon. Lots of wine-tasting and quaint towns en route. It was a lovely itinerary and quite a luxurious cruise line (though I usually do ocean cruises so can't compare with other river cruises).

I think the river isn't as easily navigable as others.

If you look at @MissAmbrosia's link, that's for a canal alongside the actual Loire.

There's some info as to which bits are navigable here: The Loire River | Detailed Navigation Guide and Maps | French Waterways

I think maybe for visiting chateaux a car based trip might be the only real option :(

The Loire isn't one of those rivers you can easily cruise down. I've never seen a cruise boat. Chenonceau for eg definitely not reachable; the river is too narrow.

Much easier to just rent a car and drive. Then you can visit all the caves and buy wine.

Not helpful for The Loire but I really recommend Scenic river cruises.

@MissAmbrosia - I have checked this out but sadly it wouldn’t be suitable for us. I love the idea of the independence it provides but we are really looking for something more like a traditional river cruise where the food is provided and the navigational responsibility managed by others. It would be amazing to join an organisation which charters Canal boats on the Loire I haven’t found any yet.
I have been checking out Emerald cruises and they look absolutely amazing. Thank you.

@pandora206 - I have also had good things about Amawaterways. They seem to be quite luxurious and well liked by Americans. We are looking for something quite slow paced which offers a really pleasant cruise experience so if we don’t want to go assure one day we can just enjoy being on the boat.

@SparklingSpa - thank you for the recommendation, there will be checking out and I’ve also heard good things about them

@Oriunda - thank you for this background. I remember that from childhood and it seemed like a vast sweeping river. But your post explains why I have found it so hard to find a suitable river cruise.
Yes, I agree, it would be easier to drive but we were hoping to get a luxurious experience with everything provided so we could we could just relax.

@Ellmau - thank you for your replies and input.. the more I research, the more I think you’re right. Sadly, as I have fond memories of the river and visiting the amazing Châteaux, especially Chambord