Travelers who want an affordable, French-run river cruise with meals included.
Think twice if: Older 1992 hull, renovated 2014. 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
Rhine, Moselle, Saar
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
| Cabin type | Size | Decks |
|---|---|---|
| Cabins | approx. 108-161 (10-15 m2) sq ft |
Good to know before you pick
- The lift does not reach the sun deck.
- One PRM cabin on the Upper Deck next to reception
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 , Restaurant; Cat. A and B doubles, Cat. B singles, PRM cabin Cat. B; Reception; Lounge / Bar
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
- 1992
- Last refit
- 2014
- Guests
- 82
- Crew
- 24
- Cabins
- 41
- Guest decks
- 2
- Length
- 90 m (295 ft)
- Width
- 10 m (33 ft)
- Flag
- France
- Class
- CroisiEurope 90 m two-deck river ship (one of a kind in this list)
- Ship number
- ENI 01822624
- In Europe 2026–27
- Rhine, Moselle, Saar
Highlights
- Premium Rhine ship named after the Marquis de Lafayette
- Only 78 guests in 41 double or single cabins
- Renovated 2014
- Rated 5-anchor by CroisiEurope (78 guests, 24 crew)
- Rivers: Rhine
More pictures
Sources & what we could not confirm · 5 sources · checked 2026-11
- CroisiEurope US site: MS Lafayette ship page
- CroisiEurope international site: MS Lafayette
- CroisiEurope ship sheet PDF
- VesselFinder (registry aggregator)
- CroisiEurope US FAQ
- Flag from VesselFinder (registry aggregator), not from CroisiEurope.
- 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: Page offers only Upper and Sun Deck images; the ship page says cabins are spread over two decks, so the lower cabin deck is not shown
- Deck plan: No lift symbol; page mentions no elevator
- 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