Ahoy Vintage Cruises tours are group events arranged by Tom for our Deco Dance crossings. They highlight Art Deco Paris and London. All tours are an add-on cost. However, some group events have no add-on charge. Tom also recommends a number of restaurants and places for you to visit in Paris and London.
Tentative Group Schedule
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
| Arrival day no plans | Morning arranged tour of Art Deco Paris | Morning arranged bike tour | Morning arranged travel to London | Motor coach to QM2 arranged |
| Evening Eiffel Tower at night | Evening Art Deco arranged immersive party | Evening informal group dinner at Vaudeville | Midday arranged tour Eltham Palace Evening informal dinner at Zedel | Midday embark QM2 informal |
Tours
Paris – Art Deco Tour of Paris
Information TBD. Cost TBD. We will post details as soon as we know more about the tour. Please check back for details later.
Paris – Hidden Paris Bike Tour
Discover Paris’ charming back streets, local neighborhoods and untold stories on this one-of-a-kind bike tour. We’ve designed our Hidden Paris Bike Tour to give you a rare, insiders’ look into the lesser-known Paris, so you can experience the city in a brand-new way. Secret gardens, Roman ruins, hidden passageways, unknown stories and a lot of surprises make this bike tour truly memorable. The group rate €50 per person. Please visit https://www.bikeabouttours.com/tours/hidden-paris/
Our guide will gather us in the hotel lobby and escort us to the starting point. The tour begins in the charming Marais district and follows quaint back streets & local neighborhoods through central Paris. You’ll see and hear all kinds of Paris secrets such as:
- A hidden medieval castle
- Our favorite Paris graffiti artist
- Paris’ ancient city walls
- Place des Vosges
- House of Jim Morrison
- The Canal Saint-Martin
- Jardin des Plantes
- The Paris mosque
- A hidden Roman arena
- One of Paris’ oldest market streets
- The Ile St. Louis
- Le Marais district
Paris – Art Deco Immersive Party
Immersive Soiree It’s 1925. A trendy Parisian salon, where intellectuals and French and American artists representing the ‘crème de la crème’ of the Parisian society, are boarding the luxurious Orient Express.
This event is a sensory experience that immerses guests in the fascinating universe of Art Deco. Visual, auditory, and theatrical elements transport you to the interwar period, inviting you to participate in an interactive spectacle. It is organized in the heart of Paris, just a stone’s throw away from the Hilton Paris Opera Hotel. The theme is the “Grand Art Deco Departure on a Century-Long Journey.” Artists scattered among the guests take part in this new, original, and innovative artistic creation. The Ahoy Vintage Cruises group will mix with local Parisians for an even more authentic French ambience.
Come in Costume The event follows the format of an interactive game or flash mob. Guests are invited to learn a small dance routine from a video that will be sent out to guests in advance. Throughout the evening, guests are served with canapés, hors d’oeuvres, cocktails, and refreshments prepared by a quality French caterer. You are invited to wear an attire from the 1920-30’s era. This can be a suit or tuxedo for men and an evening dress for women.
London – Eltham Palace
Join us for a trip back into time at the fabulous Art Deco Eltham Palace. We will board vintage double-decker London buses at St. Pancreas Station at 10:30am on the Thursday before sailing. We will have a scenic 45-minute drive with a local guide to the Palace, then a self-guided tour of the Palace and gardens. Includes a tasty box lunch. On the return, we’ll stop at Greenwich for the vista overlook and observatory. The tour will terminate at the Club Quarters hotel.
For those with the Paris Package, we will disembark the Eurostar train and board the vintage coaches right there. Immigration and customs is done in Paris. For those already in London, simply meet us at the train station. For everyone, you will be dropped of at the hotel at the end of the tour. Please visit https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/eltham-palace-and-gardens
Recommendations
Paris – Le Vaudeville Restaurant Since 1918, just a stone’s throw from the Opéra, the Parisian Brasserie Vaudeville, located opposite the Stock Exchange, is a restaurant where you can enjoy traditional French cuisine, have an aperitif on the terrace, or savor a fine seafood platter. The Art Deco style brasserie is in continuous service from breakfast through dinner. We’ll each make our own reservations for Tuesday night about 6 month in advance of our crossing. I was just there and it was wonderful. Please visit https://www.vaudevilleparis.com/en/
London – Brasserie Zédel I suggest we all make our own reservations at Zédel in London on the Thursday night before sailing as a Bon Voyage celebration. The food is excellent. The room is breathtaking. And they have live vintage music all evening. I’ve been there many times and it never disappoints. And if they can squeeze you in, have a drink at the highly sought after Bar Américain.
Located in the heart of Piccadilly, Brasserie Zédel is a grand bustling Parisian brasserie. With a relaxed lively atmosphere, it is perhaps best known for serving traditional French food at remarkably good value. It includes an authentic American cocktail bar, the Bar Américain, and a live music and cabaret venue called Crazy Coqs. Please visit https://www.brasseriezedel.com.
New York – Cafe Josephine This lively restaurant/entertainment venue is a bubbly return to the joie-de-vivre of Paris of the 1930s – le Jazz hot with soul. It was founded in 1986 by Jean-Claude Baker as a tribute to the legendary entertainer Josephine Baker. The restaurant offers a French-American menu and live piano music in an intimate Parisian setting.
This landmark jewel is inviting and romantic with its blue-tin ceiling, red velvet walls, and cavalcade of chandeliers that light up vintage portraits of La Baker. Ideally located on West 42nd Street along Theatre Row, Chez Josephine is a magnet for dining before or after the theater; as well as a Hell’s Kitchen haven for a leisurely dinner or quick drink at the bar. Please visit https://chezjosephinenyc.com/
New York – Swing 46 Jazz & Supper Club Located on historic Restaurant Row in New York City’s Times Square, this restaurant has been entertaining audiences with the best in live jazz. Swing 46 is the last remaining supper club in New York open nightly with live music, dancing (hard wood dance floor), fine dining, cocktails, and more. Swing 46 opened in 1997 celebrated its 47th anniversary in 2024. Please visit https://swing46.nyc
Free internet music of the 20s/30s Radio Dismuke is devoted to vintage popular recordings from the 1920s and 1930s decades. Discover the exciting music from one of the most vibrant decades in popular culture and entertainment. From the boom times of the Roaring ’20s to the hard times of the Great Depression…from frantic Charlestons danced to by a generation of flappers to sentimental ballads performed by the early crooners…from the hot jazz bands of the top Harlem nightclubs to the popular dance bands of the formative years of the swing and big band eras. The great music of the 1920s & 1930s lives on and is entertaining a new generation of enthusiastic listeners. I keep it on in the background all day while at my desk or in the car. https://early1900s.org/radiodismuke/