I used Vedettes du Pont Neuf boat tour company based on Rick's recommendation in his book. I purchase the book in Kindle format. During ticket purchase, I showed the ticket agent the exact page where it indicates ticket discount if mention Rick's book, but the ticketing agent insist on hardcopy of the the book, the book does not actually specify must be hardcopy in order to get the discount. So you need to either book online in advance or carry a hardcopy. I would't be surprised if the vendor make up some other random rules such as must be a complete book from cover to cover and not partial book as I used to rip a book in several sections and only carry the section I need for my trip.
Posted by
California 🦋
5202 posts
Thanks for the warning.
I do hope you enjoyed the river cruise!
Posted by
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
8293 posts
We bought tickets a couple of years ago at a Paris Tourist Office and got a discount. But look, discount or no discount, it is a fun thing to do so don't sweat the small stuff.
Posted by
Los Angeles
4375 posts
Ha, you mention ripping up a book and only carrying the bits you need. I used to do this and recommended it to a friend, who then got run off a travel forum for daring to suggest such a desecration of a work of art. Uh folks, they are travel guides! You pay for them, you drag them around, you mark them up, do whatever you want. If when you get home you need a keepsake, buy a fresh copy.
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
Be sure to let Rick's staff know, via the Guidebook Feedback Form: https://www.ricksteves.com/forms/guidebook-feedback-form.
This way they can try to get the boat company to honor the discount with e-books, or else update the book to say that only paper copies are honored.
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15576 posts
I don't know how much the discount is with the book. You can save by buying tickets in advance on the website (open tickets for any date/time).
Posted by
Seattle, Washington
681 posts
I just bought tickets on the Vedettes du Pont Neuf website this week for €11 each. That's €1 less than the RS discount gives you. It was a simple process and the vouchers are good any day of the week for a year, so no real downside for us.
Posted by
1 posts
Nancy: Where did you get the discount on the website? I find that the price is 1 euro more on website. Thx
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
Here's the link. You'll see that the full price listed on the left is €14 for adults, but on the right are the Internet prices (€9 for cruises before noon, and €11 for cruises after 1:30 PM). If you scroll down, you'll see the directions and rules for these tickets, and you can even show the QR code on your smartphone instead of bringing the printout if you wish.
Posted by
Seattle, Washington
681 posts
Sannettie, I did just what Harold described. It was all quite simple.
Posted by
New York City, NY
299 posts
Not surprised at this. I bought tickets at the kiosk of Vedettes de Pont Neuf before our ride a few years ago, and the guy gave me the wrong change. When I pointed it out he bluffed that it was a mistake. Pants on fire - les pantalons en feu!