Denise, hope you have a wonderful time and give us a detailed trip report. I get brochures from Viking all the time and was curious if those cruises were good.

I don't know if you will get a chance but if you do, make sure you see http://www.vaux-le-vicomte.com/ and http://www.a-castle-for-rent.com/castles/chenonceau.htm. Those are two of my favorite chateau. Vaux-le-Vicomte was built by the same architect that built Versailles and the history of the owner is very interesting. The Carriage House is not to be missed and the gardens were very nice. It is located just south of Paris off the N6 and looks like it might be an excursion on your Seine cruise if it takes the southern route.

Also about 8 km south of Paris is The Roseraie du Val-de-Marne in l'Haÿ-les-Roses. The most beautiful rose gardens I have ever seen. It's definitely worth the time to visit there.
http://www.rff.org/~daly/roseraie.htm

Enjoy!

KarenM