WW1 Battlefields Tour From Bruges

Hi....we are considering a RCI cruise that has a POC at Bruges. The one and only reason that I would want that POC is to do the WW1 battlefield tour so can anyone pleas tell me if RCI do that particular tour on all of their cruises that incorporate that POC. It is the 5 night cruise departing Southampton 24th Oct 2017

Hi....we are considering a RCI cruise that has a POC at Bruges. The one and only reason that I would want that POC is to do the WW1 battlefield tour so can anyone pleas tell me if RCI do that particular tour on all of their cruises that incorporate that POC. It is the 5 night cruise departing Southampton 24th Oct 2017

Not sure this will work from the UK, but this link will show shore excursions available for specific cruises:

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/beforeyouboard/asr/buildSearch.do?componentType=shorex

Not sure this will work from the UK, but this link will show shore excursions available for specific cruises:

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/beforeyouboard/asr/buildSearch.do?componentType=shorex

Thank you for the link....unfortunately I it doesn't seem to work for me....I can put date in...ship in and currency....even tried converting it to US dollars but at the moment no joy :(

Thank you for the link....unfortunately I it doesn't seem to work for me....I can put date in...ship in and currency....even tried converting it to US dollars but at the moment no joy :(

I've had that same problem with that link too. Sometimes I've been able to get it to work by clearing browser cache and cookies, trying a different browser, or just waiting a few days and trying again. Also, it's possible it's too early for October excursions.

I've had that same problem with that link too. Sometimes I've been able to get it to work by clearing browser cache and cookies, trying a different browser, or just waiting a few days and trying again. Also, it's possible it's too early for October excursions.

Hi...just tried the link again and Lo & Behold it now works...thank you

Hi...just tried the link again and Lo & Behold it now works...thank you

You're welcome, and welcome to the world of Royal Information Technology.

Just a word of caution. I tried the link, plugging in the name of my ship (Allure) and the sail date (March 12) and it returned a list that included a sunset sail excursion for Nassau. As we are leaving port at 2:00 PM, the website is clearly spewing out a list of all possible excursions from that port and ignoring the ship and date filter.

Just a word of caution. I tried the link, plugging in the name of my ship (Allure) and the sail date (March 12) and it returned a list that included a sunset sail excursion for Nassau. As we are leaving port at 2:00 PM, the website is clearly spewing out a list of all possible excursions from that port and ignoring the ship and date filter.

Been in touch with RCI and they say that until the cruise is booked they cannot say if there is availability on the trip....so until booked cannot actually be sure if they do the trip I want to do and if they do the trip that there is availability

Been in touch with RCI and they say that until the cruise is booked they cannot say if there is availability on the trip....so until booked cannot actually be sure if they do the trip I want to do and if they do the trip that there is availability

Such wonderfully helpful individuals. :rolleyes:

Are there any private companies that provide a similar battlefield tour? I seldom take ship's excursions if I can locate a reputable alternate tour.

Best of luck!

Have done land vacations prior to a cruise in that area. The battlefields are about 30 minutes taxi from Bruges, they do the last post thing daily in the evening, moving and lovely. Not sure you can do that on a cruise.

JC

Thank you everyone for your replies. I have even been on the Roll Call threads to see if there is anyone who has booked this cruise and who maybe could tell me for sure that there is still availability but unfortunately there doesn't seem to be a thread for this particular cruise.

Does anyone know of any other cruise forum website similar to this that may have a Roll Call thread?

Another avenue to pursue would be with a company like Viator. Here are some of their battlefield tours:

https://www.viator.com/Bruges-tours/Day-Trips-and-Excursions/d4836-g5?pref=02

Another avenue to pursue would be with a company like Viator. Here are some of their battlefield tours:

https://www.viator.com/Bruges-tours/Day-Trips-and-Excursions/d4836-g5?pref=02

Thank you....the only one I can see with them is for 11 hours....don't think that would fit in with the ship's schedule besides which I would prefer going with the ship's own tour. Don't think my nerves could stand it if we where last minute returning to ship.

The most convenient way would be to hire a car and drive to Ypres which is about 80km away, so should only take about an hour.

Ypres is a really nice town with the moving Flanders Fields museum. It also has the Menin Gate where the last post is played 365 days of the year at 18.00. Also very moving.

By having a car you could also go to some of the other sites in the area and enter some of the remaining trenches.

Have a look on Tripadvisor and VisitFlanders website.

Sorry to say, ship's tour itinerary looks pretty dire and unimaginative.

Two cemeteries (why Essex Farm as well as the unmissable Tyne Cot?), and in Ypres the Menin Gate and Flanders Fields museum and a stack of free time in town. That's hardly a taste of the Western Front. :(

Close to Ypres are Hill 62 (Sanctuary Wood) with its original trenches, and the mine crater and trench/blockhouse remains at Hooge - both with attached museums. And the beautifully- built replica dugouts at Sonnebeke's Paschendale museum and the re-constructed Yorkshire trench guarding the Ieperlee Canal. Lots of other cemeteries, memorials & museums too, and places where the action actually took place.

Renting a car involves collecting / returning and local navigation to the sights, with an eye on the clock all the time..Londontowner's one-hour to Ypres is much closer to the mark than JC's 30 minutes.

The Viator tours are from Bruges, not Zeebrugge. And mention of the Last Post at the Menin Gate tells me that no way will it fit a cruiser's schedule - it's nightly at 8pm.

Two suggestions.....

Try to find half a dozen sharers on your cruise (via the RollCall) and fix a private tailor-made tour from the pier.

Or, since you're in the UK, stick to somewhere like Bruges or Ostend on this cruise, and at some other time head for the channel ports or Eurotunnel and spend a few days there. Lots else in the area - both WW1 and WW2, and other sights & distractions.

JB :)

Sorry I got the Menin Gate Last Post timing wrong. My OH is very interested in WWII history, but as we are often in northern France we visit WWI sites too.

I agree with JB that a separate trip is worth a visit. The tunnels at Albert are interesting, the train between Le Crotoy and St Valerie sur Somme is worth a ride. A visit to Vimy Ridge and the nearby church.

Last year we went to a new museum in Peronne, La Grande Guerre. It was very informative and very well laid out.

We have visited Tyne Cot, but yet have to go to Thiepval. I find the WWI cemeteries more emotional than the WWII ones, because the boys are all so very young.

We have also done all the DDay beaches too.

In addition to so much to see and do the food and wine is an added bonus.

We did an RCL excursion out of Zeebrugge called "Ypres, In Flanders Fields".

We liked it and we had time for the WW1 museum and lunch in Ypres itself.

We did an RCL excursion out of Zeebrugge called "Ypres, In Flanders Fields".

We liked it and we had time for the WW1 museum and lunch in Ypres itself.

We did this excursion as well in summer 2016. For one port day, I would say we experienced enough to want to go back.

The Flanders Fields museum in Ypres was very moving. The town is very lovely. Lovely cafes for pomme frites, pastries, and chocolates.

The Tyne Cot cemetery experience made me cry then and even now as I type. The vastness of the lives sacrificed is powerfully displayed and was not fully recognized by me from books and film. Essex Farm is the setting for the In Flanders Fields poem by by Lieutenant ColonelJohn McCraeMD. There are bunkers you can view at the rear of the cemetery that give a very good visual to the "accommodations" for WWI soldiers.

We did not hear Last Post but the Menin Gate with all the carved names struck a chord with me as well. It is lovely tribute to their memories and fitting that we do not forget. The flowers, wreaths, and miniature crosses are precious symbols of enduring loves.

It was, of course, just a overview of the numerous historical places in the area and we definitely could have spent a week and not have done justice to the historical relevance of the region. Sometimes you do what you can and leave the rest for future trips.