Avalon Paris to Normandy Questions

Hi All, new to river cruising and have a few questions before I book. My husband has never been to Europe and I am trying to book something that will make him want to go back again and again! I was originally looking at a bike and barge tour through Belgium, since my husband and I enjoy biking and craft beer, however, Normandy is really the only European destination he has ever wanted to visit since his father fought there.

I am looking at the Avalon Creativity for April 4, 2017. I am mid forties, my husband mid fifties and are very fit and active. I am worried about being a little bored with walking tours daily. Has anyone ventured off on this itinerary and done a bike tour along the way?

Look at AmaWaterways. They have bikes on board and there is a bike tour many days or you can always use the bikes on your own. They have regular sailings from Paris to Normandy, and also special "wine-themed" versions which would add another area of interest to keep you from being bored!

http://www.amawaterways.com/paris-and-normandy-wine-themed-2017

We are booked on the AmaLyra for April 27, 2017 on the Paris-Normandy/Seine cruise. This will be our first time so I'm interested in any information on this itinerary.

My wife and I, though a little older (late 50s-early 60s), are still very active and love to bike and walk. The bikes on board are one of the things I like about Ama.

We did this cruise on the Creativity in September 2015. The ship, the food, the excursions were all excellent. Highlights of the trip for us were the visit to the Normandy beaches, Monet's house in Giverny, and of course Paris! A French author gave a talk (with slides) on the planning and execution of the Normandy beaches invasion on the evening before the tour. It was very well done and gave all of us a lot to think about the next day. The beaches tour lasted most of the day. First we drove to Juno Beach, where Canadian and other Allied forces landed. We visited a small museum, saw a short film of the invasion, and walked on the beach. Next we stopped in Arromanches for lunch at a restaurant, arranged and paid for by Avalon. The afternoon was spent visiting Omaha Beach and the American Cemetery. It was a very emotional day.

You can choose to be as active or inactive as you like. Most days had a morning tour, followed by lunch on the ship, then a free afternoon or optional tour. Avalon did have several bicycles available for guest use on our trip; you could go for a ride in the afternoon or skip the morning tour and make a day of it. I believe AMA has bicycles as well.

Avalon has a special sale on Seine cruises right now that includes $1000 off per person as well as free air. Definitely worth the price, in my opinion!

I posted a detailed trip report of my Avalon cruise on the Creativity on this itinerary in June. You can find it by searching this forum. Granted I was in France for the record rains & floods but Avalon handled all of this very well. There were bikes available for use and you are never obligated to do any of the included tours. Feel free to ask any questions.

I sailed on Avalon Tapestry II early July, 2016. We debated on which ship/cruise line and picked Avalon Tapestry II because of the wide French balconies. It was a perfect choice, we loved the balcony. We thoroughly enjoyed our week and met a lot of nice people. Most passengers were middle age or older. Our Cruise Director, Nynke, was very knowledgeable, helpful, personable, and her talks were entertaining. The crew really seemed to enjoy their jobs and made us feel like guests. Captain Laurent was nice and very approachable. The itinerary is amazing, so much to see. There was no time to be bored and we did a lot of walking. The local tour guides were top notch. I highly recommend Avalon. I previously took two cruises in Germany with Uniworld, which I also enjoyed.

Thank you for the input everyone! We were looking at the avalon trip mainly because of the current offers. The jump up to the French balcony is very steep though and I'm not sure I can justify the cost.

We went on this cruise with our 17 yr old & 22 yr old daughters July/16 and none of us were bored. If you really want to do a bike tour, though, I wonder if they have one in Rouen? We had extra time to explore the city - time you could potentially spend on a bike tour, maybe?

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Thank you for the input everyone! We were looking at the avalon trip mainly because of the current offers. The jump up to the French balcony is very steep though and I'm not sure I can justify the cost.

You don't need it. Simply walk up to the top deck, or the outside deck off the lounge at the bow of the ship for all the views you need.

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Thank you for the input everyone! We were looking at the avalon trip mainly because of the current offers. The jump up to the French balcony is very steep though and I'm not sure I can justify the cost.

Hello Fastball,

We were on the Avalon Luminary this June on the Blue Danube Discovery cruise. We had a french balcony, which was great, but hey, we were out of the room most of the time, either on excursions, eating in the dining room, sitting in the lounge or public areas. We didn't see too much at night. As such, having the french balcony is great, but is it worth the money if you're not really using it.

There were bikes on the Luminary for complimentary use, but no organized excursion tour. I'd just rode into town & looked around by myself.

We enjoyed Avalon so much that we are taking advantage of their current promotion & have just booked Paris to Normandy cruise on the Creativity for this October and we did not book the french balcony this time.

Will be posting during our trip.

Anyhow, have fun & enjoy.

Hi All, new to river cruising and have a few questions before I book. My husband has never been to Europe and I am trying to book something that will make him want to go back again and again! I was originally looking at a bike and barge tour through Belgium, since my husband and I enjoy biking and craft beer, however, Normandy is really the only European destination he has ever wanted to visit since his father fought there.

 

I am looking at the Avalon Creativity for April 4, 2017. I am mid forties, my husband mid fifties and are very fit and active. I am worried about being a little bored with walking tours daily. Has anyone ventured off on this itinerary and done a bike tour along the way?

We're leaving on the Avalon Tapestry II doing the same itinerary on Saturday (10/1, 6 more days! Yeah!). It's basically the same trip, they alternate with the Tapestry II and the Creativity. (We picked the Tapestry II for the Panoramic suites, the price wasn't much of a difference in this case).

I'll try to give a rundown when we get back on what we thought of it.

For this particular itinerary, you don't need a balcony. The Seine isn't nearly as scenic as the Danube, and there isn't a lot of daytime sailing. As far as itinerary, look at the stops other than the Normandy Beaches, as well as what options there are to the Normandy Beaches. Realize in early April, Giverny hasn't opened yet, so see what the alternative is.

We did this itinerary on Uniworld in 2015, with a departure date of March 22. It was still a little chilly, but we dressed in layers, and were fine. We departed from Rouen for our Normandy excursion, which was all day. We chose the option which included the Bayeux Tapestry. The other two options were Juno Beach, and the 360 degree theater at Arromanches. We all ended up at the American Cemetery.

Instead of Giverny, we saw Versailles. Our favorite stop, however, was our day to the Cliffs of Etretat, followed by lunch at a Calvados farm, ending with an afternoon visit to Honfleur. It doesn't look like Avalon goes there.

Amawaterways is also having a nice sale currently, and we just booked a Rhine cruise with them.

Definitely spend a few days in Paris on your own. It's easy to DIY. And, there are plenty of places to get your Belgian beer fix! One which is centrally located is Au Trappiste.

Robin

Avalon offers an optional excursion to Honfleur. It was a delightful town.

Avalon offers an optional excursion to Honfleur. It was a delightful town.

Yes, we'll likely be doing that optional tour.

Yes, we'll likely be doing that optional tour.

A picture of La Vieux Bassin in Honfleur. We were here about 3 weeks ago with Azamara. Very picturesque, with lots of little shops & restaurants.

Hope the picture attaches. If not, I'll try again.

Enjoy Honfleur.