Paris and the Heart of Normandy Captured Our Hearts! Full Trip Report - Viking Rolf

Thanks for the in-depth review and pictures. You've now got me interested in this cruise with Viking.

I would look at other lines with shorter ships that are allowed to dock right in Paris rather than out in Le Pecq. Google maps says that it's 21 km and a 52 minute drive right now.

Thanks for sharing your trip with us. I will be going with Uniworld in August Paris to Normandy.

I would look at other lines with shorter ships that are allowed to dock right in Paris rather than out in Le Pecq. Google maps says that it's 21 km and a 52 minute drive right now.

While glad that the OP enjoyed their trip so much, I also would prefer to dock right in Paris. Furthermore I think it worthwhile to consider one of the lines that actually dock in Honfleur (I think there are four, but things have changed since I did the Seine in 2015).

Thanks PNFL!:D

:DHi FuelScience and Traveler Thom.. I do see your point.

Docking outside of Paris wasn't ideal but it didn't really put any damper on our trip either.

...Docking outside of Paris wasn't ideal but it didn't really put any damper on our trip either.

The most important part of any trip is your enjoyment of it. Once committed, ENJOY! Worrying about how it might have been better in someone else's mind is a recipe for disappointment.

Hello again!

Thought of a few more things that I forgot to include..

I wanted to mention the piano player on the ship.. he was wonderful.

His beautiful playing really added to the pleasure of the buffet lunches in the lounge that we enjoyed so much.

My favorite? His melodious rendition of "The Tennessee Waltz." I could listen to that all day.:hearteyes:

 

Also.. I should have included a closeup picture of what is inscribed on the stone monument on Omaha Beach.

 

Last but not least..Guess who can now make Grand Marnier crepes at home!

 

Can you compare Avalon and Viking? Those are the 2 lines we are considering.

 

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Can you compare Avalon and Viking? Those are the 2 lines we are considering.

We've cruised both lines--not on this itinerary, and we prefer Avalon. We like the big staterooms. Also, the Avalon ships are shorter, so they can dock right in Paris, whereas the 135 meter Viking Longships dock in Le Pecq.

Hello cookingmom and coasterwiggs!

We compared Viking to Avalon the whole week and they were so close.. so close.

 

Almost like comparing 2 fine Champagnes.. each slightly different yet each still makes you "taste the stars" as per Dom Perignon.

 

The bathrooms on Avalon were much larger than on Viking. Cabins were slightly bigger too. That was the only major difference.

The Viking ship was about 30% larger but that wasn't a positive or negative.

Self service coffee machine better for me on Avalon because it had a separate steamed milk function but on Viking they had fresh cookies on hand by the machine all day.

So if I'm comparing steamed milk vs not steamed milk that just shows that you would be super happy on either!

It probably just comes down to price and which company has availability the week you are able to go.

I can say that we thought the ports on the Rhine itinerary were more interesting than the ports on the Seine itinerary.

However.. we have been to Paris numerous times and had been to the D-Day landing beaches before as well.

If we hadn't we might have felt differently.

 

Hope that was helpful.:D

Oh sorry I missed you alexkrn46! Thank you!

Thanks so much Sleep7 - great review and it brought back some wonderful memories of our Viking Normandy cruise 2 years ago. We were lucky that we were one of the last few cruises where the boat was docked in Paris. I would think that it would make a big difference - we were able to walk or take a quick cab ride to the Eiffel tower. In fact either the first or second night we had dinner in the Eiffel tower which only made this trip more memorable! :)

Thanks for a great trip report.

 

We just returned a couple of weeks ago from a similar trip on Grand Circle, from Honfleur to Paris, Oct. 25-Nov. 4. You visited several of the locations that we stopped at, including Rouen, Vernon, Giverny, Les Andelys and the Normandy beaches. Our ship docked in Paris near a RER stop, so using the Metro for our transfer to a Parisian hotel was relatively easy.

 

Our ship did two consecutive night cruises of the river in Paris so that we could get photos of the Eiffel and little Liberty.

 

The only negative for our trip was that we were traveling from Los Angeles nonstop, which was exhausting.

 

We also got lucky on the weather in that we only had light rain on one day during the 15 days that we were away.

Can you compare Avalon and Viking? Those are the 2 lines we are considering.

 

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I cruised recently on both and loved Viking so much I booked another cruise with them this morning. Avalon was fine but wasn't crazy about the older boat they used called the Luminary. Food was amazing on my Viking trip as well. I would cruise again on Avalon but on one of their newer ships. One thing to consider the buses were much better on Viking than on Avalon. Tour guides were great on both.

Excellent review. We do this cruise with Viking in 2018.

:DThanks Melindda! Having a meal on the Eiffel Tower is super fun.. agreed.

:DThanks Jeff in Torrance! I could imagine that the 9 hour time difference was truly exhausting.:o

That's awesome that you lucked out with such great weather and for over 2 weeks!

:DThanks Solent Richard! Enjoy!!

We took this cruise in August. Instead of going on the American Beaches tour we opted for the Commonwealth Tour. Both are included tours. Unless you have a compelling personal reason to visit Omaha Beach, people should consider the alternate tour for the following reasons.

• Much less less crowded. There were only six people on the day we went.
  
• You visit the lovely town of Bayeux and the museum that houses the famous 70 m long 11th century tapestry depicting William the Conqueror's invasion of England. If you have any interest in history, this should be on your bucket list.
  
• You visit the Pegasus Bridge and museum. This is the actual bridge captured on D-Day that was featured in the movie "The Longest Day" and was filmed on location here. The grounds of the museum contain full size replicas of the gliders used in the assault. The museum also contains many artifacts from the battle, including the bagpipes used by the piper. This is also the site of the first member of the invading Allied armies to die as a result of enemy fire on D-Day.
  
• You visit Juno Beach, site of the landing of Canadian Forces. There are no cliffs so the beach has easy access.
  

Thanks for your great trip report and beautiful pictures! Now I have another trip to add to my list.

:DOh thanks Mimmy52!

Thanks for the trip report. We will follow in your footsteps October 2018.

 

 

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Thank you Sleep7. We will be be doing this cruise on the Viking Rinda on October 3, 2018. It sounds wonderful.

Cynthia

Thank you Music Cruiser and LunaSeaRetreat.:D

You are both in for a treat next October for sure!

Thank you, Sleep 7, for the excellent review. We will be going on Uniworld’s Paris and Normandy cruise in April, and it is a very similar itinerary. OneSixty, Uniworld gives you 3 choices for the D-Day excursions. 1: Full day including Utah, Omaha and Ste. Mere Eglise, 2: Full Day with Juno Beach to honor the Canadian forces, or 3: Full day which includes Bayeux which I’m assuming is the “Commomwealth” tour you are recommending. I am leaning toward the third one since I read phenomenal things about not only the Tapestry, but the town itself. Tough choice! I am watching The Longest Day again in further preparation. Thanks for the advice.

Thanks SOShrink.. have a great time!