Paris and Normandy

[geomoe]

We are going on the Serenade of the Seas in April-May transalantic. One of the stops is Le Harve. Rccl has several tours going into Pairs. If anyone can give info on this tour and also the tour to Normandy that would be great. Thank you

[Pet Nit Noy]

We are going on the Serenade of the Seas in April-May transalantic. One of the stops is Le Harve. Rccl has several tours going into Pairs. If anyone can give info on this tour and also the tour to Normandy that would be great. Thank you

 

Have you posted this same question on the RCCL board? If not, I recommend you do so.

[John Bull]

Common spelling mistake - it's Le Havre.

And common misunderstanding of "Normandy". It's a region (departement) of France, and you're already there in Le Havre. ;)

Can I guess you're looking at the D-Day landing beaches & sights?

 

Paris is over 2 hrs away. Most go using ship's tours or "Paris on-your-own" transfer, mainly for the security of not having to worry about getting back to the ship on time. Tour or transfer is a matter of personal preference, the sights are easily navigable by metro or ho-ho bus or ho-ho boat, & you can decide on your own priorities & time-scale. But you'll lose some time travelling between sights & you'll not have a guide.

Some go to Paris by train, it involves a hike or taxi hop to the station then direct trains roughly hourly. Much cheaper if there's just two of you.

Some go by rented car or van, there's a cost advantage for a group, but little advantage once you're there - traffic is a risk in & out & around the peripherique, and although the central streets are usually surprisingly free-flowing, parking can be diabolical so most just park-up for the day.

A private tour (perhaps a shared van with others on your ship's RollCall) might be worth considering but if you want a guide to show you round the sights it'd have to be separate driver & guide cos of that parking.

You've only got one day & much of that will be taken up by travel & wiggle-time.

You don't quote were you're from, can I guess the USA?

If you've got your heart set on Paris & you're unlikely to return then that's better than never seeing the place. If you're European or quite young I'd firmly suggest that you skip Paris on this cruise & give the city the several days that it deserves at some future time.

 

The D-Day beaches & sights.

There's no suitable public transport, or worthwhile/economic tours to be found on the pier.

Tours are quite an expensive business whether by ship's tour or private tour. Private tours come very highly recommended but they're expensive and you may find they're already booked-out. Plenty of operators, search this forum (and the Britain/western Europe) forum using a key word like D-Day, Normandy or beaches. Lots of other info on those threads too.

One option is to check your RollCall to see if anyone has booked a van tour & is looking for sharers. That's probably the best compromise between standard of experience & cost - but bear in mind that it's the organiser's itinerary so check where they're going & how long at each place.

A lot of folk rent a car to tour the sights. By far the cheapest option for four or more, much more of an adventure, and the navigation / driving / parking are pretty straightforward. You do need to research the background, the sights & your route but there's plenty of help on the web, including this forum. Whilst you won't get the excellent background info that you'd have on a tour, there's plenty of staff & signage at the sites if English is your only language.

Be aware that ships' tours concentrate (often solely) on the sights of US interest. If you're Brit or Canadian you'll be disappointed at the fleeting or non-existent sights & references to your country's involvement. You'll probably need to share a private tour or rented vehicle with fellow-countrymen in order to visit places like the Juno centre or Pegasus bridge.

 

We don't tend to do ships' tours, some of our reasons are above. So, sorry, can't help with advice on those tours. As PNN's response, its worth repeating your question on the RCI board

 

JB :)

[KirkNC]

Paris certainly deserves more than a few hours, it would be hard to see the "must sees" in a few weeks.

 

We used a group called Overlord to take a tour of the Normandy beaches and cemetery from Le Harve. They did a very good job.

Edited December 18, 2014 by KirkNC

[lamchops]

A lot of folk rent a car to tour the sights. By far the cheapest option for four or more, much more of an adventure, and the navigation / driving / parking are pretty straightforward. You do need to research the background, the sights & your route but there's plenty of help on the web, including this forum. Whilst you won't get the excellent background info that you'd have on a tour, there's plenty of staff & signage at the sites if English is your only language.

Be aware that ships' tours concentrate (often solely) on the sights of US interest. If you're Brit or Canadian you'll be disappointed at the fleeting or non-existent sights & references to your country's involvement. You'll probably need to share a private tour or rented vehicle with fellow-countrymen in order to visit places like the Juno centre or Pegasus bridge.

 

We don't tend to do ships' tours, some of our reasons are above. So, sorry, can't help with advice on those tours. As PNN's response, its worth repeating your question on the RCI board

 

JB :)

 

I followed JB's advice in 2012 to visit the British & Canadian sites. The driving was pretty easy even with the French gps that came with the car. Juno beach had an interactive museum which along with our research led to an informative and humbling experience. With the car, we also had time to visit the Bayeaux Tapestry, Beny-sur-Mer cemetary, and Pegasus Bridge

 

I will DIY on our next visit to the American sites but will have to do some research to enhance the experience.

 

A Sunday rental in 2012 cost us about $200us for everything including gas & tolls. Our recent weekday visit in September was about $50 less. If you drive, watch out for the photo radar cameras.

Edited December 25, 2014 by lamchops