Le Harve Normandy Excursion Choices?

[TheOldBear]

Our upcoming cruise [M733B] has a long day in Le Harve, and we are looking into one of the D-Day museum and beach expeditions.

 

We're still long time out from the cruise, and the roll call is quiet - the problem is I'm cursed with the advance planning gene :-)

 

The two obvious choices are Cunard's own tours [to either the British or American sectors] or Overlord's tour 9B [b for Bus].

 

Assuming you budget $20 per person for lunch on Overlord's tour, they are priced similarly.

 

Which option would you prefer?

 

Or if you have notes/complaints about either option, I would like to see them. [Quite a few favorable Overlord comments in 'ports of call' - nothing about Cunard's tour]

[DaddyWarbucks]

We rented a car, saw what we wanted, on our schedule, not theirs and saved some money too.

[BTV]

We did this cruise last October and went on the Cunard 's tour. We enjoyed it very much and had a lovely lunch at a farmhouse . We did the British landings . The guide was very knowledgeable . For us we usually use on board excursions as we don't want to "miss the boat''. Our cruise also visited Zeebrugge so we did tours to the World War 1 sites.

[Solent Richard]

While there is actually plenty to do in Le Havre itself the military enthusiast in me would go for the Overlord Tour.

 

Saving money on a DIY is not always wise as there is usually so much information imparted by the guides and, as already mentioned, little risk of missing the boat.

 

I've never had a bad excursion with Cunard so you can probably guess where my money would go.

 

Of course, if there was a particular site one wished to see and it was not on the Cunard itinerary, then that would be a different matter.

[LondonTowner]

We have been in the Normandy area a few times on land holidays with our own car. Therefore, I would hire a car. It is very easy driving with little traffic on the roads.

 

Most of the museums have guided tours included in the price, but always have n audio guide.

 

Apart from the solemnity of what happened in the region, it is beautiful countryside with loads to see and do.

[TheOldBear]

After some discussion at home, we decided to book the ship's tour - going to the American sector.

[Solent Richard]

After some discussion at home, we decided to book the ship's tour - going to the American sector.

 

Good decision.

[Bigmike911]

While, it's possible to save money on your own, a Cunard tour has one big advantage: The ship won't leave with out you. I saw this myself on the 2009 tour around the British Isles on QM2. We docked in Greenoch as the Clyde is too shallow at Glasgow for a ship the size of the queen. Cunard tours went out in all directions, and in the evening as we were waiting for all the tours to return and the fireworks celebrating QM2's first call to the Clyde, the Captain announced that we would be delayed for two hours while a replacement bus went out to fetch some stranded passengerss. Missing the boat because you got back late can be a very dangerous thing.

 

On my November crossing from Hamburg, I am planning to take Cunard's tour to Bath for the one day we are in Southampton. And will a late afternoon sailing, it would be a disaster to miss the boat to NYC. You cannot pick it up at sea.

[LondonTowner]

Professional tour operators have their reputation to protect to get you back late to the ship. It's very rare somebody misses the ship and if you are on a British Isles cruise really not the end of the world.

 

If I had to choose between being in a mini bus with six to eight other people or a full 59 seater coach, I know which I'd choose.

 

On the very odd occasion we have taken a ship's excursion it has Beeb due to accessibility or time constraints.

[Lilydes]

Professional tour operators have their reputation to protect to get you back late to the ship. It's very rare somebody misses the ship and if you are on a British Isles cruise really not the end of the world.

 

 

The most respectable tour company can be affected by adverse weather, a bad accident closing roads, having an accident themselves etc.all these could make the tour late for the ship, which will not wait.

 

I was also on the British Isles cruise on QM2 where two busloads of passengers were very late. If I remember correctly the hold up was due to adverse traffic conditions outside Glasgow. Since then, we have only taken localised outside tours, so if something did happen we could jump in a cab and get back in time.

 

As for missing the next port on a BI cruise not being the end of the world: if the next port is over the Irish sea or the English channel, it comes very near it!!

[MarkBearSF]

Enjoy your voyage. And thank you for making me smile, remembering the QE2 Chart Room where the map behind the bar had the same typo that caught you. We raised many a martini toasting "Harve!"