All Aug. 17 Paris shore excursions canceled on Aug. 7 Regal Princess British Isles cruise?

[Sundodger2]

Hello all -- Have a bit of a mystery. We're booked on the Regal 12 day British Isles leaving Aug. 7. Among the most excited ports was Le Harve to get to Paris -- we did a TA years ago that was supposed to stop there and it was shifted from Le Harve to Cherbourg last min due to "port congestion" and missed Paris so we were very excited to get a second shot this time. We booked an excursion through Princess to get the bus into Paris for the city tour plus river cruise on the Rheine.  It was perfect. Fast forward to a few days ago when we got a mystery small ($30pp) partial refund notice from our credit card from Princess with no accompanying note or email or anything. It's been days, still nothing from Princess. But panicked I logged onto our app. Reservation still there. Itinerary still there (well the modified one after they lost Dublin/Liverpool 😞 ). Shore excursions still there.....except for Le Harve... now blank. Noooo! But it's $30?  Skipping the story on the money part because that will just confuse everything, a call to my TA and then linked call to Princess and 4 transfers later and a very frustrated TA, all we could get from them was "the excursion was not available for that date."   What does that mean? "you booked an excursion that was no longer available." No I booked this excursion like 8 months ago. It's been fine for 7.9 months. Anyway that's all I got from them - no explanation why or what. And we're heartbroken but there's a deeper mystery...

 

Le Harve is still on our ship itinerary, same dock time as before and there are still more than a dozen shore excursions available --around Le Harve and Normandy, but none of the ones that go to Paris are there. But subsequent cruises same ship/nearly same itinerary -- excursion still there. My TA pointed me to another company that does cruise tours and I excitedly went over there to find... the same thing -- tours available close to the port; nothing to Paris. Choosing the sailing after ours and all the tours to Paris are available. We're supposed to be in Paris on Aug. 17 -- that several days after the Olympics end so we figure that's not it. 

 

Anyone know what gives? Seems like it can't be port related issue because then it'd be all or nothing right? Why *just* the Paris tours for *just* that sailing? (PS if also on that sailing - check your tickets!)

 

And also does anyone have any ideas on how else to get to Paris from Le Harve? Too risky? Good experiences? 

 

[threebluestars]

They have been cancelling all Princess Paris excursions through August - probably because of the Olympics. The Le Havre stop is still on, but not the excursions Princess runs to Paris - you may be able to find 3rd party or do the train, but then no guarantee back to the ship.

 

 

[BlerkOne]

Olympic Games Paris 2024 - 26 July - 11 August, 2024,

 

so I dunno.

[katisdale]

The $30 might be port and taxes refund from not visiting Dublin/Liverpool. I would not go to Paris from Normandy. I would either fly into Paris and start my trip from there or go to Paris from London on the Eurostar.

[donaldsc]

14 minutes ago, threebluestars said:

They have been cancelling all Princess Paris excursions through August - probably because of the Olympics. The Le Havre stop is still on, but not the excursions Princess runs to Paris - you may be able to find 3rd party or do the train, but then no guarantee back to the ship.

 

 

 

Didn't Princess know about the olympics before they offered and booked the tour.  It isn't as if the dates of the olympics was a secret.  Typical cruise line idiocy.

 

DON

[BlerkOne]

6 minutes ago, donaldsc said:

 

Didn't Princess know about the olympics before they offered and booked the tour.  It isn't as if the dates of the olympics was a secret.  Typical cruise line idiocy.

 

DON

Don't cruisers?

[EDVM96]

Welcome to Le Havre. Port is on strike again.

🙄

Edited Sunday at 12:55 AM by EDVM96

[Sundodger2]

21 minutes ago, BlerkOne said:

Don't cruisers?

As you pointed out the Olympics end on Aug. 11. Le Harve port date is Aug. 17. We made sure when choosing this cruise we would not be in Paris during the Games and we figured being there after was better than being there before. Those were the same dates for the Olympics when Princess took our money to book the excursion last summer?  If it were port related issue wouldn't it affect all excursions?

[kiwimum]

Don’t forget the restrictions for Paris access may still be in effect thru the Paralympic Games.

[BlerkOne]

2 minutes ago, Sundodger2 said:

As you pointed out the Olympics end on Aug. 11. Le Harve port date is Aug. 17. We made sure when choosing this cruise we would not be in Paris during the Games and we figured being there after was better than being there before. Those were the same dates for the Olympics when Princess took our money to book the excursion last summer?  If it were port related issue wouldn't it affect all excursions?

If port related, yes.

 

Princess doesn't operate excursions, so whoever they contracted with has canceled for whatever reason. I doubt Princess would have offered excursions without having a contract in place.

 

Viator seems to have some shore excursions available to Paris, but at least one isn't - the one with a Seine River cruise.

 

I agree that the $30 is unlikely to be related to this issue.

[JimmyVWine]

1 hour ago, donaldsc said:

Typical cruise line idiocy

Nope. These excursions are outsourced. At some point, (probably later than was rational), the third-party providers notified Princess that passengers would not be allowed into Paris and at that time Princess pivoted. This was as predictable by Princess as it was to the passengers. Last year, well after I booked our UK cruise, the date of the King’s coronation was set in May. I knew immediately that my excursion to Windsor Castle en route to Heathrow was never going to happen and planned accordingly. About 2 months in advance we were notified that Windsor Castle would be closed to visitors on the day we were supposed to go there. But I had already made other plans. Same here. It’s not like the Olympics can sneak up on anyone. 

[BlerkOne]

This may not be related, but perhaps something similar?

 

https://www.express.co.uk/travel/articles/1915899/travel-holidays-provider-goes-bust

 

 

[Torfamm]

2 hours ago, wcook said:

4 hours ago, Hlitner said:

do wonder about anyone who really wants to see Paris and thinks the best way is on a port day.

 
If someone has never been to Paris and is unlikely to have another opportunity, it’s worth it. But, otherwise, yeah. 

 

 

It’s also possible to only have enough interest in a city to be satisfied with a three hour tour that lets you see the highlights. Whether it’s worth a three hour trip each way is another question.
 

I’d be very reluctant to try to make my way to Paris on my own at a time when no tour operator is running shore excursions there. It’s a tight time frame on this itinerary 
 

I’d keep watching to see if anyone starts offering tours and look for one with a return to ship guarantee.

 

[Abercrombie2019]

In July of 2023 Princess cancelled the excursions to the Palace of Versailles and the Louvre months before the cruise.  The shore excursion department said it was because they could not secure the admission tickets.  (Thought that they were using a generic excuse.)  

 

They did re-offer the Versailles excursion once we were on board - at a slightly increased cost to what we had originally purchased.

[Hlitner]

4 hours ago, Torfamm said:

 

 

It’s also possible to only have enough interest in a city to be satisfied with a three hour tour that lets you see the highlights. Whether it’s worth a three hour trip each way is another question.
 

I’d be very reluctant to try to make my way to Paris on my own at a time when no tour operator is running shore excursions there. It’s a tight time frame on this itinerary 
 

I’d keep watching to see if anyone starts offering tours and look for one with a return to ship guarantee.

 

I agree and would not consider taking the train to Paris with the early 6pm ship departure.  But it is possible, if one is willing to settle for only 3-4 hours in the city.

 

As to an excursion, 3-4 hours in Paris, using a bus, means there is very little time to see or do much.  One can certainly drive past a few places and make a quick stop, but that is not much, given the price the cruise lines charge for excursions.  With such a short port day in Le Havre, we would suggest doing some kind of tour of the D-Day beaches, cemetery, etc.  

 

I cannot help but wonder if the tour operator cancelled the Paris excursions because of that short port day.  Keep in mind that the cruise lines do not operate excursions but are simply booking agencies for local tour providers.  It is a crazy summer in Paris with the Olympics and ParaOlympics.  The city will be more crowded than usual, and then there are issues with political unrest, strikes, demonstrations, etc.  Paris normally quiets down in August (when many French go off on their summer month-long holiday) but this summer is going to likely be the exception to that rule. 

[phabric]

The Paralympic Olympics starts August 28 after the Olympics finishes maybe that is why your excursion was cancelled.

[LCM511]

Currently on Regal Princess and all Paris excursions tomorrow were canceled at the start of the cruise. 

[arizonaperson]

@sundodger2

perhaps too many threats and or  transportation strikes going on in Paris right now. Maybe Princess feels it’s best to cancel now instead of waiting? Or the vendor of bus/ guide canceled with Princess due to the uncertainty of providing the service.

Maybe the post above: on Regal now can elaborate of why all their Paris excursions were cancelled .

 

[LCM511]

Heading to Normandy myself but a fellow passenger reported hers was canceled due to traffic. She said they were told heavy traffic led to a 5-6 hour bus ride to Paris and only an hour spent in the city on the sailing before this. 

[Sundodger2]

1 hour ago, LCM511 said:

Currently on Regal Princess and all Paris excursions tomorrow were canceled at the start of the cruise. 

Did they give any reason why? That would about jive when it seemed to disappear off our schedule. 

[JG&Lcruisingnewbies]

France has elections today. Results overnight. It’s a particularly fraught election shall we say. A chance of problems once results are in. 
 

please correct if wrong and it’s nothing to do with the elections

 

But I can say 100% if I was due to travel into Paris for tomorrow with what I know about these elections, I’d be cancelling

 

so whatever the reason, I still would advise avoiding Paris at the moment.

 

just my opinion from the UK 

 

edit- to be fair to Princess, Macron called this election only 4 weeks ago. This isn’t a long planned event

Edited Sunday at 05:44 PM by JG&Lcruisingnewbies
Added info

[Sundodger2]

To those wondering "Why on Earth would this be the way you'd want to see Paris?" Agree it's not like we would be at home thinking "Hey, let's go to Paris and I know just how to do it! We'll take a cruise from London that lands in a city 3 hours away and we'll take a long bus and get to see the sights for 3 hours then race back and spend $600 to do it! It'll be the perfect way!" 🙂  Our kids are teens; one graduates next year and family cruising has been our jam through their lives though all around North America as travelling/flying far in school breaks and summer is difficult and $$$. We were looking to splurge for that one last big hurrah before kid 1 goes off to college next summer. The kids have only been to Europe once -- we did the best TA ever from ORL to Copenhagen but that was several years ago when they were young enough that missing two weeks of school wasn't the end of the world.  This cruise was the perfect length at the perfect time to shoehorn into our summer and OMG it had an opportunity for the kids to see Paris too?!? It was one of the main selling points of selecting that sailing.

 

We'd love to have someday planned a trip just to Paris and spend some time there to really see the sights but that wasn't going to happen (especially trying to dodge the Olympics) . But 3 hours was better than 0. My wife spent a few days in Paris years ago but none of the rest of us have ever been there. It was an awesome way to "Sneak it in" for the rest of us and add an awesome bow on top of the trip so we are very disappointed the option appears to have been lost and we would have likely chosen another route/trip/time had we known Paris wasn't an option. 

[Sundodger2]

1 minute ago, Sundodger2 said:

To those wondering "Why on Earth would this be the way you'd want to see Paris?" Agree it's not like we would be at home thinking "Hey, let's go to Paris and I know just how to do it! We'll take a cruise from London that lands in a city 3 hours away and we'll take a long bus and get to see the sights for 3 hours then race back and spend $600 to do it! It'll be the perfect way!" 🙂  Our kids are teens; one graduates next year and family cruising has been our jam through their lives though all around North America as travelling/flying far in school breaks and summer is difficult and $$$. We were looking to splurge for that one last big hurrah before kid 1 goes off to college next summer. The kids have only been to Europe once -- we did the best TA ever from ORL to Copenhagen but that was several years ago when they were young enough that missing two weeks of school wasn't the end of the world.  This cruise was the perfect length at the perfect time to shoehorn into our summer and OMG it had an opportunity for the kids to see Paris too?!? It was one of the main selling points of selecting that sailing.

 

We'd love to have someday planned a trip just to Paris and spend some time there to really see the sights but that wasn't going to happen (especially trying to dodge the Olympics) . But 3 hours was better than 0. My wife spent a few days in Paris years ago but none of the rest of us have ever been there. It was an awesome way to "Sneak it in" for the rest of us and add an awesome bow on top of the trip so we are very disappointed the option appears to have been lost and we would have likely chosen another route/trip/time had we known Paris wasn't an option. 

It's also a bit eyebrow raising that this did not happen until the moment after our 45 day cancellation window passed. 

[Paula_MacFan]

1 hour ago, Sundodger2 said:

To those wondering "Why on Earth would this be the way you'd want to see Paris?" Agree it's not like we would be at home thinking "Hey, let's go to Paris and I know just how to do it! 🙂  

You don't have to justify your excursion choices! I'm sorry your excursion was cancelled. We did the Paris city tour with lunch cruise on the Seine last fall from Le Havre, and it was a highlight of our trip.  I hope you enjoy the other ports on your cruise 😊

[phabric]

I had booked for November 2023 Mediterranean and Israel cruise.  It took Princess awhile to cancel the 2 ports in Israel and a few more months to add 2 new ports and excursions.  Many passengers were disappointed and cancelled.