All things Avalon Paris to Normandy

Honfleur has wonderful food and shops too.:)

We are confirmed on the Tapestry II on Oct 17 to Normandy. We are excited as it is our first river cruise.

We selected the Bizy excursion instead of Giverny.

We might change to the tour of Honfleur but now we are on the Route des Chaumieres while in Caudebec. We are also doing the US landing beaches tour.

We chose the Conflans sightseeing tour in the morning and might be Versailles in the afternoon but there will only be 30 minutes between the end and beginning of the two tours. Plus I don't want to fight the crowds at Versailles but hoping they won't be bad in October.

Last but not least we are doing the walking tour of Paris at the end.

This should be a lot of fun and we are looking forward to it.

Giba35 - please come back and post your thoughts on your choices of excursions. I always find it helpful to see what others liked / didn't like to help make my decisions.

Kelly

While my DH and I didn't travel on Avalon, we did do Uniworld's Paris/Normandy cruise in late March and absolutely loved it. We went 2 days early, and ran ourselves ragged, seeing as much as we could, before boarding. We managed to see Notre Dame (and went to the top), the Louvre (and went back a 2nd day, on the last day of our cruise-on our own), the catacombs, Sainte Chapelle, the Arc de Triomphe (went to the top at twilight-gorgeous), and the Eiffel Tower (also went to the top-book early!!!). We stayed at the Hotel da Vinci, which had a spa pool in its basement, which could be reserved for a private swim. After 10 miles of walking each day for 2 days, it was a welcome treat.

Honfleur was one of our included tours, and I highly recommend it. It was probably one of our favorite stops. I'm happy to answer any questions about other choices, since most lines are going to offer pretty much the same excursions.

I will say, we hated the Versailles experience. Even in March, it was incredibly, miserably crowded. The gardens were lovely, however.

Robin

We are confirmed on the Tapestry II on Oct 17 to Normandy. We are excited as it is our first river cruise. ...

I did a quick roll call search for this sailing, and so far, you're the only one I've found on this sailing.

We've done three previous river cruises, all on Uniworld, so Avalon is new to us and I've never been to Paris or Normandy before, so I'm looking forward to this cruise.

just got back from this tour with avalon, and do intend to write up a longer report.... just a quick note. everything was, truly, wonderful. the room was a wee bit smaller than it looks in the catalog, but the ship is in pristine condition, and the floor to ceiling "door wall"that you can open is lovely. food was much better than we expected, esp dinners. breakfast got boring, although the eggs made to order were great, esp the omlettes. wine at dinner was good, and plentiful. our waiters were excellent, and we enjoyed Florian especially, he gave very good recommendations.

we did the Honfleur excursion and it was excellent. also did the Van Gogh excursion (my husband loved it and he doesn't especially care for Van Gogh!) some of the same local guides did many of the excursions and they were all wonderful. Martin really brought Joan of arc to life. we loved Rouen. it was a bit cooler and rainier than we had hoped, and We still had a wonderful time. did the US beaches in Normandy and it was a very informative and interesting day.

very organized cruise director (Karolyn) and they had umbrellas for the boat, and the front desk was very helpful with information, etc. we did the walking tour near Notre dame with the guide, and the Louve, and really learned a lot. wonderful trip!

While my DH and I didn't travel on Avalon, we did do Uniworld's Paris/Normandy cruise in late March and absolutely loved it. We went 2 days early, and ran ourselves ragged, seeing as much as we could, before boarding. We managed to see Notre Dame (and went to the top), the Louvre (and went back a 2nd day, on the last day of our cruise-on our own), the catacombs, Sainte Chapelle, the Arc de Triomphe (went to the top at twilight-gorgeous), and the Eiffel Tower (also went to the top-book early!!!). We stayed at the Hotel da Vinci, which had a spa pool in its basement, which could be reserved for a private swim. After 10 miles of walking each day for 2 days, it was a welcome treat.

 

Honfleur was one of our included tours, and I highly recommend it. It was probably one of our favorite stops. I'm happy to answer any questions about other choices, since most lines are going to offer pretty much the same excursions.

 

I will say, we hated the Versailles experience. Even in March, it was incredibly, miserably crowded. The gardens were lovely, however.

 

Robin

We're doing this cruise next year on Uniworld! We are giving some thought to skipping the Versailles excursion and staying on the boat. We are so excited! We're going to Paris 3 days prior to the cruise. We ended up using Uniworld's package.

We've only been on one other river cruise (Uniworld River Beatrice). We loved it so much that we booked another with Uniworld.

One of the things we are thinking about doing while in Paris, is a evening boat ride (maybe dinner?) on the Siene. Is this something they offer?

We're doing this cruise next year on Uniworld! We are giving some thought to skipping the Versailles excursion and staying on the boat. We are so excited! We're going to Paris 3 days prior to the cruise. We ended up using Uniworld's package.

 

We've only been on one other river cruise (Uniworld River Beatrice). We loved it so much that we booked another with Uniworld.

 

One of the things we are thinking about doing while in Paris, is a evening boat ride (maybe dinner?) on the Siene. Is this something they offer?

Uniworld doesn't offer an evening boat ride with its cruise package, I'm not sure about the pre-cruise package. I couldn't justify the high price of the pre-cruise package, compared to what I could do on my own. We probably paid 1/2 of what they charged, and saw A LOT, and on our schedule. The staff at our hotel had our museum passes waiting for us when we arrived, helped us with Metro directions to the various places we wanted to see (if the walk was too far), made dinner reservations, arranged our transportation to the dock, etc. The pre-cruise package looked very limited compared to what we did.

Our cruise director did her best to schedule things for guests that were beyond the offerings of Uniworld, so that would be a possibility too.

Robin

The staff at our hotel had our museum passes waiting for us when we arrived, helped us with Metro directions to the various places we wanted to see (if the walk was too far), made dinner reservations, arranged our transportation to the dock, etc. The pre-cruise package looked very limited compared to what we did.

I agree that you can do much more for less in Paris DIY. A Museum Pass is a great investment -- just for skipping the lines, even if you don't use it enough to save money [we did both]. For transit, buy tickets in carnets of 10 to save money. For directions, the transit website will give you exact directions (based on several choices like shortest time, least walking, fewest connections):

http://www.ratp.fr/itineraires/en/ratp/recherche-avancee

I planned out many of our routes within Paris before leaving home, and saved the results as PDFs on my laptop to refresh my memory before setting out.

Uniworld doesn't offer an evening boat ride with its cruise package, I'm not sure about the pre-cruise package. I couldn't justify the high price of the pre-cruise package, compared to what I could do on my own. We probably paid 1/2 of what they charged, and saw A LOT, and on our schedule. The staff at our hotel had our museum passes waiting for us when we arrived, helped us with Metro directions to the various places we wanted to see (if the walk was too far), made dinner reservations, arranged our transportation to the dock, etc. The pre-cruise package looked very limited compared to what we did.

 

Our cruise director did her best to schedule things for guests that were beyond the offerings of Uniworld, so that would be a possibility too.

 

Robin

Thanks for the info! On our last cruise, our cruise director arranged for us to have a private guide in several cities. I do know on this cruise we are not going to be on the go all the time. Last time we were totally exhausted. This time we're going to try and go a more leisurely pace in Paris. We aren't ones to make our own plans. Used to be that way. Now we just go with whatever is offered through the ship. We are really looking forward to this cruise. :)

Another option to taking the cruise company's pre or post excursion package is to hire your own private guide. You can often book into the same hotel that the cruise is using for less money vs going through them. This gives you the convenience of not having to transfer hotels but you still save money.

I use PrivateGuide.com to hire private guides. You can enter the city you are looking for and the language that you need and it will give you a list of guides. You then contact the guides directly to check their availability and negotiate with rates. Often the private guides will suggest an itinerary if you let them know what will be included with your river cruise. This will help maximize what you can see and if you use a tour guide, you also get to skip lines. I used this site for my recent visit to Turkey and it worked very well.

Another option to taking the cruise company's pre or post excursion package is to hire your own private guide. You can often book into the same hotel that the cruise is using for less money vs going through them. This gives you the convenience of not having to transfer hotels but you still save money.

 

I use PrivateGuide.com to hire private guides. You can enter the city you are looking for and the language that you need and it will give you a list of guides. You then contact the guides directly to check their availability and negotiate with rates. Often the private guides will suggest an itinerary if you let them know what will be included with your river cruise. This will help maximize what you can see and if you use a tour guide, you also get to skip lines. I used this site for my recent visit to Turkey and it worked very well.

Thank you for this info. We have a couple of free days so this might work out well for us. We really do like having a private guide. We get to do exactly what we want to do. Thanks!

sorry, I had asked the question of needing an adaptor on board ship for outlets, some of the boats need them. do we know if the Tapestry II does?

Hope this helps as this is the information on Avalon's website under Resources: Cruise FAQ

Electricity

Electricity on board is 220v. The bathrooms have a dual 220v/110-120v plug for shavers and small appliances. You will need an adapter or converter to use in other outlets in the stateroom for any small personal items such as a razor, curling iron or alarm clock. For specific details on land voltage requirements for each of the countries you are visiting, please refer to the Know Before You Go documents.

Just off Avalon Paris-Normandy; Paris- Cote d Zur. I asked about need for adapters on all Avalon river ships. Was told YES! all their ships only use Europeon outlets. I did need an adapter for my PC camera charger and iPhone.

Hope this helps as this is the information on Avalon's website under Resources: Cruise FAQ

Electricity

Electricity on board is 220v. The bathrooms have a dual 220v/110-120v plug for shavers and small appliances. You will need an adapter or converter to use in other outlets in the stateroom for any small personal items such as a razor, curling iron or alarm clock. For specific details on land voltage requirements for each of the countries you are visiting, please refer to the Know Before You Go documents.

We'd love to know when the Captain's/Farewell Dinner is served. It is usually the last night on board so do many skip it and go to the Moulin Rouge or is it held a different night?

Also, is the first night's dinner a special dinner or just regular?

We'd love to know when the Captain's/Farewell Dinner is served. It is usually the last night on board so do many skip it and go to the Moulin Rouge or is it held a different night?

The Farewell Dinner is held on the second last night so that the Moulin Rouge, etc. tours can take place on the last night aboard.

Also, is the first night's dinner a special dinner or just regular?

The first night's dinner is labeled "Embarkation Dinner", with "Dress code: smart casual, long trousers for the gentlemen."

Have a great cruise!

I love that "smart casual" means long trousers for the gentlemen! My kind of dress code.

...(I'm thinking a Taste of Normandy but hubby may want to do the beaches)....

Well, if it was me, I'd send my husband off to the beaches and I'd do the other tour! Nothing to say you need to do the same excursions.

Jazz,

Thanks for the comments! I think we will follow your suggestions. I've been leaning toward Honfleur, if only to see the town where so many great artists have found inspiration.

Don't forget Eric Satie--he's one of those 'artists' from Honfleur. It truly is a charming little town. Too bad Avalon doesn't make it that far on the river, but I know few companies actually do, although some go to Le Havre instead, which would at least save a longer bus ride. We were there on an Ocean cruise.

I see no signs that Avalon offers an excursion to the Canadian D-Day beaches as an alternative. Can someone confirm that this is true? (Not sure I'd even do this, but might--I'm considering Tauck, AMA and Avalon for this trip in 2017--Uniworld cabins are just too small and prices seem out of whack.) It also seems to me that many excursions on Avalon are "optional extras", is this perception correct?

 

Well, if it was me, I'd send my husband off to the beaches and I'd do the other tour! Nothing to say you need to do the same excursions.

 

Absolutely - you can and should each take whichever excursion you prefer, even if you "split up" for the day.

I see no signs that Avalon offers an excursion to the Canadian D-Day beaches as an alternative. Can someone confirm that this is true? (Not sure I'd even do this, but might--

Avalon offers two choices of "Normandy Beaches" excursion - American beaches, and Commonwealth beaches (primarily the Canadian Juno beach). There is some overlap (e.g., "Pegasus Bridge") between the two choices, but you'd be happy with the Canadian beaches choice.

I'm considering Tauck, AMA and Avalon for this trip in 2017--Uniworld cabins are just too small and prices seem out of whack.) It also seems to me that many excursions on Avalon are "optional extras", is this perception correct?

There are approximately equal numbers of "included" and "optional" excursions. It's possible to take only "included" excursions and have a full schedule.

I love that "smart casual" means long trousers for the gentlemen! My kind of dress code.

 

 

 

 

 

Well, if it was me, I'd send my husband off to the beaches and I'd do the other tour! Nothing to say you need to do the same excursions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don't forget Eric Satie--he's one of those 'artists' from Honfleur. It truly is a charming little town. Too bad Avalon doesn't make it that far on the river, but I know few companies actually do, although some go to Le Havre instead, which would at least save a longer bus ride. We were there on an Ocean cruise.

 

 

 

I see no signs that Avalon offers an excursion to the Canadian D-Day beaches as an alternative. Can someone confirm that this is true? (Not sure I'd even do this, but might--I'm considering Tauck, AMA and Avalon for this trip in 2017--Uniworld cabins are just too small and prices seem out of whack.) It also seems to me that many excursions on Avalon are "optional extras", is this perception correct?

Avalon has an optional excursion to Honfluer. I forget from which stop. It's worth visiting as stated. Avalon did have the option to sign up for a Commonwealth tour to the DDay sites, but there had to be a minimum of guests signed up.

We booked our Grand France trip going northbound for May 7th with 2 nights extension. I have been rereading this thread and getting excited all over again! Thanks to all who have shared their experiences, it really helps in making our plans.

Just thought I'd pop back in after our October Grand France cruise, to see if there might be questions I could answer. It seems they are being answered the way I would already:-)

I would add that it was one of our more memorable river cruises.

Adding to the response on "included" excursions, I agree that Paris to Normandy segment has mostly included excursions with no need to add much more(maybe Honfleur...it is worth it and it was our 2nd time there) The Commonwealth Normandy tour is always an option, but it isn't mentioned specifically as much.

Paris to Cote d Azur segment has fewer included excursions(maybe because of it being wine country and people prefer to make a choice of cultural or medieval history or wine?)

We found Avalon very caring and accommodating of all passengers' needs/wants!

Have a great time!

I have made final payment for my May Paris to Normandy trip and we booked our airfare last week. I am definitely getting excited. As it gets closer, I will probably come back to get suggestions as to which excursion to take on the days that there is an option.

Kelly

When one says that the "Commonwealth" D-day tour is an option, does that mean it's a paid extra?

When one says that the "Commonwealth" D-day tour is an option, does that mean it's a paid extra?

Not paid. The "Normandy Beaches" included tour has two options - "American" beaches or "Commonwealth" beaches. Either is no charge.

When one says that the "Commonwealth" D-day tour is an option, does that mean it's a paid extra?

Yes. Instead of American you can choose Commonwealth or the Normandy countryside tour.