Overlord Tour

Interested in visiting the D Day beaches.Considering using Overlord tours who have a tour 9B which visits some of the sights.Anyone did this tour?

Yep! If you look on Trip Advisor, you'll see they get stellar reviews! We just did this a few weeks ago and LOVED it!! We had 8 people in our group and our guide was Rethro. I can't say enough great things about them. Our guide was so friendly and knowledgeable, and great at including our 13 year old son in the conversations too (he was the only kid in our group). We went to Omaha Beach, drove through the towns nearby that, then up the coast a bit to the memorials that are there. We stopped at the American Cemetery, where he let our group decide how long we wanted to spend there on our own, which we really enjoyed. Then we went to Pointe Du Hoc, which was so crazy to hear that story and see how it looked!! Incredible stories!! Finally, we went to Bayeux where we had some lunch at a place we just all agreed upon, then went to the cathedral there. Because we spent a little too much time chatting and eating, we had only a short amount of time to see the tapestries. We did all go in (you have to buy your ticket for that) and kind of ran through it in like 10 minutes. Because we were there on a national holiday, and a Friday, he was concerned about traffic.

You'll find plenty of reviews that seem to mostly, if not all, positive. Check with your roll call, that's how we found a group to book with, to share the cost as it's for 10 people.

Kctwinmommy

Thanks for the fast response and detailed info.

We also used Overlord....They were fantastic....My husband designed the tour, and we had James as our guide...FABULOUS!!

For those we that did the small group private tour -- not the bus tour -- how did you arrange a commitment for payment with your group?

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For those we that did the small group private tour -- not the bus tour -- how did you arrange a commitment for payment with your group?

We emailed with each other during the months before the cruise, once we determined our 3 parties from our roll call. It was a woman with her parents (3 people), another couple (2), and then us and our son (3). So us 3 women all emailed each other, kind of got to know each other a little bit. It was actually funny because the woman with her parents were also from Chicago, and the woman lives like 3 miles down the road from us! LOL!

We just calculated the price/person, and then we each brought the amount of money (in Euros) that we needed. I guess we just all had to hope that everyone else would bring it too. The one woman had to actually make our reservation with her credit card though, but it didn't charge her anything. It was just to hold our tour and if we didn't show up, then they would have charged her card.

For those we that did the small group private tour -- not the bus tour -- how did you arrange a commitment for payment with your group?

 

 

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We did a small group tour five years ago with them and it was fabulous. This was with a group organized on our Roll Call. As to the payment commitment, it's definitely a big risk to be the organizer (which I was) and have your credit card on the hook if one or or more of your new Roll Call friends doesn't show. Per the suggestion of one of the folks in our group, everyone agreed via email in advance that right after our Meet and Greet the first morning (we were on an eastbound TA), everyone would give me their share in cash (to go right into my cabin safe). That gave us plenty of time to cancel if people didn't pay.

Do be careful..I've read some horror stories on here of folks being stuck by no shows on private excursions.

Have a great time!

We did a small group tour five years ago with them and it was fabulous. This was with a group organized on our Roll Call. As to the payment commitment, it's definitely a big risk to be the organizer (which I was) and have your credit card on the hook if one or or more of your new Roll Call friends doesn't show. Per the suggestion of one of the folks in our group, everyone agreed via email in advance that right after our Meet and Greet the first morning (we were on an eastbound TA), everyone would give me their share in cash (to go right into my cabin safe). That gave us plenty of time to cancel if people didn't pay.

 

Do be careful..I've read some horror stories on here of folks being stuck by no shows on private excursions.

 

Have a great time!

Sorry to resurrect this old topic, but I too am finding myself in this conundrum. I was told I need to pay in full at time of booking, so for us thats for a private tour for $1213 in July of 2019. I'm fine with giving my CC info to hold it, but to pay that much 1.5 years in advance is not feasible. Is that what you had to do?

(No, I havent even tried to find others to join us, I will of course, but havent started it yet as our Roll call is very small at the moment)

Just wondering how this was handled with you?

July isn't 18 months (1.5 years) in advance, but I don't see a reason to book that early. Not surprised your Roll Call isn't very active yet...it is a bit early.

We were in Bayeaux on a land tour. We didn't have to book the vehicle, just our two seats. Yes, we paid in advance...about 3 or 4 months, as I recall.

July isn't 18 months (1.5 years) in advance, but I don't see a reason to book that early. Not surprised your Roll Call isn't very active yet...it is a bit early.

 

We were in Bayeaux on a land tour. We didn't have to book the vehicle, just our two seats. Yes, we paid in advance...about 3 or 4 months, as I recall.

I have been dealing with them for a little more than 2 months already kind of back and forth, but yes, you're right, its 16 months out now.

Sorry to resurrect this old topic, but I too am finding myself in this conundrum. I was told I need to pay in full at time of booking, so for us thats for a private tour for $1213 in July of 2019. I'm fine with giving my CC info to hold it, but to pay that much 1.5 years in advance is not feasible. Is that what you had to do?

(No, I havent even tried to find others to join us, I will of course, but havent started it yet as our Roll call is very small at the moment)

Just wondering how this was handled with you?

Always a surprise to see an old thread pop up! :)

Back in 2012 (what my comment was about), they had us pay in cash (in Euros) the day of the tour. The credit card was supplied as a guarantee in case our group did not show up.

Our tour was terrific. I hope you get it all worked out!

Sorry to resurrect this old topic, but I too am finding myself in this conundrum. I was told I need to pay in full at time of booking, so for us thats for a private tour for $1213 in July of 2019. I'm fine with giving my CC info to hold it, but to pay that much 1.5 years in advance is not feasible. Is that what you had to do?

(No, I havent even tried to find others to join us, I will of course, but havent started it yet as our Roll call is very small at the moment)

Just wondering how this was handled with you?

We have a group that was planning on booking with Overlord in Sep 2019; but we all decided to wait a while, since it was foolish to make a full payment 18 months ahead. We all tried to book last month. We will revisit next year. I do like to lock up the best guides as early as possible; but not when we have to pay that much and that early.

Always a surprise to see an old thread pop up! :)

 

Back in 2012 (what my comment was about), they had us pay in cash (in Euros) the day of the tour. The credit card was supplied as a guarantee in case our group did not show up.

 

Our tour was terrific. I hope you get it all worked out!

That's what we did and our tour was just last year. We had 3 groups from our roll call that did the tour together, and the woman who organized it gave them her CC to hold the tour, but they didn't charge anything. We all had Euros to pay on the day of the tour.

To the OP - did you confirm that they will fully charge the entire amount on your card now? It may be just to hold it. I would double check and ask that. We did book ours about 6 months out probably. We didn't book our cruise until Jan./Feb. 2017, so actually less than 6 months out. Probably closer to 4 since I didn't get into the roll call right away. So yes, you can wait, but I also wouldn't wait until much less than 6 months as they could book up. It was so worth it too!

That's what we did and our tour was just last year. We had 3 groups from our roll call that did the tour together, and the woman who organized it gave them her CC to hold the tour, but they didn't charge anything. We all had Euros to pay on the day of the tour.

 

 

To the OP - did you confirm that they will fully charge the entire amount on your card now? It may be just to hold it. I would double check and ask that. We did book ours about 6 months out probably. We didn't book our cruise until Jan./Feb. 2017, so actually less than 6 months out. Probably closer to 4 since I didn't get into the roll call right away. So yes, you can wait, but I also wouldn't wait until much less than 6 months as they could book up. It was so worth it too!

They required full payment when booked for our group 18 months in advance.

They required full payment when booked for our group 18 months in advance.

I wonder if it's because you booked so far in advance?! I just looked at the email thread with the 2 other parties we went on our tour with. One woman handled it all. She told us she had to give them her CC just to hold the reservation, and it would be charged if we didn't show up. Then we all brought Euros to pay the tour operator that day. But she never had to actually have the charge go through. I wonder if they changed their process?

Here is the email I received.

No matter what, unless we pay 100% in full right now, will they give us the private tour. We can request a group tour, which they say they'll "start" , its not the tour itinerary we want, and it could have no one (in which case we miss out on any tour) or could be 48 people (which we are trying to avoid) and they wont know until right before we leave for the trip.. so we're in a bad spot.

I have posted on our roll call and private group page, and we're seriously contemplating just paying for it now and drumming up a few others to join us, but its hard for anyone to give up that much money this far in advance as well.. so I get it.

My guess is, they've been burned by holding.... Its a once in a lifetime port for us, and we'd rather see what we want to see, then be corralled around with many others only seeing 3 sites and missing all the other important ones.

We're still thinking about it. I did hear from others that the private guides sell out quick, so that also adds a element to this.

Here is the email I got from them:

<office.overlordtour@orange.fr> wrote:

Here is the email I received.

No matter what, unless we pay 100% in full right now, will they give us the private tour. We can request a group tour, which they say they'll "start" , its not the tour itinerary we want, and it could have no one (in which case we miss out on any tour) or could be 48 people (which we are trying to avoid) and they wont know until right before we leave for the trip.. so we're in a bad spot.

I have posted on our roll call and private group page, and we're seriously contemplating just paying for it now and drumming up a few others to join us, but its hard for anyone to give up that much money this far in advance as well.. so I get it.

My guess is, they've been burned by holding.... Its a once in a lifetime port for us, and we'd rather see what we want to see, then be corralled around with many others only seeing 3 sites and missing all the other important ones.

We're still thinking about it. I did hear from others that the private guides sell out quick, so that also adds a element to this.

 

Here is the email I got from them:

 

<office.overlordtour@orange.fr> wrote:

Hi Tammy

 

The cost for the group tour is

€

100 per person.

I have put you on a wait list for the group Tour 9B. Can you please let me know which ship you are on?

 

We have changed our payment policy and no longer take credit card numbers to secure the tour.

Payment is due in full at the time of the reservation.

 

We currently have not one booking for July 2019 so you definitely have some time to decide which option you would prefer and try and find some other people to tour with you if you opt for the private tour option,

Oh, and if you haven't already done so, join your roll call. That's how we found the 2 other parties to join together with (another couple, and then a woman who brought her parents on vacation, along with the 2 of us and our son). It takes trusting strangers, but we emailed back and forth quite a bit before hand, to get an idea of who we would be spending our day with. Plus, I happened to figure out the woman with her parents was at the meet and greet, so we met ahead of time.

 

 

Here is the email I got from them:

 

<office.overlordtour@orange.fr> wrote:

Hi Tammy

 

The cost for the group tour is

€

100 per person.

I have put you on a wait list for the group Tour 9B. Can you please let me know which ship you are on?

 

We have changed our payment policy and no longer take credit card numbers to secure the tour.

Payment is due in full at the time of the reservation.

 

We currently have not one booking for July 2019 so you definitely have some time to decide which option you would prefer and try and find some other people to tour with you if you opt for the private tour option,

 

Kind Regards

 

Rebecca Dyer

Planning Administrator

Email

office.overlordtour@orange.fr

Yes, that's a whopping change in policy. What a shame, because they are asking folks to ante up quite a large sum in advance, and typically groups going with Overlord (those posting here on CC) are a bunch of strangers from a Roll Call. I'm not sure what we would have done if that had been the policy at the time. We were nervous enough just having our credit card at risk for no-shows.

What's their cancellation policy now? Is it "generous" enough that there's time to see if you get folks from your Roll Call, *and* have time on board to collect money from them, and cancel if you don't?

I agree!I Wouldn't charge it 18 months in advance. Now, 2-3 months in advance to book it, I can see that and I'd be OK with it. But I wouldn't book it that far out either. I did look and this is their cancellation policy...

CANCELLATION/NO-SHOW POLICY

– All cancellations

There will be a 4% cancellation fee for all cancellations.

– late cancellation:

50% of our fee will be charged if notice falls under 14 days before the tour (eg: notice given after Friday 4th but before Friday 11th for Friday 18th, date of the tour).

100% of our fee will be charged if notice falls under 7 days before the tour (eg: notice given after Friday 11th for Friday 18th, date of the tour).

Please note that the “Notice date” is the date on which we receive this notice so be aware of time difference between countries.

– “no-show”: 100% of our fee will be charged for no-show as laid out below:

For group tours: if you do not present yourself on time for the beginning of the tour. Our tours are tightly scheduled and it would be unfair to rush the rest of the group, so please be mindful of walking or driving distances to RDV point. Allow yourself plenty of time to drive, park and then walk to us when necessary.

For private tours: if you are not there on the day of your booking. The actual start time however can be flexible provided it is on the same day of your booking. Return time would remain the same. Our fee would equally remain the same, even if the time spent on the tour is consequently reduced due to your tardiness.

– If we charge you for late cancellation or “no-show”, we will send you an explanatory email that you can present to your travel insurance for compensation. People subscribe travel insurance for these very cases: it is essential to check your policy prior travelling.

Yes, that's a whopping change in policy. What a shame, because they are asking folks to ante up quite a large sum in advance, and typically groups going with Overlord (those posting here on CC) are a bunch of strangers from a Roll Call. I'm not sure what we would have done if that had been the policy at the time. We were nervous enough just having our credit card at risk for no-shows.

What's their cancellation policy now? Is it "generous" enough that there's time to see if you get folks from your Roll Call, *and* have time on board to collect money from them, and cancel if you don't?

Yes, that is a whopping change, I agree! Wowza. I havent even paid for my cruise in full yet. (I'm a TA and I was totally surprised to hear that, I'd usually advise my clients not to do that, but this is the company to use in those parts so we're stuck!)

Yep, I'm already on the roll call, and I started a private FB group, but its too early.. harldy anyone else is on there. But this private portion sells out super fast, and I'm paranoid it will be gone if we dont do something sooner rather than later.

I would not want to wait until sailing to collect from the others in our party, I'd want them to pay me, right now, like I'd have to pay overlord. I think thats only fair.

I dont know what we're going to do.. it stinks.

Thank you for looking up the cancellation policy too! I appreciate that.

I would strongly suggest that anyone going to visit the sites of Normandy that they buy in advance the book called Mr & Mrs Holt Battlefield guide to Normandy D Day landing beaches. It has a lot of valuable information about Normandy. They have GPS coordinates for all the sights. You could easily do the trip on your own with this book.

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Yes, that is a whopping change, I agree! Wowza. I havent even paid for my cruise in full yet. (I'm a TA and I was totally surprised to hear that, I'd usually advise my clients not to do that, but this is the company to use in those parts so we're stuck!)

Yep, I'm already on the roll call, and I started a private FB group, but its too early.. harldy anyone else is on there. But this private portion sells out super fast, and I'm paranoid it will be gone if we dont do something sooner rather than later.

I would not want to wait until sailing to collect from the others in our party, I'd want them to pay me, right now, like I'd have to pay overlord. I think thats only fair.

I dont know what we're going to do.. it stinks.

 

Thank you for looking up the cancellation policy too! I appreciate that.

Well, I think I mentioned, we didn't book ours until probably April and our cruise was in July. Sooo... I wouldn't say they sell out super early.

And that's up to you about collecting money beforehand. I'm not sure I would have sent money to someone before going on the cruise. Maybe contact Overlord and see if they could at possibly charge it between 2-3 credit cards?

Well, I think I mentioned, we didn't book ours until probably April and our cruise was in July. Sooo... I wouldn't say they sell out super early.

 

And that's up to you about collecting money beforehand. I'm not sure I would have sent money to someone before going on the cruise. Maybe contact Overlord and see if they could at possibly charge it between 2-3 credit cards?

They have no problem charging separate cards, as our group was booking separately for the tour.

They have no problem charging separate cards, as our group was booking separately for the tour.

Yes, that would be better for everyone actually. Then I'd not have to even think about what happens if someone wanted to cancel and I had their money. Good idea.

And to the person who suggested we do it on our own. I'd much rather have someone who is intimately familiar with these sites and the history guide us on this tour. Other things I'm ok to do it ourselves, but not something like this.. Too much to miss in my opinion. But I might still look at that book though :-)

Thank you all for your suggestions, you are all very helpful!