paris to normandy river cruise

[MPO]

Hi,

There is a group of looking for a river cruise from Paris to Normandy and wondering what experiences people have had on the various river cruise lines.

We are especially interested in the Normandy beaches tours offered by the each of the cruise lines.

 

Any information on your experiences on the various cruise lines would be appreciated.

[massedtuck]

We sailed with Avalon on the Creativity a few years ago, and it was one of our best trips ever. Every port had interesting excursions and both the ship in general and our cabin were well cared for. The cabin was laid out nicely. Food was excellent, especially at dinner. Avalon is a first class outfit, and we hope to sail with them again soon.

[poss]

You'll find a few details relevant to your question on my post farther down: Poss: Seine cruises

[Host Jazzbeau]

Welcome to Cruise Critic and to the River Cruising forum!

 

I suggest you start by reading the sticky New to RIVER CRUISING??? at the top of this forum, especially the downloadable pdf:

http://pdf.cruisecritic.com/travel-g...t_rid=99616845

which discusses each cruise line and compares them to ocean cruise lines and hotels [this will give you a frame of reference]. The range among river cruise lines that market in the US is fairly small -- but there are differences from the bottom to the top, and the prices don't vary as much as it first appears because the more expensive lines include more things that cost extra on the "cheaper" lines.

For information on choosing a river, read the sticky River Cruise Basics articles on Cruise Critic at the top of this forum, especially the article on Seine cruises:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=1732

I also recommend the book Berlitz River Cruising in Europe by Douglas Ward, which may be found at your public library.

[MoneyGuy]

We board Viking in two days for this cruise. I expect it to be outstanding. We've traveled twice with Viking before and they've always been great.

[Grothj]

We just finished a river cruise with Tauck. One of the rivers was the Seine and Normandy is beautiful. Tauck does an amazing job with their excursions. The Swiss Sapphire river boat has been recently updated was very comfortable with a great crew. We actually started in London then crossed the channel to France. We then spent several days on the Seine ending up in Paris where we spent two days in Paris with our boat as our hotel. I believe they also do the same trip in reverse. This was our first trip with Tauck and we were super impressed. Check them out....might be a little more in cost but what they do is amazing.

[DrivesLikeMario]

Just a word of advice - this is the #1 best seller for Avalon, and probably for Viking too. Book far in advance to get the best selection of cabins for your group, no matter which line you choose. Happy planning! :)

[rogerdawhip]

I did this cruise with GCT in 2013. I preferred their cruise because it was 10 nights one way (Paris to Honfleur) while most of the others are 7 nights roundtrip Paris. With 10 nights we were not rushed in any port and visited a few the other lines did not stop at. We had a full day visiting the Normandy beaches starting out in Honfleur. We also had a separate 1/2 day at the Caen Peace Memorial.

Edited June 21, 2015 by rogerdawhip

[jklc123]

We recently enjoyed this cruise with Uniworld, in late April. As with the other lines, I imagine, we had a full day in Normandy, beginning with a 2 1/2 hour bus ride from the port on the Seine, which included pit stops both ways at rest stops with good facilities. The Normandy countryside is beautiful. We had our choice of one of 3 tours: Normandy Beaches, which we did; Juno Beach and Canadian Center tour; and Normandy beaches and Bayeux Tapestry tour. We paused briefly at Juno and Gold beaches for a short commentary by our guide about each (we remained on the bus), were able to walk among German bunkers on the bluff, took in the the dramatic Arromanches 360 degree Cinema about the landing and the aftermath, had free time in the village of Arromanches for lunch on our own, followed by walking on Omaha Beach on our own, and then a visit to the American Cemetery (all of our groups came back together here). We began with a moving ceremony, when military veterans from our ship were invited to lay a wreath at the "American Youth Rising from the Waves Memorial." We then had time on our own to walk among the graves and to the bluff looking down toward Omaha Beach.

 

Our guide really made the events come to life, pointing out agricultural fields that had been used for landing strips and field hospitals, and the first church to peal its bell to announce the arrival of the troops. We passed through a village that had posted huge photographs of events happening at various spots during the invasion, and a chateau commandeered by Omar Bradley for a brief time.

 

It was a long day, but most definitely a highlight of the trip.

 

On the Seine, Uniworld uses one of its oldest ships, the Baroness. We found it cozy and comfortable and impeccably maintained. The staff was very attentive and friendly. We cruised immediately after this cruise on the SS Catherine, a larger and very new ship, and found the food on the Baroness to be even better than the wonderful food on the Catherine, which is a high complement. As for as the staterooms go, we had a suite so had plenty of room, but the less expensive cabins are quite small.

 

So that's my impression of our visit to the landing beaches.

[JustMom6]

Hi everyone....we are taking the Paris/London with Tauck in 2016. Starting in Paris and ending in London. We have the chance to go into Paris two days early would arrive on a Sunday and back to the airport on Tues for Tauck to pick us up. I can't seem to find any information as to if Tauck offers extra tours say to the Eiffel Tower or Moulin Rouge while docked in Paris??? Any help or where to stay in Paris would be wonderful. We are also staying a few days in London on our own at the end. So again any advice?? Thanks in advance

[pbnjrockette]

We did the Paris to Normandy tour with Vantage as the first leg of our Treasures of France cruise July 2014. We absolutely loved it! The tour is well-organized and one of the best we've done. We spent 5 days in Paris on our own before beginning the cruise. You can read about our experience in the blog in my signature.

 

Happy planning! It's one of the most popular tours!