Princess shore excursions to Paris

[cmh]

I cannot decide between two shore excursions to Paris.  I know most of the excursion will be spent driving to and from Paris, but this is my first time there and would just like to get a taste of Paris.  One is the Best of Paris and the other is the scenic cruise on the Seine.  Both are 10 1/2 hours.  Has anyone taken either of these two excursions?  I would appreciate your input.  

[-Lew-]

If you've never been to Paris...do it!!  We had visited Paris and still enjoyed the excursion.

 

It's a long day, but a lot of fun once you're there.  The boat ride on the Seine with meal was excellent.  The bus tour around central Paris with stops at a few important sites including Printemps for shopping was interesting.  You won't regret doing it...

[Colo Cruiser]

1 hour ago, cmh said:

I cannot decide between two shore excursions to Paris.  I know most of the excursion will be spent driving to and from Paris, but this is my first time there and would just like to get a taste of Paris.  One is the Best of Paris and the other is the scenic cruise on the Seine.  Both are 10 1/2 hours.  Has anyone taken either of these two excursions?  I would appreciate your input.  

What ship? Is this a tour mid cruise or a disembarkation tour?

[Times Prince]

2 hours ago, Colo Cruiser said:

What ship? Is this a tour mid cruise or a disembarkation tour?

The tours to Paris are mid cruise.  The ship docks on the north coast of France at Le Havre.

 

Most Princess cruises will then go to Southampton for disembarkation.  Some Transatlantics might go to other ports, but not in France.

 

Edited August 30, 2019 by Times Prince
added port name

[cmh]

It is a transatlantic cruise on the Sky Princess from Florida to Copenhagen.  Our port is Le Harve and it is in the middle of our itinerary.  I was interested in taking one of the two shore excursions I listed above.  I am leaning towards the tour with the cruise on the Seine because I thought you would see more, but waiting to see if anyone has taken the bus tour The Best of Paris to compare.

[Colo Cruiser]

31 minutes ago, Times Prince said:

The tours to Paris are mid cruise.  The ship docks on the north coast of France at Le Havre.

 

Most Princess cruises will then go to Southampton for disembarkation.  Some Transatlantics might go to other ports, but not in France.

 

Thanks. There are cruises that also disembark passengers in Le Havre on the way to Southampton.

[Colo Cruiser]

5 minutes ago, cmh said:

It is a transatlantic cruise on the Sky Princess from Florida to Copenhagen.  Our port is Le Harve and it is in the middle of our itinerary.  I was interested in taking one of the two shore excursions I listed above.  I am leaning towards the tour with the cruise on the Seine because I thought you would see more, but waiting to see if anyone has taken the bus tour The Best of Paris to compare.

Thanks. Was not sure if you were disembarking in Le Havre.  

[flamomo]

We did the Seine River cruise a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it. No rushing around trying to squeeze in as many places as possible. Relaxing on the boat as it leisurely cruises up and down the river, and enjoying the great meal, complete with French wines, was perfect for us. 

[geniesue]

We’ve done tours to Paris on 2 cruises.  The tour including the Louvre, and lunch in the Eiffel Tower is amazing.  The Seine River Cruise is also great.  Lunch was delicious,  wonderful music, including beautiful solo passing Notre Dame Cathedral.  Definitely 

experience Paris!

[dickinson]

We did the bus tour to Paris.  Not sure what it was called but we went to the Louvre and then had lunch in the Eiffel tower.  We drove down the Champs Elyses and passed right by the Arc de Triumph.  Took pictures from the bus.  I believe we also drove by the Place de Concorde and took a picture from the bus too.  I loved the trip.  Well worth it.  On the way to Paris we stopped at a rest area that had a real nice souvenir shop.  On the way back to the ship we did not stop.  

[Paula_MacFan]

1 hour ago, dickinson said:

We did the bus tour to Paris.  Not sure what it was called but we went to the Louvre and then had lunch in the Eiffel tower.  We drove down the Champs Elyses and passed right by the Arc de Triumph.  Took pictures from the bus.  I believe we also drove by the Place de Concorde and took a picture from the bus too.  I loved the trip.  Well worth it.  On the way to Paris we stopped at a rest area that had a real nice souvenir shop.  On the way back to the ship we did not stop.  

Random question since you mentioned stopping at a rest area on the way there but not the way back:  do the buses have restrooms on board?  

 

We've already booked the day trip with the Seine River cruise lunch, so I'm just curious about the transportation provided.

 

Thanks!

[dickinson]

1 hour ago, Paula_MacFan said:

Random question since you mentioned stopping at a rest area on the way there but not the way back:  do the buses have restrooms on board?  

 

We've already booked the day trip with the Seine River cruise lunch, so I'm just curious about the transportation provided.

 

Thanks!

 

The coach buses we took on our excursions in Europe all had restrooms.  They must be real tiny.  I think I only saw one person use one.

[Cruiserkenn]

15 hours ago, -Lew- said:

If you've never been to Paris...do it!!  We had visited Paris and still enjoyed the excursion.

 

It's a long day, but a lot of fun once you're there.  The boat ride on the Seine with meal was excellent.  The bus tour around central Paris with stops at a few important sites including Printemps for shopping was interesting.  You won't regret doing it...

 

I was with you until I read the part about Printemps for shopping.  I could do without that🙂   Sign me up for the Seine River Cruise with lunch and French wines🍷⛴🍷☕️

[-Lew-]

1 hour ago, Cruiserkenn said:

 

I was with you until I read the part about Printemps for shopping.  I could do without that🙂   Sign me up for the Seine River Cruise with lunch and French wines🍷⛴🍷☕️

 

There is no requirement that you shop.  You can do whatever you wish as long as you're at the meeting point at the appointed time.

[cmh]

16 hours ago, cmh said:

It is a transatlantic cruise on the Sky Princess from Florida to Copenhagen.  Our port is Le Harve and it is in the middle of our itinerary.  I was interested in taking one of the two shore excursions I listed above.  I am leaning towards the tour with the cruise on the Seine because I thought you would see more, but waiting to see if anyone has taken the bus tour The Best of Paris to compare.

Thanks everyone for your input.  I just booked the tour that includes the cruise down the Seine.

[Cruiserkenn]

55 minutes ago, cmh said:

Thanks everyone for your input.  I just booked the tour that includes the cruise down the Seine.

 

Fabulous!  Someday, when you have time, please let us know how it was🙂

[Cruiserkenn]

3 hours ago, -Lew- said:

 

There is no requirement that you shop.  You can do whatever you wish as long as you're at the meeting point at the appointed time.

 

The truth is, I visited a Printemps store one time, and they were super nice.  Really!

[caribill]

9 hours ago, Cruiserkenn said:

 

The truth is, I visited a Printemps store one time, and they were super nice.  Really!

 

Still, if this is your only time you will ever be in Paris, your limited time there would probably better be spent elsewhere.

[GottaLuvCruising]

We did this two years ago.  Our tour (booked through the cruise line) included a bus tour AND the dinner cruise.  

 

It was WONDERFUL.  Our driver / host / narrator did a great job.  The stops in Paris were amazing...just a taste of a city I dreamt of visiting was very satisfying.  Seating on the dinner cruise was quite tight and we were thankful to board early and have a window seat.  The sights and narration were very nice; the food and wine were enjoyable but not impressive.  

 

If I had to choose between the bus tour and the dinner cruise, I'd choose the tour.  We were excited on the bus ride TO Paris, enjoyed the scenery and limited narration.  We were a little tipsy for the bus ride back and dozed.  It was a great day! 

 

My father-in-law was part of the invasion at Normandy.  I knew my husband would relish that tour and I encouraged him to do that and I'd go to Paris alone.  He is very glad he chose to go with me instead, but next time I think he'll do Normandy (and I'll go to Paris again.) 

[Cruiserkenn]

8 hours ago, caribill said:

 

Still, if this is your only time you will ever be in Paris, your limited time there would probably better be spent elsewhere.

 

Yes, I agree.  Thanks for the thought🙂⛴🌊🌅🌝

[gkkapp]

OP, I know that you said you booked the river cruise excursion but unless you have mobility issues here's another option for your day in Paris. Several years ago we and another couple had the same one day chance to go to Paris. We choose to do the “Paris on Your Own” tour. We planned out what we wanted to see in the limited time we had and were able to do it all with time to spare. Of course Notre Dame is not an option now so perhaps another cathedral instead. Below is what we did from our trip log. Looking at sights from a bus or sailing down the river just wasn't for us.

 

Today we booked a ship's tour – Paris on Your Own. Basically we paid for a bus to take us from the ship into Paris and get us back in time before the ship sailed. We had a very early breakfast in the buffet, and went to the ship's theater to await our tour group being called. The trip into Paris was uneventful and took about three hours. The scenery along the way was nice. Arriving in Paris we rode down the Champs Elysee, past the Arc de Triomphe and were let off near the Place de la Concorde. Luckily, we quickly found a taxi that would transport four people (many taxis won't) and we rode to Notre Dame Cathedral. We walked around the outside, taking pictures as we went. On the north side of the Cathedral under the rose window is a sidewalk cafe we discovered on the Internet called La Rosace. We ate lunch there, a ham and cheese sandwich for us and crêpes for our friends. We took advantage of their free restroom. After lunch we got in the long but fast moving queue to visit the inside of this vast church. In spite of the wall-to-wall people we were able to take a few pictures and admire the architecture. Leaving the church, we walked past the flower market and in front of St. Chapelle. We then crossed the Seine River and started walking along the river towards our bus pick-up point. Karen was able to purchase an oil painting of the Arc de Triomphe along the way. When we came to the Louvre, we walked through a large archway into a courtyard. A second archway took us to the famous glass pyramid. Lots of photos were taken. We continued on through the Tuileries Gardens and around the Place de la Concorde. It was time to return to the pick-up point for our return to the ship. On the way back we drove past the Eiffel Tower, which we had only seen from a distance, so we had a great photo opportunity. Traffic was a bit heavy as we rode back to Le Havre and got worse as we neared the ship. Finally we were there, and quickly made our way to the dining room for our “last supper”.

 

Hope this helps

 

<<<Karen>>>

[pris993]

I have visited Paris many time, have family there... if I was you I would do the boat trip... 

[Cruiserkenn]

On August 30, 2019 at 7:27 AM, flamomo said:

We did the Seine River cruise a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it. No rushing around trying to squeeze in as many places as possible. Relaxing on the boat as it leisurely cruises up and down the river, and enjoying the great meal, complete with French wines, was perfect for us. 

Thanks for this upbeat and positive report🍷

[Cruiserkenn]

On August 30, 2019 at 8:26 AM, geniesue said:

We’ve done tours to Paris on 2 cruises.  The tour including the Louvre, and lunch in the Eiffel Tower is amazing.  The Seine River Cruise is also great.  Lunch was delicious,  wonderful music, including beautiful solo passing Notre Dame Cathedral.  Definitely 

experience Paris!

 

Thanks so much for the fun report about the Seine River Cruise🍷🎼

[buttons71069]

We just did this in April sadly the same day that Norte Dame caught fire. It was the Paris on your own once we got off the princess bus we went to the hoho bus. It worked for us our friends did the bird scooter and saw a lot more than we were able to. It all depends on your preference and ability. It was a long day but we are so happy that we did it.