Utah or Omaha Beach?

[opa&oma]

We will be visiting Cherbourg, France next year and our ship offers excursions to both Utah and Omaha Beaches. We can't decide which one to take, is there much difference between the two tours? Any suggestions to help us decide would be very appreciated.

[ALANG]

You might want to look at some private excursions too. In the past I have used Overlord Tours with great results.

[wrk2cruise]

I also recommend a private tour. There is so much to see and some distance to be covered. Traveling in a small group will allow you to see much more in the single day you have.

[JHUNTGOLF]

We did a D-Day Sites Tour in September 2013. Here's what I wrote about our day:

 

Today is a tour of the D-Day Sites with Overlord Tours (http://www.overlordtour.com). This 8 person tour was arranged by Barry. Cost was 120 euros per person, or 240 euros per couple (about $319 using the 1.33 conversion factor as of 9/13/13). Participants were Barry & Cyndie, Phil & Naomi, Louie & Judy, and John & Pat. The eight of us were picked up at the dock just after 8am by Oliver from Overlord tours. We spent the day with Oliver. We started out driving to Normandy. Our first stop was down at the water’s edge at Omaha Beach. Oliver said that the Brits like to refer to this water as the English Channel, but the French just call it The Channel!! Oliver had a portfolio book of photos, maps, and diagrams that he used throughout the tour to describe the planning that went on not only to prepare for the June 6, 1944, D-Day attack, but also the things took place after D-Day. As he talked and we looked around, we just tried to imagine what the soldiers were thinking and feeling as they came ashore and the extremely difficult task they faced not just getting off the landing craft in heavy, full battlefield gear, but hitting the beach and trying to fight your way up the hill when the Germans had a high ground advantage. It had to be such a scary and terrifying feeling seeing your friends and buddies all around you being killed and severely wounded. We were standing on ground where America was taking a stand to free all of Europe. We were humbled by the experience. We then went to other parts of the D-Day beaches to get different perspectives of the challenges the Allied forces faced. Again it was devastating.

 

Next, we went to the American cemetery which is very close to the D-Day beaches. The cemetery is exquisitely maintained and manicured. It really reflects the tremendous respect and honor shown for the soldiers killed in battle. The tombstones were precisely lined up in rows with absolutely no deviation whatsoever even when you looked at them in diagonal rows. This was the ultimate in military precision. Viewing this cemetery was a very solemn experience. We were so glad that we were able to visit the cemetery and pay our respects to the fallen U.S. soldiers. There are more than 9,300 soldiers buried in the American Cemetery, with some tombstones marked as “Unknown.”

 

The remainder of our tour was spent visiting other important spots in the D-Day beaches area. For example, we went to Sainte Mere Eglise where a U.S. paratrooper from the 82nd Airborne Division had his parachute caught on the church steeple during the D-Day invasion. Church people were able to get him untangled and pulled him to safety. To this day, they still have a replica of the paratrooper hanging from the church steeple. We had lunch in a small café near the church. We also visited a small church that was used as a battlefield first aid station where two US medics brought in 80 injured soldiers, including German soldiers, and a small boy from the battlefield. When the Germans overran this location, they looked into the church and supposedly saw the two medics treating the boy and the German soldiers. The Germans then closed the church door and went on their way. The town was so appreciative of the heroic acts performed by these two medics and the American combat forces that they replaced the church’s stained glass windows with new windows honoring the U.S. soldiers and their combat units. It was a fitting tribute to these fighting units.

 

We ended the day back at the ship about 5:30 pm. We had a great tour with Oliver and would highly recommend using him for a tour from Overlord Tours.

 

John

[opa&oma]

To be clear, are you saying that The Overlord Tour only visits Omaha, so that is the preferred tour? Thanks for the help!

[ALANG]

We visited both beaches with Overlord, would use them again in a heartbeat.

[CCruiser1234]

We will be visiting Cherbourg, France next year and our ship offers excursions to both Utah and Omaha Beaches. We can't decide which one to take, is there much difference between the two tours? Any suggestions to help us decide would be very appreciated.

 

 

 

Omaha, then go south a few miles to see Point du Hoc, and Colleyville cemetery.

 

Very sobering and very worth it. Send me a private message if you would like pictures or video of the place. We went in May 2013.

 

~Bob

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[bphman]

We only saw Omaha Beach which was a little of a disappointment since my father landed on Utah. When he passed, I made a vow to see Normandy. We could see Utah in the distance and it would have been a little bit of a trip, It was a very moving day and the trip to the cemetery brought a tear to all. When they play Taps and the National anthem on the carillon it is a truly moving moment. There is utmost respect paid to those brave should who sacrificed everything and the French do an excellent job of showing that. I would probably reconsider doing a cruise ship excursion and look into a private one that would include more than what we saw.

[markeb]

I can't believe the ship's tours only go to one or the other. If there's a private tour (recommendations in this thread, check the ports of call board, and check your roll call) that goes to both, do that. I don't know how long you're in port, but we visited Utah, St Mere Eglise, Pont du Hoc, and the American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer in a day years ago.

 

If you can somehow only do one, go to Omaha, but if the tour does not include the American Cemetery, you need to find a different tour. The American Cemetery is actually on the heights above Omaha Beach. It is featured in the opening and closing scenes of "Saving Private Ryan". I live in Northern Virginia, have been stationed at the Pentagon, and have stood saluting for Taps for Arlington funerals. As impressive as Arlington is, there is NOTHING that compares to Colleville-sur-Mer!

[GigemAggies]

I highly recommend a private tour. It is too important of a place to take a large group tour. We used American D-Day Tours and he was fabulous! So incredibly knowledgeable! We rented out his 8 person van for just the 2 of us because we were only in port for a short period of time and needed a customized tour.

[PNW Traveler]

We also toured with Overlord. Our father was at Utah Beach and we were able to customize our tour for special stops mentioned in a pocket diary kept during the Normandy invasion. We also toured Omaha Beach. This was one of the very best tours in our many years of cruising.

[roxievegas]

We use Celebrity excursions. We were on the transatlantic in april 2016 with a stop in Le Havre (paris). We did the D-Day Beaches tour through Celebrity - We were on a B2B2B 34 night cruise and this was the highlight excursion. Do not dismiss the ship tours - check them out. We had a choice of two - one 10 hour tour no lunch and one with lunch. We chose the no lunch and if I remember right it was $109 each and it was a wonderful day and I would do it again. I tried to find it on celebrity's website for excursions, but my browser could not click in - but check it out

Too many people state that going on the ship excursions are too many people, too expensive and you have wait for people to show back up to the bus, etc, etc. We have taken all our excursions through Celebrity and we do not have a problem with the other people. Some problems have occurred, which was not in Celebrity's control and we have received partial credit, and full credit for our excursion.

We find the prices compatible to the private tours.

please don't hit me with hate comments - I am just letting you know that we like the tours with Celebrity - if you don't - that's okay

[ClaudiaB]

We also took a private excursion. I don't remember the name but the gentleman who ran it was/is a Lt. Col. in the RAF and the personal attache' for Prince Philip, and he and his wife also own and run a chateau in the area.

There were 6 or 8 in his private luxury van and we went to both beaches, the cemetery, St. Mare Eglise, and three or four other locales. It was a long day about 10 hours - he had even sent PDFs, about 40 pages, for us to read beforehand if we wanted. His passion was infectious and we had one of the most amazing days we've ever had. We walked all around and saw so much. We were off the ship the moment we could get off and we got back on just in time.

I wouldn't just go to one beach. You have the time to do them all. I can't imagine another tour being any better than his.

We also ate in a wonderful little old place - had a great lunch with the locals. It wasn't cheap but honestly it was priceless.

[Hlitner]

Another alternative is to simply rent a car....which would give you the time to visit both Omaha and Utah...plus the American Cemetery. Driving in this part of France is quite easy...and made even nicer with GPS.

 

Hank

[opa&oma]

I want to thank you all for taking the time to help us with this decision, you are so kind! I have contacted Overlord, but have not heard back. Does anyone know of another tour company that does both beaches? We may still have to choose only one and go with the ship because we are there on actual D-Day, June 6, and they are expecting very large crowds .

[north29]

As said above, PRIVATE TOUR. One thing to hope for, the tour will give you at least two hours in the Visitors center. It is a true experience.

Edited November 8, 2016 by north29

[markeb]

I want to thank you all for taking the time to help us with this decision, you are so kind! I have contacted Overlord, but have not heard back. Does anyone know of another tour company that does both beaches? We may still have to choose only one and go with the ship because we are there on actual D-Day, June 6, and they are expecting very large crowds .

 

That may be why they're only offering one or the other. There typically are commemoration events at both US beaches, as well as at least one of the British and Canadian beaches. I would expect that movement within the area will be slow that day. It's the 72nd year, so heads of state are less likely to attend (with their security), but one or more likely will. Utah and Omaha are the closest beaches to Cherbourg, so that's in your favor on a private tour. 2014 was really expected to be the last big commemoration; a 17 year old in 1944 was 87 in 2014, and they're leaving us at about 370 per day (down from around 1000 a day when there were more of them).

 

The cemetery's web page only lists closures on Christmas and New Year's, and from what I've watched in the past, I would expect commemoration ceremonies to be away from the cemetery.

 

Good luck!

[opa&oma]

Found out Overland is not doing any tours because of expected heavy D-Day traffic , so now what? Back to choosing between Utah or Omaha Beaches ship tours. Which one??

[markeb]

If you can only do one, I would still say Omaha with the cemetery. Without the cemetery, it's kind of a toss up.

 

What else is on the tours?

[Turtles06]

Found out Overland is not doing any tours because of expected heavy D-Day traffic , so now what? Back to choosing between Utah or Omaha Beaches ship tours. Which one??

 

Can you tell us the rest of the itinerary for each of the tours, or at least how Celebrity describes them?

 

I agree that the American Cemetery is a must-see if you can. Same for Pointe du Hoc.

[markeb]

Is this the tour?

 

FC 23 Beaches.

 

It’s been memorialized in classic movies and documented in countless books, but there’s nothing like seeing Omaha Beach in person. This is where one of the most brutal battles in WWII was waged and where allied victory was all but secured. You’ll stand where history was written. You’ll also visit the American Cemetery and Memorial in Cotentin, a tribute and final resting place to those who gave their lives in the name of freedom.

 

Highlights:

• Explore the infamous beach on the coast of Normandy where Allied forces landed on June 6, 1944.

• Visit the American Cemetery and Memorial dedicated to the brave men who fought and died on D-Day.

 

 

Are you also going to Le Havre? If so, this is what you want to do, either through Celebrity or through a private tour (if at all possible):

 

LH12 D-Day Beaches & Bayeux Tapestry

 

This historical tour takes you from the Middle Ages to the liberation of France in World War II. Visit the town of Bayeux, one of the few left undamaged during the war, to see the incredible Tapestry of Bayeux, a 230-foot-long embroidered timeline of Medieval English rule. Next, drive to Omaha Beach, to begin a moving journey detailing the D-Day invasion. Stand on the very ground where Allied victory was sealed on June 6, 1944.

 

Highlights:

• Drive through the Norman landscape to the town of Bayeux, the first French town liberated after D-Day.

• Visit Omaha Beach, site of the epic Invasion of Normandy by Allied troops in WWII.

• Honor the many lives that were lost as you walk past 9,387 white crosses at the American Cemetery of Colleville.

 

 

I'd then give serious thought to going to Mont St Michelle from Cherbourg. This is one of the most unique locations in Europe and even though it looks like a long day, is absolutely amazing.

[opa&oma]

Yes, this is the tour, "Beaches" , and so since it does include the Cemetery , and also is listed as a "small group tour", we will go with this tour. Thanks for everyone's input!!

[wallyworld583]

Might also see if you can find a tour that includes the museum in Caen. It is a history of war from the beginnings of WWII thru the cold war. They have a film of the D-Day invasion, shown on a split screen, that shows the battle from both the Allied and German perspective. The museum is beautiful but the film is mesmerizing!

[Caribbean Chris]

While you are visiting the cemetery, don't miss the exhibits in the visitor center added in the past decade. It has many very interesting items like the contents of the kits given to invading soldiers (French phrase book, etc), one of the little fake paratrooper dummies that were dropped at another location to distract the Germans, and more.

 

At St. Mer Eglise, along with the replica soldier still hanging atop the church, look for the stained glass windows that show paratroopers.

[Caribbean Chris]

Great suggestion given from markeb about Mont Saint-Michel. It's a very memorable excursion to add to your plans along with D-Day sites.