Celebrity Excursion from Le Havre to Paris

[krmnc]

I was wondering if anyone has taken a Celebrity excursion from the port in Le Havre to Paris. I usually try to book independent excursions, but given the distance from port and the concern of getting back on time, I'm looking at the Celebrity excursions. They seem to also be much less expensive than the private ones that do guarantee a timely return to port. But, the Celebrity excursions we've taken in my limited experience (one excursion each on two cruises) have proven to be the least enjoyable on each trip. I'm not asking whether we should even go to Paris from Le Havre, but whether anyone has experience taking the Celebrity excursions and how they were. Thanks.

[omeinv]

When we were there we took the train. The time was shorter than the bus, and WAY more comfortable. The price was comparable to the bus. Our day at La Havre was something like 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM, we left on the first train we could, and left Paris between 5:00 and 6:00 PM. The train station is in the heart of the city, and from there you can easily take the Metro to all the big sites.

 

That being said, we'd been to Paris before, and that made planning, and getting the most out of our day easier.

 

If you're looking for an "on your own" day, I'd recommend the train. For a guided tour I suppose you'd want to find a vendor with a bus from the port and back.

 

Harris

Denver, CO

[cltnccruisers]

Not on X, but we did LeHavre to Paris RCL excursion. About a 1 1/2 hour bus trip to Paris. Then bus tour of the city followed by a river cruise beginning and ending at the Eiffel Tower. Then time to wander and have the best cheeseburger on the planet in a little cafe by the Seine below the tower. The down side is it took much longer to get back to LeHavre and we missed dinner. Even the buffet was pretty much empty. We'll be in LeHavre on Reflection in 2019 but will stay fairly local instead. The day was fairly exhausting.

[bigbenboys]

Yes we have taken a Celebrity tour from La Havre to Paris. Our tour did the sights and lunch on a boat on the Seine. I thought the tour was good. We had been to Paris before, but some family members had not see Paris. I'm not big on private tours. We did a one in Beijing and have 2 booked for our next cruise. We also dont book private tour with people we dont know. Paris is a long way from La Havre. I have heard of train delays and even someone throwing themselves on the tracks.

Our last Asia cruise we had a private 2 day tour with overnighting in Beijing. We had already been to the Great Wall, so I thought 2 days was enough. Millennium was to be docked 3 days. We planned on touring the 1st 2 days and stay on the ship the 3rd day. Well we got FOG. We docked a day late in Beijing. I had emailed my private tour contact and told her to slide it 1 day, and told her the ship was arriving one day late to Beijing.

On a different Asia cruise we were docked in Japan. Rumors were flying that we were leaving without 2 guest. We had left the dock but were still in the bay and we saw this taxi. In the end since we had not left the bay they were put on a boat and brought out to our ship.

I have one more story, but I think you get my point. Your rolling the dice.

[jelayne]

We had an overnight in Le Harve in June. We rented a car, drove 275 mikes to attend a art fair, have dinner & spend the night with friends. Had breakfast. drove 275 miles back to LeHarve dropped the car and we’re back on the ship by 3. Best visit to France.

 

If you have an overnight take the train to Paris & spend the night leaving enough time to comfortably get back to the ship. If it isn’t a overnight then I would do a ships tour.

[dee0307]

We did the tour that was a brief guided tour through the city and then a few hours on our own. I had debated and chose this over the complete “on your own” tour because my husband had never been to Paris. That was a big mistake. A large group traveling together was late returning from every stop we had, throwing off the entire schedule. We missed our timed tickets up the Eiffel Tower due to this. I’d recommend the transportation only excursion...you are guaranteed your return to the ship but you control your own sightseeing.

[krmnc]

Thanks for your responses. I'm thinking of the transportation only excursion and then maybe buying a couple of HOHO tickets for me and my husband. Usually there are plenty of private tour companies that guarantee that they'll get you back in time and have lots of experience doing so, but not seeing that here. I've been to Paris, but my husband hasn't and really wants to see the highlights.

 

I bet we're on the same cruise, cltnccruisers....we'll be on the Reflection next Sept as well. Just looking early because it's fun for me and also so that if I do want a ship's excursion, I can take advantage of those times when they offer a discount. It will probably be an exhausting day, but we've got a sea day following it to recover.

 

Dee0307...that's what I worry about doing a large ship excursion...you're only as "fast/efficient" as the slowest member of the group.

 

[lara68]

My husband and I have been to Paris several times on our own. We did go on Celebrity's Paris excursion "on your own" . As others had mentioned, since it is a distance from the ship to Paris, and traffic is unpredictable, we played it safe with this tour. It did exactly what it said, got us efficiently into the city, left us in a central location and picked us up on time. If you have never been to the city, a guided excursion might be better because you don't have too many hours on your own and there is too much to see. If you've been there before and know where you'd like to return to, this tour was perfect.

[smtcan]

When we docked in Le Havre, we rented a car and drove to Honfleur, which is a charming town not too far away. Public transport is not convenient, but taxis are available. We enjoyed the picturesque harbour and little shops and restaurants around it, then after lunch we explored the surrounding area.

 

Paris is worthy of more than one rushed day. We have visited there several times, including once when we stayed for four days before a cruise.

 

Sorry, I misread your post and didn't noice that you said you were not asking if it was worth going to Paris.

Edited September 13, 2018 by smtcan
addition

[gerelmx]

We do it with RCCL, it's a panoramic BUS tour around Paris with stops at Eiffel tower, Notre Dame and Senna River cruise Lunch, we don't have enough time for a stop at The Triumph Arch the bus only tours around.

[cltnccruisers]

We do it with RCCL, it's a panoramic BUS tour around Paris with stops at Eiffel tower, Notre Dame and Senna River cruise Lunch, we don't have enough time for a stop at The Triumph Arch the bus only tours around.

 

That's the one we did.

[cltnccruisers]

Thanks for your responses. I'm thinking of the transportation only excursion and then maybe buying a couple of HOHO tickets for me and my husband. Usually there are plenty of private tour companies that guarantee that they'll get you back in time and have lots of experience doing so, but not seeing that here. I've been to Paris, but my husband hasn't and really wants to see the highlights.

 

I bet we're on the same cruise, cltnccruisers....we'll be on the Reflection next Sept as well. Just looking early because it's fun for me and also so that if I do want a ship's excursion, I can take advantage of those times when they offer a discount. It will probably be an exhausting day, but we've got a sea day following it to recover.

 

Dee0307...that's what I worry about doing a large ship excursion...you're only as "fast/efficient" as the slowest member of the group.

 

 

Sept 6, 2019, Iberian? Really looking forward to that one. Time to check for airfare in about a month. :)

[CruiseMGM]

Our very first cruise was a TA on Celebrity Constellation, and we stopped one day in Le Havre. We had never been to Paris (and it wasn't actually on the bucket list, either). We thought "we'll probably never be back, why not take the ship excursion to spend a few hours in Paris, just to say we've been there?" So that's what we did. Long ride to Paris and a long ride back, but the countryside was beautiful in April.

 

And then......Paris! We were jaw-droppingly-astounded by Paris. The included short tour of the city was unexpected (I guess we hadn't read the fine print), and we were dropped off right at the base of the Eiffel Tower. We had maybe 3-4 hours on our own. This was 11 years ago, mind you! Anyway, it was a magical day, although all we really did was the bus tour, a light lunch at a sidewalk café, and then walk along the Seine River almost to Notre Dame when we noticed the time. We hightailed it back to the bus and we swore we'd come back. It took us 10 years, but we visited Paris for a week last November and had the time of our lives. Loved it so much that we went back again this past January for a few days. I'm hoping for another visit soon!

 

ANYWAY, the ship excursion is a long day and you'll be tired at the end of it. But if you haven't been to Paris, it gives you a small taste, and I'm pretty sure that taste will whet your appetite to spend more time there. Love the city, and more time is better than less, but ANY time is better than none!

 

Have a fantastic time on your cruise!

[cltnccruisers]

Our very first cruise was a TA on Celebrity Constellation, and we stopped one day in Le Havre. We had never been to Paris (and it wasn't actually on the bucket list, either). We thought "we'll probably never be back, why not take the ship excursion to spend a few hours in Paris, just to say we've been there?" So that's what we did. Long ride to Paris and a long ride back, but the countryside was beautiful in April.

 

And then......Paris! We were jaw-droppingly-astounded by Paris. The included short tour of the city was unexpected (I guess we hadn't read the fine print), and we were dropped off right at the base of the Eiffel Tower. We had maybe 3-4 hours on our own. This was 11 years ago, mind you! Anyway, it was a magical day, although all we really did was the bus tour, a light lunch at a sidewalk café, and then walk along the Seine River almost to Notre Dame when we noticed the time. We hightailed it back to the bus and we swore we'd come back. It took us 10 years, but we visited Paris for a week last November and had the time of our lives. Loved it so much that we went back again this past January for a few days. I'm hoping for another visit soon!

 

ANYWAY, the ship excursion is a long day and you'll be tired at the end of it. But if you haven't been to Paris, it gives you a small taste, and I'm pretty sure that taste will whet your appetite to spend more time there. Love the city, and more time is better than less, but ANY time is better than none!

 

Have a fantastic time on your cruise!

 

Agree with every word. It's now on our bucket list to spend a week in Paris followed by a week in London.

[krmnc]

Agree with every word. It's now on our bucket list to spend a week in Paris followed by a week in London.

 

Yes...9/6 Iberian cruise. Really looking forward to it!

 

I did the week in London a couple of summers ago w/ my boys and we took the Chunnel for a day in Paris. Now get to go back for a day w/ my husband.

 

I saw that excursions are now marked down 20% so booked the Paris on your own tour just to get us there. Can always cancel if we change our mind. Looks like there will only be about 4 hours in Paris once there, so don't know if we'll do a HOHO or just meander around on our own. Thinking I might want to do lunch on the Eiffel Tower....plenty of time to think about it and figure it all out.

[cltnccruisers]

Yes...9/6 Iberian cruise. Really looking forward to it!

 

I did the week in London a couple of summers ago w/ my boys and we took the Chunnel for a day in Paris. Now get to go back for a day w/ my husband.

 

I saw that excursions are now marked down 20% so booked the Paris on your own tour just to get us there. Can always cancel if we change our mind. Looks like there will only be about 4 hours in Paris once there, so don't know if we'll do a HOHO or just meander around on our own. Thinking I might want to do lunch on the Eiffel Tower....plenty of time to think about it and figure it all out.

 

Look forward to meeting you at the meet & greet. I'd love to hear your London impressions.

[minnow76]

My husband and I have experience both on the Celebrity "On Your Own" excursion and taking the train into Paris. It sounds like you are very focused on an actual ship excursion rather than making your own plans, which certainly has advantages. In that event, the "On Your Own" option whisks you off the ship, drops you in the city (I can't remember exactly where, but at a decent starting point) and tells you to meet back at that spot at the time needed. If you're primarily concerned with getting to Paris and then feel comfortable navigating the city on your own, it's a good option. There are apps you can download to plan metro routes, and you can start planning your routes today.

 

If you are comfortable traveling on your own, I would suggest considering the train. We stopped there last summer with my parents and two oldest nephews, and we were ready to head off the ship as soon as we were cleared. We got a cab right away (my husband does speak fluent French, so that was helpful) and made it to the train station in plenty of time to catch the 8:00 a.m. train direct to Paris. We had purchased train tickets ahead of time, which could have gone badly if we hadn't made the train, but I think there is an option you can add to be flexible, too.

 

There are a couple of things that I liked about the train better: first, you end up at the Gare Saint-Lazare train station, which is connected to the metro, so you don't have to figure out where a metro stop is, which means you can potentially be on your way faster. Second, you can spend more time in Paris than the bus trip because the bus trip returns super early to ensure they get back in time for you to sail away.

 

There is always the potential that there is a strike or issues with the train, but that can happen on a bus, too (as it did on our excursion to London from Dover). The advantage of a ship excursion is that they'll wait for you to return. We just looked at it as that the worst that could happen was that they did leave us, and decided we were willing to risk it since we could catch up in the next port easily.

 

I can't comment on the tours that are fully guided, but no matter which option you choose, I hope you have a great time!

[pennys mum]

Just off the Eclipse. We did celebrity excursion called Paris without lunch. Coach tour of major sites then boat trip on the Seine at Eiffel tower. Free time at tower grounds..long day but good if you have never been to Paris.