Normandy

[somogirl]

Is it easy to see Normandy on your own by taking a bus or is it best to take a tour with the ship? We will be Cherbourg. 

[markeb]

1 hour ago, somogirl said:

Is it easy to see Normandy on your own by taking a bus or is it best to take a tour with the ship? We will be Cherbourg. 

 

I assume you mean the landing beaches and sites?

 

I last visited the landing beaches and surrounding area years ago on a land based tour. Even if you can do it by bus (don't know), you won't have any context, and it would probably take forever. And it's also a big area. Cherbourg to Arromanches is 102 kilometers according to Google Maps. It's 85 to Colleville-sur-Mer and the American Cemetery.

 

You don't have to do a ship's tour. Hopefully you'll get some feedback on them. There's a company that's been recommended a lot on the board over the years. Named after the code name for the invasion, and easy to find on Google and TripAdvisor. Tour prices usually vary with the number of stops and the number of people. If you're into the history, I'd probably try to see what you can arrange on your own (most expensive) or maybe with your roll call. If you're looking for an overview, a standard tour will be fine, but it looks like you're somewhat limited in options from Cherbourg. You'll run out of time before you run out of things to see, unfortunately.

 

In some ways, the landings occurred where they did because the major ports were so far away, and no one in their right mind would have landed there! 

 

When is your cruise and what is the ship offering? How long are you in port?

[TheOldBear]

I’ve done the Cunard ships tour twice, American sector in 2017 and the Sword Beach / Juno Beach sectors in 2019.

The Cunard tours were very similar in content and price to the description of Overlord tours with a price difference offset by the included lunch.

So, I would advise checking the ships tour description and comparing that against Overlord as a benchmark.

You may also want to look at the Excursions link at the top of this page, and check for reviews.

I would tend to favor a ship’s tour to avoid the slight chance of watching your ship sail away. In 2017 the QM2 was delayed for 90 minutes waiting for a ships tour bus that had a breakdown. I do not care to speculate how long they would have waited for passengers not on a tour. (Next port was NYC)

[CruiserBruce]

@markeb, no need to conceal the name of Overlord Tours. They are commonly discussed on the France board (Normandy is definitely not in England, so that would be the better place for @somogirlto do some research ), and highly recommended. We loved the Overlord tour we took...they are a very professional outfit.

 

And its an incredibly low chance your ship will sail without you. Everyone mentions that concern, but that could crush a tour company's business, and it never seems to be actually documented as happening.

[markeb]

14 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

no need to conceal the name of Overlord Tours.

 

Just following the guidance not to recommend a tour I hadn't been on!

 

Looks like their standard 16 person tours hit Omaha, Colleville-sur-Mer, and Sainte-Mere-Eglise from Cherbourg. Which is a nice quick overview, but would drive me insane! I will never forget standing on Ponte du Hoc, 50+ years after D-Day, and still seeing shell craters big enough for a Volkswagen to fit in...

 

If you're there on a ship, you see what you can see. But go back by land! Too much history in Brittany and Normandy!

[Cotswold Eagle]

4 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

They are commonly discussed on the France board (Normandy is definitely not in England,

That may be how it works in practice, but this board is British Isles/Western Europe,  not England. The France board is a sub to Mediterranean, and Normandy is definitely, definitely not in the Med. The Normandy ports are not listed under either board, but this is logically the place for them. 

[Turtles06]

With the caveat that is was some years ago, a handful of us on our Roll Call had a fabulous tour with Overlord out of Le Havre.    They book up early, so if this is of interest to you, please keep that in mind.

[caripoo]

Contact OVERLORD TOURS......

[TheOldBear]

3 hours ago, caripoo said:

Contact OVERLORD TOURS......

Take a look at their tours #9 [van] and #9B [bus] - There is a table in the 9B tour page

Pick-up at the docking port is at the Arrival Terminal – Our vans are easily recognizable as they clearly show our logo.
Le Havre – 8.00am to 5.30 : 130 Euros per person
Honfleur – 8.00am to 5.30 : 130 Euros per person
Cherbourg – 8.00am to 5.30 : 130 Euros per person

 

I think Cunard's shore excursion may have been Overlord's 9B tour - substituting lunch for the stop in Bayeux. 

 

[caripoo]

We just used Overlord for a second time last week......This time we spent 8 days in Normandy, split between staying in Bayuex and Honfleur..... You can DESIGN your own day with them......We had them take us to Mt. Saint Michel because we missed it on our first visit.....

[John Bull]

First, do check your ship's hours in port - Cherbourg is only a half-day on many cruise itineraries.

 

Bus services in Normandy are limited & infrequent, and of no use for visting the D-Day sights.

Ditto trains.

 

So you have four basic options:

-  Pre-book a ship's tour. I'd recommend this if your visit is only half-day

-  Pre-book an independent tour, either private or group tour (Overlord have been mentioned a number of times, they have an excellent reputation but there are other specialists).  Guides are experts, and smaller groups than ships' tours mean you get more personal attention, including answers to specific questions. Also no waiting around while a full-size coach loads & unloads, and large groups move at the speed of the slowest. Be aware that independent tours book-out very very early.

To be honest, Overlord's itinerary would be too basic for me - just Omaha / American cemetery and Ste Mere-Eglise. Certainly in-depth, but my own preference for a 9.5-hour tour would include more stops. 

- Pre-book a rented car.  This iwill be significantly cheaper than the other options - especially if you're a foursome or you can get together with others, for instance via your cruise RollCall. Driving is easy, a mix of the main A13 divided highway and country lanes, no town driving. You can set and vary your own timetable (make Ste Mere-Eglise your last stop, by the N13 it's only about 35 minutes from Cherbourg, so you can trim or expand your time there, depending on your time available). 

Uncrowded roads, though a little slow along the coastal lanes. Plenty of free parking at the sights. Downside is that you don't have a guide, but a little advance research makes a big difference, and there's plenty of written information and English-speaking staff at the sights. 

- Pre- book a car & driver. Same advantages as a rented car, more expensive of course but without the responsibilities. No guide, but drivers usually know a few tidbits.  Just stress that you need a driver with good English.

 

If using a rented car or car+driver, here's a suggested itinerary.

Total drive-time 3 hours

American Cemetery, ovelooking Omaha Beach. Worth 2.5 hrs

Omaha Beach. Worth a slow drive + photostops, 20 minutes

Pointe du Hoc. Worth 30 minutes

German war cemetery, La Cambe. Not included in tours, but it's en-route & well worth a 10 minute stop - the comparison with the American Cemetery is stark !!

Utah museum and beach. Worth at least an hour.

Ste Mere-Eglise. Excellent airborne museum worth an hour, and a  dummy of a paratrooper hanging from the church roof  (he survived).

Make Ste Mere-Eglise your last stop, it's the closest sight to Cherbourg (about 35 minutes via the N13), so you can trim or expand your time there, depending on your time available

Thjat's a total of 8.5 hours, so you'll want to decide in advance whether to trim that itinerary or to trim your time here or there to suit, or to miss a sight or two if you fall badly behind the clock.

https://goo.gl/maps/EQq5SZCQLCzBxUCq8 

 

JB 🙂