Paris & The Heart Of Normandy on Viking 8/24/23

[aflitzy]

We are looking forward to our Viking cruise - Paris and the Heart of Normandy August 24th.  We are doing the pre-in Paris.  Appreciate any tips on the destination.

Thank you

[tulok]

Have you ever been to Paris? 

I have been on the cruise with Uniworld and 8/5/23, I will do the itinerary again with Ama. 

Normandy is beautiful and the national cemetery is very emotional.

Let me know what questions you have. I have been on Viking (just not that itinerary) and to Paris many times. One of my favorite cities.

[aflitzy]

Tulok, I have been to Paris in my 20's a college student backpacking!!!!  I am sure that this will be a very different trip.  I have not been to Normandy or Monet's Gardens.  

 

[Canal archive]

We’re off on Scenic in just under 2 months before you, we did it first in 2014 it’s a great cruise, look for Host Jazzbeau’s report on his cruise on this forum.

Edited May 2, 2023 by Canal archive
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[Host Jazzbeau]

10 hours ago, Canal archive said:

look for Host Jazzbeau’s report on his cruise on this forum.

 

 

[tulok]

My advice for going a few days early is to make sure that the Paris excursions do not include things you will see on your own i.e. Versailles. That just happened to a friend of mine last year. She went to Versailles and Latin Quarter and ended up doing both as cruise excursions without the lines and saw more with the tour guide.

That will save some tourist time.

The walking tours should be good excursions in the cities and towns they are offered. A lot to see in the beautiful Normandy area.

[dd57]

We did this cruise and pre extension last September.  There are optional tours available during the pre-cruise extension that you can see on MyVikingJourney once you book.  We did the Taste of Paris and the Montmartre optional walking tours and both were great.  The included walking tour was a historical walking tour in the Marais neighborhood, again very interesting. 

 

There is so much to see and do in Paris it is hard to choose.

[auntieS]

For Paris, I recommend Rick Steves guidebook (sites, dining, self guided walks, etc!)  and/or website including their very active travel forum!

For this cruise:  as Americans, we did the US tour of Normandy beaches, which was very moving. 

But if you have any interest in viewing the Bayeux Tapestry, the Commonwealth tour also includes the Tapestry Museum (the Tapestry will be loaned to the UK in ~2024 while the Tapestry Museum undergoes renovations.)

[Canal archive]

Well auntieS that’s news we’ve got it on our agenda later this year.

[m41475]

When you dock are you able to disembark and explore on your own and how do I find out how long the boat is in port. Doing my first river cruise departing Paris in Sept. TIA

[tulok]

@m41475 yes you can go on your own. There are some stops that dock overnight or leave late. Some stops the boat moves to the next stop while you are touring and the tour bus takes you to the stop. Or you can stay on and move with the boat. The itinerary should let you know but it is not set in stone as they have to work with river levels and other issues that may come up. With that said, the walking tours are really great and usually still give plenty of time on your own. A lot of times it’s a historian or educator. The best part of river cruising is the idea of porting in or near the towns.

[aflitzy]

56 minutes ago, m41475 said:

When you dock are you able to disembark and explore on your own and how do I find out how long the boat is in port. Doing my first river cruise departing Paris in Sept. TIA

Go to My Viking Journey and it should list day by day with the times

[dd57]

The evening before a stop there is a port talk right before dinner that will give you details.  These are very informative with some history/culture as well as details about some of the excursions.  It is not a sales/shopping talk like on some ocean cruiselines.  You will also get a printout in your cabin about the next day.  Maps are available at guest services on your way out in the morning.  As I remember, on this itinerary there is one day where you visit two places so you need to be back on board before the ship moves to the next location.  The only time the boat moved while people were on excursions was the last day before docking in Paris.  

Edited May 15, 2023 by dd57

[mskaufman]

Make sure you either go on the optional excursions or have something planned when others will be on those excursions. We found that Viking did an excellent job of vetting tour guides and that many of them were regular guides for Viking. 

[OneSixtyToOne]

On 5/1/2023 at 4:59 PM, aflitzy said:

We are looking forward to our Viking cruise - Paris and the Heart of Normandy August 24th.  We are doing the pre-in Paris.  Appreciate any tips on the destination.

Thank you

 

Unless you REALLY want to go to Omaha Beach I suggest you take the Commonwealth Tour instead. It includes a stop in Bayeux to visit the tapestry. It also stops at the famous Pegasus Bridge which is where the first casualties of D-Day occurred and was featured in the movie The Longest Day. You then visit Juno Beach which has the Canadian Visitor's Center.

 

The Viking Commonwealth excursion is much less crowded than the one going to Omaha and visits more places. We had only 8 people on our bus when we took it. IMO the Bayeux Tapestry is a must see.

[tulok]

@OneSixtyToOne Does Viking not include the American Cemetery with the Omaha Beach excursion? That was one of the most moving tours I have ever done. 

[OneSixtyToOne]

2 minutes ago, tulok said:

@OneSixtyToOne Does Viking not include the American Cemetery with the Omaha Beach excursion? That was one of the most moving tours I have ever done. 

It does but it’s really the only thing on the tour. As I said, unless you really want to go to Omaha the Commonwealth tour offers more to see.

[Host Jazzbeau]

I assume these Viking tours start from Rouen or Le Havre, so the American sites are further away (South) than the Canadian ones and Bayeux.  The few river lines that can dock in Honfleur gain a big advantage on these tours by starting so much closer.  Too bad Viking only redesigned their ships for the Paris basin turnaround – a little shorter and they could have had Honfleur too. 

[CPT Trips]

4 hours ago, OneSixtyToOne said:

It does but it’s really the only thing on the tour. As I said, unless you really want to go to Omaha the Commonwealth tour offers more to see.

Not Pointe du Hoc, Sainte-Mère-Eglise, Arromanches-Les-Bains, the Longues-sur-Mer battery, or the German Cemetery? That was quite a full day from Honfleur.
 

We had three overnights in Honfleur at the end of the cruise, so an extra full day to stay in town, go to Bayeux or tour the Cloffs of Etretat. Then a day heading to Roissey (CDG) with a stop, and tour, at the Caen Memorial Museum. 
 

An advantage of a smaller ship and a 13 day one way tour.