Paris via Excursion Or On Our Own?

[disney_mommy]

We will have one day in Paris this October (a Wednesday). My worries with the ship's (NCL Dawn) excursions are that they seem to drive or boat by landmarks, not actually stopping for any time to explore. Having never been to Paris, I would love some guidance. Is it worth the $160 to take the ship's bus into Paris and explore or take a tour on our won, or are the ship's excursions worth it? The only thing I would truly love to see is the Moulin Rouge, others (Arc de Triomphe, the Champs Elysees Avenue, Eiffel Tower, etc.) I wouldn't mind seeing and maybe checking out but don't want to really explore or climb. What are your thoughts?

[Globaliser]

1 minute ago, disney_mommy said:

We will have one day in Paris this October (a Wednesday). My worries with the ship's (NCL Dawn) excursions are that they seem to drive or boat by landmarks, not actually stopping for any time to explore.

 

This is because there is no time to explore. You don't have one day in Paris. Your ship spends a day in Le Havre, which is a very long way from Paris. However you'd do it, you'd spend a very large part of your day travelling from Le Havre to Paris and then from Paris back to Le Havre. (Think of something like a port call at Baltimore and then expecting to spend a day touring New York City.)

[TheOldBear]

You will find lots of discussion threads concerning Paris from LeHavre over in the https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/462-france-ports/ forum. The general recommendation is that it is not worth the travel time to just see the outside of some attractions.

 

What Normandy excursions does your ship offer?

 

Have you checked on the 'roll call' for your sailing if anyone is trying to organize an independent tour?

 

[Jamietravelstheworld]

I don't recommend going to Paris if your port of call is Le Havre or anywhere that has a long drive because you won't have enough time to see or do anything. If you decide you must go to Paris, I would only do a ship's excursion, because I'd be too concerned about not getting back to the ship in time. And I wouldn't do the ship's Paris on your own, because you'd still have very little time to do anything. Paris is packed with people (I was just there) and there are crowds for everything. If you really want to see Paris, I'd plan to do it pre- or post-cruise. It's worth several days.

[gumshoe958]

All sensible advice. Le Havre to central Paris is at least a 2 hour drive each way, more if there’s traffic, and there’s so much to see you’d barely be paying lip service to one of the world’s great cities.

 

The Moulin Rouge is very much an evening venue (shows are at 9pm & 11pm) so I’m not sure what you’re expecting to see - AFAIK it’s closed during the day.

 

I agree with the posts above - you may need to adjust your expectations, visit somewhere closer to Le Havre and save Paris for when you can spare some decent time there.

[disney_mommy]

Thanks, everyone. I really appreciate your input. I think I'll go ahead and just do a ship excursion and try Paris (not Pairs!) on my own at a later time, when I have more than a day.

[cyntil8ing]

We did a ship transfer last summer. I am glad we did it, but I would not do it again. We spent 6 hours on a bus for 4 hours in Paris. 
 

Sixty days before our visit, I bought tickets to the Eiffel Tower Summit the day they went on sale. They sold out that day, so don’t wait. It was the only thing we got to do. I had envisioned lunch at a sidewalk cafe, but instead we bought a baguette at a convenience store to eat on the bus.

 

But the Eiffel Tower was glorious and though it was a lot, I am happy we did it. 

[victory2020]

Does anyone know whee the Paris on your own excursions drop you ? Specifically NCL line? Can you walk to sites from there?

[Markanddonna]

We did that a few years ago. I only wanted to say I had been to Paris. The day was lovely; we got to see Notre Dame a few months before the fire, and walked around. We took a taxi to Notre Dame, so we didn't waste time walking, and then walked back to the bus pick-up area.

 

I've traveled extensively in Europe and just don't see the uniqueness of France. We've been to several other cities in France. We never experienced any rudeness, so my opinion isn't based on a bad travel experience.

 

Edited July 5, 2023 by Markanddonna