Normandy Landing Beaches Tour

[emsachs]

Hi all.

My father in law and i would like to do a Normandy Landing beaches tour while we are docked in Le Havre.

 

Has anyone done the Princess tour??

Do we miss alot on this tour or are they all about the same?

Is cost the only real difference?

 

I read that some others are doing a private tour, but we are considering the Princess tour because we are concerned about not making it back to the ship in time.

 

Any comments/suggestions are welcome as always.

[Keith1010]

I did a Normany Tour through the cruise line, which in my case was Crystal.

We were very pleased with the tour as we had an outstanding tour guide. We opted to go with a tour offered through the cruise line as we had the same concern as you do which is getting back to the ship in time. It was a long drive (well worth it) but given the distances traveled and the length of the tour we did not want to take a chance with a private tour.

 

There will be others who will tell you not too worry and certainly there are some benefits with a private tour but if you are worried about getting back in time (as we were) just go with the cruise tour so you don't have to spend most of the day worrying whether you will get back in time but instead focusing on the tour and the historic significance of Normandy.

 

Keith

[gracecarmo]

Keith: I feel much the same as you do re taking the ship sposored tour vs a private tour.

One other reason to take the ship sponsored: they usually use larger busses and you can get a better view of the scenery while traveling in the country. Once, when we toured on a mini van in Ireland, we could not see beyond the roadside hedges.

Pricewise: I find that most of the time, you really do not save that much by taking a private tour, considering that you have to pay admission fees, lunch, etc.

[eldercruser]

emsachs,

If there is one place to seriously consider a private tour, the Normandy Beaches is the place, especially if you are deeply interested in World War II history.

 

Last year we used John Flaherty of Hand Maid tours. John is an Englishman who lives in Normandy and has an incredible amount of knowledge about the war and the area. It might be a bit on the expensive side for two, but you might be able to find some folks to join you on on your cruise roll call board. I guarantee you will see three or four times the number of sites that a ship tour can provide - and get a much more informative tour to boot.

 

www.handmaidtours.com

[shamrock47]

Greetings emsachs,

 

What is the date of your cruise? I am interested in the info you get on Normandy, as my wife and I are on the Golden Princess 7/31 sailing. We have booked the Princess tour so far, but might be interested in a more private tour also.

Thanks

[emsachs]

Greetings emsachs,

 

What is the date of your cruise? I am interested in the info you get on Normandy, as my wife and I are on the Golden Princess 7/31 sailing. We have booked the Princess tour so far, but might be interested in a more private tour also.

Thanks

 

Shamrock.

Our cruise is the August 20 Golden Princess roundtrip Southhampton.

We are going to do the Princess tour because of time concerns. We may miss a few things, but we will see most of what we want (if not all) and I'm sure we will have a most enjoyable day.

Good luck and have fun!!!

[denfarwell]

Took it on the Royal Princess 2004. I am not a fan of ship tours but this was excellent. Make sure the lunch at the Omaha Golf Club is included. I can definitely vouch for it. We were astonsished at how upscale it was. Many course. At first we thought it was just wine & luncheon salad. But were we surprised. Wine bottles were placed on the table for you to enjoy.

 

I had researched ALL of the private tours. I am a big D-Day fan, and a member of the D-Day Museum in New Orleans (just been renamed WWII Museum). If you can share a car or minibus with others, fine. But very pricey to go alone. I took the ship tour because my three other companions had seen the beaches, etc., before and were into doing other things.

 

The guide pointed out if the weather was stormy, then you get the feel of the weather the Allies faced on D-Day. It was good weather when I went, and you could see further.

 

I would take the ship's tour because I thought it was great. Can't ever remember saying that about a ship's tour either.