Paris Sightseeing w/ lunch cruise Excursion

[airbusdrvr]

DW is taking this excursion on our Constellation cruise in a few weeks . She wants to know how much free time is available when you are dropped off at the Eiffel Tower before the coach departs for LeHarve . The brochure says " you will have time for photos and souvenir shopping " , is this 20 - 30 minutes or 1 - 2 hours or more ?

[TWOFERTWO]

Shore Excursion Code: LH1A

Description: Paris Sightseeing With Lunch Cruise

Event Time: 08-Sep-2004 08:00:00 AM

 

 

We are already booked with Celebrity for this excursion, Sept. 8th. If any one has taken this, we would appreciate your feed back. Thanks! :)

[airbusdrvr]

I went on the Normandy Beach tour , it was great . Very educational and emotional .

DW and 2 DD's went on the "Paris Sightseeing With Lunch Cruise" . She reports that the tour was OK but not great . First of all it takes almost 6 hours on the bus to go to Paris and back . You get to see a lot of the famous sites in Paris , but from the bus as you pass them . She was hoping they would stop and let you take pics but this was not the case . Lunch was good but she thought they wasted a lot of time during the lunch time .

 

The bus did stop at the Eiffel for photos and some brief shopping , but not enough time to go up in the tower . She also said the shops around the Eiffel Tower were very rude to American customers (imagine that!) . Also take Euro coins with you since many toilet facilities are pay toilets .

[elc41]

we did this a few years ago with an NCL ship that had docked at LeHarve.

There was not a ton of time. We thought the Lunch was very nice. It was interesting to see the sights of paris but it was a real long bus ride but because my wife had never seen Paris she wanted to do it.

 

If you have never been to Paris and are not planning to go there anytime soon then it is probably worth it...otherwise I would save my money.

 

We go back at the end of this month but are staying in the city 2 nights then 2 nights in London before our Sep 1 cruise on the Jewel.. Personally I prefer London. I speak the language and love their theater.

[moya]

We did this tour about 2 or 3 years ago - it was a great tour for the highlights and if I remember correctly the bus dropped us off at Note Dame and we had about and hour to an hour and 1/2 on our own.

 

We did some shoppping and exploring- if you have never been to Paris this is a nice tour.

 

Moya

[Bruin Steve]

I've been to Paris a few times...and can't imagine doing one of these excursions from Le Havre...It sort of seems like having a cruise that stops in LA and taking a shore excursion to Las Vegas--for a bus tour!!

 

When we do the Constellation next July, I'm mulling over the various Normandy excursions...

 

My parents just got off the Millie June 19 sailing recently and we had signecd them up for the Normandy Chateaux excursion...and much to their dismay, they arrived at the ship only to find it was canceled for their sailing--not enough people signed up...

 

So, we're looking at Rouen and Giverny, D-Day Beaches & Bayeux Tapestry or ???...

 

I'm not really into the D-Day thing...I was born AFTER WWII and my dad fought in the Pacific...So, I don't have as much of a connection as some...

 

Anyone have any thoughts on excursions from Le Havre? Anyone been on the Giverny & Rouen excursion? Thanks...

[TWOFERTWO]

I'm not really into the D-Day thing...I was born AFTER WWII and my dad fought in the Pacific...So, I don't have as much of a connection as some...

I don't think that you meant it, but....your choice of phrasing is very poor, IMHO. It is insulting to all that have family and friends that died over there. Having read, with great interest, so many of your posts over the years, I am upset with the "D-Day thing..." I'm sure if it was not too late, that you would edit that out?

[Bruin Steve]

I don't think that you meant it, but....your choice of phrasing is very poor, IMHO. It is insulting to all that have family and friends that died over there. Having read, with great interest, so many of your posts over the years, I am upset with the "D-Day thing..." I'm sure if it was not too late, that you would edit that out?

 

I don't really understand what the problem is here...

I acknowledge that there is a large group of people who will cruise an itinerary that includes Le Havre because they have a personal connection to the Normanday Invasion (my terminology, "the D-Day thing" is merely a colloquialization of the longer idea of "revisiting the sites of the Allied invasion of Normandy during World War II")...I was NOT referring to the invasion of Normandy itself or to the many good Americans who fought there or died there...I was referring to the choices of shore excursion offerings giving people the opportunity to revisit D-Day sites by tour bus while on a cruise vacation...

 

The word "thing" means a "subject" or an "entity"...

 

All I was trying to get across was that, unlike many of my fellow cruisers who have a great connection to the D-Day Invasion--having personally fought there, having spouses or fathers who fought there, having relatives who are buried at Coleville Cemetary--those folks with compelling reasons to take one of the D-Day related excursions, I do not have any such reason...

 

Yes, like so many others, I take a national pride in the accomplishments of those who fought there...I have a great amount of gratitude that the Nazis were defeated and driven off the political map and their atrocities brought to a close...

 

But, given the choice of visiting the bunkers and gun placements and the cemetaries, I would rather spend my day in Normandy visiting sites with more peaceful interest...

 

Obviously, this is a choice many people make while at this port...Some go to Paris, some go to some of these other locales like Mont. St. Michel or Rouen...

 

My parents, with my father and all three of his brothers having served in the military in WWII (3 of them in the Pacific, the fourth in Europe/Italy, but not in the D-Day invasion) chose NOT to do a D-Day related Shore Excursion...

 

I was merely inquiring if anyone had any advice on the non-Paris, non-D-Day excursions...I'm not really into the "Paris thing" either...

 

No offense intended...

 

In all sincerity, though, if you really found my choice of words offensive, my sincere apologies...It was not intended to be interpreted as such...

[outatsea]

Just a suggestion:

 

Friends of mine recently did the Paris Segway Tour and absolutely loved it. A great way to see a lot in a short time and it's fun as well to use a Segway.

 

Their website:

http://www.parissegwaytours.com/

[sueernieb]

I know it has been a long time since anyone posted on this thread. I do have one question that I would like someone to answer if possible.

I have seen pictures of several types of boats that do this canal cruise. My husband would like to know if the ones that the ships use have anyplace to be outside to take pictures or if all pictures are taken through windows. Thanks,

 

Sue

[belgiancruiser]

visiting Paris from Le Havre is like seeing a cake, but not able to eat from it.

It is a long way, and Paris needs some time to be explored, at least some walks in it.

That said, if you don't plan to come again soon, you can get of course an idea from it.

Riding up the Eiffel Tower is, IMO, not really necessary, and if you have only little time, it would perhaps be a better idea to cross the Seine on the bridge to the Palais Chaillot and the Trocadéro where you have a nice view to the tower and surrounding neighboorhoods from an Art Déco Terrace (btw, inside the Palais is the Maritime Museum, with some nice models, of among others, french liners).

 

D-Day was such an important moment in recent history, I don't think you need a personal connection to visit at least the American Cemetery (I think at Omaha Beach, I am not sure) which is quite moving.

 

Normandie is a very beautiful part of France, with many historical, literary and social places to visit.

 

On the other side of the Seine is the Cote Fleurie, with lots of high class Belle Epoque resorts, like Deauville, Trouvile, Houlgate, Cabourg, and the very pittoresque litte old port of Honfleur (from where the French sailed to "discover" Canada en America)

 

There are many cathedrals, and ruins of abbeys like Jumieges, which is qquite astounding. Bayeux with its famous tapestry is worthwile (although there is only the Tapestry). there is Rouen, and Caen.

 

For horse lovers, there is the State Stud Farm "Haras du Pin" in the south of Normandie, near Camenbert.

 

For gourmets, you can try to buy Calvados and Cider at the producers themselves in the countryside, as with cheese, and eat some crepes. The liquor Benedictine is made in Fecamp (near le havre) where you can visit the factory and taste it.

 

If you like literature, the ghosts of Proust, Flaubert, Maupassant, Gide are very much alive.

 

Hiring a car is the best idea, I think.

 

J

[sueernieb]

Thanks for all the info. But, does anyone know if you can get outside on the sightseeing boats. I mean, do they have a small area where people can stand and take pictures. Thanks

 

Sue

[legalsea]

There was no place to stand outside on the canal-restaurant boat we were on in Paris. I soon gave up trying to take any pictures due to the reflection. It was a miserable experience.

[wwinfl91]

Thanks for the answer on the "No place to take pictures" on the canal restaurant boats. Since that would be one of the main things I would want to be able to do it makes that a much less attractive tour and will probably influence my decision on what to do on our La Harve stop.

 

Have a great next cruise.

[sailingfriends]

My son and daughter-in-law confirmed today, that all the boats that do the river and dinner cruising have no where to stand and take pictures. There are other boats that just are sightseeing that have an open top deck, but none are for dining.

 

They said they did the night cruise with dinner, and it was very romantic, but there was no way you could ever take any pictures from there.

 

I think we have decided on the the Taste of Paris tour, that will give us 3 1/2 hours to go back to one or two places, we want one of them to be Notre Dame.

 

Rick Steve's book says the Louve is closed on Tuesday as well as a few other Museums, so there will be more people at the other sights. The Eiffel Tower is worth going up in, but the chances of the line being short enough are going to be slim. We have the subway maps and ready to go.

 

Gerry