I am cruising in Europe on 9/14 and wanted to know about purchasing shore excursion package in advance or shoiuld we buy on board. Normandy trip is a must for us.

Bernadette,
Specifically what ports will you be visiting on your Med. cruise? What port are you planning to use as a departure port for Normandy?
Nancy

There are several ports :Honfleur,Fr, StMalo,Fr, Bordeaux,Fr, Lisbon, Gibraltar, Barcelona, Marseille, Monte Carlo, Livorno, It.
Oceania offers two 7 trip packages before sailing. All other shore excursions can only be purchased onboard, however, ther is no list of offerings available. I like some trips in the package but not all. we do not want to risk missing out on Normandy.
Bernadette

A lot depends on the port. I met my wife on one cruise in Bordeaux for a cruise on Oceania and we mis-connected on everything there is to do. My suggestion would be that if you do not have specific sights to see, then take the ship's shore excursions to maximize your time in port.

If you do have a specific objective, then do it on your own. Many of the less visited ports will have specialized excursions offered on board the ship, while you might have a difficult time duplicating them if you do not know the terrain.

Just my opinion and easy to dispell, if you know your way around a specific port.

Respectfully,

Tom