Cruise for eight nights aboard the exclusively chartered, Five-Star small ship Le Champlain from London, England to Wales, Ireland, France and Scotland, with guided excursions in each port. By special arrangement, walk the hallowed beaches of Normandy with Dwight David Eisenhower II, grandson of General and President Dwight D. Eisenhower, and meet Allen Packwood, Director of the Churchill Archives Centre at the University of Cambridge. Visit the UNESCO World Heritage-designated Caernarfon Castle near Holyhead, Wales; experience the beauty of the Inner Hebridean isles; and view Celtic treasures in Dublin. London Pre-Program and Glasgow and Edinburgh Post-Program Options.
Itinerary
Scotland, Wales, Ireland, France and England
Day 1. Depart the U.S. or Canada
Day 2. London, England/Windsor (Runnymede)
Day 3. London (Tower Bridge)/Embark Le Champlain
Day 4. Caen, France, for Omaha Beach
Day 5. Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue, Normandy/Cherbourg for Utah Beach
Day 6. Tresco, Isles of Scilly, England
Day 7. Dublin, Ireland
Day 8. Holyhead, Wales, for Caernarfon
Day 9. Tobermory, Isle of Mull, Scotland/Isle of Iona
Day 10. Glasgow/Disembark ship/Return to the U.S. or Canada
Trip Highlights
Blue Eye—a multisensory innovation— the first ever luxury underwater observation lounge featuring large subaquatic windows, bionics and biomimetics, wall-mounted digital screens and a specially designed global listening system to immerse you in the wondrous sights and sounds of marine life beneath the surface of the ocean.
A rare, private opportunity to cruise with guest speaker Dwight David Eisenhower II, esteemed political scientist and American historian and grandson of General and President Dwight D. Eisenhower, and to meet guest speaker Allen Packwood, Director of Churchill Archives Centre, Cambridge, and a Fellow of Churchill College, University of Cambridge, England.
- Exclusively chartered cruise aboard the newest Five-Star expedition ship Le Champlain, launching in 2018, accessing ports unavailable to larger vessels.
- Private balcony for every Suite and Stateroom—only 92!
- Visit the beaches of Normandy, accompanied by David Eisenhower, 75 years after the historic D-Day landings.
- Professor Eisenhower’s lectures will focus on the Normandy landing in 1944 and his grandfather, “Ike.”
- A shore excursion included in each port of call.
- Complimentary alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages are available throughout the cruise; all meals are included aboard ship.
- Exclusive, specially designed historic and cultural itinerary to five countries.
- Visit to the lush, 19th-century Tresco Abbey Garden on the Isles of Scilly.
- London Pre-Program Option and Glasgow and Edinburgh Post‑Program Option.