I chose this cruise because I wanted to be in Normandy on or around D Day. We spent 3 days in Paris before embarking. In Paris, we visited the Palace of Versailles and took a city tour. On the cruise, We visited the towns where Van Gogh lived his final years. Van Gogh painted many of the sights (church, etc) in the town. We visited Monet's village and his beautiful Japanese garden. Other towns we toured were Rouen (Joan of Arc) and Honfleur, near the beaches. GCT had excellent tour guides. Our guide, Guillaume was the creme de la creme. Other local guides they hired were very good. GCT also lined up very interesting optional tours. One exceptional tour was to the Benedictine Abbey where they make the Benedictine licquer. The food the boat served was always delicious. The evening entertainment was always top notch. I've been on a dozen cruises with various cruise lines (Viking, Celebrity, Princess, NCL) and this was one of my favorites. I already have my next cruise (in Scandanavia) reserved.