Tour Overview
Reels and Remembrance is a vibrant European voyage based on the powerful stories that inspired some of the most acclaimed WWII films and television series of our time. Sail aboard the luxury expedition ship SH Diana and experience a custom-curated itinerary designed by expert historians at The National WWII Museum.
Journey to iconic destinations across the United Kingdom, Belgium, France, and the Channel Islands, connecting with the people, places, and events portrayed in productions such as Band of Brothers, The Longest Day, Masters of the Air, Dunkirk, and Saving Private Ryan.
This all-inclusive itinerary incorporates immersive battlefield excursions alongside renowned historians and special guests, a signature onboard lecture series, and evening film screenings. Timed to coincide with the 84th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy, this unforgettable voyage offers a unique opportunity to experience history through firsthand exploration and cinematic storytelling.
Ports Include: London | Portsmouth | Great Yarmouth | Bruges | Dunkirk | Normandy | Guernsey | Dover
Dates
Optional three-night pre-cruise extension program:
Women of the Secret War: London with Featured Historian Clare Mulley
May 26-29, 2028
Optional two-night post-cruise extension program:
The Battle of Britain in the English Countryside with Featured Historian Saul David
June 9–12, 2028
Program Pricing
*Save $1,000 per person when booked by September 25, 2026.
Taxes and fees of $399 per person are additional.
Price per person based on Double Occupancy
Premium Suite $35,999 $34,999
Suite $33,999 $32,999
Junior Suite $29,999 $28,999
Balcony D6 $23,599 $22,599
Balcony M5 $20,599 $19,599
Balcony D5 $18,599 $17,599
Oceanview M4 $16,599 $15,599
Per Person Single Occupancy
(Single occupancy accommodations are extremely limited. If you are a solo traveler, contact the Travel Team to explore options)
Balcony D6 $26,899 $25,899
Balcony D5 $20,899 $19,899
Oceanview M4 $17,899 $16,899
We impose a surcharge of 3% on the total transaction amount on credit card products, which is not greater than our cost of acceptance. We do not surcharge debit cards or e-checks.
Download the Brochure
Download the official Reels and Remembrance 84th Anniversary of D-Day Cruise digital flyer for a full listing of inclusions, accommodations, and other useful information.
Full Tour Itinerary
Monday, May 29, and Tuesday, May 30, 2028
Port of Call: London
May 29: After flying into London Heathrow Airport (LHR), your journey begins in historic central London with embarkation on the intimate 165-passenger luxury expedition ship SH Diana. Cruise along the Thames, taking in iconic landmarks like Tower Bridge, HMS Belfast Big Ben, and Palace of Westminster. Enjoy a welcome reception, dinner, and tour overview this evening.
Accommodations: SH Diana (R, D)
May 30: Continue on the Thames towards the North Sea, enjoying the amenities of SH Diana. Featured tour historians will host a Symposium at Sea, setting the stage for the incredible itinerary ahead.
Accommodations: SH Diana (B, L, D)
Wednesday, May 31, 2028
Port of Call: Portsmouth, United Kingdom
With touring inspired by Band of Brothers
Excursion Options (Choose 1):
Aldbourne: Picturesque village and wartime home of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, including the famed “Easy” Company of the 101st Airborne Division. Before departing for Normandy in June 1944, the men lived and trained here, forging the bonds of camaraderie immortalized in Band of Brothers. Visitors can explore the village and discover the places where these paratroopers prepared for one of history’s most consequential operations. Enjoy an included lunch at a classic British village pub.
D-Day Museum and the Golden Lion: Portsmouth’s D-Day Museum offers one of the most comprehensive interpretations of the Normandy Campaign, featuring artifacts, personal stories, and the remarkable Overlord Embroidery. Enjoy lunch at the historic Golden Lion pit, which served as a gathering place for Allied leaders and military personnel during the war.
Castletown D-Day Centre: Located in Portland, the Castletown D-Day Centre tells the story of the embarkation port that played a vital role in the Normandy invasion. Through immersive exhibits, restored military vehicles, and personal accounts, visitors gain insight into the thousands of American troops who departed from this area bound for the beaches of Normandy.
Fort Nelson: Perched high above Portsmouth Harbor, Fort Nelson houses the Royal Armouries’ national artillery collection. Its exhibits explore the evolution of military technology and coastal defense, including the powerful weapons and defensive systems employed during World War II. The fort also offers sweeping views of the harbor that was central to Allied operations in 1944.
Accommodations: SH Diana (B, L, D)
Thursday, June 1, and Friday, June 2, 2028
Port of Call: Great Yarmouth, United Kingdom
With touring inspired by Twelve O'Clock High, Memphis Belle, and Masters of the Air
Excursion Options (Choose 1 per day):
• Duxford: Home to the Imperial War Museum Duxford, this historic airfield was an active Royal Air Force station during the Battle of Britain and later served as a base for the US Army Air Forces. Today, its extensive collection of aircraft, artifacts, and exhibits tells the story of the air war over Europe and the Allied effort to achieve air superiority before D-Day. IWM Duxford is also home to the American Air Museum.
• Bottisham and Horham Airfields: Bottisham Airfield was opened in 1940 as a satellite of RAF Waterbeach, built as a grass airfield initially used by the Cambridge-based Tiger Moths of No. 22 Elementary Flying Training School as a relief landing ground. Continue to a lunch complete with a big band and dancing at the Red Feather Club, a re-creation of a WWII-era NCO social club complete with reenactors in period attire. Dancing shoes and 1940s-style clothing encouraged! Later, tour Horham Airfield, the home of the 95th Bomb Group, the only Eighth Air Force bomb group to receive the Distinguished Unit Citation three times.
• Parham Airfield and Bury St. Edmunds:From 1943 to 1945, RAF Parham served as the wartime base of the 390th Bomb Group, whose B-17 Flying Fortresses carried out strategic bombing missions against German military and industrial targets. The 390th Memorial Air Museum commemorates the group’s service through restored aircraft, wartime artifacts, and personal accounts of the crews who flew from this airfield. After lunch, embark on a walking tour of Bury St. Edmunds, a country shire with 1,000 years of history to explore. Visit the Abbey and gardens on a guided tour before heading into town to learn the role Bury St. Edmunds played in World War II.
• Thorpe Abbotts Airfield: Perhaps the most famous of East Anglia’s American airfields, Thorpe Abbotts was the home of the legendary 100th Bomb Group, known as the “Bloody Hundredth.” Featured prominently in Masters of the Air, the base became synonymous with the sacrifice and resilience of Eighth Air Force crews. The museum located in the restored control tower vividly recounts their extraordinary combat record.
Accommodations: SH Diana (B, L, D)
Saturday, June 3, 2028
Port of Call: Bruges, Belgium
With touring inspired by The Monuments Men and The Train
Excursion Options (Choose 1):
• Church of Our Lady (Bruges Madonna): Home to Michelangelo’s famed Madonna and Child, the Church of Our Lady tells one of the most remarkable stories of cultural preservation during World War II. The sculpture was seized by retreating German forces in 1944 and hidden in Austria before being recovered by the Allied Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives officers—the “Monuments Men.” Its return to Bruges became one of the most celebrated successes in the effort to rescue Europe’s artistic treasures.
• German Bunkers and Atlantic Wall Defenses: Belgium’s coast contains some of the best-preserved sections of Hitler’s Atlantic Wall, the vast network of fortifications constructed to defend occupied Europe from Allied invasion. Explore bunkers, artillery positions, and command posts that reveal the scale of German defensive preparations and provide insight into the challenges facing Allied planners before D-Day.
• Explore World War I: A daylong adventure to well-preserved WWI sites in Belgium. Itinerary stops include Flanders Field American Cemetery, Sanctuary Wood Museum Hill 62, Ypres, Menin Gate Memorial, and Tyne Cot Cemetery.
• Ghent and the Ghent Altarpiece: One of Europe’s greatest artistic masterpieces, the Ghent Altarpiece became a focal point of Nazi art looting during World War II. Seized by German forces and hidden in the Altaussee salt mines, it was recovered by the Monuments Men during the final months of the war. The story of its rescue helped inspire the events depicted in The Monuments Men and remains one of the most dramatic chapters in the effort to save Europe’s cultural heritage.
Accommodations: SH Diana (B, L, D)
Sunday, June 4, 2028
Port of Call: Dunkirk, France
With touring inspired by Dunkirk, All Quiet on the Western Front, Operation Crossbow, and 1917
Excursion Options (Choose 1):
• Dunkirk: Explore the beaches, harbor, and memorials associated with Operation Dynamo, the dramatic 1940 evacuation that rescued more than 338,000 Allied soldiers from encirclement by German forces in northern France. The events that unfolded here inspired Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk, bringing to life one of the most remarkable stories of courage, endurance, and survival in World War II.
• Vimy Ridge and Notre Dame de Lorette French National Cemetery: This excursion examines the legacy of World War I and the battlefields that shaped the generation that would later fight World War II. Visit the Canadian National Vimy Memorial and the vast Notre Dame de Lorette Cemetery, where the immense sacrifices of the Great War provide important context for films such as 1917 and All Quiet on the Western Front.
• Explore World War I: A daylong adventure to well-preserved WWI sites in Belgium. Itinerary stops include Flanders Field American Cemetery, Sanctuary Wood Museum Hill 62, Ypres, Menin Gate Memorial, and Tyne Cot Cemetery.
• Operation Crossbow and the V-2 Rocket Site: Examine Germany’s revolutionary “V-weapons” program and the Allied efforts to destroy these advanced arms before they could alter the course of the war. Visit a former V-2 rocket launch and storage facility to learn about the technological race that foreshadowed the modern space age and became a critical objective of Allied intelligence and air power during the final years of World War II.
Accommodations: SH Diana (B, L, D)
June 5-7, 2028
Port of Call: Caen, France
With touring inspired by Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers, and The Longest Day
Over three days, choose from a variety of excursions in Caen and the surrounding Normandy region that focus on the D-Day landings, 84 years later.
Excursion Options (Choose 1 per day):
• Full-Day US Airborne Tour: Utah Beach, Sainte-Mère-Église, La Fière Bridge, Sainte-Marie-Du-Mont, Brécourt Manor, Angoville-au-Plain
• Full-Day “Americans on Omaha” Tour: Omaha Beach, Pointe du Hoc, Normandy American Cemetery
• Half-Day Dog Green Sector Omaha Beach and Normandy American Cemetery
• Full-Day Falaise Gap Tour
• Full-Day Rouen and Giverny Tour
• Half-Day British Sector Tour
• Half-Day Caen Castle and Walking Tour
Thursday, June 8, 2027
Port of Call: St. Peter Port, Guernsey, United Kingdom
With touring inspired by The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Excursion Options (Choose 1, half- and full-day options available):
• German Occupation Museum: Discover the story of Nazi Germany’s invasion of Guernsey, which, along with fellow Channel Island Jersey, became the only British territory in Europe occupied during World War II. Through an extensive collection of artifacts, documents, uniforms, and personal accounts, the museum illustrates daily life under occupation and the resilience of island residents. These experiences inspired the themes of community, survival, and hope portrayed in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.
• German Underground Hospital: Built largely by forced laborers under the direction of Organisation Todt, this vast underground complex was intended to serve as a protected military hospital and fortress facility. Carved deep into the island’s granite, the tunnels offer a sobering look at the German occupation, the strategic importance of the Channel Islands, and the human cost of Nazi fortification efforts.
• Fort Hommet, Observation Tower, and Gun Pit:
Explore one of the best-preserved sections of Hitler’s Atlantic Wall in the Channel Islands. Fort Hommet features German bunkers, observation posts, and coastal artillery positions constructed to defend against a potential Allied invasion. These fortifications provide a vivid understanding of the immense resources Germany devoted to defending occupied territory and the military realities faced by islanders during the occupation.
Accommodations: SH Diana (B, L, D)
Friday, June 9, 2028
Disembarkation: Dover, United Kingdom
Debark in Dover and transfer to London Heathrow Airport (LHR) or continue to London for the post-tour extension.
(B)
Inclusive Value
- Eleven-night cruise aboard the exclusively charter Swan Hellenic SH Diana
- Daily touring and nightly conversations with featured cruise historians
- Full-time logistical tour managers
- Expert local battlefield guides
- All meals aboard SH Diana. (Breakfasts and Dinners are included daily. Lunches during excursions vary: some are included, some are on your own
- Beer, wine, spirits, coffee, water, tea, and soft drinks throughout the cruise
- A custom collection of “design your own journey” included shore excursions
- Personal listening devices on all included excursions
- Entrance fees to all sites, museums, and attractions on included excursions
- Video oral history presentations from the Museum’s collection
- Private, air-conditioned motor coach transportation on all shore excursions
- Roundtrip airport transfers (when arriving and departing on scheduled group tour dates)
- Gratuities to shipboard crew, guides, drivers, and porters
- Informative specially curated keepsake guide book including useful battlefield maps and archival images to be used throughout your journey
- Personalized luggage tags and customized name badge
*Airport transfers are included with additional hotel nights if booked through the Educational Travel Program.
Destination Map
For tour questions or for more information,
the Travel Sales Team is available:
Monday – Friday, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm Central.
Call: 1-877-813-3329 x 257
Email: travel@nationalww2museum.org
Swan Hellenic’s purpose-built boutique ships feature elegant Scandi-design interiors, extensive outdoor spaces, and dedicated expedition facilities. SH Diana features a state-of-the-art gym, spa, panoramic sauna, Swan Restaurant, Club Lounge, and swimming pool with poolside grill.
The staterooms and suites are each a true home away from home and all feature panoramic sea views, a fireplace, original works of art, comfortable couches, premium pocket spring mattresses, and Egyptian cotton towels, bathrobes, and sheets. A pillow menu offers customized head and neck comfort during rest, while a large flat-screen TV, espresso machine with Illy premium coffee, tea-making facilities with the finest Kusmi teas, and a minibar with refreshments enhance relaxation at any time. In-room dining is available at all hours.
The service on board reflects the same values, being attentive, personal, and intuitive but discreet. There’s no fuss or formality—just focused dedication to understanding our guests’ preferences and anticipating their needs, always aiming to exceed and surprise expectations.
Deck Plans
Premium Suite
Includes balcony
Sleeps 2
Premium Suites measure 41m² (441ft²)—including 8m2 (86ft²) private balcony—and can accommodate two guests. They feature a king-size bed, separate living room, and flame-effect fireplace. There’s also a luxurious ensuite bathroom— with separate bathtub and shower —and a walk-in wardrobe.
Suite
Includes balcony
Sleeps 2
Suites measure 41m2 (441ft²)— including a 5m² (54ft²) private balcony—and can accommodate two guests. They feature a king-size bed, and have a separate living room, with a flame-effect fireplace. There’s also a luxurious ensuite bathroom with separate bath tub and a walk-in shower.
Junior Suite
Includes balcony
Sleeps 2
Junior Suites measure 32-36m2 (344-388ft2)—including a 6m2 (65ft2) private balcony—and can accommodate two guests. They feature a king-size bed, have a separate living room area, and luxurious en-suite bathroom.
Balcony Stateroom
Includes balcony
Sleeps 2
Balcony Staterooms measure 25m² (269ft²)—including a 5m² (54ft²) private balcony—and can accommodate two or three guests. They feature two single beds or a double bed, bedroom with living room area, a flame-effect fireplace, and a luxurious bathroom.
Oceanview Stateroom
Sleeps 2
Oceanview Staterooms measure 20m2 (215ft2) and can accommodate two guests. They feature two single beds or a double bed, bedroom with living room area, a flame-effect fireplace, and a luxurious bathroom.
John C. McManus, PhD
John McManus is the Curators’ Distinguished Professor of US military history at Missouri University of Science and Technology, and one of the world’s leading historians of World War II. He has written over a dozen books, most of which cover some aspect of the American combat experience in World War II, including The Americans at D-Day; The Americans at Normandy; September Hope: The American Side of a Bridge Too Far; Alamo in the Ardennes; and The Dead and Those About to Die: D-Day: The Big Red One at Omaha Beach. McManus has made hundreds of appearances as an expert commentator for radio and television outlets as well as in numerous major documentaries for PBS, the History Channel, Netflix, the Smithsonian Network, Discovery Channel, National Geographic, and others.
William I. Hitchcock, PhD
William I. Hitchcock is the James Madison Professor of History at the University of Virginia. His work and teaching focus on the global history of the 20th Century, in particular the era of the two world wars and the cold war.
He received his B.A. degree from Kenyon College in 1986 and his Ph.D. from Yale University in 1994, working under the supervision of Paul Kennedy. He taught at Yale for six years, and served as the Associate Director of International Security Studies there. He published France Restored: Cold War Diplomacy and the Quest for Leadership in Europe (UNC, 1998) and co-edited a volume with Paul Kennedy titled From War to Peace: Altered Strategic Landscapes in the 20th Century (Yale, 2000). He moved to Wellesley College in 1999, where he taught for five years, and then took a position as a dean and professor of history at Temple University in Philadelphia. After publishing The Struggle for Europe: The Turbulent History of a Divided Continent, 1945-present (Doubleday/Anchor, 2002), he went on to write about the experience of liberation at the close of World War II. His book, The Bitter Road to Freedom: A New History of the Liberation of Europe (Free Press, 2008) was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, a winner of the George Louis Beer Prize, and a Financial Times bestseller in the UK. In 2010, he moved to the University of Virginia. His most recent book is The Age of Eisenhower: America and the World in the 1950s (New York: Simon and Schuster, 2018), which was a New York Times bestseller. He is now writing "FDR and the Dictators: Fascism, Democracy and the Awakening of America," which explores reactions in the United States to the rise of fascism in Europe from the 1920s to 1941.
He lives in Charlottesville, Virginia and is married to the Civil War historian Elizabeth R. Varon.
Kirk Saduski
Kirk Saduski has been an executive and producer at Playtone for 28 years. Among other projects, he’s worked on Band of Brothers, John Adams, David McCullough: Painting with Words, The Pacific, He Has Seen War, Game Change, and Masters of the Air. Saduski was also a Co-Executive Producer on CNN’s Decades series as well as the network’s The Movies. He is a Presidential Counselor at The National WWII Museum and a narrative consultant at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. Saduski lives in Sherman Oaks, California.
Ross McCall
Ross McCall is an actor, writer, director, and producer. He wrote and starred in the award-winning film About Us and wrote and directed the Netflix hit A Violent Man. He starred as Joseph Liebgott in the critically acclaimed HBO miniseries Band of Brothers for producers Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. McCall’s television credits include Mercenary for Netflix, Silo, The Offer, Suspicion, White Collar, 24, Crash, Luther, Fear the Walking Dead, Castle, CSI: NY, Bones, Ghost Whisperer,and Lucifer. His feature films include Mission Impossible, Rise of The Foot Soldier; Unwinding; The Good Traitor; Nikola Tesla; A Walk to Vegas; A New York Christmas; The Beautiful Ones; It’s Not You, It’s Me; Willed to Kill; A Country Christmas; Automotive; In Embryo; Green Street Hooligans 1 and 2; Trade Routes; Autopsy; and The Polar Express.
