Buzz8594

Hi!

For those on the London to Bergen, British Isles Explorer from April 1 - April 15 on Viking Venus:

When we're in Dublin on April 5, the Discover County Wicklow tour is currently sold out through Viking. I'm traveling with my mother, and we booked a tour with a highly recommended tour group - Custom Irish Tours (formally, Beautiful Meath Tours). The itinerary for the tour is very similar to the Viking one, with a drive through the Wicklow Mountains and a stop at Guinness Lake, through Sally Gap towards Glendalough (monastic city in the national park), a stop at the Avoca hand weavers, and a stop at the Powerscourt House & Gardens.

The tour can accommodate up to 6 people and is a flat rate (about $600). It's just the two of us, so we have room for 4 additional people if anyone is interested. The idea is we would split the flat rate dependent on the number of people. The rate does not include lunch and entry fees. If for some reason we are not able to port in Dublin that day, the rate is refundable. 

If anyone would like to join us or would like more information, just send me a private message. 

Thanks - Ashley 

We're booked on the London to Bergen itinerary for March/April. For London, the ship is docked in Tilbury and our flight arrives early in the morning the first day. Does anyone have any transportation company recommendations or tips for getting to London to explore from Tilbury?

Also, does anyone have any recommendations/experiences with tour companies in Dublin? We'd hoped to book the Discover County Wicklow tour through Viking but it sold out, so we're looking for other options. Thanks so much!

Did you book your excursions through the cruise line? If so, they will show how long each excursion takes. This will give you a rough idea of how much extra time you have.

One thing about Alaska is that the cruise ships dock right in town which makes exploring fairly easy.

Yes, I did book through the cruise line, and I've been looking at the recent dailies for the same itinerary. However, I've been seeing mixed reviews - including recent reviews for the same excursions - about the timing. For example, in Ketchikan, it says on the daily the dock time is around 7:30 and the depart time is around 3:30. With a 4-hour excursion, it seems like you may have some time to explore the port before the all-aboard time.

The reason I didn't post in the NCL forum is because I know that multiple cruise lines can take the same excursions, and while the times in port can vary, I imagine, overall, they are very similar.

Mostly, I'm trying to get an overall feel for people's experiences in excursions/exploring the ports.

Thanks!

I'm cruising on the NCL Jewel in August, northbound from Vancouver to Seward (with a land excursion into Denali). I've been on cruises previously, but only in the Caribbean. This is also my mother's first cruise and I really want to make it great for her. I've been doing as much reading/research as possible; however, I've seen varying information on the excursions - specifically, whether you have extra time to explore a port after completing an excursion and before boarding the ship. If we do (or may) have extra time, I'd like to plan accordingly.

In Ketchikan, we are booked for the Misty Fjords & Wilderness Explorer.

In Juneau, we are booked for the Whale Watching & Wildlife Quest.

In Skagway, we are booked for the Yukon Territory Scenic Drive.

I'd love to hear anyone's experiences with these excursions, in addition to whether you had extra time in port. Also, if anyone has ever done the booked land excursion into Denali from Seward, I'd love to hear about that as well.