Cruising Ireland and Iceland

Hi

Has anyone cruised Dublin, Ireland, around Ireland and then to Iceland and back. I am a Caribbean cruiser and don't know anything about the waters around this area. To me it might be pretty choppy. This would be a great cruise if the waters aren't too bad. Any advice for best time to cruise this area? Any information would be super helpful.

Thanks a bunch

with the Irish sea anything is possible

if you are looking for calm seas

try a river cruise

We did a cruise two summers ago from Iceland, to Norway, and then several stops in the British Isles before stopping in Dublin. You never know with the seas and weather there. We had to shelter from a storm with 25 foot seas. Every single item on the ship was tied to something. We sheltered in the lee of an island near Ireland with several tankers around us doing the same thing. It was not for the faint of heart. After about 12-15 hours, we were able to continue.

We did another cruise this summer from Iceland to Greenland to northern Canada. We had one day of roughish seas, in the 12 foot range.

We missed one port stop on each of these cruises due to the weather. Your're unlikely to find anything in the area except in the summer. Windstar does a circumnavigation of Iceland for a couple of weeks in July/August. You might be able to combine it with something to Ireland.

The worst seasickness of my life was on a Carribean cruise. There are no guarantees.

That said, both Ireland and Iceland are amazing. GO!

Hi

 

Has anyone cruised Dublin, Ireland, around Ireland and then to Iceland and back. I am a Caribbean cruiser and don't know anything about the waters around this area. To me it might be pretty choppy. This would be a great cruise if the waters aren't too bad. Any advice for best time to cruise this area? Any information would be super helpful.

 

 

 

Thanks a bunch

It's the ocean- calm unless it's not.

That said, might I suggest a great itinerary on Oceania near the end of summer in 2019? it's a North Atlantic crossing from London to NYC incl Iceland. It may already be sold out but it's worth a look.

Been through the Irish Sea many times and while it is generally better in the summer months, you have no guarantees. Just last week they had winds of almost 100 kts. However, normally in the summer months it is reasonably calm, but in the winter, I have experienced a number of storms.

Only been as far North as Iceland once and that was July 2015. We went from Ireland up to Iceland and most days experienced 20 - 25 kt winds and very reasonable seas.

The only guarantee of calm seas is to stay on land....far away from any earthquake zone :). The OP asks for anecdotal info which truly meaningless for future cruises. We have been in those waters a few times and encountered all kinds of weather and sea conditions. In fact we were just in Ireland 10 days ago and the weather was pretty good. But once out to sea we did encounter some rough seas (4-5 meter swells) driven by some storms located off to the south. If you want to see Ireland and not be concerned about rough seas we suggest just flying there, renting a car, and spending a couple of weeks just driving around the emerald island.

Hank

Thank you for all of your insight. I like the comment that the seas are calm, until their not. I am thinking that my extended family that I am organizing this for will opt out of this cruise itinerary. I would be game, but I have cruised many times, in good weather and not so good. It's just such a great way to see so much.

I always say, you pay your money, you take your chances. I've had extremely calm seas in 2 of the "worst" places to sail, the Drake Passage between Ushuaia and Antarctica and the Tasman Sea between New Zealand and Australia. My worst experience - 60 MPH winds and 20 foot seas, was out of Ketchikan returning to Seattle on an Alaska cruise.

We just cruised the Ireland, Iceland & Scotland itinerary with Celebrity Eclipse this past May...Our weather and seas were amazing.

I am going to add a not so pro-cruise post (not my normal style). We have seen Ireland from multiple cruises and also have been fortunate to have spent 3 land trips on the island. While we always love to cruise, for those wanting to see and experience Ireland..a cruise is NOT the best option or even close to the best option. Ireland is an interesting country as is North Ireland (part of the UK). The best way to see and experience Ireland is on land when one can enjoy some of their wonderful B&B's., Inns and even hotels. Relaxing in an Irish pub at night, with a pint (for me it will be Guinness) and some food is an important part of the culture. Driving on the country lanes (those who cannot handle the driving can book small group tours) and visiting numerous small villages and larger towns is to begin to understand what makes this region tick.

The first time we stayed at a B&B (near Kenmare) that lady/owner was a great proponent of the gift of gab. We would still be there listening to her (Kathleen) except we were saved by her ringing phone as we were desperately trying to escape :). Staying in an Inn run by a true Irishman who loved the history of his country was also a fascinating experience not known to cruisers who only have port days.

One nice facet of Ireland is that its small enough to allow folks to see much of the country in only a couple of weeks. Having spent significant time driving around the country makes us enjoy our cruise visits even more then ever.

Ireland is one of the best countries to visit for English speaking folks with limited foreign travel experience. You can learn a lot about travel in this country and the folks are generally very friendly and eager to help you appreciate their region of the world.

Hank

Thanks for your insight, Hank:)

My husband and I have always wanted to visit Ireland, but figure it won't be for a few years until after the kids are grown. We used to think about sailing, but the more we cruise the more we think it is best as a land trip. Maybe we will fly one direction and take a TA the other way.

most Countries to get a good feel for them you need a land trip

Doing a cruise gives you a small taster of what places you may want to return to by land

You will never see the true Country by a day stop

JMO

Summer's the best time to go.

I went to Shetland and the Faroes this July, 8 days, and the biggest waves reported by the captain were 1.5m (5 feet). The only reason we could feel any movement at all was that the stabilisers weren't needed. I don't think the North Atlantic, in summer at least, is any rougher than the rest of the Atlantic, or for that matter the Mediterranean.