Princess shuttles in port?

[phabric]

We will be going Guernsey (St Peter Port), Waterford, Ireland, Dublin, Ireland, Glasgow, Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland.

 

I have read that some ports Princess has shuttles, which ports?

 

How did you learn about the shuttle? Were they listed on the excursions offered before sailing or on the excursion booklets left in the cabin to be booked onboard? Or announced while onboard? Example - Princess has an excursion for Edinburgh - on your own for $59. We plan on doing the HOHO bus while in Edinburgh and will need transportation into the city from Rosyth dock and don't want to spend $59 to learn there is a shuttle cheaper.

 

Was there a charge for the shuttles?

[agabbymama]

Princess has been our worst cruiseline for information. Don't count on them having shuttles everywhere either. And if they do have a shuttle, the charge could still be high. If it were me, I'd start looking for other modes of transportation on your own, NOW!

 

If we did Princess tours, things well smoothly. It was when we tried to be independent that we had many problems.

 

Good Luck and have a great cruise!

[Ray66]

I understand that shuttle busses are provided by the local commerce (not the cruise lines) in order to take you to their town centres where you will spend your money in their shops, etc.

[JanetAlice]

Guernsey has a great bus system.(if you make port which is 50/50)

http://www.visitguernsey.com/gettingaround/

[DeloreanGirl]

I read somewhere that the shuttles were about 10 pounds a person'ish. I could be wrong though.... and I'm sure it varies from port to port. I would think the only ports you'd need it in would be Greenock to Glasgow; LeHavre into the city; Invergordon into Inverness; and possibly Edinburgh (unless you want to walk it). Otherwise there are things to do in Cobh, Liverpool, Guernsey right at or near the port. But I would love to know the cost too, if possible. :confused:

[rebeccalouiseagain]

In Cohb you just walk off the ship and the train station is there if you want to go to Cork. I went to Sunday mass in Cohb and stayed there the whole day and never felt the inclination to leave. Don't dismiss Cohb.

 

In Guernsey you usually tender in and its a nice flat walk to the fortress. I didn't take the public bus but others did and said the island is small and you can do the whole circle in a short period of time. I would do this if I went back. Guernsey was wonderful to me- so quaint with the sailboats in the harbor and hanging flower baskets.

 

In Greenock its best to do a tour or go to Glasgow. Greenock is just an ok blue collar port with not much to offer (I walked all over Greenock and did manage to find a bakery with English confections).

 

In Invergordon there is nothing there except some cute little houses. Again I took a nice walk. There is a train to Inverness and also shuttles to town for a fee from the cruise line. Inverness is lovely and I wished we had stopped there on our tour to Loch Ness. I suggest if possible doing both Loch Ness and Inverness but frankly if I had to choose- I'd pick Inverness since I did Loch Ness and it was good but that's all you really see other than fields and a tantilizing glimpse of Inverness.

 

Liverpool you can totally DIY. They have the Beatles tour bus and the hoho bus and the Beatles Museum is a 1/4 mile walk from the port. I liked Liverpool. No good shopping there though.

 

In Edinburgh we tendered to South Ferry where there were vans available for I believe 10 pounds per person for the roundtrip. Don't need to book in advance, you pay there. The journey to Edinburgh is 15 minutes. The castle was the highlight for us. It is an uphill walk from where the bus lets off, so if you have mobility issues- better to get a private taxi from the pier that could get you closer. The walk is about 1 mile or so uphill and when you get to the castle- still more uphill. We had lunch in the Mary Queen of Scots restaurant inside the castle and had a good lunch of caeser salad with chicken and hamburgers. I liked this experience. Then its a nice stroll down to the castle gardens and there are amusements for kids there. There was parade that day which we greatly enjoyed. Then back to the ship. Was enough for me- delightful day.

 

Le Havre- we disembarked being that this was the last port of call before the other passengers disembarked in Southampton. We took the train to Paris, stayed there for two nights and flew home from Paris, which I highly recommend if Paris is one your list. The train takes about 2 hours each way.

 

Hope this helps

[agabbymama]

I understand that shuttle busses are provided by the local commerce (not the cruise lines) in order to take you to their town centres where you will spend your money in their shops, etc.

 

 

Yes, you are correct, but the cruiseline usually makes the arrangements with the local commerce. Princess doesn't appear to do that, or didn't in '08 for our Med cruise. We left Civitavecchia to Monte Carlo, Livorno, Naples (shuttle announced but not until 9:00 am) so no help getting to the hydrofoil that left at 9:00 am, Sorrento, Kusadasi, Mykonos (aborted), Athens, Katakolon, Corfu, and Venice. At Corfu NCL Jade had a shuttle and let Princess cruisers use it too. In Venice, we had to pay $24 pp for a PRINCESS TRANSFER to Piazzale Roma, a 5 minute bus ride. And we were told no taxis as there was no home ship in port. Transportation for non-Princess travelers, was NON-EXISTENT.

[Weluv2cruise2007]

In Venice, we had to pay $24 pp for a PRINCESS TRANSFER to Piazzale Roma, a 5 minute bus ride. And we were told no taxis as there was no home ship in port. Transportation for non-Princess travelers, was NON-EXISTENT.

 

You could have taken the people mover for a couple of euros and then walked...why would you pay that much??

[Genessa]

We will be going Guernsey (St Peter Port), Waterford, Ireland, Dublin, Ireland, Glasgow, Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland.

 

I have read that some ports Princess has shuttles, which ports?

 

How did you learn about the shuttle? Were they listed on the excursions offered before sailing or on the excursion booklets left in the cabin to be booked onboard? Or announced while onboard? Example - Princess has an excursion for Edinburgh - on your own for $59. We plan on doing the HOHO bus while in Edinburgh and will need transportation into the city from Rosyth dock and don't want to spend $59 to learn there is a shuttle cheaper.

 

Was there a charge for the shuttles?

 

we did the same cruise 3 years ago. The only port where there were shuttles was Dublin. The shuttle was a nominal amount - and they had several pick up spots in Dublin. We got off and on at the same place so as not to confuse ourselves - near where the Book of Kells is on display. It was not announced - we found out from CC & confirmed it with wait staff on board ship - they usually have very accurate and useful info.

 

Glasgow we took the train from Greenock - also found the info for that here.

 

Edinburgh there was info provided on the train for our tour which gave you the option to stay in Edinburgh on your own after tour was over.

[msmoger]

In Venice, we had to pay $24 pp for a PRINCESS TRANSFER to Piazzale Roma, a 5 minute bus ride. And we were told no taxis as there was no home ship in port. Transportation for non-Princess travelers, was NON-EXISTENT.

 

You could have taken the people mover for a couple of euros and then walked...why would you pay that much??

 

One reason might be that the People Mover didn't go into service until 2010 ;)

[go fish 44]

We will be going Guernsey (St Peter Port), Waterford, Ireland, Dublin, Ireland, Glasgow, Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland.

 

I have read that some ports Princess has shuttles, which ports?

 

How did you learn about the shuttle? Were they listed on the excursions offered before sailing or on the excursion booklets left in the cabin to be booked onboard? Or announced while onboard? Example - Princess has an excursion for Edinburgh - on your own for $59. We plan on doing the HOHO bus while in Edinburgh and will need transportation into the city from Rosyth dock and don't want to spend $59 to learn there is a shuttle cheaper.

 

Was there a charge for the shuttles?

We just got off the Grand Princess. Yes, there is a shuttle for Dublin the cost was about $6.00 pp each way. Where we were docked was a long walk to town but if you are a good walker you can do it. When you are on the ship just book the shuttle with the tour office.

[Ubu]

We will be anchored in So. Queensferry. I have heard that it is a steep walk to the train station. It is possible to get a taxi to take us to the train station, as we want to go to Edinburgh Castle. If we can't, does anyone know how long the ride is by taxi and the cost. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

[sussex-woody]

Princess has been our worst cruiseline for information. Don't count on them having shuttles everywhere either. And if they do have a shuttle, the charge could still be high. If it were me, I'd start looking for other modes of transportation on your own, NOW!

 

If we did Princess tours, things well smoothly. It was when we tried to be independent that we had many problems.

 

Good Luck and have a great cruise!

 

We have today returned from the Crown Princess British Isles cruise (round trip out of Southampton) and I fully endorse agabbymama's observation. On the question of lack of information I would add that Princess's port lecturer failed to mention that in two of our ports, our visit coincided with a public holiday meaning that banks and some shops were shut and that public transport was running to a more restricted timetable. We were aware of this from researching prior to the cruise but many people seemed to be taken by surprise.

 

Whilst the position might differ on upcoming Princess British Isles cruises, I offer the following notes on shuttle arrangements based on our experience.

 

Our ports of call were St Peter Port (Guernsey), Cobh, Dublin, Liverpool, Belfast, Greenock, Invergordon, South Queensferry and Le Havre. Only in Dublin and Le Havre were Princess shuttles into town available; in neither case was there any mention in the cruise tour booklet and in the case of Dublin the shuttle arrangements had not been finalised at the time of the port lecture - but a late announcement was made the evening before arrival.

 

In Greenock, Invergordon and South Queensferry, the Princess tour booklet listed "on your own" tours into Glasgow, Inverness and Edinburgh at the somewhat steep price of USD 69, 39 and 59 per person respectively. In all three cases the return journey could be achieved easily and much more cheaply using local public transport - with the added bonus of greater flexibility of timing.

 

St Peter Port. This is a tender port. The tenders take you to a landing stage on the town waterfront. Pick up a town map from the local tourist people at the landing stage, cross the main road and you are in town. We had limited time in this port since the sea was somewhat choppy with a correspondingly slow tendering process.

 

Cobh. There is a regular train service into Cork; the day return fare was EUR 6.55. The station at Cobh is just a few yards from where you get off the ship. The day we were there, the ticket office had a notice in the window saying that credit cards were not accepted so in case this is general best to plan on paying cash in euros. Alight at Cork Kent Station - the pedestrian route into the city centre was well signposted.

 

The Irish Railways site http://www.irishrail.ie suggested for the day we were there that trains were hourly each way but we found that in fact the trains were running half-hourly. A railway official said that extra trains had been laid on for the cruise ship.

 

Dublin. The Princess shuttle was USD 6 per person each way and if offered is probably the best way into town. It dropped off and picked up in Kildare Street close to Trinity College. There is quite lot to see in the immediate area of the shuttle drop-off and there were both red and green HOHO bus stops just around the corner. The dock is a few miles out from the city centre and the first part of the walk would have been through the port and an industrial area before reaching the River Liffey so the shuttle is a worthwhile option particularly on a chilly and blustery day.

 

Liverpool. The ship docked very centrally at the Pierhead, a few hundred yards from the Albert Dock where can be found the Tate Liverpool art gallery and the Maritime Museum. We exited through the cruise terminal where we collected a map and other information. There was a free shuttle provided by the port to the city centre shopping mall known as Liverpool One but we decided to brave the elements and walk along the waterfront. Most attractions in Liverpool are walkable from the pier but there is also a HOHO bus if the port's free shuttle doesn't take you where you want to go.

 

Belfast. The dock was a good way out from the city centre but a free shuttle was provided by the city authorities which dropped off and picked up in Donegall Place, opposite the tourist information centre and close to City Hall. There was no shortage of red or blue-clad people giving directions to the respective HOHO buses. If it is a windy and chilly day when you are there and you are in the open-top section of the top deck of the bus, be warned that for part of its route the HOHO bus speeds out of the city along a fast road to Stormont.

 

Greenock. A day return from Greenock to Glasgow by train is GBP 8.90 if leaving before 9am or GBP 6.40 after 9 am. There are two stations at Greenock - Greenock West and Greenock Central. West is a little nearer where the ship docked (about 20 mins walk) and was in our view certainly easier to navigate to with the aid of google maps or with a town map (this port had a lot of tourist help available in the torist building). Trains are fairly frequent - for times see http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/

 

Invergordon. If travelling into Inverness, there are scheduled trains and local buses - see the above nationalrail site for trains (and fares) or see http://www.transportdirect.info/Web2/JourneyPlanning/Home.aspx

for both buses and trains. We did not go into Inverness but contented ourselves with looking round the small town of Invergordon. It seemed that the local bus operator (Stagecoach) had laid on extra buses direct to Inverness for cruise passengers but I don't have any more information on this. There were plenty of local volunteers at the dock to assist with enquiries though.

 

South Queensbury. A tender port - the tendering process was very efficient here. Princess had hired one of the local ferryboats to supplement the ship's tenders. We had intended to use the train to Edinburgh from Dalmeny station (GBP 6.80 return before 9 am, 4.10 return after) but when we reached the landing stage we found a fleet of local buses (unhinted at by Princess) who were offering a direct shuttle into Edinburgh's Charlotte Square (which is convenenient for the Castle) for GBP 5 per person each way. We travelled into the city on the shuttle bus and returned by train after our sightseeing. Incidentally, the ships's port lecturer had failed to mention that Holyroodhouse Palace was closed because of a royal visit.

 

Le Havre. There was a shuttle into Le Havre provided by Princess for those not on tours to Paris or to various Normandy destinations but it was such a beautiful morning when we left the ship that we walked into town - about a 25 minute walk. There is a well marked pedestrian walkway to exit the port - simply follow the green lines. Our visit coincided with the Ascension Day public holiday but the port lecturer made no mention of this nor that many shops would be shut.

[cruisingrus]

We have today returned from the Crown Princess British Isles cruise (round trip out of Southampton) and I fully endorse agabbymama's observation. On the question of lack of information I would add that Princess's port lecturer failed to mention that in two of our ports, our visit coincided with a public holiday meaning that banks and some shops were shut and that public transport was running to a more restricted timetable. We were aware of this from researching prior to the cruise but many people seemed to be taken by surprise.

 

Whilst the position might differ on upcoming Princess British Isles cruises, I offer the following notes on shuttle arrangements based on our experience.

 

Our ports of call were St Peter Port (Guernsey), Cobh, Dublin, Liverpool, Belfast, Greenock, Invergordon, South Queensferry and Le Havre. Only in Dublin and Le Havre were Princess shuttles into town available; in neither case was there any mention in the cruise tour booklet and in the case of Dublin the shuttle arrangements had not been finalised at the time of the port lecture - but a late announcement was made the evening before arrival.

 

In Greenock, Invergordon and South Queensferry, the Princess tour booklet listed "on your own" tours into Glasgow, Inverness and Edinburgh at the somewhat steep price of USD 69, 39 and 59 per person respectively. In all three cases the return journey could be achieved easily and much more cheaply using local public transport - with the added bonus of greater flexibility of timing.

 

St Peter Port. This is a tender port. The tenders take you to a landing stage on the town waterfront. Pick up a town map from the local tourist people at the landing stage, cross the main road and you are in town. We had limited time in this port since the sea was somewhat choppy with a correspondingly slow tendering process.

 

Cobh. There is a regular train service into Cork; the day return fare was EUR 6.55. The station at Cobh is just a few yards from where you get off the ship. The day we were there, the ticket office had a notice in the window saying that credit cards were not accepted so in case this is general best to plan on paying cash in euros. Alight at Cork Kent Station - the pedestrian route into the city centre was well signposted.

 

The Irish Railways site http://www.irishrail.ie suggested for the day we were there that trains were hourly each way but we found that in fact the trains were running half-hourly. A railway official said that extra trains had been laid on for the cruise ship.

 

Dublin. The Princess shuttle was USD 6 per person each way and if offered is probably the best way into town. It dropped off and picked up in Kildare Street close to Trinity College. There is quite lot to see in the immediate area of the shuttle drop-off and there were both red and green HOHO bus stops just around the corner. The dock is a few miles out from the city centre and the first part of the walk would have been through the port and an industrial area before reaching the River Liffey so the shuttle is a worthwhile option particularly on a chilly and blustery day.

 

Liverpool. The ship docked very centrally at the Pierhead, a few hundred yards from the Albert Dock where can be found the Tate Liverpool art gallery and the Maritime Museum. We exited through the cruise terminal where we collected a map and other information. There was a free shuttle provided by the port to the city centre shopping mall known as Liverpool One but we decided to brave the elements and walk along the waterfront. Most attractions in Liverpool are walkable from the pier but there is also a HOHO bus if the port's free shuttle doesn't take you where you want to go.

 

Belfast. The dock was a good way out from the city centre but a free shuttle was provided by the city authorities which dropped off and picked up in Donegall Place, opposite the tourist information centre and close to City Hall. There was no shortage of red or blue-clad people giving directions to the respective HOHO buses. If it is a windy and chilly day when you are there and you are in the open-top section of the top deck of the bus, be warned that for part of its route the HOHO bus speeds out of the city along a fast road to Stormont.

 

Greenock. A day return from Greenock to Glasgow by train is GBP 8.90 if leaving before 9am or GBP 6.40 after 9 am. There are two stations at Greenock - Greenock West and Greenock Central. West is a little nearer where the ship docked (about 20 mins walk) and was in our view certainly easier to navigate to with the aid of google maps or with a town map (this port had a lot of tourist help available in the torist building). Trains are fairly frequent - for times see http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/

 

Invergordon. If travelling into Inverness, there are scheduled trains and local buses - see the above nationalrail site for trains (and fares) or see http://www.transportdirect.info/Web2/JourneyPlanning/Home.aspx

for both buses and trains. We did not go into Inverness but contented ourselves with looking round the small town of Invergordon. It seemed that the local bus operator (Stagecoach) had laid on extra buses direct to Inverness for cruise passengers but I don't have any more information on this. There were plenty of local volunteers at the dock to assist with enquiries though.

 

South Queensbury. A tender port - the tendering process was very efficient here. Princess had hired one of the local ferryboats to supplement the ship's tenders. We had intended to use the train to Edinburgh from Dalmeny station (GBP 6.80 return before 9 am, 4.10 return after) but when we reached the landing stage we found a fleet of local buses (unhinted at by Princess) who were offering a direct shuttle into Edinburgh's Charlotte Square (which is convenenient for the Castle) for GBP 5 per person each way. We travelled into the city on the shuttle bus and returned by train after our sightseeing. Incidentally, the ships's port lecturer had failed to mention that Holyroodhouse Palace was closed because of a royal visit.

 

Le Havre. There was a shuttle into Le Havre provided by Princess for those not on tours to Paris or to various Normandy destinations but it was such a beautiful morning when we left the ship that we walked into town - about a 25 minute walk. There is a well marked pedestrian walkway to exit the port - simply follow the green lines. Our visit coincided with the Ascension Day public holiday but the port lecturer made no mention of this nor that many shops would be shut.

 

Are there any benches in Dublin or public places to sit? This is the only port that we are doing on our own and I need to rest a little if I am doing a lot of walking.

[sussex-woody]

Are there any benches in Dublin or public places to sit?

 

I imagine most public squares will have benches to sit on. St Stephens Green and Merrion Square are both fairly near the shuttle drop-off. If you pick up a map from the tourist info people who will probably greet the ship, you should be able to see where benches are likely. Or if weather not conducive to sitting outside, then there are lots of cafes about.

[Weluv2cruise2007]

One reason might be that the People Mover didn't go into service until 2010 ;)

 

Good reason! :p

 

Ok...no excuses from here on in though!

[5ofusnow]

Sussex-woody, thanks so much for all of that invaluable information about shuttles and trains getting from the ship into town. I've been researching all of this info but it is nice to hear from someone who has first hand knowledge. Also, now I will not stress out when Princess doesn't have the same info that I have. Many, many thanks!

Sherry

[cruzisme]

It is so great to have a cruiser return with all this info for us upcoming cruisers! Thanks sussex-woody! For Edinburgh, it looks like the train for us, at those prices. Bit of a walk so hoping for a clear day ie no heavy rains!