Princess' British Isles Caribbean Princess Cruise

[shoegal24]

Hello all,

 

Just wondering if anyone has cruised the British Isles with Princess' Caribbean Princess. We really like the sounds of this cruise, but have never been to Europe, nor have we sailed with Princess.

 

The ports of call for this cruise are: Southampton, Guernsey, Cork, Dublin, Liverpool, Belfast, Glasgow, Inverness, Edinburg, and Paris / Normandy.

 

I know this is a really vague post, but any comments, feedback or recommendations with respect to this cruise would be really appreciated.

 

Thank you.

[LHT28]

I would check the Port of Call forums for the specific ports

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=19

 

check the Princess forum for the ship details

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=197

 

A little research comes in handy

[dog]

we did this cruise in aug. 2006 on the crown princess. really enjoyed it.

it is very port intensive.

i found some excellent member reviews on this board-check them out.

ask specific questions and we can tell you some of the excursions we did.

many ports you can do on your own.

[insidecabin]

We live here and have done 3 round britains,

 

As an itinerary they offer some great options at the ports.

 

Seek out a few reviews,

 

it has been a while since we have done a Princess so not qualified to comment on current offerings.

 

The Paris option from le havre is a bit of a sucker port(long coach trip) look at the normandy options.

[DeloreanGirl]

There is a May 14th, May 26th, June 7th, (July, August) etc. etc. sailing of this itinerary.

 

If you decide to book this itinerary, come join us in the Caribbean Princess Roll Call message boards! :)

 

Thisparticular message board is also extremely helpful.

[zijlweg]

I agree with the other posters: All ports are worth a visit.

 

I always use http://www.whatsinport.com and the cruise critic boards to guide me.

Sofar I have been able to do my own thing in most of all ports, without joining a mass organized (and often very expensive) cruise tour.

 

Do not forget to pack an umbrella!

[phabric]

Princess has 2 cruises August 1 & 13 for the British Isles, that go to the Edinburgh Tattoo.

 

We are on the August 1, check out our Roll Call.

[KirkNC]

We are on the June 7th version so I guess I have voted :p.

[Genessa]

Hello all,

 

Just wondering if anyone has cruised the British Isles with Princess' Caribbean Princess. We really like the sounds of this cruise, but have never been to Europe, nor have we sailed with Princess.

 

The ports of call for this cruise are: Southampton, Guernsey, Cork, Dublin, Liverpool, Belfast, Glasgow, Inverness, Edinburg, and Paris / Normandy.

 

I know this is a really vague post, but any comments, feedback or recommendations with respect to this cruise would be really appreciated.

 

Thank you.

 

we did this itinerary on the Grand Princess in 2008 and it is one of my all-time favorite tripes. Each port was unique. My husband jokes that I was trying to kill him, we did so much walking. You are so busy in port, with only 2 sea days, that it is not a typical "cruise" vacation.

[april47]

The Paris option doesn't mean you have to take the long coach trip to Paris. If you want to see a little of France and aren't dead set on Paris, usually there are closer tour options. When my cruise stopped in Le Havre, I took a tour to Honfleur that I really liked. There were others to Rouen and a few other places. As much as I would like to see Paris, I would save it for when you can spend more time. A 3-4 hr bus trip there and a then back only leaves a couple of hours in Paris.

[april47]

Oh, and I am dying to take the Princess cruise around the British Isles but finances won't allow it now especially at solo prices.

[DeloreanGirl]

For Paris, there is a 2-hour high-speed train that goes from Le Havre to Paris. This gives you 4 more hours in Paris if you take the train rather than bus. It is also considerably cheaper than the bus. We're hoping to try this method in May. :o

www.voyages-sncf.com/

[OnVacation11]

The Paris option doesn't mean you have to take the long coach trip to Paris. If you want to see a little of France and aren't dead set on Paris, usually there are closer tour options. When my cruise stopped in Le Havre, I took a tour to Honfleur that I really liked. There were others to Rouen and a few other places. As much as I would like to see Paris, I would save it for when you can spend more time. A 3-4 hr bus trip there and a then back only leaves a couple of hours in Paris.

 

I second the Honfleur option. What a lovel little town with some great pastry shops ! We also picked up a few bottles of wine for the rest of our cruise.

[hubofhockey]

For Paris, there is a 2-hour high-speed train that goes from Le Havre to Paris. This gives you 4 more hours in Paris if you take the train rather than bus. It is also considerably cheaper than the bus. We're hoping to try this method in May. :o

www.voyages-sncf.com/

 

It is an option. When we first looked at this cruise, they advertised the stop as "Paris" and the more I looked at it, the more skeptical I became. You would have to catch the 8 am train that gets you in at 10:10. By the time you are situated and at your first destination, you are talking about close to 11 am. You then need the 2:50 pm train back. So, you would really have to leave your final activity about an hour before that. With a quick lunch, you are talking about 3 solid hours in Paris to see things.

 

We had always wanted to go to Paris and 3 hours didn't cut it for us. We decided to fly to Paris on a Tuesday night, get in on Wednesday and stay three days, take the train to London on Saturday, spend a day there before heading to the cruise on Sunday morning. I think many on our cruise roll call are ending their cruise in Le Havre and spending three days in Paris on the back end. I am not suggesting that three days does justice to visiting Paris. We won't see everything we want to see. But the cruise day option of 3 hours seems like quite an undertaking for just a tease.

[ranpalm]

My husband and I have been on the Carib. Princess and went on a cruise of the Medit. with princes,also alaska and Carrib. We have no complaints. I like this ship because they have anytime dining. It is big but we caught on pretty fast. We are doing the Britsh Isles tour 5/24, partly because we have a son in London to visit, but we have been to Ireland and loved it, so are interested to see the rest of the area. I have never used CC before, it is amazing. We have always done excursions from the ship but this time we are branching out and joining people from the rollcall on tours they are getting together. Hope this helps. Kathy

[cruisesusie]

On Vacation 11 - If you visited Honfleur on your own, did you take the bus? That's what we're planning on doing and were wondering how easy it is. From what I've read, the bus station isn't far - easily walkable. Any tips for Honfleur? I know we'll be going to the pastry shops.

 

Thanks,

 

Susan

[John Bull]

On Vacation 11 - If you visited Honfleur on your own, did you take the bus? That's what we're planning on doing and were wondering how easy it is. From what I've read, the bus station isn't far - easily walkable. Any tips for Honfleur? I know we'll be going to the pastry shops.

 

Thanks,

 

Susan

 

 

Le Havre bus station (gare routiere) is walkable in about 20 - 25 mins.

Honfleur is about 15 miles, 32 minutes by bus, much the same by car.

Buses to Honfleur are very very infrequent.

If they tie in with your time in port, fine.

If not, share a taxi or van from the pier with fellow-cruisers and arrange a time for the driver to pick you up at the end of the day. This is what most independents do.

 

Buses are operated by Bus Verts de Calvados.

http://www.busverts.fr/

The only vaguely-suitable buses to Honfleur mon-sat are the number 20 at 08.49 or 14.49 or the number 50 at 12.40. The only suitable buses back are the number 20 at 16.07 or 17.49 or the number 50 at 14.43

On a sunday the only bus out is the number 20 at 13.40 and back on the number 50 at 17.12

E&OE

 

JB :)

[cruisesusie]

Thanks JB for the information on the bus to Honfleur. Do you know if taxis or vans are available at the pier or should I arrange it ahead of time.

 

Thanks,

 

Susan

[John Bull]

Thanks JB for the information on the bus to Honfleur. Do you know if taxis or vans are available at the pier or should I arrange it ahead of time.

 

Thanks,

 

Susan

 

Hi Susan.

I've always sailed into Le Havre by car ferry, never on a cruise ship.

I get the impression from these pages that there's no problem fixing up transport on the pier, hopefully others can confirm

 

JB :)

[OnVacation11]

On Vacation 11 - If you visited Honfleur on your own, did you take the bus? That's what we're planning on doing and were wondering how easy it is. From what I've read, the bus station isn't far - easily walkable. Any tips for Honfleur? I know we'll be going to the pastry shops.

 

Thanks,

 

Susan

 

We did take the ship's excursion as the bus schedule did not realy work for us. I don't remember if there were taxis waiting at the pier as we got off the ship into our tourbus and did not wonder around the port area.

If you are interested in arranging transport ahead of time, try connecting with some people on your roll call. I am not a big fan of arranging last minute trips at the pier as I don't know if the driver will be any good and I don't like haggling over the price. I would rather arrange something beforehand or take a ship's tour.

 

It turned out to be a cool day with some rain when we were driving back to the ship but we ejoyed walking around Honfleur very much. We had about 2hrs free time after our walking tour was over so it was just enough time to stop for pastries and coffee to warm up. Our guide pointed out a shop were we could purchase wine and cheese.

When we were leaving in the afternoon, it was getting crowded so it is best to get there in the morning.

 

Whatever you decide to do, enjoy Honfleur !

[chubbypiggy]

On Vacation 11 - If you visited Honfleur on your own, did you take the bus? That's what we're planning on doing and were wondering how easy it is. From what I've read, the bus station isn't far - easily walkable. Any tips for Honfleur? I know we'll be going to the pastry shops.

 

Thanks,

 

Susan

 

This link has very useful information for Honfleur, Fecamp...

 

http://www.le-havre-tourism.com/le-havre-patrimoine/le-havre-coeur-normandie.htm

[cruisesusie]

Vacation 11 - thanks for the info on the cabs. I contacted a cab company to arrange for a pickup. I'll try to find others from my roll call to join us. I would rather not rely on the bus after reading your comments and John Bull's.

 

Chubbypiggy - thanks for the link - very useful

 

Susan

[kqcallahan]

To anyone who has done Paris on their cruise what have you gotten done in the 4.5 hours that you have had? Did you do the princess tours? Day on your own? Would love to hear what people have done.

[Bob++]

From past experience 4½ hours would be just enough time to get up the Eiffel Tower and have an overpriced coffee.

[kqcallahan]

From past experience 4½ hours would be just enough time to get up the Eiffel Tower and have an overpriced coffee.

 

Do you know where you get dropped off to if you take the princess transfer to paris?? We plan on buying the tickets before we leave obviously