British Isles Trip Review w/Pics: A Thesis :)

[capriccio]

We are booked on the July 11, 2013, British Isles cruise. Anyone else booked for July 11 on the Caribbean Princess. Would love to hear from you.

 

Check out your roll call for fellow cruisers: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1625670.

[trbarton]

Part II: Packing, Prepping, Perspiring

 

If you told me years ago that I would someday go to Europe, I would have never believed you. It sounds so amazing, so grandiose, so far away. It’s something people dream of. Heck, even the wallpaper border in our loft has vintage travel landmarks etched on it that we thought we’d never see. Even when the Princess paperwork started flooding my email, I would stare at the laptop screen in bewilderment. "Itinerary: Europe". It just didn’t feel real. My vacation countdown clock, which had started at 397 days, ticked down to a stomach-tingling 2 days. I gazed at all of the pictures and maps I had pinned up throughout the year on my cork board at work and tried to convince myself that I would actually be visiting those places.

 

I took off an extra day from work and spent it doing endless amounts of laundry and packing. Then I read the message boards and noticed that some had stated that the sun had been coming out and that we could get away with bringing some t-shirts. Having heard that the UK has "all four seasons in one day" left me with no other choice than to be very creative with my packing. Do I need gloves? A peacoat? A t-shirt? Sandals? A scarf? Or sunscreen? And what about separate outfits for dinner? All I heard was to "layer, layer, layer". Living in Southern California has left me with a closet full of shorts, not rain boots. This was going to be interesting.

 

Below is what our suitcases held for two straight weeks. All of the tips I got from CruiseCritic were very helpful and hopefully some of these may help you.

 

Clothing that worked:

Unlike Hawaii or Alaska where you sort of know what you’re getting into, UK weather is finicky and the rumor of "pack for everything" was very true. In London, the day would start off raining, then drizzle, then the sun would come out, then it would get incredibly windy, then it would get cloudy, then it would sprinkle, then the sun would come out, then it would get warm, then it would get cloudy again. If you look at my photos in order, you’d swear we visited the same city during different parts of the year.

 

The list below is what we packed that always got used:

 

1. Light shell rain jackets with hoods. The rain was never "cold", so having a lightweight jacket that you could crumple into a ball was great. The hoods are essential.

2. Hats. My hubby brought a beanie (soft fabric hat) which kept his head and ears warm. I brought two short-brimmed hats which were fantastic for all those windy days and bad hair days!

3. Black leather sandals for dinner. They went with everything.

4. Khaki pants for dinner. Yet again, they went with everything. I only wish I had brought black slacks as well. (Note: We don’t do formal nights so that saved room in our luggage and we simply ate in the buffet those two nights.)

5. Nylon dresses that could also be folded up really tiny for packing yet never wrinkled. It was a simple grab-and-go outfit for dinners.

6. Good walking shoes. Aside from dress sandals, I brought two pairs of shoes: one soft pair to walk on flat ground, and Columbia walking boots that had a rugged bottom for uneven terrain such as cobblestone streets and dirt hills that also were padded enough to be considered walking shoes. The most important thing I did to my Columbia’s was spray them with waterproof spray. You can buy this can at any outdoors store, or probably even Target. My casual shoes got soaked right through to my socks, but my boots stayed dry.

7. Sunglasses. My hubby left both our sunglasses in the truck at home and it took us the first 6 days of the cruise to find a decent, cheap pair to wear on land. Our eyes were burnin’ every day until we found the plastic black pairs we bought, regardless if it’s cloudy or not!

　

　

This is what I am glad I brought:

 

1. Umbrella. We only packed one and I wish we packed two.

2. A watch that had military time. I noticed that some signs were in 24-hour format. I found a white watch at Walmart for $12 that had our normal 12-hour format but with tiny 13-24 numbers written in red in case a sign read "Closes at 17:30" or "Open until 23:00".

3. A travel alarm clock. I don’t know how you expect to go on a cruise without one. Do you use the phone’s wake-up service everyday? I bought the "Elgin Travel Alarm Clock" from Amazon and this little guy was a life saver. It’s only $10, weighs one ounce, folds in half, and lights up when you push the big button so you can check the time in the middle of the night. When the alarm goes off, it blinks in red and also has a snooze button. It’s incredibly simple to set, with only 4 buttons. I highly recommend it!

4. Binoculars. For those of you who have a balcony room, this is very fun to have. You will sail by so many amazing things that having a small set of binoculars was imperative. You could look into town, at a castle, at a lighthouse, or at people waving to you from afar.

5. Two cameras and a camcorder. I say "two cameras" because I gave my husband our small point & shoot camera so that I could actually be in some photos. If it were just me taking photos with my good camera, our album would have mostly pictures of beautiful vistas and my husband sans myself! Having a secondary tiny camera to put in a pocket was nice to have if you were walking around the ship and didn’t want a full, bulky DSLR around your neck. The camcorder needs no explanation. This itinerary is too amazing not to bring one. Luckily camcorders these days are the size of the palm of your hand, which is where ours ended up during most days on land.

6. Sleeping pills. With a 8-hour time difference and a go-go-go itinerary, it was helpful to try to attempt to sleep at night and wake up at a decent hour. Our 11pm bedtime felt like 3pm California time, and waking up at 9am felt like waking up at 1am. It took two to three days to get adjusted, but it worked.

7. Brita water bottle. My husband thought it was pointless to bring a refillable water bottle, but two days into the trip he murmured, "I’m glad you brought this." The $10 bottle is available anywhere but I grabbed it on Amazon and it has a small filter built into the top to filter water. I wasn’t sure if water on land was safe or unsafe so I would fill it on the ship and take it with us. It came in handy when we got thirsty after walking up some steep hills.

8. A backpack. I deliberated for months whether to invest in a safe purse or a backpack. I wanted a backpack for even distribution of weight while walking around town. Some people said backpacks weren’t safe enough, especially in pickpocket areas. In the end, we used the backpack nearly every day and everyone around us also had backpacks so we felt very safe. It was a blessing to be able to stuff our jackets inside the backpack along with souvenirs. We used the outer compartments for Purell, Chap Stick, and maps. One side net held the umbrella while the other side net held the water bottle. It was fantastic and you will see the backpack in nearly all our photos. (Kudos to my hubby for wearing it even though I picked out a girly white & pink color!)

9. A Pac Safe purse. I heard excellent reviews about Pac Safe bags. They are slash-proof, water-proof, theft-proof, and have tons of compartments. I ended up investing in a messenger-style medium sized purse from eBags.com and the bag was on sale so it was only $30. I loved it. There are inner zippers which are hidden and very safe and clips to hold onto keys and other items. There are two velcro areas which held my cell phone and iTouch. We kept our passports in the hidden inner zippers and I kept my camera in the main compartment. Having it slung across me with no outer zipper made me not worry about anything being stolen and there was a mesh area on each end to yet again hold the umbrella and water bottle. Also, I always wore the bag across my chest underneath my rain jacket. Yes, this made my hips look huge in most photos, but at least I felt safe! I told my husband it was a "bag" and not a "purse" and he happily carried it. (It was totally a purse - ha!)

10. A small Purell bottle. No explanation needed.

11. A snack bag. We don’t have kids (yet), but I’ve been through enough expeditions to know that a hungry traveler is a snappy traveler. I packed Keebler crackers, 100 calorie chocolate bites, Atkins bars, Clif bars, and Crystal Light powdered iced tea packets. My hubby scoffed that the gallon Ziploc was too huge and we wouldn’t need it, but two hours into a flight with no in-flight meal service was all it took to break that bag out of our backpack. We also used it on bus rides and middle of the night munchies when our body clocks were wide awake.

12. Our iPad. I know not everyone has these, but if you own a tablet of any sort, it was a life saver. Granted, you have to purchase internet minutes onboard, but it was so very worth it. I was able to stay in touch with people back home as well as share photos and use pre-downloaded maps, currency calculators, and city-specific apps for the ports we’d be in (most of them free). I will explain more about using WiFi on the ship later.

13. Tickets for trains, buses and popular attractions. If there is one thing I can’t stress enough, it is to buy tickets for popular attractions ahead of time. Oh my goodness, if you saw the line to get into Edinburgh Castle you would cry. Ahead of time, I purchased: Heathrow Express tickets, Edinburgh Castle tickets, the Jacobite Sensation Loch Ness tour, The Original Sightseeing London HOHO + Tower of London tickets, and the green Dublin HOHO bus tickets.

14. A Capital One credit card. We got the Capital One Venture card a few months before our trip and my personal experience with it has left me overjoyed. It’s a superb card with no foreign transaction fees and excellent customer service. You get double miles for every dollar spent and I never ever had an issue using it in Ireland, Scotland, England and France. I simply notified them ahead of time of my travel plans, and they put a note on my account and e-mailed me a list of phone numbers abroad to contact them should any problem arise. I did have to create a 4-digit pin when I activated the account, but I never had to use any form of pin transaction while in Europe. We are going to hang onto this card simply for the double airline miles.

15. A loofah and travel-sized amenities. I didn’t bring shampoo or conditioner because Princess provides shampoo/conditioner/lotion bottles in your bathroom, but I did bring a travel-sized bottle of Dove body wash and a travel-sized loofah which was way better than the mini bar of soap. My reviews on the ship’s small shower will come later! Their shampoo & conditioner wasn’t amazing, but it did the job.

16. A 1" three-ring binder. Granted, this is for obsessive plan-a-holics but this red binder was my Bible for a year. I literally had dividers for all 9 ports and within each divider were my printed out e-mails, tickets, maps, and lined paper for notes. Every night, I would open the binder and take a look at what was going on the next day. I would take out any printed out tickets or papers with barcodes that I needed, along with some maps that I had pre-printed out from Google Earth for walking just in case Princess’ maps didn’t work out. I even printed out some Cruise Critic posts and highlighted others advice on places to visit. When one day was done, I’d throw it out until everything was empty and I tossed the binder on the last day of the cruise.

17. Wall chargers. Camera charger, camcorder charger, cell-phone charger, iPad charger. There are 2 American outlets next to the writing desk.

18. A travel hair dryer. I bought an awesome hair dryer from Amazon called the Babylisspro Tourmaline Titanium Travel Dryer which got amazing reviews. It folded in half, was small but incredibly powerful, and came with a nozzle. I had used the cruise ship dryers before but this one was so much more helpful.

19. Downy Wrinkle Release. Holy suitcase wrinkles, Batman! Hanging some items near the shower (there’s a clothesline but it’s IN the shower) as well as spraying the fantastic smelling Downy Wrinkle Release (travel size) on articles of clothing and then straightening them out by hand was very helpful.

20. Tide detergent and dryer sheets. We used the laundry room twice. I heard odd reviews about the ships detergent so I stopped by Target and got two red travel pouches of Tide detergent and put them in a baggie along with a few dryer sheets from home. It worked perfectly!

21. A pop-up hamper. I bought this for a cruise years ago based on recommendations and this little guy has been wonderful! I got it for $5 at CVS and it’s a mesh hamper that folds flat yet holds a good 4+ days of clothes for 2 people. It has handles so we simply carried it down to the laundry room.

22. A flattened empty duffel bag. I knew we’d be bringing home souvenirs and I didn’t want to compromise the weight or space of our suitcases which were already both packed to the brim under 50 pounds. So I flattened a simplistic duffel bag and put it in the bottom of our suitcase to use on the way back. Sure enough, we ended up putting souvenirs and breakables and jackets in it which we carried on the flight home.

　

Things I brought that we didn’t need:

 

1. Clorox wipes. I used a few of them, mainly to wipe down the stateroom phone and door handles and whatnot. But after a few days I forgot about it. Also, Clorox wipes do not get rid of the Norovirus strain, so we just made sure to wash our hands a lot and use Purell to avoid catching a cold.

2. A money belt. I know, blasphemy, right? We bought a Rick Steves money pouch that loops into your belt that you wear on your hip under your clothes, but we never felt like we truly had to use it. I’m sure I’ll get barked at for this. We did put our money IN the money belt and we kept it in the stateroom safe and only took out what we needed that day on land. After a few days, the money pouch ended up zipped away in the inner zipper of my PacSafe bag which was slung across my body underneath my rain jacket. My husband also wore his wallet in his front pocket as he does at home with the money in it. He felt safer knowing it was in the front and his fleece sweater and jacket both were long enough that they covered his pockets. We were never in a crowded area where people were brushed up against us. Had we been in Paris or any other city, this would be a different case.

3. A 32-gig memory card. Okay so I got a little carried away. Just because the card holds 4,200 photos doesn’t mean I’m going to take 4,200 photos. Only a mere 1,152.

4. A night light. It does get nearly pitch black in the room at first, but there’s a sliver of light through the curtains and the box on the ceiling (which the Bridge can monitor the smoke and temperature of your room) has a green light on it which very softly illuminated the room after your eyes adjusted. Those of you with interiors I would recommend a soft LED nightlight for the room possibly. I wanted to put it in the bathroom until I realized the bathroom does not have any kind of plug except for shavers. Otherwise, you could leave the bathroom light on and just close the door.

5. Magazines and books. I know that some people love to sit out on their balcony and read a book, but this didn’t work in our case. If we were out on our balcony, we were watching something amazing pass by or it was too windy/cold and our two sea days were spent doing laundry or sleeping in or doing something onboard. The magazines and downloaded books I brought never got touched, even on the long flights!

　

 

What I wish I had brought:

 

1. Plastic hangars. The closet comes with 20 wood hangars. Some with pant clips, some without. I had to double up with some sweaters because there weren’t enough hangars (for a 12-day cruise with 2 people). I guess technically you could just fold your pants and put them in the shelves and save space which we did with jeans, but in our case I simply wish I slid some cheap hangars in our suitcase.

2. Quarters for the laundry. Yes, you can get quarters from the Passenger Services desk and, yes, it takes the Princess Casino quarter tokens. But in hindsight I wish I could save myself a trip and bring $8 ($2 wash/$2 dry x 2) worth of quarters in a baggie. I will explain laundry in another post.

3. Sunscreen. Never thought we’d need it, and we were rosy pink by the first day. Luckily my facial moisturizer had SPF 28 built in so we dabbed that on.

　

:o

 

Next Chapter: Yes, we actually get on the boat and yes there are photos...

 

Night Light solution. The plugs in the bathroom are non polarized so here's what I did. I just went to a hardware store and explained my situation. The clerk took a plug adapter and gave it to the key guy who cut and filed one side down and I ended up with a plug that will fit into the bathroom socket. My cost, $1.60. I'll know for sure on Friday on my Alaska cruise.

 

Tom:)

[trbarton]

This is totally why I got the Brita bottle with filter. I was going to fill it up from the sink and put it in the fridge. For some ridiculous reason I either would forget to do this, or just get lazy. :( I made up for it by pretty much only drinking water at dinners and lunches.

 

Ah, Liverpool. Can't wait to start the story...

 

A lot of your photos have been removed. Any chance of posting them again?

 

Thanks!

 

Tom:)

Edited May 9, 2013 by trbarton

[DeloreanGirl]

Thank you so much for posting this awesome review. We are leaving on this trip this Saturday for the May 12th trip. I was curious what type of shoes your husband wore. We're they Columbia walking boots? I know you posted that you brought those but I wasn't sure if it was just for you or for both of you. Right now he just has a pair of Nike running shoes and I'm not sure that is enough. Do you think we need a pair of rain pants? Or would jeans be enough. Thank you!!

 

So sorry I couldn't get back to you sooner! I was on NCL's Pacific Coastal cruise and just got home. My hubby wore New Balance the entire time and I was the one wearing Columbia walking shoes. They aren't as bulky as hiking boots, and they are very squishy and flexible for walking -- especially on uneven surfaces. You'll be fine (and thankful at the end of the day) with Nike's and will still blend in. :)

[DeloreanGirl]

A lot of your photos have been removed. Any chance of posting them again?

 

Thanks!

 

Tom:)

 

Uh oh! Try this link, it has all my British Isles folders/albums on my Photobucket main page:

 

http://s1173.photobucket.com/user/deloreangrl/library/#/user/deloreangrl/library/?sort=3&page=1&_suid=136847507090609013166727391231

 

My Photobucket user name is "deloreangrl" (without the "i" in "girl) if you have to search for it if the link doesn't work.

[DeloreanGirl]

We are booked on the July 11, 2013, British Isles cruise. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Emily's posts. :) We will be travelling with our son & 8-year-old granddaughter. She's excited about seeing castles. We have reserved tours through Princess but have reconsidered one or two after reading Emily's post. What a great job in her descriptions. We are doing two nights in London before boarding the ship & are very much looking forward to that. Anyone else booked for July 11 on the Caribbean Princess. Would love to hear from you. Get more excited about the trip every day (I was in London last in 1970, my husband in 1960), so we are really looking forward to seeing it through the eyes of our granddaughter. :)

 

Thanks! Have a great trip! And, yes, make sure to find your Roll Call to discuss details further. You'll have a great time! My e-mail is listed below if you have any questions. :)

[Woobstr112G]

Uh oh! Try this link, it has all my British Isles folders/albums on my Photobucket main page:

 

http://s1173.photobucket.com/user/deloreangrl/library/#/user/deloreangrl/library/?sort=3&page=1&_suid=136847507090609013166727391231

 

My Photobucket user name is "deloreangrl" (without the "i" in "girl) if you have to search for it if the link doesn't work.

 

Absolutely loved the pictures. The closeups you took were great.....:):):)

 

Bob

[DeloreanGirl]

was just getting to refer emily's review to others for our upcoming brit isles trip when i saw your post - emily just left yesterday with her mother on the coastal cruise to vancouver - not sure if she will be reading this on her cruise

 

we are just taking umbrellas and weatherproof windbreakers - i wear "old lady" SAS black leather tie shoes - can walk forever in them - jim wears tennis shoes - we do not climb hills - take elevators and escalators taxis whenever possible - we do take walking tours but rest in between but then we are 35-40 yrs older than emily & mike:eek:

 

Thank you, thank you! You're the best!

 

And, yes, please wear whatever shoes are the MOST comfortable. Throw style out the window. At the end of the day, you still have to walk around the ship and there are lots of stairs on those ships! My legs felt like Jell-O but it was so very worth it.

 

We just got our leave dates approved yesterday and booked this cruise for July. As in 63 days from now, July. Your post has been a veritable font of wit and information. Thanks for taking the time to write such a thorough and entertaining review. I have spent the past few days copying and pasting like a maniac. I really appreciate the leg up in the planning department, profiting from all your hard work and what not. 2 months is not a lot of time to plan for something this huge, so I am glad I can benefit from the cruisers that have gone before me. Now to order a red binder on Amazon. They have fast shipping to an FPO address.

 

 

Fair winds and safe travels.

 

Wow, 2 months to plan -- yowza! It is normal to feel overwhelmed, especially with so many ports and things to worry about such as currency and transportation and being in numerous different countries. It's all worth it once you get there, I promise! :)

[cornish1]

Being UK born and bred, drug up proper as we say in Norfolk, I appeciate all the positive comments that have been posted about our fair(ish) Isle, but I would like to say that just seeing London, Liverpool and Edinburgh is not seeing the UK in it's best light, to really get a feel for the place you need to see the other UK, ie, The Lake District, the Derbyshire Dales, Yorkshire moors and Dales, Cornwall, the New Forest etc,I can also recommend my neck of the woods, North Norfolk and all the pretty little towns and villages, where the beaches go on for miles with nobody on them, I could suggest other very picturesque area's (subject to the weather), but like us when we visit the USA, we are limited by finances and time by what we can get to see.

We have visited the US about 6 times and Western Canada about 5 times, (family in Vancouver), and consider you residents there very lucky, especially Wyoming and BC residents, our favourite state in the US, most places have something to recommend them, just need more time and money to visit them all.

 

I agree with injebreck99. We have some beautiful places to visit in the West Country. Just recently we have had a cruise ship in the bay and it would be wonderful if Princess would sail this way and give you a further taste of our country.

[cruiseclues]

Thank you for your detailed interesting photo review...also your Caribbean Princess Patters. :):):):)

[tvlbum]

This cruise is on our bucket list, so if you do a trip report let us know where to find it.

 

 

Really enjoying your review and many thanks for the patters, I really appreciated looking through those and it's hard to find up to date ones. I'm on the Caribbean Princess on Tuesday for the Norwegian Fjords. It's also great to read reviews from people who have enjoyed the UK so much and I'm looking forward to reading the rest.

[tvlbum]

Maureen, I am loving these post. We are on the Aug. 16th Caribbean Princess. Maybe you can give me some idea as to the time this walk may take and if it is doable.

 

We were going to start at Towncar T and Delorean Giril recommend, by going up Water Street but we want to see everything in a day. duh!

 

If we leave the cruise ship, head to Mathew Street to do the Beatles thing (Cavern Quarter and Stanley Quarter, head to William Brown Street (St. Georges Hall, etc.), maybe walk thru St. John Gardens on the way to see the Bombed Out Church, on to Anglican Cathedral and you have another Cathedral on the same street. Return to the ship by the Albert Dock and see whatever we have time to do at this point.

 

We are big walkers and enjoy walking and viewing the architecture. Other than Georges Hall and the Cathedrals is there any other interior of any bldg. that we should not miss?

 

How long would you guesstimate that such a walk would take (we will leave as soon as the ship docks and we can get off?

 

By the way where could we see the Superlambanana's on the way?

 

Well here goes - don't think Spielberg or Cameron have anything to worry about.....

 

 

There are 3 of you leaving, 3 different songs, think nostalgiaguy from your roll call will recognise one of the songs, just look for the videos of Caribbean Princess Leaving Liverpool under name H0agy, each song is listed.

 

Enjoy - Hopefully my recording skills will improve by the time July 8 roll call visit us :cool:

 

Maureen

[tvlbum]

Don't know how or where you live or are arriving for your trip. But it works - we are doing a Great River of Europe trip Vienna to Amsterdam when we decided to do the British Isles. I called the airline and she said no problem you are allowed one free stop over so we will fly you to London from Amsterdam then fly you home from London. Worked for us we picked up 4 days in Amsterdam and 5 days in London before the cruise. We are using miles so that may be different.

 

Thank you so much for your thesis! I am thoroughly enjoying every morsel of information and entertainment. I'm also a planner -- "Have binder, will travel!"

 

We're scheuled for the CB Norwegian Fjords/Iceland cruise this summer, but since reading your review I keep trying to figure out how we could do a B2B with the British Isles!! After all, we'll already be in Southampton:p. We may have to wait on that one, however, I'm traveling vicariously through your review.

 

Thank you:)!

[tvlbum]

Copy each portion into your own e-mail and you will have a full trip report - simple.

 

 

 

 

OMG Emily!

 

This is absolutely THE BEST REVIEW EVER! DW and I had to cancel the May 14 sailing at the last minute due to her illness. We really really really want to do this cruise later this summer - or next year if we have to wait that long.

 

Is it possible to email your entire review in one document? I would love to save it and read it again before we sail. Of course we won't have your FABULOUS photos.

 

Please let me know if that's possible. I'm at trcoopermail@aol.com.

 

P.S. You should be a travel writer, if you aren't one already...

[seamwoman]

Emily ~ we returned a week and a half ago from the TA/BI cruise. Your "thesis" really helped with the planning. Thank you so much for the time and effort you put into sharing it. Karen

[DeloreanGirl]

Maureen, I am loving these post. We are on the Aug. 16th Caribbean Princess. Maybe you can give me some idea as to the time this walk may take and if it is doable.

 

We were going to start at Towncar T and Delorean Giril recommend, by going up Water Street but we want to see everything in a day. duh!

 

If we leave the cruise ship, head to Mathew Street to do the Beatles thing (Cavern Quarter and Stanley Quarter, head to William Brown Street (St. Georges Hall, etc.), maybe walk thru St. John Gardens on the way to see the Bombed Out Church, on to Anglican Cathedral and you have another Cathedral on the same street. Return to the ship by the Albert Dock and see whatever we have time to do at this point.

 

We are big walkers and enjoy walking and viewing the architecture. Other than Georges Hall and the Cathedrals is there any other interior of any bldg. that we should not miss?

 

How long would you guesstimate that such a walk would take (we will leave as soon as the ship docks and we can get off?

 

By the way where could we see the Superlambanana's on the way?

 

It took us about 3-4 hours to leisurely see most of Liverpool (that included lunch and stopping for ice cream!) The ship docks right there in town and it is very easy to find all of the streets. Like I mentioned in my report, the signage is clean and simple and it literally tells you on the signs how long it will take to walk somewhere. The museum was the farthest to the top of the "hill" that we walked. Mathew Street was adorable. Make sure to venture deep into the Tavern Club for a peek. The people are friendly and the city is clean. We kept saying how much it reminded us of a more charming version of San Diego. :)

 

Emily ~ we returned a week and a half ago from the TA/BI cruise. Your "thesis" really helped with the planning. Thank you so much for the time and effort you put into sharing it. Karen

 

Thank you so much! Hope you had a wonderful time!

 

Wish I could go back and do it again. I believe a year ago right now we were in Edinburgh. *dreamy sigh* :rolleyes:

[tvlbum]

Emily, we have enjoyed your post and have copied each one of them into our own e-mail to print before we depart on our trip. I took your review with Towncars suggestions and tried to plan a trip we could do without backtracking. We are early risers and plan to do the 7:30 Mersey Ferry before we start our walk. Maybe even go back on ship for breakfast. Then I though if we did the Beatles - Hard Rock Hotel and the Cavern Quarter area and sculptures first, maybe the buildings would be open by the time we got to William Brown Street, if not we can always spend time in the gardens. Then head to the Bombed Out Church and the two cathedrals before hitting Albert Dock, then we can just do what time allows. Where did you have lunch? I know Towncar suggest a fish and chips place which is right up my husbands alley. Still need to look at your pictures yet.

 

It took us about 3-4 hours to leisurely see most of Liverpool (that included lunch and stopping for ice cream!) The ship docks right there in town and it is very easy to find all of the streets. Like I mentioned in my report, the signage is clean and simple and it literally tells you on the signs how long it will take to walk somewhere. The museum was the farthest to the top of the "hill" that we walked. Mathew Street was adorable. Make sure to venture deep into the Tavern Club for a peek. The people are friendly and the city is clean. We kept saying how much it reminded us of a more charming version of San Diego. :)

 

Thank you so much! Hope you had a wonderful time!

 

Wish I could go back and do it again. I believe a year ago right now we were in Edinburgh. *dreamy sigh* :rolleyes:

[tvlbum]

You have any suggestions for things to do in and around Greenock? We spent a month or so in Scotland a few years ago driving, prior to that we did the Gathering with our Clan. So we have been to Glasgow, Edinburgh, Loch Ness, etc. so we have decided to spend our days in the small ports shere we dock.

 

We live about 5 miles from Greenock as the crow flies, and it was great to see the pictures of that day, particularly the ones from the bow towards where we are . To get some sunshine was a bonus!

 

The weather in April across the UK can be anything from cold with overnight frost, to pleasant Spring sunshine, although probably not shorts and T-shirt stuff. In Scotland, I do think there has been a tendency towards better weather in April and May than the rest of the summer recently, but at the end of the day it's just your luck!

[DeloreanGirl]

Emily, we have enjoyed your post and have copied each one of them into our own e-mail to print before we depart on our trip. I took your review with Towncars suggestions and tried to plan a trip we could do without backtracking. We are early risers and plan to do the 7:30 Mersey Ferry before we start our walk. Maybe even go back on ship for breakfast. Then I though if we did the Beatles - Hard Rock Hotel and the Cavern Quarter area and sculptures first, maybe the buildings would be open by the time we got to William Brown Street, if not we can always spend time in the gardens. Then head to the Bombed Out Church and the two cathedrals before hitting Albert Dock, then we can just do what time allows. Where did you have lunch? I know Towncar suggest a fish and chips place which is right up my husbands alley. Still need to look at your pictures yet.

 

Your day sounds great (and active!) We had lunch at Albert Dock. I believe it was the cafe next to the museum. The girls were nice enough to put a few ice cubes in our drinks. It wasn't fancy but all we wanted was a sandwich and some chips (crisps!) and I believe we shared a carrot cake slice (they have some amazing desserts under glass tops). If I were to go back again, I'd ask TowncarT where that fish & chips place was. Liverpool is so easy and fun to walk around. You'll love it. :)

[harrodsfan]

Totally agree about this wonderful chain of sandwich shops...yummy!

We do need them in southern ca. (they are in NYC)

As an anglophile I loved your enthusiasm for the UK. I do enjoy it too. Loved your very detailed review. I am a binder girl too.

REally liked the fact that you posted it quickly. I get a teeny bit annoyed when reviews are posted with bits days apart.

[gracebest]

You have any suggestions for things to do in and around Greenock? We spent a month or so in Scotland a few years ago driving, prior to that we did the Gathering with our Clan. So we have been to Glasgow, Edinburgh, Loch Ness, etc. so we have decided to spend our days in the small ports shere we dock.

 

 

We just got back on from our British Isles cruise. We spent a lovely day on a free tour provided by the Inverclyde Tourist group. They just request a gratuity to pay for bus/fuel costs. They offer 3 different tours that are all about 3 hours long. You can reserve one in advance and then if you would like to take another they will put you on a list when you get to the port. We took the Gourock tour which had 2 delightful guides that gave us interesting information and stories about the area. We thoroughly enjoyed the tour and the all of the people at the port where the friendliest we encountered on the whole trip.

[DeloreanGirl]

Totally agree about this wonderful chain of sandwich shops...yummy!

We do need them in southern ca. (they are in NYC)

As an anglophile I loved your enthusiasm for the UK. I do enjoy it too. Loved your very detailed review. I am a binder girl too.

REally liked the fact that you posted it quickly. I get a teeny bit annoyed when reviews are posted with bits days apart.

 

Hello fellow Californian/Anglophile/binder fan. I know, righit? Pret A Manger is in all the big cities but not L.A. Probably because we don't walk a lot like NYC and Chicago. But, oh man, if they built one out here I'd be in trouble!

 

We just got back on from our British Isles cruise. We spent a lovely day on a free tour provided by the Inverclyde Tourist group. They just request a gratuity to pay for bus/fuel costs. They offer 3 different tours that are all about 3 hours long. You can reserve one in advance and then if you would like to take another they will put you on a list when you get to the port. We took the Gourock tour which had 2 delightful guides that gave us interesting information and stories about the area. We thoroughly enjoyed the tour and the all of the people at the port where the friendliest we encountered on the whole trip.

 

Yes! Even though we didn't use them, I'd highly recommend the Inverclyde group as well. The volunteers were SO incredibly sweet and helpful in the Greenock terminal and I will absolutely use them in the future if (when) we ever go back.

[Judy J S 1]

Were you able to see the white cliffs of Dover on your British Isles cruise?

[DeloreanGirl]

Were you able to see the white cliffs of Dover on your British Isles cruise?

 

No, Southampton is quite aways away from Dover. Though, there are 8-day cruises that begin and end in Dover I believe. If you're referring to the sea day that connects Scotland down to LeHavre, I don't believe we saw them at that point either since the ship was too far out to sea.

[gojocruise]

I would like to say a 'HUGE' thank you DeloreanGirl for posting your cruise review. I was hooked from the beginning and have spent the last two evenings when I got home from work, logging on to CC and continuing to read the review from where I'd previously left it :)

I must admit you have me seriously considering doing a British Isle cruise myself after reading your review, where I had never, ever thought of doing one. Living here in the UK I thought I wouldn't find it that interesting and why when you have such a choice of cruises, would you holiday at home? I take it all back, I would love to do this cruise!!

Thank you, thank you x