British isles shore excursions

[ArnieL]

The shore excursions listed for the Ruby on the 12 day British Isle cruise seem expensive in that they would total almost more than the original cost of the cruise. in the past we have utilized privately arranged excursions or simply traveled on our own using public transportation to get around and see the main sights as well as shopping. In some ports access to the sights is relatively easy based on the ship's location, while others are difficult. I would appreciate any insights regarding the shore excursions.

[Shogun]

Hi There

 

Doing tours on your own would be cheaper,

 

however its not so much that the tours are expensive as the cruise is

 

cheap.

 

You will find UK prices are quite high.

 

yours Shogun

[cole]

The shore excursions listed for the Ruby on the 12 day British Isle cruise seem expensive in that they would total almost more than the original cost of the cruise. in the past we have utilized privately arranged excursions or simply traveled on our own using public transportation to get around and see the main sights as well as shopping. In some ports access to the sights is relatively easy based on the ship's location, while others are difficult. I would appreciate any insights regarding the shore excursions.

 

Have you gone to the Roll Call section and searched to see if there are others who are trying to organize private tours. We did the British Isles cruise last month and booked everything through private companies with fellow cruisers. Much smaller groups and a whole lot less as far as cost! Also - You can browse through past Roll Calls and see what those cruisers booked on previous cruises. If you like to do research - you will find lots of options.;)

Cole

[capriccio]

We just did the BI cruise on the Caribbean Princess this August - it was fantastic! We had an extremely active roll call (August 16th sailing) and lots of private excursions were organized. Take a look at posting number 2965 that has the entire listing of them. If you want more info on any of the actual excursions, the applicable post number is listed right after the leader's name.

 

You can also do a search British Isles reviews in this forum. Tina-Ann did one this summer - as did others - and DeloreanGirl wrote the definitive :D review last year.

[MaChere]

We just did the BI cruise on the Caribbean Princess this August - it was fantastic! We had an extremely active roll call (August 16th sailing) and lots of private excursions were organized. Take a look at posting number 2965 that has the entire listing of them. If you want more info on any of the actual excursions, the applicable post number is listed right after the leader's name.

 

You can also do a search British Isles reviews in this forum. Tina-Ann did one this summer - as did others - and DeloreanGirl wrote the definitive :D review last year.

How do I find posting 2965?

[SixOneTwo]

If you would tell us your ports and what excursions interested you, we might be able to make some specific suggestions about either saving money doing it yourself or adding value in other ways.

[capriccio]

How do I find posting 2965?

 

On the cruise critic main menu go to Roll Calls>Princess Roll Calls>Caribbean Princess>August 16, 2013 British Isles or just look at the thread: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1594858. That posting (all of them are numbered sequentially) is near the end of the thread.

[phabric]

Here is the private excursions we used on the August 16 cruise.

 

Guernsey - city bus (terminal is near the church on the main street). There is one bus route that does the whole island about 1 1/2 hours, cost - 2 GPB/pp (each time you enter the bus) or 4 GBP/pp for an all day ticket. The bus driver does not tell you the sights, ours did tell us a couple of things. We stopped 2x (about 5 minutes) for the driver's breaks. We were on the first bus out and it was filled with Princess passengers. There was a huge line when we returned.

 

Cobh - http://www.ecoach.ie

 

Dublin - http://www.hop-on-hop-off-bus.com

http://www.dublinsightseeing.ie

- http://www.dublintourguide.blogspot.ie

 

Liverpool - http://www.busybus.co.uk (Wales)

- http://www.pooloflifetours.com (Beatle & city)

 

Belfast - http://www.odysseycoachtours.co.uk

 

Invergordon - http://www.shorexcursions.co.uk

 

Edinburgh & Glasgow - http://www.greatscot-tours.com

- http://www.timberbushtours.co.uk

 

Le Havre - www.overlordtour.com[/url

 

Some used www.cruisingexcursions.com (booking agent)

Check out all the Roll Calls for this year's British Isles cruises for ideas for private tours.

Edited September 25, 2013 by phabric

[bconley351]

In Liverpool we did a Hop On/Hop Off we caught right by the ship. We road the entire circuit and decided which places we wanted a closer look at, then disembarked or just walked to the next site. The BI cruise is so port intensive we chose that as a 'quiet' day.

[jrzgrl]

We are thinking about booking this cruise in 2014. How far are the cruise ports from the areas of interest? We did the RCCL Italy cruise a few years ago and it was 1 1/2 hours into Rome and over an hour to Florence.

[SixOneTwo]

Just as a price comparison for some of these ports:

 

LIVERPOOL: Celebrity offers an "In the Footsteps of the Beatles" 4-hour tour for $64 per person. This is on a motorcoach. INSTEAD: We booked a private tour for two people, 3 hours, with a guide expert on the Beatles for 55 pounds. Every question we had was answered and the tour was customized with our choice of beatles music. We went into places that the bus tours only saw from the outside (if at all).

 

INVERNESS: Celebrity offers a cruise of Loch Ness and visit to Urquart Castle Ruins, a 4-hour tour for $52 per person. INSTEAD: We took the city bus roundtrip from Invergordon for about 11 pounds each (it's 20+ miles each way), then paid the same tour company Celebrity uses and paid about 30 pounds each for a small-format tour to these places PLUS a stop at the Loch Ness Monster Visitor Center. All admission fees included.

 

BELFAST: Celebrity offers a trip to Giant's Causeway ONLY for $72 per person. INSTEAD: We booked a private company that gave us 8 hours in a van with a guide for the two of us. We took winding country roads that a motorcoach could never traverse. We stopped at the Giant's Causeway, the rope bridge, the castle ruins, a tiny port town with WWII significance and the Dark Hedges and did it all on our own schedule. The cost was about 200 pounds and I believe we paid about 20 pounds each in admission fees.

 

LeHAVRE: Celebrity offered a bus tour to some WWII sites for $178 per person. INSTEAD: We joined up with two other couples from our roll call for a Normandy excursion which was in a mini-van and involved lots of historic information and allowed us to customize how much time we stayed at the various beaches & cemeteries. The cost was about 30% cheaper than what Celebrity offered. But we would have done it without the cost savings, as it is a much more moving experience with a small group.

 

Sometimes it's much less, sometimes a little more, but we enjoy traveling without the burden of 48 other people on a big motorcoach. We ask alot of questions, we take alot of photos. We enjoy public transportation and we like mingling with locals. We don't like to stop for lunch, coffee, or the local wine. We don't like to be taken to shops. We don't like to stop at a truck stop for a bathroom break and stand in line behind 20 women. We don't like to wait for people who need more time to linger (shop, etc.)

 

Yes, it's alot more work than the ship's tours, and sometimes we still do take excursions when we think we might be overwhelmed or risk missing the ship (we took the Edinburgh Tattoo excursion, for instance). But I think the planning and anticipation of the trip is just as fun as the trip itself, so it's never a problem to do the research. It CAN be done!

[bethohio3]

SixOneToo,

 

Would you please let me know who you booked your tour with in Belfast?

 

If you booked a private tour in Orkney, I'd be interested in that, as well.

 

Thanks!

 

--Beth

[gkkapp]

In 2012 we used Explore Orkney http://www.exploreorkney.com/index.php We took the "Megaliths & Mysteries" tour and it was super!! This is a family run company. In 2012 they did not require payment up front or a down payment. You do not have to "organize" a group but if you are traveling with others (we were with another couple) if you let them know they will assign you to the same van. On our tour lunch was included and it was simple but excellent. The weather was cold, windy but clear and the hot soup, sandwiches and tea/coffee were just perfect. Communication with them before the tour was great and they even helped us pick which tour based on what we wanted to see. Can't go wrong with them!!!

 

<<<Karen>>>

[calmac]

For your stops in Scotland you might want to look at the Visit Scotland website for ideas on things to see and do

 

http://www.visitscotland.com/

 

For your stop in South Queensferry (Edinburgh) have a look at this website

 

http://www.cruiseforth.com/

[melody hounddog]

I'm trying to decide whether to do the Blarney Castle/Kinsale tour or stay in Cobh. Does anyone have a recommendation? Am I "missing something" by not going to Blarney Castle? Is Kinsale a must see?

[SixOneTwo]

In Belfast we used City and Causeway Tours.

 

http://www.cityandcausewaytours.com/index.html

 

Please be aware that when you make an inquiry via their website, you will get a PHONE CALL to discuss your needs. Alister and Stevie are the guides (and I assume owner/operators). Both were amazing to work with.

 

We talked to Alister on the phone, he also accommodated a ship's itinerary change for us via e-mail.

 

Stevie was our guide. It was like we had a friend just drive us around wherever we wanted to go, giving us commentary and conversation all the way.

 

They sent photos of all of the places we visited to our e-mail address when we got home.

 

VERY good value. VERY accommodating, friendly folks.

[capriccio]

I'm trying to decide whether to do the Blarney Castle/Kinsale tour or stay in Cobh. Does anyone have a recommendation? Am I "missing something" by not going to Blarney Castle? Is Kinsale a must see?

 

We stayed in Cobh for the day. it is a lovely town to walk around. We visited the Cathedral, the Titanic museum (the White Star building the last passengers departed from) and the town museum (interesting exhibits on Irish immigration since Cobh - then Queenstown - was the major Irish port for immigration and on the sinkings of the Titanic and Luisitania).

 

Whatever you decide to do, make sure you are out on deck about 1/2 hour before the ship is due to leave. It seems like the entire town turns out to wave goodbye - the dock is full as is the harbor road. The town band played a variety of songs including 'Anchors Away' as we started to leave the dock. They continued to play until we were out of earshot. It was quite stirring.

[SixOneTwo]

We also stayed in Cobh. On such a port-intensive cruise, we decided to just take it easy here. We walked up to the Cathedral, where there are great views. If you're a photographer, don't miss the colorful row of houses up here called the "Deck of Cards."

 

We also took a Titanic walking tour that leaves from the Commodore Hotel twice daily (11:00, which is cheaper and 2:00). There is not much walking, but you do see quite a few landmarks and the guide is knowledgeable about Titanic history and will debunk various myths. (He talks about the Lusitania ship disaster as well, since Cobh received many survivors and victims.) A good way to spend 90 minutes or so.

 

The Titanic Experience was "just OK." I would say give it a try if you don't have anything else you want to see/do.

 

Finally, we took a short cab ride to the old church cemetery, which was quite antique and "creepy" in a good way: Tons of Celtic cross gravestones, wrought iron, moss and plant overgrowth. Again, a good spot for photographers. There are Lusitania victims buried here which is interesting. It seems a bit remote, but you won't have trouble getting a cab back.

 

There is plenty to eat or drink here, but not really any shopping. I recall a grocery store, a candy store and a very small "Irish" gift shop, all along the main drag.

 

We don't regret at all not going to Blarney.

[cole]

We are thinking about booking this cruise in 2014. How far are the cruise ports from the areas of interest? We did the RCCL Italy cruise a few years ago and it was 1 1/2 hours into Rome and over an hour to Florence.

 

The farthest is when you dock at LeHavre and travel to either Normandy or Paris. All others are either a short cab (or train) ride away or you walk right into the town. Of course, if you choose to tour the countryside as we did in Belfast and Glasgow - the journey IS the destination (as they say). ;)

Cole

[melody hounddog]

Thanks for all the Cobh advice!

 

I have another question - Is the German Occupation Museum in Guernsy something we can do on our own, or do we need a ship's tour?

[SixOneTwo]

You can do it yourself. There's a tourist information center along the main road very close to the tender stop. They will tell you how to get there by city bus.

 

OR, you can take the bus that circumnavigates the island, but I'm not sure that it gets you "right there" at the Occupation Museum.

 

I found this website helpful: http://www.visitguernsey.com/home

[takinpics]

We were on the Aug 5th Infinity sailing. For Belfast, I booked a private tour with Premier Tours Ireland, http://www.premiertoursireland.com/.

Through the Roll Call we connected with 4 other to share our tour. Our guide met us when we docked. Our tour was in a 6 passenger Mercedes van. The itinerary was customized to our wishes. We went to Carrickfergus castle, the Antrim coast with photo stops, Carrick-A-Rede rope bridge (2 of our 6 crossed it), and the amazing Giant's Causeway. This tour was Excellent!

[railcentre]

If you wish to view photographs of Cobh and other ports of call on the British Isles Cruise, you can visit my site at http://www.railcentre.co.uk/Galleries/Main/Cruises/BritishIsles-1.html

[phabric]

If you wish to view photographs of Cobh and other ports of call on the British Isles Cruise, you can visit my site at http://www.railcentre.co.uk/Galleries/Main/Cruises/BritishIsles-1.html

 

Beautiful pictures.

[tartanexile81]

The farthest is when you dock at LeHavre and travel to either Normandy or Paris. All others are either a short cab (or train) ride away or you walk right into the town. Of course, if you choose to tour the countryside as we did in Belfast and Glasgow - the journey IS the destination (as they say). ;)

Cole

 

Actually Le Havre is in Normandy and a great centre to see lots of interesting sites. Yes there's the Normandy landings / cemeteries / museums which I can highly recommend but if you want to do something more local Honfleur is a very pretty town, with lots of old buildings, interesting little shops and a picturesque harbour surrounded by restaurants. We paid Euros120 for 4 of us in taxi from the port, and the taxi could have fitted in 2 more people. Sadly le Havre hasn't got much to offer other than a lot of post-war housing which has gained World Heritage status, an Art gallery and a long beach

 

You can take the shuttle from the ship to the Bus station (Gare Routiere on the map) and take a bus to Etretat which is a lovely French seaside town where Monet painted or take the train from the adjacent railway station to Rouen which again is an historic town. Lots of options without spending the day in coach to and from Paris.

Edited November 22, 2013 by tartanexile81