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British isles shore excursions

ArnieL

By ArnieL,
in British Isles/Western Europe

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guidance lady

guidance lady

Posted
Posted (edited)

for SIX ONE TWO

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.

Do you remember the name of the tour company you used in Le Havre? We are going in July and would love to do the same.

I have found your posting very helpful and plan to do some private tours as well.

Thanks

Nely

Edited by guidance lady
forgot name
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bunzini

bunzini

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I have been exploring independent tours for our British Isles cruise. It has surprised me that many want money up front. That is not something I have encountered elsewhere when setting up an independent tour. It is somewhat unsettling, not that I don't trust the tour operators-they all have great reviews, but as we know anything can happen. Ports skipped or routes re-routed. Any thoughts? Have others encountered the same-pay up front?

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Alicomp

Alicomp

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I have been exploring independent tours for our British Isles cruise. It has surprised me that many want money up front. That is not something I have encountered elsewhere when setting up an independent tour. It is somewhat unsettling, not that I don't trust the tour operators-they all have great reviews, but as we know anything can happen. Ports skipped or routes re-routed. Any thoughts? Have others encountered the same-pay up front?

 

I am also encountering this. Two of the tours I plan to book want a deposit; one of 25 pounds and one of 50 pounds. One tour I considered wanted everything up-front, so I eliminated them from my list. I have never paid up front or a deposit before. Our trip is 4 months away and things can happen.....However, I figure that if we have to cancel I will go back to the tour companies and explain why we cancelled and hopefully they will be understanding. If not, we will just be out the deposits.

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bunzini

bunzini

Posted
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I am also encountering this. Two of the tours I plan to book want a deposit; one of 25 pounds and one of 50 pounds. One tour I considered wanted everything up-front, so I eliminated them from my list. I have never paid up front or a deposit before. Our trip is 4 months away and things can happen.....However, I figure that if we have to cancel I will go back to the tour companies and explain why we cancelled and hopefully they will be understanding. If not, we will just be out the deposits.

 

Yes, I nixed the one with full payment as well. They suggested I check with my travel insurance-and guess what? It is not covered. I would have to buy more insurance. So....I am going to do some more research. I may do a deposit on one as well. Just not sure why this area wants the money up front.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Guernseycruiser

Guernseycruiser

Posted
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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?

 

Hi

 

Yes, it is something you can do on your own, it is on the "round the island" bus route, so you can visit, and then catch the next bus and have a "tour" of the island. As a previous poster has said, the visitguernsey website is very informative, I would also recommend visiting the Little Chapel. As not all the places that are worth visiting are on the same bus route, you may prefer to book a private tour to be able to see everything.

 

I hope you book a cruise which visits Guernsey, and enjoy your day on our island.

 

The website for the local buses is http://www.buses.gg

 

At present, it is only stating the Winter timetable, so you would need to visit the website nearer the time for more up to date information.

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Guernseycruiser

Guernseycruiser

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We will be in Guernsey in May on the Ruby. We tentatively plan to walk to the Castle Cornet and tour there. Are there other sites you might recommend that we could walk to? Thanks.

You can also walk to Victor Hugo's house, which is worth a visit. The town itself is picturesque to walk around. Otherwise I would recommend the "round the island" bus route, just so you get to see a bit more of our island, even if you do not disembark to see any sites in particular.

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guidance lady

guidance lady

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Hi

 

Yes, it is something you can do on your own, it is on the "round the island" bus route, so you can visit, and then catch the next bus and have a "tour" of the island. As a previous poster has said, the visitguernsey website is very informative, I would also recommend visiting the Little Chapel. As not all the places that are worth visiting are on the same bus route, you may prefer to book a private tour to be able to see everything.

 

I hope you book a cruise which visits Guernsey, and enjoy your day on our island.

 

The website for the local buses is http://www.buses.gg

 

At present, it is only stating the Winter timetable, so you would need to visit the website nearer the time for more up to date information.

 

Hello, Do you know of any local tour guides in Guernsey. I am planning for July. I want to see as much as possible of your lovely island. :)

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hainfordcruise

hainfordcruise

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To get a good idea of what is available in each area try using Trip Advisor a there are often a good selection of reviews in the Things to Do section.

 

I also asked why some tour operators are now asking for advance payments and was told that this had come about by cruise liner passengers booking tours and then not showing up even though the ship was in port.

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Hawaiian Mongoose

Hawaiian Mongoose

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You can also walk to Victor Hugo's house, which is worth a visit. The town itself is picturesque to walk around. Otherwise I would recommend the "round the island" bus route, just so you get to see a bit more of our island, even if you do not disembark to see any sites in particular.

 

Thanks. Where is the boarding point for the bus? How long should we allow for the trip? Thanks again.

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Guernseycruiser

Guernseycruiser

Posted
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Thanks. Where is the boarding point for the bus? How long should we allow for the trip? Thanks again.

The boarding point for the bus is just across from the Town Church. I would say about a 10-15 minute walk from where the tenders dock. However you can walk through the picturesque town on the way to the bus terminal.

 

If you just stay on the bus the whole circuit, it is just over 90 minutes.

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Hawaiian Mongoose

Hawaiian Mongoose

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The boarding point for the bus is just across from the Town Church. I would say about a 10-15 minute walk from where the tenders dock. However you can walk through the picturesque town on the way to the bus terminal.

 

If you just stay on the bus the whole circuit, it is just over 90 minutes.

 

Many thanks. We are looking forward to the visit.

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cole

cole

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I don't know of any personally, however if you log into the tourist website, http://www.visitguernsey.com there are some accredited guides for walking, and also links to coach companies for private tours.

 

Enjoy your day in Guernsey.

 

We booked a tour with Intrasit Tours and had a great tour that covered all of the WWII sights, museum, hospital, etc. The van held 16 people and the cost was 34 Euros per person. I would highly recommend them if you are interested in seeing a lot of the island.

Cole

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M&Rsquared

M&Rsquared

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[quote name='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 [URL="http://www.railcentre.co.uk/Galleries/Main/Cruises/BritishIsles-1.html"]http://www.railcentre.co.uk/Galleries/Main/Cruises/BritishIsles-1.html
[/URL][/quote]
what wonderful photos... you have a great eye!
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