Belfast Questions

[need2cruisesoon]

We are on the Silhouette and docking in Belfast 7/22 from 8-5 and looking for ideas of what to do during this short timeframe. This is our first and possibly last visit to Belfast for a long time so we'd like to make the most of the day.

 

I understand Odyssey Tours has 2 special pkgs for cruise ship people, one is the Giants Causeway/Titanic Visitor Center the other is Giants Causeway/Bushmills Distillery. My question is (hopefully Shutterbug can chime in) if any opinions of either, my concern is the trip to the Causeway is long and uneventful as I am not big in sitting in a bus for any length of time.

The other idea is just to do the Belfast City Tour HOHO bus and visit Titanic Attraction and other city attractions. My preference is to also hang at a good pub in the late afternoon and chill prior to boarding our ship.

 

Any thoughts or recommendations would be appreciated.

Edited May 11, 2015 by need2cruisesoon

[The Shutterbug]

Just heading to work, will get back on later this evening with a better reply but in the meantime...

 

The causeway (North Antrim coast) is my favourite place but the journey is long, around 1.5 hours. I see the buses for these tours leaving ASAP from the dock and see them coming back late on so it is a long day. You wouldn't get sitting in a pub in the afternoon on this tour.

 

Google the 3 options and go with your gut what you'd like to see the most (then come back for a land holiday ;) )

[john watson]

Belfast often has a free shuttle into the city run by the local bus company and at the request of the cruise line. Do this to get into the city. If you do this early and find the city centre drop off/pick up point you can walk from there or get taxi to Titanic exhibition centre for £5.00 roughly for the total cab fare. Getting into there early is a good idea because once the tour coaches start arriving a bit later it becomes a crowded. There are various queues internally to buy entrance tickets and for the exhibition display ride etc. Then after, if you go back to the drop off/pick up point you can find a HOHO bus. There is more than one company running HOHO as I recall and you need to buy a ticket for the company running the bus you want to go on. Ask the ticket guy which bus he is selling tickets for.

 

Regards John

Edited May 11, 2015 by john watson

[insidecabin]

My view on Belfast.

 

The causeway is the popular trip but to do that and the museum is very tight.

 

If I was doing it again or going with people .

 

Taxi to the Titanic quarter and get the early birds tickets, you need longer than recommended to do the museum properly we took 3hrs.

(going via the shuttle just uses up time)

 

Then do the walking tour, slipway, drawing rooms drydock and pump house.

 

or the other way round walking tour and Museum, this makes the museum time more flexable.

 

Any free time have a plan for the city, you can walk there or taxi and there is plenty of tourist info to pick out some highlights.

shuttle/taxi back to the ship

 

A taxi tour of the troubles highlights might be an option but that needs a well informed guide to get the most from it.

 

The walking tour company now do a van based tour so can pickup and maybe drop off at the ship which might be an option.

 

I might look at the tour proposals with Causeway/Titanic to see what the timings are like.

 

edit: the hoho combined looks OK add the walking tour.

 

edit 2 : The tour companies combined tours don't give you long in the Titanic quarter.

Edited May 11, 2015 by insidecabin

[miss dee]

We are on the Silhouette and docking in Belfast 7/22 from 8-5 and looking for ideas of what to do during this short timeframe. This is our first and possibly last visit to Belfast for a long time so we'd like to make the most of the day.

 

I understand Odyssey Tours has 2 special pkgs for cruise ship people, one is the Giants Causeway/Titanic Visitor Center the other is Giants Causeway/Bushmills Distillery. My question is (hopefully Shutterbug can chime in) if any opinions of either, my concern is the trip to the Causeway is long and uneventful as I am not big in sitting in a bus for any length of time.

The other idea is just to do the Belfast City Tour HOHO bus and visit Titanic Attraction and other city attractions. My preference is to also hang at a good pub in the late afternoon and chill prior to boarding our ship.

 

Any thoughts or recommendations would be appreciated.

we have room for 2 people on our giant causeway tours. we booked with city and causeway tours who were rated number one on trip advisor.

[The Shutterbug]

My view on Belfast.

 

The causeway is the popular trip but to do that and the museum is very tight.

 

If I was doing it again or going with people .

 

Taxi to the Titanic quarter and get the early birds tickets, you need longer than recommended to do the museum properly we took 3hrs.

(going via the shuttle just uses up time)

 

Then do the walking tour, slipway, drawing rooms drydock and pump house.

 

or the other way round walking tour and Museum, this makes the museum time more flexable.

 

Any free time have a plan for the city, you can walk there or taxi and there is plenty of tourist info to pick out some highlights.

shuttle/taxi back to the ship

 

A taxi tour of the troubles highlights might be an option but that needs a well informed guide to get the most from it.

 

The walking tour company now do a van based tour so can pickup and maybe drop off at the ship which might be an option.

 

I might look at the tour proposals with Causeway/Titanic to see what the timings are like.

 

edit: the hoho combined looks OK add the walking tour.

 

edit 2 : The tour companies combined tours don't give you long in the Titanic quarter.

 

Good advice :)

 

More good advice - pubs!

Obviously the Crown Bar http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/crown-bar or you could head to the Cathedral quarter and check out the Duke of York, the Dark Horse and the Harp Bar. Others are Kellys Cellars and Whites Tavern.

[need2cruisesoon]

Awesome, Thanks everybody for taking the time to respond.

See you in Belfast in July.

 

***One last question, has anybody ever done the Game of Thrones tour outside city of Belfast? Any comments on this one?

Edited May 11, 2015 by need2cruisesoon

[The Shutterbug]

Pubs - also Fibber Magees at the back of Robinsons (ground floor)

 

 

GOT tour, heard good things about it if you are a fan. My H wants to go on it over the summer too.

[insidecabin]

Whats that/those pub(s) down an ally with all the wall painting?

Got taken there last year.

 

As much as I like the Crown and is a good example of a Pub the last time we were there it was packed and felt very touristy.

 

Thinking about it further

 

I think you have not done Belfast if you don't do "The Troubles".

For me it brought home something I had only known growing up from TV.

 

Worth some reading up or finding a TV program, the BBC has some good stuff if you can access it.

 

This is where Taxi tour(never done one) may work with ship pick up or drop off combined with the Titanic quarter and if time a Pub/Lunch

 

Your realistic window is probably 9-4, 7 hours

(you might get off a bit ealier and can get back as late as 4:30)

 

3-4hr in Titanic quarter, 1.5-2hr for a Troubles tour, is more than enough in a day with refreshment/lunch break.

 

(Don't plan to eat at the Museum)

 

Something like Early, Titanic quarter, when done head into the city for a pub lunch, get picked up from there for the Troubles tour and dropped off at the ship.

 

There is a walking tour but they may not be able to accomodate on a wed(they work)

 

 

 

We did our Troubles Tour at the end of a Causeway trip and have done the Museum independantly as part of a Titanic memorial cruise so have not tried to fit in too much in on a day on our trips, we prefer the do something properly rather than try to do to much and end up doing very little.

 

Eg I saw one tour that gave people 1.5hours in the Titanic museum, that would be a struglle and just walking past everything, they would have to miss things like the Ocean Exploration center completely.

 

http://www.titanicbelfast.com/The-Experience/Upcoming-Events/Nautilus-Live-at-the-Ocean-Exploration-Centre.aspx

 

Also I see there is this going on while you are there

http://www.titanicbelfast.com/The-Experience/Upcoming-Events/ROBOTS.aspx

[The Shutterbug]

Whats that/those pub(s) down an ally with all the wall painting?

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That was probably the Duke of York, Dark Horse and the Harp Bar (all owned by the same people)

 

http://www.dukeofyorkbelfast.com