Grand Mansion Tour with The Breakers at Newport R.I.

[Koz1]

We'll be visiting Newport, R.I. on September 23 and our ship is scheduled to arrive at 7am and depart at 4pm.

 

We have booked a "Grand Mansion Tour with The Breakers" with Viking Tours for 10am, that is scheduled to last for 3 hours. This tour includes the Scenic Overview tour that lasts 90 minutes as well as the visit to The Breakers.

 

We would like to walk part of the cliff walk but with the tour finishing at 1pm I don't think there would be enough time to travel by local bus back up to start part of the Cliff Walk, since we would want to be back to board a tender by 3pm ready for our 4pm departure.

 

For anyone who has done this tour, do you cover most of the Scenic Overview 90 minute tour before arriving at The Breakers? If we arranged with the driver that we would not re-board the trolley after we finish our time at The Breakers but stay there and walk part of the Cliff Walk while we are in the area, and then travel back by local bus, would we be missing much of the Scenic Overview tour that shows the various sights around Newport?

 

Thanks for any advice you can offer.

[Host Bonjour]

We'll be visiting Newport, R.I. on September 23 and our ship is scheduled to arrive at 7am and depart at 4pm.

 

We have booked a "Grand Mansion Tour with The Breakers" with Viking Tours for 10am, that is scheduled to last for 3 hours. This tour includes the Scenic Overview tour that lasts 90 minutes as well as the visit to The Breakers.

 

We would like to walk part of the cliff walk but with the tour finishing at 1pm I don't think there would be enough time to travel by local bus back up to start part of the Cliff Walk, since we would want to be back to board a tender by 3pm ready for our 4pm departure.

 

For anyone who has done this tour, do you cover most of the Scenic Overview 90 minute tour before arriving at The Breakers? If we arranged with the driver that we would not re-board the trolley after we finish our time at The Breakers but stay there and walk part of the Cliff Walk while we are in the area, and then travel back by local bus, would we be missing much of the Scenic Overview tour that shows the various sights around Newport?

 

Thanks for any advice you can offer.

 

I have not taken this tour BUT....I was born in Newport RI and have been back numerous times to visit and show friends that were visiting from overseas around the Mansions, Cliff Walk and other sites. Newport is glorious :)

 

I did look up your tour - sounds like you will get a nice look at the best of the city as well as one of my favorite mansions, The Breakers although admittedly, it is not easy to choose - they are all uniquely magnificent. Although you'll come in by tender to port, you do get in early so I wonder if it might not be better trying to do a small portion of the Cliff Walk prior to your tour rather than later, perhaps arranging to call for a taxi to get you back to the Visitor Center where you board your trolley to start the tour - I would choose a mansion as a landmark to meet a taxi - they of course run along the Cliff Walk/Ocean/Bellevue Avenue where it would be easiest to rendezvous and return in the taxi...waiting on a bus just eats up time.

 

Trying to do the Cliff Walk after a day spent touring - it is an arduous though breathtaking walk - might be challenging and you won't get very far to make it thoroughly worthwhile. I'd rather see you happily back at the visitor center, perhaps relaxing and having a snack whilst enjoying the sun shining the sparkling waterfront reflecting on your Newport day and knowing you'll be back on the ship in time. Perhaps you'll have had a morning Cliff Walk to think about? Even just wandering out on the very long, precarious jetty can be enough, really...but it's entirely up to you to know what works. The last person I brought to the Cliff Walk was a hearty New Zealand farmer that I once climbed a glacier with (in New Zealand - he made easy work of the glacier!) and the Cliff Walk was a *bit* of a challenge for him - winds, walking on the rocks, etc. but a great adventure...just a portion of it.

 

I hope you love Newport :)

[Koz1]

I have not taken this tour BUT....I was born in Newport RI and have been back numerous times to visit and show friends that were visiting from overseas around the Mansions, Cliff Walk and other sites. Newport is glorious :)

 

I did look up your tour - sounds like you will get a nice look at the best of the city as well as one of my favorite mansions, The Breakers although admittedly, it is not easy to choose - they are all uniquely magnificent. Although you'll come in by tender to port, you do get in early so I wonder if it might not be better trying to do a small portion of the Cliff Walk prior to your tour rather than later, perhaps arranging to call for a taxi to get you back to the Visitor Center where you board your trolley to start the tour - I would choose a mansion as a landmark to meet a taxi - they of course run along the Cliff Walk/Ocean/Bellevue Avenue where it would be easiest to rendezvous and return in the taxi...waiting on a bus just eats up time.

 

Trying to do the Cliff Walk after a day spent touring - it is an arduous though breathtaking walk - might be challenging and you won't get very far to make it thoroughly worthwhile. I'd rather see you happily back at the visitor center, perhaps relaxing and having a snack whilst enjoying the sun shining the sparkling waterfront reflecting on your Newport day and knowing you'll be back on the ship in time. Perhaps you'll have had a morning Cliff Walk to think about? Even just wandering out on the very long, precarious jetty can be enough, really...but it's entirely up to you to know what works. The last person I brought to the Cliff Walk was a hearty New Zealand farmer that I once climbed a glacier with (in New Zealand - he made easy work of the glacier!) and the Cliff Walk was a *bit* of a challenge for him - winds, walking on the rocks, etc. but a great adventure...just a portion of it.

 

I hope you love Newport :)

 

Thanks for your suggestion to do part of the Cliff Walk before the tour Colleen. I see that some Princess shore excursions have starts as early as 7.45am and 8.00am so hopefully if we are ready to leave early we can be ashore by 8am and we could get a taxi to take us to the start of the Cliff Walk. Our tour is at 10am and they say we should arrive 15 - 20 minutes prior to tour time. I'm thinking if we can get a taxi as soon as we're off the tender we could comfortably have a 30 to 45 minute walk along part of the Cliff Walk and still get back in plenty of time to join our tour.

 

Would you suggest that we ask the driver who takes us up to the cliff walk if he can pick us up at an arranged time, or just phone the taxi company to organise it?

 

I have a map of the Cliff Walk that I have printed out. Would you suggest that we start at the South End, the North End, or some middle point for an easier part of the walk considering the limited time we will have available? If we started at the South End could we walk as far as Marble House or Rosecliff in 30 to 45 minutes?

 

Thanks again.

Ken