British Isles Explorer Cruise

[GoNavyFamily]

8 minutes ago, Krazy4Kruisin' said:

We will be in Oslo from Sun-Tues, then take the train to Bergen and stay overnight in hotel before boarding ship on Wednesday. Can you give me some restaurant suggestions for both cities, if you have them? Also, what is a "must not miss" to do in both?

Thanks,
 

We did the Oslo pre as well.  We liked the Historik Museum and we walked up to the Palace. The included tour just drives by the Palace so you don't get the same perspective. It stops at Vigeland which is the definite highlight with all the wonderful sculptures. It also stopped at the Maritime museum. On our own, we walked around the area with the fortress, and on the roof of the opera house. Oslo is a city easy to walk around on your own. 

[Krazy4Kruisin']

On 6/20/2022 at 1:20 PM, Jim Avery said:

You might luck out and get a cab but most transportation is hired cars and coaches for those with included Viking transport to the airport.  Smith's is a good car service.

I assume they have Lyft and/or Uber in UK that can take us to a hotel in London? Or am I wrong in assuming that?

[Jim Avery]

13 minutes ago, Krazy4Kruisin' said:

I assume they have Lyft and/or Uber in UK that can take us to a hotel in London? Or am I wrong in assuming that?

yes plus lots of black cabs (some in different colors) and good car services .like Addison Lee.  You won't get stranded.  Just remember to order Uber/Lyft big enough for all your luggage.

[JerryInIL]

Apparently, the only excursion for the August 15th BIE in Scrabster is the Historic Market Town of John O’Groats.  Has anyone been there?

[Peregrina651]

48 minutes ago, JerryInIL said:

Apparently, the only excursion for the August 15th BIE in Scrabster is the Historic Market Town of John O’Groats.  Has anyone been there?

 

Never been but keep checking MVJ to see if they add more excursions.

[granofsix]

On 4/29/2023 at 6:32 PM, Peregrina651 said:

 

There are two May 9 sailings, one in 2023 and one in 2024.  Which one are you on?

2023. We leave a week from tomorrow.

[Peregrina651]

1 hour ago, granofsix said:

2023. We leave a week from tomorrow.

 

Sweeet! Have a great trip! And come back and tell us about it.

[granofsix]

12 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Sweeet! Have a great trip! And come back and tell us about it.

Will do. Getting very excited and a little panicked to make sure I've packed well!

[Peregrina651]

3 hours ago, granofsix said:

Will do. Getting very excited and a little panicked to make sure I've packed well!

 

Relax! There is very little that you can't buy there if you absolutely must. Just ask all those poor folks whose luggage has been mislaid by the airlines. 🥴

[molymoo]

On 4/30/2023 at 10:23 AM, Krazy4Kruisin' said:

We will be in Oslo from Sun-Tues, then take the train to Bergen and stay overnight in hotel before boarding ship on Wednesday. Can you give me some restaurant suggestions for both cities, if you have them? Also, what is a "must not miss" to do in both?

Thanks,
 

We had a wonderful dinner at Engebret Cafe in Oslo.  It is one of (if not the) oldest restaurants in Oslo and serves traditional Norwegian fare.  It isn't "cheap" but really didn't feel like it was outrageously pricey and the service was great.  Depending on the weather they have a lovely outdoor seating area and it is a very reasonable walking distance from the Thon Opera where Viking hosts many of their extension guests.

When we were in Bergen we thoroughly enjoyed a food and culture tour that featured the fish market and a number of other stops where we enjoyed lots of wonderful Norwegian food; traditional and modern.  I don't think the company we used is still doing tours but TripAdvisor describes one that sounds very familiar.

Also in Bergen, Trekroneren has wonderful sausages that are worth a try.  The reindeer is a favorite and is served with lingonberry relish and crispy fried onions.  It's delicious and can be easily split as it is quite large.  It is a walk up so you may have to eat standing up but it's worth it.  They are right off the Bryggen just a few doors past the McDonalds ... which is one of the cutest McDonalds I've ever seen!  Never been inside but the outside is adorable.  

Have a wonderful trip!  Oslo is beautiful and Bergen charming.  The train ride is wonderful as well!  

[JerryInIL]

22 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Never been but keep checking MVJ to see if they add more excursions.

I’m hoping for a pub crawl.

[Jim Avery]

1 hour ago, JerryInIL said:

I’m hoping for a pub crawl.

You will have to do that on your own.  I can be had for a personal guide for a fee.....🍺

For a little extra I will bring Heidi 13 along.....

Edited May 2, 2023 by Jim Avery

[Heidi13]

On 4/30/2023 at 4:42 PM, JerryInIL said:

Apparently, the only excursion for the August 15th BIE in Scrabster is the Historic Market Town of John O’Groats.  Has anyone been there?

 

Calling John O'Groats a market town is a bit of a stretch, as the village where I resided outside St Andrews is bigger. John O'Groats is considered the northern most part of Scotland and it has a small harbour.

 

The main attraction is the signpost showing distances to various places. This is similar to the signpost in Land's End, which is the furthest part of UK. Also has a brewery, fish & chips and souvenir stores.

 

We probably stopped for a couple of hours getting the obligatory photos by the signpost, one of which is one of the header photos on our blog. Would have stayed longer, but DW doesn't drive in UK, so we couldn't stop in for a pint.

[happyyaya]

We are currently on British Isles cruise, Tilbury to Bergen, on Venus. Excellent ship’s excursion yesterday, County Wicklow, out of (Dublin) - in parentheses because we were not docked in Dublin. A 9 hour excursion that took us into the beautiful countryside of Wicklow, the garden county of Ireland. Stopped at an amazing estate with sprawling gardens and lawn, 200+ varieties of trees. Also a whiskey distillery tour with tasting on same estate. AMAZING lunch stop with delicious homemade breads, squash leek soup, turkey/Garvey/potatoes entree, perfectly cooked carrots and turnips to pass, and Baileys cheesecake for dessert. Exceptional meal for an excursion - in Wicklow Heather Restaurant’sWriters Function room which was a museum in and of itself. Displays of first and signed editions of incredible books etc displayed in locked lit cabinets: IE Samuel Beckett, Gullivers Travels, James Joyce Ulysses. I spent more time looking and reading with mouth agape than eating! Final stop a national park that includes ruins of 6th century St Kevin’s Monastic community. Serenity in the site - in the country side. If you want an alternative to touring busy city of Dublin and seeing the truly beautiful country side do Ireland, this is it! 

[deec]

Thank you so much for this great review of an optional excursion.  How much was it?  We don't usually like to "pay" for a meal off the ship or spend precious time in port eating but this sounds like it was a great experience !  We will be doing this cruise this time next year.

[LindaS272]

3 hours ago, happyyaya said:

We are currently on British Isles cruise, Tilbury to Bergen, on Venus. Excellent ship’s excursion yesterday, County Wicklow, out of (Dublin) - in parentheses because we were not docked in Dublin. A 9 hour excursion that took us into the beautiful countryside of Wicklow, the garden county of Ireland. Stopped at an amazing estate with sprawling gardens and lawn, 200+ varieties of trees. Also a whiskey distillery tour with tasting on same estate. AMAZING lunch stop with delicious homemade breads, squash leek soup, turkey/Garvey/potatoes entree, perfectly cooked carrots and turnips to pass, and Baileys cheesecake for dessert. Exceptional meal for an excursion - in Wicklow Heather Restaurant’sWriters Function room which was a museum in and of itself. Displays of first and signed editions of incredible books etc displayed in locked lit cabinets: IE Samuel Beckett, Gullivers Travels, James Joyce Ulysses. I spent more time looking and reading with mouth agape than eating! Final stop a national park that includes ruins of 6th century St Kevin’s Monastic community. Serenity in the site - in the country side. If you want an alternative to touring busy city of Dublin and seeing the truly beautiful country side do Ireland, this is it! 

Glendalough is the monastic site.

[Gropo]

3 hours ago, happyyaya said:

We are currently on British Isles cruise, Tilbury to Bergen, on Venus. Excellent ship’s excursion yesterday, County Wicklow

We appear to be on the same cruise. Just as a counterpoint:  We went on the included Dublin City tour. Fairly disappointing. Can’t really see much from coach windows on narrow streets. Most commentary was about how the Guinness people paid for about everything good in Dublin, and about which intersection we just past where X number of people were shot during independence rebellion, which apparently happened in several locations … but did we need to go to all of them?  The stop at the Art Museum was more for a restroom break than to see any exhibited works. 

So, in Dublin, I’d recommend spending on one of the optional tours. Someday we will return to see Ireland. 

Do you just get what you pay for?  Somewhat. 

On the other hand, today we were on the included bus ride thru Anglesey. Great countryside views, good narrative, but only one stop for photo opportunities. Still, we were satisfied. 

[Krazy4Kruisin']

On 3/27/2023 at 11:15 AM, Heidi13 said:

 

Here are my thoughts

 

London - if Greenwich, you have a number of local attractions and can take the DLR or Thames ferry up stream to Tower Hill/Westminster. If Tilbury, unless you want to take the adjacent small ferry over to gravesend, a shore-ex/private tour is probably best.

 

Dover - cruise ships dock at the west end of the harbour, which is a fair distance out. It is about 1.5 - 2 mls walk to the castle. The marine promenade is a pleasant walk, but the beach isn't fine sand. Could always taxi up to the castle and then walk downhill and through town. However, the surrounding area has some great attractions, so probably worth investigating shore-ex/private tours.

 

Dublin - Viking will provide a shuttle service to Dublin from the port. You can walk around or catch one of the Ho-Ho buses.

 

Holyhead - This is one port I haven't visited, but my researched had the cruise dock at the end of a jetty, sticking out from an island. Fair distance to shore. We had planned a private tour in this port into the Welsh countryside.

 

Liverpool - ships dock by the Royal Liver/Cunard buildings, so easy to walk ashore.

 

Belfast - I've been at a couple of berths, but you'll probably be using the berth close to the city airport, which is an industrial complex. I expect Viking will have shuttles to town. Lots of attractions in town and the surrounding area. We planned a private tour.

 

Ullapool - tender port, where the tenders go to Ullapool Pier. Very small town/large village. We planned to book one of the local cruises and then wander around the town.

 

Orkney Is - this is another port I haven't visited. We were tendering into Kirkwall Harbour. Lots of great attractions outside town, so we planned a private tour.

 

Edinburgh - tender port, with tenders heading to newhaven harbour. The former Royal Yacht is a short walk and the area has lots of restaurants/cafe. Ready access to public transport to visit Edinburgh.

 

Invergordon - the town is a short walk. This port also has many great local attractions, so we planned a private tour.

 

Shetlands - another port I haven't visited. Again, we planned a private tour.

 

 

I would love to talk to you about the private tours your did, like who did you use and if you liked them. We can start booking our excursions on May 24 and would love to know if we should book with Viking or private. Thanks.

[Krazy4Kruisin']

On 3/27/2023 at 2:46 AM, SteelCity Cruiser said:

Does anyone know where the shuttle drops you off in Dublin and the earliest time of day?  We're looking at booking an independent tour there and would need to know where to meet our guide in the city.

 

Who are you using for your private tour? And did you tell them what you want to see or let them pick what to show you?

[Krazy4Kruisin']

On 3/27/2023 at 3:55 AM, SempreMare said:

This is where the shuttle back to the Viking mars picked up at end of day in Dublin, September 2022.  See the words “ bus back to cruise” with a heart icon  nearby
 

Any drop off was probably within walking distance since that is such a popular area near the Oscar Wilde memorial. 
 

oh!  Important tip:

 

I really wanted to spend the afternoon in the national museum, but the tickets were all sold out. I should have reserved in advance.

I see you live in Austin. So do we. Would you be willing to talk to me about your British Isles cruise. We're doing it in August this year. Is there a place I can privately give you my email or phone number?

[goldwingers]

23 minutes ago, Gropo said:

We appear to be on the same cruise. Just as a counterpoint:  We went on the included Dublin City tour. Fairly disappointing. Can’t really see much from coach windows on narrow streets. Most commentary was about how the Guinness people paid for about everything good in Dublin, and about which intersection we just past where X number of people were shot during independence rebellion, which apparently happened in several locations … but did we need to go to all of them?  The stop at the Art Museum was more for a restroom break than to see any exhibited works. 

So, in Dublin, I’d recommend spending on one of the optional tours. Someday we will return to see Ireland. 

Do you just get what you pay for?  Somewhat. 

On the other hand, today we were on the included bus ride thru Anglesey. Great countryside views, good narrative, but only one stop for photo opportunities. Still, we were satisfied. 

Thanks for your thoughts on the included Dublin tour.  That was all I had planned for our day there, as we had spent time there several years ago on a Road Scolar tour and had hit most of the sites we had wanted to see.  After reading your input, I just went and added an extra excursion ( the trip to Wicklow with the baking demo) so we don't feel as if we wasted our time there.  The longer Wicklow tour also looks lovely, but we had seen a good bit of that area before & it was rather pricey for the day.

 

Really appreciate everyone's reviews and feedback!

[Krazy4Kruisin']

On 4/18/2023 at 1:49 PM, Heidi13 said:

 

You can purchase tickets for the castle online for a given date and time. This saves waiting in any queues.

 

If interested in some private tours, I have 3 local vendors that I would consider for tours of Edinburgh and the surrounding area.

Please give me the local vendors for tours. We have to book with Viking on May 24, but were looking at doing private tours in several of the ports.

[Krazy4Kruisin']

On 4/18/2023 at 4:52 PM, Newdaytrippers said:

@Heidi13 I would be very interested in the names of private guides for Edinburgh.  We are interested in going to Stirling Castle and Bannockburn Heritage Center.  We are on the BIE on August 15th.  Three of the ports have been switched and we don’t have any excursions for those dates yet.  We’re not going to Belfast, Ullapool or the Orkney Islands.  I’m researching tours for those ports that we do know.  We’ve already booked a private tour for the Shetland Islands (Dr David Malcolm) based on excellent recommendations from others on this Board.  I’m looking at Thistle Tours for Invergordon if you have any knowledge or recommendations for that port, too.  I’m also interested in a private tour for the Battle of Britain at the Cliffs of Dover.  We’re in a DV2, so I’m anticipating that many excursions will be booked when we are able to sign up.  I’m not interested in navigating buses and trains on our own due to some mobility issues with DH.  This is our first cruise with Viking. Thank you and thanks to any others who offer suggestions.  BTW, the new ports we are scheduled for include Scrabster, Stornaway and Douglas, Isle of Man.  We will probably do the included tours for these three.  Thanks, again.  (I am on the Roll Call for this cruise, too.)

May I please have the contact info for Dr. David Malcolm? We're interested in private tours too. Thanks. 

[Krazy4Kruisin']

On 4/18/2023 at 6:42 PM, Heidi13 said:

 

Edinburgh

1) Experienced Tours - https://www.experienced-tours.com/

          o   Stirling & Loch Lomond

 

2) Go Scotland Tours - https://www.goscotlandtours.com/tours/cf-2-Private+Tours/cf-8-Edinburgh/cf-3-1-2+Day/cf-3-1+Day/

         o   Private Tour to Stirling Castle, Wallace Monument and Bannockburn

 

3) Edinburgh Tour Guides - https://www.edinburghtourguides.com/

         o   Stirling Castle & The Kelpies

 

This is the 3 vendors I have listed for Edinburgh, with possibly the Go Scotland Tours option being your best bet

 

Dover

We have visited those sites on previous visits to the SE England. I suggest contacting 

 

Horizon Private Hire - https://www.horizonprivatehire.co.uk/private-tours-dover-cruise-terminal

They have an option for a customised tour of the local area

 

Invergordon

Not sure what you want to visit in this area, so suggest trying,  Avril’s Travels -  https://www.avrilstravels.co.uk/

 

 

 

 

Thank you!

[Krazy4Kruisin']

On 4/23/2023 at 9:07 AM, longterm said:

If you can share them with me, I'd appreciate it; we're headed on that cruise July 4, 2024. Thanks!

 

would appreciate the private tour guides you mentioned. thanks.