British Isles Explorer Cruise excursions

[Ceegeefl]

Did anyone have any favorite excursions,included or independent, that you enjoyed on the BIE cruise?

Were there any excursions you wished you had not booked?

We're not going until next June but never too early to plan!

[Twitchly]

We enjoyed the Ffestiniog railway in Wales, especially the scenery to and from the train and lunch in a lovely town. It is a long day, but you get to see a beautiful part of Wales. This excursion was sold out, so when we got on board, we went immediately to the service desk and asked to be put on a waitlist. They ended up creating a whole second group for this excursion because of the widespread interest.
 

In Belfast, my husband greatly enjoyed the Saint Patrick tour, which takes you out into the countryside. (I was unable to go due to a sprained knee.)

 

For included tours, we loved the Highlights of Historic Orkney. It included a good overview of the main island, including being able to get out and see the standing stones. There was also plenty of time to wander on our own in a couple of nice villages. 

 

 

We also loved visiting the farm in Bergen. Delightful host and interesting insights.

 

 

Edited October 26, 2022 by Twitchly

[Sunflower & The Scientist]

We are planning on doing the farm in Bergen....glad to hear it was good. 

[Ceegeefl]

7 hours ago, Twitchly said:

We enjoyed the Ffestiniog railway in Wales, especially the scenery to and from the train and lunch in a lovely town. It is a long day, but you get to see a beautiful part of Wales. This excursion was sold out, so when we got on board, we went immediately to the service desk and asked to be put on a waitlist. They ended up creating a whole second group for this excursion because of the widespread interest.
 

In Belfast, my husband greatly enjoyed the Saint Patrick tour, which takes you out into the countryside. (I was unable to go due to a sprained knee.)

 

For included tours, we loved the Highlights of Historic Orkney. It included a good overview of the main island, including being able to get out and see the standing stones. There was also plenty of time to wander on our own in a couple of nice villages. 

 

 

We also loved visiting the farm in Bergen. Delightful host and interesting insights.

 

 

Thank you Twitchly! I'll look into these.Hope your knee is feeling much better.

[Jammy Bun]

If you're going to Lerwick, Shetland, I can recommend https://www.shetlandminibustours.co.uk/  and in Orkney we did a tour (shared with another couple), but I can't for the life of me remember the name of the company. 

We more often than not are happy to use the ship's included tours, but the advantage in these small islands (which we unfortunately will probably never get the chance to return to) is that we had most places to ourselves on the tours, as the guides could plan their itineraries to avoid the coaches.

 

 

[molymoo]

Se did the BIE this summer and loved every minute ... it was even a repeat as we did it back in 2018 but felt "brand new" as we mixed things up with our excursions and did a lot on our own (no tour, Viking or otherwise).  

• In Shetland we loved the "Crofting" excursion ... I believe it is now called something like "Rural Shetland".  We had a lovely ride into the countryside to a croft and there had a demonstration of sheep shearing, got to pet their shetland ponies, and (best of all!) got to watch their champion border collies in action.  The weather was abysmal; wind and rain like I hadn't seen in a long time but no one cared ... loved every minute!  In the interest of full disclosure, I love animals, dogs in particular so there was a bias at the start.
• We did the Festiniog Rail excursion in Wales and it was very nice ... but ... be forewarned that the train is not air conditioned (duh!) and we were there during the heat wave that hit the UK summer.  The windows were open so the breeze helped but it was hot.  The lunch was lovely and the service was great but again ... no air conditioning and the food, good as it was, was the hale and hearty "comfort food" which was perhaps not the best on a hot day.  After lunch there was more than an hour of free time in the town but not as much to see and do as we might have liked.  We ended up getting ice cream (looooong lines!) and sitting in a covered breezeway near the train station to try to stay cool.
• We did the "Belfast Food Trail" in Belfast and had a great time!  The guide was great and the group from the ship was lovely ... that really makes a difference on excursions.  We got to see a lot of Belfast at the ground level and taste some of the best Belfast has to offer in the way of food!  We ended our tour in the oldest pub in Dublin where, after persistent cajoling,  the Assistant Cruise Director honored us with a lovely rendition of "Danny Boy".  He got a standing ovation from everyone in the pub ... and some outside as well!  It was a moment!
• We went to the winery in Dover and had a lovely tour, wine tasting and lunch.  It was very nice but a wee bit pricey.  

 

Have a great trip ... we loved it (obviously!)!

[GoNavyFamily]

We are going on this cruise next spring and it is great to read recommendations.  We have two private (for 4 people) tours reserved in Belfast and Invergordon and are looking for two people to join us. If anyone is on our April  2023 cruise, please join the roll call!

[BrendaEDH]

We also did the BIE this past summer and enjoyed a combination of Viking tours and private tours.  If you have time, I would recommend taking the train that runs between Oslo and Bergen, beautiful scenery.  As for tours, we did a private tour in Shetland (David Malcolm - Discover Shetland), a retired doctor and local historian!!  In Orkney we joined another couple and toured with See Orkney, great excursion and were able to see so much more than expected.  As for optional excursions, we also enjoyed the Ffestiniog Railway tour, long day, but as others have said, beautiful scenery.  This excursion tends to sellout first, but were able to get on the waitlist once on board and it seemed that Viking added an additional bus to accommodate the demand.  I would also recommend the Canterbury and Leeds Castle tour. We arrived at Leeds Castle just as they were opening the gates, so for the first hour it was more like a private tour!   

[Ceegeefl]

1 hour ago, BrendaEDH said:

We also did the BIE this past summer and enjoyed a combination of Viking tours and private tours.  If you have time, I would recommend taking the train that runs between Oslo and Bergen, beautiful scenery.  As for tours, we did a private tour in Shetland (David Malcolm - Discover Shetland), a retired doctor and local historian!!  In Orkney we joined another couple and toured with See Orkney, great excursion and were able to see so much more than expected.  As for optional excursions, we also enjoyed the Ffestiniog Railway tour, long day, but as others have said, beautiful scenery.  This excursion tends to sellout first, but were able to get on the waitlist once on board and it seemed that Viking added an additional bus to accommodate the demand.  I would also recommend the Canterbury and Leeds Castle tour. We arrived at Leeds Castle just as they were opening the gates, so for the first hour it was more like a private tour!   

Thank you so much! We are also doing the pre in Oslo and taking the train. Any recommendations for sights or restaurants in Olso would be greatly appreciated!

[janetcbl]

2 hours ago, Ceegeefl said:

Thank you so much! We are also doing the pre in Oslo and taking the train. Any recommendations for sights or restaurants in Olso would be greatly appreciated!

Recommend: Vigeland (open 24 hours), Munch and National Museums ( both Art Museums, opened this year), walking on the roof of the Opera House (sunbath there if the weather is good), Viking Ship and Fram museums, Raadhuset, Aker Brugge (shopping, dining area). Lots to do in Oslo!

[BrendaEDH]

2 hours ago, janetcbl said:

Recommend: Vigeland (open 24 hours), Munch and National Museums ( both Art Museums, opened this year), walking on the roof of the Opera House (sunbath there if the weather is good), Viking Ship and Fram museums, Raadhuset, Aker Brugge (shopping, dining area). Lots to do in Oslo!

Agree with @janetcbl, there's lots to do and see in Oslo!  In addition to the list above, we also enjoyed the Nobel Peace Center and Oslo City Hall. The Viking Ship Museum is currently closed for renovations until 2025.  Enjoy!  

[JerryInIL]

Any suggestions for the 2 day pre cruise in Bergen, besides those shown on the Viking website?

Edited October 30, 2022 by JerryInIL

[janetcbl]

Just now, JerryInIL said:

Any suggestions for the 2 day pre cruise in Bergen?

 

Just now, JerryInIL said:

Any suggestions for the 2 day pre cruise in Bergen?

“Norway in a Nutshell” with an overnight in Flam. Almost any TA can book it for you, and some people wait until they get to Norway, but that is taking a chance. I have done this trip in all seasons/all weather….it is always great and the scenery magnificent!

[CurlerRob]

5 minutes ago, JerryInIL said:

Any suggestions for the 2 day pre cruise in Bergen, besides those shown on the Viking website?

As @janetcbl says, the Norway in a Nutshell is great and can also be done as one day. For Bergen itself - a walking tour of Brygge; funicular to Mt. Floyen; tour the Fishmarket;  Rodne fjord cruise below which leaves from the wharf right downtown, about 20 minute walk from the ship. 🍺🥌

 

https://rodne.no/en/fjordcruise/fjord-cruise-to-mostraumen/

[JerryInIL]

Thanks Rob and Janet for the suggestions.

[Peregrina651]

WooHoo!! I just booked BIE this morning. I now have a year to convince my husband that we have to do the Bergen-Flam-Oslo train.

 

[Twitchly]

3 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

WooHoo!! I just booked BIE this morning. I now have a year to convince my husband that we have to do the Bergen-Flam-Oslo train.

 

Wonderful! You’re going to love it!

[Moonlion]

Since there's been some interest on this forum for information about British Isles Explorer excursions, I thought I would share the excursions that Viking is offering on our BIE cruise (May 9, 2023 - London to Bergen).  In My Viking Journey, shore excursions for our cruise were posted yesterday much to my surprise (almost 5 months in advance!).  I've attached a spreadsheet with the excursions being offered, times and prices. Of course, no guarantees that the same excursions and times will be available on the other BIE cruises, especially those traveling from Bergen to London. 

 

I also included (in the far right column) the 2022 prices when available.  On average, prices increased about $20 per excursion (usually between $10 to $30) in 2023 compared to 2022. 

 

For future BIE cruisers, hope this helps with your planning!

  

Viking BIE ShoreEx May-9-2023.pdf

[Squawkman]

44 minutes ago, Moonlion said:

Since there's been some interest on this forum for information about British Isles Explorer excursions, I thought I would share the excursions that Viking is offering on our BIE cruise (May 9, 2023 - London to Bergen).  In My Viking Journey, shore excursions for our cruise were posted yesterday much to my surprise (almost 5 months in advance!).  I've attached a spreadsheet with the excursions being offered, times and prices. Of course, no guarantees that the same excursions and times will be available on the other BIE cruises, especially those traveling from Bergen to London. 

 

I also included (in the far right column) the 2022 prices when available.  On average, prices increased about $20 per excursion (usually between $10 to $30) in 2023 compared to 2022. 

 

For future BIE cruisers, hope this helps with your planning!

  

Viking BIE ShoreEx May-9-2023.pdf 115.57 kB · 4 downloads

Thanks for taking the time to do this and sharing it here. Our BIE cruise is after yours - May 27, 2023 - and we were surprised to see excursions listed about 3 days ago! Our cruise is also London to Bergen, but the excursions are not all the same. I compared the day in London and found 5 of the 6 excursions were the same. Our offerings do not include Southwark - but we have the Imperial War Museum and Classic Monuments of London (total of 7 choices). It appears that we’ll be in port longer as, for example, the Tower of London is in the afternoon while yours is in the morning. I haven’t compared any of the other days, but everyone should be aware their BIE cruise may have different offerings.

[Peregrina651]

THANK YOU, @Moonlion!   I haven't even looked at it yet and I know that it will be a fantastic help in planning our 2024 BIE.  

 

I wonder how much more we will have to pay over the 2023 prices?

[Peregrina651]

24 minutes ago, Squawkman said:

Our cruise is also London to Bergen, but the excursions are not all the same.

 

 

May 29, 2023 is "Spring Bank Holiday" in the UK -- a three-day weekend nationwide. 

 

The tides on the Thames also have a lot to say about arrival and departure times -- and no captain wants to get that data point wrong.

[Squawkman]

56 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

May 29, 2023 is "Spring Bank Holiday" in the UK -- a three-day weekend nationwide. 

Interesting as it’s a three day weekend in the US as well.

[OneSixtyToOne]

1 hour ago, Peregrina651 said:

May 29, 2023 is "Spring Bank Holiday" in the UK -- a three-day weekend nationwide. 

Also interesting to note the Chelsea Flower Show is May 23-27. It's one of the largest flower shows in the world. We attended one year. It is spectacular.

[mariavii]

I havent done the BIE, but on our Midnight Sun we did the Highland Park day in Orkney - which is great if you are a whisky person.  It was the tour, a very nice tasting, lunch, a visit to where peat is harvested, and then we hit some historic sites.  Our guide was a hoot and there was additional whisky poured throughout the tour 🙂

 

In Shetland I had tried to book David Malcom, but he was already booked.  Instead we spent a lovely day with his daughter (Kittywake Tours).  We did what is think is the South Mainland Tour.  So many puffins!

 

[KBs mum]

1 hour ago, OneSixtyToOne said:

Also interesting to note the Chelsea Flower Show is May 23-27. It's one of the largest flower shows in the world. We attended one year. It is spectacular.

You'll need to buy tickets now (or as soon as available) if interested. Hampton Court flower show has a lot of the same exhibitors but has a bigger site and is a lot less crowded. 

Kew is also worth a visit if interested in horticulture