Half-Live: Regal Princess British Isles 27 May 2024

[Cloudyrain]

Pianist and singer: Oliver Holland

 

This chap is great! Really great! He usually performs in the Wheelhouse bar, and tonight he did the show in the (underused) Vista Lounge. 
 

He sang a selection of (especially good) Elton John, (not my cup of tea but still good) Elvis, and (fabulous) Queen: Bohemian Rhapsody was especially good. The accompanying orchestra was also brilliant with guest Violinists really great too.

 
I really recommend his performances 😊

[Cloudyrain]

16 hours ago, ellp said:

Warning: this is a personal rant...

The one thing I've noticed is that they really do the hard sell all throughout the ship which is a bit annoying. Not only are there multiple tries to sell you on the plus packages, there's the future cruises/excursions thing, then the jewelry/watches/inch of gold stands in the hallway, then they also cruise around the MDR trying to sell you on souvenir shot glasses with the princess logo. I know it's a personal thing, but I do find it annoying as it seems like they're trying to push something constantly.

 

That said, I did succumb to the inches of gold promotion... Got a gold plated necklace for $35, which included a matching bracelet.

 

I'm sorry to hear you have encountered this. Personally it hasn't been an issue for us, but I'm probably not a "good mark" as I am usually focused on stopping my child knocking a drink over or colliding in to other passengers or furniture 😂 We also avoid the Piazza as much as possible as it's quite busy and the music/events that are often on aren't really to our tastes. 

[ellp]

Ringaskiddy report....

We got off at Ringaskiddy and took the free shuttle bus into Cork, which dropped us off at City Hall. It's a pretty convenient location as you just need to cross the small bridge to get into downtown. Most things are within walking distance, including the English Market ( lots of fresh food and bakeries) and Marks and Spencer.

 

From city hall we took a taxi to Blarney Castle, which was about a 20 minute drive. The taxis are lined up at city hall, so it was easy to approach one and ask if they were free. It's metered, and it was 20.20 euros for the 4 of us to get to Blarney Castle. The driver did tell us that taxis are not plentiful at Blarney, and most of them are pre booked. It was a bit of a splurge on our part, but one person in our group offered 100euros to the driver if they were willing to take us to Blarney Castle, wait, and drive us back. Our whole trip took 2.5 hrs, stress free. 

 

The line up at Blarney Castle at 10 am was an hour wait to kiss the stone. It was even more crowded by the time we left at 1230. Needless to say, we didn't even try, but instead explored the park grounds and went to the wool mill for shopping.

 

The taxi driver warned us that the stuff at the mill was overpriced, but quality goods. We found that to be true as the wool sweaters were about 10+ euros cheaper in Dublin for the same things.  I didn't listen and I got a full cabled merino wool poncho for 99 euros. In Dublin, the same thing was 79 euros.

Edited May 31 by ellp

[ellp]

Some photos from the English Market in Cork. 

[ellp]

Dun L. / Dublin report...

It's a tender transfer from the ship to Dun L. (And then it's a short walk to the excursion buses, Hop on/Hop off coaches and train station to get into Dublin. Because the group of us wanted to do the HOHO tour, we approached they guys selling tickets who were nearby. There's 2 companies, the red and the green HOHO. The green guys were offering the tour for 32 euros, and the tour starts in Dublin. As I understood it, you still had to get in and out of Dublin on your own, likely via the nearby train.

 

The red guys were offering a shuttle bus into town, as well as the tour, and a return shuttle bus back to the dock, for 35 Euros. As we were a group of 5, he offered us the tour for 31 euros each. It was a 1.45 hour trip, and we got a driver who was a fabulous tour guide and comedian. Well worth the money to see all the sights in a short period of time.

 

We had a very filling and delicious lunch at a pub on Upper O'Connell Street, and walked the shopping areas till it was time to meet the tour shuttle back to dock.

[insidecabin]

If the green one was DoDublin they include the Dart return which is quicker than using a bus transfer.

 

https://dodublin.ie/city-sightseeing-tours/cruise-ship-dun-laoghaire

 

[geoherb]

Thanks for doing your live thread. Our British Isles cruise was my favorite. We were supposed to go to Portland on one of our transatlantics, but the captain announced we had to skip it due to weather. Docking in Ringaskiddy instead of Cobh sounds like a pain. Did they allow independent excursion coaches to pick up passengers there? We did Butlers (eCoach) to Blarney and Kinsale. 

[sandancer]

I’m finding this all very helpful Cloudyrain and Ellp. We are doing the same cruise in August and the info you’ve passed on will be so helpful. I always feel the anticipation of a cruise is a huge part of the pleasure and with your help it’s growing every day. Thanks a lot. 

[ellp]

2 hours ago, geoherb said:

Thanks for doing your live thread. Our British Isles cruise was my favorite. We were supposed to go to Portland on one of our transatlantics, but the captain announced we had to skip it due to weather. Docking in Ringaskiddy instead of Cobh sounds like a pain. Did they allow independent excursion coaches to pick up passengers there? We did Butlers (eCoach) to Blarney and Kinsale. 

As far as I know the private coaches just got rerouted to Ringaskiddy.

I'm sorry you missed Portland.😕 It's not a big place, but it's full of character and nice,  helpful people. As a knitter, I really appreciated the random sightings of yarn bombs all around. 😁

[ellp]

Report on Liverpool...

DD and I aren't Beatles fans. We do appreciate their music, but not enough to plan an entire day around it.

 

So that said, we slept in a little (DD and I have sea legs, and being tired doesn't help), and left after the crowds died down a little. 

 

After you get off the gang plank, there is tent with souvenirs, and an info desk with people proving maps and advice. Most things are within a 15 minute walking distance, and there were plentiful black taxis and HOHO buses selling tours.

 

Just on the right of the ship is the British music experience museum, which was a fun place to go. It was 20 pounds per adult and 19 for students, and admission was good for a year.

 

It took us an hour to go through, and there was a lot of costumes, instruments, and other misc. items, ranging from WW2 to present day. There was also an interactive section to play various drum sets and guitars.

 

My camera memory card died the 2nd day of our trip, and I was desperate to get a new one. So off on foot we went. We ended up at John Lewis, and got the card. I was very impressed with the service there. The people were very informed about their products, and were very talkative and helpful.

 

We walked all around the shopping areas, but there weren't many deals to be had, and it was very busy with people. 

 

After having lunch at Pret a porter, we hoofed it over to the world museum, a 15 minute walk. The place is HUGE, and has a small aquarium. We saw preserved insects, artifacts from around the world, and a Egyptian display with really mummies. It's free to go in, and worth it if you're into history.

 

By this time I was done, and my sea legs were getting worse. So back to the ship we went.

[ellp]

Just as a note, we had to do laundry last night and there are washing machines on each of the floors, toward the back of the ship, around cabin 600 or so.  It's a looong walk if you're in the front of the ship, and they don't really provide big laundry bags, just a paper bag thinner than a grocery bag, and about the same size. So if you intend to do laundry bring your own laundry bag.

 

The laundry rooms have 4 washer and dryers, plus a couple of irons and boards, and a couple of sinks. There is also a dispenser to buy laundry detergent, fabric sheets, and (I think?) something for colour catching. It's about $3 Us per product. You just tap your medallion and the machine dispenses a token for each wash and dry. The tokens are similar in size to a British 10 pence coin, but copper coloured.

[insidecabin]

Those laundry bags are for sending off.

 

We just use a case to wheel stuff there and back when we do it.

[Cloudyrain]

(I did warn I was posting half-live, because I am a very disorganised poster!)

 

Arcade

 

I previously said this was rubbish, and as a parent of a child who loves arcades I was initially disappointed. However, it actually isn't that bar at a second glance. It's alao easily avoided for those with children who think this place might break the bank 😂 Game prices range from $1.50 for the grabber/shooting machines, and up to $5 for the VR ones.

 

There is a smell of smoking remaining from when it was a smoking lounge, but it's old smoke smell rather than current.

[Cloudyrain]

Day 5 Weather Report - Dublin

 

Morning: Patchy cloud: hoody needed in the breeze, but ok in a t-shirt in a sheltered area of the deck.

 

Afternoon: Sunny and warm enough to use the pool! It was glorious on deck and very quiet: it felt like being in the med!

 

Evening: Sunny but cold in the wind!

 

(Photos should be in order)

[Cloudyrain]

Dublin Daily

 

The tender was super busy early on, but by 11am it was ticketless. Coming back mid-afternoon there was a short queue, but it wasn't a pleasant journey as people were crammed on like sardines and there were some rather nauseous passengers by the end!

[Cloudyrain]

Laundry Rooms

 

These are great with free irons and sinks, but you do need to pay to use the toplader machines in dollars (which isn't much help to us non-dollar users!). Oh well, I didn't come on holiday to wash 😊

[Cloudyrain]

Breakfast Ordering

 

I love this! We don't use it often, but if we plan to go out early, it's a great option as we aren't fans of MDR breakfasts, and peak-time buffet can be a bit manic!

[ellp]

8 minutes ago, Cloudyrain said:

Laundry Rooms

 

These are great with free irons and sinks, but you do need to pay to use the toplader machines in dollars (which isn't much help to us non-dollar users!). Oh well, I didn't come on holiday to wash 😊

You need us coins to operate the machines on your level? We're on level 8 (emerald), and it takes a single token which you get through a dispenser, via scanning your medallion.

[ellp]

Oh yeah, Liverpool was warm today and a bit windy by the water. It was mostly sunny, an I ended up with a sunburn on my face, neck and arms. I did put sunscreen on  too! I never expected to get sunburn here.

[Cloudyrain]

42 minutes ago, ellp said:

You need us coins to operate the machines on your level? We're on level 8 (emerald), and it takes a single token which you get through a dispenser, via scanning your medallion.

I will have to re-check then: I was reading the sign above the machine that said Dollars, but I didn't notice a token machine but that would make sense. It was a super quick visit 😊

[helenb]

For those of you on the cruise, when did you learn that the Cork port was Ringsakiddy? Our cruise just says 'Cork' on the itinerary (on Princess' site) and we have a private tour booked. If we will actually dock at Ringsakiddy then I need to let them know where to pick us up!

[ellp]

1 hour ago, helenb said:

For those of you on the cruise, when did you learn that the Cork port was Ringsakiddy? Our cruise just says 'Cork' on the itinerary (on Princess' site) and we have a private tour booked. If we will actually dock at Ringsakiddy then I need to let them know where to pick us up!

Details are starting to blur a little, but I wanna say we got a notice under the door the night before? Usually they make announcements about the details of the next day's docking the night before. The entertainment director will announce the details in person, on stage in the theatre, after a show. You will also go a paper notice under your door when you come back from dinner.

 

I do believe the tour companies keep track of where to pick passengers up, and you don't need to notify them, but don't quote me on that...

Edited June 2 by ellp

[MyriamS]

12 hours ago, ellp said:

Oh yeah, Liverpool was warm today and a bit windy by the water. It was mostly sunny, an I ended up with a sunburn on my face, neck and arms. I did put sunscreen on  too! I never expected to get sunburn here.

Once got sunburnt in Ireland! The locals kept telling us how amazing the weather was that week (sunny, no rain at all).

[Cloudyrain]

5 hours ago, helenb said:

For those of you on the cruise, when did you learn that the Cork port was Ringsakiddy? Our cruise just says 'Cork' on the itinerary (on Princess' site) and we have a private tour booked. If we will actually dock at Ringsakiddy then I need to let them know where to pick us up!

The fact we were docking at Ringaskiddy was on the official Port website for months before (as the larger MSC Virtuosa was also in on that day). No one at Princess confirmed this until a few days before we travelled when we had an email confirming the change (sent 24th May). 
 

As I understand it, those with private excursions that included transport had no issues as the operators knew this would be happening (albeit some did report that they have to amend their trip itinerary slightly). 

[Cloudyrain]

Liverpool Daily