Dover To Dover Cruise Was Fabulous

[KCruisin']

We finally got unpacked and are looking at our pictures! What a fabulous time. This was our third cruise with O and our first on Insignia. While all is about the same on the ships (we even had the same cabin number as last time) Insignia seemed even better some how. The food has gotten so much better and it is hard to improve on pretty perfect gourmet to begin with. The chef - Anthony - was all over the ship and as friendly as a passenger. His obvious love of his job and his infectious joy and humor must have been what added to the flavor. The cooking demo was great fun and we even got to taste Irish Stew!

Toscanna was still my favorite however.

 

The staff gets better and better each time. From Cabin stewards all the way up to Nicola they are friendly helpful and always pleasant. Nicola transferred from Regatta where he was so very helpful a few years ago when I had a problem. He runs a very "tight ship"! The Captain was almost as friendly and available as the Chef! The shows were still okay - not Broadway but entertaining. They did bring on a soloist who had starred in many London plays who was very good. The four young singers were on their last tour but they were still very into it and very cute. The last show was the best I have seen on O and the ending was so good. This cruise was mostly older and the gentleman traveling with us was a WW2 vet who had served in the UK. There were others either vets or related to vets so the part of the show where they played the songs of the various American Forces and had the vets stand up was very moving.

 

The ports were good although we opted out of city tours in all but London. This is the only place that O stills falls short. Destinations has gotten a little nicer but their tours are still pretty weak. We took private tours in all but two locations. The Ship tour in Orkney was so bad that we received a letter the next day refunding our money for it. Again-we had a two hour drive to spend 25 minutes in the town! The other tour we took in Falmouth was a little better with nice scenery for the long drive, a good guide and the first little fishing town was very pleasant. We had 1 1/2 hours there which was okay. The second stop was in their equivilent of a working man's beach resort. Every shop was overflowing with tacky beach stuff made in China! The only authentic thing we could find was ice cream made with Clotted Cream. This was heaven in a sugar cone! The other fatal flaw of O and Destinations is getting you off the ship. We had a 2:20pm flight out of Gatwick. They had us off the ship by 7AM! Thankfully, we flew Business this time so we got to spend 4 hours in the British Airways Lounge. Next time I will arrange for my own transportation and get until 9am to leisurely leave the ship and maybe even do a little sightseeing on the way out.

 

The private tours we took were absolutely the greatest. I cannot say enough nice things about all our tour guides but especially a few extra special ones.

 

We used London Country Tours (http://www.londoncountrytours.co.uk) to be picked up from Gatwick and taken to our hotel, then a one day tour of London, a one day tour of Cotswolds and a half day tour of Leeds and Canterbury on the way to the ship. The prices were very reasonable for four people but the guide, Jim, was the best we have ever had in any country. He is funny, friendly, knowledgeable, flexible and is vehicle is a US made Ford Conversion van - the most comfortable vehicle we had the entire trip! He even stacks up on soda and water for you! David Stubbs runs the company but we never met him. We had Jim every day and by the time we said our goodbyes there were hugs and kisses all around.

 

Our guide in Edinburgh was Morag Dunbar (morag@scotland-tour-guide.co.uk) who is a Blue Badge Guide. These people actually have to go to school for 2 years to obtain this badge and it shows. She was very nice, very informative and also very flexible wanting to give us what we wanted from the day. We had a gentleman with us who had some difficulty walking at times so she went out of her way to make sure that he saw as much as possible while getting him transportation thru out the castle as much as possible. When we opted out of cafeteria food at a tourist local she drove us out into the suburbs to a wonderful local restaurant that she would go to on her own. The food and ambiance was wonderful and we got to experience real life in that area today as well as the long ago castles.

 

In Invergordon we used Shore Excursions (http://www.shoreexcursions.co.uk) run by Nigel. However, he also gives Motorcycle tours so he let his wife, Elaine give us a tour. She is also a real estate agent and from London. She was marvelous. She was very knowledgeable and very pleasant. Again, we opted for the country tours and she took us to Dunrobin Castle - NOT TO BE MISSED. The Falconry show was out of this world and the falcon flew right over our heads ruffling our hair! She talked to us for a few minutes and changed the entire rest of the day to suit what we really wanted and we were not disappointed! From the scenery to the Henry Miller cabin to the ferry ride back it was wonderful.

 

The next stop was Leith in the SHetlands. We used Sinclair Taxis (http://www.sinclairtaxis.co.uk) and our driver was Laurie. A very nice gentleman who was very accomodating. We got to stop and actually pet some Shetland ponies, saw some incredible scenery, explored a Croft House museum and saw the Puffins in their cliff side home. Lunch was pretty pitiful but it was Father's Day and the other tour buses had booked the few local places so we ended up with sandwiches in a small little local place. Food on O is not something you worry about however!

 

IN Belfast we contracted with Lowell at Lynchpin Tours (http://www.lynchpintours.com). He is slick and not to be fully trusted when it comes to prices or quotes but we finally agreed on a price for a full day tour. When we got there he had important business and gave us William as our driver/guide. This man was fantastic! He is an ex policeman, semi-retired. He came a close second to our friend Jim in London and would have tied had we had three days to spend with him! He was funny, friendly, very knowledgeable and very solicitous of our older companion. It turned out he is a WW2 buff and knew everything about the plane our friend flew in the war so they became fast friends. We left Belfast immediately (from what I heard later ont he ship that was a very smart move) and drove up the Antrim Coast. This is the most incredible area with serene green fields and rugged jagged cliffs meeting with a beautiful but ferocious Atlantic Ocean. Giants Causeway is not to be missed as well as Derry. This is billed as the coldest city in Northern Ireland and it certainly was that day! Willie even got us to try Dolse (try it first and then ask what it is). Oh, and by the way, Haggis is very, very tasty so get past how they cook it and try it! Use Lynchpin Tours but request Willie!

 

Dublin we were met by family and it is a very beautiful city and area. Malahide is very pretty beach area. We had Guiness at Johnny Fox's Dublins Highest Pub and lunch at the Bloodly Stream in Malahide. From mountains to ocean to city a very nice port.

 

We got the name of our guide in Waterford from Lowell and we were met by a limo and driver. He was nice and accomodating. We did not want to tour a factory that was built in 1977 so again we drove out to Kinsale. This town is lovely and the only drawback is the long drive to and from and the 1 1/2 there could have been longer. None of us had done any souvenir shopping so we spent the time going into all the little stores there. It is also known as the restaurant capital of the area but we just had sandwiches on the fly. They were very good however.

 

Our last port was Southhampton and our guide was Frances Brook. Frances was also a Blue Badge Guide and was like a page out of an English novel. Everything about her was proper English countryside woman! She was so very friendly and helpful and accomodating and knowledgeable. I had told her that we enjoy history but also liked to see how people live today. She took us to New Forest which is anything but new. This is an area that has been dedicated since the times before King Henry and it is still as pristine and beautiful today. We passed so many thatched roof cotteges and pubs and stopped at a small but beautiful church where the Author of Sherlock Holmes was buried. We lunched on Roast Beef and Yorkshire pudding in a thatched roof pub dating back to the 1700's and then went to the little fishing town that she lives in. We walked the cobbled streets and then she actually took us to her house and let us wander her 4 acres of gardens! This woman is a GEM and if you ever are in this area you really must use her as your guide. You will get the best tour as well as the complete feel of the English countryside people!

 

If anyone wants any more specific information about the guides or tours please email me. This was really a very wonderful trip, cruise, ports and experience. Oceania just keeps getting better and better!

[Druke I]

Sounds like your homework for private tours paid off.

 

Very interesting - thanks.

[ClaudiaF]

Glad to read some great information for a change:D

Thanks for posting.

[Alice1203]

Would you be so kind as to share the address of your guide in Southampton?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Alice

[Jancruz]

Thanks for sharing your wonderful trip with us..

Jan

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