Just off Golden British Isles

[ggo85]

Just returned from the British Isles cruise on Golden Princess. Will eventually post a full review but am happy to answer any questions in the meantime.

 

A few bits of advice --

 

Don't take the Land's End tour in Falmouth. People who went on it said they wish they'd simply stayed aboard (or toured the town of Falmouth on their own).

 

Be on the first bus for your tour, which means arriving 30 mins before you're supposed to in the waiting area (usually Princess theater). First bus leaves first and arrives back first. Reboarding can be a nightmare. People occasionally waited up to an hour to reboard at the end of the day (due to stringent security, not enough points of embarkation, not enough metal detectors, and too many people reboarding at same time). We were always on the first bus and our longest wait was 15 mins. Please note that, other than possible reboarding issues, it makes NO difference what bus you're on -- they all go to the same places for the same amount of time.

 

Consider booking Sabatini's for your very first night aboard. We did and it wasn't a bit crowded -- had VERY personalized service.

 

Do NOT book an early flight home. Disembarkation was running 90 mins late (we were scheduled to get off at 0630 and didn't leave the ship until 0800). People with 0930 flights (who didn't get off until 0700) probably missed their flights. We heard that the prior cruise also got in late. I suggest nothing earlier than 12 noon, just to be safe.

 

Tours we took (in case you have questions):

Edinburgh Walking Tour

Urquart Castle

Scottish Experience (Lochs, Sheepdogs, etc.)

Giant's Causeway

Dublin Walking Tour

Snowdonia & Caernafron Castle

[Casshew]

Hi there, welcome home :)

 

How was Omar the CD?

 

How was the food/service, did you have PC or traditional?

 

Entertainment?

 

Thanks for the tip on the LandsEnd Tour, I think I have that booked, what exactly was the trouble?

 

What kind of cabin were you in? how was the condtion of the cabin & how was the steward service?

 

Did you have irish entertainers come aboard in Dublin?

 

What did you do in Invergordon?

 

Sorry for all the questions but it's only 19 days to go for our departure. :D

[ggo85]

How was Omar the CD?

 

Can't say I saw him other than on TV every morning going over the day's events and occasionally at an evening show. In fairness, my husband and I didn't do a lot of activities, so he may have been present more often. He was one of a very few Americans on the crew.

 

How was the food/service, did you have PC or traditional?

 

We did PC. We like to eat early, and we were able to get reservations for 6:00 p.m. every night. Two nights we ate in the optional restaurants and one night we ate at Horizon's. It worked well for us. They offer reservations (in main dining rooms) at 6:00 and 8:00. If you want to eat in between, I'm not sure how long the wait might be. I thought the food and service was good. No complaints.

 

Entertainment?

 

Again, we didn't do everything. The Princess troupe was OK. They changed mid-cruise and we didn't see the new group. For the "old" group, the female singers weren't very talented. The dancers were OK, but you could see them counting their steps. Considering they'd been doing this for 6 months, it was a bit surprising. I should mention that we live near Washington, DC, so we're used to great entertainment. This was fair, not great. We liked one of the bands -- Liquid Blue -- and tended to go to their shows.

 

Thanks for the tip on the LandsEnd Tour, I think I have that booked, what exactly was the trouble?

 

We canceled our tour, so I only know what I heard on the tender from those who did it. They said that it was a 75 minute bus ride each way and, when they got there, it was very "touristy," meaning a couple of touristy type shops. And these were experienced Princess cruisers. They wished they'd stayed aboard.

 

What kind of cabin were you in? how was the condtion of the cabin & how was the steward service?

 

We had a mini-suite on Dolphin deck. LOTS of room. We liked it very much. Was clean and in good condition. We liked having the extra room, but I can see that some people are fine w/o it. Does NOT make a difference which side you're on. Starboard side gets sea views (when in port). Port side looks at the dock. We had port -- I was worried but in the end, I preferred to see water rather than an ugly dock. Our steward was great. We'd leave for breakfast and our room was clean upon our return. We didn't make many demands, however.

 

 

Did you have irish entertainers come aboard in Dublin?

 

Yes, however, they came at 10:30 p.m. and I can't say I waited up. People who attended the ship excursion to hear the Irish show said show was good and food was mediocre. I didn't hear any reviews of the ship's show.

 

What did you do in Invergordon?

 

Visited Urquart castle and did a drive somewhere (it now all blends together). Nice to do. Not exceptional. There isn't much to do if you don't take a tour. There may be better tours (than the one we took) but I didn't hear anything good or bad.

 

Hope this helps. Let me know if you have other questions.

[toddt]

Thanks for giving us the rundown. For these 2 tours did you think it was a good tour? Giant's Causeway. Dublin Walking Tour. We are planning on both of those. Also, what nights were your formal nights? We are doing your trip backwards but I'm just curious to see when the formal nights were.

 

Todd

[Roses2]

Thanks for your great information -- perfect timing.

 

We are on the August 30th cruise and would greatly appreciate any more of your reflections of the ports and what you enjoyed along the way.

 

This will be our third cruise on the Golden in the past year and each has been wonderful.

 

If you could give a brief recap of what you did at each port stop and what you liked the most, I am certain that those of us on this itinerary for the rest of the year would appreciate it very much.

 

Thanks again for the efforts.

[Toto2Kansas]

Good info, but I can not understand why ANYONE would book a flight at 9:30 AM the day the ship disembarks, that is just plain madness. Even on cruises that leave and return to the US you wouldn't think of booking a flight out that early. And the trip to the airport from Southampton is a long one that can encounter a lot of traffic and traffic jams.

 

Definitely, anyone that has this cruise booked in the future, book early afternoon flights out if you plan to fly the day the ship returns.

[MagnoliaBlossom]

We too just arrived home from the British Isles cruise. I ditto much of the OP and have additional advice about tour busses - be early in order to sit up front on the coach. The a/c does not work up to our American standards and the front of the busses were considerably cooler than the oven in the rear. Much complaining about that heard all around.

 

Formal nights were the first sea day and the next to last night.

 

We didn't stay up for the late show of Irish dancers but the early show was young people (about jr. high age maybe). They were cute - not hugely talented but cute. The Irish band was good, though.

 

Most of the excursions require a good amount of walking on uneven and often steep areas. Be forewarned so as to not make the mistake of many a young woman who wore sandals and was miserable.

 

We did the following excursions:

Dublin: Malahide Castle and Irish Pub

Falmouth: St. Michael's Mount

Greenock: The Scottish Experience - landscape, lochs and sheepdogs

Holyhead: Caernarfon Castle

Invergordon: Highland Castles and Loch Ness

 

In Edinburough we hopped a cab to the castle then walked down the miracle mile and took a cab back. In Belfast we took the free shuttle in to town and did a hop-on/off bus.

 

ALL the excursions we did required a very long drive to and from the ship. I think the shortest was an hour and 15 minutes. Most of the country side is pretty but much of the time is also in city and suburban traffic. The tour guides were all excellent. Very knowledgeable and friendly.

 

When we disembarked (7:00) they were running about 45 minutes behind. Obviously it got worse as the day progressed. If you have been crazy enough to book a very early flight consider taking all carry on luggage. I always do all carry on and they let us get off whenever we chose.

 

I could not understand why on earth Princess could not get people off/on the ship better. One day they had two gangways going and closed one at 9:00 a.m.!! We were 20 minutes getting on because like the OP we were in one of the first busses but my estimate is that there were 450 - 500 people lined up on the dock. Not a bunch of happy campers.

 

If you plan on using the laundramat or irons be prepared for a frustrating experience. On deck 10, 1 of the 4 irons worked and it had a bad hot spot. Only one dryer worked properly, and the coin changers and soap dispensers - well, let's say you have better odds at the casino's slot machines. This was true on 8, 9 and 10 as I had to visit all three to get one little box of detergent. I'm not big into doing laundry on cruises but did need to do one little load - took me over 2 hours. A lady I met in the laundramat was on her third of three back to back cruises (wow!) and said they had been that way the entire time. We called and reported it repeatedly but all that happened was a little guy came up, tinkered with them and left . Whatever he did was not successful. I finally called the desk and asked if we could get bar service in the laundry since we were obviously gonna' be there a while.

 

Happy to answer any questions. It was a great cruise.

 

Magnolia Blossom

[canadagal]

Thanks to the both of you for great information!

 

ggo85: Were you able to use your balcony much and did you find anyone throwing stuff overboard that landed on your open balcony?

 

Were you able to view any of the islands as you passed around the tip of Scotland?........did it matter whether you were on port or starboard for this?

 

Did the Princess shuttles run fairly often to get you in and out of town?

 

MagnoliaBlossom: (Quote: If you plan on using the laundramat or irons be prepared for a frustrating experience. On deck 10, 1 of the 4 irons worked and it had a bad hot spot. End Quote)

 

Do you recall: what name deck 10 was? The Princess website only lists it by name such as Dolphin, Emerald etc.

 

Pat

[dawnprincess]

Welcome back!

 

I'm also on the Aug. 10th British Isles cruise. You said the 2nd formal night was the night before the last night onboard, but was your itinerary the same as ours? -- We have S. Queensferry that day until 7 p.m. Seems a bit of a rush as we wanted to do Edinburgh that day. Did anyone use the ship's transfers to S. Queensferry OR take a cab -- which do you recommend and how much was cab fare? Thanks!!

[ggo85]

 

ggo85: Were you able to use your balcony much and did you find anyone throwing stuff overboard that landed on your open balcony?

 

Were you able to view any of the islands as you passed around the tip of Scotland?........did it matter whether you were on port or starboard for this?

 

Did the Princess shuttles run fairly often to get you in and out of town?

 

Do you recall: what name deck 10 was? The Princess website only lists it by name such as Dolphin, Emerald etc.

 

Let me answer the above in this post and I'll give a rundown of ports in next post.

 

Yes, we used our balcony. Remember that we had excellent weather (hot & sunny). No one threw stuff down on us. However, the person above us would often talk to us and, yes, people above you can see your entire balcony.

 

We did see islands along the way. We were on the starboard side taking the trip counterclockwise. I don't think it mattered which side you were on in terms of having things to see. Most of the time, you're far enough away from land that both sides see only sea. The side away from land (on this trip, ours) has the better view in port (IMO) because you're looking across the water and not directly at a not very attractive dock. However, overall, I can't say one side is clearly superior on this trip.

 

In most ports, there was no Princess shuttle. They did have one in Dublin for returns to ship. It was $10 and ran smoothly. I heard no complaints about it. There was no shuttle in Edinburgh -- a HUGE mistake, IMO. See more on ports in next post.

 

Deck 10 starts with a "C," but I don't rembmber the name. Caribe?? The decks are named alphabetically from 12-8 (Aloha, Baja, C----, Dolphin, Emerald). 14 is Lido. 7 is Promenade. There is no 13 and I forget the other names.

[rollingstone]

GGO85,

Thank you so much for posting. There are many of us doing this itinerary very soon and not much info posted. Other than the first night, what would be the best night to go to Sabatinis? (a night with a so so dinner menu).

Magnolia,

Loved the idea of bar service in the laundry!!! Maybe a few slot machines also!

Did anyone enjoy a tour of Cornwall? Was it through the ship or private?

I will be closely watching this thread for more info.

Thanks to all

Nancy

[ggo85]

For these 2 tours did you think it was a good tour? Giant's Causeway. Dublin Walking Tour.

 

Okay, here's my rundown on ports/excusions. Please note that we took ship's tours. I can only comment on our tours from personal experience. Comments on other tours are hearsay.

 

Edinburgh. We did Royal Mile walking tour. 30-min bus ride from S. Queensferry to Edinburgh Castle. You walk down the royal mile (about 1.25 miles) to Holyrood Palace and tour that. Our bus guide -- Tom -- was great. Our walking guide (they split the group) was poor. They were doing road repair and she tended to stop and give commentary right next to the jackhammer. Palace was OK -- very crowded. Walk is downhill, not arduous, and on cobblestone so wear good shoes. (Personal comment: I have a pair from LL Bean that are meant for trail walking -- I find them much better on cobblestones than tennis shoes).

 

The problem in Edinburgh was that you could NOT stay in town on your own unless you took a cab back (cost $40-$60). No bus shuttle. Huge oversight, IMO. We didn't stay. I think (am not sure) that the ship offers an Edinburgh on your own excursion but then you don't get any commentary. Of all the ports, I was most disappointed about this one -- mainly b/c I felt that I didn't even touch the surface of what was there.

 

Invergordon. We walked around the town in the morning. There's a nice museum (cost $5) within a half block of the ship. They had local folks playing music, a craft fair. It's really worth doing if you don't have an all-day tour. We took an afternoon tour to Urquart Castle. Drive was about an hour each way. It's very picturesque but the castle is in ruins. They gave us plenty of time. Again, lots of walking -- mostly paved but some uphill.

 

Belfast. Drive to Giant's Causeway was about 90 mins. We had 2 1/2 hrs there, which is plenty. You can take the bus to/from causeway, you can walk (down/up paved walkway), or you can take "cliff walk" -- longer and involves trail/steps. Walking on causeway is like walking on pilings -- not for people who have trouble walking. Giftshop there is nice. Going back, we drove through a small resort town. Some folks liked it; others felt it was a waste of time. I recommend this tour -- however, if you are not a walker, just driving to/from, taking the bus and looking at the causeway w/o climbing on it probably wouldn't be much fun. If you combine with Antrim coast, you take a more scenic coastal route to/from and it makes for a long day.

 

Greenock. We did Scottish Experience, which starts w/a scenic drive (about 2 hrs). I really love looking at sheep and landscape so it was ok. We then took a cruise on a loch. The problem was that we arrived a full hour before the ship did, so we just stood around. There is NOTHING to do other than admire the immediate scenery. Luckily, it wasn't raining. The ship is from 1899 -- it was fun. Lots of people (including us) did have to stand for the entire 45-min ride b/c there aren't enough seats for everyone.

 

One of the buses broke down in the heat, which delayed us even more. We ate lunch in a place that was not prepared to serve 200 people quickly. Food was fine but service was miserably slow. Due to all the delays, we had only 75 mins for the sheepdog/woolen center visit. The outdoor display (the dog herds ducks) was great. The indoor one not so much -- I wish they'd had the dogs do more. My biggest complaint here is that we wasted a lot of time during the first 6 hrs and then had to rush through the dog part. BTW, there is really not much to do in Greenock so take a tour or stay aboard.

 

Dublin. This walking tour was, IMO, much more active than the Edinburgh one. We drove into town (not a long distance but with traffic took about 20 mins), walked through Trininty College and then around the town, finishing in a pub were you get a 1/2 pint of beer or a soda. Walk was probably 2 miles. You can stay in town and take a shuttle back to the ship ($10). Take time to visit the Book of Kells ($14 admission), which is 9th C writing/illustration of the Gospels. There's also good shopping in town.

 

Holyhead. Tender port. Here there is NOTHING to do unless you take a tour and I mean nothing. We did Snowdonia and Caernafron (pronounced Can-A-vron) Castle. The mountains are reminiscent of Norway's fjords. It is a long bus ride. The Castle is VERY impressive. The walk around the grounds is easy (paved). You can climb to the top. There are two exhibits in the castle -- a very short one on the Prince of Wales and a lengthy, but excellent, one on Welsh military. We had about 2 hrs there, which was plenty of time to explore castle and nearby town. Lunch was served quickly -- food was just okay. Afternoon is more bus driving.

 

As noted earlier, we didn't take a tour in Falmouth and heard from those who took Land's End that it was not worth doing b/c it was mostly bus and boring. It's a tender port. You can walk to the town (town also offers free shuttle bus to/from town). It's NOT a tourist town -- lots of local shops, a nice pier, etc. You can also take a bus to the castle.

 

A couple of other general points. Most tours do involve fairly long bus rides. The A/C on the buses isn't always great and not all buses have A/C. It's pot luck. However, it was exceedingly hot (for the area) while we were there and, if the weather had been more typical, a/c problems wouldn't have been as noticeable.

 

Do get on the early bus for your tour. No difference in the tour, but you get back to the ship first and that will spare you long lines. The re-embarkation process is a disaster, especially in the late afternoon when all the tours return. Being first back helps. BTW, you don't always have control re where you sit on the bus -- especially when you take tenders. Also, some people found the front of the bus hot b/c of the large windows.

 

Do wear comfortable shoes on all tours. Hiking/walking/athletic shoes are best. The tours we took all involved a reasonable degree of walking. It's not arduous but if you can't walk a mile or so, consider whether you really want to do the tour.

 

Those who want to go on your own -- in tender ports, you can't get off the ship until the morning tours have cleared. This can take a couple of hrs. So, don't book an excursion that starts right after the ship anchors.

 

Overall, we were generally happy with the tours other than the re-embarkation problems. Our guides (other than Edinburgh) were uniformly excellent, although I heard a few folks from other groups/tours complaining. You can probably do the same tours (more or less) on your own for less money. We just didn't want to bother.

 

Sorry for the long post. Happy to answer any questions.

[ggo85]

Welcome back!

 

I'm also on the Aug. 10th British Isles cruise. You said the 2nd formal night was the night before the last night onboard, but was your itinerary the same as ours? -- We have S. Queensferry that day until 7 p.m. Seems a bit of a rush as we wanted to do Edinburgh that day. Did anyone use the ship's transfers to S. Queensferry OR take a cab -- which do you recommend and how much was cab fare? Thanks!!

 

2nd formal night is second to last night aboard. You have the reverse itinerary. For us, the formal night was on a port day. Everyone was supposed to be back by 5 but, due to re-embarkation problems, some people didn't get back until after 6. It was a bit crazy for them.

 

See my post above re Edinburgh. Our guide said that cabs are private and fare can be from 15-30 pounds each way ($30-60) plus tip.

[Kevin]

Our review is here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=7233810&postcount=184

 

located in the Roll Call thread for the cruise.

[Marie-Claude]

Our review is here:

Thank you so much Judy for your review!!

 

I'm so happy to hear that you had a great time with Alastair - I've booked our day with him back in February and have been anxiously waiting for this day! Where did you end up having lunch?? He is proposing the Cawdor tavern and would like to know if that's where you went, and if so, how it was. Our itinerary is the same as yours, would you change anything??

 

We're also doing Holyhead with Busybus - I think Fred will be our driver guide!

 

As for Giant's causeway, did you have time at the end of the tour to drive through Belfast to see the city highlights, murals etc??

 

Thanks for your tips!

MC

[spongerob]

I had a lot of fun reading your comments. You've reminded me of many great memories from our British Isles cruise last summer.

[Kevin]

I have added some pictures http://www.interactivecruises.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=878

[Casshew]

I had a lot of fun reading your comments. You've reminded me of many great memories from our British Isles cruise last summer.

 

Except they had awesome weather :D

[Casshew]

I have added some pictures http://www.interactivecruises.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=878

\

 

Oh, the pics are gorgeous, thanks for sharing. Love that sunset behind the oil platforms.

 

I recognized some things (ie) Britannia, Urquhart, etc.. but other things I didn't have a clue.

 

Thanks for sharing

[Sails Up]

We too just arrived home from the British Isles cruise. I ditto much of the OP and have additional advice about tour busses - be early in order to sit up front on the coach. The a/c does not work up to our American standards and the front of the busses were considerably cooler than the oven in the rear. Much complaining about that heard all around.

 

Formal nights were the first sea day and the next to last night.

 

We didn't stay up for the late show of Irish dancers but the early show was young people (about jr. high age maybe). They were cute - not hugely talented but cute. The Irish band was good, though.

 

Most of the excursions require a good amount of walking on uneven and often steep areas. Be forewarned so as to not make the mistake of many a young woman who wore sandals and was miserable.

 

We did the following excursions:

Dublin: Malahide Castle and Irish Pub

Falmouth: St. Michael's Mount

Greenock: The Scottish Experience - landscape, lochs and sheepdogs

Holyhead: Caernarfon Castle

Invergordon: Highland Castles and Loch Ness

 

In Edinburough we hopped a cab to the castle then walked down the miracle mile and took a cab back. In Belfast we took the free shuttle in to town and did a hop-on/off bus.

 

ALL the excursions we did required a very long drive to and from the ship. I think the shortest was an hour and 15 minutes. Most of the country side is pretty but much of the time is also in city and suburban traffic. The tour guides were all excellent. Very knowledgeable and friendly.

 

When we disembarked (7:00) they were running about 45 minutes behind. Obviously it got worse as the day progressed. If you have been crazy enough to book a very early flight consider taking all carry on luggage. I always do all carry on and they let us get off whenever we chose.

 

I could not understand why on earth Princess could not get people off/on the ship better. One day they had two gangways going and closed one at 9:00 a.m.!! We were 20 minutes getting on because like the OP we were in one of the first busses but my estimate is that there were 450 - 500 people lined up on the dock. Not a bunch of happy campers.

 

If you plan on using the laundramat or irons be prepared for a frustrating experience. On deck 10, 1 of the 4 irons worked and it had a bad hot spot. Only one dryer worked properly, and the coin changers and soap dispensers - well, let's say you have better odds at the casino's slot machines. This was true on 8, 9 and 10 as I had to visit all three to get one little box of detergent. I'm not big into doing laundry on cruises but did need to do one little load - took me over 2 hours. A lady I met in the laundramat was on her third of three back to back cruises (wow!) and said they had been that way the entire time. We called and reported it repeatedly but all that happened was a little guy came up, tinkered with them and left . Whatever he did was not successful. I finally called the desk and asked if we could get bar service in the laundry since we were obviously gonna' be there a while.

 

Happy to answer any questions. It was a great cruise.

 

Magnolia Blossom

 

Regarding the laundry...the coins used...American or Euro??? Did you bring your own laundry soap? We are on the Golden at the end of this month...Thanks!

[Bigdasher]

ggo 85 wrote: "The problem in Edinburgh was that you could NOT stay in town on your own unless you took a cab back (cost $40-$60). No bus shuttle. Huge oversight, IMO. We didn't stay. I think (am not sure) that the ship offers an Edinburgh on your own excursion but then you don't get any commentary. Of all the ports, I was most disappointed about this one -- mainly b/c I felt that I didn't even touch the surface of what was there."

 

This saddens me, because Edinburgh is such a lovely place, and offers such a wonderful oppertunity for you to have done a DIY excursion. You can get from the port into town and back very easily, using public transport http://www.lothianbuses.co.uk/howto/findRoute.asp There is a really good bus service and it would have only cost a couple of quid return.

At the junction of Princes street ( near Waverly station), there are heaps

of open top tour buses.

A taxi from Princes street up to the old town ( big nasty steep walk) was/is ~£3.50 ( and that was with 3 children with me). Of course, no need for a taxi back.

 

regards,

 

BD

 

PS I would have given Lands End a miss too!

[CruiseNut7]

ggo85 and other posters ..... thanks for sharing your Golden British Isles cruise experience. We'll be setting sail on her August 30th.

 

The reviews are great and very informative. My concern is that it sounds like you need to be in excellent athletic shape for most of the excursions. I'm fine with moderate walking, but most the ports sound like there will be extensive walking - many on inclines. :eek: With that in mind, I may need to re-think my decisions about tours! Arrgggh!

 

I appears that the weather was great. The photos show you wearing short sleeves or a light jacket at most. If anyone has a crystal ball, would they let us know how our weather will be in five weeks? :rolleyes:

 

In Falmouth/Cornwall, did anyone visit St. Mawes? Perhaps just a walk around the town is sufficient. With your input I will be cancelling my Princess excursion at that port.

 

Magnolia Blossom - with or without the detergent dispenser problems in the laundry, I think your idea of bar service there is an excellent idea! I'll make sure to mention it when I'm onboard too! Too funny - thanks for the laugh! :D

[MagnoliaBlossom]

Laundry operates on either US quarters or slot machine tokens.

When you get the coin changer to operate (hah!) it gives you a combo of each. If you're not into gambling go to the pursers desk or the casino to get change.

 

My full review is now posted in the review section and also in this forum.

[Sails Up]

Thanks, Magnolia Blossom...I appreciate the info regarding the laundry...N

[toddt]

On various ITNs I've seen where the Laundry dept will do a promo where they offer to wash "all the laundry you can fit in this bag" for $15 (or something around there). On the July 11th ITN did they offer that? Thanks T