Grand Princess British Isles 7/25 review Ports of Call

[Genessa]

We did a ton of ship’s tours and loved them all. We also explored Dublin and Glasgow on our own. Dublin, we took the ship shuttle, $5pp/each way and we saw the Book of Kells, early. I really enjoyed the exhibition “before” the book and read all of the displays. Then, I thought we’d go to Dublinia, a “boutique” (small  ) museum about the Vikings in Dublin. I really enjoy pre-medieval and medieval history. Discovered that the streets don’t all have street signs, especially the larger streets. And the streets with signs weren’t indicated on our maps. So, we had some fun getting “lost” and finally figured out where we were when we stumbled upon St. Patrick’s, several blocks “past” where we wanted to go.

 

Glasgow, I tried to follow the directions to the train station. Obviously took a wrong turn or non-turn somewhere and we asked a couple of Scots women for help. They both directed us to a station which we found, turned out to be Greenock East, not Greenock Central. Which worked out well, as we got our choice of prime seats, ahead of everyone else from our cruise going independently ;). Train tickets were a little over 11 pounds, round trip, for both of us. At Glasgow, we took a cab up to the Cathedral and had the best cab driver. He gave us pens and keychains and maps of Glasgow to hand out. The cab fare was very reasonable, too. We should have asked him to wait, but didn’t think of it until later. We walked down from the cathedral and enjoyed walking through the farmer’s market in George Square. You could smell the cheese stalls from several stalls away!

 

 

The rest of the ports we took tours and thoroughly enjoyed them all. Guernsey, Channel Islands, we took a walking tour of Herm. It was conducted by one of the 51 permanent residents of Herm and her husband. More physically active than we thought it would be, but loads of fun and information.

 

Cobh (prounounced Cove), we took a tour of Cork, Kinsale, and Blarney Castle. We didn’t kiss the stone, but did walk around the extensive gardens. The food on this tour was very nasty, though and I was thankful I had a couple of protein bars in my bag.

 

Liverpool we took a tour to Wales and Chester. We needed more time in Wales, but Chester was amazing. I got us lost again, but more briefly, and we had a fascinating time walking the walls of Chester and strolling along the river in the rain (one of the few days it rained). We also did a brief bus tour of Liverpool at the end, and I was amazed at the “dog thing statues” all over the city. Lunch was okay, hotel was nice.

 

Belfast we did a tour of the Antrim Coast and Giant’s Causeway. Everything I imagined and then some. The stones at the causeway boggle my mind. We walked down the long hill, but rode the bus back up. We also stopped at the ruins of a castle – Dun luce. Very interesting. Lunch was good.

 

The day we cruised the Hebrides was NOT a nice day. The scenery was great though and I can just imagine what it would be on a super clear day.

 

Invergordon we had left our curtains open and I woke with the sun. Got some incredible sunrise photos. We had a tour of Culloden Moor, Inverness, and Loch Ness. Loch Ness was a disappointment. It was pretty, but looked like many mountain lakes I’ve seen before. The driver and guide were great, though, bringing us down for another look at the loch and Urquhart Castle and taking us up a road to see heather because someone asked. Inverness was our least favorite city.

 

South Queensferry, Edinburgh. Loved Edinburgh. Loved it. We will go back.

We did a walking tour of the Royal Mile. If you are anything of a history buff, read up on what’s there, then do a self-tour. This was the only tour we would have skipped. Our tour guide was informative, but there was no time to slow down or have a second look at anything. We had the option of staying in Edinburgh and going back on the train (at additional expense), but we had an afternoon tour booked.

Braveheart Country and Stirling Castle. Terrific tour. We went to Bannockburn and Stirling Castle and our tour guide, Jennie, was entertaining and fun and informative. She really gave 120%.

 

LeHavre. DH wanted to see Eiffel Tower. I didn’t care. We took the Paris and Seine River tour and it was one of our favorites. The food on the river boat was delicious, waiter was really nice and pointed out things that weren’t included in the commentary. The guide, Karen, is a treasure and thanks to her and her alone, I plan on going back to Paris. She really increased our interest in Paris. There are many things we want to go and see at leisure.

This was the most exhausting cruise we have ever taken, including our Alaska cruise and land tour. We were up most mornings before 6 AM and didn’t get back to the ship until 5 or 6 on most days. With only 2 sea days, you can see how busy we were!

 

But, I’d do it again, in a heart beat. While we saw everything on our “premier” list except Stonehenge, there are enough things to go back and see that we’ll be in the British Isles/Paris for weeks ;).

 

And, now, we need a nice relaxing 7-10 day Caribbean cruise to give us a vacation from our vacation!

[mii]

Very interesting information. Hopefully you put this info on the europe Ports of Call board. it might help someone. then maybe you did already. Anyway, thanks for the info.

 

Marilyn

[Shogun]

Hi ,

 

Pleased to read you enjoyed Scotland and Stirling Castle, please come back again soon,

 

 

yours Shogun

[PilarB]

Hi Genessa,

thanks for the great info- I will be on this cruise next week! Can you please explain where you ate on the Cork tour that was terrible, since we are booked on that ecoach tour and would like to avoid bad food! Did you stop to eat in Kinsale? I had read a good place to eat there was Muddy Mahers. My son is very picky , and they have spaghetti there- something on his limited menu.

[Genessa]

Hi ,

 

Pleased to read you enjoyed Scotland and Stirling Castle, please come back again soon,

 

 

yours Shogun

 

we are definitely going to visit Scotland again, and hope to bring the in-laws ;) !

[Genessa]

Very interesting information. Hopefully you put this info on the europe Ports of Call board. it might help someone. then maybe you did already. Anyway, thanks for the info.

 

Marilyn

 

I didn't yet, actually didn't think of it, but will.

[Genessa]

Hi Genessa,

thanks for the great info- I will be on this cruise next week! Can you please explain where you ate on the Cork tour that was terrible, since we are booked on that ecoach tour and would like to avoid bad food! Did you stop to eat in Kinsale? I had read a good place to eat there was Muddy Mahers. My son is very picky , and they have spaghetti there- something on his limited menu.

 

It was one of the ship's tours and it was the "banquet" hall of a hotel. Can't remember the name. We were seated, several buses full, at large round tables, very close together. The food was Irish stew - tasted like greasy water and looked like dish water. The bread was okay - but many people were disappointed that it was an "oaty" bread, rather than soda bread. They had Irish step dancing, but I couldn't see a thing from where I was sitting and the live band that played were so loud it hurt.

 

We didn't stop for long in Kinsale and didn't eat there.

[hobo1937]

Hi Genessa...great review. We are booked on the Crown Princess British Isles cruise 8/09...had some questions regarding your two tours in South Queensferry. How much time did you have between the two tours..did you have time to grab a bite to eat? Since this is a tender port did you have take the tender back to the ship after the first tour in order to get the second one?

 

Barb

[dforeigner]

Thank you for taking time to write a review.

[Genessa]

Hi Genessa...great review. We are booked on the Crown Princess British Isles cruise 8/09...had some questions regarding your two tours in South Queensferry. How much time did you have between the two tours..did you have time to grab a bite to eat? Since this is a tender port did you have take the tender back to the ship after the first tour in order to get the second one?

 

Barb

 

 

we did and we didn't.

there is a tender and there isn't enough time to get back to the ship.

there is enough time to grab a quick bite if you either eat fast or walk fast.

 

we got back at about 12:30 and our next tour was leaving at 1:20. There is an inn right across the street. However, it took us maybe 4 or 5 minutes or so to figure out the system - they were very busy and the wait staff was not immediately to be found.

if you want to eat there - go right in, pick a table and decide quickly. Then one of you must go up to the bar and place the order.

I told the waitress that we only had a short time and she said it wouldn't be a problem.

At 1:10, we still didn't have our food - and I had already paid for it.

I went to look for the waitress, thinking I could get it as a "take-away", even tho my dh didn't want to eat standing up or on the bus, couldn't find the waitress.

Another couple from the cruise came in, I asked the wife if she would like our food, told her what we ordered and gave her our "spoon" (that indicates to the server who goes with what order). I don't know if they ate it or not.

 

So, lesson from my story ;)

 

if the inn is very busy, walk down the street towards the right. There is a "take-away" place there that probably gets the food out quicker. Or

tell the person who takes your order exactly how much time you have and see if they can rush it.

 

enjoy your cruise!

[Genessa]

Thank you for taking time to write a review.

 

and thank you for your thank yous! evn tho you can see how many people "looked", it's nice to know people read them.

[lizzy77]

We too just loved Edinburgh. So much that I would have to say it was the highlight of our trip to the UK and Europe.

[hobo1937]

we did and we didn't.

there is a tender and there isn't enough time to get back to the ship.

there is enough time to grab a quick bite if you either eat fast or walk fast.

 

we got back at about 12:30 and our next tour was leaving at 1:20. There is an inn right across the street. However, it took us maybe 4 or 5 minutes or so to figure out the system - they were very busy and the wait staff was not immediately to be found.

if you want to eat there - go right in, pick a table and decide quickly. Then one of you must go up to the bar and place the order.

I told the waitress that we only had a short time and she said it wouldn't be a problem.

At 1:10, we still didn't have our food - and I had already paid for it.

I went to look for the waitress, thinking I could get it as a "take-away", even tho my dh didn't want to eat standing up or on the bus, couldn't find the waitress.

Another couple from the cruise came in, I asked the wife if she would like our food, told her what we ordered and gave her our "spoon" (that indicates to the server who goes with what order). I don't know if they ate it or not.

 

So, lesson from my story ;)

 

if the inn is very busy, walk down the street towards the right. There is a "take-away" place there that probably gets the food out quicker. Or

tell the person who takes your order exactly how much time you have and see if they can rush it.

 

enjoy your cruise!

 

Thanks so much for the tips...

[Johanna7]

We did a ton of ship’s tours and loved them all. We also explored Dublin and Glasgow on our own. Dublin, we took the ship shuttle, $5pp/each way and we saw the Book of Kells, early. I really enjoyed the exhibition “before” the book and read all of the displays. Then, I thought we’d go to Dublinia, a “boutique” (small  ) museum about the Vikings in Dublin. I really enjoy pre-medieval and medieval history. Discovered that the streets don’t all have street signs, especially the larger streets. And the streets with signs weren’t indicated on our maps. So, we had some fun getting “lost” and finally figured out where we were when we stumbled upon St. Patrick’s, several blocks “past” where we wanted to go.

 

Glasgow, I tried to follow the directions to the train station. Obviously took a wrong turn or non-turn somewhere and we asked a couple of Scots women for help. They both directed us to a station which we found, turned out to be Greenock East, not Greenock Central. Which worked out well, as we got our choice of prime seats, ahead of everyone else from our cruise going independently ;). Train tickets were a little over 11 pounds, round trip, for both of us. At Glasgow, we took a cab up to the Cathedral and had the best cab driver. He gave us pens and keychains and maps of Glasgow to hand out. The cab fare was very reasonable, too. We should have asked him to wait, but didn’t think of it until later. We walked down from the cathedral and enjoyed walking through the farmer’s market in George Square. You could smell the cheese stalls from several stalls away!

 

 

The rest of the ports we took tours and thoroughly enjoyed them all. Guernsey, Channel Islands, we took a walking tour of Herm. It was conducted by one of the 51 permanent residents of Herm and her husband. More physically active than we thought it would be, but loads of fun and information.

 

Cobh (prounounced Cove), we took a tour of Cork, Kinsale, and Blarney Castle. We didn’t kiss the stone, but did walk around the extensive gardens. The food on this tour was very nasty, though and I was thankful I had a couple of protein bars in my bag.

 

Liverpool we took a tour to Wales and Chester. We needed more time in Wales, but Chester was amazing. I got us lost again, but more briefly, and we had a fascinating time walking the walls of Chester and strolling along the river in the rain (one of the few days it rained). We also did a brief bus tour of Liverpool at the end, and I was amazed at the “dog thing statues” all over the city. Lunch was okay, hotel was nice.

 

Belfast we did a tour of the Antrim Coast and Giant’s Causeway. Everything I imagined and then some. The stones at the causeway boggle my mind. We walked down the long hill, but rode the bus back up. We also stopped at the ruins of a castle – Dun luce. Very interesting. Lunch was good.

 

The day we cruised the Hebrides was NOT a nice day. The scenery was great though and I can just imagine what it would be on a super clear day.

 

Invergordon we had left our curtains open and I woke with the sun. Got some incredible sunrise photos. We had a tour of Culloden Moor, Inverness, and Loch Ness. Loch Ness was a disappointment. It was pretty, but looked like many mountain lakes I’ve seen before. The driver and guide were great, though, bringing us down for another look at the loch and Urquhart Castle and taking us up a road to see heather because someone asked. Inverness was our least favorite city.

 

South Queensferry, Edinburgh. Loved Edinburgh. Loved it. We will go back.

We did a walking tour of the Royal Mile. If you are anything of a history buff, read up on what’s there, then do a self-tour. This was the only tour we would have skipped. Our tour guide was informative, but there was no time to slow down or have a second look at anything. We had the option of staying in Edinburgh and going back on the train (at additional expense), but we had an afternoon tour booked.

Braveheart Country and Stirling Castle. Terrific tour. We went to Bannockburn and Stirling Castle and our tour guide, Jennie, was entertaining and fun and informative. She really gave 120%.

 

LeHavre. DH wanted to see Eiffel Tower. I didn’t care. We took the Paris and Seine River tour and it was one of our favorites. The food on the river boat was delicious, waiter was really nice and pointed out things that weren’t included in the commentary. The guide, Karen, is a treasure and thanks to her and her alone, I plan on going back to Paris. She really increased our interest in Paris. There are many things we want to go and see at leisure.

This was the most exhausting cruise we have ever taken, including our Alaska cruise and land tour. We were up most mornings before 6 AM and didn’t get back to the ship until 5 or 6 on most days. With only 2 sea days, you can see how busy we were!

 

But, I’d do it again, in a heart beat. While we saw everything on our “premier” list except Stonehenge, there are enough things to go back and see that we’ll be in the British Isles/Paris for weeks ;).

 

And, now, we need a nice relaxing 7-10 day Caribbean cruise to give us a vacation from our vacation!

 

Loved your review. We took the same cruise on the Grand June 7 - 19 and just loved it. We had great weather and only about 10 minutes of drizzle at Loch Ness.

 

Like you, we took the tour from Liverpool to northern Wales and Chester with Princess and loved it. I am wondering if you had the same guide on the ship as we did. She was full of knowledge and I found her very entertaining as she reminded me of the character Hyacinth Bucket on the British comedy "Keeping Up Appearances" She even had a posher accent than royalty.

 

We took a private tour of Cork which turned out to be very cheap, about 23 Euros each and it was an all day tour, not including lunch which was on our own and we ate at a pub in Kinsale and loved it.

 

In Belfast we took the private tour with ECoast and loved it. It was about an hour longer than the Princess tour, was 30 pounds and didn't include meals nor did the Princess tour and the people ended up eating in the same hotel we did. It was around 10 pounds each and very good.

 

In Edinburgh we took a taxi with another couple from the ferry to the city and bought the hop on hop off buses (all 4) and used them extensively and saw so much. We took another taxi back to the ship and found out the ship wasn't leaving at 6 but 9 so we could have stayed longer. Oh well. We did not go to Le Havre due to strikes there and had a lovely day in Dover and spent most of it at the Castle which we missed on a cruise in 2003. It was great. We have been to Paris 6 times in the past and wouldn't have gone there anyway.

 

Yes, it was a very port intensive cruise but we loved it. We had the any time dining which we really enjoyed too.

 

We did enjoy Loch Ness on the tour but the fact they had over 11 buses there at once, it was VERY crowded in the gift shop/show/eating area.

 

It was a good tour though.

 

I would do the same cruise again in a minute.

[Genessa]

Loved your review. We took the same cruise on the Grand June 7 - 19 and just loved it. We had great weather and only about 10 minutes of drizzle at Loch Ness.

 

Like you, we took the tour from Liverpool to northern Wales and Chester with Princess and loved it. I am wondering if you had the same guide on the ship as we did. She was full of knowledge and I found her very entertaining as she reminded me of the character Hyacinth Bucket on the British comedy "Keeping Up Appearances" She even had a posher accent than royalty.

 

We took a private tour of Cork which turned out to be very cheap, about 23 Euros each and it was an all day tour, not including lunch which was on our own and we ate at a pub in Kinsale and loved it.

 

In Belfast we took the private tour with ECoast and loved it. It was about an hour longer than the Princess tour, was 30 pounds and didn't include meals nor did the Princess tour and the people ended up eating in the same hotel we did. It was around 10 pounds each and very good.

 

In Edinburgh we took a taxi with another couple from the ferry to the city and bought the hop on hop off buses (all 4) and used them extensively and saw so much. We took another taxi back to the ship and found out the ship wasn't leaving at 6 but 9 so we could have stayed longer. Oh well. We did not go to Le Havre due to strikes there and had a lovely day in Dover and spent most of it at the Castle which we missed on a cruise in 2003. It was great. We have been to Paris 6 times in the past and wouldn't have gone there anyway.

 

Yes, it was a very port intensive cruise but we loved it. We had the any time dining which we really enjoyed too.

 

We did enjoy Loch Ness on the tour but the fact they had over 11 buses there at once, it was VERY crowded in the gift shop/show/eating area.

 

It was a good tour though.

 

I would do the same cruise again in a minute.

 

 

OUr guide for Wales and Chester was a man named Phil Hughes. Only guide I have his full name. He was so informative on Wales, Chester, and Liverpool.

 

If we went again, I'd probably do the private tour of Cork. We really enjoyed Blarney Castle grounds, but wouldn't do it again. And Kinsale we had such a short time in.

 

Edinburgh we definitely want to spend at least 2 days in. And I'd like to see, I think it's called the Falkirk Wheel? and know dh would enjoy that.

 

I was almost hoping we'd miss LeHavre as I really would love to visit Dover, but Paris was a very pleasant surprise and is another thing on my future to do list.

[Colo Cruiser]

Great review, thanks. :)