Review: British Isles on Caribbean Princess Aug 2017

I began planning this trip about a year ago when we received a move-over offer from our sold-out New England cruise. The offer was for a free cruise up to 10-days (we ended up negotiating a 12-day cruise), the cost of the original cruise refunded as refundable OBC, and a free one-category upgrade. The British Isles cruise was on my radar for the future when booking a New England cruise for fall of 2016, but the move-over offer sealed the deal. We had a mini-suite booked on the original cruise and the move-over gave us a full suite. The information on CC was invaluable in planning and I loved reading other’s reviews in anticipation of our cruise, so I hope to add another voice for future planners.

Thinking about all the information I could share is a bit overwhelming without organizing it somehow, so I will try to write it in useable segments: Pre-cruise; the Ship and the Suite, the Food and the Service; the Ports of Call; and Post-cruise. We are a couple, 62 years old (Mr. Blue) & 57 years old (yours truly, Mrs. Green), from the mid-west United States. We travel with a manual, collapsible wheelchair as husband can walk short distances, but usually needs the chair due to Parkinson’s disease. We try to not let this slow us down!

Our strategy was to mix up the types of touring we do during this trip. Some ports we did on our own, some ports we hired a driver/guide, some we did with small groups, some with larger groups. Some ports we stayed in the town/city, others we headed out into the countryside. Overall, it was a fantastic cruise with a busy itinerary.

Pre-cruise.

Day 1: After an over-night flight, we arrived at Heathrow around 11:00 am. Our driver from Blackberry Cars (booked in advance) arrived and we had a comfortable drive to the Waldorf Hilton in Covent Garden area, which turned out to be a lovely hotel in a great location for touring London. Our room wasn’t ready but the Hilton Honors desk clerk escorted us to the Honors lounge, a relaxing area where we had access to tea, soda, biscuits, scones, sandwiches, television, newspapers, and wi-fi! In about an hour, our room was ready.

After settling in to our room, and spending a little time just resting and freshening up, we set out to explore the area right around our hotel. We were in the heart of the theater district, and enjoyed the walk to the Covent Garden Market. We spent some time there browsing the shops and stands, and in the nearby Marks and Spencer where we picked up a couple of things. A little more walking and the misty rain turned in to a downpour so we headed back to the hotel for the night.

Day 2 (Thursday): Feeling 110% refreshed after a good night’s sleep, the next morning we headed out to Westminster Abbey at 9:00 am. We took a taxi to the Abbey so we would arrive early and save our legs for the rest of the day. Because we travel with a wheelchair we did not need reserved tickets for admission, however I would HIGHLY recommend buying tickets online before you go if you are not traveling with a wheelchair. We had friends who thought they could buy tickets at the gate, but by the time they arrived the day was sold out. And why waste your time standing in a ticket line while on vacation?

Westminster Abbey was beautiful and fascinating. The audio guide is easy to use and a great narration (Jeremy Irons, narrator) of the history and meaning of what you are seeing. We had headsets, but some people did not and had to hold the audio guide to the ear like a phone. I would suggest downloading the app to your smartphone before you go (it’s free) and using your own headset. This is a tour you can pace yourself. There is, of course, a gift shop at the exit.

It was a beautiful, sunny day so next we set off walking toward Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, Parliament Square, and Westminster Bridge. Stopped near Big Ben to get video of the chimes and the bell striking the hour to send to my granddaughter…something I am happy we took the time to do now that the clock is silent for the next few years!

A little more wandering, and we stopped for lunch at the Red Lion on Parliament Street. Fish and chips were quite good, as was the salad and the Guinness, but they also offer a tasting board of mini-pies and beer which looked interesting. It was a great mid-day stop. Re-fueled, we headed out into the sunshine again, walking past the Horse Guard to Trafalgar Square.

From Trafalgar Square, we decided to take the Original London Bus Tour (HOHO). The first Bus we boarded had audio guide, which we found a little annoying, so we “hopped off” and boarded the next bus which was a live guide. We stayed on for the rest of the loop, disembarking back at Trafalgar Square.

From there, weather was still seriously gorgeous (sunny with a cool breeze!) so we walked through the Arch and down the Mall to Buckingham Palace. During an earlier trip to London, we very much enjoyed the Changing of the Guards, the Tower of London, and the National Gallery, but did not feel the need to repeat those experiences this trip. I highly recommend these experiences if this is your first visit. But for us, a walk-by of Buckingham Palace was enough this time. After walking through the park, we caught a taxi to take us to Harrods where we spent some time picking up a couple souvenirs (I have a family member who collects reusable shopping bags and will be thrilled with her Harrod's bag) and browsing in the amazing Food Hall before choosing our dinner. By then, we were exhausted and took a taxi back to the hotel.

Day 3 (Friday): Feeling a little less ambitious today, we decided to spend the morning in the nearby British Museum. We walked the few blocks from the Waldorf hotel to the Museum, arriving around opening at 10:00 am. We chose a few highlights (the Rosetta Stone, the Easter Island Statue, the Parthenon sculptures, the automated ship, etc.) from their suggested highlights tour before heading back to the Waldorf for a quick lunch (we split a yummy Reuben sandwich). Our driver from Smiths for Airports met us at the Waldorf to take us to Southampton. The driver arrived 15 minutes early, in a comfortable, clean sedan and took care of loading our luggage and the wheelchair in the car. We were ready for a relaxing drive. I highly recommend Smiths for Airports for the drive from London to Southampton. Perhaps not the cheapest transportation option (£114), but it was stress-free and very relaxing. Upon arrival at the Premier Inn West Quay in Southampton, the driver unloaded everything for us, and escorted us into the hotel to be certain we were in the right place and able to check-in. (This is quite a contrast to our return to London with a different company post-cruise, which I will talk about later).

We chose the Premier Inn West Quay because it was often recommended here on Cruise Critic. It was at this point I really started thinking about writing this review, because I realized we all look for different things in a hotel and I may not have read the recommendations carefully. So here is my perspective: this is a VERY BASIC hotel. The location is quite good, it is across the street from a shopping mall and within walking distance to restaurants. It is a short ride to the pier. However, I felt like I was staying in a not-particularly-updated dorm room. The room appeared worn and could have been cleaner. It did have air-conditioning, and it was a warm afternoon so we were thankful for that. It was tolerable for one night, but if I were to do it over I would choose something else.

We walked over to the mall, picked up an auxiliary battery for my phone and a couple of items at nearby Boots. We had dinner in an Italian restaurant (can’t remember the name) before heading back to the hotel.

We noticed this was the day our 5-hour time-change caught up with us. This was the day we were most tired. I am so thankful we planned to arrive in London a few days before the cruise to give us time to adjust. Another reason I am glad we had the relaxing drive from London to Southampton with Smiths---we could grab a little nap along the way! If you are traveling from the States, I recommend giving yourself a few days pre-cruise. We saw and talked to others who were really dragging during the first few days of the cruise because they flew in the morning of the cruise.

Cruise day 1: Saturday: After breakfast in the hotel, a busy but convenient buffet, we called a taxi to take us to the ship. There is a phone near the elevators in the lobby that connects directly to the taxi company and we had them meet us at the less-busy back door of the hotel. It took about 10 minutes for the taxi to arrive, and the drive was about 5 minutes. Easy.

On arrival, we quickly dropped our luggage at the curb, and walked into the embarkation area. Because we have a wheelchair, we were directed to an accessible counter where we were checked in promptly. I think it was about 11:00 am? Then we were directed to sit in an area near the back of the large room where we would be called for “Suite” boarding right after Elite boarding. I honestly don’t remember how long we waited because we were chatting with a couple seated near us and time passed quickly. Before we knew it, Suites were called and we were on board!

We were directed to our aft Vista Suite on Dolphin deck. Our steward, Arial, popped in to say a quick hello. We dropped off our carry-on, checked out the suite, and decided to go to the dining room for lunch. I left a note for Arial requesting ice and a swap for some of the items in our bar set up. By the time we returned to the room he had taken care of this and left 2 small bottles of champagne for sail away.

After lunch in the Club Class dining room, we explored the ship a bit, but then returned to our balcony for sail away…

The Ship and the Suite: We had a Vista Suite on Dolphin deck with cabins both above and below us. WE LOVED the aft-facing double balcony. But the aft suites are not for everyone. There is more movement back here than mid-ship, and some vibration. This didn’t bother us at all; we enjoyed being “rocked” to sleep a couple of nights. What we did not enjoy, and something I didn’t really think about when booking, was fighting the laundry/housekeeping carts in the hallways. We learned to take the aft elevator closest to us to floor 7, then walk to mid ship through public areas and take the mid-ship elevators to another floor. Even with the wheelchair difficulty in the hallways, I really liked our suite location. It felt very private tucked off in the aft corner of the ship.

The suite itself was very comfortable. The décor was what we expected (similar to other mini-suites we’ve stayed in on Princess) and clean and well-maintained. We had plenty of storage in the closet and built-ins. I know others have complained about the lack of shelving in the bathroom, but we didn’t find this to be a problem. I use a hanging toiletry bag anyway and there was a spacious dressing-table area with mirrors. It was a nice arrangement for us. I liked having the little bar sink in the living area next to the TV and ‘fridge. Also appreciated the separate shower and whirlpool bathtub. The bed and linens were comfortable. We enjoyed having 2 TV’s because we kept one on the “ships log” channel all the time, while we would watch something else on the other TV. We like keeping track of the map and sea conditions!

We ended up spending more time than we thought we would on our balcony. The covered double balcony had 2 lounge chairs with blankets, a small table between them, and a dining table with 4 chairs. We had lunch delivered and ate on the balcony during one of the sea days. We often spent time relaxing on the balcony and watching sail away after a busy day in port. The afternoon after leaving Greenock, we enjoyed beautiful scenery from the balcony while cruising past the Isle of Skye. The wonderful weather we experienced this cruise made the outdoor space even more enjoyable.

This cruise is so port-intensive we really did not use the public areas as much as we have on other cruises. Other than an occasional stroll up and down the promenade deck, we enjoyed the quiet on our balcony so much we didn’t use any other outdoor areas. The timing of MUTS never seemed right for us this cruise, and it was often quite cool in the evenings. We did watch several movies on the Tv during the evenings over the course of the cruise though. We would sometimes see people in the hot tubs, but rarely in the pool. One afternoon during a sea day we ventured up to Skywalkers to read, play cards for a short while. This is a nice option if you are looking for an indoor space with a view.

The only show we attended the entire 12-day cruise was the Beatles cover band the night the ship left Liverpool. We arrived at the theater almost a half hour before the show only to find the place packed! I decided to just stand behind my husband’s wheelchair and watch the show, but then a very kind woman (from Maryland, I remember) offered me her seat in the handicap section at the back of the theater and she moved back to her wheelchair which I am sure was not the most comfortable option for her. Not sure if this is the case for all the shows, but people were standing in aisles and crowding around the back of the theater. Go early if you want a seat!

I guess we are super-boring people—or maybe it’s related to the busy itinerary of a port-intensive cruise—but we really didn’t do much on the ship. We didn’t play Bingo or go to the Casino. We didn’t go to Trivia or any Art auctions. We didn’t attend any port lectures (although we watched a couple on TV). We have done some of these things on other cruises, but not this one. AND I ACCIDENTALLY MISSED THE CC MEET AND GREET! I just forgot—jet-lagged fog brain, I guess. But we really loved relaxing in our suite.

I have 2 favorite suite perks. 1) Laundry. Loved sending laundry out and having it returned the next day. We sent laundry out 4 times over the course of a 12-day cruise. 2) Ordering from the dining room menu for room service. On days when I thought we might prefer dinner in our suite after a full day excursion, I would leave a note for the steward and the evening menu would be waiting in our room.

I purchased an internet package pre-cruise to take advantage of the special (2oo minutes + 40 bonus minutes). During the first couple of days, we would often see people crowded around the internet café, trying to get signed on. The internet café is only staffed during certain hours, but there is a printed sign there that takes you through the steps to download Princess@sea and to register your account to start using minutes. They also put a sheet in our mailbox outside our cabin door with the same instruction. I did not have any difficulty signing on, and was able to use the internet in our Aft suite without problems. It was slow at times but still usable. I used it to check email, and to message family back in the States. I also uploaded some photos from the trip on Facebook. But as others have suggested, sign on, download your email, sign off, then read and write responses. When you sign back on, your email will send. Just make sure you sign off whenever you are finished. You will know you are signed off, because it will tell you how many minutes are now left on your account and ask if you would like to return to princess@sea.

I also added an international plan to my iPhone from Verizon before we left for the cruise. There was no charge if we did not use it, and a flat $10 charge for each 24-hour period in which we did use it. If you want to stay in touch with the folks back home, this is a good, easy option. We had some days when we used it, other days we just left it on “airplane mode” and used wifi. We saw several people struggling with using Sim cards/phones they purchased at the airport or in London…I don’t really understand that option.

One thing we found frustrating was disembarking at ports of call. We arrived a little late at a couple of ports (maybe a half hour?). Then, chaos would seem to ensue. People would crowd around the mid ship areas, hoping to be first off, I guess. Princess gives priority to those that are taking Princess excursions—I understand that, you should get something for purchasing over-priced excursions. But we would go specifically to the area we were instructed to go to for assistance with wheelchair. At one point a passenger yelled at me that we should have to wait if we don’t have a Princess excursion booked! Whoa! I’m just doing what I’m told. Getting a wheelchair up and down those steep ramps is not something I can do unassisted. At another port, where we were taking a Princess excursion, the attendant at the meeting place for our excursion had me snake all the way around a dining room in line, only to finally reach the stairwell at which point---oops! Guess you will have to go somewhere else! Should be easy -get an elevator, but many people who CAN take the stairs down a flight or 2 will jump right on an elevator without looking around. Disembarking was consistently the most frustrating part of our day. At one port, we had been bumped around so much, I was in tears by the time we finally got off the ship. We are able to do a lot, and we are given front-of-the-line access in many situations, but there is a lot we miss as well, and a lot of struggle involved that you never see, so please don’t yell at me. Thank you to those of you who made room on an elevator, or held the door open so I could get in. Many of you offered to help. Princess---you need to do better. That’s my only rant, and I know I am probably preaching to the choir here.

Overall, there was nothing about the ship’s public areas that was truly outstanding, no “wow factor” for me (for example, I loved the wrap-around promenade deck on the Coral Princess, and that ship’s smaller size). However, the public areas all appeared clean and well-maintained. It did not seem to be in poor condition—something I was concerned about after reading some poor reviews.

The Food and the Service:

For this cruise, we had (anytime) Club Class dining in the Coral Dining Room. I am not a foodie, so this is sure to disappoint those of you who want details. Sometimes the food was very good, and sometimes it was less so. We always left satisfied.

The service was excellent. We dined at different times; sometimes early, sometimes at peak times, rarely late. We never had to wait for a table. The Club Class staff was the same every evening, and they knew our names and preferences. They would greet us at the door, help with husband’s wheelchair and make sure he had a dining chair “with arms” as he preferred. Although some people prefer it, the preparation of food at the table was nice but sometimes seemed a little unnecessary to us?

Other than lunch on embarkation day, we only used the Coral Dining Room for dinner. We never had breakfast there, but did have breakfast at Sabatini’s several times. We enjoyed breakfast at Sabatini’s—fantastic French toast and fresh-squeezed OJ—but usually opted for room service breakfast. It was just easier, and nice to have it delivered at the exact time requested. One sea day, we tried the World Fresh Marketplace for breakfast. Some interesting options, and the servers were prompt with coffee, tea, juice. We didn’t have a problem finding a table, but it is certainly a busy place. I think some families use the Marketplace as a gathering place, keeping tables tied up for a while.

My husband discovered the treats available at the international café, and we often stopped to pick up something on our way back to the stateroom after a shore excursion. Nothing like a little pre-dinner treat when on vacation! You can also order an appetizer delivered to your room in the afternoon, but they seemed to offer the same choices every day and we preferred a sweet. Once I wrote “cookies, please?” on the order form and we returned to find a plate full of cookies!

We ate at the Crown Grill twice: Dinner on embarkation day, and then the pub lunch on a sea day. Dinner was excellent, although service was not quite as good as the Club Class dining. This is understandable though, given we were there the first night of the cruise. The pub lunch is another story. We were seated quickly, but we did not enjoy the food. It was greasy and bland, like a 2-star diner. Also, we ordered a drink from the bar when we were first seated and it arrived when we were almost finished eating.

We had pizza at Slice once, and a burger from the Salty Dog Grill once. Both were OK.

We had dinner from the main dining room menu delivered to our room a couple of evenings on the cruise…a nice relaxing evening after a busy port day. We also had lunch delivered and ate on our balcony after returning to the ship from St. Peter Port—a better view than any restaurant!

Thanks so much for the excellent review!

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

We leave a week from tomorrow for this cruise, also with DH in a collapsible wheelchair, also using Blackberry car service, and also staying in a Suite. Very relieved to hear that the ship is not nearly as bad as some have made it out to be. I can hardly wait to hear about your excursions!

The Ports of Call

St. Peter Port, Guernsey:

This is a lovely port and easy to do on your own. I was concerned about the tender, but we did not have any issues with rough seas either on the way to port or back. We were not the first off the ship, but had priority tender tickets and walked directly on a tender at about 9:00 am. We were in St. Peter Port on a Sunday morning so many shops were closed, however there was a little market set up by the time we arrived.

The town is charming and we enjoyed just walking around. It was another beautiful day so we did not take the bus, but I think that would be a great option for seeing the island. I recommend reading the book “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” before going. It’s a good read and adds to the charm and history when you see the island. We also walked down the pier toward the castle but did not tour inside the castle.

We only stayed in town about 3 hours and decided to head back. There was a short line for the tender, but we got on the first tender to arrive so it was not a long wait. From what we heard, the line grew longer as the afternoon went on.

Cobh, Ireland:

We chose to do an eCoach tour for Blarney Castle and Kinsale. As stated on their website, eCoach tours are run by Butlers Buses. This is a large group tour, about 50 people per bus. The bus was easy to find once we disembarked in Cobh, and we were quickly on our way to Blarney Castle.

Even with our early arrival at the Castle, there was a long que to kiss the Blarney Stone. Those of our group that chose to join the que sacrificed their time to walk the grounds or shop at Blarney Woolen Mills. I was glad we chose to NOT wait in line for kissing the stone. We had time to walk around the grounds a bit, which were lovely, and then walk over to the Woolen Mills to shop. The shop was huge, and is a great place to shop and have your souvenirs shipped home (free if you spend over a certain amount). They have many wool products as you might expect, but also Waterford Crystal and Irish linen products. Since returning home, I looked at the website and find much of what is in the store is also available on the website and shipping is free.

Kinsale was a lovely town with many choices for lunch. We had time for lunch at Dino’s, and to walk around the village for a bit before re-boarding the bus. It started raining when we reached Kinsale, so we sat in their dining room to eat, but on a nice day you can order and carry-out your food to eat in the park or near the water. I had the fish and chips, and Mr. Blue had a vegetable soup, salad, and a slice of brown bread. It was all good, fresh food, served promptly. On the way back to the ship, we had a little tour of Cobh, which was more interesting to me than the drive-through we did of Cork city.

Nial was our guide and driver, and we had no complaints. It was a large group bus tour, but seemed to run quite efficiently…more so than some other large group tours we experienced.

Dublin:

Dublin was interesting; things did not really go according to the plan. I blame it on the Guinness.

The plan was to take the ship’s shuttle from the dock to the city center, then utilize the green HoHo bus to see the sights, taking the bus the full loop so that we would return to the place where the ship’s shuttle picks us up and returns us to the dock.

When we got off the ship’s shuttle, the HOHO buses were located right on the opposite side of the street so it was easy to buy a ticket and get on. We rode for a while, seeing St Patrick’s Cathedral, Temple Bar, Trinity University and several sights in the city, before deciding to get off at the Guinness Storehouse for lunch and a pint. And this is where the plan fell apart. We took the self-guided tour which was interesting, and sampled the Guinness at the glass enclosed bar at the top of the Storehouse. Then we decided to have lunch in the bistro, and another pint of the most delicious Guinness I have ever tasted. Seriously, Guinness tastes better here. We lingered a bit over lunch, then Mr. Blue had to shop for a t-shirt or something in the gift shop. By the time we walked out, we spent significantly more time here than we intended… and we just didn’t feel like getting back on a bus. So, look—here’s a taxi. We decided to take a taxi back to St. Stephens Green, and figured we could just walk back to the shuttle stop from there.

Our taxi driver was 90 if he was a day. And full of stories. I think he took us on a scenic tour of the city before reaching our destination, but that’s ok. It was entertaining. However, I was thankful we arrived safely. I thought he was having trouble with the stick-shift the entire time he was driving. Mr. Blue, who was riding up front with the driver, said no---the car was an automatic. He was just having trouble driving.

When we left St Stephens Green we thought we knew where to find the shuttle stop, but this was not the case. We spent a lot of time looking at the poor excuse of a map we had, and walking in circles. I’m usually really good with a map and have a great sense of direction, but today this was not working out. Finally, we came across a Princess Excursion bus parked in front of Trinity and asked that driver, who then directed us to the Princess shuttle stop about 3 blocks away. Finally! By this time, we were getting tired and worried about finding the shuttle in time. If we had not found it when we did, we would have taken a taxi back to the dock. The shuttle takes about a half hour to get from city to dock.

Lesson here: Write down the exact directions for the shuttle stop before you leave the shuttle! And keep an eye on the time while enjoying your Guinness!

Liverpool:

We couldn’t go to Liverpool and not do a Beatles tour. We decided on Fab Four Taxi Tours. They get good reviews and have different tours from which to choose. We chose the 3-hour option when we booked online, from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. That way we wouldn’t have to rush off the ship, and could have lunch at Albert Dock after the tour.

Our guide, Ray, pulled into the parking lot at the port right on time. He gave us a nice overview of the city as well as interesting history and stories about the Beatles. Throughout this trip, we really appreciated the conversational tone of a private tour. Mr. Blue is a great one for making friends with every taxi driver we meet! This was certainly the case with our Fab Four Taxi tour. Ray was interesting to talk with and we enjoyed hearing not only about the Beatles history and life in Liverpool, but about Ray’s experience as well.

After the tour, Ray brought us back to Albert Dock where we went to the Pump House for lunch. Mr. Blue had a ginger beer which he enjoyed, and we split some appetizers. It was a busy place, but people seemed to move in and out quickly.

We still had time to explore so we walked around the Dock a bit, and decided to visit “the Beatles Story.” It was interesting, but I was a little disappointed. The audio guide takes you through many small rooms of memorabilia. It was rather crowded at this point in the day, making the rooms feel tight and sometimes difficult to see. The taxi tour was much more interesting. If you are going to do both, I would recommend doing the Beatles story first (and it will be less crowded in the morning) and then do the taxi tour. If you are going to do just one…definitely do the taxi tour!

Overall, this is a nice port to walk off the ship and right into the city. The dock area is well-developed for tourism, different than many ports on this cruise where the ship docks in an industrial area.

Belfast:

Northern Ireland was stunning. We hired Mark of Murphy’s Executive Tours to drive us both in the city and the surrounding countryside. Mark was waiting for us when we disembarked, and we spent the day with him in a posh Mercedes sedan.

We headed out of town first, stopping first at the Dark Hedges which were beautiful. Mark told us he has driven Game of Thrones cast members, as well as other celebrities from the States, and was able to show us many sights used in filming. Unfortunately, we just started watching GoT a couple of weeks before our trip so, we were waaaaay behind. Even if you are not GoT fans, the countryside surrounding Belfast is breathtaking and we really enjoyed the drive.

Mark took us to Bushmills distillery for a little lesson in Irish whiskey. We then headed to the coast and took time to explore Dunluce Castle. I think this was probably my favorite castle of the trip. It has a very romantic feel to the structure of the ruins and the views are amazing.

We stopped at Bushmills Inn for lunch on Mark’s recommendation. Wow. When you walk into this 17th century inn/restaurant, it is like stepping back in time. There was a peat fire burning in the fireplace, and the aroma gave the entire place a cozy, romantic feel. The food was excellent, and the service good. This is a place where you will enjoy lingering over lunch.

Giant’s Causeway was next, and it was quite crowded. Mark dropped us off at the entrance as there is a shuttle run by the park service (?) that will take you down the hill to the site and return you to the visitor’s center. This is an awe-inspiring natural phenomenon. It was interesting learning about the science behind it as well as the more whimsical legend.

Rather than fight crowds at the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, which I’m pretty sure is not wheelchair friendly anyway, Mark drove us to another scenic point where we had a fantastic view of the bridge.

Eventually, we headed back into the city and had a brief tour before we had to return to the ship. Throughout the day, Mark gave us an excellent background of “the Troubles” in Northern Ireland, and with our encouragement, an insightful perspective from his own childhood growing up in poverty in a war-torn city.

Mark packed a lot into the day, and at the same time worked hard to make our day as relaxing and enjoyable as possible, even providing treats and a surprise! However, it was the conversations and the stories that will always be the most memorable for me.

Greenock:

Our tour with Cameron from Discover Scotland was one of our favorite tours. Cameron was the guide and driver for our group of about 15 (?) people in a small bus/van. We were picked up at the dock in Greenock, just outside the gate, and had a full day of touring which included Loch Lomond and the quaint village of Luss, the Trossachs National park, Stirling Castle (with a stop to photograph the “hairy coos”), and a drive through Glasgow.

Midday, we stopped in the small town of Callander where we had time for lunch on our own. This was a sleepy little town, and Mr. Blue says it was his favorite. There are several little cafes and tearooms on the main street. I think Callander Meadows was the name of the little room where we ate a sandwich (the bread was fresh out of the oven!) and had a cup of tea. It was very good and a lovely setting. We also walked through a couple of shops here, and bought a wrench at a hardware store/gift shop to tighten up Mr. Blue’s wheelchair which was taking a beating on this vacation!

Cameron was very responsive to our group, even adding a non-scheduled stop at Doune Castle for us (once it was confirmed we had plenty of time before we needed to be back on board the cruise ship)! As an Outlander fan, I appreciated this stop!

Cameron was an interesting speaker, telling stories about life in Scotland, as well as sharing knowledge about nature and history. I loved that he stopped and brought samples of myrtle on board! The van smelled amazing after we all crushed the leaves he gave us. Throughout the tour, he made sure we were comfortable and conversed with us, answering questions, telling stories, and played interesting music with a story behind it! In my opinion, the small group format can work nicely for touring, and this Discover Scotland tour was very well done. We did not feel rushed at any point, although we could certainly have spent more time at Stirling castle. Overall, it was a nice blend of bus-touring, and time spent exploring the sights.

Invergordon:

We chose WOW Scotland for our shore excursion from Invergordon because we liked the itinerary: Loch Ness, Culloden Battlefield, Clava Cairns, Brodie Castle and Inverness. It was a large bus tour, and that comes with some negatives—it takes longer to move from one place to the next, and it also loses the feeling of conversation you can have with a small group tour guide. Our guide for this tour was Sandy, and he was knowledgeable about the sights. Unfortunately, our ship was a half-hour or so late in docking, and Sandy was constantly trying to “make up lost time” (even though our “on-board” time was pushed back to allow the same amount of time to tour). This led to a feeling of always being rushed, making the tour less enjoyable for us.

Brodie Castle was interesting as was Culloden battlefield, but perhaps too much is packed into this tour to be enjoyable. The tour includes a packaged sandwich for lunch that you eat on the bus. I think they should look at redesigning the tour and allowing for a stop at a café or pub for lunch. Overall, this was somewhat disappointing—left us wishing we had booked a small tour or private driver instead.

Edinburgh:

We were in Edinburgh in August, during festival, and were concerned about crowds. Booking with Kevin of Taxi Tours Edinburgh in advance turned out to be a smart move. Kevin was waiting for us as we disembarked the cruise tender in South Queensferry. Because Kevin suffered a wrist injury shortly before our tour, he arranged for one of his colleagues (Dave, I think?) to drive while Kevin took us on a wonderful, 3-hour overview tour of this beautiful (but busy & crowded) city.

We stopped for photos from time to time, but mostly stayed in the car by choice as it was a rainy morning. We hit all the tourist highlights in Edinburgh, and a few lesser known sites. Kevin pointed out the homes of a few celebrities as well. We took some time to admire the view when the rain stopped for us on the drive up to Arthur’s Seat.

Kevin was warm and personable, as well as knowledgeable about the history and culture of the city. His stories were interesting, and he conversed easily with us, answering questions and sharing insights from his life in Scotland. (If you’ve been reading my review from the start, you know this is something I value!) Kevin provided bottled water for us, as well as a Scottish treat!

At the end of the tour, Kevin recommended a couple of restaurants in South Queensferry since we were not up to fighting crowds at this point in the cruise. We had a nice meal at Harry Ramsdens at The Three Bridges: food was good, view was nice, and it was relatively quiet, peaceful—just what we needed.

After our meal, the rain let up and we had time to stroll the streets near the Pier in South Queensferry and pick up a couple of souvenirs for the kids back home.

La Havre/Paris:

This was the only Princess excursion we took on this cruise. In my opinion, Princess excursions are usually over-priced, but there are 2 good reasons to stay with a ship’s excursion: 1) Time concerns, and 2) Safety concerns. Mr. B and I have never been to Paris, and may never get another opportunity, so we definitely wanted to make the 3-hour trip into the city. However, traveling that distance during a shore excursion brought up time concerns. So, we chose the “Best of Paris” Princess excursion.

Our guide, “Ahhhhnne, not Anne,” did her best to manage the large group, but unfortunately there was one couple on the tour that was not respectful of the group and kept us waiting at one point. Anne was interesting, giving us a brief French lesson on the ride into the city.

We drove by many sights, stopping for photos at the Eiffel Tower and a few others. We had about an hour (I think?) at Notre Dame, which was enough time to go inside for a quick self-guided tour. There were a few stores nearby and some people took time to shop as well.

Lunch was pre-arranged at a bistro near the Catacombs. It was a set menu: an egg-salad type starter, a chicken/mushroom main course, and an apple pastry for dessert. Lunch included a glass of wine and an expresso. While I didn’t care for the starter, the rest was good. Mr. Blue gave it a thumbs-up as well.

The drive was long, but we made a pit-stop for bathroom breaks and/or snacks both on the way to and from the city. We unloaded the last couple of Euros on a chocolate croissant and a bottle of water.

It’s funny, but today I was listening to Mr. Blue telling a friend about our trip. When he started talking about Paris, I realized I had not even been thinking about this part of our trip. I had a response like, Oh! I forgot, we went to Paris too! This type of a tour, a large group, a couple minutes here and a quick photo there, just isn’t as memorable as some of the other tours. On the other hand, I will forever remember our day with Mark Murphy in Belfast. I’m glad we had the opportunity to see Paris, but this was a tour that left us feeling rushed, and a little frustrated with the difficulty of touring in a large group.

Post-Cruise:

Disembarking was quick and easy, but make sure you have the requested time and that your luggage tags match. We were given a time that worked well with our plans, but the luggage tags were for a later time! Unfortunately, I didn’t catch this until the morning of disembarking. Thank you to the attendant in the suite/elite lounge who made sure our luggage was where it needed to be and got us off the ship on time.

We booked an International Friends tour for our return to London. This included stops at Salisbury, Stonehenge, and Windsor. I’m really torn about what to say about this tour. It started out well, even though it took a while to get everyone loaded on the bus. By the end of the day, I was not so impressed.

Our guide, OZ, recommended taking time at the first stop, Salisbury, to walk into the town and purchase a sandwich for later since there would not be a dedicated lunch stop. We took his advice and walked a couple blocks from the cathedral to the shops in town. Salisbury is a cute town, and we chose a sandwich at Greggs and a treat at one of the other little shops. We still had time to see the Magna Carta which was quite interesting, and walk around the Cathedral a bit.

The next stop was Stonehenge. We were having another gorgeous summer day, and I think that makes all the difference. We enjoyed walking all the way around Stonehenge, viewing it from every angle. There is also a gift shop/visitors center but we did not spend a lot of time inside. This was a busy stop, in contrast to quiet Salisbury.

Back on the bus, everyone used the drive to Windsor to eat their lunch. Windsor was a little difficult to navigate with the wheelchair—you need to walk uphill some distance. Once in the castle, attendants would take us to a lift so that was ok. Overall, I think Windsor deserves much more time than we were allowed.

When we met back at the bus, our group was divided based on their hotel in London to make transportation a little more efficient. We stayed on the bus with a few other couples, but others were transferred to vans.

I was very disappointed when we arrived at our drop off in London. The driver did not stop directly in front of our hotel, instead dropping us down the block and on the opposite side of the street. This probably isn’t an issue for most people, but I had to manage Mr. Blue in the wheelchair, 2 large suitcases, & 2 stuffed carry-ons. And I didn’t know where I was going! When Oz saw this was going to be a struggle, and that I was not happy, he actually handed off our large suitcases to a bellman from a different hotel who said he would make sure it got to the Doubletree (our hotel). Thank you, Mr Unknown Bellman, for doing this, but shame on you Oz for passing the buck.

If you are considering using this International Friends tour after your cruise, know it is a very busy day. Different than some tours we took, I did not think they paid much attention to the comfort of the passengers. More than once, we would have to ask the bus driver for air conditioning as he would leave us to sit on the hot bus while he was outside. The guide was knowledgeable, but his delivery of the information was dry. At one point, during a longer driving segment, he fell asleep. And I did not like the way we were dropped at the curb, especially in contrast to the excellent service we received from Smith’s for Airports. If I were to do it over, I would not use International Friends.

And the day got worse, as the Doubletree Kensington hotel was undergoing major renovations and the air conditioning broke down earlier in the day. I felt for the staff at the desk; they were dealing with many complaints and people checking out early. They ended up transferring us to the Doubletree Victoria, which I did not like. It was a nondescript hotel in an ugly area of London, across the street from Victoria Station, and the room was cramped. It did have air conditioning.

The next morning was our last day in London. Checking the weather, the morning was supposed to be pleasant, the afternoon rainy, so we opted for a Thames river cruise to Greenwich in the morning. We enjoyed sitting outside in the sun as we cruised past London. Once in Greenwich, we walked around the Cutty Sark but did not really want to do the tour, walked around a few shops, listened to a band playing, and spent some time walking around the Royal Naval College and the Maritime Museum. At that point, the rain started and we wanted to spend the afternoon at Victoria and Albert Museum so we headed back to the dock for the return trip to Westminster. This time, we sat inside on the boat!

At Westminster, we took a taxi to the Victoria and Albert museum. This is one of my favorite museums! It really needs a whole day, but we had the afternoon and made the best of it. The museum is free, but we purchased timed tickets for the Pink Floyd exhibit which was fantastic. We also found it to be a fun change from all the antiquities, statuary, and royal doo-dads! After dinner in a pub, we headed back to the hotel to pack and get ready for an early morning trip to Heathrow and home.

We had Blackberry cars scheduled for a 5:00 am pick-up, and our driver arrived at about 5:15, which was a little anxiety-provoking when heading to an airport. But I always allow extra time for airports, so we were fine. We breezed through security and had 2 hours to spare so we opted for the Delta Lounge for breakfast and a quiet spot away from the busy main concourse. Boarding was easy, and we were on our way home!

So here we are, back to life as we know it. Busy at the office, missing our pre-dinner treats, our room-service breakfast, and free laundry service. But we have so many wonderful memories from this trip. Every evening as we recapped the day’s adventures, Mr. Blue would say, “This was the best day yet!”

And the great thing about travel…after listening to all the stories, meeting so many people, imagining living in all the great places we explored…we get home and look fondly on the overgrown hydrangeas in the backyard and smile at the noisy kids and their new puppy across the street and know that it is enough.

Take care and bon voyage.

Love,

Mrs. Green

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

 

We leave a week from tomorrow for this cruise, also with DH in a collapsible wheelchair, also using Blackberry car service, and also staying in a Suite. Very relieved to hear that the ship is not nearly as bad as some have made it out to be. I can hardly wait to hear about your excursions!

I would be happy to try to answer any specific questions you might have, especially as related to travel with the wheelchair. I emailed with all the pre-booked tours and transportation to be certain we could be accommodated. There were some places that were not easy to manage...some hills and cobblestones that made pushing the wheelchair a bit of a workout. Some tour guides were amazing with the assistance they provided, others left us to our own devices.

Don't hesitate to ask for assistance. At Stirling Castle, Mr. Blue was prepared to wait in the gift shop while I explored the castle built on a steep slope, but when I asked at the ticket counter they arranged a van to drive us to the top so he could access parts of the castle.

You will notice in the review we did not use the train or underground system. Some of the underground stations are accessible and others are not. We chose to not stress about this and just used taxis instead.

Thanks, very engaging and well written review... Enjoyed revisiting the British Isles with you!

Thanks for posting your review. Sounds great. We were on the cruise that ended yesterday, with the overnight stop in Dublin instead of Liverpool. We also had a great time. We went with Invergordon Tours to Urquhart Castle/Loch Ness/Claven Cairns/Cawdor Castle. They used smaller coaches that hold up to 26 passengers. We had 24 in ours.

Thanks for sharing nice review.

Tony

Thanks for the comprehensive review.

Thanks for a very comprehensive and informative review.

We also used International Friends for a post-cruise tour. It was a different tour than yours but also all day. Ours ended close to 6 PM at Heathrow Airport.

Our experience was excellent. I guess the quality of the assigned guide and the assigned driver can make a big difference.

Thank you for doing this review. I enjoyed hearing your story.

Fabulous review with lots of specific information which is always appreciated.

Great review. Thanks for the excellent details. I'm planning a similar cruise and your information is very helpful.

What a great review.

Like you we are on a moveover offer next year---the Baltics for us. How has the refundable obc worked out---was it on your onboard account when you boarded and was there mention of when/how it will be refunded to you?.

Thanks, Green ---- loved your review. We did this cruise in 2016 and have fond memories of it. But I would like a little more info re the wheelchair, my DH has developed some mobility issues that will probably require a wheelchair for any distance and I'm very anxious about it. How did it work with taxis, would the driver store it or would you have to lift it in and out yourself? How about tour buses, or the HoHo bus -- where did it go and who stored it? You mentioned several times that you walked around, such as at Stonehenge --- does that mean you pushed the chair or is your husband able to walk some? And finally, it just sounds exhausting to be pushing a wheelchair all the time, were you able to do this and still enjoy yourself? Any other tips and info will be appreciated. I don't want us to stop traveling, but the process just seems so daunting to me.

Thank you for such a great review. I would like to do this itinerary one day.

Thanks, Green ---- loved your review. We did this cruise in 2016 and have fond memories of it. But I would like a little more info re the wheelchair, my DH has developed some mobility issues that will probably require a wheelchair for any distance and I'm very anxious about it. How did it work with taxis, would the driver store it or would you have to lift it in and out yourself? How about tour buses, or the HoHo bus -- where did it go and who stored it? You mentioned several times that you walked around, such as at Stonehenge --- does that mean you pushed the chair or is your husband able to walk some? And finally, it just sounds exhausting to be pushing a wheelchair all the time, were you able to do this and still enjoy yourself? Any other tips and info will be appreciated. I don't want us to stop traveling, but the process just seems so daunting to me.

Taxi and tour bus drivers were very good about loading the wheelchair. Most taxi drivers would simply fold it, roll it in behind the driver’s area and apply the brakes or strap it in after Mr. Blue was seated in the regular passenger’s seat. When we arrived at our destination, they would get it out of the taxi so Mr. Blue could get right back in the chair. The HoHo buses and some shuttles would have a ramp so Mr. Blue could stay seated in the chair if he wanted and they would help roll it right on the bus and park it in a designated area at the front of the bus. Most of the time on the HoHo buses, Mr. Blue wanted to ride upstairs, so we would just park the chair in the designated area at the front of the bus and I would help him up the stairs.

Except for the HoHo, all our tours were pre-booked, and I emailed with the companies/guides to request a reserved seat near the front of the bus so Mr. Blue would not have to walk to the back of the bus. This worked very well—he often experiences freezing when trying to negotiate aisles, narrow hallways, or crowded areas. Throughout the planning process (which I love) I try to anticipate as much as possible…what might be difficult, how can I make it easier, etc. I am an organized planner and have spreadsheets!

When I talk about “walking around” in the review, that does mean I am usually pushing the wheelchair. I did indeed push it all the way around Stonehenge, stopping several times along the way for photographs or just to look and contemplate! Mr. Blue occasionally likes to get out of the chair and stretch his legs, walk for a bit using the chair more like a walker. However, he moves very slowly and usually cannot do this for a long distance or in a crowd. He did walk (behind the wheelchair) the span of the Westminster Bridge so he could say he did it, but that was really pushing his capacity, and it took us a very long time.

Pushing the chair can indeed be very tiring, some places more than others. Pushing him up the hill at Windsor castle was a challenge. Cobblestones require a little more oomph as well. And I had to re-tighten the wheels of the chair a couple of times on this trip (we carry a wrench now). But I’ve had a lot of time to practice since we’ve been traveling with a chair for a while now. I understand the physics of the chair and can get him up into the doorway of a pub or over a curb that lacks accessibility. If this is new to you, I would recommend having someone experienced with a chair show you the little tricks that can help. I do not recommend a transport chair that has small wheels. A standard chair with 2 large wheels is much easier to push and navigate.

Most of the time, people are very kind and many offer to help. Occasionally, you run across someone like the woman who was angry that we were disembarking before she was when we didn’t have a ship’s excursion booked. But that is the exception, not the rule. Once, after disembarking the Maid of the Mist at Niagara Falls, I was faced with pushing Mr. Blue up a very steep hill. Three tiny Asian ladies who did not speak a word of English came up and each grabbed a different part of the chair to help me get him up that incline!

We try to be realistic about what we can do in a day, and sometimes that means not following the crowd to see the main attraction—whatever it is—and instead taking a walk on the quiet paved path instead. The accessible path at Blarney Castle was a gorgeous walk, and no crowds! I was grateful for that detour.

When it does get to be too much, we stop. Even though we had a plan for each day, sometimes we just needed to let go of it, adapt, find a place to sit and rest for a bit, or go back to the hotel. Our first evening in London, even though we planned to have dinner in a Covent Garden restaurant that evening, after an overnight flight & walking around in the rain in the afternoon, we made the decision to go back to the Waldorf and order room service. It was good, and we had fun watching British TV with our feet up while eating. (Another reason I try to always book nicer, upscale hotels…we may spend a little more time in them now than we did 20 years ago).

Another adjustment we have made in the past few years is to look for private drivers, or small group tours when possible. While it is more expensive to hire a private driver/guide, it really does make for a richer experience and a more relaxing day for both of us. During all the small tours we took, the driver insisted on doing the work of getting the chair in and out of the vehicle, and most times they took over pushing the chair and told me to relax and enjoy myself! Worth every penny.

When Mr. Blue was diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson’s disease 23 years ago (we’ve been married for 36 years) I decided we were just going to keep going and do all that we can, in the way that we can. We don’t dwell on what we can’t do. There have been a lot of nay-sayers along the way, but I try to let it go in one ear and out the other. This doesn’t mean there are not struggles along the way, because there are indeed—some expected, some unexpected. A long time ago, someone else helped me to adopt the philosophy that today is as good as it gets. This has a been a very beneficial approach to life.

Thanks for posting your review. Sounds great. We were on the cruise that ended yesterday, with the overnight stop in Dublin instead of Liverpool. We also had a great time. We went with Invergordon Tours to Urquhart Castle/Loch Ness/Claven Cairns/Cawdor Castle. They used smaller coaches that hold up to 26 passengers. We had 24 in ours.

How nice! That sounds like a great tour option. It really became clear to us on this trip that we are "small group people" and will probably avoid large tours as much as possible in the future! Glad to hear you had a great time!

When Mr. Blue was diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson’s disease 23 years ago (we’ve been married for 36 years) I decided we were just going to keep going and do all that we can, in the way that we can. We don’t dwell on what we can’t do. There have been a lot of nay-sayers along the way, but I try to let it go in one ear and out the other. This doesn’t mean there are not struggles along the way, because there are indeed—some expected, some unexpected. A long time ago, someone else helped me to adopt the philosophy that today is as good as it gets. This has a been a very beneficial approach to life.

What a wonderful attitude you have! Mr. Blue is lucky to have you. :hearteyes:

Thanks for a very comprehensive and informative review.

 

We also used International Friends for a post-cruise tour. It was a different tour than yours but also all day. Ours ended close to 6 PM at Heathrow Airport.

 

Our experience was excellent. I guess the quality of the assigned guide and the assigned driver can make a big difference.

Glad to hear you had such a good experience. To be fair, the company does receive many more positive reviews than negative...leading to my having higher expectations. It is quite possible that our guide was simply having a bad day.

It happens to us all.