Marina - British Isles??

[Fighter Pilot]

We're doing our first Oceania cruise on Marina, sailing out of Dover July 15th. Can't wait for the ship (& the new Penthouse Suites), but are put off by the shore excursion prices. Does anyone have suggestions for non-Oceania excursions for these ports? We are particularly interested in Loch Ness, as well as the best tours for Dublin and Edinburgh. We'd also love to link up with anyone else on this same sailing.

[2travelers]

We're doing our first Oceania cruise on Marina, sailing out of Dover July 15th. Can't wait for the ship (& the new Penthouse Suites), but are put off by the shore excursion prices. Does anyone have suggestions for non-Oceania excursions for these ports? We are particularly interested in Loch Ness, as well as the best tours for Dublin and Edinburgh. We'd also love to link up with anyone else on this same sailing.

 

Hi Fighter Pilot: Scroll down to Roll Calls, click on Oceania and then Marina. Look for the Northern Knights cruise and start reading. I would actually go to the last pages. There may still be folks looking to start private tours. We are on the same cruise. There is a Meet and Greet list (very long), so join that as well. Post the tours you are looking to join ( or even start if you can get a group together). You never know if there are still people out there looking to share a tour. It is a bit late, but you never know. People drop out all the time, and you might find someone who needs one or two people to join in ;).

Ronnie

[Poppy1966]

Hi Davidxxword. Just noticed your post on the Belfast tour. Please be aware that the Marina is in Belfast on the 11th July. The 12th July is a public holiday however people from certain areas begin 'celebrating' on the 11th. I am aware some of the Belfast tours will take you into these areas and to be honest there could be trouble so I would double check with any driver how safe each area is. I wouldn't go into them nor would I want to ever. Also the port is literally minutes by taxi into Belfast city centre so do not let your driver make you believe it's way outside Belfast - its not. There are beautiful things to see in Belfast , city hall, Queens university, botanic gardens, Stormont building etc. I live on the edge of Belfast Lough so I'll watch out for Marina sailing past on the 11th. Have a great cruise. Also you may want to check a thread back about 20th May titled 'belfast V Giants causeway'. Let me know if you need any further info and I'll try and help

[gr'aunt]

Hi Davidxxword. Just noticed your post on the Belfast tour. Please be aware that the Marina is in Belfast on the 11th July. The 12th July is a public holiday however people from certain areas begin 'celebrating' on the 11th. I am aware some of the Belfast tours will take you into these areas and to be honest there could be trouble so I would double check with any driver how safe each area is. I wouldn't go into them nor would I want to ever. Also the port is literally minutes by taxi into Belfast city centre so do not let your driver make you believe it's way outside Belfast - its not. There are beautiful things to see in Belfast , city hall, Queens university, botanic gardens, Stormont building etc. I live on the edge of Belfast Lough so I'll watch out for Marina sailing past on the 11th. Have a great cruise. Also you may want to check a thread back about 20th May titled 'belfast V Giants causeway'. Let me know if you need any further info and I'll try and help

 

I am on this cruise. Please, please tell me...what are the areas that you wouldn't go into, nor would you ever want to??? Our group of 4 are planning on doing a HOHO bus ride around the city, and stopping off at places of interest. We're in port till 2300, so we thought a pub visit might be a fun adventure. Obviously, I'd like to make it home safely to see my two adorable golden retrievers again...so give me (and everyone else on this cruise) fair warning! I could tell you places I'd never go to in Southern California, but that's another story altogether...

 

Gr'aunt aka Debra

[gr'aunt]

When I posted above, I wasn't looking at my calender or cruise docs...only going on what Poppy1966 was posting about "Marina" being in port in reference to this particular thread. The Marina cruise that Fighter Pilot and I will be on docks in Belfast much later than July 11th...so I guess it's safe to go pub-hopping in Belfast after all!!!:eek:

[neepawa]

We just returned from a Princess cruise that visited many of the same ports as your Marina cruise. Highly recommend the HOHO in Belfast.

 

Don

[Poppy1966]

My apologies to everyone. I made a mistake with the date. I checked the Belfast port schedule and Marina is in both 11th & 23rd July. The 23rd will be fine for tours and the HOHO bus is right in the city centre. Have a look at the following website for some ideas and attractions you might want to hop off at. www.gotobelfast.com . I believe they have a VIP visitor day pass for around about £6-7 which entitles you to discounts at various attractions/tours - not sure if its value for money I suppose it depends on how many places you want to visit and I believe many are free anyhow. I don't think it discounts the HOHO bus but you do get free unlimited travel on all local buses/trains but I doubt you could be bothered with that. If you do fancy travelling into Belfast for a drink in the evening a taxi from the ship to city centre is probably about £4-5 each way and will take about 5 minutes. You must visit the Crown Liquor Saloon in the city centre for a pint of Guinness. It's owned by the National Trust and dates back to the late 1800's. Have a look at it at www.crownbar.com . Have a great trip and let me know if you need any other info. I live beside Belfast lough so I'll watch Marina sail in and I'm going to go up to the port to see her close up later in the day. Happy cruising

[JimandStan]

If I were lucky enough to be visiting Belfast this year, I'd make it a point to visit the Harland & Wolf Shipyards.

It will be 100 years since she sank, as of April of 2012, so it's a hot ticket.

[patnlcc]

There's an excellent HOHO bus in Edinburgh too. It's the best way to give you an overview of the city when you have a limited time. You will love the castle and Holyrood Palace and all the historical stuff - well worth a visit.