12 days in the British Isles: Photos and info aplenty!

[TouringTom]

Thank you for the wonderful review and I wish you a speedy recovery from feeling under the weather. We go on this trip on the 11 th of July and are planning like crazy.

One piece of info I am having a hard time finding is the availability of taxis at the port in Dublin and Belfast. Do you recall if there is a taxi stand or anything like that?

Thanks again for your review.

Dennis

[ohhbother]

Amy,

 

My family is booked on that Celebrity Silhouette cruise, too. We have two connecting Concierge Class cabins. I've been following your review with anticipation and joy. I'm working on this cruise for summer 2015 (I know, we plan ahead). Our daughters, who are 10 and 8, are huge fans of the Disney/Pixar movie Brave. They've asked me to plan a trip to Scotland to see places that inspired the movie. When I stumbled on this Princess cruise, I was so excited, because we'll be able to see a lot of places that inspired the artists who designed the movie. I know that they'll have a great time, and in the summer there should be a few other children on board. Your adventures are inspiring me. I'm thinking now of renting a car in Invergordon as you did, driving to do the RIB trip in Loch Ness and then heading over to Eilean Donan Castle before driving back to Invergordon. Eilean Donan Castle was a major inspiration for Brave, as was Urquhart Castle. I'd love to meet you in person onboard the Silhouette. Maybe I could get you to autograph this thread, which I am going to print out completely to save for inspiration when I get deep into planning.

 

Thank you so much for this excellent review. Maybe I'll be able to do something similar if we get to do this cruise as I hope!

 

John (2disneydads)

 

Hi John. This is so exciting -- I love finding a fellow Disney enthusiast on these boards! How cool that we're cruising together over New Year's. Let's definitely make plans to meet. We can dream about the British Isles while we ring in the new year in the Caribbean!

[ohhbother]

Ahhh the Boston Pops on the Esplanade...what a fantastic trip. I love the 4th of July in Boston. Nothing else compares. I used to live there and now that I'm not there I make sure to watch the Pops concert and fireworks on TV every year.

 

We are planning a Baltic cruise in 2015 so if your adventure to the bottom of the world falls through...feel free to join us on the Baltic and I"m sure we can come up with some great adventures together. We are taking my husband's grandson for his graduation present. He told me once that he wants to go to Russia....so we'll make it happen for graduation!

 

What a cool graduation present! A 2015 Baltic cruise is temping. But Antarctica is calling my name. I don't know why -- I don't like to be cold. I'm just obsessed with getting there. Hope your Baltic adventure is a fabulous one!

[ohhbother]

Try this link. They will have Gps to help you tour. I think this would be where Amy got her car.

 

http://www.invergordoncarhire.co.uk/

 

Yes -- that's where we reserved our car. Great experience -- I highly recommend them. Why didn't I know about the GPS...

[ohhbother]

Thank you for the wonderful review and I wish you a speedy recovery from feeling under the weather. We go on this trip on the 11 th of July and are planning like crazy.

One piece of info I am having a hard time finding is the availability of taxis at the port in Dublin and Belfast. Do you recall if there is a taxi stand or anything like that?

Thanks again for your review.

Dennis

 

Hi Dennis.

 

I can answer half your question. In Belfast, there were taxis sitting right outside the ship. There was no wait for one first thing in the morning, so we grabbed one and headed out.

 

Unfortunately, I don't remember what the situation was in Dublin. Sorry I couldn't be of help on that front.

[ohhbother]

After a restful day at sea, Mark and I were eager to spend one more day exploring Scotland. Breakfast was, of course, in Sabatini’s. Then it was time to meet up for our shore excursion.

 

Following our grand adventures at Loch Ness and the Orkneys, we decided to stick with a ship’s tour for Greenock. Actually, this was the toughest day for us to choose what to do. None of the excursions really grabbed our attention, but we knew we wanted to get out and do something. We considered going back to Edinburgh for the day, but another long bus ride just wasn’t appealing.

 

A few weeks before the cruise, we finally settled on the excursion to Stirling Castle and the Falkirk Wheel. I was intrigued by the notion of the wheel, and Mark was interested in Mary Queen of Scots’ ties to Stirling. So it was off to board a bus for the 90-minute drive to Stirling Castle.

 

The weather was overcast and gray but warmer. It was very pleasant to be out walking around, which is exactly what we did when we got to the city of Stirling. As we arrived, we could see the castle on a hill in the distance. Our bus drove right up through the narrow streets of the town and deposited us in front of the castle. We were told to meet up at the bottom of the hill a couple hours later.

 

 

Before leaving home, I purchased our tickets to Stirling Castle online, so we once again skipped the ticket line and walked right in. This castle was very different from both Edinburgh Castle and Urquhart Castle. It’s been partially restored but still feels “untouched” in some respects -- which is a good thing. There were far fewer people at Stirling Castle than at Edinburgh Castle, and it made the visit much more pleasant. We were able to wander in and out of rooms, exploring nooks and crannies at our leisure without the feeling of being herded. There are also interpreters in period dress who chat with guests and add to the charm of the place.

 

 

 

Continued in next post...

[ohhbother]

Among the things I most enjoyed at Stirling Castle were the beautiful unicorn tapestries (I have a unicorn fascination) and the extraordinary Stirling Heads. You first see brightly colored replicas of the heads on the ceiling of the King’s Inner Hall, and then you walk through a gallery where you can see the actual Stirling Heads from the 16th century. We spent quite a bit of time in the gallery -- the craftsmanship is amazing!

 

 

 

 

 

 

We wrapped up our castle tour with a visit to the gift shop -- of course -- where we sampled (and bought) some delicious fudge and scotch. Then we began our walk through the historic streets of Stirling. It’s a beautiful area, reminiscent of Edinburgh but smaller, more compact and quaint.

 

On our way back toward the bus, we began looking for somewhere for lunch. We finally decided on The Corn Exchange, a restaurant our guide had recommended. Big mistake! If you’ve ever been in a nightclub during the day -- seedy furniture, sticky floors, stale air -- then you know what The Corn Exchange was like. On top of that, the food was just terrible. We ordered a burger platter to split but couldn’t choke down the burger. We ended up eating the fries only. Yucky lunch!

 

Continued in next post...

[ohhbother]

By this time, it was almost time to be back on the bus. We made a quick lap down the main street just to take a look around (and to see several restaurants that looked better than where we’d eaten), and then it was time to head out.

 

 

 

 

 

Our next stop was the Falkirk Wheel. Located about 30 minutes away, the wheel was built to join two canals formerly connected by a steep series of locks. I was really excited about this portion of the trip, but it ended up being just OK. The wheel was interesting to see, but the boat ride on the wheel was a non-event. It was one of those things that was unique, and I don’t regret that we did it. I just wasn’t wowed like I expected to be.

 

 

 

After our journey on the wheel, we had a few minutes to shop. Mark and I grabbed a snack at the on-site cafe and then perused the world’s weirdest gift shop. It was an odd selection of things that you’d expect to see in a 7-11 -- cheap-looking Elvis DVDs, tacky soaps, etc. Very strange. Finally, it was time to get back on the bus for our 90-minute drive back to Greenock. To continue the theme of our weird day, the bus driver decided to blast traditional Scottish music for most of the drive. After listening to one lengthy lament in which a fellow named MacDonald or McDonnell (or something like that) suffered one horrible tragedy after another in life, Mark exclaimed that he’d fallen into a deep depression because he just felt so bad for poor MacDonald. I laughed for 10 minutes, which is one of my best memories of the day.

 

Continued in next post...

Edited June 6, 2013 by ohhbother

[ohhbother]

Soon, we were back at the pier. We were happy to see the ship but sad to know this was the end of our time in Scotland. On the bright side, we knew we still had days of vacation fun awaiting us!

 

 

 

Speaking of fun, we had a great afternoon on the ship. I’m a huge Bon Jovi fan, and I was thrilled to read in the Patter that a Bon Jovi concert would be shown in the Explorer’s lounge. Mark and I had a great time enjoying a couple of refreshing beverages while rocking out to Bon Jovi in the mostly empty room.

 

That evening, we once again ordered dinner in the stateroom. Can you tell we’re creatures of habit? We both ordered the coq au vin, which was just awful -- like inedible awful. We gave up and went upstairs to split a cheeseburger and a couple of slices of pizza. As always, the pizza was delicious!

 

For “dessert,” we went shopping on board. We had to buy two of the obligatory "two for $20" t-shirts, and somehow I ended up with a beautiful necklace. Thanks, Mark!

 

We closed out the evening by watching “The Guilt Trip” on the TV in our stateroom. I didn’t expect to like this movie, and I just loved it. So, so funny and sweet.

 

All in all, our day in Greenock was OK. I really enjoyed Stirling Castle but was underwhelmed by the Falkirk Wheel. It didn’t help that we had a bad dining experience. This was probably our least favorite day of the cruise, but it’s all relative. Every day of the trip was great. This one was just a bit less great than the others.

 

Tomorrow, the “wow” factor rebounds in a big way with our super day in Belfast. Have a good evening, everyone.

[Id rather be diving]

Amy,

 

I had forgotten that I read on the first post that you guys are huge Disney fans. Yet another thing that we have in common!

 

We are headed back to Disneyworld next June - actually at this time next year we will be in the land of Mickey (hopefully without any tropical storms!). We are taking two of the grandkids - one has been before and one it will be his first time. I've always loved Disney! We went two years ago - my husband's first time - he loved it as well. Now that being said...he probably wouldn't go without grandkids - unlike me who can go with or without kids!

 

I'll be waiting for the WOW factor to come back tomorrow. However, I like to say...a bad day on vacation (and in Scotland to boot) is better than a day in the office!!!

 

Kari

[bigeck]

Amy,

I was wondering what you would do from Greenock. Forgot about Stirling but thought they would have taken you to the Wallace Monument.

The Falkirk wheel is a bit of a non event and I wouldn't say it was a tourist attraction. Sorry the food was a disaster but we live and learn. Try and get across to Fife the next time you and Mark are in Scotland. We have Falkland Palace and of course St Andrews which has a lot of history that is sometimes forgotten due to the golf.

Still, it looks like you had great fun in Lerwick and Edinburgh

[MindLeGap]

Being biased of course (because I live across the water from Greenock), it's a shame that your day wasn't the best. There's so much of interest that isn't offered to cruise passengers for excursions within minutes of the terminal. When I get towards retirement, I'd like to remedy that!

[Steph27]

Amy,

 

Thank you for providing the details on your excursion from Greenock. You were troopers and made the best of it. I am glad you visited Stirling Castle. In August prior to our cruise on Ocean Princess we are spending 2 nights in Glasgow and will take a day tour to Stirling Castle and Loch Lomand. We also have 2 days in Edinburgh during the cruise.

 

I agree with your decision to cancel Celebrity Infinity as you would not be able to set foot on Antarctica. I also cancelled the Infinity (for this August) but for different reasons. We booked Princess instead. If you haven't been to South America yet I highly recommend cruising there. My second cruise was from Buenos Aires to Valparaiso on Oceania Insignia. It is one of my favorite cruises.

 

Looking forward to your future reports.

[Wavesprite]

We took this cruise two years ago and I would highly recommend it to anyone.... The only thing s it is long port days and port intensive so you really don't want to do anything but eat dinner and go to bed! My mother was exhausted at the end of each day!

[2disneydads]

Hi John. This is so exciting -- I love finding a fellow Disney enthusiast on these boards! How cool that we're cruising together over New Year's. Let's definitely make plans to meet. We can dream about the British Isles while we ring in the new year in the Caribbean!

 

Amy,

 

Absolutely we'll meet. I'll be in the family with the two dads and the two daughters, most likely in matching tee shirts! Unless the upsell fairy visits us, we'll be in cabins 1251 and 1253. We have a condo in Palm Beach Gardens, where we'll go right after Christmas (probably Christmas afternoon), and then we'll drive down to Miami for departure. We'll fly home from Miami or Fort Lauderdale right after the cruise. I guess we should think about our flights now!

 

I'm looking forward to the rest of your review. We had a little bit of a bummer experience today when we discovered that Princess has no connecting cabins - we usually have two connecting cabins so that we a little privacy while keeping the girls close by. We might have to let them sleep in a cabin next door, unless we suck it up and go for a suite, but that is serious money, even for a mini-suite.

 

Thanks again for the great review.

 

John

[Grammyluvs]

Loving your review and my heart is so warmed at yours and Mark's relationship. So loving and unselfish. You sound like 2 people that would be fun to cruise with.

We haven't done the BI, but would love to. I always read everyone's review. Just got back from the TA crossing of the Emerald and the Baltics. Like your cruise....very port intensive but well worth the effort.

Can't wait for next installment:)

[Big Chippy]

Thanks for a great review, despite being a resident of Edinburgh we are going on this cruise on 11th July, we will be visiting parts of The British Isles we haven't seen before. Your comments re Edinburgh are much appreciated, it is as you say a beautiful city.:)

[Big Chippy]

You are a lifesaver! We leave for our cruise on June 29th and we just started looking at excursions and what to do this week. I cant wait to get home every night to see what you have posted.

 

Can you tell me what the weather was like and if you were ever able to wear shorts or capris? The weather forecast for our cruise says lows of 50 and highs of 66. We live in Colorado with no humidity so 66 is actually warm for us. Thanks for all of your advice!

 

Take it from me you can pay little attention to a long term forecast for Scotland, you can encounter all four seasons in one day and often do. Shorts could be the order of the day on the other hand so could an overcoat and wooly hat:) sure you will have a great time regardless.

[ohhbother]

Amy,

 

Absolutely we'll meet. I'll be in the family with the two dads and the two daughters, most likely in matching tee shirts! Unless the upsell fairy visits us, we'll be in cabins 1251 and 1253. We have a condo in Palm Beach Gardens, where we'll go right after Christmas (probably Christmas afternoon), and then we'll drive down to Miami for departure. We'll fly home from Miami or Fort Lauderdale right after the cruise. I guess we should think about our flights now!

 

I'm looking forward to the rest of your review. We had a little bit of a bummer experience today when we discovered that Princess has no connecting cabins - we usually have two connecting cabins so that we a little privacy while keeping the girls close by. We might have to let them sleep in a cabin next door, unless we suck it up and go for a suite, but that is serious money, even for a mini-suite.

 

Thanks again for the great review.

 

John

 

John,

 

Sounds like a plan -- can't wait to see the matching tees! :-) We're booked in Aqua Class -- don't remember the cabin number off the top of my head. I'm really beginning to get excited about this New Year's cruise. We had a ball last year -- the New Year's Eve party on the ship was awesome.

 

Hate to hear that about the connecting cabins issue on Princess. Hopefully, you can find a solution. Your girls will love their "Brave" trip!

[dakland]

Awesome! thanks for all of your work in doing this !

[ohhbother]

For Mark and me, this cruise was all about Scotland. So our days in Northern Ireland/Ireland were like a bonus vacation. I really didn’t know what to expect, as I’d never spent a lot of time researching Ireland. Over the past few months, I did my homework and concluded there were two must-dos for us in Belfast. We had to go to the new Titanic museum, and we had to get to Giant’s Causeway.

 

To accomplish this, we did a hybrid of our own thing and a ship’s excursion. On that Monday morning, we woke up early for our much-beloved breakfast in Sabatini’s. Then we hurried off the ship at about 8:20 a.m. Our plan was to take a cab to the Titanic museum, explore it for an hour, take another cab back to the ship and meet up with our ship’s excursion to Giant’s Causeway at 10:30 a.m. I knew the timing was tight, but I was optimistic we could do it.

 

Things started off well when we found a cab right outside the ship -- literally just steps away. The driver was super nice and gave us some great commentary on Belfast as he drove us to the Titanic museum. At most, the drive was 10 minutes -- maybe less. The museum is very close to where the ship docks, but it’s not one of those places you’d be able to walk. It’s a very industrial area. Our cab fare was 8 pounds.

 

When we got to the museum, we were the first people there -- as I suspected we would be. The museum doesn’t open until 9, but I wanted to make sure we were there in plenty of time. At about 8:45, the museum staff opened the doors, and we went straight to the kiosks where we could take our receipt (from purchasing tickets online before we left home) and print out our tickets. Then, we made our way to the foot of the escalators. We waited there about 10 minutes and were the first people allowed to enter the exhibit at about 8:55.

 

 

I have to tell you -- it was awesome to be the first people in the museum. There were a few folks coming in behind us, but they were always a turn or two back. So we were in every area of the museum on our own. Let me say right now -- it’s completely misleading for me to even call this place a museum. I think the actual name is something like the Titanic Experience, and that’s a much better description. It’s nothing like any museum I’ve ever visited. From the moment you walk into the first area, you’re immersed. The technologies used are incredible. There are things there that I’ve not even seen at Disney World, and that’s saying something.

 

We didn’t take photos in the museum, which is housed on multiple floors. We really were just captivated by the sights, sounds, smells, etc. A photo wouldn’t have begun to do it justice. There’s a ride, life-size replicas of staterooms and a lifeboat, actual items from the ship, audio from survivors, incredible video of the wreckage and on and on. It’s so much to take in that you could easily spend a half day or more there. Unfortunately, we only had an hour!

 

We made the most of our time, soaking up as much of the experience as we could. As we left the exhibit area, I noticed a small machine on the right where you could scan your ticket to print out a dated souvenir ticket commemorating your visit. This was a nice little gift, and it didn’t cost a thing. (The same can’t be said of the awesome gift shop, where we parted with a fair amount of cash.) Just a note -- there’s also a great-looking cafe in the museum, but we didn’t have a chance to try anything.

 

By this time, it was 10:10 a.m., and we were behind schedule! While Mark finished paying in the gift shop, I went outside to find a cab. Fortunately, there were several dropping people off. I grabbed one of them, and in just a few moments, Mark and I were on our way back to the ship. Cab fare for the return trip was six pounds. Back at the ship, we zipped through security and took the steps up to the Princess Theater. We crossed into the theater at 10:30 exactly -- whew, we made it! Of course, we didn’t even have time to sit down. Our group headed right back downstairs and off the ship to our waiting tour bus, which would transport us to Giant’s Causeway.

 

Here’s an interesting thing I discovered. By booking the 10:30 departure to Giant’s Causeway, which was the latest departure of the day, we were in a small group. That meant our bus was about half empty. For a drive that stretched close to two hours, some extra space to spread out was a great perk!

 

The drive out to Giant’s Causeway was incredibly scenic, and we were fortunate to get a great guide. She told us wonderful stories of growing up as a little girl in Belfast, and she sprinkled humor throughout her remarks. She wasn’t “canned” at all -- it was like talking with a friend.

 

Before we knew it, we were winding through some tiny country roads that brought us to the sea. What a beautiful and majestic sight as we looked out over farmland that stretched to the water’s edge. We also had an opportunity to see the ruins of a castle -- just breathtaking. Then we were at Giant’s Causeway and ready to explore! Our admission included an audio guide, as well as a complimentary shuttle that would take you from the newly constructed visitors center at the top of the hill to the first rock formations at the bottom. Mark and I opted to skip the shuttle, choosing to walk instead so that we could enjoy the sea air.

 

The walk was no more than five minutes, and suddenly we were joining the dozens of people climbing all over these strange and amazing rock formations. It was like being a kid again -- traipsing from rock to rock and climbing up and down.

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately, my inner kid got a bit too excited at one point as I jumped off a rock pillar. I landed wrong and immediately felt a horrible searing pain in my right hip -- it just about brought me to my knees. I stood perfectly still for a couple of minutes, because I honestly wasn’t sure I could walk. I began to have visions of rescuers carting me out by stretcher. Gingerly, I began to move, and I quickly determined I was fine to walk and take steps down. But the motion of stepping up was excruciating. (This put a real damper on our plan to take the stairs instead of the elevator on the ship, which we’d been doing regularly.)

 

Continued in next post...

Edited June 8, 2013 by ohhbother

[ohhbother]

Anyway, I decided I could press on with our exploration. We followed the path past a formation known as the giant’s boot and then went uphill to get a closer look at rocks that resemble a pipe organ. We had planned to go even higher -- to the top of the ridge -- but a dense fog blew in out of nowhere. Within just a few moments, visibility was reduced to the point that there was no value in continuing to climb.

 

 

 

 

At this point, we began making our way back down the hill and around the path. At the bottom of the hill back up to the visitors center, we forked over one pound each to take a paid shuttle to the top. We could have waited on the free shuttle, but I wasn’t sweating it over two pounds. Back at the top, we headed inside the visitors center. This is very new and modern, featuring a cafe, gift shop and exhibits. Mark and I grabbed lunch here, splitting a toasted ham and cheese sandwich and a lemon drizzle cake. The food was quite good. Then, before we knew it, it was time to head back to the bus.

 

On the way back, the fog/mist was so thick that visibility was reduced to almost nothing. We drove by “scenic” areas such as inlets and the famous rope bridge, but we couldn’t see a thing. I could, however, make out our bus wheels on the edge of the narrow road, which dropped off to a sheer cliff. I quickly decided not to look at that anymore!

 

The drive back into Belfast was quiet. Once we reached the city, we were taken on a quick 30-minute tour to see some of the highlights such as the Titanic Memorial and beautiful City Hall. We were back at the ship by 5 or so.

 

 

 

 

In retrospect, it was a full day to visit both the Titanic museum and Giant’s Causeway. But I’d absolutely do it again. I would hate to go to Belfast and miss either of those places. Both were awesome and true highlights of our vacation.

 

That evening, I was scheduled for Boot Camp #3. I made my way to the fitness center and did a modified routine to avoid aggravating my hip further. The trainers were great at helping me find exercises I could do pain-free.

 

After burning a few calories working out, it was time to consume some calories right back. Mark and I had dinner in the Horizon Court, where we enjoyed the Italian buffet -- my favorite. This was the one and only night that I allowed myself to pig out on the cruise, and I enjoyed every bite! We then headed back to our stateroom, where we ordered peach bellini soup from the dining room menu for a refreshing nightcap. Finally, to offset some of the food, we made our way up one deck to the promenade and walked a bit, taking in the coastline as we left Belfast behind.

 

Once again, we went to bed fairly early after another day filled with beauty and adventure. We knew we needed our rest. Up next was our day in Dublin, which ended up being one of my favorites of the trip. More on that tomorrow. Good night, all.

[melody hounddog]

Your review is absolutely amazing! I had no idea that you would be able to see both the titanic museum and the Giants Causeway. We were going to skip the museum. We might have to try and attempt both, thanks to you!

[silverbird]

Loved the picture of Mark sitting on top of one of the basalt columns. He seems like a pensive Irish lad looking out to sea and dreaming of what might be across that vast stretch of water. Your pictures have all been great. Thanks for helping me re-live some of my past adventures. Keep 'em coming.

[Travlin grrl]

I love reading your review. On the motor coach to Paris you said you stopped once for a bathroom break both ways. Do they not have a bathroom on the motor coach or are they just stopping for people to stretch their legs?