Just off Infinity British Isles, any questions?

[challahmom]

I don't recall seeing them in any of the mentioned ports but you can go to the city sightseeing website and see where the stops are. I think that you would have to take a train into Cork first to get it. Liverpool port was right in the city so it should be close by. Dublin was about a 10 minute taxi into the city center.

 

If I may make a suggestion, I would not recommend the bus in Cork as it is not too exciting of a city to see. We did a wonderful tour on http://www.ecoach.ie/blarney_bus_tour.php

They had several buses filled with our ship's passengers and also arrange private tours. I trusted them completely to get us back to our ship on time (the guide even pointed out that they would never jeopardize their high rating and would taxi back if it was ever necessary). The buses were waiting outside the port and we spent a wonderful day in Kinsale and Blarney. If you book early it is only 20 euros (we were not early and paid 35 euros), a terrific bargain for full transportation and a driver/guide who is funny, informative and just lovely! You have free time in Kinsale which is a lovely town to walk around with amazing restaurants. We had delicious fish and chips and local beer. Blarney was beautiful and we kissed the stone. On the way back to the boat, we drove through Cork and our guide pointed out all of the sights. Lunch and admission to Blarney is not included but is not too expensive.

 

I did wonderful tours in other cities as well if you are interested. I just know that people who wandered around Cork were not that satisfied in their decision.

 

We're on the July 14 sailing. What were some of the other tours you enjoyed? Your experiences are most helpful. Thank you so much for posting and I'm glad you had a wonderful cruise.

[joandian]

We're on the July 14 sailing. What were some of the other tours you enjoyed? Your experiences are most helpful. Thank you so much for posting and I'm glad you had a wonderful cruise.

 

 

I'm not the OP but we did two great tours. The first was a private tour for 7 people I organised for Blarney Castle and Cork through Tours with Locals. We had a guide named Ray and he was amazing. He got us to Blarney Castle before the buses and went all the way to the top, to the blarney stone, with us giving us info all the way. We walked through the beautiful gardens and he told us all about the history of the castle. We did a quick tour in Cork and lunch in a great pub and then to the Lusitania memorial in the graveyard at Cobh. It is the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Lusitania by German u-boats in 2015.

 

The other was a small coach tour with Discover Scotland Tours. The bus had 12 people and you can book through their website, just make sure you choose 'cruise tours'. We visited Loch Lomond, went through the countryside and over the mountains to Stirling Castle and then back to the ship. It was a great day and the scenery was amazing.

 

Jo

[103brandy]

Thankyou for the information.

 

There are tea making facilities in cabins on ships leaving from Sputhampton.

Are they on the Infinity from Harwich?

[ginak1112]

We're on the July 14 sailing. What were some of the other tours you enjoyed? Your experiences are most helpful. Thank you so much for posting and I'm glad you had a wonderful cruise.

 

I will list what my daughter (20) and I did on this itinerary:

 

Le Havre: Celebrity tour to Giverny to see Monet's house and gardens, lunch and a visit to Rouen where we saw the Joan of Arc church, the Cathedral and other sights. Very nice day!

 

Cork: As mentioned above: http://www.ecoach.ie/blarney_bus_tour.php

 

Dublin: 3 hour group free tour: http://www.newdublintours.com/daily-tours/new-dublin-free-tour.html This was a very informative walking tour with an excellent guide. The guides are students who are only working on tips and really work very hard! We also stopped into St. Patrick's Cathedral on our own before the tour. We had our taxi driver drop us right there from the ship (15 pounds). After the tour we took a taxi over to the Temple Bar area and did our own little pub crawl, shared some Guinness stew and beer and took a taxi back to the boat.

 

Liverpool: We enjoyed an unbelievable Beatles tour with: http://fab4tours.co.uk/

We had prebooked this as a twosome but it is the same price for up to 5 passengers. We met another mother and daughter who we asked to join. We had the 3 hour tour with the additional tour of the Casbah Coffee Club (where the Beatles got their start; the tour was given by Pete Best's brother). After the tour our guide/driver dropped us off at the Anglican church of Liverpool and it is jaw dropping!!! This was a great day!

 

Belfast: Rainy and cold but we had a great tour pre-booked through http://belfastblackcabtours.co.uk/

We did the political mural/peace wall tour. Just the two of us were driven around by Peter in a black taxi and given the most amazing account of the "troubles." This was my favorite tour as I cannot get over the situation there. After that we went to the Titanic experience which was a good way to kill a little time. Many people did the Giants Causeway and loved it. I was worried about missing out on the political tour and chose not to do that.

 

Glasgow: We took a 5 minute taxi from the boat to the train station and a 30 minute train into Glasgow (very easy)! We had pre-booked a tour of the Glasgow art school building and then got on the hop-on hop-off bus. We went to the Cathedral and it was spectacular from the 12th century. After that, we went to the Kelingrove art museum which is just gorgeous and some nice works to see. We had also pre-booked tea time at the http://www.willowtearooms.co.uk/

It is a special place to see because of the famous Charles Macintosh art deco furniture. Ask to sit in the room de luxe.

 

Oslo: we had a very short day there so chose a ship tour. 3 hour best of Oslo took us to the Viking museum, Vigland sculpture park and the Olympic ski lift. Our guide was great and gave us a great tour on Oslo. Afterwards we ran over to the National museum to see "the Scream" and other paintings. We walked back to the ship.

 

Copenhagen: We stayed for 2 nights and did as much as we possibly could! Canal tour, Carlsberg brewery tour, Copenhagen Castle, Christiana freetown, Tivoli Gardens, many art galleries, etc. etc. We used the hop on hop off and public transportation.

 

Hope this helps!!

[ginak1112]

Thankyou for the information.

 

There are tea making facilities in cabins on ships leaving from Sputhampton.

Are they on the Infinity from Harwich?

 

We didn't have one in our cabin but maybe you could request one.

[robandlil]

Thank you so much as we're on the Infinity in October. I'm hoping you can tell me more about the LeHavre port. The ship docks at 7 and we are hoping to catch an 8 o'clock train. How swiftly were you able to get off the ship? Do you know if the ship is ever late getting into this port?

It sure sounds like you had a great time!

[HokiePoq]

We'll be on Infinity next but did several of these ports on a bus tour.

One suggestion I may have overlooked is the Guinness Brewery in Dublin. We took a cab to get there as our organized tour did not go there. Lots of good exhibits and it ends up on top with a panoramic view while you enjoy a brew. It did go to Trinity College where we got to see the Book of Kells. Wish I'd had longer in that fascinating place.

Agree with the other posters that Blarney Castle is not to be missed. (Irony here...sat next to a wonderful lady from Blarney on the plane home. She sees it from her house window but has never been there. She was on her way to NYC for a week, a place we've only briefly visited.)

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks for your report, glad you had a good cruise.

[ginak1112]

Thank you so much as we're on the Infinity in October. I'm hoping you can tell me more about the LeHavre port. The ship docks at 7 and we are hoping to catch an 8 o'clock train. How swiftly were you able to get off the ship? Do you know if the ship is ever late getting into this port?

It sure sounds like you had a great time!

 

The ship arrived early into most ports although it is possible for anything to go wrong. We were always the first ones off the ship. You shouldn't have a problem catching an 8 o'clock train. I would wait to buy the tickets there just in case. The ship usually cleared within 30 minutes of getting into port. I would get an early breakfast and be ready to get off the ship asap. I don't recall seeing the train station but I'm sure that there will be a taxi waiting outside the dock.

[WELDON]

Did you take GBP and Euros? I would like to know what currency I should take on my upcoming cruise.

[Kathie13]

Also. Can you get small amounts of each from guest relations?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[ginak1112]

Did you take GBP and Euros? I would like to know what currency I should take on my upcoming cruise.

 

Yes, we took GBP and Euros. We needed Kroners and Krones for Oslo and Copenhagen but we decided not to get any and just charge everything. We were only in Oslo a short time and took an excursion. We charged gift items and admission to a museum that we went to after our tour.

[ginak1112]

Also. Can you get small amounts of each from guest relations?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

Yes, guest relations did have the different currencies although they were charging 18% to change! The boat's ATM always had Euros in it and was run through Bank of America I believe. Also, some ports did take Euros if you didn't have the correct currency and it was easy to charge almost everywhere. I took a no foreign transaction card with me and used it everywhere. It will be easier if you get the pin for it but it is almost always possible to use a card without a pin.

[Jeff&Mel]

Thank you so much for all this wonderful information!

 

It has been most helpful!

 

We decided to go in August and all the excursion information has really helped!

 

Did you feel that in Cork on the tour that you took you would have liked to stay longer in any of the places? Do you think the tour company gave you ample time?

 

I know August is a busy month in Ireland so I think a lot of our time is going to be eaten up at Blarney Castle waiting in line to kiss The Stone :)

 

Thank you again!

[ginak1112]

Thank you so much for all this wonderful information!

 

It has been most helpful!

 

We decided to go in August and all the excursion information has really helped!

 

Did you feel that in Cork on the tour that you took you would have liked to stay longer in any of the places? Do you think the tour company gave you ample time?

 

I know August is a busy month in Ireland so I think a lot of our time is going to be eaten up at Blarney Castle waiting in line to kiss The Stone :)

 

Thank you again!

 

You're most welcome and I'm glad that you are going!

 

Of course, it would have been nicer to have a little more time at Blarney Castle. If I had to do it again, I wouldn't kiss the stone. It was a long wait going up the steps and not what I thought it would be; actually, a bit scary and many people skipped who were scared of heights. I would suggest that you pre-buy your tickets to the castle online. I would think that during the height of summer they will open additional lines to get through the queue. It couldn't hurt to have your tickets already and they are a bit cheaper online anyway. Maybe you could email them to ask if they will have a separate area to enter with your pre-bought tickets. You could also search tripadvisor from last August and people may have some helpful hints.

 

We had plenty of time in the town beforehand to walk around and get lunch. It is possible that the driver may reverse the route. He spoke of doing that on very busy days so that you don't get to the castle in the height of traffic.

[challahmom]

You're most welcome and I'm glad that you are going!

 

Of course, it would have been nicer to have a little more time at Blarney Castle. If I had to do it again, I wouldn't kiss the stone. It was a long wait going up the steps and not what I thought it would be; actually, a bit scary and many people skipped who were scared of heights. I would suggest that you pre-buy your tickets to the castle online. I would think that during the height of summer they will open additional lines to get through the queue. It couldn't hurt to have your tickets already and they are a bit cheaper online anyway. Maybe you could email them to ask if they will have a separate area to enter with your pre-bought tickets. You could also search tripadvisor from last August and people may have some helpful hints.

 

We had plenty of time in the town beforehand to walk around and get lunch. It is possible that the driver may reverse the route. He spoke of doing that on very busy days so that you don't get to the castle in the height of traffic.

 

Your report is amazingly helpful!! Thank you. In any of the ports, were there shuttles from Celebrity into the cities?

 

We also booked the Celebrity tour to Giverny. We're vegetarians and normally don't book tours including lunch. Do you remember if the restaurant where the group ate lunch offered vegetarian alternatives?

[jan-n-john]

Did you dine in SS United States? I looked at the SS US menu and it appears to be essentially the same as the Murano menu (on ships that have a Murano). So is SS US really basically Murano under another name? (not that there's anything wrong with that).

Edited May 31, 2014 by jan-n-john

[alcpa1]

We were also on the May 12th sailing and I'd like to add my thoughts as well.

You do need the appropriate currencies for each country. ATM's are everywhere. We had arranged an ATM stop on our first stop at Le Havre with our tour guide before we sailed.

We went to Blarney Castle and other stops with Paddy Wagon tours. We too had a great day on a smaller bus than ecoach/Butler Tours uses and passed them on our way. Paddy Wagon included the fare for Blarney Castle in their ticket. Ecoach filled up too quickly for us to book and I was reluctant to go on a wait list. It was only after booking that I realized that Blarney Castle was included. The gardens at the Castle were the real surprise.

There were no kettles on the ship. There were multiple nations represented in the passenger complement but there were not nearly as many Brits as I had thought there might be so perhaps that's why no kettles.

Rich, the CD, disembarked in Copenhagen. I don't know who was replacing him.

FYI, the botched the meet and mingle and hopefully they will correct this disappointment.

I was surprised that so many dressed for the formal nights. We also dined in Blu and even there there was a little glitz and glamour.

We did not dine at the USS on this cruise but have done so in the past. It is just like Murano.

There are many small group tours available on Trip Advisor and sites like Tours by Locals. They are almost always preferable over the large cruise line bus tours. We used Geoffrey from Tours by Locals and Craig of Mini Tours Scotland and both were wonderful. We filled our small vans with members of our Roll Call.

If you appreciate distilled beverages you can also take a tour at Jemison in Dublin, but try to have your guide pre-book. It was over an hour's wait. Bushmills is outside Belfast and can also be toured.

 

To the poster who asked about bringing your 12 year old. I would base that decision on his ability to get the most out of the itinerary and not the "fun stuff" to do on the ship. Each port is an educational and social experience and if your child can get excited about moats and castles and towns oozing history and charm then by all means let him prepare some excursions too. During the summer months there will be children just not like the RCI numbers.

[huffy47]

We are taking this cruise in August- but we do not go to Copenhagen.

 

This will be our first time on Celebrity. I have a lot of questions.

 

We are trying to decide whether or not we are going to take our 12 year old with us or leave him with Grandma. Celebrity just doesn't look like it will be much fun for him. He is used to RCI- lots of pools, rock climbing walls, miniature golf and a FABULOUS kids club.

 

So my first question: Did you see many kids?

 

Did you do any of the ships excursions? Which ones did you like/dislike?

 

What is the negatives that you noticed?

 

Also- I am not sure how much to dress up/down on celebrity. I don't want to look like a slob :) How did ladies dress on casual nights? Would you say for formal nights more women wore full length gowns or cocktail dresses?

 

So how were the shows? We LOVE shows and never miss them!!

 

Smoking- was the ship mostly non=smoking? How about the casino (love the casino:))

 

Thanks so much!!

The lectures were irrelevant and moronic. The service was glacially slow in the main dining room.

The SS United States restaurant was very nice and worth it. The stops were great and worth it.

But the Millennium class of Celebrity ships has really slipped in the past 3 years.

I guess if your expectations are low and you have not sailed on this class in the past 3 years you will not be disappointed.

[ginak1112]

Did you dine in SS United States? I looked at the SS US menu and it appears to be essentially the same as the Murano menu (on ships that have a Murano). So is SS US really basically Murano under another name? (not that there's anything wrong with that).

 

We did not dine in SS. We did dine in Quisine on the first night and it was a lot of fun. We thought we would try SS later in the cruise but we became so tired of eating, lol, that we just didn't think we could eat such a heavy meal. We have eaten at Murano and the menu and theme seems different at SS. They usually offer a half price deal on the first night at the Specialty restaurants so have a look when you immediately board the ship as that is a good deal. Also, the MDR is usually chaotic on the first evening.

[ginak1112]

Your report is amazingly helpful!! Thank you. In any of the ports, were there shuttles from Celebrity into the cities?

 

We also booked the Celebrity tour to Giverny. We're vegetarians and normally don't book tours including lunch. Do you remember if the restaurant where the group ate lunch offered vegetarian alternatives?

 

We went to a beautiful county side restaurant near Giverny for lunch. They served bread and wine, a salad and starter, entrée and dessert. They only speak French and someone at our table is Gluten intolerant; he was trying to find out what to eat and had a little difficulty with that. The starter was some type of pate with fish in it. The entrée was a potato quiche and something that we were unsure about. We played charades with them to determine that it was similar to a turkey, lol. I would speak to the tour guide first thing in the morning and maybe she could call the restaurant to request vegetarian only. I'm sure that they can do something for you. Regardless, you won't starve. You will have free time in Rouen and there are plenty of places to eat if you are still hungry.

[ginak1112]

We were also on the May 12th sailing and I'd like to add my thoughts as well.

You do need the appropriate currencies for each country. ATM's are everywhere. We had arranged an ATM stop on our first stop at Le Havre with our tour guide before we sailed.

We went to Blarney Castle and other stops with Paddy Wagon tours. We too had a great day on a smaller bus than ecoach/Butler Tours uses and passed them on our way. Paddy Wagon included the fare for Blarney Castle in their ticket. Ecoach filled up too quickly for us to book and I was reluctant to go on a wait list. It was only after booking that I realized that Blarney Castle was included. The gardens at the Castle were the real surprise.

There were no kettles on the ship. There were multiple nations represented in the passenger complement but there were not nearly as many Brits as I had thought there might be so perhaps that's why no kettles.

Rich, the CD, disembarked in Copenhagen. I don't know who was replacing him.

FYI, the botched the meet and mingle and hopefully they will correct this disappointment.

I was surprised that so many dressed for the formal nights. We also dined in Blu and even there there was a little glitz and glamour.

We did not dine at the USS on this cruise but have done so in the past. It is just like Murano.

There are many small group tours available on Trip Advisor and sites like Tours by Locals. They are almost always preferable over the large cruise line bus tours. We used Geoffrey from Tours by Locals and Craig of Mini Tours Scotland and both were wonderful. We filled our small vans with members of our Roll Call.

If you appreciate distilled beverages you can also take a tour at Jemison in Dublin, but try to have your guide pre-book. It was over an hour's wait. Bushmills is outside Belfast and can also be toured.

 

To the poster who asked about bringing your 12 year old. I would base that decision on his ability to get the most out of the itinerary and not the "fun stuff" to do on the ship. Each port is an educational and social experience and if your child can get excited about moats and castles and towns oozing history and charm then by all means let him prepare some excursions too. During the summer months there will be children just not like the RCI numbers.

 

 

We normally do not like big bus tours but really did enjoy Ecoach. We booked it 2 weeks prior and were placed on a waiting list. They contacted me a few days later an had opened up a second bus. What made it so wonderful was our driver/guide. He engaged us the entire tour with such interesting information and pointed everything out. We had a complete history lesson including the famine, etc. His jokes were funny and his accent was fabulous. We never waited for passengers and the day was efficient.

 

My daughter went to Jameson distillery last summer and really enjoyed it. She also went to Guinness. She thought that Carlsberg was fantastic in Copenhagen.

 

I would suggest to book as many entries online as possible so that you can save time in queues.

 

I took pounds and euros with me as they were what we would be using most often. We did not need money in Oslo as we were on a ship tour and were able to charge anything we needed, including the admission to the national museum after our tour. We didn't get money in Copenhagen either for the two days we were there but could have easily at an ATM or exchange center. We charged our daily transportation tickets, all museums, restaurants, tours, etc. Everyone takes cards. Also, many places take Euros. In Tivoli Gardens most restaurants took Euros and we got rid of the extra that we had for dinner there.

Edited June 2, 2014 by ginak1112

[ginak1112]

Your report is amazingly helpful!! Thank you. In any of the ports, were there shuttles from Celebrity into the cities?

 

We also booked the Celebrity tour to Giverny. We're vegetarians and normally don't book tours including lunch. Do you remember if the restaurant where the group ate lunch offered vegetarian alternatives?

 

Regarding shuttle buses, we noticed that they had offered them in Belfast and in Dublin. They were around $15 per person so if you are more than 1 person, I think it makes more sense to grab a taxi. We would rush off the ship and get the first taxi. Sometimes we found someone in our line who shared one with us. It is more efficient than waiting for them to load up the bus.

[challahmom]

Regarding shuttle buses, we noticed that they had offered them in Belfast and in Dublin. They were around $15 per person so if you are more than 1 person, I think it makes more sense to grab a taxi. We would rush off the ship and get the first taxi. Sometimes we found someone in our line who shared one with us. It is more efficient than waiting for them to load up the bus.

 

Thank you so much for answering all of our questions! Your personal experiences from your cruise have been really helpful.

[challahmom]

We normally do not like big bus tours but really did enjoy Ecoach. We booked it 2 weeks prior and were placed on a waiting list. They contacted me a few days later an had opened up a second bus. What made it so wonderful was our driver/guide. He engaged us the entire tour with such interesting information and pointed everything out. We had a complete history lesson including the famine, etc. His jokes were funny and his accent was fabulous. We never waited for passengers and the day was efficient.

 

My daughter went to Jameson distillery last summer and really enjoyed it. She also went to Guinness. She thought that Carlsberg was fantastic in Copenhagen.

 

I would suggest to book as many entries online as possible so that you can save time in queues.

 

I took pounds and euros with me as they were what we would be using most often. We did not need money in Oslo as we were on a ship tour and were able to charge anything we needed, including the admission to the national museum after our tour. We didn't get money in Copenhagen either for the two days we were there but could have easily at an ATM or exchange center. We charged our daily transportation tickets, all museums, restaurants, tours, etc. Everyone takes cards. Also, many places take Euros. In Tivoli Gardens most restaurants took Euros and we got rid of the extra that we had for dinner there.

 

We followed your advice about the wait list for the eCoach tour of Cork and after being contacted about availability, just booked our excursion with eCoach. In the small towns where you had a bite to eat and/or bought souveniers, were you able to use your credit card or did you have to pay in cash? Thank you again for all your wonderful suggestions!