British Isles Cruise Review Summer 2014

[Travlin grrl]

First of all thanks to Cruise Critic for helping me plan my once in a lifetime vacation. I read, re-read and researched every ones reviews to help me map out every day and the best way to get around. I hope I can return the favor to others. I also documented every night with Evernote so I wouldn't forget anything.

We took the 12 day cruise with 3 days pre cruise in London.

We booked Virgin Atlantic for a 10 hour non-stop flight. Wish I could afford the "snooze zone" but until I win the lottery....

They serve dinner and a light breakfast. Movies are included and watched "The Wolf of Wall Street" which was a 3 hr movie so that took up a little time.

Landed in London the next day around 11:00a.m. which was 3:00a.m.our time.I felt hungover without even having to drink. Going through customs wasn't too bad because it was mostly just people off our plane.

There are a few ways to get to London. The "National Express" train which is the fastest and mid price. It will drop you off at Kings Cross station and then from there you can either take the tube or cab to your hotel. Since it overshot where our hotel was and we were getting a 2 day "Oyster Card" we decided to take the Tube to our hotel. The cheapest way to go and a few more stops. We only changed one time and found our hotel very easy which happened to be right by the London Eye.

Premier Inn is kind of a chain of hotels here in London. I believe this building was the "Town Hall" that was converted to a hotel. Just so you know London hotels are a little different from American hotels. We have 2 adults and 2 teens. There are 4 beds in one room which consist of a queen size bed and two twins. The one twin bed is pretty springy.

Clean bathroom and somewhat modernized but pretty small with no closets or drawers. Also no air conditioning which is pretty common here. The weather is mild and they provide a fan so it's not too bad.

We paid 6 pounds for 4 devices per day for wifi. We also paid extra for breakfast because I didn't want to think about it in the morning. But hey...who spends time in your room when you're on vacation.

I had pre bought tickets to "The London Tower" so we took to the tube over late in the afternoon. It just so happens there was the "Tour de France" that day so the attraction wasn't as crowded as it usually is. When in London it can rain at any time....even in July.

So we bought a couple umbrellas in the Gift shop and toured the grounds. It was so nice not having any lines and getting to see " The Crown Jewels" without a wait. It is amazing,they're definitely something to see.

Now that we were thoroughly tired and ready to crash we still needed to eat, so we ate across the street from our hotel at La Cucina....a cute Italian restaurant and when we finished took a few steps home to konk out for the night.

[Travlin grrl]

We have pre-reserved tickets for Warner Brothers Harry Potter Tour. You have to pre buy your tickets as they only sell a certain amount every day and you can not buy them at the door.

They have a special bus that can take you there and I can't remember how much it is but it was a little pricey. I decided to take the tube to "Euston Station" since I had my Oyster Card and then took the train to Wharton. It was very easy and quick as these trains are high speed trains and so quiet. I went to the ticket window and the clerk right away said "oh, are you going to Wharton?" I said "yes, how do you know?" In his cute little English accent he says,

"I can spot a Muggle when I see them" or in translation "you look like all the other tourists who come through here dazed and confused looking". I think it was around £20 for the 4 of us and it took about 20 minutes to get there. When you come out of the train station there is a double decker Harry Potter bus waiting for which is *£1.50 per person. We also signed up for the digital guides which I highly recommend and are £4.95 per person. It comes with headphones and a self guided tour. It's amazing what it takes to put together a movie of this caliber. Every little detail and the amount of people to make it happen. You will see The Great Hall which you don't have much time in there so take your pictures fast. The next part with your digital guide you can take as long as you want and as many pictures as you want. You just can't take pictures when they are doing the green screen room. You can choose flying a broom or flying in the car and they have quite a few rooms set up. Being that it was mostly for little kids I didn't do it. And my teens would be too embarrassed to do it because they are a little shy and quiet. So it's fun to watch all the other kids doing it. You can buy a copy but I don't know how much it is. You then proceed to the backlot to see the Knight Bus, Privet Drive houses, Hogwarts bridge and you can buy refreshments. My son got the Butterbeer which is like a sweet cream soda with foam on top. I only had a sip of it as it was pretty sweet but I like cream soda and my teen son drank the whole thing. You will then go through all the models and animatronics etc. which is very interesting Even though my husband was never a Harry Potter fan he actually really enjoyed the tour. The greatest thing was the replica 3D model of the Hogwarts Castle at the end. Amazing!*

It's so interesting to know that these actors spent about 10 years on these sets growing up and filming there. I'm not going to lie to you. I think I liked it more than my kids.

Came back and ate out at another Italian place down the street I think it was La Locale and then walked around Big Ben and the Parliament in the rain taking night pictures. Some of the most interesting ones as the London Eye was all lit up in blue.

Time for bed...zzzzzz.

[Gettingwarmer]

Great detailed review so far, can't wait to get on board ship.

[HRPro]

We're doing this exact trip including staying at the same Precruise hotel next July. We plan to take the tube from Heathrow to the hotel. Could you tell me the route you took on the tube and where you changed? There are several options, and I want to take the easiest since we'll be jet-lagged. Also could you tell me the tube route from the hotel to Eustace Station as we will be doing the Harry Potter tour the second day like you did? Looking forward to the rest of your review and any helpful tips for ports/transportation. We'll be traveling with one teenager.

 

Many thanks for doing the review!

[HRPro]

We have pre-reserved tickets for Warner Brothers Harry Potter Tour. You have to pre buy your tickets as they only sell a certain amount every day and you can not buy them at the door.

They have a special bus that can take you there and I can't remember how much it is but it was a little pricey. I decided to take the tube to "Euston Station" since I had my Oyster Card and then took the train to Wharton. It was very easy and quick as these trains are high speed trains and so quiet. I went to the ticket window and the clerk right away said "oh, are you going to Wharton?" I said "yes, how do you know?" In his cute little English accent he says,

"I can spot a Muggle when I see them" or in translation "you look like all the other tourists who come through here dazed and confused looking". I think it was around £20 for the 4 of us and it took about 20 minutes to get there. When you come out of the train station there is a double decker Harry Potter bus waiting for which is *£1.50 per person. We also signed up for the digital guides which I highly recommend and are £4.95 per person. It comes with headphones and a self guided tour. It's amazing what it takes to put together a movie of this caliber. Every little detail and the amount of people to make it happen. You will see The Great Hall which you don't have much time in there so take your pictures fast. The next part with your digital guide you can take as long as you want and as many pictures as you want. You just can't take pictures when they are doing the green screen room. You can choose flying a broom or flying in the car and they have quite a few rooms set up. Being that it was mostly for little kids I didn't do it. And my teens would be too embarrassed to do it because they are a little shy and quiet. So it's fun to watch all the other kids doing it. You can buy a copy but I don't know how much it is. You then proceed to the backlot to see the Knight Bus, Privet Drive houses, Hogwarts bridge and you can buy refreshments. My son got the Butterbeer which is like a sweet cream soda with foam on top. I only had a sip of it as it was pretty sweet but I like cream soda and my teen son drank the whole thing. You will then go through all the models and animatronics etc. which is very interesting Even though my husband was never a Harry Potter fan he actually really enjoyed the tour. The greatest thing was the replica 3D model of the Hogwarts Castle at the end. Amazing!*

It's so interesting to know that these actors spent about 10 years on these sets growing up and filming there. I'm not going to lie to you. I think I liked it more than my kids.

Came back and ate out at another Italian place down the street I think it was La Locale and then walked around Big Ben and the Parliament in the rain taking night pictures. Some of the most interesting ones as the London Eye was all lit up in blue.

Time for bed...zzzzzz.

 

What time did you prebook your tickets for and how long did you stay at Warner Bros? I'm trying to determine if this will take all our second day or if I will have time for other sights. My granddaughter is a big Harry Potter fan, so I'm sure she'll want to see everything!

[Travlin grrl]

We're doing this exact trip including staying at the same Precruise hotel next July. We plan to take the tube from Heathrow to the hotel. Could you tell me the route you took on the tube and where you changed? There are several options, and I want to take the easiest since we'll be jet-lagged. Also could you tell me the tube route from the hotel to Eustace Station as we will be doing the Harry Potter tour the second day like you did? Looking forward to the rest of your review and any helpful tips for ports/transportation. We'll be traveling with one teenager.

 

Many thanks for doing the review!

From the airport there is a sign that says "underground". I went down there and there is a ticket booth so just bought some Oyster cards and a travel card for the 14 yr. old. They'll advise you on the best ones to get when you tell them what you're doing and how long. The tube is right there. We got off at "green park" and followed the signs to Jubilee line to Waterloo station. Then just headed for the London eye and found the hotel. About a 5 minute walk. Waterloo is a huge beautiful station. You can also get off on Westminister station and walk across the bridge.

To get to Harry Potter go to Waterloo station, take the "Northern Line" to Euston Station (only about 5 stops away) and then follow the signs to the ticket booth for the rail, which is very fast....about 20 minutes to Watford.

[Travlin grrl]

What time did you prebook your tickets for and how long did you stay at Warner Bros? I'm trying to determine if this will take all our second day or if I will have time for other sights. My granddaughter is a big Harry Potter fan, so I'm sure she'll want to see everything!

 

Our tickets were for either 10:00 or 11:00. We spent about 3 hrs there. You will have time to do more things in the day.

[azrose]

Anxious to read more....not doing a pre-cruise, but a post-cruise in Paris...this review makes me wish the year away! :D

[HRPro]

Thanks so much. This is just the information that I needed to complete our pre-cruise planning.

[Travlin grrl]

First we decided to do "The London Eye" and get there early so we wouldn't have to wait in line. Got there about 9:30 a.m. and got on the second pod. It's a 30 minute ride to make the full circle. We bought the day and night pass since we were so close. They will take your picture right at the end and I guess we weren't paying attention and didn't do it. Well we have a second chance on the night one to do it right.

Took the "Original HOHO bus tour" after that. Let me tell you there are so many bus tours there it's crazy. I picked this one because it's a live commentary. But guess what? When we got on it was a recorded one. We sat on the top and had beautiful sunny/cloudy mild weather. It was perfect and made for gorgeous pictures. I think this tour must of taken about 2 1/2 hours. Halfway through the tour our "live commentary" got on board. She was cute but I guess I was expecting a comedian or something and my husband said he liked the recorded one better because he could hear it better. Oh we'll, we got both. I think my favorite part was Fleet Street. It includes the river cruise but we didn't really feel like doing it so skipped that.

Grabbed a quick lunch and then headed out to "Westminister Abbey". It was around 3:00p.m. and there was a line out to the sidewalk. The line wasn't really moving and it closed at 4:30p.m. Good chance we weren't going to make it in so we skipped it. My advice....go early. I'm so bummed I did not get to see it. I think it was £18 per person. So we walked around town and wore ourselves out and took the Tube back to the hotel. "Mind the Gap" is still going through my head. I laid down on the bed and konked out for about an hour. Woke up and decided to do a traditional Good ol' English fish and chips pub. Walked over the bridge by Trafalgar Square and ate at Silver Moon for fish and chips and beer. Then we hurried back to do our night time London Eye before it closes at 9:30. The sun doesn't set til late so it's more like dusk when you do it. Did the picture thing right this time and the only person looking into the camera correctly was my son and my head in front of him is causing a shadow. I was looking at the flash. So, if you're doing it look to the left of the flash to look into the camera.

Ok time for bed because tomorrow is cruise time.

[Travlin grrl]

Anxious to read more....not doing a pre-cruise, but a post-cruise in Paris...this review makes me wish the year away! :D

 

Quite a few people do this and I really wish we could of done that. Make sure you fill out a "route deviation sector" form. I think that's what it's called. They have to approve it and you're all good to disembark in France.

[MaChere]

We, too, were on the Ruby this summer and also stayed at the Premier Inn County Hall. Found it to be great location, nothing fancy but quite comfy and good breakfast. Enjoyed our coffee and breakfast staring out at the London Eye. :) We arrived London very early in the morning, had booked Blackberry cars because we didn't want to drag our luggage too much. They picked us up promptly and took us straight to the hotel; they let us check in quite early. For that, we were most pleased. Rested a bit, then headed out for our one day in London. We had tickets to see the state rooms at Buckingham Palace on the first day it was open for the season. Highly recommend that, too. Yay for Cruise Critic. We, too, made so many plans using this site. Excellent advice!

[wally8]

Dear Travelin Grrl, Hope you post more of your time on board and thoughts about the ship. We are doing this cruise next August and am really curious about your trip. Also wanted to know if anyone used the sanctuary during this cruise and the weather you encountered, Thanks, Wally

[Travlin grrl]

Dear Travelin Grrl, Hope you post more of your time on board and thoughts about the ship. We are doing this cruise next August and am really curious about your trip. Also wanted to know if anyone used the sanctuary during this cruise and the weather you encountered, Thanks, Wally

 

We went in July. Lots of cool weather, rain in Greenock/Glasgow and Edinburgh. Lots of mixed days sun and clouds. We didn't mind the cool weather because we came from the heat in L.A. Because there were 10 port days and 2 sea days we didn't utilize the sanctuary. August has the "military tattoo festival" in Edinburgh. Don't know the dates because it's only once a year but I would of loved to do that.

[Travlin grrl]

Goodbye London. It was fun, it was real, it was gorgeous and it was magical. We hope to be back soon because 3 days isn't enough.

We take "the black cab" from The London Eye area to the Victoria Coach Station which is only about 2 tube stops away or 10-15 minutes I would say. It cost £15 but it was worth it to not have to lug our luggage this time around.*

The Motorcoach transfer through Princess takes about a little over 2 hours and they give you a number at check in and wait for a little while longer until they call your number. It's exciting to drive into the pier and see the unbelievably huge ship that you're going to spend the next 12 days on. The cruise terminal is nice and we waited for maybe 20-30 minutes before they called us to board. We took the obligatory photo boarding and bought it even though we looked a little haggard. I'll say we finally boarded around 3:00ish I think.

Our room is on the Plaza deck right past the Art gallery and not too far from the International Cafe. For some reason I thought the IC would be bigger on the Ruby compared to the Sapphire but I think they are pretty similar in size. Let me tell you I loved that location. I'd wake up in the morning and go get coffee at the international cafe. Getting on and off the ship was right there or one floor down. Hanging out at the vines at night with the theatre nearby. It was a smooth cruise so didn't feel much movement. Just the gentle rocking at night to go to sleep. After unpacking we head to the Horizon court to grab a quick bite and then check the kids into the teen club. Next we go to the Sailaway on the top deck to get our Sailaway drink, listen to some music, snap some pictures before our kids leave us to go to the teens club. We did anytime dining which was a short wait, ate too much then went over to the show for a little music, dancers and the comedian. First night at 10:00 the place was definitely not packed. I felt a little sorry for him as some people got up to leave.

Maybe we were all a little tired but it wasn't the most high energy audience either. We only see the teens during the day excursions as they love to meet the other teens and hang out all night with them.

On to St. Peter's Port.

My pictures are coming out as thumbnails and I've tried to post pics from Shutterfly but I'm working on a blog with a ton of pictures because I know I can post them there.

[Woobstr112G]

Op;

 

Love your thoughts on London. Gets me motivated for our pre-cruise stop there next year. Looking forward to reading more of your adventure.....:):):)

 

Bob

[Travlin grrl]

Guernsey is a small island a few miles from the coast of France and about 80 miles from England. You have to take a tender there so getting out was pretty easy. The weather was mild partly sunny and cloudy so it was perfect for me. I had gone to the website for this town and printed out a self walking tour I wanted to do which was only an hour and included Victor Hugo's house where he lived in exile for 14 years. But since the map was a little confusing with all the winding streets I decided to shortcut it and go to his house first. I'm really glad I did and let me tell you why. You go up a small winding street and his house is on the left with 2 big trees in front. If you get lost just ask directions and someone will tell you where to go. We got there about 9:55 a.m. And their tours start at 10:00a.m. But....they only do 10 people at a time as they are guided tours. I believe it's £7 for adults, less for students. We got into the 10:20*tour and were told to go**to the garden and then come back. When we came back someone was trying to get in for a tour but the next opening was 12:20 and that was too late as the last tender was 1:30 p.m.*So my best piece of advice if you want to tour this unbelievable house is to get there right away. Our tour guide was French and at first I thought we picked the wrong guided tour as her French accents as so strong. I had to really listen carefully and concentrate on everything she said but she was a wealth of information. This house is amazing and all the stories that go along with it.*

It is 4 stories and every room is decorated extensively and unbelievably eccentric.

I felt like I was in a Dan Brown novel as there were inscriptions and codes inscribed everywhere. At one point she talked about ghosts in the house and at that moment my phone vibrated and powered off. So I turned it back on and then it vibrated 2 more times. The thing is I was not connected to any networks and not getting any messages or anything....weird! There are secret passages, secret hideaway cupboards and stories about everything. *I was unexpectedly surprised and loved the tour. After that we went down to the central part of town and got some "Guernsey ice cream". Supposedly their cows make the richest cream hence the best ice cream in the world. *Make sure the ice cream says *"Guernsey" on it.

Now the bad news. Getting back to the ship with that many people is a nightmare. We waited for a least an hour to get tendered back so get ready for a wait.

It was formal night so did the pictures, shared a table with some really fun people for dinner, then went to Karoake for some entertainment in Club Fusion, met up with some friends at the wine bar and didn't get to bed till 1:00a.m.*Need more sleep.*

Tomorrow I'm kissing the Blarnet Stone.

[Travlin grrl]

Guernsey is a small island a few miles from the coast of France and about 80 miles from England. You have to take a tender there so getting out was pretty easy. The weather was mild partly sunny and cloudy so it was perfect for me. I had gone to the website for this town and printed out a self walking tour I wanted to do which was only an hour and included Victor Hugo's house where he lived in exile for 14 years. But since the map was a little confusing with all the winding streets I decided to shortcut it and go to his house first. I'm really glad I did and let me tell you why. You go up a small winding street and his house is on the left with 2 big trees in front. If you get lost just ask directions and someone will tell you where to go. We got there about 9:55 a.m. And their tours start at 10:00a.m. But....they only do 10 people at a time as they are guided tours. I believe it's £7 for adults, less for students. We got into the 10:20*tour and were told to go**to the garden and then come back. When we came back someone was trying to get in for a tour but the next opening was 12:20 and that was too late as the last tender was 1:30 p.m.*So my best piece of advice if you want to tour this unbelievable house is to get there right away. Our tour guide was French and at first I thought we picked the wrong guided tour as her French accents as so strong. I had to really listen carefully and concentrate on everything she said but she was a wealth of information. This house is amazing and all the stories that go along with it.*

It is 4 stories and every room is decorated extensively and unbelievably eccentric.

I felt like I was in a Dan Brown novel as there were inscriptions and codes inscribed everywhere. At one point she talked about ghosts in the house and at that moment my phone vibrated and powered off. So I turned it back on and then it vibrated 2 more times. The thing is I was not connected to any networks and not getting any messages or anything....weird! There are secret passages, secret hideaway cupboards and stories about everything. *I was unexpectedly surprised and loved the tour. After that we went down to the central part of town and got some "Guernsey ice cream". Supposedly their cows make the richest cream hence the best ice cream in the world. *Make sure the ice cream says *"Guernsey" on it.

Now the bad news. Getting back to the ship with that many people is a nightmare. We waited for a least an hour to get tendered back so get ready for a wait.

It was formal night so did the pictures, shared a table with some really fun people for dinner, then went to Karoake for some entertainment in Club Fusion, met up with some friends at the wine bar and didn't get to bed till 1:00a.m.*Need more sleep.

Tomorrow I'm kissing the Blarnet Stone.

That should of said " Blarney Stone" ha

[Travlin grrl]

If you go to Ireland you have to "Kiss the Blarney Stone" where millions of people go every year and stand in a long line to acquire the gift of eloquence.*

I decided to go on my own so I wouldn't have a time restraint. And I'm glad I did. Right where the ship docks is a little train station that goes to Cork every half hour. I paid €20 for 2 adults and 2 teens round trip. In Europe they call it return ticket. It took about 20 minutes and then I got off and walked about 5-10 minutes to the bus station to take bus 215 to the Blarney castle. I think I paid €26 for the 4 of us. Even though we prepaid our tickets online the regular line wasn't too long to get in. But walk up the hill and the line to get into the castle took at least an hour and a half. One lady in front of us waited in line and finally got to the castle and had to step out of line because she was running out of time. That's why I'm glad I did it on my own so I wouldn't have to worry about that. Now I thought you just walk up to a big rock and bend over and kiss it. Oh, no. You walk up 4 flights of narrow circular stairs to get to the top where two guys are. One gives you a ticket for your picture if you want to buy one and the other helps you lay on your back, grab 2 side rails, slide out, tip your head back and upside down to kiss the germ ridden stone. You can take your own pictures with your cell phone but it goes pretty fast. When I tried using my daughters I pushed the wrong buttons and flipped the picture and missed it. But no worries, they have better pictures for you to buy. €10 for one €18 for two. One picture is your face and sliding back, the other is you actually kissing it and you can't see your face because you're upside down. We got 4 pictures which 2 of us picked our faces and the other 2 picked actually kissing it. It's actually a very cool, beautiful old castle and gorgeous views from the top. I can now cross that off my bucket list!

You really want to see the grounds as they are gorgeous. From the Fern plants and poisonous plants (2 are from Harry Potter) to the Wishing Steps and water falls. If you walk down the stairs backward with your eyes closed all your wishes will come true. Only thing is it's about 25 stairs (not a few steps)so of course I'm the only one who did it and only had to peek a couple times at the end because I didn't know when it was going to end.

I could of spent all day there it is so pretty.

Then we walked over to the Woolen Mills which is a tourist shopping store and picked up a few souvenirs. If you spend I think €250 or over you can have free shipping home, which I didn't spend that much. Everything from wool scarves, clothing, lace, Waterford crystal, candy and just trinkets. They will ask you if you want to be charged in Euros or American Dollars. Be sure to say Euros because I heard you will be ripped off if you say American because of fees or conversion. Southern Ireland is Euros, Northen Ireland and Scotland are British pounds. The bus is right across the street to get back to the train station. Once we got back to the ship we let the kids stay on while we walked over to Cobh (pronounced Cove) and walk up the hill to St. Cohlmans Church. All the churches are so beautiful and it's a great view of the town. We walked back down the hill and picked a corner pub for some local culture and boy did we get it. We asked a little old man sitting by himself a recommendation for a beer and got Beamish and Murphy's. This local had such a thick accent we got about every 3rd word he said ....maybe. We just had big smiles on our faces as if we did understand him and sucked in the local atmosphere.*

We walked back to the ship for another great dinner and anytime dining sharing a table. Last cruise we didn't share a table. The first night when they asked us I said "sure" and the look on my husbands face was like "oh,noo!". We had such a good time the first night that we did it every night and especially loved the Brits. They all had the best personality's, funny sense of humor and so interesting to talk too. We met so many great people on this cruise and really had a lot of fun.

So I think I have sold my husband on shared dining.

[whatcruiseisnext]

If you go to Ireland you have to "Kiss the Blarney Stone" where millions of people go every year and stand in a long line to acquire the gift of eloquence.*

I decided to go on my own so I wouldn't have a time restraint. And I'm glad I did. Right where the ship docks is a little train station that goes to Cork every half hour. I paid €20 for 2 adults and 2 teens round trip. In Europe they call it return ticket. It took about 20 minutes and then I got off and walked about 5-10 minutes to the bus station to take bus 215 to the Blarney castle. I think I paid €26 for the 4 of us. Even though we prepaid our tickets online the regular line wasn't too long to get in. But walk up the hill and the line to get into the castle took at least an hour and a half. One lady in front of us waited in line and finally got to the castle and had to step out of line because she was running out of time. That's why I'm glad I did it on my own so I wouldn't have to worry about that. Now I thought you just walk up to a big rock and bend over and kiss it. Oh, no. You walk up 4 flights of narrow circular stairs to get to the top where two guys are. One gives you a ticket for your picture if you want to buy one and the other helps you lay on your back, grab 2 side rails, slide out, tip your head back and upside down to kiss the germ ridden stone. You can take your own pictures with your cell phone but it goes pretty fast. When I tried using my daughters I pushed the wrong buttons and flipped the picture and missed it. But no worries, they have better pictures for you to buy. €10 for one €18 for two. One picture is your face and sliding back, the other is you actually kissing it and you can't see your face because you're upside down. We got 4 pictures which 2 of us picked our faces and the other 2 picked actually kissing it. It's actually a very cool, beautiful old castle and gorgeous views from the top. I can now cross that off my bucket list!

You really want to see the grounds as they are gorgeous. From the Fern plants and poisonous plants (2 are from Harry Potter) to the Wishing Steps and water falls. If you walk down the stairs backward with your eyes closed all your wishes will come true. Only thing is it's about 25 stairs (not a few steps)so of course I'm the only one who did it and only had to peek a couple times at the end because I didn't know when it was going to end.

I could of spent all day there it is so pretty.

Then we walked over to the Woolen Mills which is a tourist shopping store and picked up a few souvenirs. If you spend I think €250 or over you can have free shipping home, which I didn't spend that much. Everything from wool scarves, clothing, lace, Waterford crystal, candy and just trinkets. They will ask you if you want to be charged in Euros or American Dollars. Be sure to say Euros because I heard you will be ripped off if you say American because of fees or conversion. Southern Ireland is Euros, Northen Ireland and Scotland are British pounds. The bus is right across the street to get back to the train station. Once we got back to the ship we let the kids stay on while we walked over to Cobh (pronounced Cove) and walk up the hill to St. Cohlmans Church. All the churches are so beautiful and it's a great view of the town. We walked back down the hill and picked a corner pub for some local culture and boy did we get it. We asked a little old man sitting by himself a recommendation for a beer and got Beamish and Murphy's. This local had such a thick accent we got about every 3rd word he said ....maybe. We just had big smiles on our faces as if we did understand him and sucked in the local atmosphere.*

We walked back to the ship for another great dinner and anytime dining sharing a table. Last cruise we didn't share a table. The first night when they asked us I said "sure" and the look on my husbands face was like "oh,noo!". We had such a good time the first night that we did it every night and especially loved the Brits. They all had the best personality's, funny sense of humor and so interesting to talk too. We met so many great people on this cruise and really had a lot of fun.

So I think I have sold my husband on shared dining.

 

 

Am I correct in that you had to wait in line for an hour and a half just to get into the castle? Or was this for the line to kiss the Blarney stone?

[Shogun]

Hi All

 

Thanks for the review,

 

At Cork, railway puts on extra trains when ships are in, sometimes on line time tables show only standard times,

 

Cork is a great stop in its on right the Cathedral is impressive.

 

yours Shogun

[Travlin grrl]

Am I correct in that you had to wait in line for an hour and a half just to get into the castle? Or was this for the line to kiss the Blarney stone?

it took about 45 minutes in the line to get to the entrance of the castle (that's where the lady in front of us had to get out of line) because it was another 45 minutes from the entrance to the top. It was one of those.....well, I've all ready stood in line for 45 minutes so I might as well stick it out. I came halfway around the world to do this. Honestly I'm glad I did. I love those old shelled out castles and there are beautiful views from the top...and it was fun. I had a friend go in May and it was only a 15 minute wait. Also if you go during peak try to go early as possible for no lines.

[Travlin grrl]

Hi All

 

Thanks for the review,

 

At Cork, railway puts on extra trains when ships are in, sometimes on line time tables show only standard times,

 

Cork is a great stop in its on right the Cathedral is impressive.

 

yours Shogun

 

Shogun,

It's great that the train is right there at the dock. We waited maybe 15-20 minutes for the train. I looked at timetables but decided not to go by them because everything is unpredictable. Just go there and wait and they will come. haha.

A lot of people from the ship were taking it. Free wifi on the trains too! We took quite a few trains on this trip and loved it.

 

Shogun, the only church I saw in Cork was a small one on the walk to the bus station. We didn't get to tour Cork so I missed it. Maybe next time.

I did see the impressive cathedral in Cobh though. St. Cohlmans Cathedral.

[JimAOk1945]

Great review. I'm looking forward to reading more. This itinerary is on our bucket list.

[Travlin grrl]

On to Dublin to look for Bono. We took a Princess shuttle from the ship to town. If you take the Princess Shuttle my advice is to prebuy your tickets on the ship because if you try to buy them like we did before you board it's a long line. It was $16.00 round trip per person. So $64.00 total for 4 and I don't know how much a taxi was but if anyone knows let me know.

 

We decided to go to Trinity college first for "The Book of Kells". It's only a block away from where the shuttle drops you off. It's hard to believe that college is still active because it looks like a Museum. There was a long line to get in, I will guess about an hour. It is pretty fascinating but you can't take pictures of the manuscripts of course. It was a Sunday when we were in town and the "Dublin Castle" was closed, so on the advice of a worker he suggested Christchurch Cathedral. I'm going to say every church is probably beautiful and this one was picturesque. What was really cool about it is there is an underground crypt with a lot of information and history. When you go down the stairs it automatically gets cooler. It feels like you are in a stone cave and very mysterious.

I can't remember how much it was to get in but it wasn't too much.

 

After that it was on to the Guiness Storehouse tour. In Dublin it's easy to get lost with all the narrow windy streets. So of course we headed in the wrong direction but everyone is always so helpful with directions so after we got back on track it wasn't too far from our original location. We pre bought our tickets online and I would suggest it so you can bypass the line. This is a about a 6 story building that gets a little more fun the closer you get to the top. You get to learn how to drink the beer correctly, pour the perfect beer, take a group picture at the bar where you get a certificate and other fun things to do before you finally get to drink the beer at the top in a panoramic window bar that's more like a nightclub/bar setting. They have a great souvenir shop on the way out and my husband picks up a few things. What was one of those souvy's.....a bottle opener on a key chain. Okayyy.

 

After all that we headed back to our shuttle for the ship and had a late dinner in the dining room. The later you go the less crowded it is. The World Cup was playing so the entire pool area where the MUTS is playing and Club Fusion was jam packed standing room only with fans cheering on the teams. It was kind of fun to be caught up in all of that.

This was definitely a walking day and didn't get to Browning Street and a couple other places but still packed a lot in. A little rain off and on today but not too bad.

Tomorrow....Liverpool.