Cork (Cobh) - what to do other than Blarney?

[In Retirement]

We have a tour planned with "About Cork Taxi Tours" for a group of 13 to the above places. I will post a full and detailed cruise log / review upon our return in Mid July.

 

Our 21 July experience (so sorry that we will not be able to benefit from your experiences as we leave Houston 10 July!) started with months of planning and multiple rejections from coach company for our 0830am to 500pm window. Above all, I look at last location and time to return to port or if a van repair becomes an issue. I had first (taking reservations for a guided experience) started with Cahir Castle at 10am (54 miles), Rock of Cashel at 1200 noon, and then Lismore. Found that the few miles to Lismore was a 1 1/2 hour drive and the drive back to port was also 1 1/2 hours! Don't understand, but this Lismore experience ends up 3 hours of drive for one hour with a sandwich? We have ended up instead going to Charles Fort (on the water) which is 74 miles from Cashel, but only 16 miles from the port. So we have three guided tours, bathroom breaks and all know they are going to eat fiber bars and drink provided bottled water.

Obviously Cobh is inconvenient and at least needs another 2 hours of port time? I've also noticed on our BI cruise, that some people really want to walk industrial era cities (could instead more easily visit Gary Indiana. Don't know peoples attraction to Cork, Inverness, Glasgow etc. We are in most locations combining countryside, history, and selected city experiences.

Good luck,

DJ:)

[wimsikl]

Following

[prish]

We have a tour planned with "About Cork Taxi Tours" for a group of 13 to the above places. I will post a full and detailed cruise log / review upon our return in Mid July.

 

Our 21 July experience (so sorry that we will not be able to benefit from your experiences as we leave Houston 10 July!) started with months of planning and multiple rejections from coach company for our 0830am to 500pm window. Above all, I look at last location and time to return to port or if a van repair becomes an issue. I had first (taking reservations for a guided experience) started with Cahir Castle at 10am (54 miles), Rock of Cashel at 1200 noon, and then Lismore. Found that the few miles to Lismore was a 1 1/2 hour drive and the drive back to port was also 1 1/2 hours! Don't understand, but this Lismore experience ends up 3 hours of drive for one hour with a sandwich? We have ended up instead going to Charles Fort (on the water) which is 74 miles from Cashel, but only 16 miles from the port. So we have three guided tours, bathroom breaks and all know they are going to eat fiber bars and drink provided bottled water.

 

DJ:)

 

StartrainDD and In Retirement, look forward to your post-cruise reports. We are in port from 7am-6pm, but will effectively have only be able to tour from 8-5.

 

I've contacted several tour operators asking for quotes, including Butlers, we will most probably do Rock of Cashel and Cahil, though they say we won't have time to go to Charles Fort. Isn't this the one near Kinsale? Need to check on Youghal also. Have suggested we carry sandwiches/snack bars, no need for a long lunch break!

 

In Retirement, will email you either today or tomorrow, thanks in advance for your expert advice:)

[cosmo1027]

We are planning to take a taxi (about 4-5 hour tour) to go to Kinsale and Charles Fort. Does anyone have any suggestions of things to see or do in Kinsale? Or if there is anything else we should stop to see?

Thanks!

[In Retirement]

We are planning to take a taxi (about 4-5 hour tour) to go to Kinsale and Charles Fort. Does anyone have any suggestions of things to see or do in Kinsale? Or if there is anything else we should stop to see? Thanks!

 

Our day's ecoach tour from Cobh in 2012 included a lunch stop there. My one positive memory of this tour was the time we had for lunch at "Fishy Fishy" (no kidding) If you are a seafood lover, this was a truly enjoyable time. Maybe you pay to see whatever you want and then get dropped off here for lunch (and then return to port?). We have a scheduled tour of Charles Fort 21 July (could tell you more next August!)

DJ:)

[Alaskanb]

We plan to do a walking tour in Cobh and then explore on our own or maybe take a taxi to Kinsale

http://www.titanic.ie/tours/the-titanic-trail

[In Retirement]

We plan to do a walking tour in Cobh and then explore on our own or maybe take a taxi to Kinsale

http://www.titanic.ie/tours/the-titanic-trail

 

Don't know the date of your visit, but I've learned that Cobh handles only one large cruise ship at a time, no matter what your itinerary might post. You should confirm with Port of Cork website. We are in "Cobh" on 21 July -- but actually we dock at "Ringaskiddy" which is a ferry deep port directly south of Cobh. If you end up at Ringaskiddy you will be pretty well disoriented when you expect to walk out and visit adjacent museums, etc. Most of us on our Roll Call realize that they have to plan an activity from our port, not Cobh. Taxis, Tours, and hired vans will start from the south. I'll advise that you check and then check again a month before, as assignment can change (I had seen where both Celebrity and Princess were at Cobh for the same day and the same hours, but not true.) Good luck,

DJ:)

[StartrainDD]

We are planning to take a taxi (about 4-5 hour tour) to go to Kinsale and Charles Fort. Does anyone have any suggestions of things to see or do in Kinsale? Or if there is anything else we should stop to see?

Thanks!

 

Rick Steve's Ireland guide has quite a bit on Kinsale, including a DIY walking tour. For our second visit to Cobh, in some future yea, we hope to visit Kinsale.

[gosport11]

Catch the train to Fota and walk up to the house,it has some lovely gardens.Titanic walking tour is very intresting

[Alaskanb]

Don't know the date of your visit, but I've learned that Cobh handles only one large cruise ship at a time, no matter what your itinerary might post. You should confirm with Port of Cork website. We are in "Cobh" on 21 July -- but actually we dock at "Ringaskiddy" which is a ferry deep port directly south of Cobh. If you end up at Ringaskiddy you will be pretty well disoriented when you expect to walk out and visit adjacent museums, etc. Most of us on our Roll Call realize that they have to plan an activity from our port, not Cobh. Taxis, Tours, and hired vans will start from the south. I'll advise that you check and then check again a month before, as assignment can change (I had seen where both Celebrity and Princess were at Cobh for the same day and the same hours, but not true.) Good luck,

DJ:)

Thanks. Will make sure to check. Please report back on Ringaskiddy after your trip. J

[chelseauk]

Hi - spike island is well worth a look (just got back from a BI cruise yesterday) :)

 

It's and old fort and prison - you take a ferry across - be warned tickets are not for a timed ferry so don't buy a ticket and then come back just before it leaves (if it is full i guess you wait an hour)

 

The pier for spike island is about 5-10 min walk from the ship head along the sea front just past the titanic museum,

 

Chelsea.

Edited June 26, 2016 by chelseauk

[In Retirement]

Hi - spike island is well worth a look (just got back from a BI cruise yesterday) :)

It's and old fort and prison - you take a ferry across - be warned tickets are not for a timed ferry so don't buy a ticket and then come back just before it leaves (if it is full i guess you wait an hour)

The pier for spike island is about 5-10 min walk from the ship head along the sea front just past the titanic museum,

Chelsea.

 

So how was the June 13 cruise? How comfortable was the tender in Guernsey? How was France? In your first Ireland port, did you use Cobh or Ringaskiddy?

Much thanks,

DJ:) (19 July cruise)

[chelseauk]

Tender in St Peters port was just fine - no seasickness at all - little choppy but no real issue.

 

I've reviewed the cruise here :- (with some details about what we did and how we did it :))

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2371599

[StartrainDD]

As promised, here is the link to my detailed log/review of the Princess British Isles cruise:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=538734&et_cid=2745788&et_rid=16969669&et_referrer=Contest_NCL_2013

 

For Cobh, we found our tour to be great but a bit too much time in the van. The long-winded tour guide at the Rock of Cashel put us behind our schedule so that did not help.

 

Here is the Cobh port report:

 

Monday, June 27, 2016 – Cobh (Cork) Ireland

 

We set the alarm a bit too early today for a 5:30 wake up. At 6:30 we were out on deck but Ireland was still at a distance that there was not much to photograph. By 7:00 however we were passing into the port of Cork, what our tour guide later told us is the second largest natural port in the world, after Sydney, Australia. We had breakfast in the lido and scored a window table on the port side, so we had good location for the sail-in photos.

 

I took a few more photos as we approached the dock from deck 16 to avoid glass. We had arranged with our 13 person cruise critic group to meet at 8:10 and everyone was on time. The ship, however, was not quite on time and people were not allowed off until 8:20. The line to get off looked like a Disney world line in peak season. It snaked through the Piazza, the art gallery, and all the way past the forward elevators. Now I remember one reason I don’t like larger ships. It was 8:40 by the time we were off the ship.

 

We quickly met our guide, Joe, from “About Cork Taxi Tours.” Once we were in the van Joe went over the plan for the day and indicated they intended to add in an extra stop to our plan. We headed out by excellent highway to the Rock of Cashel, arriving at 10:10. After buying our tickets we waited until 10:30 for the next guided tour to begin.

 

The Rock of Cashel is quite an impressive site and we really enjoyed our guide for a while. When we went in to see the inside of the cathedral a visiting choir was performing. Even without a roof, the acoustics in the cathedral are phenomenal. After two songs he moved us along to tour Cormac’s chapel. The guide gave a very through explanation of the restoration work taking place. By the time he was done with the chapel talk at least part of the group was ready to move on to our next location as it was already past 11:30. However, now the guide took us back to the cathedral where he went on for another 15 minutes.

 

Finally we headed back down the hill to the parking area and on to Cahir to see Cahir castle. Joe suggested that we forgo touring inside Cahir castle as we were behind schedule. We enjoyed seeing the outside of this castle situated in the middle of a river in the center of Cahir. Next we went looking for lunch and all agreed we did not want to spend the time for a sit down lunch. We did not see a “Grab and go” option nearby but right across the street from the castle was The River House Café, a cafeteria style place which ended up having excellent food. Still, it became a 45 minute stop.

 

Next we were back in the van and headed to see the Swiss Cottage,” an 18th century thatched-roof second home for the owners of Cahir castle. This was an interesting 15 minute stop. We continued in the van over back roads (some VERY back-roads!) to Lismore. Lismore is a very pretty quiet town. Incredible floral displays abound and the visitor’s center included a handicraft market where at least one of our group made a purchase.

 

Leaving Lismore we headed (on better roads) to Youghal. We were about out of time so it was a quick stop to take photos of the “Drive through clock tower” that is the only one of its type in Ireland. We also noticed that there are very wide tides in this area as the Youghal harbor had much of the harbor being just mud with ‘beached boats.’ Our guide told us this is a normal daily event. Next we headed back towards the ship, arriving at 4:30 (with a 5:30 all aboard). Our guide was paid and we thanked him for the enjoyable day.

If I had to do this day again I would have chosen differently. While we certainly saw a lot, we spent too much time in the van. We have no other tours planned on this trip with so much travel time and that is a good thing.

 

Back on board we got ready for dinner. I took a look outside at 5:00 and there was a long line to get back onto the ship. You would think Princess would have this situation better handled and I suspect this may be a concern with the majority of the ports. At least tomorrow (Dublin) we are supposed to arrive at 7:00 and we do not need to depart until 8:10 so hopefully that will be smoother.

 

Dinner tonight was very good. All three of us had the Prime Rib and I also wanted to try the Orange Roughy. All was very good. The other three at our table did not make it to the dining room so service was fast and we forgo dessert to make the early 7:00 show of Ireland’s Alan Kavanaugh. His show was much enjoyed and we are glad we were able to attend. As a note, the seating in the Princess Theater is very comfortable and the design of the seats allows people to stretch their legs under the seats in the next row. This is a better design that we have seen on most other ships.

 

Arie

[prish]

StartrainDD, thanks ever so much for the detailed review of your Cobh/Cork tour. I am putting together a similar 8 hours tour to Rock of Cashel and Cahir through Butlers for next June. Had asked if we could stop at Charles Fort on the return but they said it was too far and there wouldn't be time, maybe I should ask about Lismore or Youghal. We won't be having a lunch stop, plan on bringing protein bars or sandwiches, to eat on the go.

 

A couple of questions. Did you book the Cashel guided tour in advance or just buy tickets as you got there, how much was this? We do want to do a tour of Cahir Castle also, how long would that take? Any other suggestions for the optimum use of time?

 

Thanks again for taking the time to review your tour and post details, really do appreciate it:)

[VMax1700]

I know I live here, but I only found out today, that the Hop on Hop off bus in Cork city, actually stops at the Cork railway station(Kent Station), so it would be very possible for cruisers to take the train from Cobh to Cork and use the HO HO bus to travel around Cork and then back to the railway station for the return to Cobh. (cruise terminal in Cobh is right beside Cobh train station).

Here is a link to the HO HO bus timetable

http://www.corkcitytours.com/timetable/

http://www.corkcitytours.com/

[iwannacruz]

In Cobh we did the Titanic museum, walked to St. Coleman's Cathedral and walked around town in general. Then we took the train to Cork walked around the city and had a beer at Mutton's Lane.

[In Retirement]

Hello,

Its good to worry and wrassle it out. Our schedule with Butlers (24 seats) was 1000 Cahir Castle, 1200 Rock of Cashel, and 1530 Charlesfort. Yes, bathroom breaks at each, but no lunch stop. I had originally designed a Cashel/Cahir/Lismore day but discovered to/from Lismore = 3 hours (for a sandwich) and didn't like the idea if something went wrong we would be 1 1/2 hours from the ship, while Charlesfort would be 1/2 hour.

 

OK, I scheduled group admissions with guided tour months before. The tour at Cahir Castle was a hoot and simply wonderful. Loved the easy access and the lovely views. Apparently the highway reduced traffic flows through Cahir and Cashel and we loved the relative quiet. I would suggest that one approach is to drop Charlesfort and visit one or both villages. Cashel (we probably had the same quiet and slow guide) was, as many castles, a physical challenge with a steep climb from parking to structures.

 

No, our driver took control of our coach (it was great) and got us to our scheduled appointments. Our tour a Charlesfort was complicated by a slight continuing rain that made the stones somewhat slippery?

 

I am now a strong supporter of Butlers and would listen to them but also use the Automobile Association website that provides distances and driving times (though not for a 24-seat coach).

 

We all had a wonderful day. Our tour easily fit within 8 hours.

DJ:)

[mrobstad]

i went with in retirement.....his comments are spot on....skip charlesfort and grab a village....loved rock of cashel on a good weather day!

[prish]

Hello,

Its good to worry and wrassle it out. Our schedule with Butlers (24 seats) was 1000 Cahir Castle, 1200 Rock of Cashel, and 1530 Charlesfort. Yes, bathroom breaks at each, but no lunch stop. I had originally designed a Cashel/Cahir/Lismore day but discovered to/from Lismore = 3 hours (for a sandwich) and didn't like the idea if something went wrong we would be 1 1/2 hours from the ship, while Charlesfort would be 1/2 hour.

 

OK, I scheduled group admissions with guided tour months before. The tour at Cahir Castle was a hoot and simply wonderful. Loved the easy access and the lovely views. Apparently the highway reduced traffic flows through Cahir and Cashel and we loved the relative quiet. I would suggest that one approach is to drop Charlesfort and visit one or both villages. Cashel (we probably had the same quiet and slow guide) was, as many castles, a physical challenge with a steep climb from parking to structures.

 

No, our driver took control of our coach (it was great) and got us to our scheduled appointments. Our tour a Charlesfort was complicated by a slight continuing rain that made the stones somewhat slippery?

 

I am now a strong supporter of Butlers and would listen to them but also use the Automobile Association website that provides distances and driving times (though not for a 24-seat coach).

 

We all had a wonderful day. Our tour easily fit within 8 hours.

DJ:)

 

In Retirement, thanks for reporting back after your cruise. I'm planning the same same tour with Butlers for June 2017, though they told me we can't fit in Charlesfort, so it will be Rock of Cashel and Cahil Castle, with a stop at one of the villages. Lunch will be sandwiches and/or protein bar to best maximise our time available.

 

Did Butlers book the guided tours or did you take care of it yourself? I'll email you to get more details, thanks in advance:)

[In Retirement]

In Retirement, thanks for reporting back after your cruise. I'm planning the same same tour with Butlers for June 2017, though they told me we can't fit in Charlesfort, so it will be Rock of Cashel and Cahil Castle, with a stop at one of the villages. Lunch will be sandwiches and/or protein bar to best maximise our time available. Did Butlers book the guided tours or did you take care of it yourself? I'll email you to get more details, thanks in advance:)

 

I made a reservation for a facility-provided tour for our group (no extra expense) for each location and, indeed we did Cahir before Cashel because our first available tour of Cashel was at noon. I'd suggest making reservations that are workable and also visit TripAdvisor and maybe a Cruise Critic forum to see what a "village visit" would mean for you. I'd say that I would rank these three as (1) Cahir Castle (the gentleman who was the guide was absolutely wonderful; (2) Rock of Cashel (views): guide was soft-spoken and provider of information, not entertaining: those of us dealing with severe slopes (no place to sit down); (3) Charlesfort: drive from Cashel to Charlesfort worked; weather became problematic with rain that made a comprehensive tour more of a challenge. Really, if weather was stable (or predictable) maybe I'd do Cahir and Charlesfort with a lunch break in Kinsale (Fishy Fishy?). Good luck in your planning. DJ:)

[jeikre]

We plan to do a walking tour in Cobh and then explore on our own or maybe take a taxi to Kinsale

http://www.titanic.ie/tours/the-titanic-trail

Just wondering what this tour was like? We are visiting later this month on a princess cruise.

Thanks!

[wheezedr]

Just wondering what this tour was like? We are visiting later this month on a princess cruise.

Thanks!

You should be aware that as this is an old thread you may not receive an answer. Some posters do not track their previous threads especially once their cruise is over. Do not know if the previous poster took an organized tour or just went on his own. Cobh can certainly be done OYO as you land right in town.

Edited April 7, 2017 by wheezedr
Spelling

[kerryincork]

Hi I live in Cork and by all accounts it's a good walk. Be advised that the town is very hilly I'm not sure of the exact route but it is possible that you will be climbing some hill or steps.

You can visit any of the places you mentioned.

 

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[jeikre]

Thanks!!