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Help - feeling overwhelmed planning British Isles cruise


kayred
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We just booked what for us is a last minute cruise. Typically we book at least a year and a half in advance but we got a good deal on Princess British Isles cruise in August.  We have never been to Europe and as I try to figure out the ports I just get overwhelmed and shut down, sometimes for me there is just too much on YouTube and even here or CC. So I am reaching out for some help. We are in our early 50's have no disabilities and don't mind walking. We are pretty conservative travelers, one of the few people on CC who like cruise excursions but we also like to mix it up with exploring on our own.

 

we are going to London, Guernsey, Cork, Dublin, Belfasr, Glasgow, Invergordon, and Edinburgh

 

What I am trying to accomplish with my planning is a mix of city and country views. We want to tour some castles but don't want to only tour castles etc.... We are pretty sure we will walk London on our own and I have my heart set on seeing Scottland countryside but that's as far as I get before I am overwhelmed 

 

will you share with me:

your favorite port to walk and roam without a planned excursion 

your favorite castle tour

your favorite/most helpful review/YouTube video/website that helped you plan for your cruise

 

 

thank you - I am off to have some tea and remind myself that vacations don't have to be perfect to be wonderful!!!

 

 

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Have done this cruise so might offer a few suggestions.  For London add as  many days either pre or post or both as you can.  We never run out of things to see or do.  Do a walking tour or HoHo on day one for perspective.  For hotel be sure to be near to a tube stop as no one location will cover everything you want to see but the tube can get you to almost everything.  Obviously interests vary, so our choice will reflect that.  High on most lists are the Tower and the Crown Jewels, did it long ago.  To me the British Museum is a most.  Also love the V and A and the Tate Modern.  If you are a history buff the Churchill War Rooms are fascinating. Westminster holds much history as well.   At least one or two nights try to get to the theater.  With more time you could get a little out of town with a visit to Hampton Court, Cambridge or Greenwich.  I probably didn’t help you much as I did a lousy job of narrowing the options

Dublin, most tours will include the Book of Kells and of course the Guinness brewery.  

Belfast we enjoyed the Titanic museum and then did a black cab tour which explained a lot about the troubles and the city as a whole.  The other main sight was the Giant’s causeway. Shipmates loved it, we just did not need another bus trip.

Edinburgh we did a walking tour, than visited the castle and the Royal mile on our own.  Easy to do, lots to see.  Also a good spot to do a little shopping.

Glascow we went off into the countryside to castles and farms.  Joined a group from our Roll Call

Guernsey we actually missed.  Happens a lot.  Our plan was just to use the local bus and our feet to hit some of the highlights.

lnvergordon was a private but larger group tour which got us to Collodon as well as Loch Ness.  By the way we did see Nessie as our tour guide had a floating head he dropped into the water.  I opted to skip the obligate photo opportunity.

As to favorite books ,I just check multiple guide books out of the library and spend time perusing.  I spent plenty of time with our Roll Call as well, and did a couple of things through that.  Good luck, there are so many  things to see and do that you cannot do it all but you will then have good reason to return wether by sea or by land.

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We did Princess last July. we're in our 50s, not super athletic, but can easily walk 5 miles/day. We had 2 teens and tried to save money and did DIY when we could, but did tours where we needed. I spent countless hours researching, comparing which was best--so save yourself a lot of time if you want and just book these--you'll love them, I promise:

Guernsey-local bus towards airport and got off near the Occupation Museum--just ask driver. Awesome, small musuem in a house, watch or read Guernsey Potatoe Peel and Literary Society before you go! Then bus back and walked around. I had no expectations for this day and it was probably one of our favorites!

 

Cork-Ecoach in Cobh is only 39 euros for shorter 1/2 day and includes admission to Blarney. We did the Blarney + Kinsale. in hindsight, the 1/2 day would have been better. Kinsale is a cute town, but Cobh is also very attractive and I would have preferred to have some down time. You would also do fine just walking around Cobh (very compact) and there is a lovely cathedral. Blarney castle and grounds are very nice--but we didn't stand in line to go up in the castle--which is just a ruin and you can see it fine from the outside.

 

Dublin (overnight) .

Day 1: We took a taxi and then train to Greystone and did an 8km hike with our teens--we needed outside/active and this was fine. I would do something different if we didn't have teens. Day 2: We did a typical DIY walkabout, which I highly recommend: Archeology museum--free and excellent, then walked over to Trinity College. You are supposed to book a walking tour to tour Trinity--we just popped into the courtyard, took a quick photo and daughter bought a tee shirt at the college gift shop. Then we walked to Temple Bar area, had a snack, walked to see the famine sculpture and walked back to ship--it's a long walk--take a taxi and ask taxi to drive by famine sculpture on the way to the ship.

 

Belfast-booked Giants Causeway with Odyssey Tours. We paid a bit extra for the smaller "extra legroom" minibus.  Awesome drive, sights (including castle ruins) and fabulous commentary of struggles in Belfast-great price, great tour! Our minibus seated 18. We didn't need extra legroom--just wanted less people and more personalized and we got it. My daughter actually wrote a college essay about the Peace Walls and N. Ireland conflict after seeing then and listening to our guide. The drive is fantastic, the causeway is very interesting and there are a number of stops--plenty of oppurtunties to be active and also a photographers dream.

Glasgow-DIY via train to Stirling castle. It was a good, but long tiring day. I'd book a tour that showed you a castle, etc. plus more of Scotland like Discover Scotland Tours.  

Invergordon-we booked the North tour with invergordon-bustours.com. if this castle interests you, then it is a good, inexpensive tour. Queen Victoria summered here. We like the small village for our hour stop as well. We needed to depart later in the AM. Otherwise, I'd book with above for the south tour or book with Invergordon tours or Wow Scotland. 

Edinburgh-we took the cruise bus to Ediburgh and walked to castle. very good. Be sure to walk down a side street, quaint and totally different than the Royal Mile. 

In London, we  did the Churchill War Room, British Museum, Harrods, and Imperial War Room and a Harry Potter walking tour--all excellent. 

So, don't fret, in a few clicks and emails, your planning can be done and you can pretend like you spent months on research! Enjoy! Elaine

 

Edited by elaine5
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Hi, The Edinburgh Fringe Festival is on between 2 August – 26 August 2019. From 11 am until 9 pm there will be free street entertainment. So allow some extra time as you might find an act you want to stand and watch.

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While in London, Buckingham Palace, the royal  staterooms will be open to the public. Purchase tickets in advance.   www.royalcollection.org.uk. 

www.rtc.uk/visit/the-state-rooms-buckingham-palace

 

Edinburgh Tattoo will be on in August.

 

Check out your Roll Call here on Cruise Critic, many will have private tours booked and may have seats available to join.

Edited by phabric
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London - Obviously so much to see and do.  I've lived within 30 miles of London for my entire life, and there's still loads of things I haven't seen.  Some of the  attractions I'd suggest - Tower of London,  Churchill War Rooms, Buckingham Palace (open for tours in August) Houses of Parliament (also open for Tours in August), Westminster Abbey, Kensington Palace, St Paul's Cathedral,   Greenwich for the Maritime Museum, Cutty Sark and Royal Observatory. Lastly London Transport Museum which is in Covent Garden

 

Guernsey - Castle Cornet is very close to where the tenders come in, very easy to do yourself and a good castle to explore.

 

Cork - if you are docking in Cobh, Cobh is a nice place to walk around.  The Museum is right by where the ship docks, and the train station is also nearby for trains into Cork itself.  We have also done  excursions from Cobh, to Blarney Castle, the Ring of Kerry and Kinsale.  

 

Dublin. This is very easy to do yourself. Take the ships shuttle bus into the City and get on the HOHO bus. There's a HOHO stop near the shuttle bus stop - just follow the rest of the passengers.  The HOHO bus gives you a good overview of the city. Afterwards, we walked down to the Liffey to the Halfpenny Bridge, then  to O'Connell Street, and then back over the Liffey to Temple Bar.  If you fancy countryside instead, the ships normally do a 'Discover County Wicklow' tour, which we have enjoyed.

 

Belfast - either Titanic Belfast or Giant's Causeway. 

 

Glasgow - only been here once, and did a ships tour to Loch Lomond, which was very pretty

 

Invergordon - A very small town, feels like a throwback to the 70's.  Although pleasant, not a lot to do herer, so suggest a tour - Inverness and Culloden is my favourite from this port

 

Edinburgh. Take the ship's shuttle into the city. If you like castles, Edinburgh Castle a must see - so many layers of history.  Also, up the other up of the Royal Mile, Holyrood Palace is well worth visiting.  You may dock near the Royal Yacht Britannia this is a nice place to visit.

 

Hope this helps ! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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My advice would be don't try to do everything!  I live in Edinburgh so I can understand that when you do research about my city you feel overwhelmed as there is just so much to see. However, at the end of the day you are on HOLIDAY. Much of the experience doesn't depend on seeing every popular sights but on getting a feel for the place and enjoying the local atmosphere. You will enjoy your cruise far ore if you don't overdo it.

 

As far as Scotland is concerned, the beauty lies in the natural environment.  It is a stunning country of beautiful lochs nd glens so focus on tht. Castles can be wow from the outside on a  drive by. You down nave t spend a morning exploring every corner of it. Taking a local bus and engaging wth people is as much fun as spending three hours on a guided tour. 

 

Places to explore 

from Greenock - Loch Lomond and the Trossachs - a tour

From Invergordon - Loch Ness - a tour

From Edinburgh - It's a really compact city and very walkable. You will be there during the Edinburgh Festival and Fringe so enjoy the awe-inspiring views from The Castle esplanade and Calton Hill. Just wander down the Royal Mile between the Castle and the Palace  and go in  and out the little closes (alleys ) which lead off it.  Shuttle bus from South Queensferry into the city centre (£9 round trip)

Edited by tartanexile81
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My husband and I will be doing this itinerary in June. 3 days in London before cruise.  I'm early 60's, husband is early 70's. He's not much of a walker, I am. We will be doing a combination of princess shore excursions and private tours. DIY in London. I've done alot of planning. I can recommend ( or not) tours after we take them.

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"your favorite port to walk and roam without a planned excursion 

your favorite castle tour

your favorite/most helpful review/YouTube video/website that helped you plan for your cruise"

 

Guernsey was my favorite port to walk and roam. It was a beautiful, sunny Sunday morning, there was a small street art fair and the town was lovely. Very easy to do. Some enjoy taking the bus around the island , but we were very happy with just wandering on foot. 

 

Favorite castle tour was Stirling castle. We used Discover Scotland tours (out of Glasgow/Greenock). This was one of my favorite tours of the cruise. It was a small bus/van tour, with Cameron as our guide. We visited Loch Lomond, Stirling castle, had lunch on our own in a charming little village, and still had time to stop for a little touring/shopping in Glasgow.  https://discoverscotlandtours.com/  Easy to book online.

 

These boards are filled with reviews for the British Isles Cruises, and they were very helpful to me in planning. I kept a Word document up on my laptop while browsing reviews. When I came across something that sounded helpful or interesting to me I would copy just the bit of the review that I found interesting, and paste it into my Word document under the specific city or port (London, Southampton, Guernsey, etc.). At first I felt like I was copying everything, but the more I read, the more I was able to discern what was going to be helpful and interesting to me. 

 

One surprise for us, and truly a highlight, was the beauty of Northern Ireland. I highly recommend hiring a driver to show you Belfast and the history of the Troubles, but also to take you out into the countryside. Gorgeous scenery, castle ruins, lunch at Bushmills Inn on the Causeway coast (originally a coaching inn in the 1600's) while a peat fire burns in the fireplace...something I will never forget.

 

One more tip...if traveling from the States, arrive in London at least three days before your cruise if possible. We did, and were very grateful as we adjusted to the time difference before the cruise. The first few days of the cruise we could tell those passengers that had not yet adjusted to the time difference. They were dragging themselves through and sleeping on tours---missing out on a lot! We are going again soon and planning 5 days pre-cruise in London and vicinity.

 

I agree completely that travel does not have to be perfect to be wonderful. Some of the best memories are from the little moments that come in "just being" in a place.

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The only place on your itinerary I really can comment on is London. And you've got some good advice already. You say you've never been to Europe? Then give yourself as much time before and/or after the cruise as you possibly can! Take the advice you've already been given and do some planning. For instance, you probably want to be at the Tower first thing in the morning. Check the opening hours and be there when it opens to get ahead of the tour busses. There are a lot of public areas in London that you can just wander through; you'll never see the inside of every attraction, so pick a couple. If Buckingham Palace is open, do that (never been when we could), but then just wander the area. St James Park, Horse Guards, etc., are all there.

 

London is one of the world's great cities. Give yourself an opportunity to just "get lost" a bit. The pubs are almost all chains these days, but sit down in one anyway in the early afternoon and have a pint of something on cask. You will never see everything you want to see in London; I've probably spent 3-4 months total over the last 15 years and still feel like I've just touched the surface. But I always enjoy being there.

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Our favorite port to wander around on our own was Guernsey. You need to read the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Unfortunately, some cruises miss this port due to the rough seas making it impossible to tender. 

 

Our favorite palace tour was Buckingham Palace in London. We also enjoyed going to Kensington Palace. For castles, we enjoyed Urquhart Castle and the cruise on Loch Ness afterward. That excursion also included a visit to the Clava Cairns and Cawdor Castle. We also enjoyed going to Blarney Castle. Both those excursions were booked with independent companies and not through Princess.

 

There's going to be an installation of works by Chihuly this summer at Kew Gardens. I'd love to go back to see that. Other things we enjoyed in London were the Victoria and Albert, Shakespeare's Globe, the Churchill War Rooms, and lots of shows (including Hamilton).

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I also recommend doing Guernsey on your own.  Whether you stroll around town (St Peter Port), take a cliff walk from town (the walk from town to Fermain bay is a favourite of mine), stroll around Castle Cornet (perhaps not the grand "castle" of your imagination, but it played important roles in the island's history), or hop on one of the many buses and wander elsewhere on the island, there is plenty to do.  The island isn't very large, the bus system works well (and fares are only £1), and there is a lot to see. 

 

In Town:

Castle Cornet

Victor Hugo's house

Candie Gardens 

Shopping

Dining

Victoria Tower - get the key from the Guernsey Museum

 

Beyond town:

Cliff Walks

Old churches - Guernsey is broken into 10 parishes

The Little Chapel

German fortifications

German occupation museum

German underground hospital

 

and plenty more

 

If you fancy an introductory tour of the island, which starts and end very near the tender pier, consider the Guernsey Explorer from Island Coachways.  It's only £10 for a narrated 90 minute tour of the island.  Then you're free to spend the remaining time as you wish, whether in town or beyond.  https://www.icw.gg/guernsey-explorer

 

Edited by D C
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Thank you everyone. Your posts have helped me focus my energy and we made a tentative plan to walk around and enjoy Guernsey (I am reading the book now) and Cobh. For Dublin we are going to do a hop on and off bus.

Still working on Invergordon and Glasgow but I do feel more focused. Thanks again for all the advice.




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When in August are you going?

 

We are on the 17th of August out of South Hampton.  

 

Read our roll call and you can find lots of ideas for tour companies.  We will be in London 4 nights prior and then 3 nights after in Paris.  

 

We are staying near Waterloo at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge.

 

We are using Blackberry cars to take us from Heathrow to Hotel, then hotel to ship and again from Ship to Eurostar train station.  They were the most reasonable for 6 persons.

 

Book your shore excursions early with Princess as they do sell out.  Also, anything you want to see sells tickets on line and you can book most of them now.  We have purchased Buckingham Palace, Tower of London, Kensington Palace already.  Still need to purchase Westminster Abbey tickets as they are not on sale yet.  You can even purchase the HOHO on line.  Usually tickets are cheaper on line than in person the day of tour.  Plus you don't have to wait in line.  See if there is a museum pass if the is what you want to see.

 

I have been researching for almost a year now and am still not done.  

 

Since there are 6 of us going you need to have a daily plan all mapped out.  If it was just the 2 of us, we would wing it more.

 

If you have any questions on tour operators, let me know and I can give you who we booked.

 

Good Luck

 

Cheryl

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Our only non-cruise European trip was a week in London about 10 years ago.  We stayed at the Holiday Inn near Victoria Station, which was very handy.  Did several London Walks over the course of the week, which I highly recommend. They last an hour or two.  One day we took a bus tour to Bath, which also stopped at Stonehenge.  Enjoy!

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On 4/30/2019 at 8:54 PM, kayred said:

Thank you everyone. Your posts have helped me focus my energy and we made a tentative plan to walk around and enjoy Guernsey (I am reading the book now) and Cobh. For Dublin we are going to do a hop on and off bus.

Still working on Invergordon and Glasgow but I do feel more focused. Thanks again for all the advice.




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If you are at all interested in WWII history, do not miss the Occupation Museum.  It captivates what this island endured and so much more.  We took the public bus to a stop nearby and walked the short distance to the museum.  The artifacts and the story told are priceless.  It is not an overly curated museum--the reality of the exhibits is so powerful.

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If you are at all interested in WWII history, do not miss the Occupation Museum.  It captivates what this island endured and so much more.  We took the public bus to a stop nearby and walked the short distance to the museum.  The artifacts and the story told are priceless.  It is not an overly curated museum--the reality of the exhibits is so powerful.

Sounds wonderful but I want to confirm is that in Guernsey? It sounds like something we would really enjoy


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Here's our really long review of an extremely similar cruise on the Royal Princess last year: Maybe someone can make use of it before the info gets too stale...  We were very happy with our eventual plans in Invergordon and Glasgow, as you'll see.

 

 

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7 hours ago, kayred said:


Sounds wonderful but I want to confirm is that in Guernsey? It sounds like something we would really enjoy


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Yes, the German Occupation Museum is in Guernsey.  It's near the airport, not too far from the pier where you'll tender ashore.   You would proceed to the town terminus for a bus, which is immediately across from the pier, and look for buses 91, 93, 94, or 95 (please check when you're there to be sure).   When you board, tell the driver of your destination, and he'll be sure to drop you at the proper stop along the road.  And it will be a stop along the road.  I don't believe there is a proper sheltered stop at the museum.

 

If you're interested in the German Occupation, and enjoy fantastic scenery, consider continuing on to Pleinmont.  The 91 bus is likely the best option in that case, and there will be some walking to get to the site of the German emplacements, but it's worth the walk for the clifftop scenery.   There are some German observation towers in the area, as well as a restored gun emplacement. 

 

Back near the Occupation Museum are a couple of other popular sites, the Little Chapel, and the German Underground Hospital.  The hospital consists of the series of tunnels that were cut into the hillside by slave labour.  The site is rich in preserved (not necessarily restored) tunnels with some museum-type artifacts.   

 

This map shows the relative position of all of those: https://goo.gl/maps/xmnVE6Mra5kAqjv66

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10 hours ago, MrsEmmaPeel said:

Here's our really long review of an extremely similar cruise on the Royal Princess last year: Maybe someone can make use of it before the info gets too stale...  We were very happy with our eventual plans in Invergordon and Glasgow, as you'll see.

 

 

Thanks, this was great! Even though we'll be on the Crown this August, a lot of your information was helpful. I shared the link on our roll call. 

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12 hours ago, kayred said:


Sounds wonderful but I want to confirm is that in Guernsey? It sounds like something we would really enjoy


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Yes it is Guernsey.  D C's post has great information.

 

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Yes, the German Occupation Museum is in Guernsey.  It's near the airport, not too far from the pier where you'll tender ashore.   You would proceed to the town terminus for a bus, which is immediately across from the pier, and look for buses 91, 93, 94, or 95 (please check when you're there to be sure).   When you board, tell the driver of your destination, and he'll be sure to drop you at the proper stop along the road.  And it will be a stop along the road.  I don't believe there is a proper sheltered stop at the museum.
 
If you're interested in the German Occupation, and enjoy fantastic scenery, consider continuing on to Pleinmont.  The 91 bus is likely the best option in that case, and there will be some walking to get to the site of the German emplacements, but it's worth the walk for the clifftop scenery.   There are some German observation towers in the area, as well as a restored gun emplacement. 
 
Back near the Occupation Museum are a couple of other popular sites, the Little Chapel, and the German Underground Hospital.  The hospital consists of the series of tunnels that were cut into the hillside by slave labour.  The site is rich in preserved (not necessarily restored) tunnels with some museum-type artifacts.   
 
This map shows the relative position of all of those: https://goo.gl/maps/xmnVE6Mra5kAqjv66


Wonderful, I checked out the map and that was a big help.




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You all have helped so much. We are definitely doing Guernsey and Cobh walking around on on our own and will do an excursion in Belfast and Glasgow. We are probably taking Princess transportation onto Edinburgh but will walk around town without a tour.

Still working on Invergorden - not sure we want another long bus ride but also not sure we want to roam on our own here. But as you can see I have stopped panicking and have a good plan in place. I am so excited for this cruise! I have finished reading Guernsey Literary and potato Peal Society book (enjoyed it) and for now my favorite thing to read are reviews and blogs. Thanks again everyone


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