Emerald Princess - 1 to 13 August British Isles - Full Review !!!

[LT Hambone]

Greetings!

 

It's only taken me a few weeks to start pulling all of this together, so my apologies.

 

What follows is a mostly objective review of our Emerald Princess British Isles cruise, and is a more detailed review of my original Emerald Princess - 1 to 13 August British Isles post. Yes, I know, I could have done better naming these two posts!

 

Also wanted to pass along to the community the resources we used to make this a really fun, and unique, cruise. Planning a 12 day UK cruise can be daunting - so many ports, so many options, pre cruise vs. post cruise, etc.! Feel free to ask any question!

 

I'm going to break this post into chunks -

 

• Part 1 - Getting to the ship via London
• Part 2 - Guernsey & Ireland
• Part 3 - Scotland forever!
• Part 4 - Heading home via France
• Part 5 - Random thoughts about the ship

 

So - sit back, relax, and enjoy!

 

[Lady Arwen]

We’re doing this itinerary September 2023 on Regal Princess, so I’m very interested in reading your review.  

[LT Hambone]

Part 1 - Getting to the ship via London

 

 

Whoever said getting there is half the fun hasn't flown internationally lately!

 

• Flight to London
  • We flew out of Newark directly to Heathrow
  • We used Newark Long Term Parking, very friendly, good service, and good rates. If you sign up for their LTP Club, you can get enough points for a free day or two!
  • Our flight was booked through American Airlines as a code share with British Airways, and we caught a good sale and upgraded to Premium Economy
    • If you can wing it, go for Premium. Bigger seats, slightly better food and drink (including alcohol), a nice amenity kit (with a thicker blanket than regular economy) - plus the boarding early part is nice.
  • Landed at Heathrow, and the fun began!
    • We debarked on the tarmac and had to take a bus to the terminal. Fun!
    • Our baggage claim number changed while we waited, and then had about an hour wait until the bags started rolling out. We did get all of our bags!
  • For our transfer to London, we used London Transfers
    • Great service, good prices, and very flexible for where you need to go - they can even do multiple drop-offs!
    • As soon as we arrived in baggage claim, our driver had texted us to let us know he was there and where to find him!
    • His van had water bottles and every known charging cord in multiple spots. Awesome!
• So we made it to London, now what?
  • For our hotel, we stayed at the Cheval Three Quays
    • Had a fully serviced two bedroom, two bath apartment with a full kitchen and not one, but TWO balconies!
    • Kitchen was stocked with bread, eggs, cheese, snacks, water, juice, salami, cheese, coffee, tea - all complimentary!
    • Oh, did I forget to mention the location? Check out the view from the master bedroom balcony -

• • • Hotel was a short walk to the Tower Hill tube station and the Hop-on/Hop-off bus stop, and also a really short walk to the Tower Pier
    • Absolutely perfect stay, place is amazing and we had more than enough room for the four us!
  • So, what did we do in London?
    • All of the tourist stuff, of course!
    • We used the London Pass along with an Oyster card. Only thing that was not on the Pass was Westminster Palace - other than that, we made the most of the pass!
    • We also scored tickets to the Ceremony of the Keys and saw Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club.
    • Oh - big London tip - M&S Simply Food stores can be your best friend - grab and go lunches, snacks, heat and eat dinners, all sorts of goodies. We grabbed some stuff at an M&S next to Green Park for an impromptu Picnic, and the one near the hotel we used for dinner one night.
    • And - bonus - a very rare opening of the Tower Bridge on our last night -

• • Time to get to Southampton!
    • We used Nick from Tours By Locals for a custom tour - he picked us up at our hotel, took us to Hampton Court Palace for a guided tour, then a stop at Stonehenge (which was a lot of fun with Nick!), a lunch stop in Salisbury by the cathedral (which was sadly closed), before dropping us off at our hotel in Southampton. An amazing day!
    • We stayed at room2 - a funky little hotel very close to the Ocean Cruise Terminal. Check-out time is 2:00 PM, which makes this hotel a great choice for cruisers!
  • The big day has arrived!
    • The front desk recommended a taxi to get to the terminal, said it would take at least 45 minutes, and offered to reserve one when we checked-in. Since our boarding time was 12:30, the front desk reserved an 11:00 pick-up time to be safe.
    • So - taxi arrived promptly at 11, 6 pounds and10 minutes later we were in the terminal, checked-in, and waiting to board!
    • Spent the rest of the day exploring the ship, drinking, eating, drinking some more. Will post more about the ship later.

 

 

Thus ends Part 1 - more to come, and more pictures as well!

 

[LT Hambone]

Part 2 - Guernsey & Ireland

 

 

Alrighty - time to get the port calls underway! 

 

St. Peter Port, Guernsey

"Humor is the best way to make the unbearable bearable."

 

 

This port was a challenge for us, we were not interested in either war history or fans of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. So we went in a different direction and booked a Sark Coast & Caves Experience with Island RIB voyages. Yes, we were getting off a ship onto a boat to go ride another boat!

 

Tendered ashore in the morning (more on that in Part 5), walked around town (lots of shopping and eating opportunities), and arrived at the meeting point an hour early, and had the following conversation -

 

Me: "Hi! Checking in for the 12:30 tour!"

Island RIB: "Oh, I'm sorry, guess you didn't see the email yet, the tour has been cancelled."

Me: "Why? It's a beautiful sunny day with calm seas!"

Island RIB: (pointing towards the Queen Victoria) "See that ship out there? There's supposed to be island in front of it!"

Me: "All I see is fog........"

 

So, no tour, and the Island RIB folks were incredibly nice, offered to rebook (we couldn't, so they gave us a full refund), and asked if we needed any help finding something to do. Instead, we went back to the boat early to avoid the tender lines, and waved bye bye to Guernsey as we engaged in a horn battle with the Queen Victoria (we won, of course!).

 

 

Cobh, Ireland

"As I was going over the Cork and Kerry mountains"

 

 

For this port we kept it real simple - had a ton of shipboard credit from rebooking incentives, so we used most of it on our only ship tour, Cork City Sights and Jameson Whiskey Tasting. Since this was an afternoon tour, spent the morning walking around Cobh - the walk up to the cathedral was foreshadowing of what was to come. Nice little town!

 

The tour itself was pretty good - we aren't whiskey drinkers, but enjoyed the tour of the distillery and the tasting. Quick driving tour of Cork, and then back to the ship.

 

 

Side note - this port's main attraction is Blarney Castle. My wife and I were there years ago, and our boys weren't interested in going, so we skipped it.

 

Dún Laoghaire, Ireland

"And all the way to Dublin, Whack fol lol le rah!"

 

 

Today was going to be our roughest day yet due to the logistics - tender to shore, train to Dublin, walking tour of Dublin, train to Dún Laoghaire, tender back to ship. Since I'm posting my tendering thoughts later, let me tell you how easy (and cheap) the train to Dublin is to ride!

 

From the tendering pier it's a short walk across the street to the train station, just follow the crowd. Railway agents were manning the ticket machines to help out, machines are very easy to use (don't forget to get a round trip ticket for 5€!), and there was another agent directing everyone to the correct platform. A short 20 minute ride later and we were in Dublin!

 

We booked a walking tour with Cathy from Tours by Locals - Cathy showed us all the main sights of Dublin, made a few stops for snacks, and picked an out of the way pub for lunch. Cathy was very knowledgeable, and very funny. She also booked us for the Book of Kells at the end of tour so that we could avoid the crowds and be right next to the train station.

 

Back to the train station, more railway agents helping to point people in the right direction, back to the long tender line, and finally, back to the ship.

 

Belfast, Northern Ireland

"Well, it's a marvelous night for a Moondance"

 

 

Belfast was another stop where my wife and I had been, but our boys had not, so instead of repeating our trip to see the Giants Causeway (which is amazing, highly recommend seeing this one!), we booked a trip to the Gobbins Cliff Path with Vale Cabs. This was an absolutely amazing hike! But it's not for everyone - very steep path down to the cliff face (remember the foreshadowing in Cobh?), some tight tunnels to navigate (very glad they give you a helmet!), and lots of rock stairs to navigate. But the views and the wildlife make it all worth the effort! After the hike, we had a quick tour of Belfast, then back to the ship.

 

 

 

NOTE - It appears Vale Cabs is no longer offering this tour. If you are interested, I would contact them and see if it's still an option. If not, you can book this tour with the ship or find other tour options. Vale Cabs is still offering a tour to the Giants Causeway, and I would recommend this as an alternative.

 

 

Next up - Scotland!

 

[LT Hambone]

Part 3 - Scotland, the first half!

 

After leaving sunny Ireland, it was off to cloudy and rainy Scotland. Well, at least the first half was cloudy and rainy!

 

Greenock, Scotland

"So..... Who wants to feed a hairy coo?"

 

We had arranged for full day tour with Tom at Clansman Tours. Our original plan was to tour Inveraray Castle in the morning, and then visit an ATV/Clay Pigeon shooting place in the afternoon (to keep our boys happy). But, about a week or so before we left Tom contacted us and said the ATV/Clay Pigeon shooting place was going to be closed the day we were there, so he found an alternative clay shooting place near Stirling for the afternoon, and adjusted the schedule accordingly. Nice!

 

Tom and his amazing van were waiting for us as we left the pier. After a very scenic drive through the Highlands, we arrived at Inveraray Castle and had the rest of the morning to explore at our leisure.

 

 

 

After Inveraray, we headed to the Falls of Dochart for lunch at (wait for it....) The Falls of Dochart Inn. Good lunch, and amazing scenery!

 

 

After lunch, Tom asked us, "So.... Who wants to feed a hairy coo?" Hairy coos are Highland cattle - big, hairy, with horns. Tom took us to the Trossachs Woollen Mill to meet, and feed, Honey and Hamish. Tom explain to us that they are rescued hairy coos, and while they might appear to be a tourist attraction, they are well cared for (and well fed by tourists, you can purchase a bag of veggies at the mill shop) and are living a safe, happy, and comfortable life. Tom also explain that because Highland cattle numbers are declining (due to practicality), Honey and Hamish are ambassadors for their breed. Very gentle creatures, and yes, there are eyes under all that hair!

 

 

 

 

After feeding the hairy coos, we moo-ved along to our next stop, and after passing Stirling Castle (more foreshadowing!) we arrived at Clay Pigeon Scotland. This was an absolute blast (no pun intended) - our instructor was awesome, funny, and incredibly helpful teaching us how to shoot. For the first few pigeons, he would show us where the clay would fly and where to shoot. Towards the end of the session, our instructor would step away and let us work it out on our own. Did I mention funny?

 

Me: (pointing to the sheep in the field behind the range, the white dots in the photo below) Do the sheep mind the shooting?

Instructor: What sheep?

 

 

Me: Ok, where are the clays coming from?

Instructor: I'm not telling you.... Pull!

 

Do to her eyesight, my wife did not shoot. But, our instructor had her give it one try with two clays, and after shooting he exclaimed, "Absolutely perfect! She was absolutely perfect in missing each one!"

 

Once we were done, it was back to the ship after an amazing day in the Highlands!

 

NOTE: The main draw for this port was the The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo since the ship was in port until 2:00 AM the next morning. There are quite a few threads out there regarding ship tour versus doing it on your own. If this is something on your bucket list, then look for a cruise that either stays late in Greenock or stays late in (or overnights) in Edinburgh.

 

Kirkwall, Scotland

"Am I hearing..... bagpipes !?!?!?!?!??"

 

After a much needed sea day to recharge after going non-stop for too many days, we arrived in Kirkwall. Kirkwall is one of the reasons why we chose this itinerary, it just looked interesting. And we were not disappointed!

 

Because we like to think out of the box when it comes to tours, we booked a trike tour (yes, a motorcycle trike!) with John at Orkney Trike Tours. Since the trike only holds two passengers, we booked 2 two hour tours. Up first were me and my wife, and then our sons would get their turn.

 

 

NOTE: That is NOT us in the photo, it's from John's website since I don't have a good pic of his trike.

 

This was an absolute blast! Our helmets had headsets so John could narrate as he drove around the island. We drove through Kirkwall, up Wideford hill for some amazing views, and then out to the Standing Stones of Stennes and the Ring of Brodgar. As we drove by the standing stones, a ship tour bus had arrived, and our fellow passengers just stared at us as we drove by (more foreshadowing!). Back to the ship to trade places with the boys!

 

 

 

Our boys had roughly a similar tour, but John made a few tweaks to make it more fun for them. During their tour, it started sleeting and raining. Not a problem - John had rain coats and pants for the boys, and they had even more fun! If you want to find the wildest way yet to see Orkney, this is the way!

 

While the boys rode, the the wife and I did walk around town using the free shuttle bus. This is a really welcoming port - all of the local volunteers who helped guiding folks on the pier, manning the buses, and greeting passengers at the visitor center were warm and welcoming. A truly incredible day in Kirkwall!

 

We were in our cabins for departure getting ready for dinner when we heard this "noise". "Am I hearing..... bagpipes !?!?!?!?!??", my wife asked. Out to the balcony we sprang, and yup, there were bagpipers on the pier to send us off! What an awesome way to end the visit!

 

 

 

 

Next up - Scotland the Sequel!

[dog]

Following. Have done British Isles cruise with Princess twice. Enjoy!

[G&Gcruisers]

Following. I’m taking lots of notes. We are doing the British Isles in June 2023 to replace our 2020 trip that was cancelled. Between your suggestions and all of my previous excursion plans, I think our trip is coming together nicely. 
Thank you so much!

[LT Hambone]

6 minutes ago, G&Gcruisers said:

Following. I’m taking lots of notes. We are doing the British Isles in June 2023 to replace our 2020 trip that was cancelled. Between your suggestions and all of my previous excursion plans, I think our trip is coming together nicely. 
Thank you so much!

 

@G&Gcruisers - You are most welcome! Feel free to ask any questions!

 

 

And - stay tuned, the best is yet to come. Wait until you see what we did in Le Havre!

 

[cruisequeen4ever]

Outstanding info; hope you come back and finish!