British Isles Cruise 5-24-2023

[Johnkut]

Hello all, we are going on a British Isles Cruise on May 24, 2023. Would like to get information on the below cruise stops. 

Iverness, Scotland

Glasgow, Scotland

Belfast, Northern Ireland

Holyhead, Wales

Liverpool, England

Cork, Ireland

Dover, England

Are there any stops that we can just get off the ship and walk into town and go on our own? What stops should we take an excursion, and any recommendations on excursions? We just came off a Holland Cruise, and we realized that some of the stops we could get off ourselves and get free transport by the ship into town. So any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks

[sgmn]

Liverpool is a great stop. You dock right in the centre of the historic area, a short walk to the Cavan Club ( made famous by The Beatles) and near the ferry (across the Mersey🎶) and other attractions .

Belfast is also close to the city centre. We did a tour but a lot of people book tickets on line for the Titanic museum. I think you need a taxi or bus to get there but it isn't far. 

I haven't done the other stops but you should find info on the British Isles page of cruise critic ports of call 

Edited October 28, 2022 by sgmn

[kccrzr]

We did a British Isles cruise this last summer.  The only port you list which we did not go to was Liverpool.  Following is some general info regarding the ports.

 

Inverness:  The port is in a very small town and in my opinion, opportunities would be wasteed staying in port.  We have been 4 times.  It seems most people go on a ship or private tour to Loch Ness and Urguhart Castle.  We have also done private tours to Dunrobin castle, distilleries and surrounding areas.  This year we rented a car and drove to the Black Water Falls, The Singleton of Glen Ord distillery and to Beauly to see the Beauly Priory.  We have always had a great time in the Scottish Highlands.

 

Glasgow:  The port of Greenock is not close to Glasgow or Edinburgh.  There were no convenient rental car locations this summer.  Because we love Edinburgh more than we like Glasgow, we booked a "Edinburgh On Your Own" tour through RCI.  For us, the time spent getting to and from Edinburgh was well worth it, but others might think differently.  We have been to Edinburgh several times so we did not feel like we needed to see everything.  I know many people also took the RCI transfer to Glasgow.

 

Belfast:  We took a small group tour to Giants Causeway with Odyssey Tours.  It was a very good tour for the price.

 

Holyhead:  We had a fabulous day in Wales and can't wait to return.  We rented a car and drove to Conwy to see the castle, Beaumarais to see the castle and then to the train station at Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.  Conwy castle was unbelievably interesting.

 

Cork:  The port of Cobh is fairly small.  Due to limited time in port, we stayed there and explored on foot.  If you are mobile, a walk up to see the cathedral is worth the hike.  We then just poked around town, had some drinks at a pub and ate lunch at a restaurant with an outdoor deck at water's edge.

 

Dover:  Although a bit of a steep hike, we walked to Dover Castle and were glad we did.  Great views and very informative employees/volunteers. I purchased tickets online so we didn't have to wait at the ticket office. When we walked back down to town we just had drinks in a pub and then found a restaurant by water's edge with great views of the ship.

 

It's a great itinerary. You can't go much wrong regardless of what you decide to do.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 28, 2022 by kccrzr

[dani negreanu]

You can find much info here --

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/148-british-isleswestern-europe/

 

In Cork we took the train into town and strolled to the English Market. Then we took the local bus to Kinsale, a quaint little town. Train again.

 

When back, and still had time, we went up to the Cathedral. 

 

In Belfast we took a tour with 2 other couples from our roll call to the Giant's Causeway (amazing) and we even managed a tour of the "divided" city.

 

[robbinsca]

On 10/28/2022 at 1:14 PM, Johnkut said:

Hello all, we are going on a British Isles Cruise on May 24, 2023. Would like to get information on the below cruise stops. 

Iverness, Scotland

Glasgow, Scotland

Belfast, Northern Ireland

Holyhead, Wales

Liverpool, England

Cork, Ireland

Dover, England

Are there any stops that we can just get off the ship and walk into town and go on our own? What stops should we take an excursion, and any recommendations on excursions? We just came off a Holland Cruise, and we realized that some of the stops we could get off ourselves and get free transport by the ship into town. So any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks

If you are on the NCL Dawn be aware that they changed the itinerary and will not be stopping in Liverpool. They changed the landing date at another stop and have added Waterford Ireland instead. We are on that ship, and very disappointed in the change.

[SueMo]

Inverness, Scotland

The port is in Invergordon.  I highly recommend Wow Scotland’s classic highland tour.  We did this about 5 years ago and it was great!

 

Glasgow, Scotland

The port is in Greenock.  You can take the train from Greenock West to Glasgow.   Central.  Trains leave every 30 min and the journey takes 35 - 45 min.  Cost is 6 - 7 GBP.  There is a HOHO bus and many museums are free.  Alternately, take a tour to Stirling Castle.

 

Belfast, Northern Ireland

The first time I was in Belfast I took a tour to Giants Causeway and the Antrim coast.  It was nice.  The second time we were there we did a black cab tour of the troubled areas and walked around the city, and it was great, too.  The third time we went to Titanic museum and then to the Crumlin Road Gaol, another great day!  Belfast is a great city to visit…you’ll enjoy it.

 

Liverpool, England

Lots of things within walking distance of the ship.  You can take a Beatles tour, visit the Maritime Museum, and see the Cavern Club.

 

Cork, Ireland

The port is in Cobh.  The first time we were there we took a private tour to Blarney Castle and Kinsale.  It’s a good tour.  The second time we were there we stayed in Cobh and visited the Titanic Experience, took the tourist train around town, and spent the rest of the day in Kelly’s Bar which had live music and tasty Irish coffee.  All these are an easy walk from the ship.

 

Dover, England

We visited Dover Castle and their secret wartime tunnels.  Interesting.

[Travelntrike]

On 10/28/2022 at 3:14 PM, Johnkut said:

Hello all, we are going on a British Isles Cruise on May 24, 2023. Would like to get information on the below cruise stops. 

Iverness, Scotland

Glasgow, Scotland

Belfast, Northern Ireland

Holyhead, Wales

Liverpool, England

Cork, Ireland

Dover, England

Are there any stops that we can just get off the ship and walk into town and go on our own? What stops should we take an excursion, and any recommendations on excursions? We just came off a Holland Cruise, and we realized that some of the stops we could get off ourselves and get free transport by the ship into town. So any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks

We docked in Greenock, the port for Glasgow,  several years back and walked a few blocks to the train station took the train for Glasgow, getting of first at Paisley for a visit to Paisley Abbey then on to Glasgow. It was a nice ride and we really enjoyed Paisley. At that time there several friendly locals to welcome & help with any information, including clan names & info.

[Derbie]

On 10/28/2022 at 3:42 PM, kccrzr said:

Belfast:  We took a small group tour to Giants Causeway with Odyssey Tours.  It was a very good tour for the price.

 

I searched for the Odyssey Tours online, but I may have located the incorrect one.  Can you advise where I can locate them?  My husband wants to see the causeway in a terrible way.  Many thanks

[RNCheryl]

It's Odyssey COACH Tours.

 

We are going on the excursion to Giant's Causeway, a couple of scenic stops, and then the Titanic Museum.  We paid 71GBP each.

 

I notice that several of the dates are filling; please check soon.

 

https://odysseycoachtours.co.uk/giants_causeway_tour/giants-causeway-day-tour-small-group/

[SomewhereGirl]

And definitely go with the small group tour for the very slightly higher price.  Well worth it.

[retiredman]

We just returned from a Viking Ocean British Isles Cruise. In Holyhead, Wales I definitely suggest Boutique Tours of Wales. The owner and guide John, has a passion and love of his Country and it shines through. He will take you places the big busses could only dream about and at a much fairer price. 

In the Shetland Islands we booked "Shetland Minibus Tours". Grant is a pleasure, and we saw some fantastic scenery and visited some places that the Viking Tours could never reach.

Both are HIGHLY Recommended.