Guernsey - what have you done at this port

[kwcrnp]

We're going to Guernsey on a cruise in June. I've been doing some searches on google. I don't see any here on CC.

 

If you've been there - what did you do? Did you use public transportation or rent a car?

 

Thanks!

[HeinBloed]

We're going to Guernsey on a cruise in June. I've been doing some searches on google. I don't see any here on CC.

 

If you've been there - what did you do? Did you use public transportation or rent a car?

 

Thanks!

 

We were in St. Peter-Port last year's May with NORWEGIAN DREAM.

 

First we contacted the tourist information who sent us a list of tour guides. So we booked a guide and a car which was waiting for us at the tender boat terminal.

 

We had a great day to discover Guernsey.

 

Some photos can be found here:

 

http://heinbloed-cruiseblogs.blogspot.com/2008/08/6-norwegian-dream.html

 

Scroll down to the bottom to see the pictures.

 

The text is in German. But you can enjoy the pictures.

 

Regards,

HeinBloed

[Fblack]

We were there last year for only a few hours. Plus it was our last stop on a long cruise. So we just walked around town. The tender drop-off is about 100 yadrs from the city. Lots of small streets and some shops. You can walk to Fort George as well.

[kwcrnp]

HeinBloed -

Thanks for the pictures. I use to know German, but a little too rusty now!

 

What castle or building is in the final picture? It looks beautiful and I'd like to see it.

 

Kristi

[HeinBloed]

What castle or building is in the final picture? It looks beautiful and I'd like to see it.

 

Hello,

 

unfortunately I am on business trip and my guide book is at home.

 

It was not a real castle - just a "building" made in the shape of a chapel but with all kind of China (saucers and sherds).

 

But I found it in Internet: it's the little chapel:

 

http://www.visitguernsey.com/attractions/attraction.aspx?AttractionId=192

 

It was very impressive to see.

 

Regards,

HeinBloed

[MightyQuinn]

We're going to Guernsey on a cruise in June. I've been doing some searches on google. I don't see any here on CC.If you've been there - what did you do? Did you use public transportation or rent a car? Thanks!

We had a fabulous time in Guernsey last May. Our ship docked in the centre of town & it was an easy walk to the Tourist Bureau across the street for maps, bus schedules & Guernsey Pounds. We took Public Bus #7A (terminus very close to Tourist Bureau) for a circuit ride around the entire Island. You can follow along on the map provided & decide if you want to get off at various points of interest. We got off at the German Occupation Museum & then walked thru lovely countryside to the Little Chapel. This is a tiny jewel of a church built with mosaics both inside & out. Highly recommended. We thought it might be tourist-tacky but it’s very well done & quite impressive. We then took Public Bus #4 back to St. Peter Port. Total cost only 60p for each bus ride! It was now lunchtime so we went to Ship & Crown Pub on the Esplanade for fish & chips & mushy peas. And Guinness of course. Thus fortified, we wandered the High Street, snagged a few duty-free purchases & ended with a quick visit to the ancient St. John Parish Church. All in all a wonderful day. :):)

[tom_uk]

There is one possible fly in the ointment over Guernsey: it's not unknown for the call to be missed. Most ships tender in to the harbour, and because of the nature of the seas and tides there, the captain may decide that it's too rough to tender on arrival. Either that, or that it might turn too rough at re-embarkation time.

 

I've been there twice, once on Fred Olsen's Braemar in September 3007 and again on Oriana in June this year. Braemar missed the call - we sailed there, and then diverted to Cherbourg - but Oriana made it. (Actually, now I think about it, tendering on Oriana was a bit iffy.)

 

I blogged about both of these days, here:-

Braemar: http://tomtotley.wordpress.com/2007/09/24/braemar-days-3-4/

 

Oriana: http://tomtotley.wordpress.com/2008/06/03/oriana-cruise-day-4-guernsey/

[kwcrnp]

Thanks for the links gentlemen! The Little Chapel looks very neat.

 

We were thinking of renting a car but it appears the bus is a good option. Hopefully we'll make into port that day.

 

Kristi

[LoisGriffin1]

I live in Guernsey and agree the little chapel is very cute and probably one of our most popular attractions.

 

Lots of cruise ship passengers take a trip on our bus service that goes around the whole island. Its under £1 and gives a nice overview.

 

One of my personal fave things to do is taking a walk along the cliffs to Fermain bay. From the harbour to Fermain its about 2 miles and is a very pretty walk. There are lots of steps though. I have a few photos I took in the summer when the weather was still nice:

 

 

 

 

http://www.buses.gg/timetable.asp this is the bus site and it has a planner with all the bus times. If you choose the option leaving from town or tourist information centre both stops would be good starting options close to the harbour.

 

Any other questions please feel free to ask.

[kwcrnp]

Lois - I was thinking about taking bus 5 (I think that's the one) and doing the Fermain Bay walk. Funny that you said that.

 

Thanks for the link to the bus schedules!

[LoisGriffin1]

I promise you wont regret it. Its such a wonderful walk and very popular with both locals and tourists.

 

If its raining its not worth doing though because it can get slippy.

[jstducky]

We had a fabulous time in Guernsey last May. Our ship docked in the centre of town & it was an easy walk to the Tourist Bureau across the street for maps, bus schedules & Guernsey Pounds. We took Public Bus #7A (terminus very close to Tourist Bureau) for a circuit ride around the entire Island. You can follow along on the map provided & decide if you want to get off at various points of interest. Total cost only 60p for each bus ride!

 

I was just there this past July. It was the first stop on our cruise.

 

We did the same exact thing. Took the local bus for 60p per person. It's a 1.5 hour circuit around the island if you don't get off. It was lovely. The island is quite diverse in landscape and views.

 

Also the Castle Cornet, the cannon goes off at noon each day. Set off by a guard in period costume.

 

St. Peter Port was a nice little city to just wander around

[doverphil]

Buses are excellent - and very cheap. I've been to Guernsey on three separate occasions, been fortunate each time that the tender service has been running from the ship to the port, and have hired a car on two occasions. I booked this in advance, gave the hire company a call while I was in the tender, and they were waiting for me with the car when I arrived. Paperwork completed in a couple of minutes, and I enjoyed a very pleasant day going where I wanted, staying as long as I wished, and all in all had an excellent day. Cost was about £20 for the day's hire (including fuel)

[julieclair]

We visited Guernsey on our Sea Princess cruise 3 1/2 years ago, and did not do much but walk around St. Peter Port. Very charming. However, I have just finished reading an excellent novel, "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society", which is set in Guernsey during the German occupation of World War II. It is fascinating, and now I really want to go back to Guernsey and pay more attention to the sights from that period of history. I wish I had read the book before we visited there.

[schoolinmy3]

We were in St. Peter-Port last year's May with NORWEGIAN DREAM.

 

First we contacted the tourist information who sent us a list of tour guides. So we booked a guide and a car which was waiting for us at the tender boat terminal.

 

We had a great day to discover Guernsey.

 

 

Regards,

HeinBloed

 

HeinBloed,

I was wondering if you could give me an idea of how much the cost was for a tour guide. Also, we are a family of 5. If we rented a minivan do you think the guide would be willing to drive it for us? My husband has driven around the UK before but does not care for narrow winding roads. The ship's excursion has the minivan with driver for $600 for a half day. It seems like it would be cheaper to arrange it ourselves. Also, I am worried about crowded buses since there are 5 of us and trying to stick together may be a problem.

Thanks for any information you can share.

diane

[HeinBloed]

HeinBloed,

I was wondering if you could give me an idea of how much the cost was for a tour guide. Also, we are a family of 5. If we rented a minivan do you think the guide would be willing to drive it for us? My husband has driven around the UK before but does not care for narrow winding roads. The ship's excursion has the minivan with driver for $600 for a half day. It seems like it would be cheaper to arrange it ourselves. Also, I am worried about crowded buses since there are 5 of us and trying to stick together may be a problem.

Thanks for any information you can share.

diane

 

What are you doing on MY EURODAM???

 

Hope you have seen that we were there in 2007. So please take the prices as reference.

 

We paid for the tour guide (half day) 55.00 GBP

For the car we paid 48.00 EUR incl. 2nd driver (which was the tour guide).

 

We booked the car with AVIS but later found out that all major international car rental company use

 

Value Rent a Car (http://wwww.valuerentacar.co.uk)

 

as their subcontractor and just put another envelope their bill.

 

They deliver the car right in front of the tender boat station.

 

What is important:

 

they are familiar that 50% of the ships cannot anchor and tender to St. Peter-Port due to heavy sea. So they told us already that they will not charge if the boat does not tender. Make sure that they do not charge you subject the ship will not allow you to leave.

 

Take good care of MY EURODAM... and have a great day on Guernsey like we had.

 

Regards

HeinBloed

[graciallen]

I am really looking forward to this port, and hope the weather is with us.

We are torn between renting a car, or taking the bus/taxi to a starting point to hike.

Where would we start a hike to incorporate seeing the Hospital, having a pub (liquid) lunch :), see the mini church? Could we start at one point and just keep walking towards all of the above and eventually the tender launch? Or are they all scattered in different directions?

Also is there an Anglican Church and a Historical Society in town?

[schoolinmy3]

What are you doing on MY EURODAM???

 

Hope you have seen that we were there in 2007. So please take the prices as reference.

 

We paid for the tour guide (half day) 55.00 GBP

For the car we paid 48.00 EUR incl. 2nd driver (which was the tour guide).

 

We booked the car with AVIS but later found out that all major international car rental company use

 

Value Rent a Car (http://wwww.valuerentacar.co.uk)

 

as their subcontractor and just put another envelope their bill.

 

They deliver the car right in front of the tender boat station.

 

What is important:

 

they are familiar that 50% of the ships cannot anchor and tender to St. Peter-Port due to heavy sea. So they told us already that they will not charge if the boat does not tender. Make sure that they do not charge you subject the ship will not allow you to leave.

 

Take good care of MY EURODAM... and have a great day on Guernsey like we had.

 

Regards

HeinBloed

 

Thank you, your information is very helpful, we promise to take good care of the Eurodam while aboard!:D Loved your pictures by the way.

diane

[OldJerseycruiser]

I am really looking forward to this port, and hope the weather is with us.

We are torn between renting a car, or taking the bus/taxi to a starting point to hike.

Where would we start a hike to incorporate seeing the Hospital, having a pub (liquid) lunch :), see the mini church? Could we start at one point and just keep walking towards all of the above and eventually the tender launch? Or are they all scattered in different directions?

Also is there an Anglican Church and a Historical Society in town?

 

Go to www.visitguernsey.com and email them with your query and I am sure they will be able to suggest a walking route for you and give you the number of the bus to a starting point.

[graciallen]

Am I to assume that oldjerseycruiser is from Jersey?? This is one of my reasons for seeing Guernsey. DH grandmother was from Jersey, she told us many many years ago, how lovely Guernsey was. Her history was rather vague (her passport states she was born in Canton Province in Geneva???) but she told all the family she was born in Jersey... another dark horse we think. She was a Pellet, and her mother a Bisson. All very french for such a sweet tiny little English woman. She was a Daughter of the Empire, a term I haven't heard in a long time. Came to Canada as a domestic, having served in England as a domestic on and off, but always went back to Jersey.

[schoolinmy3]

We visited Guernsey on our Sea Princess cruise 3 1/2 years ago, and did not do much but walk around St. Peter Port. Very charming. However, I have just finished reading an excellent novel, "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society", which is set in Guernsey during the German occupation of World War II. It is fascinating, and now I really want to go back to Guernsey and pay more attention to the sights from that period of history. I wish I had read the book before we visited there.

 

Julie,

I just finished reading the book myself and am now very excited to visit Guernsey in May. I took the book with me to the beach this weekend (Wrightsville Beach in NC). My husband and I just needed a little weekend away and it was great fun to sit on the beach and read while watching the waves, dolphins and our daughter play in the sand.:p My husband is struggling with high blood pressure after his mother fell and broke her neck a week ago.:eek: That incident coupled with stress at work was too much. So a day of relaxing was just what the doctor ordered. The book was indeed fascinating.:D

diane

[OldJerseycruiser]

Yes, my husband and I are from Jersey, but his mother was born in Guernsey. We have lots of Bissons in the Islands. I don't recognise the name Pellet, but have lots of Pallots in the telephone directory. There is a lot of good natured rivalry between the Islands, they call us Crapauds (Toads) and we call them Donkeys. I hope you enjoy your time in our part of the world. :)

[graciallen]

Yes, my husband and I are from Jersey, but his mother was born in Guernsey. We have lots of Bissons in the Islands. I don't recognise the name Pellet, but have lots of Pallots in the telephone directory. There is a lot of good natured rivalry between the Islands, they call us Crapauds (Toads) and we call them Donkeys. I hope you enjoy your time in our part of the world. :)

yes... the provinces in Canada have equally "delicious" names for each other.:):eek::D

I think we are going to enjoy Guernsey, just wish we had time to ferry over to Jersey... maybe another time.

[LoisGriffin1]

HeinBloed,

I was wondering if you could give me an idea of how much the cost was for a tour guide. Also, we are a family of 5. If we rented a minivan do you think the guide would be willing to drive it for us? My husband has driven around the UK before but does not care for narrow winding roads. The ship's excursion has the minivan with driver for $600 for a half day. It seems like it would be cheaper to arrange it ourselves. Also, I am worried about crowded buses since there are 5 of us and trying to stick together may be a problem.

Thanks for any information you can share.

diane

 

The buses only tend to be crowded during the morning/evening rush hours. Rest of the day you should easily get a seat.

 

I don't blame your husband for not wanting to drive. If you are not used to narrow roads then its quite an experience.

[schoolinmy3]

The buses only tend to be crowded during the morning/evening rush hours. Rest of the day you should easily get a seat.

 

I don't blame your husband for not wanting to drive. If you are not used to narrow roads then its quite an experience.

 

Thank you for the info. We did end up booking an Island Tour independent of the ship's excursions. We didn't really have to because it does seem pretty simple to ride on the buses but thought it would be a relaxing way to see Guernsey. And hopefully the guide will be able to add to our knowledge of the island's history. I read the book mentioned here - The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. It was fascinating. I also just picked up the novel A Place of Hiding also set on the island from the library today. My husband drove on some of the narrow roads in England when we visited in 20007 and he was not a fan.:rolleyes:

diane