Time line for planning? Too soon? Too late?

We recently booked a 12 day British Isles cruise for August 2017 (Guernsey, Cobh, Dublin, Liverpool, Belfast, Glasgow, Invergordon, Edinburgh, and Paris/Normandy). I am a planner, so I started a "notes" document, as well as my travel spreadsheet right away! (half the fun of the travel, right ? ;) )

Thinking it's a long time until the cruise, I have been leisurely scanning cruise critic for information on excursions, etc. You all are amazing. I happened to read a suggestion for the Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of London, thought it sounded like something we would enjoy, and was shocked to see it was already booked for every night but our one post-cruise night! So I grabbed that night, but it made me wonder---

What else should I be thinking about 10 months out?

When do you usually book private tours (how far out from cruise date)?

Are there certain excursions that sell-out early?

Any recommendation for how soon to book airfare (from USA to London)?

Damn...didn't know about this either...totally booked until August 2017 with few left

If you are going to be in Edinburgh during the Military Tattoo, you need to get those tickets and arrange transport before the first of the year to get the best seats. If you are going to be there during the Tattoo and were not planning on going to the Tattoo...RECONSIDER! Most amazing show ever.

We did this cruise last August and I did a complete website with photos and recommendations for every port. St. Peters Port needs planning now as those tours book up quickly. By February, we had all our tours booked. You can read my entire review with recommendations by CLICKING HERE. Feel free to e-mail me with any other questions after you look at the site.

Hope this helps.

Jim

I would try to find one 'must-do' for each port and book that asap. The big danger is that you can book too much.

I agree that planning is 'half the fun', but I am also well aware that plans rarely go to - er - plan... There is an old saying - "If you want to make God laugh - make a plan." I like to have lots of ideas and then to cherry pick on the day. Just wandering round the port can often be more memorable than the magnificent scenery seen through a coach window.

We recently booked a 12 day British Isles cruise for August 2017 (Guernsey, Cobh, Dublin, Liverpool, Belfast, Glasgow, Invergordon, Edinburgh, and Paris/Normandy). I am a planner, so I started a "notes" document, as well as my travel spreadsheet right away! (half the fun of the travel, right ? ;) )

 

Thinking it's a long time until the cruise, I have been leisurely scanning cruise critic for information on excursions, etc. You all are amazing. I happened to read a suggestion for the Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of London, thought it sounded like something we would enjoy, and was shocked to see it was already booked for every night but our one post-cruise night! So I grabbed that night, but it made me wonder---

 

What else should I be thinking about 10 months out?

When do you usually book private tours (how far out from cruise date)?

Are there certain excursions that sell-out early?

Any recommendation for how soon to book airfare (from USA to London)?

It is not too early to plan. I like to book cruises, flights and hotels early.

I usually book air about 6-8 months in advance. Hotels about 6 months, unless it appears that the good places will book up early.

I like to compare private tour with the ship's excursions and while all the excursions are not posted that early, there are usually plenty to compare this early.

I like to use cc on read other reviews and comments on these boards.

Here is my review of our British Isles cruise in 2013.

We did mostly private tours. http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=221137

I'm an early planner also. We are booked on the May 25 British Isles with Kirkwall cruise. Flights booked with points when they became available. Our Kirkwall tour has been fully booked since it opened up in late June (11 mths before the cruise!). Private small group tour out of Dublin is also full. Larger coach tours still have openings.

We are on the Eclipse June 2017 British Isles cruise and would say that our roll call has been very active and we all have just about all of our private tours reserved for several months now.....

Less than a year ahead? Definitely not too soon. To help you with your plans, check out our website - http://www.cruiseforth.com for Edinburgh

Which cruise line is it? Sounds like it's Princess but still if it's HAL or Celebrity Edinburgh is very doable on your own. August is incredibly busy in the city because of the Festival and Fringe and you won't have an overnight on Princess so you will have to book your visit to the Tattoo from Glasgow with Princess (Glasgow is actually Greenock). Do this ASAP. You can then just enjoy your day in Edinburgh seeing the sights on foot. It's quite a compact city so unless you have mobility issues you don't need a tour.

Ok, Good to know! I was thinking it might be too early to book private tours. Airfare seems a little high right now, so I will keep an eye on it for awhile.

I contacted Mark Murphy tours Belfast and have that on reserve now! Dublin---I am really leaning toward the HOHO. I have no idea yet for Glasgow, Invergordon, or Edinburgh.

Will continue reading reviews you all have posted...thanks!

Ok, Good to know! I was thinking it might be too early to book private tours. Airfare seems a little high right now, so I will keep an eye on it for awhile.

 

I contacted Mark Murphy tours Belfast and have that on reserve now! Dublin---I am really leaning toward the HOHO. I have no idea yet for Glasgow, Invergordon, or Edinburgh.

 

Will continue reading reviews you all have posted...thanks!

Read my review. Web address above in previous post and below in my signature for great things to do in Invergordon/Inverness and Edinburgh. And you will be in Edinburgh in August. You HAVE to see the Tattoo.

We will be on Princess, and have made what I gather is a very unpopular decision to not attend the Tattoo. Spouse has mobility issues which entered in to our decision, but was not the only reason.

I contacted Mark Murphy tours Belfast and have that on reserve now! Dublin---I am really leaning toward the HOHO. I have no idea yet for Glasgow, Invergordon, or Edinburgh.

Can't seem to find Mark's website...does he have one?

I am not sure about a website. I initially contacted him through his facebook page, Murphy's Executive Tours NI. From there we have been communicating through email:

murf1651@gmail.com

He gets very good reviews on CC as well as trip advisor.

We will be on Princess, and have made what I gather is a very unpopular decision to not attend the Tattoo. Spouse has mobility issues which entered in to our decision, but was not the only reason.

We have been to Edinburgh many times when visiting family and have enjoyed the castle and simply wandering around. I saw the Tattoo over 50 yrs ago and the stirring sounds still resonate with me.

What we are doing for our Edinburgh stop is quite different. We will get a tender about 9:30 or so and visit the small museum in South Queensferry then have a pub lunch. After that we will take a taxi to Hopetoun House for the 2 pm interior tour followed by afternoon tea. Then a taxi back to the port.

In Greenock we are visiting family further down the coast. Glasgow is a ways out of Greenock.

Invergordon was a challenge for us as we wanted a private tour. We chose this one and will eat lunch at Dunrobin Castle https://www.highlandtours.info/quintessential-scottish-highland-tour.html

Read my review. Web address above in previous post and below in my signature for great things to do in Invergordon/Inverness and Edinburgh. And you will be in Edinburgh in August. You HAVE to see the Tattoo.

I have a question about the Tattoo - we will be on the Pacific Princess and will be staying overnight in Rosyth. We have 7 people, ranging in age from 18 to 84. I would much prefer to book on our own, hoping to get better seats. But I am a bit concerned about transportation for all of us. I have read about people pre-arranging taxis - which would work if we could get one for all of us.

Anyone have any comments or tips about our situation? Can you get much better seats on your own? How easy is it to get to see the Tattoo from Rosyth?

I have a question about the Tattoo - we will be on the Pacific Princess and will be staying overnight in Rosyth. We have 7 people, ranging in age from 18 to 84. I would much prefer to book on our own, hoping to get better seats. But I am a bit concerned about transportation for all of us. I have read about people pre-arranging taxis - which would work if we could get one for all of us.

 

Anyone have any comments or tips about our situation? Can you get much better seats on your own? How easy is it to get to see the Tattoo from Rosyth?

If you read my review/website you will have the info on that. You absolutely should buy your tickets separately. You can do that at the Tattoo's website starting on December 1 or you can join the "Friends of the Tattoo" for about $30 and it gives you access to tickets in advance of that date (about mid-November). That said, you need to pre-arrange transport. Not so much to get there but to get back to your ship. Finding a cab after the Tattoo is a real bear. We know of people who were on our Celebrity Cruise who did not get back aboard until 2:00 am (Tattoo got out at 10:45) because it took them so long to find a taxi.

If you read my entire Edinburgh page you will find that we ended up getting a bus with people from our CC Roll Call. It is very hard to find pre-arranged cars that will carry a small group (I had seven in ours) so we moved up to a small bus (27) and then up to three full buses. The whole story is there.

The real bottom line is this. Go to the Tattoo. You will not regret it. My bride and I have been to Broadway many times, we go to Vegas a bunch just to see shows, we have seen numerous Cirque touring shows and nothing, NOTHING compares to the Tattoo. We are even discussing just going to Scotland just to see it again. And buy your own tickets and arrange your own transport. We had what the Tattoo considers the second best seats in the house and transport for less than $300 for the two of us. The cruise line wanted $500 for just average seats.

Jim

If you read my review/website you will have the info on that. You absolutely should buy your tickets separately. You can do that at the Tattoo's website starting on December 1 or you can join the "Friends of the Tattoo" for about $30 and it gives you access to tickets in advance of that date (about mid-November). That said, you need to pre-arrange transport. Not so much to get there but to get back to your ship. Finding a cab after the Tattoo is a real bear. We know of people who were on our Celebrity Cruise who did not get back aboard until 2:00 am (Tattoo got out at 10:45) because it took them so long to find a taxi.

 

If you read my entire Edinburgh page you will find that we ended up getting a bus with people from our CC Roll Call. It is very hard to find pre-arranged cars that will carry a small group (I had seven in ours) so we moved up to a small bus (27) and then up to three full buses. The whole story is there.

 

The real bottom line is this. Go to the Tattoo. You will not regret it. My bride and I have been to Broadway many times, we go to Vegas a bunch just to see shows, we have seen numerous Cirque touring shows and nothing, NOTHING compares to the Tattoo. We are even discussing just going to Scotland just to see it again. And buy your own tickets and arrange your own transport. We had what the Tattoo considers the second best seats in the house and transport for less than $300 for the two of us. The cruise line wanted $500 for just average seats.

 

Jim

Sorry - I just went to Ports of Call, then clicked on Edinburgh and I only saw pictures. I didn't realize how you had the information arranged :D I did bookmark it so I could go back later, it looks wonderful! Thank you very much for the information and for the review/website - we are definitely planning on seeing the tattoo, and my inclination was just as you suggested. We have a very small roll call now - but maybe we will be able to get a bigger group to agree to go in together.

I have a question about the Tattoo - we will be on the Pacific Princess and will be staying overnight in Rosyth. We have 7 people, ranging in age from 18 to 84. I would much prefer to book on our own, hoping to get better seats. But I am a bit concerned about transportation for all of us. I have read about people pre-arranging taxis - which would work if we could get one for all of us.

 

Anyone have any comments or tips about our situation? Can you get much better seats on your own? How easy is it to get to see the Tattoo from Rosyth?

I have read Drkoob's review and as a local I was very surprised to hear he couldn't arrange for a mini-van pick-up as there are certainly several vans at the port of Rosyth who could easily take 7 people, and in fact I arranged this for cruisers on Ocean Princess a couple of years ago. These drivers will happily take you into Edinburgh during the day then return to pick you up at the end of the tattoo. The cost from Rosyth is about £40 each way irrespective of how many are in the van. When you get off the ship in Rosyth there are always taxis waiting by the terminal

With so many people looking for taxis at the same time when the Tattoo ends there is pressure on availability. However another option is to arrange a pick-up by mini-cab.This is private car hire and again I have organised this in the past for cruisers, picking up just a short distance from the Castle. There are two huge companies with websites you could pre-book if you want. This is a quote from one of the sites:

Edinburgh City Private Hire is your first choice for private hire and taxi service in Edinburgh and West Lothian. We operate the city’s largest fleet and widest range of vehicles, including 7 and 8 seat and executive class cars, offering our customers more choice and convenience. All our drivers and vehicles are fully licensed by the City of Edinburgh Council to ensure they meet the highest standard of service and luxury.

Not everybody knows but there are actually 4 ports for Edinburgh and you can read more about all of them here:

http://www.cruiseforth.com.

Rosyth is over the Forth Bridge, North West of Edinburgh. It is a fairly industrial port and currently the base for work on the new bridge being built but as that is due to open in May 2017 it may not be different by then.

I have read Drkoob's review and as a local I was very surprised to hear he couldn't arrange for a mini-van pick-up as there are certainly several vans at the port of Rosyth who could easily take 7 people, and in fact I arranged this for cruisers on Ocean Princess a couple of years ago. These drivers will happily take you into Edinburgh during the day then return to pick you up at the end of the tattoo. The cost from Rosyth is about £40 each way irrespective of how many are in the van. When you get off the ship in Rosyth there are always taxis waiting by the terminal

 

With so many people looking for taxis at the same time when the Tattoo ends there is pressure on availability. However another option is to arrange a pick-up by mini-cab.This is private car hire and again I have organised this in the past for cruisers, picking up just a short distance from the Castle. There are two huge companies with websites you could pre-book if you want. This is a quote from one of the sites:

 

Edinburgh City Private Hire is your first choice for private hire and taxi service in Edinburgh and West Lothian. We operate the city’s largest fleet and widest range of vehicles, including 7 and 8 seat and executive class cars, offering our customers more choice and convenience. All our drivers and vehicles are fully licensed by the City of Edinburgh Council to ensure they meet the highest standard of service and luxury.

 

Not everybody knows but there are actually 4 ports for Edinburgh and you can read more about all of them here:

http://www.cruiseforth.com.

 

Rosyth is over the Forth Bridge, North West of Edinburgh. It is a fairly industrial port and currently the base for work on the new bridge being built but as that is due to open in May 2017 it may not be different by then.

Thanks, I bookmarked your site too. :D I don't know what port Drkoob used, but WE are coming into Rosyth. I will certainly try for the smaller private hire - sounds like it could be a nightmare to pre-arrange for lots of people.