from which of these ports is it possible to walk into town?

Hi there,

My brother is taking a cruise in APril and his ports of call include: Greenock, Dublin and Cork. He woud like to know whether he would be able to get off the ship and walk right into town at any of these ports? If not, do you know if the ship might provide shuttle busses into the town? He will be on a Princess ship docking at Southampton.

I do remember that in Europe many of the ports don't allow you to walk through the ports but I've never been to Britain so it might be different there?

Also, I know that British pounds must be used in London but what about Ireland and Scotland? Does he need to stock up on Irish and Scottish pounds?

Any help would be appreciated!

Camelia

Hi there,

 

My brother is taking a cruise in APril and his ports of call include: Greenock, Dublin and Cork. He woud like to know whether he would be able to get off the ship and walk right into town at any of these ports? If not, do you know if the ship might provide shuttle busses into the town? He will be on a Princess ship docking at Southampton.

 

I do remember that in Europe many of the ports don't allow you to walk through the ports but I've never been to Britain so it might be different there?

 

Also, I know that British pounds must be used in London but what about Ireland and Scotland? Does he need to stock up on Irish and Scottish pounds?

 

Any help would be appreciated!

 

Camelia

The town of Cork is about 20 to 30 minute drive from where you dock. Ships dock at Cobh. There is a train station right next to where the ships dock to go to Cork. We just stayed in Cobh and walked around. In Dublin most cruise lines use a bus that takes you from the dock and drops you off by Trinity Collage. We were on Celebrity but I heard that Princess drops off at the same place. It was not free $5 or 10 each way. In Dublin we walked to the tram stop about 15 minute walk from the dock. A lot cheaper than the bus. At Greenock there is the town you can walk around. Not a lot there shops and a shopping center. Went to a pub. Did not try to go to Glasgow believe it was 45 minutes away did a tour.

Ireland uses Euro's and Scotland uses the British pound.

In Dublin indeed you have to take a shuttle into town. Once there you can take one of the hopon/off buses to see more.

In Greenock FREE tours were offered last summer by volunteers. There 2 options. We did the tour to the viewpoint and city, very nice.Check this website for more details:

http://www.inverclydetouristgroup.co.uk/

I will definitely pass on this information - very useful indeed!

Camelia

We were in Dublin in October 2013. We did walk into town. I think it was about an hour walk.

Jane (from the duo Dick and Jane)

Chicago, Illinois

We were in Dublin in October 2013. We did walk into town. I think it was about an hour walk.

 

 

Jane (from the duo Dick and Jane)

Chicago, Illinois

Sorry...why...wouldn't your time have been better spent using transportation :confused::confused:

I would not consider walking anywhere from these three ports.

Greenock, there is not a lot to see in the city, but a lot of wonderful places like Glasgow, Edinburgh and other sites north of the port.

Dublin, my cruise lines offer a shuttle bus into the city for a modest fee like 10 Euros. We did the HoHo bus on our first trip to Dublin and it is a great way to see the city.

Cork, There is lots to see like the Blarney Castle and/or Kinsale. You can wander from the port, there is a cathedral that you could probably walk to, but you would miss so much in the countryside.

I know that British pounds must be used in London but what about Ireland and Scotland? Does he need to stock up on Irish and Scottish pounds?

Camelia

The Republic of Ireland (Dublin and Cork) is on the Euro. Pounds of any sort won't be any good.

Scotland uses UK pounds, and the ones you get abroad will be Bank of England pounds which work perfectly. You don't need Scottish ones. Where you need to watch out is if you get Scottish ones in change - there are three Scottish banks that issue notes - because if you get those, your bank at home might not accept them. As long as you don't get any denominations greater than £20 (because £50 are virtually never used in shops) then, as long as you spend your Scottish notes before the English ones, this can't be too big a deal.

Sorry...why...wouldn't your time have been better spent using transportation :confused::confused:

One of the joys of travel is to be able to do that adventure in the way that suits you best. Ours includes walking whenever possible. We often use the excellent transportation systems in many European and US cities when it is more convenient and we're on a time crunch.

When we were in Dublin, our ship was in port from 10:30 AM until 11:15 PM. This provided ample time to see the sites as well as walk. We did not have to wait for a bus to arrive, for it to load or to unload or to be at a specific spot at a specific time for the return to the ship. On our self-guided walking tour, we visited Trinity College, we saw the book of Kells, visited a local police station to buy a T-shirt (£5), strolled through St. Stephen's Green, and stopped at three pubs. We had a light lunch at O'Donaghues with our Guinness. The bartender said we could have a ham & cheese or cheese & ham sandwich! It was so pleasant to sit and chat with him about the similarities/differences between Dublin and the USA.

On previous cruises to Dublin, we have taken bus trips to such places as Malahide Castle. The next time I go to Dublin – well who knows what we will do.

For this particular day, I believe our time was well spent. The weather was perfect for a walk along the river and across several of their very unique bridges.

Jane (from the duo Dick and Jane)

Chicago, Illinois

In Dublin there are two ports: Dublin Port and Dun Laoghaire. Our royal princess cruise arrives in Dun Laoghaire which is a 20-30 min drive from Dublin. There are shuttles, taxis or you can catch the train. The station is a short walk from Dun Laoghaire port. There will be a lot of people doing each option on the day.

This is research I have done on this site and TA. Please let me know if it is incorrect:

From Dun Laoghaire to Dublin:

Public Light rail - Dart - from “Dun Laoghaire” a 5 min walk to the station then takes 24 mins to Connolly Dart Station 6 Euro return

http://www.irishrail.ie/fares-and-tickets/dart

Public bus leaves from the light rail station but takes an hour to get to town. Bus No.7 or No.46a 6 Euro return

Cruise ship shuttle you book on the ship $15 each way it runs continually all day takes 30 min to Trinity College

Cab 15 Euro each way takes 20 mins. Be careful it is lucrative for the cabbies.

I reckon a taxi from Dun Laoghaire to Dublin centre would cost closer to 30 euro