Wales

Has anyone booked through "cruise Excursions Wales"?

Looks like they are a broker for other tour companies

Wondering if any problems with booking with them ?

I cannot find any reviews good or bad

Lyn

Has anyone booked through "cruise Excursions Wales"?

Looks like they are a broker for other tour companies

 

Wondering if any problems with booking with them ?

 

I cannot find any reviews good or bad

 

Lyn

I will check them out so is it http://www.cruiseexcursionswales.com ?

Hi Lyn

"Funding

This project is part financed by Gwynedd Council and the Welsh Government through the Local Investment Fund and the European Union - European Regional Development Fund.

Mae'r prosiect hwn wedi ei rhan ariannu gan Gyngor Gwynedd a Llywodraeth Cymru drwy'r Gronfa Ddatblygu Lleol a chan yr Undeb Ewropeaidd - E.R.D.F."

Looks like it is a Welsh Tourist Board/Government approved Agency.

Gwynedd is the local county, on the mainland.Holyhead is on the Island of Anglesey.As Anglesey is Welsh speaking I've included the Welsh translation for you. Wyn:)

Hi Lyn

 

"Funding

 

This project is part financed by Gwynedd Council and the Welsh Government through the Local Investment Fund and the European Union - European Regional Development Fund.

 

Mae'r prosiect hwn wedi ei rhan ariannu gan Gyngor Gwynedd a Llywodraeth Cymru drwy'r Gronfa Ddatblygu Lleol a chan yr Undeb Ewropeaidd - E.R.D.F."

 

Looks like it is a Welsh Tourist Board/Government approved Agency.

Gwynedd is the local county, on the mainland.Holyhead is on the Island of Anglesey.As Anglesey is Welsh speaking I've included the Welsh translation for you. Wyn:)

So does that mean it is safe to book through ??

I read the terms & conditions they did not give me confidence to book LOL

See you soon

Lyn

So does that mean it is safe to book through ??

I read the terms & conditions they did not give me confidence to book LOL

 

See you soon

 

Lyn

Ooooooh Lyn, that's a tough one:D. I would have thought that they are as safe as anyone. At least you have someone to complain to if they are rubbish.....however you'll have sailed away by then.

I'm just off to read the T&Cs....will comment after that.

Wyn

Hmmmmm I see what you mean....pay upfront, if the ship fails to dock 50% refund. There are a lot of T&Cs....I haven't read them all.

I'd this for a trip on Angelsey or going over the bridge into Wales?

:confused:

I'll e-mail you.

Thinking of booking with them also. Didn't realize they were a broker till closer inspection. I have travel insurance so it's probably worth the risk, especially since it's partially government funded

I'd not heard of them either, mebbe they're the new kid on the block.

The only three significant negative matters I could find were

1. There's only a 50% refund if the ship fails to make port. Specialists in cruise excursions normally give a 100% refund, sometimes less a nominal 5%/10% admin. charge. So no favours there.

2. The website boasts a "return to ship guarantee", but I couldn't see that mentioned anywhere in the terms. I have no idea what weight a Court of Law would give to a simple "return to ship guarantee" banner and I think I'd be inclined to seek written confirmation of the agency's liability for catch-up costs, to back up that claim.

3. The organisation doesn't appear to be a member of ABTA, the Assoc. of British Travel Agents. No big deal, your money is protected if you pay by credit card, but ABTA requires that certain standards be maintained & I'm surprised that they're not members.

All very different to the leading UK cruise excursions broker

http://www.cruisingexcursions.com/faqs.php

JB :)

Has anyone booked through "cruise Excursions Wales"?

Looks like they are a broker for other tour companies

 

Wondering if any problems with booking with them ?

 

I cannot find any reviews good or bad

 

Lyn

Here are some links to the agencies that provide the actual excursion services.

http://www.countrylanetours.com/shore-excursions-from-holyhead.php

http://www.boutiquetours.co.uk/holyhead-liverpoolcruiseshiptours-shoreexcursions.html

http://viptravelservices.co.uk/cruiseshiptours.html

What I'm about to say won't make you any happier about the terms and conditions of using these tour operators, but at least I now understand why the terms are so injurious to cruisers: There are very, very few tour companies in this part of the world. Supply and demand. In addition, I wonder if the tour operators also have lost lots of money because weather and sea conditions are such that ships often have to cancel that port.

Enough gloom! The star of the area is Caernarfon Castle, but Beaumaris Castle is closer and hardly a slouch in the castle department. With private transportation, you can visit both castles on a port call.

Lyn,

If PNN's assumption that your port is Holyhead is correct ................

Its no longer a tendered port, there's a pier. So a lot more reliable than it was.

For a tour consider http://www.busybus.co.uk/ who operate cruise excursions from Holyhead & who have an excellent reputation.

If castles are your thing you can get a direct train from near the ship to Conwy, which has an excellent castle

http://www.castlewales.com/conwy.html

Pleasant little town too.

Conwy station is a bit of a rarity in the UK, it's a "request" stop. When you board at Holyhead you have to tell the guard that you want to get off at Conwy, otherwise the train will roll straight through. For the return from Conwy, you have to hold your hand out to the driver just the same as for a bus.

Alternatively use Llandudno Junction station, which is a regular station & with more trains. From there in good weather it's a very pleasant & scenic 20 minute waterside walk to the castle.

Journey time about an hour, fare about £15 day-return.

http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/service/planjourney/search

JB :)

JB,

My husband and I are trying to remember a factoid for our long, long ago trip to Wales. Did not-yet-Sir Edmund Hillary train in the mountains of Snowdonia or was it the US astronauts training for their moon landing? Or both? (Google is not turning up any information on this arcane bit of trivia.)

Since I posted this in Jan I have contracted a local tour guide

We are in port from 9-4 so not much time to enjoy the sights unless we just want a drive by which is not what I am after

We are staying on Anglesey for the tour

Yes I heard the ships now dock rather than tender as they did in 2004 when we missed the port due to high seas ;)

Will report back in June when we get home

Lyn

Since I posted this in Jan I have contracted a local tour guide

We are in port from 9-4 so not much time to enjoy the sights unless we just want a drive by which is not what I am after

We are staying on Anglesey for the tour

 

Yes I heard the ships now dock rather than tender as they did in 2004 when we missed the port due to high seas ;)

 

Will report back in June when we get home

 

Lyn

mordeithio yn hapus. :)

Oh - and nearer to your cruise date, start spelling your name with two "L"s.

Llyn will go down well in Wales. ;)

JB :)

Thinking of booking with them also. Didn't realize they were a broker till closer inspection. I have travel insurance so it's probably worth the risk, especially since it's partially government funded

I had a good response from

http://www.ceir-pg-cars.co.uk/

http://guidenorthwales.com/

but had already committed to the other guide

mordeithio yn hapus. :)

 

oh - and nearer to your cruise date, start spelling your name with two "l"s.

Llyn will go down well in wales. ;)

 

jb :)

lol

;)

Please stay on Anglesey. I grew up there and my parents are still there so I visit often. Beaumaris is lovely, very picturesque with good places to eat and a rather fabulous castle. It will take you about 3/4 hr to get there from Holyhead. Alternatively you could visit many great beaches close to Holyhead -Trearddur Bay, Porth Dafarch or have lunch at The White Eagle in Rhoscolyn. Or you could follow in the footsteps of a Prince and Princess and take a stroll on Llanddwyn Island........

We will be in Holyhead for a stop in June. We haven't planned anything for that day and I was thinking about just having a relaxing day at a beach. Is there any close to the cruise dock? Are there any Surf spots close by that we could just sit and enjoy watching? My daughter would love spending a day just relaxing and watching some surfing.

We will be in Holyhead for a stop in June. We haven't planned anything for that day and I was thinking about just having a relaxing day at a beach. Is there any close to the cruise dock? Are there any Surf spots close by that we could just sit and enjoy watching? My daughter would love spending a day just relaxing and watching some surfing.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/nature/sites/surfing/pages/nw_anglesey.shtml

Map of Anglesey:

http://www.walesdirectory.co.uk/Holiday_Places/Anglesey_West_Coast.htm#anglesey_map

JB,

 

My husband and I are trying to remember a factoid for our long, long ago trip to Wales. Did not-yet-Sir Edmund Hillary train in the mountains of Snowdonia or was it the US astronauts training for their moon landing? Or both? (Google is not turning up any information on this arcane bit of trivia.)

Sir Edmund Hillary certainly trained there - It is an interesting story:

http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/local-news/how-snowdon-helped-sir-edmund-2638822

We will be in Holyhead for a stop in June. We haven't planned anything for that day and I was thinking about just having a relaxing day at a beach. Is there any close to the cruise dock? Are there any Surf spots close by that we could just sit and enjoy watching? My daughter would love spending a day just relaxing and watching some surfing.

Hi tacotam, I think Porthdafarch is the nearest beach, but it's only a small bay, Trearddur Bay is the next and a better beach. There may be some surfing there but the best beach for surfing is Rhosneigr. This is a much bigger beach but that's probably about 20-25 minutes from Holyhead. The Coast is beautiful. If I can be of any more help let me know. [emoji4]

http://www.buzzfeed.com/jamiejones/places-in-wales-that-look-straight-out-of-a-fantasy-novel?bftw&utm_term=4ldqpgm#4ldqpgm

Found this as well. South Stack is very near Holyhead.

Hi tacotam, I think Porthdafarch is the nearest beach, but it's only a small bay, Trearddur Bay is the next and a better beach. There may be some surfing there but the best beach for surfing is Rhosneigr. This is a much bigger beach but that's probably about 20-25 minutes from Holyhead. The Coast is beautiful. If I can be of any more help let me know. [emoji4]

Thanks for the information. What would be the best way to get to Rhosneigr? Rent a Car? train? If we rented a car, we could see different sights around the coast.

Rent a car, definitely. There are not many local train services and the stations are very rural meaning you could be literally miles from where you want to be! The important thing to remember is that where ever you choose to go if you do get lost then you should never be far from road signs back to the A55 which is the main arterial road back to Holyhead. Always signposted A55 Holyhead in one direction and A55 Bangor/Chester in the other. Hope this helps. [emoji4][emoji4]

Rhosneigr also has a few nice shops to potter round plus fish and chips (very important!) and ice cream.....

I appreciate all the advise. I have found that I can rent a car for a very reasonable price. We will take the advice and go to the beach and the shopping area. We have the whole day, so any other scenic routes you suggest that wouldn't be too long of a drive.

:)