DIY Ports & Family Attractions

Hi All - We've booked the 12 day Princess British Isle cruise. We have two boys 3 and 7 year old. I'd like to book things that will be fun for all of us and that won't break the bank.

The ports we're visiting are: Guernsey, Cork (Cobh), Dublin, Belfast, Glasgow (Greenock), Invergordon, Edinburgh, and Normandy (Le Havre).

What ports can be a DIY port that we wouldn't need to book an excursion? What attractions or excursions would you recommend for a family with children?

My thoughts so far:

Guernsey - DIY - underground military museum and Castle Cornet

Cobh - can be DIY - I was thinking of going to Blarney, not kissing the stone, but visiting the grounds and exploring the castle. Good idea? Any other great kid attractions?

Dublin - DIY - This is two days and one day we were thinking of DIY and one day doing a farm type excursion

Belfast - ?? - My husband and I were thinking of a Game of Thrones tour, which the kids wouldn't really get anything out of, but they are quite pricy

Glasgow - ??

Invergordon - I was thinking of booking an excursion for Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle

Edinburgh - DIY - Castle and royal mile

Le Havre - Book a Normandy tour - This would be the longest day out with the kids.

Any help is appreciated!

What sailing are you on? We are on the Sept 10, 2017

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What sailing are you on? We are on the Sept 10, 2017

 

 

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We are in June.

We are in June.

Ok. Will just wait for your feedback then. Happy sailing!

Hi All - We've booked the 12 day Princess British Isle cruise. We have two boys 3 and 7 year old. I'd like to book things that will be fun for all of us and that won't break the bank.

 

The ports we're visiting are: Guernsey, Cork (Cobh), Dublin, Belfast, Glasgow (Greenock), Invergordon, Edinburgh, and Normandy (Le Havre).

 

What ports can be a DIY port that we wouldn't need to book an excursion? What attractions or excursions would you recommend for a family with children?

 

My thoughts so far:

Guernsey - DIY - underground military museum and Castle Cornet

Cobh - can be DIY - I was thinking of going to Blarney, not kissing the stone, but visiting the grounds and exploring the castle. Good idea? Any other great kid attractions?

Dublin - DIY - This is two days and one day we were thinking of DIY and one day doing a farm type excursion

Belfast - ?? - My husband and I were thinking of a Game of Thrones tour, which the kids wouldn't really get anything out of, but they are quite pricy

Glasgow - ??

Invergordon - I was thinking of booking an excursion for Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle

Edinburgh - DIY - Castle and royal mile

Le Havre - Book a Normandy tour - This would be the longest day out with the kids.

 

Any help is appreciated!

Your ideas look good so far. Dublin is a good port to use the HoHo bus (there are two companies, both good). Don't miss going to the Trinity College and seeing the Book of Kells.

For Belfast, I recommend a Giant's Causeway Tour that also includes a drive tour of Belfast.

For Le Havre, we did a Normandy tour from the ship, due to the long drive to the sights. Loved the Bayeux Tapestry, which tells the history of the Norman conquest of England. It is over 900 years old.

I think we used Butler Bus for an inexpensive tour out of Cobh that goes to the Blarney Castle and Kinsale.

Hello there Disneyexpat,

I can only talk for Edinburgh and to be honest there's an awful lot of walking for three and seven year olds in what you suggest. The Castile itself is on a large site with numerous buildings and areas. This will give you an idea.

The Royal Mile is what it says - a mile long street connecting two royal buildings The Castle to the Royal Palace - Holyroodhouse. It is lined on either side with numerous historic buildings and museums and the street is cobbled. I would strongly advise you maybe choose just a couple of places to focus on as there is so much to see. Some might be quite scary for your boys as there's lots of ghostly stories around such old buildings.

If you are all up to walking the length of the street, Dynamic Earth is at the end right by the Palace and the new Scottish Parliament building and is fantastic for children and adults. http://www.dynamicearth.co.uk . Or you could also do a hoho bus tour which would drop you off at various points to save so much walking.

I might be the dissenter here but not many of those are kid friendly

A 3 yr old would not enjoy most of those tours

Are you doing private tours ? Then you can stop & let the kids run & do what kids do

If on a ship's tour I can see you not being very popular when the kids are bored sitting on the bus or dragging them though castles & ruins

JMO

After traveling in the UK with our children since they were very young (I grew up in the UK with family there) their main memories now are of British foods/candy and castles. If they are to get anything out of it other than family time you need to do some prep work by reading books to them. We now have grandchildren aged 3 and 7. I would search for children's books on Amazon and pre-school / 1st grade videos that have characters with accents of the places you are visiting.

There are some age appropriate readers on the Titanic for your stop in Cobh. Great opportunity to talk about immigration to the US in that time and the types of ships they used.

I would also do a search for each port ex. "Port ----- for children"

I agree with LHT28 about ship's tours unless they are indicated to be for families. I would look for private tours or DIY.

Let us know what your boys enjoy --bus rides, beaches,castles ????? If they enjoy bus rides then make the most of that with Ho-Ho buses and the bus that goes around Guernsey.

At 3, your youngest doesn't really get a say in the choices.I assume you have a folding buggy as walking would be a real problem.

Belfast.. I would have thought the Titanic would have more interest for a 7yo.

Glasgow... You dock at Greenock which is some way from the City - best way to get there would be by train which the 7yo would enjoy. Glasgow is a major city and there will surely be something there that he would enjoy.

Invergordon. There's not much in the town, and as mentioned above, looking at scenery through a coach window is pretty boring stuff for a child. With such a port intensive cruise - maybe a lazy day on board.

Edinburgh... The castle is the place to go. Try to be there for the one O'clock gun. Take a HOHO bus that drops you outside.

Le Havre... If you want to see the D-Day beaches, hire a car and plan an itinerary that suits you all. Otherwise, head for Honfleur, a pretty seaside town for a relaxing day on the beach, or window shopping.

In cobh there a a train to cork if your kids like trains.

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I might be the dissenter here but not many of those are kid friendly

A 3 yr old would not enjoy most of those tours

Are you doing private tours ? Then you can stop & let the kids run & do what kids do

If on a ship's tour I can see you not being very popular when the kids are bored sitting on the bus or dragging them though castles & ruins

JMO

+1.no, you will not be popular with your fellow passengers nor will your small children be happy.

I think you'll have a wonderful time. My daughters went on many ship excursions as young children. They enjoyed them and their fellow passengers seemed to enjoy seeing the kids reactions. Even the crotchety old people.

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Hello All,

Thank your for all of the responses. We just returned from this trip. There were two days we left our kids on board in the kids club, Dublin, and Edinburgh. The walking of Edinburgh and Dublin would have been too much.

As far as the other tours, the Normandy tour we booked was a full bus and the guide narrated as we walked around the site. This is the only tour that my youngest did not fare as well because he did not want to listen, so I just took him to the grass and let him play.

All of the other coach tours were wonderful and our boys did great. The bus tours were great for the littles when it wasn't a guided tour off the bus and we could do our own thing. Also since it has many stops, it added variety. The drive also gave them their naps :) On every tour at least one person complimented our boys on their excellent behavior.

I'd also say that if anyone else with kids is doing the all day tours, buy the water bottle pack for your room so you can have water with you at all times. Also during breakfast we made sure the get the little cereal boxes to take off the ship. We brought 2 for child each day and they were eaten.

Heading on a Princess British Isles cruise this August with a 4 yo and 1 yo. Would appreciate any hints or suggestions you have based on your trip. Best tours or DIY trips you took?

Belfast, do the Giant's Causeway it is awesome

Dublin, the HoHo bus is a great option. Don't miss Trinity College and the Book of Kells. Also, the Guiness Brewery.

Hello All,

 

Thank your for all of the responses. We just returned from this trip. There were two days we left our kids on board in the kids club, Dublin, and Edinburgh. The walking of Edinburgh and Dublin would have been too much.

 

As far as the other tours, the Normandy tour we booked was a full bus and the guide narrated as we walked around the site. This is the only tour that my youngest did not fare as well because he did not want to listen, so I just took him to the grass and let him play.

 

All of the other coach tours were wonderful and our boys did great. The bus tours were great for the littles when it wasn't a guided tour off the bus and we could do our own thing. Also since it has many stops, it added variety. The drive also gave them their naps :) On every tour at least one person complimented our boys on their excellent behavior.

 

I'd also say that if anyone else with kids is doing the all day tours, buy the water bottle pack for your room so you can have water with you at all times. Also during breakfast we made sure the get the little cereal boxes to take off the ship. We brought 2 for child each day and they were eaten.

Can you tell me wich tour did you choose to do with your kids? Travelling with my 6 years old son this summer and I have difficulty to choose the best option...

Thank you

Hi there. Belfast resident here. Yes game of thrones tour and the causeway are very popular. Bit of a drive. Not sure about their suitability for such young kids tbh. Right next to where you will berth is the Titanic centre and W5 in the Odysey complex which is an interactive set up for children. Its first class. Both within walking distance or certainly a very short taxi hop depending on which dock you are at. I haven't done Titanic myself but Im told its very good. If your kids like museums, the Ulster Museum is very good and free. Its a 10/15 minute taxi fare. It beside Queens university which is quite historic in its own right. Otherwise the Belfast tours are good but again not really sure thats a kids thing. The city centre isn't too far away either.

We traveled on the Royal Princess British Isles cruise in June with two granddaughters ages 9 and 12. Their favorite excursion was from Belfast, Giants Causeway and Carrick Rope Bridge because they could run around and enjoy the outdoors. We did a small group private tour with Odyssey Coach Tours, would highly recommend!

The Princess tours did not spend nearly enough time there, in some cases only a photo op. The tours we did were a fraction of the price, excellent guides and small buses.

The girls also loved Stirling Castle. We also did a private group tour, through Discover Scotland. Also would highly recommend.

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With kids this small I would DIY in Guernsey, Cobh, And Liverpool. Plenty to see and walk around right off the ship, charming towns with nice waterfront. I seem to remember a playground in Cobh right by the waterfront. Liverpool had a nice Ferris wheel kind of like a small London Eye within walking distance. And in Dublin do HOHO bus. For South Queensferry you could take shuttle into Edinburgh. For LeHavre there really is nothing at the dock, very commercial. The excursions are in most cases quite a haul, I would skip it and stay on the ship and pack, our little granddaughters and their parents went to Paris on a ships tour, and loved it, but the girls had always wanted to go to Paris, think it’s a girls thing!!

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Dhearg, we will be in Belfast on this cruise next summer and I am wondering how far is the Victoria Square shopping mall from the port? Is it walkable? And if not, supposedly Princess provides a free shuttle there and perhaps it drops passengers off near there? Any info would be appreciated as you are a local expert :-)

Dhearg, we will be in Belfast on this cruise next summer and I am wondering how far is the Victoria Square shopping mall from the port? Is it walkable? And if not, supposedly Princess provides a free shuttle there and perhaps it drops passengers off near there? Any info would be appreciated as you are a local expert :-)

It’s walkable but it’s a fair old walk alright. Probably 30mins and through industrial type area.also good weather in Belfast is NEVER guaranteed despite this years extended heat wave. Shuttle or taxi would be best. Can’t think for that distance a taxi would cost much. When you are coming back Value cabs( one of big 2 companies in Belfast) have a depot attached to Victoria centre. Once at Victoria centre the city centre is your oyster. All nearby. If you need any other info let me know

Thank you so much! That is very helpful. There's no way I could walk that far :-)