Belfast, Northern Ireland

I just wanted to say that I am an American living and working in Belfast, Northern Ireland. I work here at the US Consulate and am an avid cruiser and cruisecritic'er. Seeing the Grand Princess arriving yesterday made me realize I should offer my help to any of you who are going to lucky enough to stop here during your cruises. If you have any questions at all, please feel free to ask.

Cathy

Hi Cathy. This is really weird. I am sure I replied to you early this morning!

Anyway.....we will be docking in Belfast next July and I would like your opinion. Should we spend the day sightseeing in the city or should we take the tour to the Causeway? Thanks

That is really weird! I answered you, too.

Anyway, what I said was that it would be a real shame to miss the Causeway, which is really one of the wonders of the world. The drive there is awesome, too -- very pretty. You could plan to spend 2 hr.s getting there, an hour there, and an hour back (the inland drive is not as scenic, but quick) I would go there. Normally, I never advocate taking a ship's excursion, but the hassle factors here are driving on the other side of the road and not the best marked road in history. I would take the shoip tour if it would give you enough time to get up there and back with spare time to see some of Belfast. You could either take a quick black taxi tour of some of the Troubled areas or even zoom over to the Crown Pub for a pint.

Have a great trip!

That's because you two have a separate thread running over on the Europe forum! :D

Well, aren't you smart! Thanks!

Well, Aren't you smart! THANKS!

Hi Cathy - i was at Consulate in the summer collecting my Visa - if anyone needs any help let me know - i've lived in Belfast all my life.

We're off to Miami soon to pick up the Brilliance of the seas

jj.....

Hi Cathy-

We are coming to Belfast in May on the Golden Princess. We are either looking for a private guided tour or suggestions on what to do for the day. We have a group ranging in age from 2 to 76. We could split up if needed, but are looking for things to do that all ages would like. We enjoy history, while my preteen kids like to shop and eat. Thanks for any info. that you can give. Julie

On the May 22 run..... Please look at http://www.minicoachni.co.uk for Causeway tour. Interested in getting group together. Anybody interested? Wayne

If anyone is interested in doing a tour round belfast with myself i'd be more and happy to help 2 or 3 people out

jj......

I will look forward to getting tour ideas from you as it gets closer. We really prefer not to do the ships tours.

Joyce

WAVTAM

Wayne,

Are you still looking to form a group for this tour? We might be interested, 3 people. This tour mght give us a little more freedom than the Princess thing. (I would guess lunch on our own, etc) Although we're not really interested in the distillery part. (been through a lot of wineries) But who knows; there might be more to it; sometimes what I'm not really eager to see pleasantly surprises me.

I wonder if they would pick up at the ship if you had a pretty full busload.

Denise

Denise, We have 6 in out group. I will find who are interested this weekend. Wayne

Hi Wayne,

We have six people in our group and 4 of us definitely want to do Bushmills and the Causeway tour, the other two are "might bes". The time frame mentioned on the web site looks a mite tight but I'm sure if we have a minibus full they will suit our time. We also wonder if they will pick us up at the dock. We will look forward to hearing how plans work out. We have been adjusting to no holidays and have not posted in a while, welcome to all new comers. Betty

Hi All-

We are on the May 22nd Golden too. As I said in my earlier post, we are a group of ten with a huge age range and looking for fun things to do. I don't know if all of will be interested in going on a tour of the Causeway, but I am!! I would also like to see part of Belfast and learn alittle about the history. I emailed the minicoach website a couple of weeks ago about doing a tour like this, but have not heard back. Please let me know if anyone comes up with anything. Cheers for now. Julie:)

Wayne, I think our group of 6 would be up for this too if it can fit in with the time we're in port. The price is quite good and the itinerary is exactly what I wanted to see!

What have you found out for a private tour to the Causeway and sights in Belfast? I tried the link but it said the address was wrong. Wayne what is the cost of this tour. 's? There are four in our group. We also would like to share tours with CC's in ports. Sounds like Princess is going to charge a lot and not show enough on the tours.

Craftycruiser

We will be in Belfast in September on the Star Princess...we have decided we want to see the city and have also booked a tour on a small boat (Lagan Boat Company)...that actually takes us out to where the Titanic was built and sailed from. Are you familiar with it?

Any information you can give would be most appreciated.

Joyce

Hi Cathy - kind of you to offer your help!

We think we might want to get into the city and have a look around on our own.

How far is the city from the dock? What would the approx. cost of a taxi be?

Any do-not-miss things to see in town? - Aside from the Crown Pub, natch!

Thanks for your help -

Dee

Coxswain, where in Belfast would you recommend spending one free day? I'm interested in the city's HUB where you can be around as many locals as possible, with lots of shopping, dining - things of that sort. We wish to be in the company of your beautiful people!

Sheila i'd head straight into belfast city centre - a taxi ride from the prt shouldn't cost that much ( ask the driver to drop you off at the city hall ) Lots of places to shop - and some great placs to eat.

When are you in Belfast and how many are there of you.

Hi JoyceC i work beside the Lagan Boat Company - and the name of the boat is called THE JOYCE LOL

Make sure you mention THE BOATMEN AT LAGAN WEIR ( john collins is my name ) The names of the guys working for the Lagan Boat Company Paddy-Derek and Philip.

jj.......

And of course, one of the reason I was interested in the tour was due to the name of the boat! Derek is going to be our guide for the day.We also plan on hiring a black taxi to see the city and visit a few pubs!

Anything else you can suggest would be helpful...we will be there in September.

I will mention you will at Lagan!

Joyce

Errol - he's a land-lover ( no sea legs lol )

Make sure you go to City hall - and maybe visit Belfast Castle ( even just for the views ) Stormont is another place worth walking run.

where do you live joyce?

jj.......

I was on the May 22 Golden Princess cruise. There was a free shuttle from the dock to the Welcome Centre on Donegal Place ( city center) offered by the Welcome Centre. It was scheduled to operate between 8:30 and 6. We didn't use it as we had a tour planned but thought you may want to know about as an option to a taxi.

Hope you all enjoy your cruise as much as we did.

Janet

Now if I can just get the black taxi compnay to respond to my emails so we can book our tour!

I told Errol at lagan Boat Co about you and here was his response:

"Don't know John Collins I'm afraid but then its a rare occasion that would

actually see me on the boat! I slave away all day in my dark little office

over a hot computer unloved and forgotten!

Errol"

I live in Fullerton, California (it's the city next to Anaheim/Disneyland). THis will be our first time to Belfast...we are very excited.

So do you know anyone at the Black taxi company?? They sent me one email telling me the price to pick us up, take us to Lagan for the tour on "Joyce too" and then around the city. Then I never heard back!

Joyce