Holyhead, wales-tender port

Thinking of booking a private tour in Holyhead. The tour company wants payment in full from each person, with no refunds. The cost is approx $100/pp.

Here's my question....since it's a tender port, can you guys give us some input on the port: was there was a problem tendering? How often is the port canceled due to not be able to tender? I called Princess Vacation Program to ask if it would be covered if we don't make port, and I was told "no".

Advice?

You might ask this on the Ports of Call board for the British Isles, which is here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=233

Thinking of booking a private tour in Holyhead. The tour company wants payment in full from each person, with no refunds. The cost is approx $100/pp.

 

Here's my question....since it's a tender port, can you guys give us some input on the port: was there was a problem tendering? How often is the port canceled due to not be able to tender? I called Princess Vacation Program to ask if it would be covered if we don't make port, and I was told "no".

 

Advice?

I don't remember this being a tender port when we were there. However, $100/pp, non-refundable seems steep and unreasonable to me. We took the "BusyBus" for £45/pp for a full day tour that went to all the sites. Granted it wasn't a small group but it didn't seem to matter and the guide was great.

http://www.busybus.co.uk

Hi

Find another tour company, not being reasonable, small deposit acceptable,

but dealing with ships, means things are not in your control, so

no refund, no booking.

yours Shogun

My last time there on the Grand 2 years ago it was definitely NOT a tender port, in fact it's a full fledge cruise terminal, so I can't see why you'd be tendering (??)

Of course I guess, something could have happened to the terminal recently that now requires tendering.. My advise is double check the information about the tendering

Srpilo

My last time there on the Grand 2 years ago it was definitely NOT a tender port, in fact it's a full fledge cruise terminal, so I can't see why you'd be tendering (??)

 

Of course I guess, something could have happened to the terminal recently that now requires tendering.. My advise is double check the information about the tendering

Srpilo

We are definitely tendering. Which is why the tour guide wants full payment...he's afraid if we don't make it to port, he will be out money. So it looks like WE will be out the money if we don't get to the port! :eek:

This is what it says on the itinerary for our sailing: Note: Your ship will anchor in Holyhead and use launches to transport all passengers ashore.

I don't remember this being a tender port when we were there. However, $100/pp, non-refundable seems steep and unreasonable to me. We took the "BusyBus" for £45/pp for a full day tour that went to all the sites. Granted it wasn't a small group but it didn't seem to matter and the guide was great.

 

http://www.busybus.co.uk

Thank you! Great suggestion!!

I don't remember this being a tender port when we were there. However, $100/pp, non-refundable seems steep and unreasonable to me. We took the "BusyBus" for £45/pp for a full day tour that went to all the sites. Granted it wasn't a small group but it didn't seem to matter and the guide was great.

 

http://www.busybus.co.uk

Did you book ahead of time? Or can you just join the tour when you get there?

I am getting mixed messages on this port...my itinerary says it's a tender port but the busyBus site says there a jetty which alleviates the need for tendering.

Did you book ahead of time? Or can you just join the tour when you get there?

 

I am getting mixed messages on this port...my itinerary says it's a tender port but the busyBus site says there a jetty which alleviates the need for tendering.

We were on the Celebrity Silhouette this August and Holyhead was a tender port. The jetty was damaged during a storm earlier in the year and the Silhouette's July visit there had to be cancelled. Many people had booked with Busybus, who also require full advance payment with no refunds, whereas some other tour operator gave a part refund. There's a long thread about this on CC dating from end July/August, you may want to check it out.

I was so looking forward to Wales but it was probably our least fav stop, IMO mainly because of our guide, we did a tour with Fun Tours Wales. There was a larger group with the same operator doing the same tour and they had only good things to say, so guess we were unlucky:( BTW, we also paid in advance, seems to be the norm for Holyhead I think.

Holyhead had been a tender port for many years. Then a couple of years back the pier, which had been used by an aluminium processing company, became available.

Prish's post perhaps explains why currently there's confusion.

Sadly, because of weather / seas it's always been a rather unreliable port-of-call, especially without the pier. That's a great shame.

Cruise passengers are only a small proportion of operators' business there, and I suspect that the combination of unreliable port and the availability of business from other visitors explains why many local operators seek payment with booking & no refunds.

The north Wales coast, mountains & castles are almost as convenient from the port of Liverpool - for instance, for cruise passengers Busybus operate broadly the same sights from Liverpool as from Holyhead. And ever since the new pier was built at Liverpool & the approach dredged, Liverpool has been able to accommodate large cruise ships and has been a very reliable port.

That work was done with a fat grant from the EU - mebbe Holyhead could take a leaf out of Liverpool's book. ;)

From time to time & at various ports we've risked front-money on the presumption that a ship will make port as planned, and never lost out.

Grieves me to say it, but Holyhead is one of the places I wouldn't risk a significant wedge of money on that presumption.

JB :)

Holyhead had been a tender port for many years. Then a couple of years back the pier, which had been used by an aluminium processing company, became available.

Prish's post perhaps explains why currently there's confusion.

 

Sadly, because of weather / seas it's always been a rather unreliable port-of-call, especially without the pier. That's a great shame.

 

Cruise passengers are only a small proportion of operators' business there, and I suspect that the combination of unreliable port and the availability of business from other visitors explains why many local operators seek payment with booking & no refunds.

 

The north Wales coast, mountains & castles are almost as convenient from the port of Liverpool - for instance, for cruise passengers Busybus operate broadly the same sights from Liverpool as from Holyhead. And ever since the new pier was built at Liverpool & the approach dredged, Liverpool has been able to accommodate large cruise ships and has been a very reliable port.

That work was done with a fat grant from the EU - mebbe Holyhead could take a leaf out of Liverpool's book. ;)

 

From time to time & at various ports we've risked front-money on the presumption that a ship will make port as planned, and never lost out.

Grieves me to say it, but Holyhead is one of the places I wouldn't risk a significant wedge of money on that presumption.

 

JB :)

Thank you for that information. The tour I was looking at sounds really great, but I don't think worth losing over $200 if we don't make port.

Thank you for that information. The tour I was looking at sounds really great, but I don't think worth losing over $200 if we don't make port.

In which case, consider taking the train to Conwy.

Conwy is a super little coastal town, with an impressive castle.

Holyhead station is very close to your berth / tender jetty. Trains aren't frequent but there'll be train times to suit. Journey time under an hour, fare about £15 pp day-return & of course you just buy your tickets at the station.

http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/

Conwy station is just yards from the castle.

Conwy station is very unusual in that because it's tiny it is one of the few UK stations that are "request stops". When heading to Conwy, when you board you have to ask the driver/conductor to stop at Conwy. And when you return you have to stand on the Conwy platform & hold your hand out the train, much as you would for a bus.

If you're hesitant about this complication, you can just alight or board at Llandudno Junction, which is a regular station & only a mile further on. Or instead of Conwy, change trains at Llandudno Junction to the line which takes you 3 miles to the Victorian seaside resort of Llandudno. (Decent train timetable to Conwy or Llandudno Junction on a sunday, but no sunday service to Llandudno town.)

JB :)

In which case, consider taking the train to Conwy.

Conwy is a super little coastal town, with an impressive castle.

Holyhead station is very close to your berth / tender jetty. Trains aren't frequent but there'll be train times to suit. Journey time under an hour, fare about £15 pp day-return & of course you just buy your tickets at the station.

http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/

Conwy station is just yards from the castle.

 

Conwy station is very unusual in that because it's tiny it is one of the few UK stations that are "request stops". When heading to Conwy, when you board you have to ask the driver/conductor to stop at Conwy. And when you return you have to stand on the Conwy platform & hold your hand out the train, much as you would for a bus.

If you're hesitant about this complication, you can just alight or board at Llandudno Junction, which is a regular station & only a mile further on. Or instead of Conwy, change trains at Llandudno Junction to the line which takes you 3 miles to the Victorian seaside resort of Llandudno. (Decent train timetable to Conwy or Llandudno Junction on a sunday, but no sunday service to Llandudno town.)

 

JB :)

Fantastic info JB! Thank you so much! One of our friends was actually just telling me about the castle in Conwy and that her plan was to try to see it when we arrived in Holyhead! :)

Fantastic info JB! Thank you so much! One of our friends was actually just telling me about the castle in Conwy and that her plan was to try to see it when we arrived in Holyhead! :)

JB's suggestion is spot on, we loved Conwy castle and the little town, though we didn't have time to do the walk on the medieval walls which survive almost completely intact. I've read a lot about the princes of Gwyeydd and the castles Edward I built to subdue them, so this visit was just magical for me.

But do be careful about the train on your return to Holyhead, Conwy is perhaps the only station in the UK where you need to request a stop. A large group of over 50 from our sailing didn't know this and missed the train back, luckily some locals helped them and they had to make a circuitous route back to Holyhead. Since they were so many Celebrity held the ship for them:D

As JB says Busybus has almost the exact same itinerary for North Wales out of Liverpool but we did the Fab Four tour in the morning and planned to take the train to Chester (the earls of Chester were greatly involved in skimishes and more with the Welsh and I really wanted to go there) but it was pouring and we had to rethink our plans:(

Can you not get cruise insurance to cover for missed ports? My cruise insurance covers for this so we are not out of pocket when things like this happen.

Even just wandering around Holyhead is very beautiful. You don't really need a tour. :)

Otherwise I would go for Ffestiniog Railway - it connects with the main railway at both ends of the steam line, and is a very nice narrow gauge railway. We love our steam trains in Britain. :)

Can you not get cruise insurance to cover for missed ports? My cruise insurance covers for this so we are not out of pocket when things like this happen.

 

Even just wandering around Holyhead is very beautiful. You don't really need a tour. :)

 

Otherwise I would go for Ffestiniog Railway - it connects with the main railway at both ends of the steam line, and is a very nice narrow gauge railway. We love our steam trains in Britain. :)

Not sure what the others did, I know there was a lot of grumbling because the tours weren't refunded, probably not everyone had Trip Insurance. We made it to Holyhead without any problems, our only grouse was the indifferent guide, though she did have the most beautiful voice and sang to us on the way back. Conwy however more than made up for any shortcomings, wouldn't have missed that for anything:)

The British culture is to have insurance everywhere we go, but that could also be because we don't pay for things like healthcare normally, so insurance ensures we get that!

Conwy is very beautiful!

Can you not get cruise insurance to cover for missed ports? My cruise insurance covers for this so we are not out of pocket when things like this happen.

 

Even just wandering around Holyhead is very beautiful. You don't really need a tour. :)

 

Otherwise I would go for Ffestiniog Railway - it connects with the main railway at both ends of the steam line, and is a very nice narrow gauge railway. We love our steam trains in Britain. :)

We are sailing on Princess and got their insurance...when I called to ask if they would cover it, they told me they do not. If we book a Princess tour and we don't make port, they will of course refund us for that tour, but not if we book privately.

We are sailing on Princess and got their insurance...when I called to ask if they would cover it, they told me they do not. If we book a Princess tour and we don't make port, they will of course refund us for that tour, but not if we book privately.

I guess that makes sense.

I must admit mine is independent of the cruiseline and its an annual policy that covers all trips outside uk.

Go for the DIY train option out of holyheadnin that case, but just make sure you get an early enough train back as there can sometimes be delays on trains in rural Britain for various reasons: freight train in way, leaves on line, wrong kind of rain/snow, signalling problems due to some idiot stealing the copper wire etc.

I live in Llandudno and used to live in llanfairpwll on Anglesey I can answer any q's if u have any on trips to north Wales coast.

My last time there on the Grand 2 years ago it was definitely NOT a tender port, in fact it's a full fledge cruise terminal, so I can't see why you'd be tendering (??)

 

Of course I guess, something could have happened to the terminal recently that now requires tendering.. My advise is double check the information about the tendering

Srpilo

Sorry, wrong info.. Holyhead is a tender port, we did not tender and lost 50% of total fee to Busy Bus.

Holyhead has a jetty that was a loading dock for ore. Some ships use it and some don't. We have seen photos of Princess ships docked, but for our cruise in May it was a tender port. Either way there is a very good chance you will miss it due to weather despite what Busybus claims. Just look at the threads and you will see many ships miss the port. Knowing this is likely Busybus refunds only 50% of you payment (around $75) if the ship does not dock and you cannot take the tour. They require payment in full when booking. This term is buried in their terms and conditions link.