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Belfast


Grannycb

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We thoroughly enjoyed Belfast.

 

The murals from the the "troubles" were fascinating. We also saw the Harland & Wolff shipyard where the Titanic was built, Belfast City Hall, Stromnent Estate(parliament bldg). There's a "leaning tower" in Belfast (think it's called Albert Clock). Went up to Cave Hill/Belfast Castle for a nice view. We also drove the Ards Penisula.

 

Many on our ship went out to Giant's Causeway and loved that. It's a huge rock formation with hexagonal columns that form a "staircase" down into the sea.

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Can anyone "in the know" recommend a good local restaurant we can stop at for lunch along the Antrim coast? We have a private tour booked for Giant's Causeway etc. and a return drive along the coast.

We are thinking we might like something that isn't real touristy.

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I would also say the causeway is a must see. I have pictures from my trip there last Sept. Just click on my link at the bottom of my post. Look to the left and click on the N. Ireland link.

 

 

There is a little resturart just outside the gates of the causeway. The food was really really good. It has a mixture of locals and tourist. Around lunch it was VERY crowded and there was a small wait for tables. There is also a resturant inside the hotel, but I wasn't impressed with the menus or the pricing.

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Lori -

Of the links I gave, the only restaurant where I have had lunch is the Bushmills Inn - we were there last Oct. before taking visitors to the Giants Causeway. The food is always good - we had paninis with bacon, cheese and marmalade onions, along with french fries, not typically Irish I don't think! - there is a varied menu from snacks to full meals. I am sure you will visit the Distillery in Bushmills.

 

As regards the links to McCollums and McBrides, they are pubs in typical Glens of Antrim coastal villages and I am sure the food is fine, with locals as well as tourists the customers. I think that rather than deciding exactly where you want to eat you should 'play it by ear', have a few places in mind, but the time of day when your driver is at each location with be the main factor as where you will eat!:) There is also the Halfway House between Larne and Ballygally http://www.thehalfway.org.uk/

- and the Ballygally Catle Hotel http://www.hastingshotels.com/index.cfm/website_key/7/

 

Which ship are you on? There are 37 cruise ships coming to Belfast this season. Great to see it!

Rosie

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We will be in Belfast on July 6,2008 on the Grand Princess. We plan on taking the mini coach tour to the "Giant Causeway" ....... there have been so many good comments about this tour company. My question is this: do they pick you up at the port where the ship docks? Or do you have to take a cab somewhere? Thanks so much! :)

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Speaking of pints.... we've engaged a driver to take us down the Ards peninsula, and asked him to recommend a pub for lunch around Greyabbey where we could get cask ale. He seems to be at a bit of a loss. Is cask-conditioned ale unusual in Northern Ireland? Would I be able to get British pub food, like a ploughman's lunch, in a Northern Irish pub?

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rsquare -

 

One of the best seaside pubs on the Ards Peninsula would be Pier 36 in Donaghadee - menu is displayed on the website too -

http://www.pier36.co.uk/index.html

Likewise, the Saltwater Brig which is between Greyabbey and Kircubbin.

http://www.saltwaterbrig.com/

There is music at the Fiddlers Green in Portaferry, but more likely to be at night time

http://www.fiddlersgreenportaferry.com/

Your query about cask ale will have to be answered by Coxswain - not a beer drinker!:)

Rosie

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We will be in Belfast on July 6,2008 on the Grand Princess. We plan on taking the mini coach tour to the "Giant Causeway" ....... there have been so many good comments about this tour company. My question is this: do they pick you up at the port where the ship docks? Or do you have to take a cab somewhere? Thanks so much! :)

 

mini coach tours does not pick up at the port where the ship docks according to their website. rather they pick up from their offices, which i assume are in town and hopefully not too far from the pier.

 

here is the information from their website.

 

"This Tour departs daily from our tour office (22 Donegall Road, Belfast) at 9.40am (9am on Sundays), however, check-in is recommended 20mins prior to departure."

 

i am planning on doing this tour when i'm in belfast as well

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Donegall Road is about 2 miles from where Grand Princess docks. You will definitely need to take a taxi (cab) to get there. In this map the dock is further up the Lough than the map shows - Donegall road is near bottom left - locate City Hospital and it's near there.

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=belfast+city+map&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

click on third map (not sure if this will work ok!)

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We will be in Belfast on July 6,2008 on the Grand Princess. We plan on taking the mini coach tour to the "Giant Causeway" ....... there have been so many good comments about this tour company. My question is this: do they pick you up at the port where the ship docks? Or do you have to take a cab somewhere? Thanks so much! :)

 

I wrote to another tour company about getting into Belfast from the ship for their tour. Here was the reply in part:

"From your ship, there will be complimentary shuttle buses operating from the port side to the Belfast Welcome Centre in the city centre." The reply went on to say the shuttle buses would run throughout the day.

 

I believe the Welcome Centre area is the starting point for several different tours. Your tour company should be able to verify the shuttle bus information for your cruise date.

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mini coach tours does not pick up at the port where the ship docks according to their website. rather they pick up from their offices, which i assume are in town and hopefully not too far from the pier.

 

here is the information from their website.

 

"This Tour departs daily from our tour office (22 Donegall Road, Belfast) at 9.40am (9am on Sundays), however, check-in is recommended 20mins prior to departure."

 

i am planning on doing this tour when i'm in belfast as well

 

Mini Coach picked us up at the dock last summer. Perhaps it depends on how many people from your ship join the tour. I think we had to get 10 people committed with deposits ahead of time so we worked it out through our roll call. Others joined us later.

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Mini Coach picked us up at the dock last summer. Perhaps it depends on how many people from your ship join the tour. I think we had to get 10 people committed with deposits ahead of time so we worked it out through our roll call. Others joined us later.

 

I had wondered about that. So you have to reserve the tour in advance? In reading their website, it sounded like this was a tour that just operated every day and you just showed up.

 

thanks for the info.

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