My guess would be it's during the height of hurricane season.  It's a great deal as long as you understand the risks.

I did this tour last year.  The current cost on Shore Excursions website is $125.  A lot of people left the tour at the last stop to spend time on Cobh.  There were a lot of pubs with live music in the afternoon.

Scenic Railtour to Cork and Blarney Castle

Check in at the historic Victorian Cóbh Railway Station, which is close to the cruise port, and take your train to Great Island in Cork Harbour for a breathtaking rail excursion. It is known that Cóbh served as the Titanic's final port of call in 1912.

Cork, a city that takes great pride in its location on an island in the middle of the River Lee, is home to several outstanding pubs, a thriving craft beer industry, museums, art galleries, and the ubiquitous bohemian coffee shops. Although she is a metropolis, you will feel as though you are in a tiny local village where people are more relaxed and less in a rush.

Before arriving at Cork Kent Station, your journey continues along the River Lee's banks with views of Blackrock Castle. Drive to the majestic Blarney Castle and Gardens where you may kiss the fabled stone to bestow the gift of eternal eloquence. There is plenty of free time after your arrival to Blarney Village for shopping, sightseeing, and lunch.

Enjoy a tour of Cork City before heading back to Cóbh to see the magnificent St. Colman's Cathedral. The neo-Gothic St. Colman's Cathedral was masterfully designed by Pugin and Ashlin. Construction on it began in 1868 and lasted 47 Years. A 42-bell carillon was installed in 1916. The heaviest bell, which is 200 feet above the ground, and weighs 3.6 tons. 2,468 pipes make up the cathedral organ by Telford & Telford. Visit the Cóbh cemetery, the mass graves of the Lusitania victims, and the grave of the illustrious Jack Doyle before returning to Cóbh Harbour. Visit the the cemetery and then, at your convenience, return to your ship.

Thanks so much for the information.   I booked the 10:04 train.  I'll have access to the arrivals lounge at LHR so I may stop to change clothes and grab a bite to eat before heading to the train.

My flight arrives at LHR at 6:15 am.  I am flying business class so should be able to get off the aircraft fairly quickly and luggage should be out first.  Although I arrived at the same time last August and getting through customs and collecting luggage was quick, I'm thinking I should allow at least an hour, maybe more.  My plan is to take the Picadilly line from LHR to Kings Cross and catch a train from St. Pancras.  I know this will take an hour and there are quicker ways, but I don't want the hassle of navigating from Paddington to St. Pancras.  I'm assuming since the Picadilly line originates at LHR and it will be early Saturday morning, that there shouldn't be an issue with getting a seat and room for luggage.  

I want to take the fast Direct train to Dover so I don't have to manage luggage.  I'm in no hurry to get to Dover and am debating whether to book the 11:07 train advance rate or go for the Off Peak and perhaps take an earlier train.  I couldn't find particulars on the Off Peak time restrictions.  Can I assume if it's being offered on all the trains for a day, that there is no time restriction?  If I buy a timed ticket and miss that train, I believe I read the cost would be applied to the purchase of a ticket for a later train that day.  The difference in fares isn't huge but I don't want to waste money either.

I appreciate any thoughts or insights on which way to go.  

Last September on Carnival, we docked.

I did the HoHo in Liverpool and really liked it.  

Greenock - Scottish Highlands Tour - https://www.discoverscotlandtours.com/tours/highland-lochs-glens-castles-shore-excursion/

Cork - Scenic Train to Cork and Blarney. https://www.shoreexcursionsgroup.com/tour/scenic-railtour-to-cork-and-blarney-castle/eucrtrain

Belfast - Giants Causeway with Odyssey Coach Tours https://odysseycoachtours.co.uk/giants-causeway-tours/   I paid a little extra and did the small group tour, well worth the extra money.

19 hours ago, cyntil8ing said:

We used Flagship Amsterdam (https://flagshipamsterdam.com/). Lots of availability. They also accepted walk-ups.

We did have to have reservations for Anne Frank Haus and Van Gogh Museum. The Anne Frank tickets go on sale 6 weeks ahead. The introductory tours sell out quickly, like within an hour or two. So if you want to go, put the on sale date on your calendar. I bought the Van Gogh tickets at the same time.

 

Thanks so much.  This is perfect as I was looking for something close to the cruise port.

On 4/9/2024 at 7:10 PM, DRGrammy said:

Where did you find it on the Joy?  I’ll be on next month.

It was outside the BBQ restaurant in a security area.  I believe it was Deck 6 forward on the right.

I'll be in Amsterdam on August 6th.  It looks like all the small boat companies I can find are fully booked or not available for 2 weeks around that date.  Is there something going on during that time?

I had to ask 6 different crew members on the Joy last week before I found one that knew what I was talking about.  When we finally found the correct location, we were the first to drop any bags and we boarded in group 22.  They definitely don't advertise it and don't make it easy to find.

I was in Dover last September and while the app worked, there were never any cars in the vicinity.

I don't have mobility issues and still didn't climb onto the rocks!  I could just see myself slipping and hurting myself.  The view was still great from the flat ground.

The bus was 1 GBP per person each way last September.  I walked down and took the bus back up!

I would advise doing any land trip prior to your cruise if possible.  Last year we did 3 days in London after a 10 day port intensive cruise and we were all exhausted.  We managed to see the London highlights but really wished we had done it on the front end.

I was there last fall but don't recall the taxi situation.  Giants causeway is over an hour from the port.  I booked a small group excursion through Odyssey Coach Tours and would highly recommend it.  

On 1/11/2024 at 3:31 PM, VMax1700 said:

What ship was that? When?

The tenders are ship's tenders and if one breaks down it is bound to cause logistics problems as there will not be any spare capacity.

Sorry about the sun.......it doesn't happen very often!😉

It was Carnival Pride at the beginning of September 2023.  We had great weather the entire trip and had to buy t-shirts since we had packed for cool damp weather!

The actual tender ride is 20-30 minutes.  When we were there, one of the tenders broke down and it took about 2 hours for us to get off the ship and by the time we got to Dublin it was really crowded.  To make matters worse, they weren't allowing any priority tender groups.  The line for the return trip was ridiculous and we had to wait in the hot sun.

I used Blackberry in September from LHR to Dover and Dover to London Hotels.  They were very easy to work with, communication was great and they were on time.  I definitely recommend them.  We were a group of 5 so it made sense financially, maybe not so much for a smaller group.  

I highly recommend Discover Scotland Tours.  I took their Highland Lochs, Glens & Castles Shore Excursion and it was fantastic.  www.discoverscotlandtours.com

You should go back to your health insurance company for them to pay it in full.  I've had to do this several times.  They have an obligation to provide a network and if there were no network providers where you needed emergency care, they have to pay as if in network.  

Go back into your cruise manager and see if you can pick an earlier time.  You should have been able to pick it when you did your online check in two weeks prior to your sail date.  Diamond, Platinum and Suites are able to check in two days earlier.  If there are a lot of those on your sailing, they may have already gotten the earlier times.  

This is the first time for an Magic extended season in Norfolk so you are getting a lot of new cruisers and ones that typically do other lines but wanted to try it since it was close to home.  A ship with a lot of first time cruisers is going to feel different as all the newbies try to figure it out.

I've sailed the Magic twice in the last year and everything is just fine.

You can get it but you have to ask for it and it will take awhile for the staff to figure out where it is, go get it and serve you.  Most evenings we were finished with dinner before they brought it up for my grandson.  We found the staff at the coffee shop were typically willing to fill his cup and they kept a supply handy for us.  My daughter had the Cheers package and I made sure to tip them extra each time!

I cruised from Norfolk on the 14th.  It was very smooth and much better organized than last year.  Cars were having no problem pulling up to the circular drive where the porters were readily available to take your luggage.

The downtown hotels don't give you a hang tag for your car so the parking garage people have no idea why your car is there.  We parked in the Waterside garage last year without a problem.