birder22

Our first port in the UK last summer for a British Isles cruise was Liverpool.  The immigration officials were supposed to board the ship in Amsterdam but did not board.  They were late getting to the ship in Liverpool and delayed immigration.  So it is possible to have a delay for the first UK port.

The X99 bus makes it easy to get to downtown Edinburgh once you get off.  The ship will offer a shuttle that may get you off earlier but it will be more expensive than the bus.

For Dublin,  the tender port is one block from the light rail station.  The DART is 5 euros for a day pass and is a faster trip than the HAL shuttle.  There are three stops in downtown Dublin.  

I was on a 14 day British Isles cruise last summer.  The first UK port will require a face to face immigration visit.  This can cause hours of delay as the timing is determined by immigration officials, not the ship.  Lerwick is frequently missed due to high winds (about a 50:50 chance of tendering).  Edinburgh is slow if they are only using the ship's tender, but not bad if they are using local tour boats as well.  The X99 bus can take you into Edinburgh from the cruise pier.   My advice is to be ready to go ashore and at the tender ticket distribution site (usually BB Kings) when they start distributing tickets.   

I just returned home from this fantastic cruise.  I was part of the large knitting group and worked closely with the HAL events manager.  According to her immigration at Liverpool was a nightmare due to the immigration officials not spending the sea days on board and arriving late in Liverpool.  And then the passengers refused to leave the line even when individually requested to do so.  

The delay at the Isle of Man was due to the commissioning of the new island ferry.  Tender service had to stop for the ceremony and shore excursions were then delayed.  We did not leave on time due to the anchor catching on an underwater cable.

The weather in Lerwick was absolutely amazing.  Warm, sunny, no wind and flat seas for tendering.  

Covid was making its rounds on the ship.  Our group tested if they developed symptoms and 18% of the group tested positive.  I expect the percentage was similar for the rest of the ship because of the amount of coughing and sneezing I heard in the second week.  

Expect to go through face to face immigration at the first UK port. 

My husband and I took the AmaSiena Christmas cruise from Basal to Amsterdam in December.  We enjoyed the vineyard hike (about 6 miles) in Rudesheim with a guide knowledgable about wine growing.  I enjoyed the bike tour in Cologne.  The bikes were in excellent condition.  We had a local guide leading the way and the fitness instructor bringing up the rear for just two participants.  We also did the active walking tour of Strasbourg.  It was combination speed walk and guided tour by a guide with very long legs!   

This is a great room for a family of four. My family had it on the Westerdam and a nearby room on the Eurodam. The extra space on the balcony allows eveyone room to enjoy the scenery. This room is much better than the VAs, VBs, and VCs, that sleep four.-- Mark do not upgrade.

Our trip is less action packed than some but we will have the chance to visit some of our favorite places in Seattle and have lots of fun in Alaska.

Westerdam May 25

May 23- 24th Drive to Seattle, stay with family

May 25- Breakfast at Pike Place Market, visit Seattle Aquarium, arrive at ship about noon

May 26 - Sea day

May 27- Glacier Bay

May 28- Juneau - Our older family members will take the Mendenhall Glacier and Glacier Gardens ship tour, the rest of us will hike around the Mendhenhall Glacier and visit the state museum.

May 29- Sitka- 3 hour trip with Captain Davey for 6 of us. Then some of us will explore tidepools at the national park at low tide. One person not going on the boat trip may do the ship's Russian Culture tour.

May 30- Ketchikan- public bus to/from Totem Bight State Park, walk around town if time permits

May 31- Victoria- shuttle bus to Inner Harbor, walk around downtown and Chinatown (some of us).

June 1 - Seattle- Experience Music Project, visit the fountain at the Seattle Center and then head home.