British Isles Trip Review w/Pics: A Thesis :)

Thank you so much DeLoreanGirl for your wonderful review. My husband & I are doing this cruise Aug 1 and are learning so much from you.

Did you feel you saw most of the Beetle attractions in Liverpool such as Strawberry Fields etc.or should we do the half day Princess tour? What did you hear from others about kissing the Blarney Stone. Is a tour necessary?

My husband and I are both following your review and enjoying it immensely. We check often for your next installment. Can't wait!

Thank you so much DeLoreanGirl for your wonderful review. My husband & I are doing this cruise Aug 1 and are learning so much from you.

Did you feel you saw most of the Beetle attractions in Liverpool such as Strawberry Fields etc.or should we do the half day Princess tour? What did you hear from others about kissing the Blarney Stone. Is a tour necessary?

My husband and I are both following your review and enjoying it immensely. We check often for your next installment. Can't wait!

We were on the same cruise as Emily. For Liverpool, we did an afternoon tour as a group of 7 in a cab/van that holds 8 - Steve Barnes - runs The Beatles Shop at the Hard Days Night Hotel it's at the top of Mathew Street the location of the Cavern Club <fabcabsofliverpool@hotmail.co.uk> £90 for the group.

Blarney was the e-coach to the castle -- advice is to get there early and go straight to the tower (admission seperate). Kissing the stone is done in an "awkward" position from the top of the castle. 25GBP each - Kinsale and Charles Fort were also included for that price so was worth it for the day. I know of a family that took a train or bus to Blarney on their own, but the cost here was virtually a no-brainer for the day.

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We were on the same cruise as Emily. For Liverpool, we did an afternoon tour as a group of 7 in a cab/van that holds 8 - Steve Barnes - runs The Beatles Shop at the Hard Days Night Hotel it's at the top of Mathew Street the location of the Cavern Club <fabcabsofliverpool@hotmail.co.uk> £90 for the group.

 

Blarney was the e-coach to the castle -- advice is to get there early and go straight to the tower (admission seperate). Kissing the stone is done in an "awkward" position from the top of the castle. 25GBP each - Kinsale and Charles Fort were also included for that price so was worth it for the day. I know of a family that took a train or bus to Blarney on their own, but the cost here was virtually a no-brainer for the day.

correction to Cork/Cobh - it's in Euros - as is Dublin, Le Harve -- Northern Ireland, Scotland, England is GBP -- St. Peter's Port is their own Pounds but have no problem accepting British Pounds - watch your change as a friend had problems trying to use the Geurnsey pounds in the rest of the UK

Thank you so much DeLoreanGirl for your wonderful review. My husband & I are doing this cruise Aug 1 and are learning so much from you.

Did you feel you saw most of the Beetle attractions in Liverpool such as Strawberry Fields etc.or should we do the half day Princess tour? What did you hear from others about kissing the Blarney Stone. Is a tour necessary?

My husband and I are both following your review and enjoying it immensely. We check often for your next installment. Can't wait!

I did feel like I saw a good amount of Beatles stuff in Liverpool. We didn't do the whole Beatles shebang because my husband is aware of the Beatles but isn't a die-hard fan of them. So I didn't entirely want to drag him around on a tour. If we ever went back to Liverpool in the future, I would absolutely visit Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields "just cause". I remember trying to get a walking map but it was way too far. I don't think I myself would do the ship's tour because it's probably overpriced. I think nostalgiaguru and vaughan did it right by getting private tours. I did see a black cab that said "The Beatles Experience" or something like that. So I think there are quite a few options as far as Beatles tours go.

As far as the Blarney Stone, this is the one thing I really, really regret not doing. As I mentioned, I would have taken the train from Cobh to Cork (24 minute ride booked at the station next to the ship for 5.10 euros/pp round-trip). Then I would have walked over to the Parnell Place bus station to pick up the #224 bus that goes to Blarney (9-mile, 20 minute ride and 5.60 euros/pp round-trip). I would have loved to visit Blarney and the Woollen Mills (entrance fee to Blarney is 12 euros/pp).

So technically, if you did it on your own, it's only 24 euros - or about $30.00 per person. ;)

Princess charges $99 per person for the 4-hour Blarney tour and $200/pp for an 8-hour version BUT if you're the type that likes someone else to do the driving, this may work out better. The Princess tour goes into Cork and spends some shopping time in Kinsale.

So yes, if you're in Cobh, I would definitely recommend getting over to the Cork/Blarney area to see the castle. :D

Edit: Vaughan's rate is really good, I'm glad he mentioned it. I hate to push people away from Princess' excursions (unless they have mobility issues) but after experiencing so much on our own, I try to let others know that sometimes bus and train and private tour options are way easier than you think.

Have to put in my two cents (pence) in about Liverpool as well. We were on the same cruise....and just loved loved loved Liverpool. Jeff said the same thing about the beautiful architecture. TownCar and Mrs. Moho were invaluable resources. We did the HOHO, strolled around Liverpool One (found my CurlyWurlys there.....like the old Marathon candy bars here in the US). We spent alot of time in the Maritime museum....focusing on Liverpool's connection to the American Civil War.

Wonderful Wonderful city that I want to see again. Thank you, Liverpool!

Melissa

Have to put in my two cents (pence) in about Liverpool as well. We were on the same cruise....and just loved loved loved Liverpool. Jeff said the same thing about the beautiful architecture. TownCar and Mrs. Moho were invaluable resources. We did the HOHO, strolled around Liverpool One (found my CurlyWurlys there.....like the old Marathon candy bars here in the US). We spent alot of time in the Maritime museum....focusing on Liverpool's connection to the American Civil War.

 

Wonderful Wonderful city that I want to see again. Thank you, Liverpool!

 

Melissa

Thanks Melissa, glad you enjoyed our City and it's buildings, you really do have to look up when walking round, pleased that I was able to offer some help to you - laughed at your Curly Wurly moment, we're like that when we get Baby Ruths - doesn't take much to please us does it??? US for Baby Ruths and Canada for Tim Hortons Hot Chocolate - sorted!!!

All the best!

Maureen

Thanks Melissa, glad you enjoyed our City and it's buildings, you really do have to look up when walking round, pleased that I was able to offer some help to you - laughed at your Curly Wurly moment, we're like that when we get Baby Ruths - doesn't take much to please us does it??? US for Baby Ruths and Canada for Tim Hortons Hot Chocolate - sorted!!!

 

All the best!

 

Maureen

I'd be looking for Frys Cream Bars. :D

As far as candy goes...

Can I just give a shout-out to England for SELLING CADBURY CREME EGGS ALL YEAR ROUND?!?! WOO-HOO!!!!!!

(It's probably good they don't sell them year-round over here....:eek: )

Emily, you're very detailed and I can see that you enjoyed everything as we did with our daughter. Just to add about internet - you can buy minutes before you go and you get a free bonus of at least 20 minutes. Also with the buffet - the 2 Horizon port and starboard sides and the caribe - not always all 3 opened at same time and when they were some of the food and desserts were different.

We are sailing on the July 8th cruise and wondering where you buy minutes before. I looked on Cruise Personalizer and could not find:confused:

We were also on the 5/26 sailing. Just to second what everyone else is saying, Liverpool was the surprise port for us, as well. I created a Beatle-free itinerary, because I am a Beatle fan, but my travel partner is not. We started our day by visiting the two cathedrals. The Catholic cathedral is, in a word, striking. I'm usually not a fan of modern architecture, but in this case, all the elements work together to create an inspiring worship space. My travel partner thought this was the best church we saw on the whole trip. All the others run together, but this one is sure to stand out! Afterwards, we visited St. George's Hall (walked through the museum related to the justice system--could have skipped this) and Western Approaches. Western Approaches is the bunker from which the Royal Navy commanded sectors of the fleet during WWII. Ok, so they didn't quite have the budget to do this up like the Churchill War Rooms in London, but if you are a WWII buff, it's worth seeing. We finished up our day by visiting two museums at the Albert Dock--the Museum of Liverpool Life and the Merseyside Maritime Museum. Both were great.

As an American, Liverpool reminds me a lot of Cleveland, Ohio. Cleveland was a thriving city and a center of manufacturing in, say, the 1920s, but has since entered a long, painful period of economic decline. However, it's an absolutely charming place to spend a weekend. There is a great arts scene and lots of things to see and do. Many of the people who live there are fiercely loyal to it. Only after visiting do you really understand why.

Chapter 8 = Belfast: Titanic, Titanic, Titanic! (Day 6)

I should warn you that if you don’t have the slightest interest in Titanic, you should probably skip this chapter entirely. Belfast is the mecca and birthplace of this amazing ship and being Titanoraks (Titanic nerds), we dedicated the entire day just for her.

I’m throwing in a tip right off the bat:

{Tip} Please, please, please if you are interested in going to the Titanic Belfast museum, buy your tickets online at http://www.titanicbelfast.com . The museum is only a few months old but it’s still popular enough that it sells out. In fact, I read on their Facebook page that it was sold out today. Tickets are a pinch cheaper if you buy them online at roughly 12 pounds per person. When you book your tickets, they ask you to pick a time. We picked 11am and this worked perfect for us. It was enough time to wake up leisurely and eat breakfast and catch a cab over there. They ask you to get there 15 minutes before your “scheduled time” but honestly I don’t think anyone pays attention to this.

Getting to the museum:

The view of Belfast port isn’t pretty. But they do have an excellent area right off the ship for taxis to wait for passengers. What we appreciated about this particular port is that the taxis were in a little holding pen, and no drivers ever were aggressive or fought to get you as their passenger. You simply walk off the ship and have two options, go to the right for a bus into town (free, paid by the city of Belfast thankyouverymuch) or into a taxi straight ahead. We simply walked over to the taxi corral and chose whatever car was closest to the front.

The driver was very sweet (just like Dublin’s driver) and looked a bit like Simon Pegg! It was a quick drive over to the museum. Despite the museum being right there near the stern of the Caribbean Princess makes it look like you could just walk there. But I assure you that it’s a bunch of twists and turns and going up over a motorway and through the dock area to get there. The museum itself says that the walk is “1.7 miles from the city center”. After driving there, I can assure you that I’m glad we didn’t try this.

We paid roughly 5 pounds for the taxi ride there, which we thought was beyond reasonable. I chose to take a taxi directly from the ship instead of the free city center shuttle plus walking because we had a specific time we had to be there and I didn’t want to be sprinting across some unknown city area and show up late! My husband, used to American tipping and apparently not heeding my advice, over-tipped the guy way too much. No wonder these cabbies are so cheery!

Titanic Belfast Museum:

I could go on and on and on about how amazing this museum is, but die-hard Titanic nuts probably already know this. It opened in March and it is stunning.

Bring with you the printed-out ticket confirmation e-mail from home which has your reference number on it. When you get inside, go up to one of the self-serve kiosks and enter in your last name and reference number. It will print out your tickets right there and you won’t have to go to an actual ticket window. From here, you have the option to eat at the café or restaurant, go to the gift shop, or head up the escalator to begin your journey. An employee will scan your ticket at the bottom of the escalator and give you a map.

When I looked at the map, I was confused as to why it said “Floor 4, Floor 1, Floor 2, and Floor 3”. It was out of order. What I was about to learn is that you technically start your “experience” up on the very top floor and then gradually work your way down. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled in all directions. There are subtle hints left and right that tie in with the tour.

First off, you are taken in elevators up to the very top. An employee will explain to you that they are trying to re-create the view from the top of the Arrol Gantry where workers would have been while building the ship (no you aren’t outside and no you’re not high up). Once you exit the elevators, you look down at a façade of what it would be like to stare way down below to the ground. It is at this point you get on the museum’s highlight attraction – The Shipyard Ride.

Yes, everyone can go on it. Yes, you can bypass it. No, it’s not scary. Yes, it’s for all ages. It’s only 5-minutes long and goes about 1 mile per hour. There’s a bit of a line for it but nothing too long. We waited perhaps 6-7 minutes and there were fascinating facts and photos on the wall to tide us over. Each “car” holds six people: three in the front and three in the back. It is suspended from the ceiling (no, you are not high up) and sloooooowly maneuvers through the room, explaining how the Titanic was built. You’ll see movie screen projections of Irish workers, hear the loud clanging of steel, sniff the smoldering smells, see the lumber and tools, etc. The whole point is for it to be completely immersive. Before you know it, the ride is over and you can move onto the next phase.

I don’t want to give too much of the museum away. But let me say that it is completely interactive. Everywhere you look, there’s something to touch, read, lift, watch, etc. You can read all about the pianos onboard the Titanic. Or see the dogs that were on the ship. How about feeling the carpet samples? Instead of showing a first class room, they built the entire room and had projections of real actors inside of it. One of my favorite displays is a three-walled room which feels like an elevator. It starts in the engine room and slowly travels upward so that you can see all three classes of decks which are computer generated. It was so realistic I couldn’t believe my eyes.

Another fascinating area was a window that was specifically positioned out to Titanic’s slipway. For a few seconds, you’d see a giant recreation of the famous black & white photo of Titanic being built right there. Then, technology in the glass would “shift” and it would show the current view out the window. Very, very cool.

There’s a giant movie-theater room that shows a 20-minute clip of Robert Ballard’s underwater exploration. They dumbed it down a little for people that might not know what they’re looking at, which was fine. If you walk down to the floor level of this theater, there is a glass panel on the floor that you can stand on and “look down” on the ship underwater while a crew member tells a short story. It is super awesome.

But here’s where Titanic fans will really be thrown for a loop. Are you ready?

The folks in Belfast will never mention that the ship broke in half.

True story! Throughout the entire museum, with all of its video presentations and audio tales from survivors of how it went down – they leave out the part of it cracking in half. Robert Ballard himself (the guy they adore and whose footage they use in the theater and who spoke at the museum’s opening) proved this theory correct when he found the wreck in 1985. But the people of Belfast are so proud of it being “their ship” that they think of it as a letdown that their baby broke in two. For the record, Belfast, we love you. And it was physics that did this. Not faulty shipbuilding.

When we ended our journey through the museum, we noticed that there were a bunch of schoolchildren out on the slipway. A nearby lady told us to go out and join in the celebration. “What celebration?” Turns out, that very day and very moment was the 101st anniversary of when Titanic slid out of that slipway and into the waters of Belfast!

As I sit here typing this, there are two painted pieces of art behind me on our travel room wall of Titanic’s sea trials in Belfast. They will forever have new meaning!

Mike and I couldn’t believe we were here on the exact day to celebrate this. At 12:13pm, the minute Titanic was released into the water, the children let go of their balloons into the sky and news reporters took pictures. You’d better believe we got all of that on film!

We made our way over to the ground level and went through the gift shop. At first, we were afraid we’d blow our entire souvenir budget in this store, but surprisingly we only got one book and it was a book of the museum itself. I just didn’t feel like I should walk around with a t-shirt emblazoned with a dead ships name on it. Shameless plug: my maiden name is Sweeney and the museum store’s manager’s name is Mike Sweeney. Woot!

Titanic Quarter:

The area all around this museum is called the Titanic Quarter. They’re not done building it and it’s about to become a huge revitalized area of Belfast. I think the people of Belfast have done a phenomenal job cleaning up the area and I believe they’re right about it drawing in tons of tourists in the future.

The museum is built right smack there at the top of Titanic’s old slipway. Like I said earlier, if you are a Titanic fan, keep your eyes open because they have cleverly designed the area around the ship and her past. If you look at the light poles at the front of the museum that run all the way down the concrete area, they are exactly where each metal beam holding up the ship were. And if you walk out along the cement area and see white painted outlines, you are now “walking on the ship” as they have literally traced the entire length of the ship, right down to the drawing of the lifeboats hanging off the side. Are you wondering why there are random benches in odd areas? It’s because they have literally built benches where the benches were placed on the decks of Titanic. Say it with me now: Spoooooky.

If you continue down towards the water, you will notice that the cement gives way to some stairs and then a wooden area with a curved end. This is to represent Titanic’s stern (yes, where Rose tries to jump off, yadda yadda). From here, you will be standing where the stern of the ship would have been. Your view is of the Caribbean Princess, actually. It’s a great view back at the museum which is like nothing you’ve ever seen and sure as heck doesn’t match anything in the surrounding area. Nonetheless, the architecture is quite interesting as it represents four bows of a ship.

Up near the front, there is a keel with a piece of steel and a plaque. It is the very front keel that held up Titanic and was dedicated by Thomas Andrews’ great nephew 100 years later.

Titanic’s Drawing Offices:

We were walking back towards the museum when we noticed two ladies walk by us and step into an old building. It looked so secretive. Who were they and where were they going? It wasn’t until we walked up to the dilapidated building and noticed that it had a sign taped to the window: “Titanic Drawing Offices. Buy tickets inside museum”.

WOOOOOOAHHHH!

Any Titanic fan has probably seen the black and white photo of all of the Harland & Wolff architects at their desks, rolls of blueprints sprawled out, dutifully looking at their biggest creation. Thomas Andrews was the head of all this -- the designer of this amazing ship. This was the office that photo was taken in. This was THE drawing office. We couldn’t believe our eyes.

Turns out, it’s only 2.50 pounds to go walk inside it. Heck yes! We purchased our tickets at the Information window inside the Titanic Belfast museum and walked across the road to this historical building. We didn’t know this, but apparently it’s a 30-minute walking tour inside the offices. We arrived late, not knowing it had a 1pm start time. The lady let us in the door and we were greeted with THE room. We quickly scurried through it as I was frantically taking pictures not knowing if we’d be able to come back to it. A nice Irish gentleman from the Titanic Walking Tour company (which you can also join outside the museum that gives 2-hour full tours) was holding up a large binder with black and white photos while explaining what room we were in.

The tour was fantastic and we were able to go inside 4-5 rooms in the building. Actual tiles were still under the carpets. Rolls of old blueprints were sitting dusty in their shelves. And to top it off, we were able to visit Thomas Andrews’ actual office and touch his actual wooden desk… The one that he used to roll Titanic’s blueprints out onto. The one he sat at for months on end, sketching out and drawing lines and figures for what was supposed to be the world’s most grandiose ship. It was euphoric. It was another “I can’t believe I’m here” moment.

When the tour was done, the guide let us hang out in the drawing room all by ourselves. We just stood there in awe. It was in shambles, a ghost of a room that once held some of the finest shipbuilding architects designing one of the most amazing ocean liners. It was a place of importance, and now it was filled with dust and debris. Regardless, it still had hope and charm. They said that they’re turning it into a fancy hotel soon (ughh……)

Titanic’s Pump House and Original Dry Dock:

After we finished marveling over the place, we asked the lady at the door if Titanic’s dry dock was nearby. She said it was a 15-minute walk up the road. We followed the road alongside Titanic movie studios (seriously?) and sure enough, there was Titanic’s pump house and dry dock. It’s now a mini museum but is so tucked away from everything that I wonder how they even get business.

The pump house has a café which is perfect for grabbing a small bite to eat or drink after walking so much. It also has a very tiny gift shop area and a desk which to buy the 7 pound ticket to take the self-guided tour. Nobody was there when we went, so we took our time looking at all the machinery and made our way outside to the mossy, old dry dock which once housed the beautiful ship.

You really get a sense of her size once you see this 100-year-old bathtub that Titanic sat in as she was fitted out. If you close your eyes, you can almost imagine things being craned into her funnel openings for the interior before the funnels were added later. Titanic wasn’t just built all in one swoop, she had a shell built and sea trials to manage and so much glorious furniture and artwork and china brought onboard. It’s a shame it only saw sunlight for a few days.

Also near the pump house is a full-size replica that someone built of the curvature of the bow of the ship. It isn’t much to look at, but if you get up close to it and touch it, you really get a feel for how massive she was and how many rivets there were. Seeing so many rivets pounded in and melted together by hand makes me really thankful for my current job.

At this point it was getting windy and brisk and it was time to walk back to the museum to catch a cab back to the ship. Luckily there’s a line of cabs outside and we walked up to the first one we saw. It was our first ride in a black cab! As we wound our way back to the ship, I saw a small bit of Belfast proper. It looked like a cute town but we simply didn’t have enough time to visit it all.

Once back at the ship, we ate lunch and walked out to the stern near the pool to get some great pictures and footage of the museum near the rear of the ship. I had no idea that you can see the museum, pump house, dry dock AND drawing offices off to the starboard side of the Caribbean Princess. I wonder how many people onboard even had a clue what they were looking at.

The sail away was uneventful but it was neat to see families show up near the dock with their kids and wave to us. It must be a really big deal when a “big ship” comes into town. I thought it was sweet that people made the effort to show up and wave goodbye.

As we made our way through the calm waters out to sea, we got some last shots of the jagged cliffs that make up this beautiful country.

We will miss you, Ireland. And we are so incredibly thankful to have visited you!

To view all of my Belfast photos, you can visit: http://photobucket.com/belfastireland2012

For all of the Princess Patters, including Belfast, you can visit: http://photobucket.com/princesspattersbritishisles

Movies Under The Stars = “Genesis” concert, “Footloose” (new 2011 version), “Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows”.

Theater: Headliner Vocalist: Nick Page

Next Chapter = Greenock, Scotland: In which we finally find sunglasses! (Day 7)

We are sailing on the July 8th cruise and wondering where you buy minutes before. I looked on Cruise Personalizer and could not find:confused:

Hiya

Log onto your cruise personaliser, go to bottom of page and see heading - Additional Information, click on Gifts & Services, then click on Communications, you should then see Internet Access with the list of packages available.

Maureen

Loving reading the diary/review/thesis. I'm in the UK, and it's great to see the UK (and Ireland) from a different angle. Really happy that you enjoyed the visit. It's making me look forward to our Baltic cruise (cruise first timers) even more. Roll on the next instalment.

Chapter 8 = Belfast: Titanic, Titanic, Titanic! (Day 6)

 

OMG! I read it twice :eek:

I have to go there!

Chapter 9 = Greenock, Scotland: In which we finally find sunglasses! (Day 7)

Since we had no interest in taking the long ride into the bustling city of Glasgow, we decided to use the Greenock port as a day to do laundry and take it easy.

I was woken up at 8:30 a.m. by the Hotel Manager. They had handed out the “How Are We Doing?” service cards the night before and I made sure to write out all the things I loved (because I try to stay positive), like: Roberto our steward, non-smoking night in the casino, the non-smoking balcony rule, the Maître D, Wi-Fi in the room, etc. But I had to note two negative things at the bottom, unfortunately. One was Mr. Grumpy in the Internet Café. The second were the god-awful mattresses that left us with backaches. I figured that they wouldn’t read these comment cards until after the cruise, if at all. But the Hotel Manager explained to me over the phone that he indeed did read the card last night and that they were outside our door right now with two new mattresses.

Wowwwwwww!

We stumbled out to get breakfast and lo and behold, when we returned, the bed sheets were off and there were two updated mattresses. I don’t know if I’d call them “new”. They were just switched out. They were definitely bouncy and not as horrific as the first ones so we were happy. Thank you, Princess!

Laundry on the ship:

As you probably know, there’s a laundry room on each deck of staterooms. One load in the washing machine is $2 in quarters and one load in the dryer is also $2 in quarters. As stated in the beginning of this report, I wish I had simply packed a bunch of quarters in a baggie. Instead, I went down to the Passenger Services desk with cash (they won’t take it off of your cruise card, I tried) and had the shy-speaking blonde girl give me some quarters and Princess Casino coins.

You’d think putting quarters in a slot is easy, but as I learned the hard way, it’s not. To activate the machines (or at least the ones on Deck 10), you must put the quarters in two at a time, side by side. This means that even though there are slots that go all the way across, you have to put in two quarters back to back, then another two, then a third pair, then two more together. Basically the four slots in the middle should look like 2/2/2/2. Does that make any sense? They have a little sticker there explaining it but I had to ask the guy next to me how it worked.

The washing machine takes exactly 35 minutes. The dryer takes exactly 45 minutes. There are four of each as well as four ironing boards. I brought my Tide travel packet and dryer sheet with me from home and all worked well.

Walking around Greenock:

There’s not much to do in Greenock, I’ll admit. But having had five straight days of ports left us wiped out and we just wanted to stroll through town. Everyone was out on their long excursions so it was nice to have a quiet ship during the day.

We walked through the simplistic port and out towards the town. Today was the day we were going to find sunglasses, darnit! Our eyes were burnin’ and we had to find something that would shield them for the next few days. So we went to where any good tourist would go…

The mall.

We went in and out of stores until I finally found a cool teenager store that had hip plastic glasses that didn’t cost a fortune. Mike scurried upstairs to the men’s section. He came back downstairs with a pair of Ray Ban Wayfarer knockoffs. I loved them so much that I bought the same kind. It turns out they were having a “Buy One Get One Free” sale, so the total cost for our sunglasses was a whopping 5 pounds!

The rest of the afternoon was spent wandering around the coastal town. We hiked up sets of stairs to a nice park which had a good view. From there, we meandered through some streets and out to the ocean’s edge. It’s definitely not a tourist’s town so there aren’t any gift shops or huge points of interest. That didn’t stop me from taking a few cute pictures, though.

They've still got cool architecture...

A view through the "open snout" of the bow...

Oh boy, the maps are out again...

Make sure you're out on Deck 7 during sail away because there's a full pipe and drum band giving you a mini concert! The best part is that there's this hilariously creepy mascot that "dances" along to the music. I couldn't stop laughing. You'll have to see for yourself.

Oh! He's comin' this way!

Back on board, we resumed the usual routine of lunch at the buffet, walking around the Piazza, a movie in the room, and dinner in the Main Dining Room. The meals continued to be excellent as was the service. We found that eating at 9pm worked well as the room was partially cleared out and there was never a wait.

I didn’t feel that there were enough activities for the under-40 crowd on this cruise line and on this particular itinerary which is why you won’t hear me talk about too many activities. But we knew this going into the vacation, so we weren’t surprised. I didn’t really feel like “Dancin’ to the 60’s” or going to the “Cigar Club”. I heard that there was a “Photography@Sea” course but I never saw it mentioned in the Patter aside from one small Nikon gathering at the beginning of the vacation and I have a Canon.

How the older folks managed to get up so early, go on all-day excursions, come back, eat dinner, go to the casino, watch a show and do it all over again day after day is beyond me. We were wiped out!

To view all of my Greenock photos, you can visit: http://photobucket.com/greenockscotland

For all of the Princess Patters, including Greenock, you can visit: http://photobucket.com/princesspattersbritishisles

Movies Under The Stars = George Michael concert, “War Horse”, “The Vow”

Theater: Production Show: “Piano Man”. (Wanted to see this but between eating late and being full and tired after dinner, we missed it!)

Next Chapter = Sea Day Free Day & Loch Ness! (Day 8 & 9)

I think nostalgiaguru and vaughan did it right by getting private tours. I did see a black cab that said "The Beatles Experience" or something like that. So I think there are quite a few options as far as Beatles tours go.

Emily, I tried to go the personal tour route, but Princess was the only tour that allowed you to go inside of Lennon and McCartney's homes. So, being a bit fanatical, we splurged on this one. Still overpriced, but I will have to say Princess uses the best tour guides on their tours. Ours was Marie Maguire, the most popular tour guide in Liverpool, a lady who grew up with Ringo. She was excellent, the two of us traded old rock and roll stories during our breaks. She has actually been quoted as a Beatles expert in several publications, including a 2011 book called Liddypool that I just purchased, about the Beatles' Liverpool history.

So, overpriced, yes, but worth it to me. I will say the same about our Princess excursion to Paris, overpriced, but excellent. These were the only two Princess excursions we purchased, and have no regrets. We rationalized that we had saved enough money at the other ports, that it was worth it!

Emily, I tried to go the personal tour route, but Princess was the only tour that allowed you to go inside of Lennon and McCartney's homes. So, being a bit fanatical, we splurged on this one. Still overpriced, but I will have to say Princess uses the best tour guides on their tours. Ours was Marie Maguire, the most popular tour guide in Liverpool, a lady who grew up with Ringo. She was excellent, the two of us traded old rock and roll stories during our breaks. She has actually been quoted as a Beatles expert in several publications, including a 2011 book called Liddypool that I just purchased, about the Beatles' Liverpool history.

 

So, overpriced, yes, but worth it to me. I will say the same about our Princess excursion to Paris, overpriced, but excellent. These were the only two Princess excursions we purchased, and have no regrets. We rationalized that we had saved enough money at the other ports, that it was worth it!

Oops! Thank you so much for correcting me! For some reason I thought you had found a small group to get such close access. I'm glad Princess was able to do that for you too. Yay! (Did you go nuts in any gift shops?)

Emily, I cracked up at your repeated reassurances about the ride at the museum not being high up. You clearly know your audience here: I get nervous standing on a curb! I had no idea the new Titanic museum was so amazing; your description has definitely made it a must-see for me. And getting to see the drawing office -- way cool. Ever since I saw the movie, I've had such a crush on Thomas Andrews (okay, maybe my crush is really on Victor Garber, the actor, but still . . . ).

Emily, I cracked up at your repeated reassurances about the ride at the museum not being high up. You clearly know your audience here: I get nervous standing on a curb! I had no idea the new Titanic museum was so amazing; your description has definitely made it a must-see for me. And getting to see the drawing office -- way cool. Ever since I saw the movie, I've had such a crush on Thomas Andrews (okay, maybe my crush is really on Victor Garber, the actor, but still . . . ).

Oh good! I was totally going to bring up Victor Garber but I didn't think anyone would know who he was! Indeed, now that I'm older I would definitely choose Victor Garber over Leo DiCaprio any day! :D

Every time I touched the wooden drawing board, I heard the dialogue from the movie in my head:

"This ship can't sink!"

"I can assure you...she will. I give it an hour, two at most. She will founder."

*sigh*

On the stateroom TV they were playing "Sleepless In Seattle" which he was in as well....

Sea Day Free Day and Loch Ness! (Days 8 & 9)

Is it sad that I truly don’t remember what we did on our first Sea Day? Maybe it was because it was the first free day in A WEEK where we didn’t have to be up early or walk four miles or get wind burned or wonder how to pack the backpack.

Nope, today was the day I was going to sleep in, take a nap, eat some quality food, rinse, repeat.

I think the highlight of my day was noshing on an amazing plethora of free food and watching “The Muppets”. Oh, and let’s not forget John Nations, the juggler. Normally you’d think, “A juggler is a juggler”. And I did too. Until I figured I should get my money’s worth by seeing some of the acts on the ship, which led me to crawl out of my coma and head down to the Piazza where Mr. Nations had all the main stairways packed to the gills in awe of his skills. And I must say, if he cut his hair and lost the crazy shirt, he’d actually be super attractive. To top it off, he’s a good ol’ boy from the Carolina’s with a nice personality to boot.

As for the next day, Inverness…

I had pre-purchased tickets online for the 3.5-hour “Sensation” tour through Jacobite (pronounced jack-oh-bite), one of the leading Loch Ness tour groups in Inverness. I’ll spare you all the details, but I will say that Jacobite’s team is top notch. Their communication (both through web, email, and Facebook) is courteous and instantaneous and they have a very slick company with lots of choices for tours ranging from hour-long simplistic boat rides to 6-hour journeys through bus, museums and boat. I was really excited to spend a few hours in Loch Ness with them!

My first glitch was that we arrived into Invergordon on a Sunday which meant that there was only one train running that day into Inverness and it in no way meshed with our cruise schedule. My only other option was to purchase the Princess “Inverness On Your Own” coach transfer for $49/pp as this would drop us off in town at 10am and pick us back up around 3pm. My Jacobite “Sensation” tour was 10:15am to 2pm. Whew!

They day couldn’t have gone more flawlessly.

We made friends with others in our Cruise Critic group (hi nostalgiaguru!) to share the Loch Ness adventure with and we all got our tickets in the Princess Theater to board the coach and in no time were on the road into Inverness. Normally I’d grit my teeth at shelling out $50 bucks a person for a bus ride, but the scenery between Invergordon and Inverness was GORGEOUS which made it worth it. It was truly and completely what you would expect the Scottish Highlands to look like -- green and peaceful with rolling hills full of cows and sheep.

The bus ride into Inverness sure doesn’t feel like the 45 minutes stated on your ticket. I’d clock it at a good 30-35 minutes. What they don’t tell you (and I had to find this out from the nice German man at the Shore Excursions Desk) is that the Princess coach drops you off on “Castle Road”. I needed to know exactly where it dropped us off because I had to find my way to “Strothers Lane” to be picked up by the Jacobite company. (This is the part where I am extremely thankful that I printed out Google Earth maps of the city back home and brought them in my binder!)

The town of Inverness is beautiful with a large river running through the center of it. There is a very cool castle (Inverness Castle, perhaps?) at the top of the hill which I believe is now a courthouse. Armed with my maps, our little group ventured through the quaint streets until we found the TK Maxx store (yep, TK not TJ) and the Jacobite van was sitting there early waiting for us. It couldn’t have gone more perfect.

{TIP:} For those of you who are thinking of doing a Jacobite Loch Ness tour: When you go to purchase your tickets online (for whatever tour of theirs you choose), make sure to pick the “Bank Street” pickup instead of “Strothers Lane” like I did. I picked Strothers because it was next to the bus station and I thought the Princess bus would park at the bus station. Turns out, the Princess bus stops on Castle Road which is literally steps away from Bank Street. In fact, I think Castle Road becomes Bank Street.

Our Jacobite driver, Kenny (who I heard was the best to have through prior comments on TripAdvisor), drove us 9 miles alongside Loch Ness until we reached Clansman Harbor. From there, we exited the van and climbed aboard the Jacobite Queen for our 30-minute ride up Loch Ness.

{Observation:} I heard Princess runs a Loch Ness tour that also boards the Jacobite Queen and visits Urquhart Castle. I don’t know how much the cruise line was charging, but we paid 29 pounds per person for Jacobite and that included the tour along Loch Ness, the 30-minute boat ride up Loch Ness, one hour in Urquhart Castle, then over to the Loch Ness Exhibition Center for an hour, then back to town. We thought it was a really swingin’ deal.

It started to sprinkle when we boarded the Jacobite Queen. I wasn’t worried as I had a feeling it would blow over. Luckily, 10-15 minutes into the ride, it did. Chugging up Loch Ness was another “pinch me, I can’t believe I’m here” moment. I mean, who really ever gets to say they’ve been ON Loch Ness??

From there, the boat pulled up to Urquhart Castle where we disembarked and were able to climb all over the castle and Visitors Center for an hour. The views were stunning.

Our driver, Kenny, met us in the gift shop and we got into the van to head a few miles down the road to Drumnadochit which is the home of Nessie. They have a little interactive museum that we all went through (the manager is a Cruise Critic member!) We found it surprising that the entire museum tried so hard to disprove the Loch Ness legend. You’d think they’d try to keep the myth alive. We all raided the gift store and I picked up a funny Scotland hat along with some Nessie toys for nieces back home.

From there, we all hopped back in the van and headed back to Inverness while listening to Kenny’s deep Scottish brogue speak about Scotland’s history along the way. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect, as we only had to wait for 20 minutes for other passengers alongside the Princess bus in beautiful Inverness before heading back through the highlands to the ship in Invergordon.

The pictures speak better than my words, and I wish Cruise Critic would let me upload more than six photos per post! I would have to say that the Loch Ness day was my favorite day of the cruise. If you have any interest in visiting Loch Ness, please look up Jacobite or contact me about it. I would highly recommend them. Their Facebook page is filled with all sorts of goodies and contests and prizes.

The town of Invergordon was nice enough to throw us another sail-away concert with their bagpipes and drums. The crowds flocked Deck 7 as well as the upper decks and balconies. The pipe band played song after song and locals cheered and waved their beautiful blue flags. As the thrusters activated and the ship backed away, passengers kept cheering and yelling for them to “play one more!” As requested, they did. We sailed away to a faint version of “Scotland the Brave”.

I’ll never forget how awesome it was to be alongside the entire deck cheering and dancing. The Scots are fiercely dedicated and wonderful people. We absolutely loved them and loved their country!

To view all of my Loch Ness photos, you can visit: http://photobucket.com/lochness2012

For all of the Princess Patters, including Inverness, you can visit: http://photobucket.com/princesspattersbritishisles

Movies Under The Stars = Lionel Richie concert, “Hugo”, “The Sting” and “The Help”

Theater: Mentalist/Mindreader Alex Crow

Next Chapter = Edinburgh: The Most Beautiful Town, Ever. (Day 10)

just cannot get over how your review & photos are so well presented - we feel like we have already been there !!! and cannot wait till next year when we get to go !!;)

there is so much to see and do am glad we booked the Brit Isles b2b

and plan on going afterwards to chester for busybus to wales & liverpool for the beatles !:)

Dan was the CD for my CB cruise as well - and he was one of the least visible Cruise Directors I've ever (not) seen. I was not impressed.

 

I am a huge Titanic buff as well. It started sometime before the 7th grade, which was when I had to do research on it for a term paper. I got an "A" :D I deliberately booked a cruise that would have me at sea on the night of April 14 this year (looking for icebergs in the Gulf of Mexico. LOL). The Jewel of the Seas had a very nice simple memorial service out on the helipad on the 15th, which was very moving. My next "dream cruise" will hopefully take me to Halifax which has a lot of Titanic history.

 

I am looking forward to the rest of your review, especially the Titanic ports :)

My husband and I are from Halifax and are taking this cruise on August first. I'm finding your review very helpful. Just wanted to comment that indeed Halifax does have an important connection to both the Titanic disaster and the movie. We have artifacts from the Titanic in our museums and many of the victims are buried here. Also, scenes from the James Cameron movie were filmed here using local talent. To us, the Titanic disaster is as critical to our history as the Halifax Explosion, which occurred only a few years later, durin WWII.

Thanks again for your really entertaining account of your cruise. We're getting really excited...and I've realized I need a binder

Sea Day Free Day and Loch Ness! (Days 8 & 9)Our Jacobite driver, Kenny (who I heard was the best to have through prior comments on TripAdvisor), drove us 9 miles alongside Loch Ness until we reached Clansman Harbor. From there, we exited the van and climbed aboard the Jacobite Queen for our 30-minute ride up Loch Ness.

 

{Observation:} I heard Princess runs a Loch Ness tour that also boards the Jacobite Queen and visits Urquhart Castle. I don’t know how much the cruise line was charging, but we paid 29 pounds per person for Jacobite and that included the tour along Loch Ness, the 30-minute boat ride up Loch Ness, one hour in Urquhart Castle, then over to the Loch Ness Exhibition Center for an hour, then back to town. We thought it was a really swingin’ deal.)

Emily, remember how there were already a lot of folks on the Jabobite Queen when we got there? Many of those were from the Princess tour! I didn't have the heart to ask how much they paid.

Mrs. Moho, love "Ferry Cross the Mersey", I actually brought it up to our tour guide, Gerry and the Pacemakers sound very much like the Beatles, and I didn't realize what the Mersey was until this cruise! I really wish I could have met you - we were rushed to the bus, and I didn't get a chance to look.

Hi Greg

Glad you enjoyed my efforts!! Did you see in the news they think they have been given a grant to save Ringo's house in Madryn St? so something to come back for :D. Yes, it would have been good to meet, but there was every possibility you may have missed the ship with so much to talk about. My husband reckons I could talk for England - have no concept of what he means:p

Just finishing off our packing ready for our drive to Southampton tomorrow, then our adventure starts on Tuesday.

Maureen

Emily,

OMG, I feel like I'm listening to my soul sister. I am just as fanatic about the planning and details. The odd thing is that I'm from So Cal too (Palos Verdes) and we are supposed to be the laid back ones... Surfer dudes :-). We've booked a Norwegian fjord trip for next June and so in my fanatical way, I thought I'd read your review for the arrival in Britain part. Well, I was hooked immediately by your detailed list of what to pack... You are a gem! I've enjoyed your report even though we aren't going on the same ship nor will we be in the same ports. You write really well.

Thanks.

Rita