Newbies wanting to do a British Isles cruise

My wife and I are wanting to do a British Isles cruise, as this is one of our bucket-list items. We're simply fascinated with such a beautiful part of the world. That, and the fact that our families originated from that area. My wife has family roots in Yorkshire, and my side is predominantly Irish and was from Dorian, County Tipperary (although I have English, French and German as well).

As newbies to this part of the world, we're looking for any advice that would help us with planning, especially the time of year to cruise. We typically cruise late April to celebrate my wife's birthday and our anniversary.

As of now, we're strongly looking at a Princess cruise (sometime in 2020) for it's diverse ports of call.

First few decisions: how long, and how much! Second, look for travel books and online information about places you want to visit.

We've never flown overseas without without spending time on land to explore places of interest before a cruise. We are planning the details of an upcoming Princess BI cruise [second time] for the May 1st sailing.

Be adventurous, do things on your own and avoid the big organized tours. This is your trip so make it what you want. Transportation is very good, so consider rail and coach, or even rent a car. If you have the time, fly to Ireland, do a road trip, then ferry to England and either coach or rail to London for a few days. Then head to S'hampton to start your cruise.

Regulars on CC will give you lots of suggestions.

Darcy

V good advice above. If you want to see London, you should plan a few days there at the start or end of your trip. Tipperary is land-bound and you would not see much of it on a day trip from Cork.

It all depends on how much time and money you have, but you can fly direct from Chicago to Dublin for a couple of days (hire a car) then fly direct to Southampton to start your cruise. At the end, you can catch a train to London, before flying out from whichever airport (LHR, LGW or STN) offers the best deal.

We did the British isles on Caribbean Princess. It was last Sept 2017 and was cool and rainy in almost all ports. Maybe, the weather we had could be in contrast to your planned April trip.

It was port intensive but we explored most ports on our own using public transport. It was cheap and easy. We had a cab tour of Belfast where we also saw the places where scenes from the TV series Games of Thrones were shot. We did the ship’s shore excursion in Edinburgh. We enjoyed our trip.

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V good advice above. If you want to see London, you should plan a few days there at the start or end of your trip. Tipperary is land-bound and you would not see much of it on a day trip from Cork.

 

It all depends on how much time and money you have, but you can fly direct from Chicago to Dublin for a couple of days (hire a car) then fly direct to Southampton to start your cruise. At the end, you can catch a train to London, before flying out from whichever airport (LHR, LGW or STN) offers the best deal.

Thank you. Yes, as of now, we think we would fly into London from Chicago and spend a few days there before cruising. We try to plan excursions on our own, so we will look to do the same with this as well.

When it comes to weather it is a guess what it will be like.

On our last British Isles cruise in 2015 the Captain said that he had never had four ports cancelled on a fourteen day cruise until ours. With changes in weather patterns you never know what to expect.

The key is to dress properly for it no matter what time of year.

Keith

June is a good month. Weather is generally quite settled, it is outside of most school holidays so quieter in the places you visit. It will also be light until at least 10pm, in northern Scotland it won’t get completely dark.

June is a good month. Weather is generally quite settled, it is outside of most school holidays so quieter in the places you visit. It will also be light until at least 10pm, in northern Scotland it won’t get completely dark.

The OP is coming in April when the weather is totally unpredictable more than a few days away. Note that In the year 2020, Easter Sunday will fall on April 12th. This is a holiday weekend here so all the tourist attractions are likely to be crowded. Trains may well be unreliable due to maintenance work.

The OP is coming in April when the weather is totally unpredictable more than a few days away. Note that In the year 2020, Easter Sunday will fall on April 12th. This is a holiday weekend here so all the tourist attractions are likely to be crowded. Trains may well be unreliable due to maintenance work.

Bob,

That is when we typically travel, but don't have to if another time of year would be better suited for a cruise to this part of the world. We've only done Caribbean (Hawaii next year) up to this point. This is something completely different for us. We're trying to become rather worldly! LOL

Regards,

Mike

June is a good month. Weather is generally quite settled, it is outside of most school holidays so quieter in the places you visit. It will also be light until at least 10pm, in northern Scotland it won’t get completely dark.

June is good and Princess is having a great sale for 2018 BI cruises (anniversary sale). The prices go up hundreds of dollars for a comparable cruise one year later. We are looking 2020 and beyond.

If we didn't already have a cruise booked for April, we would do something this year. But, neither the wife or I can get that many days off for travel.

The OP is coming in April when the weather is totally unpredictable more than a few days away. Note that In the year 2020, Easter Sunday will fall on April 12th. This is a holiday weekend here so all the tourist attractions are likely to be crowded. Trains may well be unreliable due to maintenance work.

The OP states they normally travel in April, but are looking for advice on when best to do a BI trip.

I responded with my thoughts that June would be ideal.

Keys2Heaven

We like going away in June in Northern Europe because of the long days. However, any time of year the weather is unpredictable. We were in the Orkneys two years ago on a cruise and even at the beginning of August it rained so much we vowed never to return.

If you haven't been to this part of the world before, then I think a few days in U.K. And in Ireland are worth considering.

TBH I wouldn't do a cruise at all. I would divide my time between uk and Ireland and hire a car. That way you get to see so much more of the place.

BTW my father was from Co. Tipp and I still have a lot of family there. The countryside is stunning and the people so friendly.

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Keys2Heaven

 

We like going away in June in Northern Europe because of the long days. However, any time of year the weather is unpredictable. We were in the Orkneys two years ago on a cruise and even at the beginning of August it rained so much we vowed never to return.

 

If you haven't been to this part of the world before, then I think a few days in U.K. And in Ireland are worth considering.

 

TBH I wouldn't do a cruise at all. I would divide my time between uk and Ireland and hire a car. That way you get to see so much more of the place.

 

BTW my father was from Co. Tipp and I still have a lot of family there. The countryside is stunning and the people so friendly.

 

 

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You're probably right. But with 2 weeks, I'm thinking Scotland/England for one visit and then come back and see Ireland separately. We've heard from several folks about as to why we chose to cruise to Hawaii instead of just flying there. Long story and not applicable to this thread.

Thank you for your reply!

I think it's a good idea to get a flavour of the UK on a cruise and hopefully it will tempt you back - particularly to Edinburgh. I definitely wouldn't do a UK cruise in April. It is too early in the year to enjoy Scottish scenery at its best - best to wait till the hills and glens are full of colour so I'd go for June or July with long hours of daylight. It will also be quite bit warmer but as you already know the weather is unpredictable all year round

If you cruise in August, you would be able to go to the EdinburghTattoo.

When you decide on your cruise, join your Roll Call. My Roll Call was very active and many private tours were offered to others to join. I saved $$$$ doing private tours vs Princess tours.

Check past Roll Calls to get ideas for tours.

When it comes to weather it is a guess what it will be like.

 

On our last British Isles cruise in 2015 the Captain said that he had never had four ports cancelled on a fourteen day cruise until ours. With changes in weather patterns you never know what to expect.

 

The key is to dress properly for it no matter what time of year.

 

Keith

If you're in Scotland, remember - if the weather doesn't suit you,wait 15 minutes - there'll be a change about then ... Scotland in April will have beautiful long days (13 hours daylight 1st April, increasing to 15.25 by 30th April) and cool'ish temperatures - no fear of dehydration! Layers of clothing (or the Scottish uniform of shirt under a fleece - keeps the wind and light rain away but easy enough to leave it unzipped if the sun breaks through!).

We live opposite Edinburgh Castle, but on the other side of the Firth of Forth. The Forth forms a climatic barrier - it can be misty and showery in Edinburgh, but clear and weak sunshine in Fife - only 3 miles away as the crow flies. So if the weather is not so great in Edinburgh, you can always take a taxi or the train to the sunshine!