Review of British Isles Cruise and Vendors (Royal Princess 6/6/18-6/18/18)

We cruised through the British Isles on the Royal Princess in June (6/6/18- 6/18/18). I obtained a lot of useful information from this board and our Roll Call for our cruise, so I wanted to post a review of our cruise and tours.

For reference, there were nine of us in our group on a family vacation. Two couples in their 40s, one couple in their 70s, a 20-year old college student, a 14-year old, and a 12-year old. We did most of our tours together, and everything was interesting enough for the entire range of ages.

We were in London for two days pre-cruise. As a group, we went to the London Eye, took a Thames River cruise, and saw Phantom of the Opera in the West End. We also broke off into separate groups and saw Windsor Castle, the Tower of London, Churchill War Rooms, and the Imperial War Museum. Although we saw a lot in a very short amount of time, everyone had a great time in London.

For transportation in London, we took the tube (subway). Our hotel was near Paddington Station, so it was a convenient tube stop, as well as the location where we caught the train to go to Windsor Castle.

Car service in London- we used Blackberry Cars. We had a few minor issues. Trip #1 (LHR to London hotel for 3 people) and Trip #2 (Southampton to London post-cruise)- The drivers were not at the meeting spots for both trips, so we called the office to check on the status- and we were told they were on the way. They were both about 10 minutes late. Trip #3 (LHR to London hotel for 6 of the people)- The car was supposed to fit 6 people and their luggage, but when they met with the driver, he said he could only take 4. Blackberry sent a separate car to pick up the other two- which arrived pretty quickly. So, there were a few inconveniences, but they were quickly resolved. The drivers were courteous and the cars were nice. We did price checking for several companies prior to our trip, and Blackberry's prices were the most economical.

Transportation to Southampton from London- Woodford Chauffer Cars/Woodford Cruise Connections. We booked Woodford because they were able to provide a bus that we could all ride together, and the price was affordable. I handled the arrangements with Cheryl at Woodford- she was always responsive and friendly. Our driver was very nice and professional. He arrived early (and was gracious with us even though some in our group were running late), the bus was very clean, and he drove safely. Woodford did a great job, and we would definitely use them again.

On the day of the cruise, we left London around 11 a.m., and it took about two hours to get to Southampton on the bus. Embarkation was very quick- it helped to arrive later, plus we were able to get into a special line due to my stepmother’s status- which we appreciated. We had four rooms for our group- all on the Dolphin deck- three balcony deluxes and one interior.

Dueto the port-intensive nature of the ship, we did not spend a lot of time doing activities. They did have great trivia,and some fun activities and music in the Piazza. My nieces also enjoyed the karaoke!

As for dining, we ate in the buffet for most of the meals. We went to the dining room on the first night, and probably due to the size of our group- it took about 45 minutes to get a table, and then another two hours for dinner. We only went back to the dining room one more time, and the dinner was about an hour- which is much more reasonable. We went to the Crown Grill twice, and we also went to Alfredo’s. Otherwise, we went to the buffet, which was actually a very good buffet. After the long days that we had in the ports, we did not want to sit down for a long dinner, and everyone in our group was happy with the buffet.

Also, I had read about the Royal Tea here on Cruise Critic. Although they have a complimentary daily afternoon tea (I believe in the dining room), the Royal Tea is a separate event in the Piazza on sea days. It is $10 pp. (We never went to the afternoon tea, so I do not know how it might be different.) You have to sign up in the Piazza on the first day. It was very nice- there was a string quartet, a lot of food, and four different types of tea. It was a fun addition to our cruise.

I did laundry twice on the ship- it was very convenient. The washer and dryer are $1 each- you just purchase tokens with your key card. You can also purchase detergent, but we brought the laundry pods from home. I did the laundry after dinner both times, and I did not have any issues. However, do not wait until the last sea day- the laundry room was packed!

Okay-back to the tours. We booked all of our tours with independent companies, and we did not have any problems getting back to the ship on time. One thing to note is that although the itinerary may say that we are in port at a certain time, it does not mean you will be off the ship at that time. We just made sure to be downstairs waiting in the designated areas so that we could get off as soon as possible. The tour operators understood since no one else was off the ship either.

Guernsey- We did not have a tour, but we got off the ship and walked to Castle Cornet (around a 15 minute walk). We also walked around the town. This was a tender port- we waited until a little bit later to go over, and our wait was about 20 minutes. On the return trip, our wait was about 45 minutes (we left around 2 pm). Others in our group left later, and they had about 1.5 hour wait.

Cork- We booked a full-day private tour with Butlers Bus Tours. The price was very reasonable for a private tour, and we were able to customize our tour. Our driver/guide was Paddy- he was a lot of fun and did a great job! He picked us up at the port on time. We went to Blarney Castle and Gardens (and the Blarney Woolen Mills Shop), Kinsale, Charles Fort, and the Cobh Cathedral, as well as made stops throughout the day. The coach was clean and in good condition. We did not go into the Castle because the line was so long, but we wandered around the beautiful Gardens. We really had fun at the Woolen Mills Shop! This was one of our best tours. Also, we purchased our Blarney Castle tickets directly from Butlers, so I believe there was a discount.

Dublin- Dublin was a DIY port. Those of us that were going to Guinness and Jameson purchased the Dublin pass (for the one day we were there, the Dublin Pass was only worth it if going to these pricier attractions). The others purchased the City Sightseeing HOHO bus (the same HOHO bus included with the Dublin Pass) so that we could ride around Dublin together. Some of ourgroup decided to take the shuttle bus in to Dublin (I think it was $8 pp each way), while five of us took a taxi. We left the ship as soon as they let us off, and we did not have a problem getting a taxi. He charged $5 pp.

We had prepaid tickets for the Book of Kells at Trinity College (if you are going-you will save a lot of time with prepaid tickets), and we also went to the Old Library. Our group split up- the group with the kids went to Dublinia, as well as rode around the HOHO bus and shopped, and they took the Princess shuttle back to the ship. The rest of us took the HOHO bus to Christ Church Cathedral, Guinness Storehouse, and the Jameson Distillery (all of which were included in the Dublin Pass), and we took a taxi back to the ship (again $5 pp).

Liverpool- Liverpool was also a DIY port. We prepaid for tickets for the Chinese Terracotta Warriors exhibit at the World Museum, which we walked to from the ship (about 30 minutes, but we stopped a lot to look around). We were at the museum for a few hours, and then we just wandered around the city, including the Albert Dock area. Of course, we took pictures with the Beatles statue.

Belfast- We booked a tour with Odyssey Coach Tours-the extra-leg room tour (maximum of 19 people) to Giant’s Causeway. Our group was about half of the people on thetour. The price of the tour was reasonable, and it was nice to have the extra room on the bus. We went to Giant’s Causeway, the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge (we did not cross though), and viewed the beautiful Antrim Coast. However, I had inquired a month prior to the trip whether we could change to a private tour because we wanted to go to the Titanic museum in addition to the Giant’s Causeway. It took Odyssey about 10 days to tell me they did not have anyone available for a private tour, which I completely understood since it was so close to the trip date. However, he said that he would have the driver drop us off at the Titanic museum once we arrived back in Belfast (and we would get back to the ship on our own). I told him this was fine.

On the day of the tour, our driver ended up being the guy that I had emailed with. He appeared to be a little grumpy-at the beginning of the tour, he was arguing on the phone with cruise passengers that had been left behind and were upset. At our first stop (the rope bridge), I went to say hello and reminded him about dropping us off at the Titanic at the end of the tour. He just said- no, we don’t have time, and he took off and left me there. I pulled up the email on my phone and went to go find him. I showed him the email where he said we could be dropped off at Titanic. He looked at it and said that there wouldn’t be time, that it would add 1.5-2 hours to the tour if he dropped us off because of traffic- which just didn’t make sense. He finally said that he would drop us off In Belfast once we got back to the city before he did his city tour and we could get there on our own.

After he dropped us off in Belfast, it was about 1.5 miles for us to walk to the museum, which we did in about 30 minutes. After we toured the museum, we took a taxi back to the ship- it was about a 10 minute ride. His explanation regarding why he could not drop us off, as previously agreed, did not make sense- there is no way it would have added 1.5-2 hours to the trip to go 1.5 miles- whether it was before or after the city tour.

Ultimately,the tour was a good value for seeing Giant’s Causeway, etc. It also worked out that we were able to go to the Titanic museum. It was a good day, but I wish I hadn’t had to spend so much time arguing with him about dropping us off, plus our group would have preferred to be dropped off after a long day. But- it all worked out.

Invergordon- We booked the Loch Ness Outlander Group Tour with Invergordon Tours. We were so excited for this tour; however, due to a major storm, our ship was unable to dock in Invergordon. We were really disappointed, but these things happen. The owner, Gavin, was awesome throughout the entire process. He was easy to communicate with while scheduling, and he voluntarily refunded everyone's money when the ship did not dock. He was so gracious about the whole situation. When we eventually go back to Scotland, we will make sure to book with Invergordon Tours again.

Glasgow- We booked a group tour with Timberbush Tours (there were around 40-50people on this tour). We went to Stirling Castle, Loch Lomond and the Trossachs, and Aberfoyle. Our guide, David, was so funny and nice! We would have liked to spend more time at Stirling Castle, but there was a lot to cover in one day. The bus was clean and comfortable, and we had a great day. We will likely to go back to Scotland in the future, and we will check on booking with Timberbush again- possibly with their private tours in order to personalize things more. The prices were very reasonable. Also, we purchased our Stirling Castle tickets in advance from Timberbush at a discount.

Edinburgh- We also booked with Timberbush Tours in Edinburgh, and we were happy to see that David was our guide again. We toured the Royal Yacht Britannia and Edinburgh Castle, and we had time to wander around Edinburgh. It was a really nice tour- so much to see.

There was a small issue because when we booked the tour, we were told that we would be touring the Palace of Holyroodhouse. As with Stirling Castle, we were able to purchase our tickets for the Yacht and Edinburgh Castle at a discount from Timberbush. As for the Palace, Timberbush told me to purchase directly from the Palace. When we were on the tour- the tour had changed so that it was just a photo stop at the Palace. At the Palace, David went with me (as well as another passenger that had pre-purchased Palace tickets) to try to get a refund. They said for us to call their office directly since we purchased online. When I called, the Palace could not give a refund, but they said they could give us a year pass (which unfortunately did not help since we live in the US). I contacted Timberbush to let them know what happened, and they immediately said they would reimburse me for all nine Palace tickets. I really appreciated them taking care of this- it was very good customer service. I would not hesitate to use Timberbush again.

LeHavre- We booked a full-day private tour with Overlord Tours to go to Normandy. Since we had nine in our group, we had to pay for the 16-seater bus. We considered opening it up to others, but decided that we wanted to have the freedom of a fully private tour in Normandy. The bus was completely worth it- it was so nice and clean, and the tour was completely flexible.

Our guide was Yannick- he was awesome. He has so much knowledge about WWII, and he was so enthusiastic and really seemed to enjoy being a guide. We went to Omaha Beach, Utah Beach, the American Cemetery, Pointe du Hoc, and Saint Mere Eglise. The whole tour was so moving and interesting. Overlord and Yannick definitely get an A+.

Unfortunately,our cruise had to end. We disembarked at Southampton, and the process seemed very efficient and quick. Our meeting time was around 8:10, and we were off the ship with our luggage in about a half hour. Six members of our group took the Princess shuttle to LHR. The remaining three of us went to Paris for a few days. As stated earlier, we took Blackberry Cars to London- specifically the St. Pancras train station. We then took the Eurostar to Paris.

In Paris, we purchased the Paris Pass (including the museum pass). Most of the places that we went to were included, plus the Pass allowed us to skip the line at some of the places. We went to Versailles, the Museum d’Orsay, the Louvre, Sainte-Chapelle, Notre Dame, the Conciergerie, the Eiffel Tower(not included in the Pass),and a Seine River cruise. After four days in Paris, we flew home.

Hopefully this information is helpful. The British Isles cruise was just amazing- it is almost overwhelming with how much we saw during our trip. We’re looking forward to going back in the future to spend more time in some of the locations.

Also-we liked the Royal Princess enough that we booked a Caribbean cruise on the Regal Princess in January 2019. If you have any questions or would like additional details about any of our tours, please let me know!

Melinda :D

Hi Melinda! Just looked at your dates and we were also on your cruise. We were a group of seven and also used Blackberry cars in and around London and had no problems, sorry you did but glad they got resolved. We also did Odyssey Coach tours and must have been on their other bus. What a great day! We had two children in our group and they said this was their favorite stop, they and their parents crossed the rope bridge!

One of the things we really loved was the all inclusive photo package. So many wonderful casual and formal photos for everyone to take home.

Like you we all loved the itinerary, so much I would love to do it again. And we have already booked the Royal for a Caribbean cruise for January 19. I love the Royal, and have to say good bye before she heads to the West Coast. However we are looking ahead to next summer and the Royal May be in our future for Alaska!

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Sorry must have hit wrong button...

Hi Melinda! Just looked at your dates and we were also on your cruise. We were a group of seven and also used Blackberry cars in and around London and had no problems, sorry you did but glad they got resolved. We also did Odyssey Coach tours and must have been on their other bus. What a great day! We had two children in our group and they said this was their favorite stop, they and their parents crossed the rope bridge!

 

One of the things we really loved was the all inclusive photo package. So many wonderful casual and formal photos for everyone to take home.

 

Like you we all loved the itinerary, so much I would love to do it again. And we have already booked the Royal for a Caribbean cruise for January 19. I love the Royal, and have to say good bye before she heads to the West Coast. However we are looking ahead to next summer and the Royal May be in our future for Alaska!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Hi Sunsetbeachgal! I'm glad you guys enjoyed the cruise! We all really loved it- I hope we can go back in a few years! We didn't get the photo package, but it would have probably been a better deal than our individual purchases!

I would definitely use Blackberry Cars again- the issues were so minor, just a few delays- and they had really great customer service. Even with Odyssey, we thought the tour was great- the only issue was them not following through with dropping us off at Titanic as agreed. Otherwise, we were happy with the tour.

Have a great trip to the Caribbean on the Royal! It looks like we leave the day after you on the Regal. Our Caribbean trip will just be my husband and me, so it will be nice to spend more time on the ship, participating in more activities and enjoying the entertainment. :D

Melinda: thank you so much for the excellent information. We are booked on the 12-day British Isles cruise aboard the Crown Princess round trip from Dublin next May. Your information is most helpful, thanks for taking the time to share.

--Michelle

Thank you so much.

We are booked on the Crown for August 17, 2019.

I love researching so I am writing down all your info.

A few questions....How long did it take you to get from southhampton to the train station? Did you repurchase your Eurostar tickets and what time did you leave? How long a trip is it?

Paris - Where did you stay and did you take a cab to get to hotel?

Any private guides in Paris?

I am just starting to research the Paris end of the trip. I have London almost laid out. We will be there 4 days.

I got a quote from Smiths for Airport from Heathrow to hotel area.

Can you tell me what Blackberry charged you? There will be 6 of us.

Sorry for all the questions

Thanks for your wonderful review.

Cheryl

Hi Cheryl,

We had a group of seven and used Smiths for Airports (Would definitely recommend) after our cruise from Southampton port to London Heathrow, opposite trip as yours, and we were charged £130. The driver had a credit card processor for payment and we gave him a cash tip, I think around £20.

Blackberry is London based so may not be interested in doing Heathrow to Southampton, but worth a try. Smiths is Southampton based so this is what they do. Smith’s books up so if you are interested I would reserve Well in advance. We used Blackberry from downtown London to Southampton cruise pier and for six with luggage it was £161. In all cases the vehicles used for our group were really nice Mercedes vans with plenty of room.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Agree...Use Blackberry from LHR to London and Smith for Airports from London to Southampton and Southampton back to LHR.

Melinda: thank you so much for the excellent information. We are booked on the 12-day British Isles cruise aboard the Crown Princess round trip from Dublin next May. Your information is most helpful, thanks for taking the time to share.

--Michelle

 

 

Thank you! This is such a great cruise- you will have so much fun. Leaving from Dublin is nice- I would have enjoyed spending more time there.

Thank you so much.

 

We are booked on the Crown for August 17, 2019.

 

I love researching so I am writing down all your info.

 

A few questions....How long did it take you to get from southhampton to the train station? Did you repurchase your Eurostar tickets and what time did you leave? How long a trip is it?

 

Paris - Where did you stay and did you take a cab to get to hotel?

 

Any private guides in Paris?

 

I am just starting to research the Paris end of the trip. I have London almost laid out. We will be there 4 days.

 

I got a quote from Smiths for Airport from Heathrow to hotel area.

 

Can you tell me what Blackberry charged you? There will be 6 of us.

 

Sorry for all the questions

 

Thanks for your wonderful review.

 

Cheryl

Hi Cheryl- It took us about 2 hours to get from Southampton to the train station. We left Southampton about 9:15 am on a Monday, and arrived at St. Pancras around 11:15-11:30 am. Our train was not until 1:31 pm. You have to go through security at the Eurostar station, but it doesn't open up until a certain amount of time prior to your train. We were allowed to enter security at noon, and it took about 1/2 hour to go through security.

We purchased our tickets on the Eurostar website as soon as they were available in December (6 months prior to the trip date). We paid about 45 pounds per ticket. Try to get your tickets as soon as they are available online- the prices are much cheaper if you buy early (similar to buying an airplane ticket).

The Eurostar train ride was about 2 hours and 15 minutes. You lose an hour going to Paris due to the time change. Once we arrived in Paris, we took a taxi to our hotel. We stayed at the Novotel Paris Les Halles. It was actually a really good location- there was a metro station right outside the hotel entrance, and there were many restaurants within walking distance.

We did not do any private tours in Paris. My husband has been there a few times, so he was familiar with Paris(it was my first time there). The Paris Pass/Museum Pass is a good way to go. Many of the popular attractions are included- many of which allow you to skip the line, and they send you a book with information. My husband just mapped out everything in advance. Also, we were able to use our phones to find the metro stations if we were lost :D. If you go to Versailles, you need to take the train. Although Versailles admission is included with the Pass, the lines are very long and they do not let you skip the line. We did see some people that were able to walk right in, and apparently they had paid for timed admission. So- depending on how crowded it is when you go, it may be worth it to pay extra to get the timed admission. We waited an hour and 1/2, and we were there first thing in the morning. The line was twice as long when we left. Otherwise, we did not have to wait at any of the other places we went with the Paris Pass. Also, the Eiffel Tower is not included in the Paris Pass. If you are going there, make sure you purchase tickets in advance as soon as they are available so that you do not have to wait in the long lines.

Here are the prices we paid:

Blackberry- LHR to London hotel for 3 passengers- 44 GBP (+ tip)

Blackberry- LHR to London hotel for 6 passengers- 69 GBP (+ tip)

Blackberry- Southampton to St. Pancras London for 3 passengers- 115 GBP (+ tip)

Woodford- Private bus from London hotel to Southampton for 9 passengers- 250 GBP (+ tip) (re: Woodford, due to the size of our group, we could not fit in a standard van, so we had to pay for a coach bus that seated up to 16. The price would likely be much cheaper for a group that can fit in a van. Most of the places I checked required us to go in two vans/cars, which cost more than just the amount for one coach charged by Woodford. For other companies that had a bus we could fit into, the price was much higher than Woodford.) You will be able to fit in one van with 6 people.

If you have any other questions, please let me know. Have fun planning!

Hi Cheryl- It took us about 2 hours to get from Southampton to the train station. We left Southampton about 9:15 am on a Monday, and arrived at St. Pancras around 11:15-11:30 am. Our train was not until 1:31 pm. You have to go through security at the Eurostar station, but it doesn't open up until a certain amount of time prior to your train. We were allowed to enter security at noon, and it took about 1/2 hour to go through security.

 

We purchased our tickets on the Eurostar website as soon as they were available in December (6 months prior to the trip date). We paid about 45 pounds per ticket. Try to get your tickets as soon as they are available online- the prices are much cheaper if you buy early (similar to buying an airplane ticket).

 

The Eurostar train ride was about 2 hours and 15 minutes. You lose an hour going to Paris due to the time change. Once we arrived in Paris, we took a taxi to our hotel. We stayed at the Novotel Paris Les Halles. It was actually a really good location- there was a metro station right outside the hotel entrance, and there were many restaurants within walking distance.

 

We did not do any private tours in Paris. My husband has been there a few times, so he was familiar with Paris(it was my first time there). The Paris Pass/Museum Pass is a good way to go. Many of the popular attractions are included- many of which allow you to skip the line, and they send you a book with information. My husband just mapped out everything in advance. Also, we were able to use our phones to find the metro stations if we were lost :D. If you go to Versailles, you need to take the train. Although Versailles admission is included with the Pass, the lines are very long and they do not let you skip the line. We did see some people that were able to walk right in, and apparently they had paid for timed admission. So- depending on how crowded it is when you go, it may be worth it to pay extra to get the timed admission. We waited an hour and 1/2, and we were there first thing in the morning. The line was twice as long when we left. Otherwise, we did not have to wait at any of the other places we went with the Paris Pass. Also, the Eiffel Tower is not included in the Paris Pass. If you are going there, make sure you purchase tickets in advance as soon as they are available so that you do not have to wait in the long lines.

 

Here are the prices we paid:

Blackberry- LHR to London hotel for 3 passengers- 44 GBP (+ tip)

Blackberry- LHR to London hotel for 6 passengers- 69 GBP (+ tip)

Blackberry- Southampton to St. Pancras London for 3 passengers- 115 GBP (+ tip)

Woodford- Private bus from London hotel to Southampton for 9 passengers- 250 GBP (+ tip) (re: Woodford, due to the size of our group, we could not fit in a standard van, so we had to pay for a coach bus that seated up to 16. The price would likely be much cheaper for a group that can fit in a van. Most of the places I checked required us to go in two vans/cars, which cost more than just the amount for one coach charged by Woodford. For other companies that had a bus we could fit into, the price was much higher than Woodford.) You will be able to fit in one van with 6 people.

 

 

If you have any other questions, please let me know. Have fun planning!

Melinda, thank you so very much. This information is so helpful and hopefully others that see your review can use this info too.

I will let you know if I have other questions as you seemed to do exactly what we want to see and do too.

Hope you get to go back some day.

Cheryl

Melinda, thank you so very much. This information is so helpful and hopefully others that see your review can use this info too.

 

I will let you know if I have other questions as you seemed to do exactly what we want to see and do too.

 

Hope you get to go back some day.

 

Cheryl

Thanks Cheryl. When we go back to Scotland, we want to make sure to go in August so we can see the Edinburgh Tattoo. They were starting to get it set up, but we were too early in the summer. I hope you will be able to see it when you are there if you are interested.

If you have any questions, please let me know. :D

Thank you for the review! We are going on The Jade in Sept. and only booked last month. I'm debating on what tour to do in Belfast. I watch Game of Thrones but my husband doesn't. The same with Outlander. So sorry you couldn't dock! It's good to know that the tour company was good about it. I'll have to check into them. I'm not sure if we'll do Edinburgh on our own with the HOHO Bus or a full tour. All these private tours seem to take 8 hrs! That's a lot of road time. Belfast is the one port I'm sure we'll do a tour.

per my post over on DIY or excursions:

Belfast: highly recommend Giants causeway and the drive along the coast--spectacular. We used Odyssey Tours and booked the extra legroom tour b/c it was a minibus of only 19 persons for 45 GBP. We didn't cross the bridge, but hiked around and took photos. Excellent. Plus, we got a good driving tour of Belfast at the end. I'm sure other operators are fine as well. But this tour spent more time at the bridge and GC than others. Plus, 45 GBP for almost a private tour is hard to beat.

We would also highly recommend the Odyssey Tours extra legroom Coach tour of Giants Causeway. Some of our group did the rope bridge and loved it. Our guide was excellent and these private operators in the British Isles do all they can to get to the various sites before the tour buses.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

I’m glad you enjoyed your cruise and the Scottish part of the voyage.

If you do come back to the Stirlingshire area then a lot of outlander was filmed around this here.

Blackness castle is where the Fort William scenes were shot eg the whipping.

Callander House in Falkirk was used for the kitchen scene where the Duke of Sandigham was beheaded. It has an authentic working Georgian kitchen which is why it was used.

Culross was the village Geidess lived in

Linlithgow Palace was used for prison scenes.

Deanston Distillery was Jamie’s cousins wine merchants

These and several other buildings of interest from Outlander are all within 15 miles of Stirling. They are interesting to visit on their own but if you like outlander you will also recognise the sets.

Haste ye back.

Thanks Cheryl. When we go back to Scotland, we want to make sure to go in August so we can see the Edinburgh Tattoo. They were starting to get it set up, but we were too early in the summer. I hope you will be able to see it when you are there if you are interested.

 

If you have any questions, please let me know. :D

Edinburgh is manic just now as it always is during August. As well as the Tattoo, the International and Fringe is the biggest Arts Festival in the World so you wouldn't recognise the city.

Thank you for the review! We are going on The Jade in Sept. and only booked last month. I'm debating on what tour to do in Belfast. I watch Game of Thrones but my husband doesn't. The same with Outlander. So sorry you couldn't dock! It's good to know that the tour company was good about it. I'll have to check into them. I'm not sure if we'll do Edinburgh on our own with the HOHO Bus or a full tour. All these private tours seem to take 8 hrs! That's a lot of road time. Belfast is the one port I'm sure we'll do a tour.

Edinburgh is easy to DIY if you do your research. I can help with ideas if you want.

Edinburgh is manic just now as it always is during August. As well as the Tattoo, the International and Fringe is the biggest Arts Festival in the World so you wouldn't recognise the city.

 

 

 

Edinburgh is easy to DIY if you do your research. I can help with ideas if you want.

Thank you! I would be glad to hear suggestions or tips from you and I'm sure that others would as well! Thanks for sharing your experience!

Thank you for the review! We are going on The Jade in Sept. and only booked last month. I'm debating on what tour to do in Belfast. I watch Game of Thrones but my husband doesn't. The same with Outlander. So sorry you couldn't dock! It's good to know that the tour company was good about it. I'll have to check into them. I'm not sure if we'll do Edinburgh on our own with the HOHO Bus or a full tour. All these private tours seem to take 8 hrs! That's a lot of road time. Belfast is the one port I'm sure we'll do a tour.

It you are going to do the Giant’s Causeway while in Belfast- it probably is best to take a tour- it is pretty far away. You are right about the length of the tours- our days were very long, but it was great to see so much! I think you could do Edinburgh on your own- I would have liked more time just to wander. But - the tour we took was not very expensive, and we liked the convenience of being taken around to the locations. If you go to Edinburgh Castle, buy your tickets in advance so you can skip the lines. :D

I’m glad you enjoyed your cruise and the Scottish part of the voyage.

 

If you do come back to the Stirlingshire area then a lot of outlander was filmed around this here.

 

Blackness castle is where the Fort William scenes were shot eg the whipping.

 

Callander House in Falkirk was used for the kitchen scene where the Duke of Sandigham was beheaded. It has an authentic working Georgian kitchen which is why it was used.

 

Culross was the village Geidess lived in

 

Linlithgow Palace was used for prison scenes.

 

Deanston Distillery was Jamie’s cousins wine merchants

 

These and several other buildings of interest from Outlander are all within 15 miles of Stirling. They are interesting to visit on their own but if you like outlander you will also recognise the sets.

 

Haste ye back.

Thank you! I did not know this- I will save the information for our return trip! When we go back, I want to spend a week or two just exploring Scotland in more depth. My family is originally from Scotland (going back 100-150 years), so it was so amazing to finally get to go there.

Edinburgh is manic just now as it always is during August. As well as the Tattoo, the International and Fringe is the biggest Arts Festival in the World so you wouldn't recognise the city.

 

 

 

When we were there in June, it wasn’t too bad, but I can imagine it is really crowded during the Tattoo. Do you think it is worth it to go back to see the Tattoo? Or is it so crowded that it isn’t even fun? Is it better to skip the Tattoo and just go back in June again? Thank you!

Edinburgh is manic just now as it always is during August. As well as the Tattoo, the International and Fringe is the biggest Arts Festival in the World so you wouldn't recognise the city.

 

 

 

When we were there in June, it wasn’t too bad, but I can imagine it is really crowded during the Tattoo. Do you think it is worth it to go back to see the Tattoo? Or is it so crowded that it isn’t even fun? Is it better to skip the Tattoo and just go back in June again? Thank you!

 

The Tatoo is really magical, the music makes the hair stand up on the back of your neck and the back drop of the castle with the flares and the pipes playing is a must see. The free fringe shows on the Royal mile are also really good not to mention the formal arts festival which is really diverse.

 

Tartan excel is right though, Edinburgh during the festival is indeed manic and the price of hotels ridiculous however you can still do both.

 

If you pick somewhere to stay on the main train line between Glasgow and Edinburgh or between Dunblane and Edinburgh then you can still attend the festival or the tatoo but not pay a fortune and have some peace and quiet too once back at the hotel.

 

On the Dunblane to Edinburgh Line the closest town would be Linlithgow which is only 15 minutes by train (also has Linlithgow Palace the summer palace of the Stuart’s). Stirling is also right on the main Dunblane line and has a good choice of hotels, the Castle, Wallace monument and is the gateway to the Trossachs.

 

On the main Edinburgh Glasgow High speed line is Falkirk. It has a few decent hotels as well and also Callander House, the Kelpies and the Falkirk Wheel. It is a lot more reasonably priced than Stirling and about 25 minutebtrain ride into Edinburgh Waverley.

 

You can also get to Glasgow from these towns.

 

https://www.scotrail.co.uk/

Can you tell me how much the Butlers Private Tour was in Cork? We are planning next years trip and aren’t sure which tour operator to use.

 

The Tatoo is really magical, the music makes the hair stand up on the back of your neck and the back drop of the castle with the flares and the pipes playing is a must see. The free fringe shows on the Royal mile are also really good not to mention the formal arts festival which is really diverse.

 

Tartan excel is right though, Edinburgh during the festival is indeed manic and the price of hotels ridiculous however you can still do both.

 

If you pick somewhere to stay on the main train line between Glasgow and Edinburgh or between Dunblane and Edinburgh then you can still attend the festival or the tatoo but not pay a fortune and have some peace and quiet too once back at the hotel.

 

On the Dunblane to Edinburgh Line the closest town would be Linlithgow which is only 15 minutes by train (also has Linlithgow Palace the summer palace of the Stuart’s). Stirling is also right on the main Dunblane line and has a good choice of hotels, the Castle, Wallace monument and is the gateway to the Trossachs.

 

On the main Edinburgh Glasgow High speed line is Falkirk. It has a few decent hotels as well and also Callander House, the Kelpies and the Falkirk Wheel. It is a lot more reasonably priced than Stirling and about 25 minutebtrain ride into Edinburgh Waverley.

 

You can also get to Glasgow from these towns.

 

https://www.scotrail.co.uk/

 

Thank you so much! I really appreciate this information. It sounds like the Tattoo will be worth braving the crowds. I will keep the hotel information for our future return trip. Thanks again :D

Can you tell me how much the Butlers Private Tour was in Cork? We are planning next years trip and aren’t sure which tour operator to use.

Hi- We paid 390 Euros for the full-day tour for our group of 9. We were quoted the following prices for the private tours:

Have fun planning! :D