Which ports can can be done DIY?

We are doing a British Isles cruise in late May on Princess. Stops are: Guernsey, Cork (don't care about kissing the stone), Dublin, Belfast, Glasgow, Orkney Islands, Invergordon, Edinburgh and le Havre (will do a Normandy tour).

We enjoy and are willing to do a fair amount of walking. Which stops can best be done on our own? And which stops are best done by tour?

Thanks in advance for your insights and advice!

We are planning our second BI cruise, and have a little experience to share. Guernsey: tender port, we did a tour with Annette last trip- she is excellent, but this time we are walking over to Cornet Castle and later maybe a bus ride around the island or wander the water front. Cork: I'm with you about kissing the same rock that millions of others have, plus the wait inline to do so. We are booking ecoach, again. Nice tour, Blarney Castle grounds are beautiful to walk/hike, even DH enjoyed the Woolen Mill, stop in Kinsdale. Dublin - cab or shuttle to and from the city, then do the HoHo bus to see places of interest on the various routes. Belfast, we are taking a private tour with cityandcausewaytours.com - Alister and Stevie are excellent. Glasgow, some in the family are doing the HoHo, while we are using OBC's on Princess' on your own for FalkirkWheel and Stirling Castle. Undecided with Invergordon as of now. Edinburgh - tram/bus/cab into the city and then visit the Castle, stop for lunch at a pub, and continue onto Holyrood. For Normandy, I booked a tour for the 6 of us with Overlord, and then on CC added two more to make the 8 passenger max and share the cost.

Darcy

We did a 7-hour cab tour in Belfast for the popular tourist sites, including places where certain scenes of the TV series Game of Thrones were shot.

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Have only been to Invergordon, Edinburg, and Lehavre. Both Invergordon and Edinburg are easy DIY. Le Havre we rented a car. Details on my blog.

We did a slightly different itinerary on Princess this past summer. We did Guernsey on our own, spending most of our time touring Castle Cornet but also a considerable amount walking through St. Peter Port to see gardens and the architecture. We did the hop-on/hop-off bus from Merrion Square in Dublin on our second day there. Guinness was our main stop. The first day we walked to the castle and toured the art museum. We walked in Belfast (after catching the free shuttle to the center of the city) and enjoyed the Ulster Museum and nearby gardens. We also liked the view of the city from Victoria Square, a modern shopping center with a viewing platform in a glass dome.

Cobh (for Cork) was one of the ports where we prebooked an excursion with an independent company. It went through Cork to Blarney Castle and Kinsale. It was a great day. There's plenty to see at Blarney if you don't want to wait in line. The views from the top, though, are very good. We did not have time to go the Woollen Mills.

Invergordon was another port where we prebooked an independent excursion (Invergordon Tours) to Urquhart Castle, a cruise on Loch Ness, Clava Cairns, and Cawdor Castle. I thought it was a great day. Some folks we met on the same excursion, though, complained about the cramped seats.

We took the train into Glasgow on our own from Greenock. Our train ticket came in a combo package with the HoHo bus for the city. We enjoyed the transportation museum (Riverside Museum), Kelvingrove Art Gallery, the Mackintosh House at the Hunterian Gallery (also the nice collection of Impressionist paintings there), and cathedral.

Edinburgh is another port we did on our own, catching the train from South Queensferry into the city. I bought our tickets to the castle in advance. It was during the Fringe Festival and very crowded.

We did something very similar last year with Princess as well.

Guernsey- Walked all around on our own including a visit to Cornet Castle. There are great self guided walks on visitguersey.com

Dublin - did HOHO bus and spent time on their pedestrian shopping street.

Belfast - bought combo HOHO and Titanic museum ticket. Museum is great and very modern and was a nice break from sightseeing.

Cobh -'did the ecoach bus trio to Blarney and Kinsale. It was great. Also had time for a walk around Cobh and make sure you visit the Cathedral

Edinburgh - local shuttle offer did in on our own seeing Holyrood Palace and the Royal Mile

For our Inverness and Glasgow stops we did bus tours through the Highlands and Sterling Castle surrounding areas. Strongly r commend invergordon tours and Discover Scotland tours.

Thank you for all your suggestions!

:mad:

 

 

We took the train into Glasgow on our own from Greenock. Our train ticket came in a combo package with the HoHo bus for the city. We enjoyed the transportation museum (Riverside Museum), Kelvingrove Art Gallery, the Mackintosh House at the Hunterian Gallery (also the nice collection of Impressionist paintings there), and cathedral.

Thanks for the good info. Do all train tickets (Greenock to Glasgow) include HoHo bus? If not where to purchase the combo ticket.

We did something very similar last year with Princess as well.

 

Guernsey- Walked all around on our own including a visit to Cornet Castle. There are great self guided walks on visitguersey.com

 

Dublin - did HOHO bus and spent time on their pedestrian shopping street.

 

Belfast - bought combo HOHO and Titanic museum ticket. Museum is great and very modern and was a nice break from sightseeing.

 

Cobh -'did the ecoach bus trio to Blarney and Kinsale. It was great. Also had time for a walk around Cobh and make sure you visit the Cathedral

 

Edinburgh - local shuttle offer did in on our own seeing Holyrood Palace and the Royal Mile

 

For our Inverness and Glasgow stops we did bus tours through the Highlands and Sterling Castle surrounding areas. Strongly r commend invergordon tours and Discover Scotland tours.

I have just booked a BI cruise for this summer and intend to do the same as you in Belfast. How did you get to the HOHO/Titanic museum from the ship?:):)

Dublin, Belfast, Glasgow, and Edinburgh are easily done on your own.

Dublin we take the ships shuttle downtown and from there we can visit many sites.

Edinburgh you can see the iconic Castle on your own as well as just walk up and down the many streets nearby.

Belfast. Easily done on your own. I would recommend a visit to the Titanic Museum and that you purchase tickets ahead of time.

Glasgow also can be done on your own.

Keith

If you enjoy whiskey you could visit the Scapa Distillery http://scapawhisky.com on Orkney. It is a very pleasant 2 mile walk from Kirkwall or there are buses to Scapa beach and a short walk from there. Much cheaper than the ship excursion to the Highland Park distillery.

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We have done two British Isles / TA cruises.

My wife and I typically do almost all ports on our own. This is fun to do if you enjoy the spirit of adventure, are reasonably mobile and are willing to do some planning and research on your own. There are many benefits to DIY. During our research we end up learning a lot about each port which enhances our experience. Although not the reason for many, touring on your own ends up being much less expensive than booking tours. Self touring gives us the opportunity to spend as much or as little time on the schedule that we create. Additionally, we are often able to move much quicker rather than having to wait for a group. We often discover surprises along the way which have provided unexpected but pleasant deviations to our plan. We love using public transportation because it gives us more ground-up view and allows opportunity for interacting with local folks.

One of the best resources we have discovered is Tom's Port Guides. We had the pleasure of meeting Tom and his lovely wife Mary on one of our cruises several years ago. Tom is a seasoned cruiser who has methodically put together some exceptional port information.

https://www.tomsportguides.com/

More specific to your ports:

Guernsey- take the 91 / 94 bus which goes around the island. There are places to get off to take scenic coastal walks, and re-board.

Edinburgh - very easy to take 20 min train ride to Waverly Station in central Edinburgh 5 Ls, and walk to Edinburgh castle, St. Giles Cathedral, Royal Mile, Elephant Cafe ( J K Rowling wrote Harry Potter books here), Greyfriars Kirkyard ( cemetery where Rowling got some character name ideas). Edinburgh park, and still have time for a few pints at the Hawes Inn, in Queensferry ( adjacent to port shuttle bus) where Robert Louis Stevenson once frequented.

Cork - Titanic museum adjacent to port. Train station at port. Very easy 24min train ride to Kent Station ( Cork) 9 euros- walkable to all sites. As a time buffer, we always spend the last few hours in port at Kelly's Pub ( a 3 minute walk from port). Pub often has live music, great character, and Murphy's beer ( only sold locally and in my opinion, better than Guinness)

Dublin- best to take taxi to O'connell street. Walkable to Temple Bar, Trinity University, Guinness, etc. The LUASis an electric train that one can use to get around centrally or you can take local DART trains, to seaside towns 30-60 mins away. There is an AWESOME 8 km cliff side walk from Greystones to Bray. We took a train to Bray, hiked to Greystones, and took the train from there back to Dublin.

If you are going DIY, it is important to keep track of time, and plan to get to port at least one hour before sailing to allow yourself cushion in case of delays. We usually travel to the furthest point of interest first, and then work our way closer to port, so we are closer, if time becomes an issue. Additionally, when you are traveling back and forth to various countries across time zones, make sure you are keeping the correct time (we almost learned this the hard way).

Bon Voyage

Roger

Have only been to Invergordon, Edinburg, and Lehavre. Both Invergordon and Edinburg are easy DIY. Le Havre we rented a car. Details on my blog.

Would like to read your blog. Where can I find it? I am looking for ideas for Invergordon. Thank you!

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Has anyone done the military tatoo, and if so was it worth the time and money? We would have to be from Greencock, and have priced it with a tour company. However after reading these posts I'm wondering if,we can take the train from greencock to Glasgow and many a black cab from there. Any suggestions?

Belfast is super easy. I live here and you’ll have no issues getting a taxi or HoHo and public buses are good too. Use the Translink website and it will give you all the route. Taxis are cheap too.

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We did DIY days in Guernsey, Cobh (Cork), Edinburgh (bought tickets in advance on line). For the other ports we wanted to see as much of the countryside as possible and therefore in Dublin we did a private tour of County Wicklow with Beautiful Meath Tours. Our driver, Derek, was exceptional.

In Belfast we took a private tour with City and Causeway Tours. Excellent

In Glasgow we took a Busy Bus tour - very enjoyable

In Orkneys (Kirkwall) we took a private tour with See Orkney - excellent

in Invergordon we took another private tour - the Quintessentially Highland tour with falconry show at Dunrobin Castle

in Le Havre - we took a taxi with two other couples and spent the day in beautiful and quaint Honfleur

Barb

We have done two British Isles / TA cruises.

 

Dublin- best to take taxi to O'connell street. Walkable to Temple Bar, Trinity University, Guinness, etc. The LUASis an electric train that one can use to get around centrally or you can take local DART trains, to seaside towns 30-60 mins away. There is an AWESOME 8 km cliff side walk from Greystones to Bray. We took a train to Bray, hiked to Greystones, and took the train from there back to Dublin.

 

 

Roger

Thanks for the great tips. The cliff side walk sounds wonderful. Could you give me more details as how to get from Dublin to Bray and/or Greystones. Did you take a bus or train? Where in Dublin, Bray, Greystones do you get on/off? What websites will give me info on fares and schedules? Sorry for so many questions but you really got me interested. If it's easier you can also email me directly at twohannawong@hotmail.com. Thanks in advance!

Thanks for the great tips. The cliff side walk sounds wonderful. Could you give me more details as how to get from Dublin to Bray and/or Greystones. Did you take a bus or train? Where in Dublin, Bray, Greystones do you get on/off? What websites will give me info on fares and schedules? Sorry for so many questions but you really got me interested. If it's easier you can also email me directly at twohannawong@hotmail.com. Thanks in advance!

This interested me as well and I tracked down this site - http://visitwicklow.ie/item/cliff-walk-bray-to-greystones/#

If you click on the PDF at the bottom of the page, it links to a nice brochure about the hike.

HI, We are contemplating using Invergordon Tours as a private excursion. there were mixed reviews on Trip advisor. What was your experience with them? Thanks

We did a slightly different itinerary on Princess this past summer. We did Guernsey on our own, spending most of our time touring Castle Cornet but also a considerable amount walking through St. Peter Port to see gardens and the architecture. We did the hop-on/hop-off bus from Merrion Square in Dublin on our second day there. Guinness was our main stop. The first day we walked to the castle and toured the art museum. We walked in Belfast (after catching the free shuttle to the center of the city) and enjoyed the Ulster Museum and nearby gardens. We also liked the view of the city from Victoria Square, a modern shopping center with a viewing platform in a glass dome.

 

Cobh (for Cork) was one of the ports where we prebooked an excursion with an independent company. It went through Cork to Blarney Castle and Kinsale. It was a great day. There's plenty to see at Blarney if you don't want to wait in line. The views from the top, though, are very good. We did not have time to go the Woollen Mills.

 

Invergordon was another port where we prebooked an independent excursion (Invergordon Tours) to Urquhart Castle, a cruise on Loch Ness, Clava Cairns, and Cawdor Castle. I thought it was a great day. Some folks we met on the same excursion, though, complained about the cramped seats.

 

We took the train into Glasgow on our own from Greenock. Our train ticket came in a combo package with the HoHo bus for the city. We enjoyed the transportation museum (Riverside Museum), Kelvingrove Art Gallery, the Mackintosh House at the Hunterian Gallery (also the nice collection of Impressionist paintings there), and cathedral.

 

Edinburgh is another port we did on our own, catching the train from South Queensferry into the city. I bought our tickets to the castle in advance. It was during the Fringe Festival and very crowded.

Cobh (for Cork) was one of the ports where we prebooked an excursion with an independent company. It went through Cork to Blarney Castle and Kinsale. It was a great day. There's plenty to see at Blarney if you don't want to wait in line. The views from the top, though, are very good. We did not have time to go the Woollen Mills.

 

Invergordon was another port where we prebooked an independent excursion (Invergordon Tours) to Urquhart Castle, a cruise on Loch Ness, Clava Cairns, and Cawdor Castle. I thought it was a great day. Some folks we met on the same excursion, though, complained about the cramped seats.

(1) anything to do in Cobh?

(2) would you repeat Invergordon tour? Price? How many on the bus?

these are the only 2 'undecided' ports on my June 18th cruise. Wondering:

 

(1) anything to do in Cobh?

 

(2) would you repeat Invergordon tour? Price? How many on the bus?

Definitely do a tour in Invergordon. Check out the local website http://www.visitinvergordon.com

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Cork - Titanic museum adjacent to port. Train station at port. Very easy 24min train ride to Kent Station ( Cork) 9 euros- walkable to all sites. As a time buffer, we always spend the last few hours in port at Kelly's Pub ( a 3 minute walk from port). Pub often has live music, great character, and Murphy's beer ( only sold locally and in my opinion, better than Guinness)

 

Dublin- best to take taxi to O'connell street. Walkable to Temple Bar, Trinity University, Guinness, etc. The LUASis an electric train that one can use to get around centrally or you can take local DART trains, to seaside towns 30-60 mins away. There is an AWESOME 8 km cliff side walk from Greystones to Bray. We took a train to Bray, hiked to Greystones, and took the train from there back to Dublin.

Super easy to get to Malahide Castle & Gardens on Dart

Just got back today. Great trip! Easy DIY in many ports. In Cobh we got the train to Cork (train is right at the port) to explore on our own (English Market is a must see) and then returned to Cobh for a lovely afternoon. For Invergordon, used Scotland Taxi Tours for a private car of up to 4 people. Customized to whatever you want to see and you pay hourly. Our driver took us to a boutique distillery off the beaten track to end our fabulous day. Fantastic driver/guide.

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great info on Cobh .... I spent a month in Dublin in 2015 & although I did not do the beginning of the walk from the port, it's only 4.2 km from port to Trinity College (apx 2.6 miles) I did most of it. A lot of it is along the river which is very pretty. So that should only be 30-40 minutes. My only concern is actually exiting port itself

 

Super easy to get to Malahide Castle & Gardens on Dart

Since you spent some time in Dublin, I have a quick question!

We have booked with Day Tours Unplugged for a tour of Newgrange and Tara Hill for first thing in the morning. They will drop us off at Trinity College around noon. From there we have planned to walk on our own around Dublin. Our ship does not leave until 11:30 at night, so we have plenty of time. We planned on leaving Trinity Collage after touring it, walking toward the Dublin Castle, from there to St Patrick's, touring both of them. By this time it will probably be around 5pm. From there we will walk towards St Stevens Green, walking through the park, then heading towards the Temple Bar area, then across the Ha'pennyBridge, circling around to the General PostOffice, and O'Connell Bridge. We plan to get a cab back to the ship somewhere around this area.

Does this sound doable to you? We will stop somewhere along our route for meals and a beer! Are these areas safe for us to be walking through in the evening? Any suggestions?

Completely do-able but don't miss Grafton St after noon. I stayed at a hotel facing St Stephens Green and noticed that the area doesn't wake up until after noon. So what you'll see in the morning skips the real flavor of the area .... although Temple Bar gets roudy, it was safe