Help with Inverness tours for LochNess and Castles Aug 14 on Infinity

[gkkapp]

cknic-

 

I was looking back on this thread for my post about Nigel and saw that you asked me how we handled Dublin. Sorry I didn't see it and answer sooner. We four took the ship's shuttle into the center of Dublin. We walked to Dublin Castle (not much there) and then to Christchurch Cathedral. We then walked back along the river stopping and looking as we felt like it. Had lunch in a pub. The bus lets you off near the Archaeology Museum, and since it started to drizzle we went into the museum. They had a wonderful gold artifact exhibit, pieces found in burials. Plus religious objects including an illuminated book like the Book of Kells, which we didn't go to see. After spending some time in the museum we took the bus back to the ship.

 

Do some research and pick what you want to see. Most sites are easy to walk to.

 

<<<Karen>>>

[phabric]

Blue Ribbon Cruiser would you send or post the companies that don't require deposits or email me at kandydipprey@ yahoo.com .I would really appreciate . Kandy

 

Yes, I would like that info too please. Would be great if you would post them. I had to put a 50% deposit down for a Belfast tour and another gal on our cruise was required to leave 20% with payment required 30 days before the actual tour date for one in Scotland. Am still looking for a private tour in Inverness.

Thanks, Carolyn

 

We are on the August 16 British Isles cruise

Cobh - http://www.ecoach.ie - Everyone purchases their own ticket from their website

Dublin - http://www.dubinsightseeing.ie

- http://www.guinnes-storehouse.com

-www.hop-on-hop-off-bus.com

Liverpool - http://www.pooloflifetours.com

Glasgow - http://www.greatscot-tours.com

Belfast - http://www.odysseycoachtours.co.uk - for this port, we have 2 tours with 16 and 1 tour where others have signed up with the company to fill a bus

Edinburgh - http://www.edinburgh-places.co.uk

-www.edinburghcastle.gov.uk

-www.edinburghtour.com

-www.greatscot-tours.com

Invergordon - http://www.shoreexcursions.co.uk - this is the tour operator where everyone is having a hard time getting ahold of. For my tour, he wants 80GBP in an envelope when the tour starts and the balance at the end of the tour.

Le Havre - http://www.overlordtour.com. They ask for a credit card to hold the booking but Cash on the day of the tour.

 

Others have booked with, I don't know if a deposit is needed

Dublin - http://www.tourdublin.ie

- http://www.dublintourguide.blogspot.ie

 

A few of us have purchased the Historic 3 day Pass http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk (able to use at Edinburgh Castle, Stirling Castle)

 

Other sites

Southampton - http://www.visit-southampton.co.uk

London - http://www.theoriginaltour.com - Hop On Hop Off bus

- http://www.bigbustours.com - Hop On Hop Off bus

- http://www.royalcollection.org.uk ( Visit Buckingham Palace staterooms)

- http://www.visitlondon.com

- http://www.parliament.uk

- http://www.southeasternrailway.co.uk

-www.londoneye.com

- http://www.justairports.com - private car service

- http://www.simplyairports.co.uk - private car service

- http://www.nationalexpress.com - coach to/from Southampton

- http://www.booking.com - hotels

- http://www.london-hotels.co.uk - Hotels

- http://www.visitbritainshop.com

- http://www.goldentours.com

- http://www.premiumtours.co.uk

- http://www.viator.com

- http://www.londontool.kit.com

[gkkapp]

Yes, 80GBP in an envelope to Nigel. That's his "booking fee". The rest is the guide/driver's fee. You give that to him at the end plus a tip if you choose. That's how it worked for us last year. No problem at all.:D

 

<<<Karen>>>

[DeloreanGirl]

Hi Emily, I do have Jacobite on my fallback list. I know you had a wonderful day with them but I would prefer having a tour that comes right to the ship:)...Carolyn

PS I refer to your cruise review constantly. Big, big help.

 

 

Aw, thanks!

 

And, I don't blame you. I wish there was easier transportation from the ship to some of the places too. :)

[cknic]

We are on the August 16 British Isles cruise

Cobh - www.ecoach.ie - Everyone purchases their own ticket from their website

Dublin - www.dubinsightseeing.ie

- www.guinnes-storehouse.com

-www.hop-on-hop-off-bus.com

Liverpool - www.pooloflifetours.com

Glasgow - www.greatscot-tours.com

Belfast - www.odysseycoachtours.co.uk - for this port, we have 2 tours with 16 and 1 tour where others have signed up with the company to fill a bus

Edinburgh - www.edinburgh-places.co.uk

-www.edinburghcastle.gov.uk

-www.edinburghtour.com

-www.greatscot-tours.com

Invergordon - www.shoreexcursions.co.uk - this is the tour operator where everyone is having a hard time getting ahold of. For my tour, he wants 80GBP in an envelope when the tour starts and the balance at the end of the tour.

Le Havre - www.overlordtour.com. They ask for a credit card to hold the booking but Cash on the day of the tour.

 

Others have booked with, I don't know if a deposit is needed

Dublin - www.tourdublin.ie

- www.dublintourguide.blogspot.ie

 

A few of us have purchased the Historic 3 day Pass www.historic-scotland.gov.uk (able to use at Edinburgh Castle, Stirling Castle)

 

Other sites

Southampton - www.visit-southampton.co.uk

London - www.theoriginaltour.com - Hop On Hop Off bus

- www.bigbustours.com - Hop On Hop Off bus

- www.royalcollection.org.uk ( Visit Buckingham Palace staterooms)

- www.visitlondon.com

- www.parliament.uk

- www.southeasternrailway.co.uk

-www.londoneye.com

- www.justairports.com - private car service

- www.simplyairports.co.uk - private car service

- www.nationalexpress.com - coach to/from Southampton

- www.booking.com - hotels

- www.london-hotels.co.uk - Hotels

- www.visitbritainshop.com

- www.goldentours.com

- www.premiumtours.co.uk

- www.viator.com

- www.londontool.kit.com

Thank you for posting all the links..Very helpful. I did book the Ecoach tour in Cork last month and we decided to do Dublin on our own. I was in touch with TourDublin and they want 25% deposit plus final payment 30 days ahead if on credit card or cash on the day of travel. I'm still hoping to hear from Nigel for Inverness.

Carolyn

[windra06]

We were at loch ness earlier this year, and happened to grab an on the hour tour of the loch.(non cruise related trip) The tours go every hour from the information centre and there were 6 of us on the tour.

 

I can highly reccomend it, the tour guide had worked on the loch and had done research around the area for much of his life and it was an extremely informative and fun tour. It was only £12 too which was well worth it.

 

 

If you happen to be at loch ness and have an hour to spare, think about doing this tour.

http://www.lochness.com/loch-ness-cruises.htm

[Chloe1500]

Aw, thanks!

 

And, I don't blame you. I wish there was easier transportation from the ship to some of the places too. :)

 

Hi, Emily,

We are going on the same cruise you did in May and thought you'd appreciate knowing that in Invergordon, we are following in your footsteps with what we are calling our "DeloreanGirl Tour." We plan to take the ship's bus to Inverness, which is now $55 pp, and the Jacobite Sensation is a bit higher too, but even so, it's still a great plan, plus we will have a little time in Inverness for late lunch. So thanks again for your review and for the tip about Bank Street versus Strothers Lane.

[cknic]

Carolyn:

 

Funny that you post today. Someone on my roll call contacted me the other day. She had a Loch Ness/castle tour arranged with a different guide who has just contacted her to say that he was retiring and was cancelling their tour. She wanted to know about my arrangements. (We've actually booked his Highlands Experience tour.) Anyway, I emailed him to see if he could accommodate her, but have not heard back. It's only been a couple of days so I wasn't worried until I just read your message. We have him booked for Sunday, Aug 18, btw.

 

He was at his Mum's in November, as well. I'm going to give it a little time before I think about making other arrangements. He really has gotten good reviews.

 

 

 

Post here if you hear from him. I'll do the same.

 

Mairlyn

I just saw a post on the Infinity rollcall for June 3 from Susan. (#531). She heard from Nigel today and everything seems ok. He had an accident so has been unable to respond. Hopefully he will be in touch with the rest of us soon.

Carolyn

[marilynfaye]

I just saw a post on the Infinity rollcall for June 3 from Susan. (#531). She heard from Nigel today and everything seems ok. He had an accident so has been unable to respond. Hopefully he will be in touch with the rest of us soon.

Carolyn

 

Thanks, Carolyn.

 

I logged in just now to tell you that I read a post on the roll call for Oceania's Marina (We are on Oceania's Nautica cruise which follows the same itinerary a month later) that someone else heard from him today. I imagine he has a ton of messages to plow through. Hope he is all right and that we all enjoy a magical time in Scotland.

 

Happy Cruising,

Marilyn

[DeloreanGirl]

Hi, Emily,

We are going on the same cruise you did in May and thought you'd appreciate knowing that in Invergordon, we are following in your footsteps with what we are calling our "DeloreanGirl Tour." We plan to take the ship's bus to Inverness, which is now $55 pp, and the Jacobite Sensation is a bit higher too, but even so, it's still a great plan, plus we will have a little time in Inverness for late lunch. So thanks again for your review and for the tip about Bank Street versus Strothers Lane.

 

Oh wow, that is great! If all the times have stayed the same as last year, it's very doable. Jacobite has great customer service. I simply told them, "We'll be coming from a cruise ship bus, please don't leave without us!" and the driver, Kenny, was there promptly waiting for us. I believe there's a 15-20 minute window from when the Princess bus stops near Bank Street to when you have to meet Jacobite. Though, with the Jacobite Bank Street pickup, it should be literally down the same road. I believe Princess parks on Castle Road but it turns into Bank Street. I'm sure everyone in that small town knows the name "Jacboite", too and should be able to point you in the right direction.

 

Enjoy!

[KayInverness]

Hi

 

Quite a few people seem to be having problems with Invergordon tour operators not responding to emails etc. I would suggest having a look at the top-rated Inverness tour companies on Trip Advisor - WOW Scotland and Inverness Tours both offer tours from the port, with WOW offering both large group tours and smaller private tours, and Inverness Tours offering smaller tours. They both have fantastic reviews, and have quite detailed tour itineraries on their websites.

 

There are so many great places that can be visited in the vicinity of Invergordon, including Loch Ness, Glen Affric, Cawdor Castle, Urquhart Castle and the historic town of Inverness (not to mention whisky distilleries galore and plenty of nice scenery along the way!)

 

With regard to paying up-front, I see on their website that WOW Scotland ask for a deposit in advance, but they will refund the full cost of the tour if the ship fails to dock . Inverness Tours also require a 25% deposit, and offer cancellation insurance in case the ship does not dock. They do this as they get high demand for tours on cruise ship days, and, due to the fact that they are fairly small companies, can’t take the risk that they turn down other business then get last-minute cancellations. Perhaps you could speak to one of these companies and request that, if you book and subsequently cancel, they refund you if they can re-sell your tour?

 

Happy cruising!

[Shooraq]

Hi

 

Quite a few people seem to be having problems with Invergordon tour operators not responding to emails etc. I would suggest having a look at the top-rated Inverness tour companies on Trip Advisor - WOW Scotland and Inverness Tours both offer tours from the port, with WOW offering both large group tours and smaller private tours, and Inverness Tours offering smaller tours. They both have fantastic reviews, and have quite detailed tour itineraries on their websites.

 

There are so many great places that can be visited in the vicinity of Invergordon, including Loch Ness, Glen Affric, Cawdor Castle, Urquhart Castle and the historic town of Inverness (not to mention whisky distilleries galore and plenty of nice scenery along the way!)

 

With regard to paying up-front, I see on their website that WOW Scotland ask for a deposit in advance, but they will refund the full cost of the tour if the ship fails to dock . Inverness Tours also require a 25% deposit, and offer cancellation insurance in case the ship does not dock. They do this as they get high demand for tours on cruise ship days, and, due to the fact that they are fairly small companies, can’t take the risk that they turn down other business then get last-minute cancellations. Perhaps you could speak to one of these companies and request that, if you book and subsequently cancel, they refund you if they can re-sell your tour?

 

Happy cruising!

 

Agreed about Inverness Tours. They have been EXTREMELY helpful in creating the best itinerary for my group of six. Concerned about traffic, George has been back and forth by email to give me the best suggestions and help plan a eventful day filled with Loch Ness, Urquhart Castle, Culloden Battlegrounds and a 2 hour tour of Macallan (my favorite scotch distillery!!!). I am so impressed but the amount of attention and work this company has put... I have planned many private excursions and I am so looking forward to this tour!

[KayInverness]

Agreed about Inverness Tours. They have been EXTREMELY helpful in creating the best itinerary for my group of six. Concerned about traffic, George has been back and forth by email to give me the best suggestions and help plan a eventful day filled with Loch Ness, Urquhart Castle, Culloden Battlegrounds and a 2 hour tour of Macallan (my favorite scotch distillery!!!). I am so impressed but the amount of attention and work this company has put... I have planned many private excursions and I am so looking forward to this tour!

 

That certainly sounds like a great itinerary, and it’s good to hear that Inverness Tours have been so accommodating. The route sounds quite ambitious, given that Macallan is at least a two hour drive from Invergordon, but you will certainly get off the tourist trail going there, and you will see some beautiful scenery en-route. Hope you will have time to sample a few wee drams when you get there!

[phabric]

I have had an email from Nigel concerning our tour for August 25 and everything is confirmed. His mum was ill and when he returned he slipped on ice and was in hospital for 10 days.

 

He will be in contact soon and everything is ok with the tour and to pass this on to everyone.

 

Our worries are over!!!!!

[phabric]

Yes, 80GBP in an envelope to Nigel. That's his "booking fee". The rest is the guide/driver's fee. You give that to him at the end plus a tip if you choose. That's how it worked for us last year. No problem at all.:D

 

<<<Karen>>>

 

As the leader for our group, I will do the 80 GBP and the balance for my share at the end.

 

Did your group before the tour collect all the money and hand the 80 GBP at the beginning and the balance to the driver/guide as one payment or did you individually give the driver/guide the money + tip.

 

I am not sure if I should before the tour collect all the money or let everyone pay their portion.

[englander]

I have had an email from Nigel concerning our tour for August 25 and everything is confirmed. His mum was ill and when he returned he slipped on ice and was in hospital for 10 days.

 

He will be in contact soon and everything is ok with the tour and to pass this on to everyone.

 

Our worries are over!!!!!

 

Same here. I heard from Nigel this evening. We are set for the LochNess tour on Jun 12th. YAY!!!

[gkkapp]

phabric-

 

Just saw your post. I gave Nigel his money at the beginning and made up the difference for DH and I at the end. I brought an extra envelope and passed it around for everyone to put their money in while on the way back to the ship. If they wanted to tip they could put it in the envelope or give it to the guide directly. I did not count the money as I figured everyone was honest. I think the guide counted it quickly before we left him and since he didn't say anything I assume he got all he wanted. This was the second tour I sponsored and both were small. In neither case did I have anyone "stiff" me or the tour operator.

 

I'm sure we'll have a good time. I know we did :D.

 

<<<Karen>>>

[Nymue]

Don't know if anyone has already mentioned him yet. Alistair at Clans and Castles is outstanding!!!!! We have done a few trips with him, he is excellent. You simply can't do any better.

 

Anne

[traveler525]

We used this company last August when we were on the Caribbean Princess for a private tour for 8 of us. It was 45 GBP per person for 8 hours, we paid for the tour at the end of our day. It did not include any entrance fees, so some people went through the sights and some did not. We decided in advance where we wanted to go. Our driver/guide was adaptable and we were able to include a couple of stops/changes that day.

 

I actually set the tour up through Duncan Maclean, via email, he was extremely responsive. He told me (at that time) that if the ship did not make it into port we would not be responsible for any fees. He was very good to work with.

 

We all had a great day. One thing I would recommend to anyone who contacts him (or any company for that matter) is to ask if they have a microphone system in place. Those of us in the back had a difficult time hearing the driver/guide. But would still highly recommend this company.

[DebbieMacG]

We were at loch ness earlier this year, and happened to grab an on the hour tour of the loch.(non cruise related trip) The tours go every hour from the information centre and there were 6 of us on the tour.

 

I can highly reccomend it, the tour guide had worked on the loch and had done research around the area for much of his life and it was an extremely informative and fun tour. It was only £12 too which was well worth it.

 

 

If you happen to be at loch ness and have an hour to spare, think about doing this tour.

http://www.lochness.com/loch-ness-cruises.htm

 

Thanks for the lovely comments but just for the sake of clarity :)

 

This one hour cruise actually goes from The Loch Ness Centre & Exhibition located on the A82 on the right hand side of the road as you come into Drumnadrochit. The visitor centre (tourist information) is further through the village, sometimes people do mix them up :) I'm sure John the boat will be delighted at your lovely comments. Deepscan is in the boatyard just now for her yearly tidy up, she'll be back with us in two weeks time.

 

I'm the Centre Manager so please give me a shout if you need a hand with anything Loch Ness ! :D

[lucyd]

Are you a Downton Abbey fan?

 

If you have seen the recent episode which features the Crawley family on a holiday to Duneagle Castle in the Scottish Highlands - it was filmed at Inveraray Castle - a country house near Inveraray Scotland, on the shore of Loch Fyne.

 

It is a bit of a drive (several hours) from Inverness but if you have the time, energy and desire the scenery should be lovely.

[DebbieMacG]

Are you a Downton Abbey fan?

 

If you have seen the recent episode which features the Crawley family on a holiday to Duneagle Castle in the Scottish Highlands - it was filmed at Inveraray Castle - a country house near Inveraray Scotland, on the shore of Loch Fyne.

 

It is a bit of a drive (several hours) from Inverness but if you have the time, energy and desire the scenery should be lovely.

 

Inveraray is a 324 mile round trip on twisting country roads that would take approx 8 hours return trip so if visiting Invergordon for the day it's way too far. Lovely as it is its also not in the Highlands it's in Argyll.

 

If you are in Scotland for a few days it would be a nice place to visit but not doable in a day trip :)

[Chloe1500]

Inveraray is a 324 mile round trip on twisting country roads that would take approx 8 hours return trip so if visiting Invergordon for the day it's way too far. Lovely as it is its also not in the Highlands it's in Argyll.

 

If you are in Scotland for a few days it would be a nice place to visit but not doable in a day trip :)

 

Another port on our upcoming cruise is Greenock, and we have booked an excursion with Discover Scotland Tours to take us to Inverary from there. It seems to be more doable from that city than Invergordon.

[DebbieMacG]

It is easier yes, it's about a couple of hours from there :)

[marilynfaye]

Are you a Downton Abbey fan?

 

If you have seen the recent episode which features the Crawley family on a holiday to Duneagle Castle in the Scottish Highlands - it was filmed at Inveraray Castle - a country house near Inveraray Scotland, on the shore of Loch Fyne.

 

It is a bit of a drive (several hours) from Inverness but if you have the time, energy and desire the scenery should be lovely.

 

Thanks, lucyd, for that information. I was curious about that. Sounds like it will not fit into a one day stop in Invergordon. Happily we have tickets to see Highclere the day before we board the ship in Southampton. :D