12 days in the British Isles: Photos and info aplenty!

[melody hounddog]

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

[loma linda ca a & j]

amy & mark,

thank you for capturing "the joy" of beautiful paris !

we loved paris soooooo much on our trips in 1989 & 2001

& planning another week or so in 2016 w/ 17 & 12 yr old grandkids

 

this july our le havre day, we are finally going to giverny in private van

your review is so much fun to read !! & photos are marvelous !!!;)

[jtamchay]

this is a great review...looking forward to more...

[rocklinmom]

Can't wait for the rest of your review!

[ohhbother]

Hi all. I've posted the Patters. You should be able to download them at this link:

 

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/31zi3vs6j8qinzv/JeNN52cKrk

 

Thanks -- more review coming tonight when I get home from work and the gym.

 

Amy

[Victorious8]

Hi all. I've posted the Patters. You should be able to download them at this link:

 

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/31zi3vs6j8qinzv/JeNN52cKrk

 

Thanks -- more review coming tonight when I get home from work and the gym.

 

Amy

 

Thank you! You are wonderful! After some chores I will reward myself with digging through these! I appreciate this review so much! You rock!

[ctteach5]

I'm ironing, packing, and tomorrow, will pick up travel docs for our June 29th cruise!:)

[suspaul]

ohhbother, Thanks a million.:) We're new to big ship cruises, usually do European river cruises and there is so much to learn. I've loved your trip report and all the helpful information you've passed along. You have definitely gone over and above. Many, many thanks. We are on the 7.11.2013 British Isles trip on the Caribbean Princess.

[ohhbother]

Our first day at sea began on a delicious note. Taking advantage of another suite perk, Mark and I headed to Sabatini’s for breakfast. We arrived about 8 a.m. and found only a couple of tables occupied. We were immediately greeted by the maitre d’ and escorted to a table, where three waiters swooped in and began offering us food and drink.

 

In what became a morning tradition, Mark had a mimosa, a glass of fresh-squeezed OJ and water (and, on some mornings, hot chocolate). Clearly, he wasn’t going to get dehydrated! For my part, I mostly stuck to OJ and water. :-) Then, a waiter brought over a tray of yummy-looking pastries -- bite-sized doughnuts, turnovers, breads... It was so hard, but I limited myself to just one each morning. Every one I tried throughout the cruise was delectable -- particularly the mini-doughnut with apricot filling. Really, all the food at Sabatini’s was delicious. Most mornings, I had an egg-white omelette, and Mark went back and forth between eggs benedict and scrambled eggs. Sabatini’s breakfast really is an outstanding perk for suite guests -- the atmosphere is serene, the food freshly prepared and the staff a cut above. I was absolutely spoiled by this experience, and I’m not sure I can ever deal with the Lido breakfast buffet madness again. :-)

 

 

 

After breakfast, Mark and I went our separate ways for a bit. He headed to Skywalkers to read (translation: nap), while I went to the fitness center for the first session of Boot Camp. This was a 30-minute group fitness class, and the introductory session was free. After that, it cost $120 to sign up for the three remaining sessions and a metabolic assessment, which I did. The class was taught by two different trainers throughout the cruise and included a high-energy mix of weights and cardio. In total, six people participated in the Boot Camp sessions on our cruise. I found the class to be helpful. I do four to five small-group workouts a week at home, so it was nice to be able to retain some semblance of that routine.

 

By this time it was about 11 a.m., and our ship was well into the North Sea. It was fascinating to sit in our room and watch the many, many oil platforms we sailed past. All in all, our first sea day was fairly quiet like that. Although we typically participate in some onboard activities, we didn’t do a lot during this cruise. We both read, and we enjoyed watching movies in the room (it was too cold for Movies Under the Stars, although we always saw a few hardy souls out there braving the weather).

 

Lunch was in the Horizon Court and, again, the food on the buffet was good. I know taste is subjective, but, over the course of our cruise, I consistently found the food (both flavor and variety) at the buffet to be superior to that of the dining room. This was especially true of the desserts. We may not have loved all the food on this ship, but the desserts were the best we’ve had at sea. And the chocolate chip cookies -- oh my!

 

I’m sure we did more than eat on our first sea day, but I don’t have a lot of notes about anything in particular. It really was a much-needed rest day. We wrapped things up by heading to the dining room for the first formal night. We had anytime dining, but this was the only night we ate in the dining room. The convenience of having dinner in our room won out on all our subsequent busy port days. (And it didn’t help that we got a dud of a waiter in our only visit to the dining room. During the course of our meal, he spent 10 minutes -- not exaggerating -- complaining about how hard he has to work compared to the gift shop staff, who “get off easy.” He also managed to forget to bring my birthday celebration cake until we reminded him. He finally brought it to the table, but by this time, I was full so I asked if he could send it to our room. He said that was no problem, but apparently that wasn’t true. The same cake -- looking a whole lot worse for wear -- was finally delivered to our room six days later. Needless to say, that went straight into the garbage can!)

 

 

After dinner, we turned in for the night. I know that’s a pretty boring recap of a day at sea, but I promise this report is about to get a lot more interesting. For the next three days in Scotland, we did “on our own” excursions that were awesome, incredible, superb and any other adjective you can think of. I can’t wait to tell you all about them. But for now, it’s time to sleep.

 

Before I go, just a couple of random observations:

 

Every day, we had the opportunity to have canapes delivered to our stateroom. And every day, we chose chocolate-covered strawberries. Six of them were delivered each day (that’s 72 over 12 days in case anyone is counting), and we ate every single one of them!

 

 

At 44 and 41, Mark and I definitely felt like youngsters on this cruise. The average age appeared to be late 60s or a bit older, and I saw maybe three kids during the entire 12 days.

 

The ship appeared to be in good shape. Carpet was worn in a few hallways but nothing too terrible.

 

Everything I’d read about the pizza was true -- it really is that good. But I don’t get the love for the International Cafe. The pastry and soup selections were the same as we found in Horizon Court, and it annoyed me to pay $1.50 a cup for instant hot chocolate.

 

That’s all for now. Thanks for your kind comments and encouragement! Tomorrow, I’ll cover our day in Edinburgh. Good night!

Edited May 30, 2013 by ohhbother

[Woobstr112G]

I am enjoying reading your review and looking at the pictures. Looking forward to more.....:):):)

 

Bob

[gracebest]

Hi everyone. Over the past few months, I’ve learned so much by reading these boards. Now that we’re back from our glorious 12-day cruise of the British Isles aboard the Caribbean Princess, I’d like to “pay it forward” by writing a detailed review of our trip. It won’t be quite a thesis -- I’m no deloreangirl :-) -- but I do plan to share as much detailed information and as many photos as possible.

 

A bit about us. My name is Amy, and I turned 41 the day before our cruise. My husband, Mark, is 44. Work keeps us splitting time and maintaining homes in both Tennessee and Louisiana. We don’t have any kids, and we love to travel. We’re avid cruisers, having taken more than a dozen cruises on multiple cruise lines.

 

I’ll write this review in day-by-day chunks. And I’ll try to wrap all of it up over the next couple of weeks. To get things started, here’s the back-story of how we ended up on the Caribbean Princess.

 

The saga of our cruise to the British Isles actually began in April 2012 in the Caribbean aboard the Celebrity Eclipse. Mark has always wanted to see Scotland, and, while on board, I happened to see some information on Celebrity’s British Isles itinerary. So I snuck down to the “future cruises” office and booked a June 2013 cruise to the British Isles aboard the Celebrity Infinity. I was so pleased with myself -- it was only April, and I had Mark’s Christmas present taken care of!

 

And then Disney released Brave. You need to know we’re both huge Disney nuts -- we’re Disney Vacation Club members and visit Disney World three to four times a year. So my British Isles plans took a different turn when I learned Adventures by Disney (Disney’s group travel company) was hosting Brave-inspired trips to Scotland in 2013. I immediately canceled the Celebrity cruise and booked a June 2013 Scotland tour with Adventures by Disney. Now, I was even more proud of myself. Scotland and Disney in one trip -- Mark was going to have the best Christmas ever!

 

And he did. After months of planning and keeping this huge secret, Christmas came, and I was finally able to tell Mark we were going to Scotland! At last, I could begin obsessively planning in earnest. In addition to the Adventures by Disney itinerary, we decided to tack on three extra days to visit the Orkney Islands in Scotland. It was going to be the trip of a lifetime.

 

But not so fast. I was sitting at my desk in February when I got a call from Adventures by Disney. Due to lack of interest, our trip was being canceled! We were offered alternative dates later in the summer, but those wouldn’t work. You see, Mark is also a huge fan of all things Eurythmics and Annie Lennox. And it just so happened that the dates of our planned trip coincided with an Annie Lennox exhibit at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh. But the exhibit only runs through June, so we couldn’t go on a July or August Adventures by Disney trip.

 

Suddenly, I found myself back at square one. But I had a big factor working in my favor. I had booked my British Airways airfare through a special promotion with American Express Platinum, and my airfare was fully refundable. So I could move dates without penalty. I guess the trip planner in me decided to look at this as an opportunity rather than a setback. I knew I needed to evaluate all possible options for the best trip possible.

 

Mark and I are diehard Celebrity fans, so my first instinct was to go back to my initial plan of a British Isles cruise on the Infinity. But the cruise was only 11 days, and it didn’t visit the Orkney Islands. Meanwhile, Princess offered a 12-day itinerary on the Caribbean Princess that included that all-important stop in the Orkneys. Now, we’d only cruised Princess once before (ironically enough, also on the Caribbean Princess) and, to be frank, I was less than impressed. I found the staterooms to be small, I didn’t love the food, and I missed the “wow” factor of Celebrity’s Solstice-class ships.

 

Still, that 12-day itinerary was appealing. And I knew the trip was so port-intensive that the ship would be more “transportation” than “destination.” My mind was made up when I discovered the Window Suites. For just about the same price of a mini-suite, I would be able to book a spacious room with full suite privileges. And while it’s been years since we cruised without a balcony, I knew the temperatures in the British Isles would limit the amount of time we spent on a balcony anyway. I decided to take a chance and booked with Princess. With a few clicks of the mouse, Window Suite F311 for the May 12 departure was ours. Finally, our trip was set!

 

Next up, getting to London, dealing with jet lag and boarding the ship. I promise -- lots of photos to come as I get into the port stops.

 

Thanks for reading. If you have specific questions, just let me know, and I’ll do my best to answer them.

 

Thanks so much for posting your review. I am so enjoying it! Did you happen to notice how they were handling bringing more than one bottle of wine per person? Just wondering if they tagged it and charged the corkage fee right there or if you had to go to a separate area -- or maybe they aren't enforcing it there yet?

[jtamchay]

could not get the link to the Patters to work...

[English Tim]

could not get the link to the Patters to work...

 

Worked for me.:)

[CruiseKing]

could not get the link to the Patters to work...

me either. Correction, working now. Perhaps the site was having a problem. Thank you for the Patters.

Edited May 30, 2013 by CruiseKing

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Thanks for all the info ..

[capriccio]

Amy - we are on this cruise in a window suite in August. We've had suites with balconies before and loved the convenience of eating dinner on the balcony table. This is our first window suite -- do they bring in a table or did you just use the coffee table or desk? Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences with us!

[ohhbother]

Amy - we are on this cruise in a window suite in August. We've had suites with balconies before and loved the convenience of eating dinner on the balcony table. This is our first window suite -- do they bring in a table or did you just use the coffee table or desk? Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences with us!

 

You'll love the window suite -- so much space, and the furnishings are very modern and tasteful. For dinner, they bring in a table cloth and place it over the coffee table. Worked just fine!

 

On a related note, the nicest person we met on the staff was the guy who delivered our dinner each night. His name was Alex from Serbia, I believe. He really went above and beyond -- even running from the kitchen to keep our ice cream from melting. He was just pleasant, helpful and eager to please.

[jtamchay]

could not get the link to the Patters to work...

 

I was able to read the Patters and thank you for posting them.

[ohhbother]

Thanks so much for posting your review. I am so enjoying it! Did you happen to notice how they were handling bringing more than one bottle of wine per person? Just wondering if they tagged it and charged the corkage fee right there or if you had to go to a separate area -- or maybe they aren't enforcing it there yet?

 

I'm so sorry, but I didn't notice. I think I read in the live review that ccrain did that it wasn't an issue, but I'm not sure. I can tell you we bought bottles of alcohol (Scotch, etc.) in several ports and brought it back on the ship without any issue or even a second glance.

[melody hounddog]

Enjoying every minute of your review. Thanks so much!

[John99]

Thanks. We really enjoy your review.

 

We went on the British Isles cruise for our 40th anniversary in August of 2011. This brings back very pleasant memories. I highly recommend this itinerary. If future cruisers are planning this trip I would recommend a pre cruise stay in London. Reading the cc boards really helped in the planning this trip which provided a wealth of info including where to get tickets to many events and private tours ahead of time.

 

Enjoy the balance of your cruise. Looking forward to reading more of your review.

 

John

[ohhbother]

Let me begin my review of our day in Edinburgh by offering up a big thank you to Emily (deloreangirl) on these boards. I pored over her “thesis” review of her 2012 cruise to the British Isles -- particularly her information on Edinburgh. Thanks to her advice, I knew to buy my tickets to Edinburgh Castle in advance. And, most importantly, I knew to take the train into the city. Thanks, Emily!

 

So, on to Edinburgh...

 

On Wednesday morning, our ship tendered off the coast of Queensferry in Scotland. Mark and I were so excited about this day and the opportunity to see Edinburgh! We began our morning with breakfast in Sabatini’s and then used our priority tender tickets (another suite perk) to walk directly onto a waiting tender. The ride to shore was very short -- just a few minutes. And then we were docked, setting foot in Scotland for the first time. Merry Christmas, Mark!

 

In my pocket, I had a print-out of the train station map that Emily had posted in her review. Using the map as a guide (and following another couple), we made our way down the dock and then turned left up the street. As we walked by, we saw dozens and dozens of people waiting in line for a bus -- we were happy to skip that line! As we got to the end of a row of buildings, we turned right and then saw the famous -- or infamous -- steps.

 

 

I can say, pretty unequivocally, these steps are an easy climb. I saw people of all ages making their way up the steps just fine, so there’s no reason to hesitate unless you have trouble with steps in general. At the top of the steps, we followed a fence that soon curved to the left, taking the path to the train station. There’s a sign on the fence that points you in the right direction. All told, it took maybe 15 minutes to walk to the train station -- no big deal at all. Once we got there, we went to the automated ticket machine and inserted our credit card to purchase roundtrip tickets to Waverly Station in Edinburgh. (Note -- the machine didn’t take American Express, so be prepared for that.) This is important: For each person traveling, you’ll get THREE tickets -- an outgoing ticket, a return ticket and a receipt. Each ticket prints separately and slowly, so be sure to get them all. For me and Mark, this was a total of six printed tickets/receipts. The tickets look like this and cost 4.60 per person:

 

 

After collecting our tickets, we took the walkway over the tracks to the other side, where a group of 20 or 30 people were already waiting. We waited just a few minutes and then our ScotRail train arrived. The train was very comfortable and not overly crowded -- we were able to find seats easily. I’d guess the ride took 20 minutes or so. We stopped at two outlying stations before arriving at Waverly. Once we got off the train, it was very easy to make our way up, up, up and out of the train station. We emerged on the streets of Edinburgh!

 

At this point, we turned into a couple on a mission. Using a city map I’d purchased before the trip, we quickly made our way to our destination -- not Edinburgh Castle or the Royal Mile. Those would come later. Our first, and most important, stop was the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, an easy walk just a few blocks from the train station.

 

As I mentioned in my first post, Mark is a huge Eurythmics fan and has been since he was a teen in the ‘80s. He loves all things Annie Lennox, so getting to Scotland to see “The House of Annie Lennox,” a traveling exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery, was a must for him. Admission to the gallery, which is located in a gorgeous historic building, is free. In addition to the Annie Lennox exhibit, which runs through June, the gallery is home to a vast collection of portraits, including portraits of Mary Queen of Scots and other historical figures.

 

 

 

If you are a fan of pop music and if you’ll be in Scotland before the exhibit ends June 30, I highly encourage you to make time for “The House of Annie Lennox” exhibit. This was a wonderful collection of items from the Scotland native’s career, including not only the expected awards and clothing items but also handwritten notes from the creative process, song lyrics in progress, etc. It was fascinating and a really great way to spend 90 minutes or so.

 

 

 

Continued in next post...

[ohhbother]

I think Mark would have stayed at the portrait gallery all day if I’d let him (he’s also fascinated by the Tudors). But I eventually convinced him we needed to see Edinburgh Castle. After an obligatory trip to the portrait gallery gift shop, we set out for the castle and the Royal Mile. Walking at a leisurely pace, I’d say this took 15 to 20 minutes. Interestingly, this walk was one of only two times it rained on us during the trip. Even then, it was just a light drizzle -- barely worth getting our umbrellas out.

 

We made our way through the city, stopping every three feet to take more photos of the amazing architecture. I can honestly say I’ve never been to any city as beautiful as Edinburgh. Everywhere you look, there’s another ornate building. It’s just amazing.

 

 

 

And looming over it all is Edinburgh Castle. With our print-at-home tickets, we breezed right in and skipped the really long line at the ticket counter. We then set out to explore the castle. Highlights included the Great Hall, the Royal Apartments, where Mary Queen of Scots gave birth to her son, James, and the Crown Jewels. Be prepared -- the line to see the Crown Jewels was really long, and it wound its way through a rather stuffy series of rooms. I’m glad we did it, but I’m not sure I’d do it again.

 

 

 

After exploring the castle for a bit, we decided to make our way down the Royal Mile. I have to say I was really surprised here. You have all these gorgeous old buildings, and they’re full of souvenir shops hawking t-shirts and shot glasses. It was a strange and unexpected mix. We walked along, enjoying the architecture and taking photos. By this time, we were hungry. So, since we were in Scotland, we had lunch at an Italian restaurant. Sensible, huh? Anyway, the food at Bella Italia was quite good, and the service was efficient. Mark had a pizza, and I had pasta. Yum. The location is right on the Royal Mile. I’d highly recommend this restaurant if you’re looking for a good, filling place for lunch.

 

 

After lunch, we made our way back to the portrait gallery so Mark could take in the Annie Lennox exhibit one more time. I took the opportunity to hang out in the gallery’s lovely cafe, where I had a delicious hot chocolate. Soon, though, it was time to head to the train station. I was a little nervous about finding the right train, but I shouldn’t have been. I didn’t even attempt to figure out the digital signs. I just asked one of the many helpful people wearing vests labeled “Customer Service,” and he directed me to the platform I needed. This was about 4 p.m., and we got on the 4:08 train. Again, it was a short ride back to Dalmeny Station, where we left the train and made our way down the steps toward the dock. We hopped right on a tender and were soon back on our ship.

 

From the tender, we had lovely views of the rail bridge across the water.

 

 

Continued in next post...

Edited May 31, 2013 by ohhbother

[ohhbother]

I love this image, which I took at the dock as our tender was leaving. And below is what greeted us once we were back on the ship -- an omen of many good things to come for the rest of the trip.

 

 

 

Back on board, Mark and I decided to spend some time on deck in the hot tub, enjoying a frozen beverage and gazing at rainbows. After a bit, we headed back to the room and ordered dinner -- once again, having items from the dining room menu delivered to our stateroom. The average wait time each night was about 45 minutes. For dinner this night, Mark had the cowboy steak, and I had turkey scallopini. I also enjoyed a really tasty dessert -- a pecan-butterscotch tart.

 

We then curled up in bed to watch, “It Could Happen To You,” a Nic Cage movie from the early ‘90s in which a cop wins the lottery and gives a waitress a $2 million tip. It just so happens this romantic comedy was the movie Mark and I saw on our first date way back in 1994. What a storybook ending to our fairytale day in Edinburgh.

 

Tomorrow, adventures at Loch Ness by car and by boat...

[Kenswing]

What a fantastic day.. What a beautiful city.

 

Thanks for sharing it with us..