British Isles Cruise

[Alaskanb]

Our strategy in the UK is just to go to a UK bank's ATM and get our cash for the trip. My brother who lives in the UK (I grew up there) does most of his money exchanges at the post office.

We are planning a June 2017 British Isles trip that includes the Orkneys. I would love to rent a car in Greenock and drive south to Largs to visit elderly family and maybe go over to Cumbrae, or over to Rothesay via Wemyss Bay. Any suggestions on how to do that?

[Alaskanb]

Hi All

UK money is not hard to understand, Reserve bank is Bank of England prints money, Scotland has 3 banks that can print money Royal Bank of Scotland, Bank of Scotland and CLYDESDALE bank,

 

Yours Shogun

It's #1 on my places to visit on a British Isles cruise!

[Blondilu]

My sister and I did this cruise in the first part of August. It is very port intensive. We were exhausted by the end, but had such an awesome time.

 

It IS expensive. The airfare alone was roughly equal to the most expensive cruise I've taken to date. I usually go closer to home for just this reason.

But, I inherited a little money. It was just about enough to cover this trip so I didn't worry about costs as much, but couldn't go overboard either. We did Princess excursions part of the time and one private tour. We chose to not share the private tour so it was more, rather than less expensive. The rest of the time we were on our own. Either by foot, train or taxi and the money saved there more than made up the cost of the private tour. We used WOW Scotland and they were great.

 

Do's: Do research before you leave. It is very easy to get around just about everywhere. Taxi's at the port are great for shorter excursions.

 

Do read (even if you don't join) the roll call. Lots of great ideas there and you might find a tour you want to share.

 

Do go in August for the Tattoo. I loved that. But, if you want to do that and you want use the Princess option check your info daily and make the reservation as soon as possible. I had no idea they would open up the excursion so early and I missed out on that option completely. We ended up buying our tickets online, taking the train to Edinburgh and hiring a private car to bring us back to the ship. That all actually cost less than the Princess option. If you go that route double check with your ride back to the ship about timing. We talked to one group who told us their bus driver wouldn't wait for them past 10:15pm. Well, the show wasn't even over til about 10:45pm so they missed the last half hour.

 

Do bring a raincoat or umbrella. I only needed it one day but on that day it rained like crazy. The rest of the time it was warm to chilly to cold to very cold. Overcast, sunny, windy, the whole gamut. On the other hand I wore sandals every day except the day it rained and two other times where we would be walking on uneven ground for long distances.

 

Do read DeLoreanGirl's review. I learned a lot from her. There are others, as well as mentioned by a previous poster.

 

Do ask advice from Shogun. He is very knowledgeable and always willing to help. Ditto for John Bull who answered a question over on the ports (Britain) boards There are others who live in the UK, but I can't remember names right now.

[Shogun]

Hi Alaskanb

Contact me once l am back from TA and will chat about what you Can do on west coast

[flirtmd]

Hi cruisingobsessed

 

I keep telling everyone to visit Orkney and folks do not seem to believe me what amazing port of call it is.

 

yours Shogun

 

I agree. Orkney was one of our favorite stops on this cruise. We had a great guide who told us some amazing tales about the history of the island and St. Magnus. The Italian chapel was incredible.

 

Our worst port on this trip was Inverness/Invergordon. We took a tour with Princess to Culloden and Cawdor castle. It was so bad we complained when we returned and had our money refunded. Our visit to Culloden battlefield was a restroom stop only. We were not allowed into the visitor center.

 

In Dublin we took the hop on/off bus. Be warned they stop running at 5 PM. If you are on the back side of the 2 1/2 loop it is a long trip back to the bus meeting spot for your trip home. We had an interesting trip back after spending a wee too much time dawdling in the Guiness factory.

[Shogun]

Hi All

Flights to UK,

Everyone thinks of London, as an entry point, but look at direct flights into regional airports Manchester, Glasgow,or Edinburgh, or look at flights to Paris and train to London, indirect via Holland, Ireland or Iceland , did Iceland route last year add a day in for sight seeing there routes often cheaper than direct London flights

[Alaskanb]

Hi Alaskanb

Contact me once l am back from TA and will chat about what you Can do on west coast

Thanks --will do. I spent my teenage summers (in the 60s) in the Largs / Skelmorlie area.

[Astro Flyer]

I keep telling everyone to visit Orkney and folks do not seem to believe me what amazing port of call it is.

 

yours Shogun

 

About 10 years ago on a BI cruise we enjoyed the Orkney Islands very much.

 

The Village of Skara Brae was built 5,000 years ago & even before Stonehenge or the pyramids. The Ring of Brodgar was erected between 2,500 BC to 2,000 BC.

 

We were told that the Orkney Islands were a dowry loan until a Norwegian king could come up with the cash which never happened & thus it remains part of Scotland.

 

"In 1468 Orkney was pledged by Christian I, in his capacity as king of Norway, as security against the payment of the dowry of his daughter Margaret, betrothed to James III of Scotland. As the money was never paid, the connection with the crown of Scotland has become perpetual".

 

We were told that Scottish people like yourself can still hear a Norweigian lilt to the Orkney's pronunciation of words. Is that why there are "coos" instead of "cows"?? ;)

Edited September 13, 2015 by Astro Flyer

[Shogun]

Hi Astro Flyer

 

The last few years have seen some major new finds on the islands, understand that Nat Geo, has been filming so may see a show some time soon.

 

yours Shogun

[avalong]

About 10 years ago on a BI cruise we enjoyed the Orkney Islands very much.

 

The Village of Skara Brae was built 5,000 years ago & even before Stonehenge or the pyramids. The Ring of Brodgar was erected between 2,500 BC to 2,000 BC.

 

We were told that the Orkney Islands were a dowry loan until a Norwegian king could come up with the cash which never happened & thus it remains part of Scotland.

 

"In 1468 Orkney was pledged by Christian I, in his capacity as king of Norway, as security against the payment of the dowry of his daughter Margaret, betrothed to James III of Scotland. As the money was never paid, the connection with the crown of Scotland has become perpetual".

 

We were told that Scottish people like yourself can still hear a Norweigian lilt to the Orkney's pronunciation of words. Is that why there are "coos" instead of "cows"?? ;)

 

LOL. I don't think so, because my dad was born in Paisley, Scotland (considerably south of the Orkneys), and he said "coos", now "cows". ;)

[Astro Flyer]

LOL. I don't think so, because my dad was born in Paisley, Scotland (considerably south of the Orkneys), and he said "coos", now "cows". ;)

 

Thanks...a Scottish pronunciation & nothing unique to the Orkney Islands. ;)

Edited September 13, 2015 by Astro Flyer

[seamwoman]

DITTO Orkney! One of our best days on the cruise and they were all good!

[GolfMom321]

We did the 12 day BI cruise on the Royal in July. It was awesome! We didn't go to Orkney--that's still on my bucket list. It was very port intensive, but the sea days hit just at the right times!

 

On Guernsey, we used Island Taxi for a wonderful private tour for 4.

In Liverpool, Fab 4 Tours does a great Beatles tour.

Overlord Tours was awesome in Normandy--so much to see.

We did HOHO in Dublin.

 

I agree with previous posters who recommend going in August so you can see Tattoo. I did that several years ago and it was incredible! Might do well with a Princess tour for that one.

[MaChere]

Ditto about Orkney. Shogun is so right. It's an absolutely remarkable surprise. We were there the month Nat Geo published their magazine spread about the neolithic sites. Guernsey was also a beautiful surprise. Read the novel "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" before you go to learn a little about Guernsey and WWII. We also tried the HOHO bus in Dublin, but there were a few ships in port that day and a big horse show, and we were turned away from several buses and so didn't see nearly enough of Dublin. I would have booked a tour if I had known all that. Take a group taxi tour up the Antrim Coast out of Belfast to Giant's Causeway and more. Incredible beauty. And then return to Belfast to see the murals and neighborhoods of The Troubles. Our tour to the Tattoo was organized out of Glasgow, with stops along the way to see Loch Lomond, the Trossachs, and Stirling Castle. We also did a group taxi tour to Cork, Blarney Castle, and Kinsale. In Edinburgh, we also did a private taxi tour to maximize what we could see and do. Easy to plan these private tours with CC members. Missed Inverness stop due to high winds, unfortunately. Therefore, we must return!! Seriously, we loved this cruise.

Edited September 14, 2015 by MaChere

[ontheweb]

We were told that Scottish people like yourself can still hear a Norweigian lilt to the Orkney's pronunciation of words. Is that why there are "coos" instead of "cows"?? ;)

 

LOL at this. My late father in law was originally from Glasgow. I remember my DW telling me that when she was young, she thought the word "birds" was pronounced as "buds".

[flamomo]

Thanks for verifying the currency for Wales. I thought it was probably British pounds, but wanted to be certain. Just trying to plan ahead for the T/A and BI cruise we have booked for in the Spring.

[Shogun]

Hi Flamomo

 

If you need any ideas or have questions just e mail me

 

and I will try and help

 

yours Shogun

[rockdoctor]

We took this cruise and paid a little more than we wanted. I think it's just supply and demand. We consider it one of the most enjoyable cruises we've ever taken. Yes it was rainy, but that's why Ireland is so green.

[cynbar]

We're booked on this cruise for next May, really looking forward to it. Does anyone have any specific recommendations for rainwear that is effective and travel friendly (easily folded up in our touring bag without filling it up)? We both have raincoats, slickers, etc., but they all seem so bulky to fold up and carry along with us in case of rain. Or are we better off with travel umbrellas? Any tips will be appreciated, we know we need to think in layers and plan for rain, but we don't want to bring a pack mule to carry it all on tours.

[capriccio]

We're booked on this cruise for next May, really looking forward to it. Does anyone have any specific recommendations for rainwear that is effective and travel friendly (easily folded up in our touring bag without filling it up)? We both have raincoats, slickers, etc., but they all seem so bulky to fold up and carry along with us in case of rain. Or are we better off with travel umbrellas? Any tips will be appreciated, we know we need to think in layers and plan for rain, but we don't want to bring a pack mule to carry it all on tours.

 

Forget umbrellas - they get in the way of everyone else and if there is wind they are useless. On two Alaska cruises, the BI cruise, and a river cruise through central Europe we have used Gore-tex jackets that fit over a fleece jacket. The Gore-tex rolls up nicely and fits in a backpack if not needed. On warmer days it can be used without the fleece. And if you are in a driving rain storm and want to cover more of your body, get a plastic poncho for a couple of dollars. You won't look fashionable :D but you will stay drier!

[BassettMom]

I did this cruise last month. It is very port intensive. I recently created a cruise blog, and while not all of my past cruises are uploaded yet, I do have my daily journal uploaded for the British Isle cruise. Here's the link if you're interested:

 

http://phoenix-voyager1.blogspot.com/search/label/British%20Isles%20%282015%29

 

(It's still a work in progress, so no pictures yet.)

[Alaskanb]

We're booked on this cruise for next May, really looking forward to it. Does anyone have any specific recommendations for rainwear that is effective and travel friendly (easily folded up in our touring bag without filling it up)? We both have raincoats, slickers, etc., but they all seem so bulky to fold up and carry along with us in case of rain. Or are we better off with travel umbrellas? Any tips will be appreciated, we know we need to think in layers and plan for rain, but we don't want to bring a pack mule to carry it all on tours.

Gortex is a little pricy for us. We have LL Bean waterproof breathable unlined parkas that fall below the hip line. We also have jacket length ones ones by Columbia and Helly Hansen.