British Isles Explorer Cruise

[Berlin Bear]

41 minutes ago, PRH said:

The ship docks right near the old city—adjacent to the Engineers & Titanic memorial.  The yellow “tunnel” cover is where you go up to the port—taken from our cabin.

Perfect picture to illustrate why I suggested in my message (#119) above that a good meeting place would be the Museum of Liverpool - it’s that modern white/dark glass building that you can see almost in the middle of the picture. Just a hop, skip and a jump from the ship.
Following the waterfront you can see some red brick buildings. That’s the Albert Dock where there are a number of car parking possibilities.

By the way, the walkway (yellow tunnel) can get incredibly steep at low tide. When we were there last summer there was transport provided for passengers who didn’t fancy the walk.

[Gropo]

Just curious: What is height of tides?  In our place in Maine they are 28 ft. 

[Berlin Bear]

Well this is what I just found „The tides today are 8.3 m, 2.2 m, 8.0 m and 2.6 m. The maximum high tide recorded is 10.3 m.“

If you visit beaches close to Liverpool, the sea may be so far out that you don’t actually see it.

Which reminds me - there is a very interesting, atmospheric sculpture on Crosby beach, just north of Liverpool, called Another Place https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Another_Place_(sculpture). 100 cast iron figures looking out to sea. Depending on the tide, you may be able to see the complete figures or just their heads.

[Gropo]

Cool!  You can just make them out on Google Earth. 
I’ll keep my eyes peeled as we approach Liverpool on Venus next week. 
Thanks. 

[Heidi13]

1 hour ago, Gropo said:

Just curious: What is height of tides?  In our place in Maine they are 28 ft. 

 

At Spring tides, the River Mersey has a tidal range of up to 33 ft.

[goldwingers]

Thank you, Peregrina651 and CDR2001 for the info & suggestions.  The Bergen to Mostraumen cruise is the one I was looking at - it does look great, glad to know you enjoyed it.  I can try to speak to the Viking rep while we are still in Oslo.  If there's a way for them to transfer our bags, or we can drop them off early, we could still make the 10:30 tour.  I won't pre-book online until I am sure it will work out, I don't think it's refundable.  You've given me some good options, thanks again.

[Berlin Bear]

28 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

 

At Spring tides, the River Mersey has a tidal range of up to 33 ft.

When we were kids we loved running up and down the „tunnels“ to the floating landing stages at the Pier Head when we were taking the ferry across the Mersey. I know, it sounds corny, but I’m old enough to have lived through a time before everything became touristified.

Have a wonderful cruise everyone!

[Heidi13]

17 minutes ago, Berlin Bear said:

When we were kids we loved running up and down the „tunnels“ to the floating landing stages at the Pier Head when we were taking the ferry across the Mersey. I know, it sounds corny, but I’m old enough to have lived through a time before everything became touristified.

Have a wonderful cruise everyone!

 

I also have great memories of the Liverpool waterfront, ending my first trip to sea at Gladstone Docks on 24th December 1975.

[Sunflower & The Scientist]

Thanks for all the info!  Am passing the information on to those meeting us. 

[SteelCity Cruiser]

On 4/18/2023 at 5:52 PM, Newdaytrippers said:

@Heidi13 I would be very interested in the names of private guides for Edinburgh.  We are interested in going to Stirling Castle and Bannockburn Heritage Center.  We are on the BIE on August 15th.  Three of the ports have been switched and we don’t have any excursions for those dates yet.  We’re not going to Belfast, Ullapool or the Orkney Islands.  I’m researching tours for those ports that we do know.  We’ve already booked a private tour for the Shetland Islands (Dr David Malcolm) based on excellent recommendations from others on this Board.  I’m looking at Thistle Tours for Invergordon if you have any knowledge or recommendations for that port, too.  I’m also interested in a private tour for the Battle of Britain at the Cliffs of Dover.  We’re in a DV2, so I’m anticipating that many excursions will be booked when we are able to sign up.  I’m not interested in navigating buses and trains on our own due to some mobility issues with DH.  This is our first cruise with Viking. Thank you and thanks to any others who offer suggestions.  BTW, the new ports we are scheduled for include Scrabster, Stornaway and Douglas, Isle of Man.  We will probably do the included tours for these three.  Thanks, again.  (I am on the Roll Call for this cruise, too.)

We're booked with Thistle Tours for an independent excursion in Invergordon in June.  I can report back on our experience with them afterwards.  We're doing the Loch Ness, Urqhart Castle, Culloden tour.

 

[anaco_angler]

Is there anyone on this thread going on the Aug 29, 2023 BIE sailing? The roll call is pretty thin, maybe because that date was originally planned as a Viking Homelands cruise. I have made a deposit on tours with Boutique Tours Wales for Holyhead and Liverpool for Sep 3 and 5, respectively, but more people on the roll call would help in getting two more couples to join each tour.

And if anyone has toured with John at Boutique Tours Wales, feedback would be appreciated.

[KaDarr]

11 hours ago, anaco_angler said:

Is there anyone on this thread going on the Aug 29, 2023 BIE sailing? The roll call is pretty thin, maybe because that date was originally planned as a Viking Homelands cruise. I have made a deposit on tours with Boutique Tours Wales for Holyhead and Liverpool for Sep 3 and 5, respectively, but more people on the roll call would help in getting two more couples to join each tour.

And if anyone has toured with John at Boutique Tours Wales, feedback would be appreciated.

What ship are you on? We are on the Sept 2 BIE on the Venus. I did the same thing and booked John at Boutique Tours in Wales for the private excursion through Snowdonia. Our rollcall only has 5 or six people in it and nobody is wanting to join the excursion. I am just going to budget to pay for the entire thing and if somebody else joins, it will be a pleasant surprise.

[anaco_angler]

3 hours ago, KaDarr said:

What ship are you on? We are on the Sept 2 BIE on the Venus. I did the same thing and booked John at Boutique Tours in Wales for the private excursion through Snowdonia. Our rollcall only has 5 or six people in it and nobody is wanting to join the excursion. I am just going to budget to pay for the entire thing and if somebody else joins, it will be a pleasant surprise.

KaDarr, we are on the Viking Mars, sailing from Greenwich to Bergen on Aug 29. I'm not sure why the roll calls are so sparse but it does make planning private tours more difficult. Enjoy your cruise,

[JerryInIL]

Very little activity on the August 15 BIE roll call as well.  Are the private tours more economical or just better tours than the Viking tours?

[KaDarr]

Here is a cut and paste of a posting by @Milehighgrandma

[Jim Avery]

2 hours ago, JerryInIL said:

Very little activity on the August 15 BIE roll call as well.  Are the private tours more economical or just better tours than the Viking tours?

We find private tours to be both better and more economical.  Depends on the port of course but we get to travel at our own pace and feel like we see so much more.

[Heidi13]

3 hours ago, JerryInIL said:

Very little activity on the August 15 BIE roll call as well.  Are the private tours more economical or just better tours than the Viking tours?

 

In most cases, you'll find private tours are cheaper than cruise ship tours, at times up to 50% cheaper.

 

With respect to which is better, I find the tour quality is highly dependent on the quality of the guide. We have taken a number of Viking tours and had some exceptional guides, but we have also been on a couple where the guide was a complete waste of time. Due to the sheer volume of shore-ex tours, even on a 930 pax ship, we find the quality of cruise line guides vary considerably. When on 50-seat buses, you also have the issue of the time taken for everyone to get on/off the bus and the inevitable stragglers that further delay the tour.

 

Private tours are invariably smaller, up to 12 - 15 pax. The company has more control over the quality of their guides, so we rarely find a poor guide on a private tour. In a 10-pax minivan it doesn't take long for everyone to get out and back in, so lots of time saved at stops. Since you often know everyone in the group, we find pax are more considerate in returning at the required time.

 

Therefore, we find private tours can cover way more in the same time, and they are normally customisable, based on interests. Even if a shore-ex and private tour were similar quality, we prefer private tours for those 2 factors. 

[granofsix]

On 4/19/2023 at 11:06 AM, SantaFe1 said:

We are on May 9 on Neptune, the cruise leaving after the WC ends in Greenwich!

I'm on that cruise as well.

[Peregrina651]

1 hour ago, granofsix said:

I'm on that cruise as well.

 

There are two May 9 sailings, one in 2023 and one in 2024.  Which one are you on?

[SantaFe1]

2 hours ago, granofsix said:

I'm on that cruise as well.

I’m on the 2024 cruise with Peregrina. 

[GoNavyFamily]

We returned last night from the BIE cruise Bergen to Tilbury. I arranged private tours for 4 people in 3 ports - Invergordon, Belfast and Orkney Islands. I found couples to join us by asking for interest thru FB Viking groups as the cruise critic thread generated few responses. The tours were all great and a fraction of the ships similar cruise cost. We did enjoy some of the included tours in various ports and there were a couple we thought were not well done. FYI I am now at an Urgent Care because I developed a chronic cough early on the cruise (COVID negative). There were people hacking and coughing throughout the cruise. It is difficult to travel with so many people and not get exposed to a virus. I recommend you bring plenty of OTC meds for various symptoms. 

[Newdaytrippers]

27 minutes ago, GoNavyFamily said:

The tours were all great and a fraction of the ships similar cruise cost. We did enjoy some of the included tours in various ports and there were a couple we thought were not well done. FYI I am now at an Urgent Care because I developed a chronic cough early on the cruise (COVID negative).

 

Thanks for posting this.  Hope you feel better soon!  

 

Would you mind sharing which included tours you liked and which disappointed?  We're planning a couple of private tours, plus some included and some of the pricey Viking optional tours.  We're probably going to do Liverpool on our own based on feedback from this forum.  Also, were any ports missed due to weather?  Thank you.

[Krazy4Kruisin']

On 6/12/2022 at 5:56 PM, JerryInIL said:

We just booked August 2023 Bergen to London.  The 2 night London extension for $999 seems pricey so we will likely diy for a week.  Lots of research to do.  

We are also booked Bergen to London, Aug 9-23. We're doing 2 1/2 days pre cruise in Oslo and 2 1/2 days post cruise in London. But we're doing those on our own, and not through Viking.

[Krazy4Kruisin']

On 6/11/2022 at 10:14 AM, molymoo said:

We did this cruise in 2018 and started in Greenwich.  We are doing it again later this month and starting in Bergen.  Yes, we loved the cruise and for us it is worth repeating.  I don’t think starting point will make much difference but I would recommend adding a pre or post that takes you to Oslo and the train to or from Bergen.  Oslo is a bigger airport and you will have more flights to choose from.  The train ride is spectacular.  Oslo is a great little city too!

We will be in Oslo from Sun-Tues, then take the train to Bergen and stay overnight in hotel before boarding ship on Wednesday. Can you give me some restaurant suggestions for both cities, if you have them? Also, what is a "must not miss" to do in both?

Thanks,
 

[GoNavyFamily]

34 minutes ago, Newdaytrippers said:

 

Thanks for posting this.  Hope you feel better soon!  

 

Would you mind sharing which included tours you liked and which disappointed?  We're planning a couple of private tours, plus some included and some of the pricey Viking optional tours.  We're probably going to do Liverpool on our own based on feedback from this forum.  Also, were any ports missed due to weather?  Thank you.

We made every port! It was chilly everywhere but a little milder in Invergordon and Ullapool. Some ports were grey and drizzly as well as cold. We definitely wore our fleece lined rain coats and our hats and gloves.

 

The included tours that we thought were decent, understanding they are overview type tours, (and our opinion is subjective of course) were in: 

Lerwick, Ullapool, Liverpool, Holyhead, and Dover.  Although in Holyhead, I think a more in depth paid tour might have been a better experience. Dublin included was a waste of time for us as we sat in traffic so much and we ended up ditching the tour at St Patrick's cathedral and doing our own thing. We did not take a tour in Edinburgh but took the ship offered shuttle and did our own thing there as well.  We did the included in Bergen and it would have been ok except our guide liked hearing himself drone on and on at 2 stops and it was cold and most people were not thrilled. We ended up leaving the tour and walking around ourself. Bergen and Liverpool are very easy to walk around on your own. 

 

Shuttles were offered in Edinburgh, Dublin, Dover and maybe a few other ports but l'm not certain in the ports where we scheduled private tours (Invergordon, Belfast and Orkney).

 

Be sure to look at private options outside of what Viking offers. Vikings tours are way more expensive than you can arrange yourself. 

 

The place where Viking could have improved was London, when in port in Tilbury. The included was 5 hours sitting on a bus with I think one short stop. Most of the bus time was going to and from London. By that time we didn't feel like spending so much time on a bus and we had been to London, so we relaxed on the ship. I wish the ship had offered shuttles to London, even if just once each way. 

 

tip: in Dublin we bought guided tour tickets to the Dublin Castle which we found very interesting as the guide was a great storyteller and gave the history of the area from its founding.  It was easy to walk to The Temple Bar, the Ha'penny bridge, around Trinity College and to Merrian Square Park where we met the shuttle. 

 

We had planned to visit Dover Castle in the afternoon after the morning included tour but I was not feeling so well by then so we skipped it... But it would be a great place to visit if you are so inclined. 

 

FYI I have bronchitis and it was going around on the ship. I don't think there is much I could have done to prevent exposure. 

 

I'm happy to answer questions! Just remember that my opinion is just that and someone else might feel totally different about the tours, etc.