Must see port

[IdRatherBCruisin]

I am planning a cruise to the British Isles and would love to get input on must see ports and excursions. Also, do you have a preferred cruise line?
thanks!

[CCWineLover]

2 hours ago, IdRatherBCruisin said:

I am planning a cruise to the British Isles and would love to get input on must see ports and excursions. Also, do you have a preferred cruise line?
thanks!

Too vague -

For cruise ships themselves, what is important to you?  You need to describe that.  i.e.

- size of ship (# passengers)

- children?

- specialty restaurants?

- spas?

- casinos ?

- entertainment ?

and more - you get the idea.  YOU are the only one who knows what you'll enjoy.

 

For British Isles:

- what ports do you already have in mind?  you wouldn't pick UK unless you'd though about it.

- what ports are essential to you?

- how long a trip to you have?

- do you plan to go ahead and stay after ?

- does it have to be just Britain?

 

As you see, it's hard to answer a very open question of what's best.

[IdRatherBCruisin]

Thanks CCWineLover. I am looking at the NCL Dawn since I really want to leave from Southampton and make sure to hit all the major stops. Must stop is Edinburg. Have to admit that the ship isn’t really that important since I plan on spending as much time as possible off the ship. 
As far as the port stops, this our first cruise to Europe period, so just looking for overall recommendations.

[styme123]

We did British Isles last summer and loved it! We went on Emerald Princess out of Southampton. The ship was a little dated but we didn't really focus on the ship as it was such a port intensive cruise. It was a 12 day cruise with a great itinerary. The one stop that interchanges is either Liverpool or Orkney. We did Orkney. I think we only had 2 sea days so we were off the ship all those other days. We saw sooo much. We did private excursions with others from CC. Take a look back through some of the reviews and roll calls to give you an idea about what to expect. If you time it right for the first 3 weeks in Aug there is the Military Tattoo at Edinburgh Castle. It was wonderful!  

[pappy1022]

Only you can decide on must see ports. Many cruise lines offer cruises to/from Southampton, so your choices are many. I would look at all options for the timeframe you want to go and then compare itineraries. Most 10-12 day cruises in the British Isles stop at the same major ports and only vary slightly on the other ports. If you have a must see port, e.g. Liverpool or Dublin, make sure the itinerary you choose has that port(s). Once you decide on a specific cruise, look at what your ship has to offer as far as port excursions and also look on the internet for private or group tours at each port. Also, once you know your itinerary you can ask specific questions on these boards about specific ports and excursions. I know this answer is a little vague but asking such a general question is like asking what’s your favorite number. There are too many variables and perspectives. I am going on a British Isle cruise in September 2023. It was important for us to go to Edinburgh (most major cruise lines will stop there) and Liverpool, so I found an itinerary that had those ports and I researched all the other ports that were included in the itinerary I chose. Good luck.

[ontheweb]

12 hours ago, styme123 said:

We did British Isles last summer and loved it! We went on Emerald Princess out of Southampton. The ship was a little dated but we didn't really focus on the ship as it was such a port intensive cruise. It was a 12 day cruise with a great itinerary. The one stop that interchanges is either Liverpool or Orkney. We did Orkney. I think we only had 2 sea days so we were off the ship all those other days. We saw sooo much. We did private excursions with others from CC. Take a look back through some of the reviews and roll calls to give you an idea about what to expect. If you time it right for the first 3 weeks in Aug there is the Military Tattoo at Edinburgh Castle. It was wonderful!  

Unless things have changed, Edinburg also has the Fringe Festival in August as well as the Royal Military Tattoo. Just a great place to visit.

[Guernseycruiser]

Must see port - Guernsey, but you may think I am a little biased 😆😉

[gumshoe958]

43 minutes ago, Guernseycruiser said:

Must see port - Guernsey, but you may think I am a little biased 😆😉

Jersey’s far better 😉

[John Bull]

2 hours ago, Guernseycruiser said:

Must see port - Guernsey, but you may think I am a little biased 😆😉

 

2 hours ago, gumshoe958 said:

Jersey’s far better 😉

 

 

Now now, children, no squabbles 😏

Irrelevant anyway because few cruises visit Jersey, and Guernsey is a tender port and quite often the seas are too high to disembark.

 

In Scotland I'd rate Edinburgh  head-and-shoulders above Glasgow (Greenock).

But Invergordon (wrongly quoted as "Inverness" by cruise lines) despite being an oil-rig repair & refurbishment port and not a cruise port, is the prime port for road trips into the wild & woolly parts of northern Scotland. Lots of places to see, like Loch Ness, castles & battle sites, even though my maps simply say "There be dragons here"😄. But you do need to pre-book a tour.

 

In Republic of Ireland I rate Dublin (Dun Lao(ghaire) over Cork (Cobh)

 

Tiny Wales is often overlooked. Holyhead is now a berthed port, far more reliable than previous tender arrangements. Or start from Liverpool. Mountains, castles, slate mines.

 

All too often English ports are overlooked, frequently the only English port is the start / finish port.

 

JB 🙂

[VMax1700]

2 hours ago, John Bull said:

In Republic of Ireland I rate Dublin (Dun Lao(ghaire) over Cork (Cobh)

 

Thanks very much - we prefer the Norf of Engerland over the souf. 😁

 

Do remember that Dun Laoghaire is a tender port whereas Cobh is docked. 

Edited March 2, 2023 by VMax1700

[IdRatherBCruisin]

Thank you all! Really appreciate your input.

[D C]

On 3/2/2023 at 8:43 AM, Guernseycruiser said:

Must see port - Guernsey, but you may think I am a little biased 😆😉

 

On 3/2/2023 at 9:27 AM, gumshoe958 said:

Jersey’s far better 😉

Frankly, Sark is far and away better than either of them! 😉

Then again I may be a little biased, with my ancestors living there from 1565 until ~1865. 🤣

 

Then again, I have never visited without spending time on all 3 Islands.  So I'll say that seeing a British Isles cruise without the Channel Islands falls into the "why would you even bother?" category. 🙂