British Isles port excursions

[snorkle lover]

Looking for some help on choosing excursions for BI cruise next year. To anybody who has taken this cruise( London to London) were there any particular excursions that you would highly recommend. The ports are ( Newcastle, Edinburgh, Ivergordon, Kirkwall, Stornoway, Dun Laoghaire Ireland, Belfast, Isle Of Man,

Ringaskiddy and Portland. No are not fond of long bus rides unless the excursion is really outstanding. We need to reserve this weekend and hoping for some advice. Thanks so much!

[flossie009]

Newcastle: Beamish open air living museum is worth a visit (https://www.beamish.org.uk/) if it is still on Regent's list of excursions.

 

[loriva]

8 hours ago, snorkle lover said:

Looking for some help on choosing excursions for BI cruise next year. To anybody who has taken this cruise( London to London) were there any particular excursions that you would highly recommend. The ports are ( Newcastle, Edinburgh, Ivergordon, Kirkwall, Stornoway, Dun Laoghaire Ireland, Belfast, Isle Of Man,

Ringaskiddy and Portland. No are not fond of long bus rides unless the excursion is really outstanding. We need to reserve this weekend and hoping for some advice. Thanks so much!

 

Many--most--of the excursions on the BI itineraries seem to involve long bus rides with just a little time on site.  There are simply long distances between where the ship can dock and the sites.  Invergordon to Lochness was a prime example.  If there is something you're really interested in do a search on Google Maps for the distances involved.

 

We did not have the exact itinerary as you on our circumnavigation of the British Isles last September on Splendor, but here's what we did on the common ports:

    --Newcastle -- not on our itinerary

     --Edinburgh -- Missed due to the port being closed for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II

     --Invergordon -- Lochness and Urquhart Castle -- long bus ride, scenic but long

    --Kirkwall -- NORTH ORKNEY EXPLORATION -- Standing Stones interesting, scenic, but long bus ride

     --Stornoway -- not on our itinerary

     --Dun Laoghaire is the port for Dublin -- We did the Guiness Experience, then spent the rest of the day on our own going to Temple Bar, a cruise on the Liffey River, and visiting a historic pub.  We took the commuter train (DART) from the Dublin Connolly stop back to the port.  (IHalf of the ship's staff and crew were on our train--very easy to do.)

     --Belfast -- We booked the pubs tour (don't waste the money on the small group version--they were seated right next to us in the same pubs).  On board we also obtained tickets for the Hop-on, Hop-off bus and used it to visit the Titanic Museum and then completed the circuit of the ccity, We had lunch at the St. George's market and then used the Regent-provided shuttle from City Hall to make our pub tour time.

     --Isle Of Man -- not on our itinerary

     --Ringaskiddy -- not on our itinerary

     --Portland -- We had booked the CORFE CASTLE & SCENIC DRIVE but cancelled it after the long bus rides we'd had in other ports (some of which are not on your itinerary).  We took the Regent shuttle into Weymouth, walked around the beach, went to Marks and Spenser for our fix of British foods, and had lunch in a pub.

 

The best excursion on our sailing was in a port not on your itinerary--Killybegs, Ireland.  It was a long drive to reach the farm with the sheep dog demonstration, but the dogs were so cute--and it was fun seeing the handler put them through their paces.  We also stopped for tea and scones in a historic pub on the way back to the ship.

 

Hope this helps.

[snorkle lover]

Hi Loriva,

 

Wow, thank you so much for taking the time to go into all the details of your British Isles cruise. Honestly, now we are wondering if this cruise is really for us. We were on the Splendor in May from Barcelona to London and the bus rides were really starting to get old. I hope I won't get booted off this forum but another option we were considering was  river cruise in Europe ( have done two Danube and Rhine). Since it was a while ago I forget if there were a few ports where we could just walk off the ship. Decisions, decisions and yes a real first world problem :).

[PaulMCO]

13 minutes ago, snorkle lover said:

Hi Loriva,

 

Wow, thank you so much for taking the time to go into all the details of your British Isles cruise. Honestly, now we are wondering if this cruise is really for us. We were on the Splendor in May from Barcelona to London and the bus rides were really starting to get old. I hope I won't get booted off this forum but another option we were considering was  river cruise in Europe ( have done two Danube and Rhine). Since it was a while ago I forget if there were a few ports where we could just walk off the ship. Decisions, decisions and yes a real first world problem :).

Did you ever think of doing some private tours.  I know that Regent includes the tours, but private tours are so much better than the bus rides as they can be customized.   We do a lot tours with Tours by Locals.

[Techno123]

@snorkle lover we have done Rhine and Danube river cruises and are looking to do the Douro at some point. The great thing about the river cruises is they stop in the town or village and it's a walk or bike ride to things to see. Some long bus tours - Cesky Krumlov was one but worth it. Cruising the Rhine gorge with all the castles - fabulous but you are dependent on river levels too low and ship can't sail, too high and you can't get under the bridges. We have done ours in May and were fine.

 

in fairness, nowhere in the UK is more than 84 miles from the sea 😁

[loriva]

12 hours ago, snorkle lover said:

Hi Loriva,

 

Wow, thank you so much for taking the time to go into all the details of your British Isles cruise. Honestly, now we are wondering if this cruise is really for us. We were on the Splendor in May from Barcelona to London and the bus rides were really starting to get old. I hope I won't get booted off this forum but another option we were considering was  river cruise in Europe ( have done two Danube and Rhine). Since it was a while ago I forget if there were a few ports where we could just walk off the ship. Decisions, decisions and yes a real first world problem :).

 

Lots of choices in vacation experiences.  We have done both river cruises (Danube, Rhine, and Elbe and planning upper Danube and Douro) and ocean (lots of different cruise lines).  With the increasing popularity of river cruises, it is not a guarantee you'll be able to walk immediately off the ship into town--we've also had to shuttle in some ports (Strasbourg on the Rhine, for example).  Cabins are also much-more cozy and there are fewer choices of food, wine, and entertainment on the much-smaller river ships.  Great information on the river boards on CC.com if you are not already following them.

 

We had a wonderful time on our BI cruise with Regent.  Part of it is simply the Regent experience--lovely large cabins, great service, lots of fun craft cocktails in the Meridian Lounge, tasty food, etc..  Having had some longish bus rides on our BI cruise, I made sure to do my research prior to the date we could reserve our shorex for our upcoming Med cruise on Splendor.  If we really wanted to go somewhere, we signed up for it regardless of the distance from the port.  For a port like Dubrovnik, we opted to stay close to experience the town itself.  Private or DIY is also an option, although having paid for shorex in Regent's fare, I like to select at least one--even if just a hop-on, hop-off bus ticket.  It's all your choice as long as you do the research to make informed decisions.

 

Take care,

 

[Bongomeme]

ALITTLE OFF TOPIC, BUT HAVE YOU EVER HAD TROUBLE GETTING THE EXCURSION YOU WANTED?  TOMORROW ( AT 8PM???)  IS WHEN I CANA SIGN UP.  DO THEY USUALLY FILL? THANKS

[snorkle lover]

Bongomeme, that is our date and time as well. I will be ready and hoping for the best.

[Lonedaddy]

The tank museum is outstanding if you like history you have a good amount of free time to linger there .  

[CGinMTL]

Please look at rick Steve's.

.

Belfast . Don't miss the Titanic museum 

.

Edinburgh . Love Britannia royal yacht

[kjbacon]

On 6/9/2023 at 10:00 AM, Bongomeme said:

ALITTLE OFF TOPIC, BUT HAVE YOU EVER HAD TROUBLE GETTING THE EXCURSION YOU WANTED?  TOMORROW ( AT 8PM???)  IS WHEN I CANA SIGN UP.  DO THEY USUALLY FILL? THANKS

Rarely, if ever, when I sign up at my assigned time. In the event that your first choice is unavailable, definitely take advantage of the waitlist option because it frequently clears. Good luck!

[kjbacon]

On 6/9/2023 at 8:00 AM, loriva said:

We had a wonderful time on our BI cruise with Regent.  Part of it is simply the Regent experience--lovely large cabins, great service, lots of fun craft cocktails in the Meridian Lounge, tasty food, etc..  Having had some longish bus rides on our BI cruise, I made sure to do my research prior to the date we could reserve our shorex for our upcoming Med cruise on Splendor.  If we really wanted to go somewhere, we signed up for it regardless of the distance from the port.  For a port like Dubrovnik, we opted to stay close to experience the town itself.  Private or DIY is also an option, although having paid for shorex in Regent's fare, I like to select at least one--even if just a hop-on, hop-off bus ticket.  It's all your choice as long as you do the research to make informed decisions.

Hi Lori, we are looking at BI possibilities and look forward to benefiting from your research and experience. What other ports did you stop at? Thanks!

[loriva]

Hey Karen,

 

Our itinerary was called "Breathtaking Irish Landscapes" (love the creativity of Regent's marketing department in coming up with names for all its sailing).  Here was our itinerary:

 

Date    Port of Call    Arrival    Departure
09/17/2022    Southampton –  06:00 PM
09/18/2022    Cruising
09/19/2022    Edinburgh/Newhaven – tender –  08:00 AM    06:00 PM
09/20/2022    Invergordon    09:00 AM    07:00 PM
09/21/2022    Kirkwall –  07:00 AM    05:00 PM
09/22/2022    Ullapool – tender –  07:00 AM    04:00 PM
09/23/2022    Killybegs –  10:00 AM    08:00 PM
09/24/2022    Belfast    10:00 AM    10:00 PM
09/25/2022    Dublin/ Dún Loaghaire – tender -- 07:00 AM    10:00 PM
09/26/2022    Holyhead    08:00 AM    06:00 PM
09/27/2022    Waterford/Ireland -- tender    07:00 AM    05:00 PM
09/28/2022    Portland/Weymouth     12:00 PM    10:00 PM
09/29/2022    Southampton    07:00 AM    --

 

We missed Edinburgh as the port was closed for the Queen's funeral.  Instead, the Splendor sailed across the English Channel to La Havre for the day--not ideal as it was a Sunday and most things were closed.  Then we had a sea day as we sailed to Invergordon.
 

[kjbacon]

Thanks, Lori! From what I’m reading, you may have been among the last to get to Dublin. That’s a port that I would have liked to visit.

[loriva]

1 hour ago, kjbacon said:

Thanks, Lori! From what I’m reading, you may have been among the last to get to Dublin. That’s a port that I would have liked to visit.

 

Had not heard Regent dropped Dublin.  The OP mentions stopping in Dun Laoghaire, which is where we anchored and tendered in for Dublin.  DL is a suburb of Dublin.

 

I remember reading that cruise ships used to be allowed to go down the Liffey River and dock right in Dublin.  That may be what you are thinking.

[pappy1022]

On our September 2023 cruise of the British Isles, Dublin is not a stop, nor is Dun Laoghaire. I don’t know if this is just for our cruise or going forward. Disappointed but we knew this when we booked the cruise.

[loriva]

Interesting!  The OP specifically mentioned booking shorex for a cruise in June 2024 that includes Dublin/Dun Laoghaire.  But the Regent website does not list Dublin (nor any port in Ireland) as among its destinations.  But there is it on 16 June 2024 in the Splendor cruise itinerary!  Weird.

[flossie009]

51 minutes ago, loriva said:

But the Regent website does not list Dublin (nor any port in Ireland) as among its destinations.

When I enter Dublin (Dún Laoghaire) as a port of call into the "Find a Cruise" section of the Regent website, it returns 25 possible cruises (https://www.rssc.com/cruises?p=DLG)

 

 

Dublin Port website still lists a number of cruise ships berthing, but no Regent ships 🤔 

 

[loriva]

1 hour ago, flossie009 said:

When I enter Dublin (Dún Laoghaire) as a port of call into the "Find a Cruise" section of the Regent website, it returns 25 possible cruises (https://www.rssc.com/cruises?p=DLG)

 

 

Dublin Port website still lists a number of cruise ships berthing, but no Regent ships 🤔 

 

 

 

[pappy1022]

When we booked our 2023 September cruise last year, Dublin showed up on the map but not in the detailed list of ports. Upon my inquiry to Regent they said the map was an old one and confirmed Dublin wasn’t on the ports to be visited. Not sure what the future holds for Dublin with Regent. 

[piscean]

We’re booked on Splendor 26th July and it is visiting Dublin….our shore excursion is booked…

we’ve already had two changes….sincerely hope there aren’t anymore.