British Isles Review

[Nalla]

Warning: this is long.

DF and I just returned from a 13-day cruise of the British Isles on the NCL Jade. We had a direct flight to LHR and had already booked the National Coach to Southampton. The coach was 100% full and no A/C, so it was a miserable 2.5 hour ride. We stayed at the Star Hotel, a budget hotel on High Street. It was one of the original coaching inns and is well-located, with an excellent breakfast (skip the marmite). DF went to a play in the evening and said it was great. There is free bus service on the City-link bus, which runs frequently and is very easy to navigate. The following day we took the train to Bath, where we got an overview with the HoHo bus. The weather was gorgeous and we enjoyed the day, topping it off with a nice dinner at the Chrystal Palace pub. The next day, our day of departure, we took a free walking tour of Southampton, led by Jack Wilson. You can get a brochure of the times at a hotel. We met at the Bar Gate and immensely enjoyed the tour. Mr. Wilson was very knowledgeable and Southampton has a rich history. He took us to parts of the city which we had come very close to in our wanderings, but had no idea they existed. The tour was 1.5 hours and we wished we could have continued longer, but we had to check out of the hotel and get to the ship. We fully intended to drop our luggage at the ship and go back to look at the new-to-us areas, but were unable to. We now have unfinished business in Southampton and must go back. Besides the tour of the ancient walls, which we took, there is also one of the Titanic Museum and how the area was impacted , which sounded equally good. Be sure to allow time to see Southampton.

Check-in for the Jade didn’t take long, but getting on the ship did, as the lines snaked round and round. Our first port of call was LeHavre, but it was a holiday and the buses were not running their usual schedule. We had planned to go to Honfleur, but had to entertain ourselves in LeHavre, which was mostly closed. The highlight was having a drink at an outdoor café near a park and fountain. (It was also a necessity, because it was the only way to use a toilet, which costs 30-50p when you can find them.) The shuttle bus from the ship, which was formerly free, now costs $4.

Next stop Falmouth. We tendered ashore and walked to the Prince of Wales Pier to catch a ferry to St. Mawes, (GBP6 return). It was another beautiful day and we walked around St. Mawes and took the easy walk up to the castle, opposite Pendennis Castle. We had “cream tea” in a shop in town and it was wonderful! Ferried back to Falmouth and did some shopping.

In Cobh, Ireland and took the train to Cork. It is easy to walk in the city and we meandered through the English Market. DF climbed the tower of the Liar’s Clock and rang the bells. We took the train back to Cobh early enough to walk around and see the picturesque town there.

Dublin was our next stop. We took the ship’s shuttle bus into the city and got a HoHo bus. The city was densely crowded, packed with people, traffic, and noise. We saw the sights from our bus, but felt the city did not invite exploration. We walked to the Ireland National Museum and spent a long time there, going through each room and it was very good (also free). Before we sailed, the ship had a show of Irish dancers and musicians and it was very good.

This was a port-intensive cruise and the next stop was Belfast. We took a tour to the Giant’s Causeway through McComb’s . At the causeway, we went on the cliff walk and went down the shepherds’ stairs. We were sitting on a rock near the Giant’s shoe, when a teacher and her class came up and the teacher told her class about the geological back ground and the folklore of the area. It was very interesting for us, but the students were taking notes as if they would be tested on it. The latter part of the tour was the city of Belfast, which focused on “the troubles,” and was TMI.

The next morning we docked in Greenock, walked through the town to the train station and took the train to Glasgow. There were took another HoHo bus (GBP8). We got off at the People’s Palace and spent a while at the museum and conservatory. It was rainy when we returned to Greenock and we stopped at Tesca, a big grocery store, but it was so crowded we didn’t last long there. The ship had an exhibition of Scottish dancers and singers for us before we left, and it was nice.

We had both the best and the worst at Invergordon. We had booked a tour through TaxiTourExperience. Duncan told us to get off the ship as quickly as possible and we’d leave as soon as all were on the coach. However, we were all there about 8:00 and the coach didn’t come until 8:30 and he didn’t plan to leave until 9:00. He continued to sell seats right up to our departure. Our first stop was at 9:30 in the morning to a closed distillery for a taste of scotch whiskey. We spent over an hour in the town of Dornoch, which was quaint, then arrived at Dunrobin Castle. This was a large, furnished castle with extensive gardens and a falconry show. We were permitted only 45 minutes there (GBP7). It was definitely the highlight of the tour and we spent the least amount of time there! I hurried to the falconry demonstration, which was already going, and found it awesome. I had to leave just before it ended, when the spectators were going to get a tour of the facilities. We couldn’t understand why so little time was allowed for this stop. We had 1.5 hours at the Falls of Shinn, which could have been just a photo stop. Then another distillery for over an hour (and they were not expecting a tour bus). DF and I stayed on the bus and snoozed, and 4 others took a taxi back to the ship. I do not recommend TaxiTourExperience, as it was too frustrating. If I had it to do over, I would make arrangements to spend the day at Dunrobin Castle, with a short stop in Dornoch.

Next stop, a tender to Queensferry. We walked up Jacob’s Ladder (steps) through the woods to the train station and went to Edinburgh. We took a HoHo bus and went to Holyrood Castle, which we toured (GBP9) and had tea in the Palace Café. We walked up to the people’s museum then back to the Waverly train station. Edinburgh has a lot to see.

Our stop in Amsterdam started out chilly and rainy, but improved in the afternoon. We took the tram (E1.60) to Centraal Station and then a canal cruise, which we had bought (E10) as we disembarked. After that we took a walking tour of the town (I had downloaded it before we left). The next day, we took the train from Blankenburg to Brugge and did another walking tour by the same person. The one in Brugge was much easier to follow and the town was very picturesque.

Disembarkation at Southampton was smooth and we took our own bags and walked off. We already had a bus reservation for later in the morning, not knowing how long it would take to clear. The bus station was crowded and all the earlier buses were full, so we had a long wait to get to London, where we spent the night before flying out the next day. In retrospect, I think we could have gotten off the ship any time after 6 a.m.

In summary, this was a busy cruise. My favorite thing was the falconry demonstration at Dunrobin Castle; my least favorite was Dublin.

[brazilgirl]

Thanks for the nice review.

 

I´d love to do the British Isles cruise.

 

Did you like NCL? How was the food , staterooms etc?

 

Thanks!

Kim

[Nalla]

The Jade will not be doing this same cruise next year, but you can probably find something similar. What I like best about NCL is its freestyle; it is so relaxed and convenient. Their staterooms are good, similar to most ships I've been on. Food is uneven, very good and very bad. Overall, though, NCL is very good value and I usually buy another cruise while still onboard. My favorite was NCL Sun in South America.

[dawn09]

The Jade will not be doing this same cruise next year, but you can probably find something similar. What I like best about NCL is its freestyle; it is so relaxed and convenient. Their staterooms are good, similar to most ships I've been on. Food is uneven, very good and very bad. Overall, though, NCL is very good value and I usually buy another cruise while still onboard. My favorite was NCL Sun in South America.

Hi there, It's your fellow Bruge tourist, Donna. I'm looking for your review of your S American cruise and cannot find it. Can you post a link? Your review of the British Isle was great. Have a good one.

[Nalla]

Hi Donna. I sent the photos to Deb this morning. Here is the link to the SA review: If that doesn't work for you, go to the SA board, then under search threads put in Nalla and it brings it right up. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=897583&highlight=nalla

Did your husband like his pair of chocolates?

[Maryandi]

Hi Nalla, I really enjoyed reading your descriptions of your port days. Could you give me the links to the 2 walking tours you mentioned.?

 

I would appreciate it,

 

Thanks,

MaryAnn

[rocu]

i am going to british isles and celtic on westerdam HAL with family on aug 2 -14...never been there...please give us some advices..or anyone will join us for that cruise..let me know

thanks

[numbersix]

The latter part of the tour was the city of Belfast, which focused on “the troubles,” and was TMI.

 

 

Perhaps that part of the tour was long, or perhaps it wasn't presented well---and indeed Irish history is so much more than 'just' "The Troubles"---but to not understand The Troubles is to not understand Ireland.

 

'Tis indeed a 'Terrible Beauty'.

 

Or maybe I'm just biased;).

 

Thanks for the great review.

 

Kevin

[estebofarr]

i am going to british isles and celtic on westerdam HAL with family on aug 2 -14...never been there...please give us some advices..or anyone will join us for that cruise..let me know

thanks

 

We have a roll call for that trip: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1009441&page=24