Cruising the United Kingdom

 

Island Princess near Guernsey 2022

We cruised around the United Kingdom in July and August 2022.

In this post, I provide highlighted links to the cruise ports. At the bottom of the page are comments on the overall experience including the Island Princess cruise.

Our Pre-cruise plan

We've learned from experience with flight and cruise delays to arrive before a cruise so we arrived at London's Heathrow on 26 July. I planned to head to Southampton by coach but we needed a test for Covid to board the ship so we went to the walk in clinic at Paddington station via the Heathrow Express. Here we got some British pounds for the trip. We were early so I took our group round the corner to see the Little Venice Canal. 

We then went to Waterloo station for the direct train service to Southampton Central.

Then we headed to East Cowes on the Isle of Wight by ferry. I had booked us into the Prince of Wales hotel across the road from Osborne House, which my wife considered the highlight of our trip. I renewed our English Heritage cards here because they were unable to enter a US address when I called from the US. Visitor passes are available outside the UK, but I preferred the annual membership plan, which I used again in the Spring of 2023. Once purchased, we entered most places at no additional cost.

Osborne House

After Wednesday's visit to Osborne House, we visited the restored Carisbrooke Castle via bus from the hotel. At the end of the day, we crossed back to Southampton for an evening at the Holiday Inn near the cruise port.

The 14-day Cruise

Friday. 

We walked to the cruise terminal from the hotel and boarded the ship at the early time slot. The roller bags were fine on the pavement. We arrived at the same time as our friends who came by taxi.

Saturday. Guernsey

We used local busses to tour the small and picturesque Channel Island of Guernsey. We paid for things with a credit card. The Guernsey pound is based on the UK pound but is not used elsewhere in the UK and Guernsey is not part of the UK.

Guernsey

Sunday. Cork, Ireland

I wandered about Cork, Ireland (not part of the UK) whilst my wife and her friends shopped. We had some Euros from previous trips but it is easy to find cash points (ATMs).

Blarney shopping by Cork

Monday. Holyhead, Wales. 

My wife and I headed to the fabulous medieval Conwy Castle by train from the Holyhead port. The return train was very late, which caused some anxiety for those of us taking the DIY approach to excursions.

Conwy Castle, Wales

Tuesday. Belfast, Northern Ireland. 

We've been here before. I recommend the Titanic Museum and coastal sites if  you are new to the area.

Wednesday. Greenock /  Glasgow. 

It was a rainy day. I took the train to Glasgow and spent most of the day at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.  My wife and her friends shopped locally.

Thursday - A Day at Sea

Friday. Lerwick Shetland. 

We used the local bus to visit the ancient settlements at Jarlshof then wandered about Lerwick before boarding the shuttle service to our cruise ship anchored offshore. Suggestion: Read or watch the Shetland series by Ann Cleeves.

Lerwick, Shetland

Saturday. Orkney

We enjoyed our visit to the Orkney Main Island. This time we took a Princess excursion to see several sites on the west side including the Ring of Brodgar.

Orkney scene

Sunday. Invergordon / Inverness

We docked at Invergordon and went by coach to Dunrobin Castle. We skipped Inverness, which we had visited before but we do recommend a visit to this picturesque town and would have included a visit if there were enough time.

Dunrobin Castle

Monday. Edinburgh, Scotland. 

I booked us into the Royal Yacht Britannia for a 9.45 am visit. We shared a taxi and arrived when they opened. Britannia is a large yacht so we spent a couple of hours following the audio-guided plan. The women in our group wanted to have tea on board so that was our lunch stop.

HMS Britannia

Next, we walked  across the street to the Holiday Inn and ordered a taxi to Edinburgh Castle. I had booked mid-afternoon tickets, which were selling out quickly; however, we arrived early and were able to walk in with no queue. We had free entry with our English Heritage pass. We purchased the audio guide, which was well worth it.

At the end of the day, we took the train to the cruise port, which was South Queensferry and boarded a water shuttle back to the cruise ship.

Edinburgh Castle 2022

Tuesday. A second day at sea.

Wednesday. Dover. 

We walked to Dover Castle and spent most of the day there. It's a fabulous castle with great views above the white cliffs, centuries of British and European history, and an amazing network of underground tunnels vital to the island's safety in World War II.

Dover Castle view 2022

Thursday. Portland, Weymouth

Portland and   Weymouth. We took the free local shuttle bus to Weymouth.

Weymouth, Dorset, UK

D-Day Museum

On the way back to port, I stopped at Portland Castle and the nearby D-Day Museum.

Friday. Southampton. 

The cruise ended and we had to be out of our rooms early. We walked off without using luggage service. There was no hassle with passport control. 

Post-Cruise London

We reversed our earlier journey by taking the train to Waterloo Station in London where I booked a small air conditioned apartment hotel near Paddington station. After stowing luggage, I led our group to Westminster for photos and an experience along Queens Walk.

Saturday. My wife and I visited family whilst our guests had a full day London tour on an air conditioned coach. They were happy with the tour and I certainly think it best for first time visitors.

Sunday. My wife and I visited more family whilst our guests occupied themselves in London.

Monday. Our guests wanted to visit the famous Harrods store in Knightsbridge and the impressive Westminster Abbey so I led our small group to the luxurious halls at Harrods then to our timed entry tickets at the Abbey. We ended the day at the Liberty store where my wife bought some fabric (my wife and her friends are quilters).

Westminster Abbey 2022

Harrod's Food Hall 2022

Tuesday. We took our return train to Heathrow and arrived in the US with our first port of entry at Charlotte, NC.

Notes

If it weren't for the covid-19 testing, I would have gone direct to Southampton by coach from Heathrow. The testing at Paddington Station was an easy walk-in clinic though I did book in advance.

The English Heritage passes are a great value if you are a do-it-yourself traveller like us.

There are advantage to the Princess Cruise sponsored tours in low worry about getting back on board on time and enjoying some interesting commentary on your journey. The choice of a cruise sponsored tour or a local DIY approach is a matter of choice and budget. I do recommend the cruise tours on days when, or at locations where, there is limited public transportation such as a Sunday or national holiday near a small rural town.

Also, there were transportation strikes in the UK so I had to check the latest information to avoid messed up plans. I only had to do one work-around but it's good to think about strikes and transportation delays when planning tours.

Air transportation delays and missing luggage are reasons we arrive one or more days early before package tours and cruises.

Heathrow

 The entry into the UK is smooth for UK and US visitors. We scanned our passports and had no hassles.

 When I'm by myself, I use the London underground (tube) or busses to save money for London locations. But with a group, the Heathrow Express and a taxi may be best. Heading to Southampton by National Coach Service was direct from Heathrow in 2022.

In London, you tap your credit card or use your phone to pay for tickets on the underground or busses. Passes are also available for various time frames.

Planning travel

I've found Google Maps work fine for selecting the best option to get from one place to another by bus or train throughout the UK.

I save money on UK trains with a digital railcard good for discounts throughout the UK.

Phone Service

My wife and I have Google Fi and change from the budget plan to Unlimited plan when traveling outside the US. We change back to the low cost plan when we return. The Google Fi plan is flexible. There is a small charge for phone calls. I called our grandchildren and paid $1.00 for a 10 minute call before we lost signal on the cruise ship.

Island Princess Cruise

We chose the cruise based on the itinerary. We were pleased with the the ports of call and would recommend the itinerary to others.

We generally like Princess cruises. The staff are friendly and the food is good to very good.

I was disappointed that the cruise did not feature UK food and entertainment for the full cruise.

We do not like the "Formal Nights"-- for us, the extra clothes are a waste of precious space in our luggage so, we don't attend the slow and fancy dining on those nights. Unfortunately, we did not have another option for the itinerary.

As noted above, there are options to taking the Princess shore excursions. The best reason to purchase a Princess tour is the peace of mind but they are expensive compared to DIY alternatives.

We found the stateroom smaller than expected with a very small shower but it was fine for the two weeks.

If you are new to cruising, do note that it does not always work out to stop at every planned port. We were fortunate to enjoy the full planned itinerary. It doesn't always happen--usually due to weather conditions.

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Londonderry, Northern Ireland

Londonderry, also known as Derry, is the second largest city in Northern Ireland. The name derives from the old Irish name of Daire, meaning an oak grove. The city was chartered by James I in 1613.

We our lunch in a small cafe by the city hall.




Across the street is Peace Bridge across the River Foyle, opened 25 June 2011.

Londonderry is also known as the Walled City - a few photos.

You might like this fun and informative guide to British words and phrases.

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Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge Northern Ireland

Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, County Antrim, Northern Ireland / Geoff Sutton 2019

In the centre of the above photo is a 20 metre rope bridge maintained by the National Trust. It stands 30 metres above the rocks.

I'll add a couple more photos from our stop along the coastal route.

On a clear day, it is possible to glimpse the coast of Scotland

Giant's Causeway Northern Ireland

Giant's Causeway Northern Ireland /Geoff Sutton 2019

On a cold and windy 13 June, we walked along the trail to the seafront at the Giant's Causeway. It's truly a jewel along the Antrim coast. 

Comparing the unusual formations to people gives some idea of the size of the stone columns.

The panorama might help capture the breadth of the rugged landscape.

But along the trail, flowers add additional colour.

Storyboards indicate it is a world heritage site. An audio tour is available in the visitors centre.

You can walk for miles along the trail so, deciding on the time to stop is a personal choice. A walk down and time in the center can consume a couple of hours. Others might want the better part of a day.