We loved this cruise, but it was extremely busy. There are only 2 at sea days, and they are near the end. Our longest day was when we went to Normandy, and that is the last day before disembarking. I would have preferred to do that port earlier and end on a more relaxing port. But overall, the sites were amazing, and the countryside visited was beautiful.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
The entire process was so easy.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
We mostly ate in the main dining room and 2 nights in specialty restaurants. We always asked our wait staff for their recommendations, and as a result, we had outstanding meals.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
There are only 2 at sea days, so the activities really fill up, but they had many to choose from.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
With our busy schedule, we only saw 2 of the shows. The ones we saw were excellent.
Children's Programs
We didn't have children with us.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Wait staff and room stewards were excellent. The cruise director was wonderful.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Everything was very clean.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
The bed was very comfortable and room was clean. The room only had 2 outlets, so you need to be prepared for that.
Ship tip
This is a very large ship with many guests. Be prepared to wait in lines. It wasn't usually a problem, but there were some areas that got congested. Laundry rooms is one example.
We stayed in Southampton the night before embarking, and we had the opportunity to walk around the day before. We went to the SeaCity Museum, which is a museum about the Titanic. The Titanic sailed from Southampton.
We took the tender to the island, then took a ride on the little train. I thought the train would cover more of the island, but it only goes around the downtown area. With limited time on this island, we didn't venture very far from downtown, which only offers shopping.
We booked an excursion with an outside company, which took us to Blarney Castle and Jameson distillery. Be aware that lines to get in the Castle and kiss the Blarney stone are very long. It was a 90-minute wait when we were there. So we did not wait in line, but instead roamed the grounds which were very lovely with lots of gardens. Jameson distillery was great.
We love Dublin, but you arrive in Dun Laoghaire. You take a tender, then you need to take a long train ride to get to Dublin. You eat up a lot of the day in transportation.
Long train ride to get into Glasgow. Again, eating up a good chunk of the day with transportation. We were going to do the Hop On Hop Off bus, but there was a long line for that too. We passed on it, and just walked around.
We have been to Edinburgh before, and we love it there too. This requires a tender, then a long bus ride to get into the city center. Then there was a long line to get the bus back. We walked around on our own, and went to the Brittania.
Here we booked an excursion through Princess to go to Normandy. It is a 2.5 hour bus ride each way. We really enjoyed visiting Normandy and the American cemetery.
Thanks for all your comments about transportation getting there. It’s very helpful to us!
Glad you enjoyed your cruise. I have been to Normandy as well, but not from a cruise ship. It’s not to be missed. A sobering experience and beautiful at the same time.
So glad you enjoyed! We did that cruise this June too. Yes, very busy! But lots of fun! We toured the areas where we docked instead of going to the city centres and had wonderful excursions! Sure is a wonderful place to visit!!
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