Princess arranged for shuttle buses to take passengers into Dublin. The cost was 20 Euros per couple for the return journey ( I remember when these journeys were complimentary!!)
The open top hop on hop off bus trips round the city are an excellent way to 'get your bearings'. We got a little damp on this one but not too bad. Lots to see and many said the tour of the Guinness brewery was worth doing- not least because of the sample at the end!
Our problems started upon trying to leave Dublin - 2 tugs and the ships engines could not get us out of the dock due to the high winds from the tail end of hurricane Billy. Instead of leaving at 6p.m. the captain said we would try again at 2.30 a.m. but it may be we would still not be able to get away. We Did.
Due to our problems in Dublin we had a very late arrival in Liverpool which meant that the majority of the tours had to be cancelled. Liverpool itself offers much to entertain visitors, what with the Beatles Story, Maritime Museum and the 2 very different Cathedrals not to mention a very good shopping centre. The sun shone for a while although it was very windy.
Again we used the hop on hop off bus. we had an excellent guide with a good sense of humour. The rain caught up with us and as it was Sunday the shops only opened very late (about 1p.m) so it wasnt our favourite port of call.
The weather was so bad towards the end of the cruise that we had to miss our trip to Le Havre and returned to Southampton again due to the high winds. Didnt blame the CAptain as it was done for our safety and must admit I enjoyed the extra day at sea!
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