Caribbean Princess Review
Itinerary great, ship not so great
Review for the British Isles & Western Europe Cruise on Caribbean Princess
lauraelizabeth1983
10+ Cruises • Age 40s
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Additional details
Sail Date: Jul 2016
Cabin: Interior
We chose this cruise for the itinerary. We liked the idea of going to Ireland, Scotland and France all in one trip. We liked that it left from Southampton as we could do an easy direct flight to LHR. We also were really excited to go to the D-Day Beaches, Pointe du Hoc and the American Cemetery in Normandy.
We did a 12 night cruise for our honeymoon in the Baltics and had an amazing experience (with Royal Caribbean) so we thought we'd like another one.
Embarkation was great. I liked that they gave us a specific time to check in based on our cabin number. No line to get in and we were through security and on the ship 10 minutes after we arrived at the port. Bags were delivered to our staterooms within 90 minutes so after we had lunch and walked around the ship, we were at our cabin with our bags already there.
Cabin Review
Interior
Cabin IF
We chose an inside cabin because with such a port intensive cruise in cooler weather, we didn't think we'd use a balcony much. The room was a good size for an interior room, furnishings were fine and everything was clean. Biggest closet we've ever had. Kudos to Princess on building such nice storage space. I love clothes and with a 12 night cruise, I had two full suitcases plus a carry on and everything fit comfortably in the closet (my husband used the random drawers in the room for some of his clothes).
Port Reviews
St. Peter Port (Guernsey)
This island is beautiful! We rented bikes and took the bike rental guys suggestion to bike around the island. Most of the route we took had a cinder path and so we weren't on the main roads. We'd come back here for R&R.
Dublin
We took the shuttle (if you're physically fit, you can walk from the ship, 30 min max, wish we had known that) and had a city map. It was super crowded but a great city. Went to Trinity College, Temple Bar area and around the area. Had a great pub lunch. Enjoyed the city very much.
Edinburgh (South Queensferry)
Loved Edinbugh. Use the cheap shuttle option provided at the tender dock to take you into the city. We'd go back here again. Walked to the castle and then down the Royal Mile, hiked up to Arthur's seat to see the breathtaking view of Edinburgh. Did a lot of walking. Great city.
Le Havre
Trip highlight for us. Rented an Audi from SIXT rental agency (if you rent from them, even though they advertise this, they are not in the cruise terminal but are a short 10-15 min walk over the bridge into Le Havre) and drove to Normandy. We went to the D-Day Beaches, Pointe du Hoc, drove the countryside imagining the people who lived there dealing with the occupation and D-Day and days/weeks/months following. Then drove to the American Cemetery. Very moving and beautiful. A must see in anyone's lifetime.
Southampton
We didn't take an excursion. We had a car bring us to Southampton from London the day of embarkation.
Liverpool
We got off the ship first thing and got a run in around Albert Dock and the city and got to see a little of Liverpool. We went back on the ship, showered and then took the train to Chester. Highly recommended! Beautiful, picturesque English town. Walk along the river and look at the beautiful houses.
Cobh (Cork)
We took a shuttle to Cork and then went to the bus station and took the bus to Kinsale. We loved Kinsale. Definitely recommend although the bus wasn't express and made several stops before getting to Kinsale.
Greenock (Glasgow)
We used the ship's Glasgow on your own shuttle at $70 a person b/c I didn't do my research beforehand. Find a cheap shuttle to the city and walk around. It wasn't huge but the Cathedral and surrounding Necropolis was gorgeous. Buchanan Street had some really nice shopping.
5 Helpful Votes
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