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Sunday, July 8, 2007 – BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND Put away those Euros…it’s back to Pound Sterling again! We docked in Belfast, about a mile and a half from the downtown area. The Belfast Welcome Center provided free shuttle buses starting at 8am for all passengers to their offices near City Hall, so we were ableRead more about Belfast: A low-key Sunday in Northern Ireland[…]
Saturday, July 7, 2007 – DUBLIN, IRELAND The seas were much calmer now than they had been yesterday, and the ship docked in Dublin right on time at 8am. When I left my stateroom, I saw that our room steward had affixed a colorful cluster of Happy Birthday balloons to the doorway—a very nice wayRead more about Dublin, Ireland: A birthday to remember[…]
Friday, July 6th, 2007 — HOLYHEAD, WALES We awoke to 40 knot winds and 23-foot seas, with an announcement from the captain that conditions were very poor, and not suitable for tendering. He said that we’d anchor a few miles offshore and wait to see if conditions improved. By 9am, the captain informed us thatRead more about Holyhead, Wales: A few false starts on the way to the castle[…]
My cruise aboard the Grand Princess continues…. Thursday, July 5, 2007 — St. Peter Port Our view of St. Peter’s Port from the stateroom balcony…this is as close as we got to seeing the place We were due to arrive in St. Peter Port in Guersney (the second largest of the Channel Islands) at 7am,Read more about St. Peter Port, Guersney: The port stop that wasn’t[…]
Wednesday, July 4, 2007 — ALL ABOARD! Embarkation went very smoothly. We arrived at the port, and as soon as our driver dropped us off, we encountered Princess Cruise employees who directed us to the check-in area. We showed our passports, provided our booking information, and were given our cruise cards. As we prepared toRead more about Southampton: Embarking on the Grand Princess British Isles cruise[…]
I went to the bookstore at midnight on Saturday to pick up a copy of the 7th and final installment in the Harry Potter series. While I’m sorry to see the series end, and would have loved to savor the book, I decided to hunker down, stay away from the computer and newspapers, and finishRead more about Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows[…]
We arrived in London on the morning of July 1st, 2007, with just 3 days to take in the sights of this beautiful city before heading to Southampton for a cruise of the British Isles. July 1st – London, Day 1Our driver (British Airport Cars) picked us up at the Heathrow and whisked us toRead more about Welcome to London![…]
A very special thanks to fellow Cruise Critic poster/Grand Princess passenger JoanieBlon for this terrific money-saving tip. I wish I’d known about it before our trip…we would have saved a bundle! You can purchase a “GREAT BRITISH HERITAGE PASS” that allows you entrance into 500 sites throughout the ENTIRE United Kingdom. A 15 day adultRead more about U.K. TRAVELERS: MONEY-SAVING TIP![…]
We decided that this latest trip (celebrating my big ole nasty 40th birthday and Christina’s 13th birthday two days later) would be “the vacation of a lifetime”, so we cashed in all of our miles and flew Upper Class on Virgin Atlantic—all 5 of us, including the three kids. It’s the first time I’ve everRead more about Our Trip Begins: the Virgin Airways Upper Class Experience[…]
At the stroke of midnight, my eldest daughter and I will be at our local bookstore, purchasing our copies of the 7th and final book in the Harry Potter series. Of course, I have no doubt that JK Rowling will continue the franchise in one form or another, mostly likely with prequels that recount theRead more about Harry Potter debuts tonight![…]