British Isles Singles Cruise

Our first day at sea should be relaxing but lots of fun. So let's get to know each other using the interesting Conversation Starter questions. We never know what the question is or the unexpected answers from your fellow cruisers. 

This afternoon is Paint Your Tote time.  If you can color then you will love painting a tote bag. So sit back and let your artistic juices start flowing.  And yes you get to keep the bag so get as creative as you like. 

Make sure you pack your walking shoes for Edinburgh. Stroll along the medieval Royal Mile to the Palace of Holyroodhouse to see the abbey and Queen Mary’s chambers. Savor the old town’s marvelous Georgian and Victorian architecture. Marvel at the impressive Edinburgh Castle, high on its volcanic crag with a fabulous view. Visit St. Giles’ Cathedral where John Knox once preached.  Included Shore Excursion - Hop-on Hop-off Bus - Experience the grandeur of Scotland’s brooding capital with a full-day hop-on hop-off bus pass of Edinburgh. Journey by coach to the city’s main attractions such as the formidable Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood Palace, and the Royal Yacht Britannia, owned by the British Royal Family for more than four decades! Get on and off the bus as much as you like but don't miss a stroll along the Royal Mile and through Old Town, the city’s oldest quarter strewn with historic landmarks. 

Inverness is a city in the glorious Scottish Highlands . Teeming with bagpipe players and enthusiasts thanks to the city's annual Northern Meeting in September, Inverness also boasts a diverse music scene. Gaelic was the native language until the turn of the 19th century.

Inverness is a city in the glorious Scottish Highlands. Teeming with bagpipe players and enthusiasts thanks to the city's annual Northern Meeting in September, Inverness also boasts a diverse music scene. Gaelic was the native language until the turn of the 19th century.

Included Shore Excursion - The Ultimate Dunrobin Castle Tour -  We start our day with a drive through the town of Invergordon, along the coastal road to Alness, passing the world famous Dalmore Distillery before climbing in to the hills through Ardross to one of the best views in Scotland, Millionaire's Viewpoint. Our drive descends in to the Glen through Bonar Bridge on our way to The Falls of Shin, where Atlantic Salmon can often be seen leaping the falls.

Then we continue through the villages of Lairg and Rogart on our way to Dunrobin Castle & Gardens. The castle's falconry display is amazing and the castle looks like it is straight out of a fairy-tale set in the Scottish Highlands. Dunrobin also has a wonderfully unique museum and taxidermy collection.

Our travel heads south through Golspie to the Royal Burgh of Dornoch, one of Scotland's most picturesque villages. The old Jail has been turned into a shop and the Cathedral has a collection of beautiful stained glass windows. Our last stop is a tour at Glenmorangie distillery, one of the most well known whisky brands in the world. 

This starkly beautiful island holds many ancient treasures like the mysterious Standing Stones of Stenness and the 5,000-year-old village of Skara Brae. Kirkwall, the capital of Orkney, for centuries was the capital of the Norse-held Nordreyjar – the Northern Isles. But that ended in 1469 when Christian I of Norway failed to pay the dowry promised to his son-in-law.

Included Shore Excursion: Island Tour (4 hours) - Travel through gentle rolling landscape into the Neolithic Heartland of Orkney; a World Heritage Site due to its wealth of pre-historic archaeology. Stop for photos at the Standing Stones of Stenness, and at the Ring of Brodgar, a ceremonial circle of stones dating back almost 5000 years. We continue on to the 5000-year-old village of Skara Brae to see the remarkable dwellings revealed from beneath the sand dunes. Also visit the nearby manor house of Skaill House, built in 1620 on top of an ancient graveyard before we continue our circular route and follow the coastline of Scapa Flow.  In Kirkwell at the end of the tour, you will have free time to visit both The Bishop’s and The Earl’s Palaces. The ancient Bishop's palace has a checkered history and little of the first-floor hall remains, but the ground level is largely intact. The Earl's palace was built around 1606 and it was declared at his trial that he used slave labor to build.

Belfast is Northern Ireland’s capital. It was the birthplace of the RMS Titanic, which famously struck an iceberg and sunk in 1912. This legacy is recalled in the renovated dockyards' Titanic Quarter, which includes the Titanic Belfast, an aluminium-clad museum reminiscent of a ship’s hull, as well as shipbuilder Harland & Wolff’s Drawing Offices and the Titanic Slipways, which now host open-air concerts.

Included Shore Excursion: Giant Causeway & Titanic Museum - Our first stop will be the Giant’s Causeway, an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, and legend has it, it was built by the Irish giant, Finn MacCool. Scientists alternative explanation is the Causeway is the result of an ancient volcanic fissure eruption.  

Then we drive to St George's Market, the last surviving Victorian covered market in Belfast for lunch and shopping. Enjoy the foods brought by local producers, as well as speciality foods from around the world. The market has a special emphasis on local arts and crafts. Live music from top local bands and solo artists will keep us entertained.

Our Titanic Experience includes exploring the shipyard, walking the decks, traveling to the depths of the ocean and uncovering the true legend of Titanic in the city where it all began. Titanic Belfast extends over nine interactive galleries, with multiple dimensions to the exhibition, drawing together special effects, dark rides, full-scale reconstructions and innovative interactive features. Berthed next to Titanic Belfast in the historic Hamilton Dry Dock is SS Nomadic, tender to RMS Titanic and the last remaining White Star Line ship in the world. Restored to her original 1911 glory, our visit combines the authentic heritage and atmosphere of this historic ship with the intriguing stories of her passengers Glasgow is a port city on the River Clyde in Scotland's western Lowlands. It's famed for its Victorian and art nouveau architecture, a rich legacy of the city's 18th–20th-century prosperity due to trade and shipbuilding. Thirty minutes away is Stirling, a market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its merchants and tradesmen, the bridge and the port.

Glasgow is a port city on the River Clyde in Scotland's western Lowlands. It's famed for its Victorian and art nouveau architecture, a rich legacy of the city's 18th–20th-century prosperity due to trade and shipbuilding. Thirty minutes away is Stirling, a market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its merchants and tradesmen, the bridge and the port.

Included Shore Excursion: Stirling Castle - Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park - Today begins with a short ride through the rugged Scottish countryside to Stirling and our first stop. Stirling Castle, a critical medieval stronghold and former residence of Scottish royals including Mary, Queen of Scots. Visit the castle where a number of Scottish Kings and Queens have been baptized, crowned, or died in or near Stirling Castle. At least one King was murdered nearby: while another committed murder within its walls. Stand in the Great Hall, the largest medieval banqueting hall ever built in Scotland and Imagine the great banquets and battles that took place around the castle as you look towards the southern Highlands and the Ochil Hills.

Afterwards we travel into the wild country, coursing though rolling hills and green pastures to Luss, a village on the west bank of Loch Lomond within the Trossachs National Park. As we drive through the Highlands, lookout for the ‘wee hairy coos’ (cattle) as our expert guide narrates our trip through Trossachs National Park. Stroll on the banks of this tranquil lake and buy yourself a nip of local whisky or grab some lunch before heading back towards Glasgow.

Dublin, capital of the Republic of Ireland, is on Ireland’s east coast at the mouth of the River Liffey. Its historic buildings include Dublin Castle, dating to the 13th century, and imposing St Patrick’s Cathedral, founded in 1191. City parks include landscaped St Stephen’s Green and huge Phoenix Park, containing Dublin Zoo. The National Museum of Ireland explores Irish heritage and culture.

Included Shore Excursion: Hop-On Hop-Off Bus - We will start off as a group and get onboard the Dublin Hop-On, Hop-off red bus tour which is has a 90 minute route. With over 30 stops covering all the city’s highlights including Trinity College, St Patrick’s Cathedral and Dublin Castle the choice is yours where you want to get off. Stay with the cruise leader or enjoy Dublin sightseeing at your own pace. You can visit The Guinness Storehouse, Croke Park stadium and Kilmainham Gaol to name but a few.

Cobh, known from 1849 until 1920 as Queenstown, is a tourist seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. Cobh is on the south side of Great Island in Cork Harbor and is home to Ireland's only dedicated cruise terminal.

Shore Excursion: Cork - Kinsale - Blarney Castle (7 hours) - Our first stop of the day is Blarney and visit the most famous Castle in all of Ireland!! Lie back and kiss the magical Blarney Stone and get the gift of the gab!  Then have time to visit the world famous Blarney Woolen Mills, famed as the largest Irish Store in the world.

Sit back and enjoy a panoramic drive through Cork and view the city highlights such as the River Lee, St Finbarre's Cathedral, Shandon Bells and the Grand Parade. Stop at the Old English Market to grab a bite for lunch before we take a drive through the Cork countryside to the charming town of Kinsale, a historic port and fishing town. Walk around the town of Kinsale and browse its many shops, for gifts, crafts, paintings, locally designed fashions, art galleries and book shops.

The Isle of Portland is a tied island, 6 kilometres long by 2.7 kilometres wide, in the English Channel. Portland is 8 kilometres south of the resort of Weymouth, forming the southernmost point of the county of Dorset, England. A barrier beach called Chesil Beach joins it to the mainland.

Included Shore Excursion:  Stonehenge & Salisbury Tour - The first Salisbury Cathedral was completed at Old Sarum in 1092 under Osmund, the first Bishop. There is so much to see on a visit to the Cathedral, from beautifully carved monuments and tombs to the famous Father Willis Organ, regular art exhibitions and the world’s oldest working mechanical clock. It is home to the best preserved of only four surviving Magna Carta (AD1215) which is listed on the UNESCO ‘Memory of the World’ register. Marvel at Britain’s tallest spire which weighs 6,500 tons, and take a stroll around the 80-acre Cathedral Close – the largest in Britain.

Stonehenge is perhaps the world’s most famous prehistoric monument. It was built in several stages: the first monument was an early henge monument, built about 5,000 years ago, and the unique stone circle was erected in the late Neolithic period about 2500 BC. In the early Bronze Age many burial mounds were built nearby. Walk in the footsteps of your Neolithic ancestors at Stonehenge – one of the wonders of the world and the best-known prehistoric monument in Europe. Explore the ancient landscape on foot and step inside the Neolithic Houses to discover the tools and objects of everyday Neolithic life. Visit the world-class exhibition and visitor center with 250 ancient objects and come face to face with a 5,500 year-old man. The Stonehenge we see today is the end result of several episodes of construction, after an intervening 4,000 years of destruction and decay. Various stones are fallen or missing, making the original plan difficult to understand

Our cruise docks back in Southampton this morning. - Arrange your flights accordingly - Time to say goodbye to all your new single cruise friends as we make our way to the airport for our flights home.