Top 10 Reasons To Book A British Isles Cruise
It’s hard to say why apart from probably the overfamiliarity with so many of the ports but with some of the biggest ships from the biggest global cruise lines sailing around the British shoreline each year and thousands of Americans, Canadians and Australians joining people from across the globe to visit British and Irish ports, a British Isles cruise really should be on any cruise fans list of getaways.
If, like me, you also overlook these cruises or you have never even considered it, this is the list for you as we look at the top 10 reasons why you should book onto a cruise around the British Isles.
This list should be taken as a collected, with the ranking been in no particular order as whilst all of the points individually can be enjoyed in numerous regions, as a collective, they make a British Isles cruise different and worth enjoying.
Our Top 10 Reasons To Book A British Isles Cruise
Great Cities
As a region that is small in size but big in cities, it is perhaps not too surprising that so many of them are well worth exploring on shore day.
Every country’s capital city may stand out with Cardiff, Edinburgh, Belfast, Dublin and especially London amongst the most popular tourist destination in northern Europe.
But there are so many more cities on these isles that are well worth a visit and that cruise ships visit including the likes of Liverpool, Glasgow (from Greenock), Cork as well as both Portsmouth and Southampton.
Historical Sites
There are only a few places in the world that has the number of historical sites that can still be visited as the British Isles and thanks to the small distances to most of them from cruise ports, it is easy to visit several of them on a cruise holiday.
Popular sites of interest include Caernarfon Castle (from Holyhead), Royal Albert Dock (Liverpool), Stonehenge (from Southampton), Edinburgh Castle (from South Queensferry or Newhaven), Portsmouth Historic Dockyard (from Portsmouth or Southampton), Corfe Castle (from Portland), Dublin Castle and numerous famous and iconic historical sites found throughout London.
The list is almost endless for visitors and tours will often visit a few different historical sites on one excursion.
Coast and Country
As island nations, the United Kingdom, Ireland and the Channel Islands all offer lots of beautiful coastline that not only stands out as you sail past it, but it also makes for lots of great areas to explore once on shore.
An often-overlooked part of the British Isles by visitors is the incredible countryside that we offer throughout these isles with a number of areas of outstanding natural beaty easily reach from cruise ports including the New Forest, the North Yorkshire Moors, the Pennines, the Cairngorms and the Wicklow Mountains.
Culture
Culture is alive and well throughout the British Isles with most ports giving easy access to world class theatres, museums, music venues and sporting stadiums.
London’s West End and museums, Liverpool’s Cavern Club and the Edinburgh Festival are all known around the world, and all can be experience on a cruise holiday.
Remoteness
If a big part of a cruise holiday for you is having the opportunity to visit remote out of the way places that just cannot be easily visited any other way, the British Isles has that to offer as well.
Several islands off of the northern coast of Scotland can easily make you think like you are at the end of the world or that you have travelled back in time but the likes of Kirkwall (Orkney Islands), Lerwick (Shetland Islands) and Stornoway (Isle of Lewis) all feature on numerous itineraries.
Contrasts
The British Isles is an area of huge contrasts, from huge multi-cultural cities to small villages full of traditions and from seaside resorts to country estates and everything in between.
Despite the relatively small landmass, contrasts can be found simply by going from one county to the next and nowhere is that easier to appreciate than in the many distinct dialects and languages found throughout.
Multinational
Whilst the title of a British Isles cruise may make you think you are staying in the same country throughout your cruise, a journey around the region takes in many countries.
England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland will instantly come to mind for many but there are actually over 6,000 islands that make up the British Isles with the likes of Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man all welcome cruise ships.
A number of itineraries will also head across the channel and visit destinations such as Le Havre (France) and Zeebrugge (Belgium).
Foodie Wonders
The UK, Ireland and most of the British Isles has really embraced food from across the globe over the last couple of decades and the street food scene is vibrant in most large cities but one aspect that is often overlooked, is the regional delicacies that are on offer.
From Yorkshire Pudding (Yorkshire) to Cream Teas (Cornwall and Devon) to Coddle (Dublin) to Haggis (Scotland) there is lots to try in every region you visit whilst the national favourite of Fish and Chips is well worth trying in most seaside areas.
Variety of Ships and Lines
Many of the world’s biggest international cruise lines offer itineraries around the British Isles and many also use some of their biggest and modernist ships.
If you are from the UK, these big ships will make you think you are on a regular cruise anywhere in the world.
The great variety of ships and lines also means that there are plenty of smaller and older ships for those that prefer a more traditional style of cruising.
Common Language
Whilst there are many languages and numerous dialects in the British Isles, there is also the common language of English.
If you are not the most adventurous of traveller or like to be able to understand every around you, a cruise around the British Isles takes away any language barrier issues.
