Trip Report - Jewels of the British Isles onboard Seabourn Ovation

This was my 4th summer in a row sailing around the British Isles.   Each time has been a bit different and each time has been wonderful. There is just something about this area of the world that calls me back. There are so many different port options that there always new options. The weather is cooler, which on this trip in particular was very nice since it was 100 degrees back home.

Below I have given a brief summary of what I did in each stop. This in no way covers all the options that were available at each stop. I recognize that I travel a bit differently than most people and since many of these stops I have been to before this is not a typical trip report. I also posted photos from each day on my Instagram @coleentravel

Princes Street Gardens is always full of beautiful flowers and I couldn't resist posing with this huge thistle!

Dover

This cruise was round trip Dover.  Flying to London wasn't too bad but, it was about a 2 hour ride over to Dover.   I always like to arrive at least a day prior to a cruise and for this one I opted to stay in Dover.   Having just visited Dover as a port of call on my cruise last year I had a pretty good idea of where to stay.   

There is a lovely Hilton right on water and not too far from the port.   Had it not been a rather hot day I might have walked to the port.  Since I didn't want to arrive on the ship all sweaty I opted for a cab.   

I will do a ship report next but with Seabourn being a small ship the boarding process was fairly quick and easy.   Our rooms were ready and so was food.   Since I was hosting I had a few tasks to do but while I was doing them I also explored the ship to get my bearings.   Seabourn always has a solo meet up and I stopped into that and chatted with some nice people.   Seabourn also always does a great job of having a hosted dinner table they invite the solo guests to join.   I don't think they realized I was solo on this one since I was hosted but mentioned I could join the dinner.   I had already decided I wanted to eat outside at the Patio for dinner since I didn't get to try that on my cruise which was in Alaska and too cold for eating dinner outside.   The menu and the service at the Patio was amazing and I was already thinking I might just eat here every night.

Portland, England

Our first stop was Portland, England, which in the Dorset area.   Since the weather was looking very perfect for outdoor activities I found an option for kayaking and booked a spot.   Turns out I was the only that had booked but since the weather was so nice they were willing to take just me out.   It was a perfect day on the water and I had an amazing time paddling around the coast.   Seabourn offered some excursions along with a free shuttle into the town of Weymouth which many guests told me was a nice little town.   World War II fans would enjoy this stop as they had a nice D-Day museum.  

Tonight I hosted the welcome aboard cocktail party for my group which went smoothly and they were excited about our included excursion in Cork.

Sea day

This is a 14 night cruise with only 3 days so you had to take advantage of relaxing while you can.   I always think I am going to have so much free time on a sea day but at the end of the day I am like where did the time go I didn't really relax at all.  I did a bit of work and had to get a few things in order for my group excursion and the day flew by so quickly.   Sea day also meant formal night for dinner which even though I brought a dress I just didn't feeling dressing up and again the menu for the Patio looked so much better I went there for dinner in my casual clothes and had the best time.   This was the night that I ordered dessert and my server, who was getting to know me pretty well already, said are you sure you want to order that.   Honestly I hadn't really read the description but I knew it listed a few items and was called the collection.   I assumed it would be like mini shooter type desserts.   Oh was I wrong and I totally realized why he asked me if I was sure I wanted to order it.   This dessert was enough for at least 4 people to share!   To be fair the menu didn't say that.   It came out in this huge bowl that must have weighed 20 pounds at least.  It had 6 different desserts and I tried them all.

It was such a perfect day for Kayaking when my ship stopped in Portland, UK

Ringaskiddy (Cork), Ireland

Today's stop was technically for Cork but we were docked in Ringaskiddy.   I have docked in Cobh for Cork before but this was a new one.   It was a rather industrial port but Seabourn offered free shuttles in the city.    We were lucky our guides for the day were able to pick us right up at the ship.   We had two lovely ladies to take us around Cork and tell us some great stories.   This excursion was included for guests in the Distinctive Voyages group.   I think I will do a newsletter talking just about Distinctive Voyages after my ship report.   I might have mentioned it before but I get to host on sailings which is a lot of fun.  Our tour took us down Patrick Street, to the English Market, over to St Finn Barre's Cathedral, a quick refreshment stop, and up to Elizabeth's Fort.  It was a great day and I learned a lot.  My group all said it was the best excursion.

Fishguard, Wales

I really didn't know too much about this stop but the weather was lovely and there was a coastal path so I was ready to go out and explore.   When we got off the tender the port had a row of crafters tables set up which was wonderful!  I found quite a few lovely things to buy.   I then hopped on the shuttle into the small town area and wandered the path for a few hours.  Lots of amazing views and a great day for wandering.  I would definitely go back and explore more of Pembrokshire again!  This is one of the things I love about cruising - you get to visit places you might not have just flown to for a stay but after you get a taste for the area you think OK I would like to come back and explore this area some more.

The port of Douglas, Isle of Man is such a cute stop!

Douglas, Isle of Man

I have been to this stop on my previous 2 cruises and each time it has been wonderful!   The first time I found a great kayaking excursion and last time I hopped on the little steam train down the coast.   This time I decided to wander in the other direction along the promenade.   I always like to check googlemaps before each stop and I search for things like walking path or kayaking or boat tours.   I also like to search for gin distilleries.   Unfortunately the gin distillery I wanted to check out was closed the day we were in port so I guess I will just have to put that on the list for next time.  For this visit I saw a little park with walking trails that wasn't too far from port and the photos on googlemaps looked really cute.   It turned out to be one of my most favorite walks ever.  This little park was fairy themed and totaly adorable!   Each visit to Isle of Man has been magical and I cannot wait to come back again!

Belfast, Northern Ireland

I visited Belfast about 10 years ago and was very happy to be going back again.  Last time I did an excursion out to Giant's Causeway which was great but I didn't get any time in the city.   I was looking forward to wandering the city this time.   Since this wasn't really a place for nature walks I instead searched googlemaps for top things to do in Belfast.  One was St George's Market.   Turns out the shuttle from the ship dropped us off pretty close to the market so I headed there first.   It was a great market with lots of cool things for sale.   I had fun wandering the stalls and picking up a few local crafts.   I wanted to go to the botanical garden but it was a bit rainy and windy so walking that far didn't seem as appealing.   So I moved onto the next thing on my list - Duke of York and popular pub which was only a 10 minute walk from the market.   I grabbed a pint and found a cute snug to sit in and just soak in the atmosphere.   It was a great little pub with so much memorabilia to see all over the walls and ceilings.  Next up I wanted to check out the Primark, which is clothing store I had stopped in 2 years ago and found some really cute stuff at cheap prices.   For some reason I always forget to pack enough casual clothes.   This one was worse because I kept checking the weather and it seemed it was going to be rather warm so I even took out a few of my sweaters and pants before I left and now it was chillier than I expected.   I popped into Primark and found a cute pair of pants that were only about $5 so that was a no brainer.

Greenock, Scotland

This is another stop I have been to a few times.  It is easy pop over to Glasgow from here but I have always opted to just stay an explore closer to the ship.   My dad had been stationed in Holy Loch which is right across the Firth of Clyde from Greenock.   I was going to hop of the ferry and go over there however the weather was really not great and I decided to not do that.   I instead walked a bit and there is a mall close so I popped into another Primark to see if they had any other good deals like yesterday.   They had some things the other did not so I ended up with a few more items.   I am not usually a clothes shopper when I travel but this was a nice rainy day thing to do.

I love the Derry Girls show so I was excited to explore the town where it is based and found this mural

Greencastle (Derry), Northern Ireland

Today's stop was a bit strange.   We were docked in Greencastle which is in Ireland but the main focus for today was Derry which is Northern Ireland so we did have to cross the border to get there.  Thankfully the ship offered a free shuttle into Derry.  It was about a 45 minute ride so it was nice to have a ship shuttle instead of a cab or local bus.  Having watched the show Derry Girls and totally loving it I knew I had to go walk around Derry.   I looked up some of the filming spots and marked them on my map and headed out exploring.   The big mural was my first stop.   Then I walked around the city walls which was a great way to see the city from above.  I overheard a tour guide say these were the only city wall not breached - I am not sure in what wars or such he was talking about but it sounded interesting.  Then I headed towards the river to take a photo where the girls had hung out on the show.   I was going to walk over to the street where their houses were on the show but that was a bit longer of a walk and I didn't want to miss the last bus back to the ship. I had enough time to head over the the Free Derry Corner which was had some interesting information and there were a lot of murals in that area but I didn't have time to see them all.   I made it in time for the second to last bus back to the ship. It would have been quite the challenge had I missed the last bus so I was being very mindful of the time.

Oban, Scotland

I had stopped at Oban on my 2024 cruise and really liked this area.   This time I had booked a little boat tour to go out looking for wildlife.  It was an unusually chilly day, even for Scotland, for this time of year but we still went out.   I had bundled up so I was fine.   We got to see a bunch of seals, and lots of birds, plus some adorable Highland Coos that were grazing by the shore.   Unfortunately it was a bit too foggy to see too far ahead but I still enjoyed the trip.

Sea day

Today was a sea day as we made our way around the tip of Scotland to get to our next stop Edinburgh.   It was gorgeous day going through the Pentland Firth which is the channel of water between the Highlands and the Orkney Islands. I was really hoping to see some whales but no such luck. That is what can be a big difference between an expedition cruise and a regular cruise. So I am putting this area on my list to come back to maybe on an expedition.   As usual the sea day got away from me and I really didn't get to relax and do nothing like I always think I will do on a sea day but it was still a wonderful day.

Colorful Victoria St is always fun to wander along while in Edinburgh

Edinburgh, Scotland

This is my 4th visit to Edinburgh and I really do think it is my favorite big city.  There is just something about the feel of this city that just always makes me feel so comfortable, which is saying a lot since I really am not a city girl.  We docked in Leith which is a really cool port since you have to go through a lock to get in and out.   It is also an easy stroll to the tram to get into the city.   I of course headed right to my favorite ice cream shop - Mary's Milk Bar.   This was the first time I ever went and it didn't have a line out the door and around the bend.   I am guessing it was because I got there shortly after it opened.   It was hard to choose a flavor but I picked the malt and peanut butter but thought I might come back later for the lavender lemon sorbet.   I had booked a tour of Greyfriars Kirkyard so I wandered a bit before that started.   I walked past this vintage shop that for some reason I just felt like I needed to pop in.  I was looking through some of the really cool items when I saw a girl hold up a jacket and I thought oh wow I really like that.   When she put it back on the rack I decided to try it on and it fit so perfectly I felt like it was meant for me so I just had to buy it.   I really don't usually buy clothes but something about this trip I guess I was meant for new clothes.   The tour around the cemetery was very interesting and not what I was expecting.   I had assumed the guide would talk about the Harry Potter stuff but it was just opposite he told us about the real people and barely noted the stuff from the books.   It was nice to learn a lot of facts instead of fiction.  It was also a bit fun to see all the Potter fans running around to find the graves they were looking for.   I walked around Prince's Gardens a bit before heading back to the ship.  This was the shortest stop I have had in Edinburgh which was really a bummer because the weather was delightful and I could have walked for a few more hours.

Newcastle Upon Tyne, England

This was a new stop for me and I really didn't look too much into what was in the area until just the night before.  It looked like a cute enough city to go wander but turned out to be an even better day.   When I got off and headed to the free shuttle into town I found out that the shuttle just took us to a metro station where we could buy a ticket to get on the train to go into Newcastle.   I really didn't want to do that so I asked the local guide what else was there to do and she said where the shuttle drops off I could walk into that little town which is a beach town called Tynemouth.   I was like perfect I love a beach town!   It was a warm sunny day so it was great for walking along the beach!   There was a lovely promenade walkway that went all along the coast. I walked it about 3 miles and then realized I should probably stop and head back since I also needed to make the last shuttle back to the ship.

Tynemouth was such a fun beach town to explore

Sea Day

This was our last day of the cruise and I have to say I love having a sea day as the last day, especially on a long port intensive cruise as this one was. I definitely needed the extra time to figure out how I was going to pack all my stuff since I bought quiet a few new clothes. 14 nights is a really nice length for a cruise but you also can get really attached to some of the crew and it was hard to say goodbye to some of my favorites. I ate 13 out of 14 nights at the Patio so I the crew up there really became some of my most favorite people!

Disembarkation - Dover

It was nice to be on a round trip trip cruise as it can make flights easier. Disembarkation was a breeze. I found my driver and made my way back to London for my flight. Well I thought I would be flying out that day but turned out my flight got cancelled. I ended up with another night in London but it was relatively painless since I just stayed in an airport hotel and was put on a flight the next day. The European rules for airlines are actually quite nice for travelers so I knew I would be taken care of an reimbursed. I had to laugh when I realized this was my 3rd summer in the British Isles and it was also my 3rd time having my return flight cancelled. Each time was a different airport though. 2024 was Dublin and 2025 was Amsterdam. I figure it is not a big deal I am just going home and I will get there when I get there. Honestly I love it so much over there I don't mind staying longer. I am already looking forward to going back again next year!

If you liked the sound of some of these stops I will be hitting these along with a few different ones next year when I cruise on Azamara. I would love you have you join me and I can show you why I love this part of the world!