My husband took two of our daughters to a dance competition in Glasgow (and brought one of our sons). Since touring time was limited, I booked them an all day private tour that they said was fantastic (although one daughter was ill, so having a private vehicle to rest and a customizable itinerary was very helpful).
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True… I was imagining that OP might find a several -day to two-week tour that might stay in these charming places but pre-arrange all the logistics, including transportation and meals. Of course, that comes at a cost, but it seems they found something like this for Ireland.
BTW, the larger towns such as Inverness do have some larger hotels. Another alternative…We stayed in a gorgeous small apartment w/kitchen and washer/dryer in a renovated medieval building in Inverness for a few days. It was just four or five blocks from the central core of restaurants, shops, and the train station hub where it was easy to take day-trips to various places in four directions. There are many of these apartments listed on TripAdvisor
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It’s funny but on our last couple of trips we found the opposite to be true.
The big hotels had no rooms available until check in time and the small boutique ones had rooms ready early.
I think anywhere in the states or Europe have problems finding staff for cleaning and services. Things feel a bit slower than before the pandemic.
The last time we were in Philadelphia we rented a suite from a company called Sonder. It was a good experience for us. It looks like they have other apartments in other cities in the states and Europe. I’m hearing so many stories about Airbnb that I’m reluctant to try anymore.
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If you want an alternative to a cruise for whatever reason, my in-laws included us in a non-cruise-based Alaska trip some years ago for their 50th anniversary that was organized my Tauck:
You travel in a group on a dedicated bus with full-tine tour guides. Zero stress. Everything is organized for you and all included in the up-front fee – meals, accommodations, transportation, activities, etc. And amazing activities, ranging from a bucket list flight over glaciers and Denali to holding and playing with new snow dog puppies. If Alaska isn’t your thing, they seem to do the same thing all over the place.
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Thank you, it’s nice to hear from someone who experienced these cruises. I agree that we should book a day before and after to reduce the stress level. I learned through CC that the water levels in the summer could be an issue, so maybe the fall? I think my husband would love this experience.
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Code JW6 is a 4 day sale for 2025 river cruises.
These seem to be the best sale Viking offers, they change from time to time, free air is what the “sale” is and not offered all the time.
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The water levels are unpredictable. Germany’s flooding in the past weeks have caused water levels to be highest in a decade and have affected marine traffic in both the Rhine and the Danube.
We cruised from Amsterdam to Budapest last year at this time and we had perfect weather and water levels but the cruise scheduled right after us was affected due to low water levels.
It is what it is so just enjoy and be adventurous.
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I tend to get paralyzed with indecision, for this reason, but at this point I think taking a chance is the best advice.
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Thanks!
This is a wonderful idea, and lots of my friends have suggested it!
You could also consider a British Isles cruise. Several cruise lines including Princess have itineraries that include Ireland and Scotland.
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Viking Ocean also has a very nice British Isles itinerary. The ships are much smaller than the Princess ships (930 pax versus 3500++). Viking Ocean is also more expensive than Princess or similar lines, but we really have come to appreciate the smaller ship experience.
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I think we’d like the smaller ship for that itinerary. When you do a lot of daytime sightseeing, it’s hard to have the energy for all the entertainment options on a big ship.
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We went on our first Viking Ocean cruise last Fall and we are converts. But smaller ships like Viking are more expensive than the big ships like Princess, Carnival, NCL, RCCL, etc. so it also depends on one’s budget. For an upcoming Norwegian Fjords itinerary we compared a Princess mini-suite to a Viking penthouse verandah, and Viking was about twice the per day cost. We’re going with Viking because it’s worth it for us. I think a cruise could work well for the OP’s situation.
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One has to consider that Viking has no cabins with no windows or just a porthole—even the cheapest cabin has a verandah–that factors into the price. Viking’s bottom-priced cabin is equivalent to other lines’ 3rd-cheapest cabin.
Viking also includes an included excursion in every port, free wifi, and no extra charge for premium dining venues. Also includes beer and wine at lunch and dinner.
Also, no kids, no casino, no annoying photographers, art sales disguised as lectures, etc.
So yes, Viking Ocean may be more expensive than other lines, but one has to compare apples to apples.
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Whatever you do, do not book the Explorer suites. They are the 2 most expensive rooms in Viking River boats and right over the engines. One cannot sleep with the engine noises and vibration when the ship is sailing. This is on the Viking Baldur. Never again!!
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Every Viking longship, the Baldur is one of 60+ longships, all have the exact same design and floor plan. The joke, though true, is that the only difference is the painting of the Norse god for whom the ship is named found at the top of the stairs.
This makes ship swaps when high water closes a section of a river very easy for Viking—you get the identical cabin in an identical ship, and the crew comes with you.
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What you said is common knowledge with those who have sailed with Viking River cruise especially for those who had to transfer ships because of the tides. I identified my boat simply because other boats may have less noises and vibrations.
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I posted because if the Baldur’s Explorer suites are over the engines, then they are over the engines in every single longship, so I would expect the noise to be similar.
Oh, and for the record, the tides do not result in ship swaps–that is due to high or low water that make stretches of river impassable, either floods or drought. I’m sure you know that, posting it for those unfamiliar with European river cruising
Then why would Viking design their most expensive suites over the engines knowing they are noisy?