2024 Escape to the British Isles Shore Excursions

These excursions are exclusive events for Stitchers’ Escapes. You must be registered for the 2024 Escape to the British Isles Cruise to participate.

General Information

We arranged the excursions with several different tour providers. You will register for our excursions through Stitchers’ Escapes and will not see our excursions on your Royal Caribbean cruise planner after booking. Tickets are provided directly to the Stitchers’ Escapes crew and distributed to the group members once we are on board.

For all excursions, please notify us on your registration form if you use a wheelchair or motorized scooter. We will work with the excursion providers to provide the most comfortable experience possible.

Each tour has a minimum and maximum number of guests. If it appears that we will not reach this minimum, we reserve the right to cancel an excursion and return the excursion registration fees for that excursion. If we exceed the maximum, we will do our best to add additional groups.

When the excursion groups need to split up, we make every effort to keep roommates and people traveling together in the same group.

Registration

You will register for classes and excursions at the same time. Class details can be found here.

If you will be paying for yourself and your traveling companion(s), you will be able to submit a registration form for everyone. If you need to submit a registration for someone who will pay for themselves, you will need to submit an individual form for each person. The Stitchers’ Escapes Crew will be unable to split invoices for multiple people on the same registration form.

Edinburgh, Scotland – Thursday, June 13

City of Edinburgh & Castle Tour

$139
9:30am-3:45pm
Minimum: 40
Maximum: 40
Activity Level: Moderate

Your day in Edinburgh begins with a 60-minute panoramic drive through Old Town’s historic Royal Mile to Castle Hill, Lawn Market, High Street, and Canongate. Along the way, pass the unforgettable St. Giles Cathedral and the Palace of Holyrood House.

The highlight of this excursion is a 90-minute self guided tour* of Edinburgh’s castle, situated at the top of the Royal Mile. This 15th century “Old Royal Castle” houses important Scottish artifacts such as the Honours of Scotland (the oldest crown jewels in the UK) and The Stone of Destiny, an ancient symbol of the Scottish monarchy, and is the place where Mary, Queen of Scots, gave birth to the future King James VI. It is also home to St. Margaret’s Chapel, the oldest building in Edinburgh.

Next, enjoy free time exploring the Royal Mile before returning to the ship.

* Note: an audio guide for the castle will be available for purchase.

Activity Note: Full participation may require extended periods of walking over even and uneven surfaces, and/or steep terrain. There may be steps, inclines, cobblestone surfaces, and extended periods of standing. Participants with physical limitations should take this into account.

Inverness / Loch Ness, Scotland – Friday, June 14

Loch Ness Cruise & Urquhart Castle

$173
8:30am-3:45pm
Minimum: 47
Maximum: 47
Activity Level: Strenuous

The day begins with a guided drive from our port in Invergordon to the shores of Loch Ness. There, we’ll enjoy a 50-minute scenic cruise on Loch Ness. We’ll disembark for free time to explore the historic ruins of Urquhart Castle, once one of Scotland’s largest castles. Urquhart was often the scene of conflict during its 500 years as a medieval fortress as control passed between the Scots and the English. Next, we travel by coach to Inverness where we will have about 2 hours of free time for lunch (on your own) and to explore the city before we return to the ship.

Activity Note: This excursion is not suitable for those with mobility concerns. The path from the boat dock to the castle is steep and unpaved.

Leisurely Scotland (Includes Culloden Moor)

$104
9:00am-5:30pm
Minimum: none
Maximum: 45
Activity Level: Moderate

Drive along the wooded banks that hold the mysteries of the Loch Ness Monster and tour Inverness, capital of the Highlands, where we’ll have free time for shopping, browsing, and lunch on your own. Then explore historic Culloden Moor, where Scottish Clans fought for independence and see the communal burial site of those lost in its pursuit. At Culloden Moor Visitor Centre, we’ll learn about the battle through multi-media exhibits and film.

Belfast, Northern Ireland – Sunday, June 16

Royal Hillsborough Castle & the Titanic Connection

$233
9:00am-5:00pm
Minimum: 30
Maximum: 45
Activity Level: Moderate

We begin at Hillsborough Castle, a Georgian country house, where the Secretary of State resides and the British Royal Family stays when visiting the area. Walk room to room marveling at the ornate and opulent decor, from the Throne Room to the State Dining Room. Then head outside to explore 100 acres of ornamental gardens and tranquil woodland. See Europe’s largest rhododendron, a Quaker Burial Ground, as well as Granville Garden, which was planted by the Queen’s aunt in the 1940s. Then we’ll return to Belfast City where we’ll enjoy free time to explore Northern Ireland’s capital city featuring lovely Victorian architecture. Finally, our motor coach will take us to the Titanic Experience where the self-guided tour includes the sights, sounds, smells and stories of the ship, as well as the people and city that made her.

Giants Causeway Tour

$89
8:00am-3:00pm
Minimum: 12
Maximum: 15
Activity Level: Moderate

Cruise up the coast in a comfortable smaller-sized coach, enjoying the rugged coastline to the Giants Causeway: thousands of basalt columns tumbling down into the Atlantic Ocean. The 40,000 or so of these hexagonal-shaped stepping stones date back to a volcanic age almost 60 million years ago. We’ll have pit stops at Dunluce castle, Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, and lunch (on your own) in the village of Ballycastle. (This excursion is with an independent tour guide.)

Belfast Traditional Music Tour

$55
10:30am-5:00pm
Minimum: 20
Maximum: 33
Activity Level: Moderate

With two professional musicians as our guides, we’ll walk through cobbled alleyways, past famous landmarks and on to private bars in some of the city’s oldest buildings. At each stop we’ll will be treated to a performance of traditional tunes, songs and stories while we enjoy a local beer, cider, whiskey or Guinness and learn about the instruments, language, customs and history that make up Ireland’s vibrant musical tradition. Join us on this interactive experience and discover why Belfast is considered one of Ireland’s best cities for traditional Irish music. The music tour will finish in a pub called McHugh’s where quality lunch is served (included). We’ll then have three hours to explore Belfast on our own before the coach takes us back to the ship. (This excursion is with an independent tour guide.)

Glasgow, Scotland – Monday, June 17

Loch Lomond & Inveraray Castle

$159
9:00am-5:30pm
Minimum: none
Maximum: 60
Activity Level: Moderate

Our journey to Inveraray takes us along Loch Lomond, through rich green glens and the country’s charming villages. We’ll enjoy photo stops at Luss, where flowered cottages line the shores and the “Rest and Be Thankful” lookout, where the name says it all. Free time for lunch on your own is planned at Inveraray. Next, we visit the great castle, home to the Duke and Duchess of Argyll, a truly modern, baroque, Palladian and Gothic-style castle, architecturally before its time. We’ll explore the Armory Hall, with breathtaking displays of arms in elaborate patterns adorning the walls including 16th and 17th century pole-arms and roundels of Brown Bess muskets, Lochaber axes, and 18th century Scottish Broadswords. From grand rooms “above stairs” with 18th-century furnishings and exquisite English china to a proper working kitchen “below stairs” we’ll glimpse a fascinating insight into life of a grand Scottish Castle.

Taste of Scotland – Glengoyne Distillery

$111
8:30am-12:30pm
Minimum: 15
Maximum: 34
Activity Level: Moderate

What’s a visit to Scotland without tasting their famous whiskey? We’ll enjoy a scenic drive through the beautiful Blane Valley to the Glengoyne Distillery. This family-owned enterprise started as an illicit still using water from a waterfall hidden on their property, and while it’s entirely legal today, they still use a unique distilling process that they boast is the slowest in Scotland. We’ll be treated to a dram of of their single-malt whiskey in the tasting room overlooking that same waterfall, then learn about the distilling process on a tour of the facility.

Liverpool, England – Tuesday, June 18

In the Steps of the Beatles

$81
8:45am-12:45pm
Minimum: none
Maximum: 43
Activity Level: Moderate

From an 18th century port to the hometown of the Beatles, Liverpool has been a center of innovative changes. Albert Dock, established in 1846, was the first complex of non-combustible dock buildings and warehouses and revolutionized trade in England. And then in 1964, John, Paul, George, and Ringo appeared on the Ed Sullivan show and revolutionized music for generations of rock ’n roll enthusiasts! We’ll travel by motor coach to see some of the iconic Beatles locations, including Penny Lane and Strawberry fields. Plus, we’ll spend time at The Beatles Story museum, which chronicles the Beatles rise to fame.

Women of Western Approaches

Image courtesy Western Approaches Museum

$30
Departure time 9am; end time at the museum TBD
Minimum: none
Maximum: 30
Activity Level: Moderate

Imagine entering the Operations Room of a WWII bunker that protected the tactics of the British Armed Forces and seeing it exactly as it was left when the doors were last closed … and not as a reenactment but because on August 15, 1945 they locked the doors and walked away. The labyrinth of rooms and offices is a precious time capsule now known as the Western Approaches Museum. Eighty percent of the people working there were young women ages 17-22, and our guided tour will give us a unique perspective with photographs and stories the museum has collected from these women and their relatives.

Activity note: The museum is walking distance from the port. We will walk there as a group. After the tour, you’ll have plenty of free time on your own to see the rest of the museum and explore Liverpool. We will not return to the ship as a group.

Holyhead, Wales – Wednesday, June 19

Caernarfon Castle Tour

$TBD
Departure time 9am; return time TBD
Minimum: none
Maximum: 45
Activity Level: Moderate

We’ll travel by motorcoach from the port in Holyhead to the medieval town of Caernarfon, where King Edward I began construction of Caernarfon Castle in 1283. He intended the castle to be not only a fortress and royal palace but the seat of government in Wales from which his descendants should rule the principality. Edward’s son, the future King Edward II, was born in April 1284 within the precincts of Caernarfon Castle. In 1301, he was formally created the first English Prince of Wales. From that time on the eldest son of the sovereign has customarily become “Prince of Wales.” On July 1, 1969, almost seven centuries later, Prince Charles, now King Charles, was formally invested at Caernarfon by his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, as the twenty-first Prince of Wales.

Note: We are currently working with our contacts to extend this tour to include free time to explore

Saint Peter Port, Guernsey – Friday, June 21

Guernsey is a tender port. Tenders are smaller boats that ferry passengers from the ship to the pier. The tender operations are run by the ship, and timed tickets are required to go ashore. Since we are arranging this excursion independently from Royal Caribbean, tender tickets will not automatically provided by the ship. We will request blocks of tickets through our group coordinator on board, but those participating in this excursion may be responsible for picking up tickets for an appropriate tender time directly from the ship’s crew. The ship will announce the location and time for picking up tender tickets once we are on board. We recommend departing the ship at least 1 hour prior to the scheduled start time. Meeting locations will be on shore.

We have arranged several tour options with certified, local guides. The island is known for its occupation by the German army during World War II, as depicted in the book The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Specific times will be announced when we have final numbers for each tour. Other than the Exclusive Occupation Vehicle Tour with Tapestry Gallery tour, we will be able to set up multiple small groups based on demand.

Of special interest to our group, Guernsey is also home to the amazing Bailiwick of Guernsey Millennium Tapestry. This community needlework project commemorates 1,000 years of local history in 10 panels, each stitched by a different parish.

Guernsey Walking Tour

$36
2.5 hours
Minimum: 12
Maximum: 18
Activity Level: Strenuous

Our guide will lead us on a 2.5-hour walking tour of St. Peter Port, including sites related to The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and a stop at the Tapestry Gallery.

Activity Note: Although the guide will allow the group to set the pace, this tour is not suitable for guests with mobility concerns. We will walk about 2 miles, including up and down some hills.

Town Walk and Castle Cornet Tour

$63
4 hours
Minimum: 12
Maximum: 18
Activity Level: Strenuous

Our guide will lead us on a 4-hour walking tour of St. Peter Port, including sites related to The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and a stop at the Tapestry Gallery. Plus, we will visit the historic Castle Cornet, which has guarded the harbor for over 800 years and offers spectacular views of the other islands that make up the Channel Islands.

Activity Note: Although the guide will allow the group to set the pace, this tour is not suitable for guests with mobility concerns. We will walk about 3 miles, including up and down some hills. There are also a number of stone steps and steep staircases inside Castle Cornet.

Island Vehicle Tour with Tapestry Gallery

$108
4 hours
Minimum: 12
Maximum: 15
Activity Level: Moderate

Our guide will take us on a 4-hour drive around Guernsey. Our stops will include the Little Chapel, a miniature version of the grotto and basilica at Lourdes in France; the German Occupation Museum, home to the largest collection of WWII memorabilia in the Channel Islands; and the Tapestry Gallery

Activity Note: This tour is suitable for guests with mobility concerns, however it is not wheelchair accessible. The driver will drop the group off close to the site entrances and you can set your own pace as you explore each one. Please be aware that the pathways at the Little Chapel may be uneven and slippery if wet.

Island Vehicle Tour with German Underground Hospital

$108
4 hours
Minimum: 12
Maximum: 15
Activity Level: Moderate

Our guide will take us on a 4-hour drive around Guernsey. Stops include the Little Chapel and the German Occupation Museum (see descriptions above). This version of the tour also visits the German Underground Hospital, the largest facility constructed by the Germans in the Channel Islands during WWII. Located almost entirely underground, the network of tunnels variously served as a hospital, ammunition storage, and shelter for German troops during the occupation. Note that this tour does not visit the Tapestry Gallery.

Occupation Vehicle Tour with Batterie Mirus

$129
5 hours
Minimum: 12
Maximum: 15
Activity Level: Moderate

Our guide will take us on a 5-hour drive around Guernsey, including stops at The Little Chapel, the German Occupation Museum, and the Tapestry Gallery (see descriptions above). We will also visit the Batterie Mirus, a private WWII fortification not usually open to the public; our tour guide is one of the few on the island with permission to bring tours there!

Dover, England – Saturday, June 22

We currently do not have any excursions available for Dover.