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Julie and I recently returned from our extended cruise vacation roundtrip from Southampton (London), England.

Amazing voyage!

If you have never been to the British Isles, then you definitely should plan a voyage there.

It is a beautiful destination, steeped in history, with lots to see and do.

Cruising the British Isles means unpacking only once (although you probably will want to extend your time in the U.K. pre- or post-cruise).

We loved each and every port, which of course Princess Cruises carefully curates to provide unique experiences throughout.

We had never been to Cornwall, England, and found our two ports there quite wonderful in their own ways.  It's a lovely seafaring area, with traditions of commercial fishing.  One night in the Princess Theater while cruising between ports, Caribbean Princess featured the Trawlermen, a fab folk trio very much in tune with the musical traditions of the region.  It was a joyous celebration.

Onward to Ireland, we took an excursion to Blarney Castle, where we kissed the Blarney Stone and explored the incredible gardens.

Our cruise actually took us on a weeklong diversion to Iceland after our day in Ireland, but I will get to that next time. 

Fast forward to Kirkwall in the Orkney Islands, the first of three ports in Scotland.  We took tours in pastoral Kirkwall and the next port of Invergordon, where we learned much about these unique areas.  One excursion took us to Skara Brae, an ancient coastal village that was buried under sand for thousands of years before being naturally revealed by a monumental storm in the 19th Century.  

We were happy to return to our favorite pub in Edinburgh (from a stay there 11 years ago) after doing a tour of majestic Holyrood Castle.

Upon returning to Southampton, the port for London, we took a day trip to Windsor to round out our voyage.

Before boarding out cruise, we had spent a few days in Wales, a gorgeous country where we met with our son Jay's family for a stay in Cardiff.

Cardiff is a welcoming, very walkable city, with a vibrant downtown and sprawling parks in the shadows of a medieval castle.  We enjoyed a series of hikes in the surrounding countryside.  All went home wanting to return.

And that's the way we always feel about the United Kingdom.  We go home already planning to return.

Is it time for you to revisit some of your favorite places and discover some new ones?

A cruise or packaged land tour makes it easy.

Let me help you plan your next great vacation.

Wes