Ireland Cruise Tips: What First-Timers Should Know Before Sailing

Many people associate cruising with the Caribbean, but cruising in Europe is a fantastic way to see lots of cities in a short amount of time.

My family sailed on a 10-day Ireland cruise with Norwegian Cruise Line from Southampton, England. Other than booking a few shore excursions, I didn’t do much research before our trip. I’ve been on many cruises, and I find that they are an easy way to travel since most of the logistics are already taken care of. However, this Ireland cruise was different.

One of the biggest surprises was how complicated some of the ports were. Between long tender rides and docking in ports that weren’t in the featured city, I realized I probably should have read more about what to expect on an Ireland cruise before setting sail.

To help with your cruise planning, let’s review 6 things you should know before packing your bags. Don’t let any of this intimidate you — I loved my Ireland cruise and would highly recommend it for anyone wanting to explore the Emerald Isle.

1. Tender vs. Dock Ports

I’ve been on about a dozen cruises over the years and have never experienced as many tender ports as I did on this Ireland cruise. Not only that, but many of our destination cities were quite a distance away from the port, so much more planning was involved.

If you’ve only cruised in the Caribbean or this is your first cruise, you might be surprised at how difficult some of these ports can be.

The disappointing thing for me was that the cruise line didn’t communicate any of this beforehand. I’m sure many people on my cruise weren’t prepared to navigate some of these ports.

Let’s look at my Ireland cruise itinerary to get an idea of which ports required a tender and which ports had a dock.

Waterford, Ireland

Our stop in Waterford used a tender boat. I was tired that day from jet lag and not thrilled when I learned how long it would take to get into Waterford, so I skipped this stop to stay on the boat to rest. In hindsight, I should have gotten off, but I wasn’t planning on missing 2 additional ports later.

Cork (Cobh)

Our ship docked directly across from the train station in Cobh, Ireland, which was very convenient. A Regent Seven Seas ship was there the same day, but it was docked much further away. To get into Cork, you’ll need to hop on the train. It comes every half hour, and the ride takes about 30 minutes. The train station had many staff members there to help, so it was a straightforward stop to navigate.

Before heading into Cork, we took the train to Fota Wildlife Park. We really enjoyed seeing the animals, some of which were free-roaming. I recommend this stop, especially if you’re traveling with kids.

After that, we hopped back on the train to head into Cork. There was a bustling city center within a 5- to 10-minute walk from the train station, filled with shops, restaurants, and street performers. I even found a store with my name on it (too bad it was closed!)

Dingle

We had to tender at the port of Dingle, which took about 20 minutes. Thankfully, the city is right at the port, so it’s an easy stop to explore on your own.

We started our day with a RIB boat wildlife tour (booked through Viator). While it was chilly and windy toward the end of the tour, we loved seeing a feeding frenzy with Minke whales and dolphins. After the tour, we grabbed lunch and explored the city a bit.

Dingle is what you picture when you think of a small, seaside Irish town. Shops sell cable-knit sweaters and Irish-themed souvenirs, and pubs serve Irish fare like Guinness stew with brown bread.

Limerick (Foynes)

The Foynes/Limerick port was logistically challenging. First, we had to take a 20-minute tender ride from the ship to the port. Then, everyone was required to take a 2-minute bus ride to leave the port area.

Then, if you wanted to get into Limerick (the featured destination), you had to take a 1-hour bus ride — and the bus only ran once every 2 hours. None of this was communicated to passengers ahead of time, so a lot of people were frustrated.

Foynes was a small town with a restaurant and cafe (home of the Irish coffee) and the Foynes Flying Boat & Maritime Museum, but that was about it. There wasn’t much you could explore without taking a train, car, or bus.

Because of the time it would take to get into Limerick, an earlier-than-expected final tender time, and our uncertainty about getting back to the ship in time (everything we read said the bus can easily get stuck in traffic and take even longer), we weren’t able to make our scheduled tour and lost out on that money.

You can take an Uber into the city, which costs between $62 and $80. However, you’ll want to leave plenty of time to return to the ship since delays can be very common.

We ended up going on a walk and found a nature trail and a beach, so we still enjoyed the day, but I was frustrated by the cruise line’s lack of communication.

Galway

I loved our stop in Galway, Ireland. We again had to take a tender boat from the ship to the port, which took about 25 minutes, but once we got to the dock, everything was walkable.

The lively downtown area had tons of restaurants, shopping, and entertainment. Our first stop was Escape Boats Galway, and we all (from my 11-year-old to the grandparents) enjoyed this interactive escape room adventure just a few minutes from where our tender dropped us off.

After that, we enjoyed lunch at Tigh Neachtain (the scones were excellent) and then did some shopping.

At that point, some of our group went back to the ship, while my husband and I walked along the waterfront to a less touristy section of town. There, we found more dining, a small amusement park, an aquarium, and a couple of beaches.

Hot Tip:

Galway was one of my favorite stops on our Ireland cruise. While we had to take a tender to get to the port, everything was very walkable once we were on land. You can easily spend the day exploring Galway on your own (which is what I recommend), or you can take a day tour to the Cliffs of Moher or Connemara.

Killybegs

I was so excited for this stop because we had booked a sheepdog experience at a local farm that my daughter was looking forward to. However, the night before we were due to stop in Killybegs, we got a notice that we’d be skipping the port due to Storm Floris. While Scotland got the worst of the storm, it was too dangerous to dock at Killybegs, so we had an extra day at sea.

Thankfully, I booked the excursion through the cruise line and got an automatic refund.

Dublin (Dun Laoghaire)

This one hurt. The day after we missed our stop in Killybegs, we were due to arrive in Dun Laoghaire (the access port for Dublin). Unfortunately, the weather had other plans. We arrived, and people had already started lining up to get off the ship, but it was too windy to operate the tender boats. The stop was canceled, and we had to spend another day at sea.

However, if you can get off the ship in Dun Laoghaire, you’ll still have to get to Dublin. The DART train runs every 15 to 20 minutes and can take you right into the city.

Hot Tip:

There are many websites for booking cruises, and I have found they all tend to offer the same prices. The differences come in the extras, so look for a deal that includes bonus onboard credits or other perks.

Belfast, Northern Ireland

After 2 missed ports and 2 too many days at sea, I was so ready to get off our ship. Thankfully, the weather in Belfast was wonderful and we were able to dock without issue. Belfast didn’t require a tender, so we were able to walk right off the ship. There’s really nothing but a gift shop at the port so you’ll need to arrange for transportation into the city.

Visit Belfast was operating shuttle buses every 20 minutes between the ship and the center of town for $5 per person. This was so convenient, and again, something that Norwegian didn’t communicate to us. I only learned about it from the guide of the tour I booked.

For this port, I booked a tour to see Giant’s Causeway on Viator. The tour was sold as a “Shore Excursion,” so they picked us up right at the dock. You’ll see buses for the cruise line’s tours to the left and independent tours to the right).

I loved the convenience of getting picked up right at the dock, and booking through Viator saved about $140 per person. Giant’s Causeway is a definite must-see if your cruise stops in Belfast. It was one of the highlights of my trip.

Bottom Line:

Booking your shore excursions through your cruise line will eliminate some of the headache of figuring out transportation. Just keep in mind you’ll be paying a lot for that convenience. If you don’t mind doing a bit of planning, you can often save a boat-load of money booking tours independently.

2. Buy an eSIM Instead of the Cruise Line’s Wi-Fi Package

Purchasing a Wi-Fi package on a cruise ship can be really expensive. For this Ireland cruise, I was sailing on Norwegian, and a Wi-Fi package for the whole trip would have cost hundreds of dollars.

Instead, I purchased an eSIM card. I always use GigSky.

GigSky offered a cruise eSIM (packages can be cruise-only or include coverage on land), which was much cheaper than the ship’s Wi-Fi package. However, since we would be close(ish) to land most of the time and I had 150 Wi-Fi minutes included with my booking, I just went with the regular eSIM since it was cheaper than the cruise eSIM.

I paid about $14 for 15-day eSIMs for Ireland and the U.K. An eSIM that included Ireland, the U.K., and a cruise was $55.99 for 15 days.

Whether you get a land-only, cruise-only, or land and cruise eSIM, it’s still a much better deal than purchasing Wi-Fi through the cruise line.

Bottom Line:

You can save money by buying an eSIM card for your Ireland cruise instead of paying for the ship’s Wi-Fi package. I use GigSky, which also offers 20% to 30% discounts when you use a Visa Infinite or Visa Signature card.

3. Weather Can Be a Factor

If you travel enough, you’re bound to run into some bad weather once in a while, and I’ve definitely had my share in the last couple of years. During this cruise in August 2025, a big storm hit parts of Ireland and Scotland, leading to the cancellation of 2 separate ports.

I wish this was my first time experiencing this, but it wasn’t. The exact same thing happened on our Disney Cruise last year when it was too windy to dock at Castaway Cay. Another time, it was so foggy on my Alaska cruise that we had to skip a day of glaciers entirely.

While the chances of weather affecting your cruise are relatively low, you should know it can happen. If one of your ports gets canceled, unfortunately, there’s nothing you can really do. You’ll have extra time on the ship, so try to make the best of it.

4. You Might Have to Leave Your Passport Upon Embarkation

When we arrived at the cruise port in Southampton, we got in line to check in and to get our cruise card, as always. What was different this time than on any other cruise I have been on was that they told us they were keeping our passports until about halfway through the cruise.

They explained that they were required to present each passport to Irish immigration and that we could pick them up later in the week. While that made me a bit nervous, we picked up our passports at the guest service desk mid-cruise without issues.

5. Booking Excursions on Your Own Can Save Money Sometimes

I’m generally hesitant to book excursions independently instead of through the cruise line. While cruise line excursions tend to be overpriced, they are convenient and there’s no risk if your tour gets delayed or the port gets canceled. The cruise line will wait for its own tours to return to the ship before departing.

If you book your excursions independently (I use Viator), you’ll save money, but there’s some risk involved. For this Ireland cruise, I decided to book all but one of our tours independently since it would be (relatively) easy to drive to the next port if our tour was significantly delayed.

Unfortunately, I also learned (the hard way) that you don’t have any protection if your port stop gets canceled at the last minute. I booked an Irish step dancing show and class in Dublin through Viator, which was nonrefundable by the time our port stop was canceled. If I had booked a tour through the cruise line, that cost would have been automatically refunded.

I also couldn’t make a tour I booked at another port because the timing didn’t work out once the ship announced the time of the last tender. This one could have been avoided with more research on my part and a bit more communication from the cruise line.

While these 2 cancellations were unfortunate, I will still book cruise excursions through Viator in the future when it makes sense. Yes, there’s some risk if you cancel at the last minute, but the cost savings is often worth it.

6. Southampton Logistics

There’s a good chance your Ireland cruise will leave from Southampton, England, so you’ll have to plan to get there from London (which is most likely where you’ll fly into). It’s not as easy as hopping in an Uber to get to the port. Depending on traffic, it can take up to 2 hours to get to Southampton from London.

Your cruise line will probably offer a shuttle, which might make sense if you’re traveling with a small group. Norwegian’s shuttle was around $80 per person. I was traveling with 6 other people, so it was cheaper to book a private transfer from London to Southampton cruise port through Viator. I booked the same transfer for our return.

If you have extra time, you can even book a transfer that includes a stop at Stonehenge, which could be a great way to check off an item on your bucket list.

Final Thoughts

Even though bad weather led to 2 port cancellations, I thoroughly enjoyed my Ireland cruise. Cruising in Ireland requires a bit more planning than a simple Caribbean cruise, but getting to see a lot of the country is definitely worth it.