I’m from the North-East and, despite not living there now, always think of it as part of my home. So writing a blog about cruises from Newcastle is easy, and it’s something I’ve been looking forward to doing. Not only can I talk about the kind of places you can cruise to, but also the best things to do while you’re in the city, if you want to travel up before you are due to set sail.
Cruises from Newcastle don’t actually depart from the city centre, despite the Tyne running right into its heart. Rather ships dock at the Port of Tyne which is in North Shields, approximately eight miles from the city centre by main road. Right next to the port is a shopping centre, Royal Quays, along with a great waterpark called ‘Wet n Wild’. I can personally vouch for this, it’s great, I went a few times on school trips and with family as a young lad and if you’re going on a family cruise, it’s the perfect treat for a day before if you’re travelling up early.
The Newcastle port isn’t one that is visited by many of the bigger cruise lines, but there are still plenty of options available. Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, Cruise and Maritime Voyages and Thomson Cruises all have a range of itineraries that you can pick from. The most popular destinations are focused around the North Cape and Norwegian Fjords but British Isles cruises, the Baltic capitals, the Canary Islands and the ports of northern France, Spain and Portugal give you plenty of choice.
As a port, Newcastle serves as a gateway to the North-East. If you’ve never been to the region before and you book a cruise departing from the port, there are so many different ways you could entertain yourself should you decide to travel up early, which I would of course recommend. There are the cities of Newcastle and Sunderland, with great museums, restaurants, galleries, bars and more. The castles of Northumberland are always popular, such as Alnwick or Bamburgh, or visit the UNESCO sites of Durham Castle and Hadrian’s Wall.
The port is very easy to reach. It’s close to the A1 if you’re driving, or if you are heading to Newcastle by train you can either get a taxi from the station or jump on the Metro, the local under- and over-ground train service that will drop you right in North Shields just a very short taxi ride from the terminal. Another alternative would be to fly to Newcastle Airport. A taxi from here should take no more than 30 minutes.
By Ian Lewis
Google
Comments: no replies