Private tour recommendations for Kirkwall

[nzdisneymom]

We are looking to book a private tour company in Kirkwall for this summer and wanted to see which companies other DISers have used. Thanks.

 

[TrySomethingNew]

We are looking to book a private tour company in Kirkwall for this summer and wanted to see which companies other DISers have used. Thanks.

We used Orkney Aspects. Just be aware that any of the companies are likely booked up already. We ended up on a wait list, because there are only so many vehicles on the island and they needed to try and secure an additional vehicle. They did, and we got an email with a 24 hour window to book -so make sure you check your email account. They were very organized and very good with communication.
DCL had some nice looking tours as well - you can probably find some trip reports that include DCL Kirkwall excursions.
Kirkwall was one of the favorite ports for us! Whatever you do, make sure you have a good jacket and hat. It is cool/cold but it is the wind that will be the worst! We had lightly insulated wind-proof jackets with hoods - best overall purchase for the trip (Iceland, Stavanger Norway, and Kirkwall were all very windy and quite cool/cold).

 

[nzdisneymom]

We used Orkney Aspects. Just be aware that any of the companies are likely booked up already. We ended up on a wait list, because there are only so many vehicles on the island and they needed to try and secure an additional vehicle. They did, and we got an email with a 24 hour window to book -so make sure you check your email account. They were very organized and very good with communication.
DCL had some nice looking tours as well - you can probably find some trip reports that include DCL Kirkwall excursions.
Kirkwall was one of the favorite ports for us! Whatever you do, make sure you have a good jacket and hat. It is cool/cold but it is the wind that will be the worst! We had lightly insulated wind-proof jackets with hoods - best overall purchase for the trip (Iceland, Stavanger Norway, and Kirkwall were all very windy and quite cool/cold).

Thanks! We have a couple of the DCL tours that would work for us if we don't get something privately booked - and I had read we might be late to the game for private tours.

 

[Pens Fan]

I agree with everything TrySomethingNew said. Orkney Aspects is fabulous, but almost certainly booked at this point. We had the owner as our guide last July and at that time she said they were almost completely sold out for 2016 a year in advance. But I would still recommend contacting them. You could get lucky with a cancellation or a wait list. I also would be online at midnight of your booking window if you want to book with DCL. Again, agreeing with what was posted above it's a very small island and there simply are just not that many buses and guides to around. Most of the DCL excursions last year were just half day ones because of that. If it were me, I would try to work in two different ones if the schedule allows and you can find availability.

We loved Kirkwall. It's a fascinating place. Don't just wander around the town - though it is lovely and worth spending some time there. Get out into the countryside and visit the historic sights. Maeshowe, stones of Stenness, Scapa Flow, Scara Brae, the cathedral (though that's in town) - I could go on and on. It was an amazing day. My 17 year old is a history buff and he loved every minute of it, as did my husband and I.

And not to just keep repeating what TrySomethingNew said, but oh yes - the wind!!! We are from PA and used to cold and wind, but at times even we were pretty cold - and we were dressed for it. Layers with an outer wind/water proof layer are a must. Don't let the weather deter you, though. I'd spend every second possible off of the ship. There really is that much to see.

 

[TrySomethingNew]

It will be interesting to see if DCL adds some tours to the options as it will be the second year there. I also agree that you should be online and ready to choose your first, must have, excursion as soon as your DCL window opens. Our cruise had a very high percentage of platinum guests, therefore many excursions at all ports were booked prior to gold window (we were silver). Mostly this was an issue with the limited number excursions such as "cooking class...", or "Tea at..." Anyway, the platinums may all be on the British Isles cruises this year, hopefully reducing some of that competition for special excursions!!
Enjoy your time!! Good luck planning!!

 

[nzdisneymom]

We are on the British Isles cruise with a bazillion platinums. We are gold so we can book this weekend. I contacted Orkney Aspects today and they are fully booked (as expected). We are looking at ExploreOrkney as they offer a good overview and variety of the high points in the area and have good reviews on other sites. But we haven't committed yet - they do have availability. The platinums are keeping us updated on space available for some of the excursions that are offered at various ports so that's helpful with our DCL excursion planning (and very kind of them).

 

[TrySomethingNew]

We are on the British Isles cruise with a bazillion platinums. We are gold so we can book this weekend. I contacted Orkney Aspects today and they are fully booked (as expected). We are looking at ExploreOrkney as they offer a good overview and variety of the high points in the area and have good reviews on other sites. But we haven't committed yet - they do have availability. The platinums are keeping us updated on space available for some of the excursions that are offered at various ports so that's helpful with our DCL excursion planning (and very kind of them).

Ahhh.... The British Isles cruise!! Very nice! Yes, the new itineraries attract the platinums, that's for sure, and the cruise looks great! I don't think I heard of anyone that did not have a good Orkney excursion, so I'm glad to hear you have found an option. We had a good cruise group that was very good about sharing excursion info, booking etc, and it was very helpful!!