Loved this tour. We got out early and was first to the castle! Wonderful time on this tour. Lunched in Kinsale. Guide made it special and entertaining!

The tour got us to Blarney castle be large group of people came. This was a plus, our line to the top of the castle was less than 30 minutes. After coming down from the top, the line was at the 90 minute sign. Thanks

This was a large group tour with 2 full buses. Ian was our guide. He did a fantastic job getting us to Blarney Castle right before it opened. We were the first group to enter the castle and enjoyed it before all the other big groups arrived. There was no line to kiss the stone, so all who wanted to kiss the stone could do so. The gardens were stunning and well worth spending time to see. The only negative was the poor communication and confusion about how much time we were allowed at the castle. The people at the front of the bus (including us) were told that we had 1.5 hours to spend at Blarney, while those at the back of the bus were told that they had 2.5 hours to spend at Blarney. It was very frustrating that many of us had to wait a full hour at the bus, not understanding where the others were and why the others weren’t back yet. We all would have loved the extra hour at the castle that the others were allowed. Perhaps a note could have been left for us at the bus. I would have rated this tour a 5 if this confusion about time had not occurred. We enjoyed the free time in beautiful Kinsale, and had nice photo stops at Coleman Cathedral and Deck of Cards on the way back to the port.

Ian our guide and George our driver were wonderful. Full of information and humor, but allowed us plenty of time to look around on our own. They offered great suggestions.

Kevin was very knowledgeable with the places we visited. He made the trip fun. Steven is a great driver. They are are perfect combo.

Our guide,Kevin, and driver, Stephen, we're amazing. Cobh was interesting, Blarney Castle and gardens were fabulous and loved our time in Kinsale. I recommend this tour.

We were very pleased with the tour. We arrived at Blarney Castle early so short time to the stone and the gardens are amazing. Got back to the ship before ships tours and had a wonderful experience.

Ian and George met us just outside the gate as planned and by the time we arrived at 8 a.m. the coach was already nearly full. We arrived early at Blarney and waited until the gates opened at 9 a.m. George entertained us with stories of sights we passed and Irish history. We had nearly 3 hours there and didn’t have time for everything. Kissing the stone was an adventure and the grounds and castle are amazing. We walked to the woolen mills for coffee and then had to walk back to catch the bus. From there we continued to the Fort and that was unremarkable and only a 5 minute photo opp. Kinsale was a charming little seaside town and we walked the hill to the Spaniard Inn (promoted as the oldest pub in Kinsale) and enjoyed a delicious fish and chips and a pint. Back on the bus to return to our ship and stopped at the cathedral in Cobh which was spectacular. Took my best picture of the town and the cathedral while leaving port. Ian and George were an excellent duo to drive and educate/entertain us.

Ore guide Kevin was fantastic and out driver Steven was great ! The experience was very enjoyable informative. Gardens were beautiful and the castle was amazing. We did not kiss the stone , the 120 steps were not on our bucket list .

what an amazing experience! Communication was amazing from the time of booking and throughout the tour. We were traveling with family on a cruise and we booked this as a private excursion. Only having a brief time is Cork, we wanted to see as much as possible without feeling rushed. Nail met us on time and whisked us to Blarney Castle ahead of the big coaches. After kissing the Blarney Stone, we met up easily and were able to enjoy a beautiful drive, visit a fort and spend a leisurely afternoon exploring beautiful Kinsale and lunch at a traditional pub. Amazing day. Amazing guide!

Trevor and Brian were are driver and guide. They were fantastic, very knowledgeable and fun. Blarney Castle and the gardens were very pretty. They had no people at the entrance to the castle to help you if u had questions, very lacking in personnel. U get in line to go up to the castle, it can be up to an 1.5 or more wait. They say u can go in the castle or up the stairs to kiss the blarney stone. The castle is round like a corn silo, so not to big. Once your in, there is no way to get out. I had went to the first floor and realized if I went any further, I would not be able to get back down, so I turned around there and went back out, which I'm glad I did, because the rest of the way up to the top was really small narrow steps that went around this small circular castle. When u got to the top, u had to stay in line even if u didn't want to kiss the blarney stone ( which u had to hang over the edge to do) then make your way back down another set of small narrow steps. The people I was with did the trek up to the stone, said it was not worth it and had a hard time going up. We saw a couple in line with a baby stroller, again no helpers/ workers, to let people know what to expect, that no way were they going to go in there with a stroller. I strolled around the gardens, and to the blarney palace. There was some really unique beautiful trees in the gardens. The take away for me was they need more personnel on hand, to let people know what to expect if they want to go into the Blarney Castle especially when u have to wait such a long time to get into it. See the castle from the outside, stroll the gardens.

Nice tour with plenty of time at each stop. Certainly a much better value than the cruise ship pricing, with fewer people on the tour. We were able to get to Blarney Castle ahead of the big tour groups and basically had no wait in line while we heard others on the cruise had waited an hour or more. We were also glad to have time at the end to explore Cobh - it's a beautiful little town.

We loved our tour through Butler Tours! Thank you for providing this great tour to see a part of your beautiful country. We enjoyed walking and exploring the gardens of Blarney Castle on our own, visiting the Blarney Woolen Mills, and doing lunch in the harbor town of Kinsale, as well as a stop at Fort Charles. BUTLER TOURS IS A TOP NOTCH TOUR COMPANY WITH WONDERFUL GUIDES AND DRIVERS!

If your ship is stopping at Cobh or you are visiting County Cork and want a great tour of the area highlights, call Butlers ShoreTours. We did a shore excursion from a cruise ship on August 26, 2023. The tour bus was at the port, a short walk from where you get off the ship, which is a big convenience not offered by all tour companies. We were met by the tour guide and got on the bus. Our guide, Niall, was very pleasant and knowledgeable. He kept us informed and entertained while on the bus. We were provided plenty of time at the tour stops and enjoyed the sites. After visiting Blarney Castle and Cork. we stopped in the beautiful town of Kinsale for lunch and sightseeing and had a wonderful time. When the tour ended we were returned to the ship area and still had time to explore Cobh before we had to board. It was a great day. I forgot to mention the value of the tour. Compared to what the cruise ship excursions cost, Butlers Shore Tours offers great tours at fair prices, which is appreciated when you consider the total expense of vacations. My only disappointment was that Butlers didn’t offer tours from the port near Dublin. Enjoy your time in Ireland!

Ian was an excellent driver and guide for our trip to Blarney Castle and Kinsale. Unfortunately, we had to wait for the last arrivals in our group to show before we our bus could depart, which required us to wait an extra 20 minutes before leaving the pier, as per tour policy. Castle, grounds and Blarney village were all lovely. Opted not to kiss the stone and explore instead, since the line was estimated at 1.5 hours to reach the top. Had an authentic fish and chip lunch on our own when we finally reached Kinsale and was able to do a bit of souvenir shopping while exploring the quaint little town. Upon returning to Cobh, final stop was the cathedral before heading back to the ship...entire day was a very nice Irish beginning to our cruise!

We had a wonderful time seeing he Blarney castle and walking the gorgeous grounds and gardens. We thoroughly enjoyed a traditional Irish lunch in the idyllic town of Kinsale. Our guide Niles was very good.

Bus left pier before designated time and left us, or didn’t show up. Terrible customer service. We had to make other arrangements.

Kevin was super nice and was a great tour guide. We were able to see everything in plenty of time and never felt rushed. The Woolin mills was a super nice place for shopping.

Great tour. Guide was wonderful. He got us to the castle early so we very little wait time. Great value for $$. I recommend this tour.

The blarney castle was spectacular and loved the woollen mills for shopping, I would recommend them highly.