CBT British Isles

August 6-20, 2016

12.0 Mainpro-C credits

Tuition $1,295 (tax-free)

The CME is the acclaimed CBT Tools module (12.0 Mainpro-C credits). Join us exploring the British Isles and you'll learn a multitude of ultra-brief CBT techniques to make your work much easier with both medical and psychiatric patients (cases).

Traveling solo?  If the cruise line's "single supplement" is deterring you, Pauline at CruiseShipCentres may be able to help. Call (888) 739-3117 or email travel@cbt.ca for details. 

DAY 1.  The Netherlands' capital of Amsterdam combines the enchanting atmosphere of a 17th-century city with the contemporary character of a modern metropolis. More than just tulips and coffee shops, this highly-walkable city of canals features distinctive architecture, Rembrandts & van Goghs, and famous blue & white porcelain. Highlights include the Rijksmuseum—recently reopened after a ten-year, €375 renovation—and the equally beautiful Aalsmeer Flower Auction, the largest in the world. You'll be clicking your clogs with joy!

DAY 3.  Saint Peter Port is the capital of Guernsey (video), a sunny and clearly affluent Channel Island lying just 50km west of Normandy. Saint Peter Port is a charming little city with steep cobblestoned streets overlooking a picturesque harbor. Castle Cornet (ca 1206) is a national historic site lying on a former tidal island in the harbour. Hauteville House, Victor Hugo's home of exile, is a museum impeccably maintained by the City of Paris. For Canadian history buffs, Saint Peter Port is significant as the birthplace of Sir Isaac Brock, "the Hero of Upper Canada" who successfully repelled the invading Americans during the War of 1812.

DAY 4.  The first thing you need to know about Cork is that it's not pronounced that way. Uncomfortable as it may be for some, it's pronounced more like "cock" (yes indeed, like the bird). But however you pronounce it, Cork's a delightfully Irish city. Stroll through the lively heart of Cork along old St. Patrick's Street. Visit the Shandon Bells Tower, the city's icon since 1726. Consider kissing the famous stone at Blarney Castle (WARNING: a proper kiss requires a dizzying backwards lean over the parapet). Or for an easier route to eloquence, tour the beautiful 15 acre Jameson Distillery (and sample its spiritus frumenti). For another form of enchantment, drive through the idyllic Irish countryside to explore the dramatic sea cliffs of Mizen Head.

DAY 5.  Dublin was founded by the Vikings in the 9th century, but neither the Norse (nor the British) are bossing around Dubliners these days. Something about Dublin awakens the artist—Beckett, Joyce, Shaw, Wilde, and Yeats all lived there—oh, and Bono too. Famous sites include Dublin Castle (founded in 1204), the extensively refurbished National Gallery, Trinity College (home of the priceless Book of Kells), Molly Malone's buxom statue, the Spire of Dublin (a shiny new 398ft cone of pure stainless steel), the disputed Christ Church Cathedral (founded in 1030) and the sobering new Docklands Famine Memorial. 2016 is the 100th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising against British rule, and a new exhibition centre is opening at Richmond Barracks. Dublin is also the home of the Irish Taoiseach (prime minister), the pronounciation of which will be debated over pints of Guinness back on the ship. 

Guinness is good for you—or so the early ads said. And it better be: nearly one billion liters of the dark & tangy brew are consumed each year. Today the little brewery founded by Arthur Guinness in 1759 is Dublin's (and Ireland's) #1 visitor attraction. At the high-tech 7-level Storehouse you'll practice the art of the perfect double-pour, which as you know requires precisely 119.5 seconds.

DAY 6.  Liverpool's Liverpudlians (yes, they're called that) recently celebrated the city's 800th anniversary, and their architecture will amaze you. There are over 2,500 "listed" buildings in Liverpool, including six UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Liverpool was England's wealthiest Victorian city, the explanation for which requires visits to both the Maritime and Slavery Museums. Liverpool is of course the pilgrimage destination for Beatles fans, with immersive museums, Casbah Coffee Club, Cavern Club, and McCartney & Lennon homes to twist and shout about. Across the River Mersey is the medieval city of Chester, with iconic black-and-white architecture, and a fun footpath running all along the top of its 3km ancient walls.

DAY 7.  Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland, which is in turn of course part of the United Kingdom (and not the Republic of Ireland). Once the largest ship-building center in the world, it created the £1.5 million Titanic (1912)—and subsequently the £250 million Titanic Museum (2012). Other attractions include Belfast Castle, Stormont Estate, Cave Hill, the Opera House, and the Irish Republican History Museum (don't worry, you'll find no troubles there). But if you're intrigued by really, really weird rock formations, check out the Giant's Causeway, an easy one-hour drive from Belfast. The 40,000 hexagonal basalt columns—doubtlessly left by aliens—are part of a World Heritage Site.

DAY 9.  The Shetland Islands are Britain's most northerly outpost. It's birdie up there, with at least 10 arctic puffins reserved for every man, woman and child. A former Viking pirate HQ, the Shetlands were under Norse rule until 1469, when King Christian sold them to the King of Scots to finance his daughter's dowry. Marrying off the little darling princess cost the good king 460 lbs of gold (plus HST), along with an unspecified number of ponies and shelties. The Shetland Vikings come alive for the century-old Up Helly Aa fire festival. Each year over 1,000 (semi)inebriated and bellowing "guizers" stomp through the streets with huge torches, on a messianic mission to make a bonfire of a sacrificial longship. For down-to-earth visitors who dig archeology, there are over 5,000 sites to explore, starting with the Bronze Age Jarlshof.

DAY 10.  Inverness is the gateway to the wild & mysterious Scottish Highlands, where the sound of bagpipes and the brogue of the best James Bond (Sean Connery, of course) waft through the misty mountains. Tour some of the Highland's iconic castles, including Cawdor (from Shakespeare's Macbeth), Brodie (with secret passageways to exuberant estate grounds), and Urquhart (overlooking Loch Ness). Visit Culloden Moor, a battlefield museum detailing the final confrontation between Scottish and British forces (unless you include the 2014 referendum). Go for a tasting at one (or more) of Scotland's 100 whisky distilleries. When you're suitably fortified, take a dip in Loch Ness—but bring an underwater camera just in case. 

To those who say there's more to life than single-malt whisky, we reply, "Here's to your health!" Cragganmore, Dalwhinnie, Glenkinchie, Lagavulin, Talisker and 99 more—there's a delightful scotch for everyone in the family. As Chandler wrote, “There is no bad whisky. There are only some whiskies that aren’t as good as others.”

DAYS 11 & 12.  Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland and undoubtedly one of the world's great cities. Both its Old and New Towns are listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and you'll be walking on well-worn cobblestones when you explore Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood Palace, St. Giles, Greyfriars, and Canongate. If it's shopping you fancy, you'll be wowed by Princes Street, with high-end boutiques on one side, and vistas of magnificent gardens and Old Town on the other. Edinburgh is also a bibliophile's heaven: UNESCO declared the home of Adam Smith, James Boswell, Kenneth Grahame, Sir Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (and JK Rowling) the first-ever City of Literature. You can study up by browsing the Palimpsest "literary map". 

The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is an annual celebration of music and entertainment showcasing the talents of military regiments, musicians and performers from across the world—all with the thousand-year old Edinburgh Castle as the backdrop. Tickets for the August 16 & 17 evening shows are now on sale.

DAY 14.  Bruges is a canal-based city in Flanders (i.e., Flemish Belgium). Bruges has remarkably intact (and ornate) medieval architecture and is designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. If you enjoy feeling your heart pump (for physical and/or psychological reasons), you can get a bird's eye view of it all by climbing the steep and narrow 366 steps up the iconic Bruges Belfry (ca. 1240). However, the tallest structure in Bruges is the 401ft brickwork spire of the 13th century Church of Our Lady. The church's altarpiece includes Michelangelo's sculpture Madonna and Child (1504), which was worth dying for in George Clooney's 2014 movie Monuments Men. Be sure to take a canal tour, and to shop for Belgian chocolates around the historic Markt Square. If you're an art buff, visit the Groeningemuseum, home of the top Flemish masterpieces. And it's just a short train ride away to both Brussels (1hr) and Ghent (45min).

The art collection on the Celebrity Silhouette is reportedly worth over $5M USD. Miami-based International Corporate Art (ICArt) acquired 136 contemporary art works for the ship, including original pieces by Troy Abbott, James Aldridge, Christa Assad, Dorothy Cross, Julie Heffernan, Anish Kapoor, Yayoi Kusama, and Richard Serra. You can learn more about the pieces from a self-guided art tour with a WiFi-enabled iPad. 

Travel+Leisure ranked the Celebrity Silhouette the World's #1 Mega Ship for 2014. In their review, they cited such factors as "never feels crowded thanks to its 10 restaurants... and more than a dozen lounges", "superb service", and "top-of-class touches". Oh, and it's also "faster than the vast majority of cruise ships".  

Travel Weekly readers (i.e., travel agents) have ranked Celebrity the Best Premium Cruise Line the past 7 years straight.

Inside cabins from $9,442 CDN tax incl

Balconies from $12,322 CDN tax incl

Your companion cruises free