7/18/10 Mickey's Baltic Ballyhoo Part 6

[CBJHockeyNut]

Andrew or anyone living in London--do you have any insight on the Original sightseeing bus or the Big Bus Co? We have a very limited time in London and thought this may be a good way to see the sights. However, after reading the reviews on trip advisor I am not so sure. Many complaints about rude service and long wait times for buses.

Do you think our time would be better spend to select a few places to see and use the tube to get around??

Thanks in advance!

 

[Celestine]

Andrew or anyone living in London--do you have any insight on the Original sightseeing bus or the Big Bus Co? We have a very limited time in London and thought this may be a good way to see the sights. However, after reading the reviews on trip advisor I am not so sure. Many complaints about rude service and long wait times for buses.

Do you think our time would be better spend to select a few places to see and use the tube to get around??

Thanks in advance!

I have a driver on my staff at work, who used to work for one of these companies and if his attitude is anything to go by then trip adviser is right. Grab a pocket a-z such as this one London Mini Street Atlas ISBN-10: 1843486059 / ISBN-13: 978-1843486053 and wander around on your own, everything of any interest is pretty much walkable or a short tube ride away.

We have devised a day for the four Americans(we met on EB Panama repo) that are staying with us prior to the cruise. This consists of London Eye, River cruise, Walking tour to include seeing the following;

London Aquarium

Big Ben & Houses of Parliament
Westminster Abbey
Whitehall
Downing Street

Horse Guards' Parade
The Mall

Buckingham Palace
St.James Palace
Pall Mall
Ritz Hotel
Fortnum & Mason
Royal Academy of Arts
Burlington Arcade
Jermyn St/Bond St
Regent Street

Oxford Circus
Carnaby St
Piccadilly Circus
Statue of Eros
Leicester Square

The National Gallery

Nelson's Column

Trafalgar Square

St Martin-in-the-Fields
Harrods (time permitting)

followed by dinner in Covent Garden and top tickets to Love Never Dies on the Strand

This is achievable in one day......they know it will only be a taster tour, but they only have three days prior to the cruise and we are taking them to Windsor, Blenheim Palace and our local Indian Restaurant (national dish in England is actually now considered to be Chicken Tikka Massala, not Fish & Chips as most people think.

Hope this helps you or anyone else, I will ask at work which bus company is best if you like?


Paul DH of Celestine

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

Andrew or anyone living in London--do you have any insight on the Original sightseeing bus or the Big Bus Co? We have a very limited time in London and thought this may be a good way to see the sights. However, after reading the reviews on trip advisor I am not so sure. Many complaints about rude service and long wait times for buses.

Do you think our time would be better spend to select a few places to see and use the tube to get around??

Thanks in advance!

OK

Firstly they are two well respected companies, and a very good introduction to London. I go around London a lot, and different places in London, recently it has been Central London, and I have seen both the buses running a very good service.

I must say they were not full, and with the Sunny weather i would have expected to see more people on them.

From a Londoner's viewpoint, I personally wouldn't use them, I can walk anywhere, I do not get lost, there are good buses around that you can get on/off with Oyster and we have a fantastic Black cab service which can get you from any A to any B.

I am biased, because I live and work here, so do not see the need.

However if I look at in in other 'eyes' IE when I was a tourist in Barcelona and wasn't confident on the first day of directions etc, the HOHO was a fantastic introduction and I was pleased I did it.

So our public transport is fantastic, you can get anywhere without it and London is easy to navigate. I cant call between the two tours, see both buses everywhere I think the authorities would tell them off if they are not looking after their customers.

London is far more fun to *walk* > down Oxford st and Regent st, or from Green Park to Buckingham Palace, or from St Paul's across the Millennium bridge to the Tate and the Globe. You come across old buildings, old small pubs, beautiful sights you were not expecting that way, and you cant get lost.

My vote is to Tube it, but avoid weekday rush hours if you can 6.30am>9am and 4.30pm >6pm.

 

[mstinson14]

Hello all

Megan wanted me to post that the kids thread is trying to put together a meet for the first day. They were wondering if everyone that wanted to participate in the meet could post over there They are thinking 2 pm at the deck 7 aft overlook, the goofy pool, or goofy's galley. Thanks

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

Hello all

Megan wanted me to post that the kids thread is trying to put together a meet for the first day. They were wondering if everyone that wanted to participate in the meet could post over there They are thinking 2 pm at the deck 7 aft overlook, the goofy pool, or goofy's galley. Thanks

Yes I have been monitoring my Son Stephens posts, Alice and him are up for a meet, on deck on arrival, any of those places, but it would be nice to gain commitment from more kids.

My two have met other kids up on the first afternoon of quite a few cruises and made good freinds, they tend to like to be on deck. Not downstairs.

 

[mstinson14]

^^My daughter Megan will do the meet, but all in all that's only 3 kids meeting. That she knows of

 

[RJAYL]

Wow between Andrew & Celestine I am now craving Indian food which we had last time in London (However my children were not with me thenas they would not appreciate good Inidan cuisine!)!

Someone suggested the''Gourmet Burger Kitchen Tower Place '' on this thread, looks nice and good value, ''Pizza Express Byward Street '' PE is always good, not just pizza's, feeling homesick, USA fare, at ''Bodean's Byward Street '', famous East End wine merchants Balls Brothers The Minster and Mark Lane are nice for liquid lunch. English Bangers and mash at ''Bangers Too'', now if you like a good curry, or want to try one, take a train a stop or two to Aldgate East (District Line) and go up Brick lane and choose from the many there.

Good suggestions Andrew I might take you up on one of these!

I have a driver on my staff at work, who used to work for one of these companies and if his attitude is anything to go by then trip adviser is right. Grab a pocket a-z such as this one London Mini Street Atlas ISBN-10: 1843486059 / ISBN-13: 978-1843486053 and wander around on your own, everything of any interest is pretty much walkable or a short tube ride away.

We have devised a day for the four Americans(we met on EB Panama repo) that are staying with us prior to the cruise. This consists of London Eye, River cruise, Walking tour to include seeing the following;

London Aquarium

Big Ben & Houses of Parliament
Westminster Abbey
Whitehall
Downing Street

Horse Guards' Parade
The Mall

Buckingham Palace
St.James Palace
Pall Mall
Ritz Hotel
Fortnum & Mason
Royal Academy of Arts
Burlington Arcade
Jermyn St/Bond St
Regent Street

Oxford Circus
Carnaby St
Piccadilly Circus
Statue of Eros
Leicester Square

The National Gallery

Nelson's Column

Trafalgar Square

St Martin-in-the-Fields
Harrods (time permitting)

followed by dinner in Covent Garden and top tickets to Love Never Dies on the Strand

This is achievable in one day......they know it will only be a taster tour, but they only have three days prior to the cruise and we are taking them to Windsor, Blenheim Palace and our local Indian Restaurant (national dish in England is actually now considered to be Chicken Tikka Massala, not Fish & Chips as most people think.

Hope this helps you or anyone else, I will ask at work which bus company is best if you like?


Paul DH of Celestine

Love the tour however now I am very tired & I only read it!

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

I'll go with you!!

Brick lane is the place for a very good Curry, there are many places there, so many to choose from and they will do anything from a Madras, to a very good vindaloo.

They can cater for kids the restaurants are nice, so if they want Chips and Nuggets, they can get it,

Some have a good selection of fine wines as well.

I would asume there are a few near High St Ken, I think I can recall seeing one or two, from there Brick Lane, is either, Circle (anticlockwise) and change anywhere between South Ken and Tower Hill to District line, same tracks, and get off at Aldgate East, or Circle Clockwise to Edgware road, and swap to Hammersmith and City Line, to Aldgate East, (Slightly longer).

 

[RJAYL]

I'll go with you!!

Brick lane is the place for a very good Curry, there are many places there, so many to choose from and they will do anything from a Madras, to a very good vindaloo.

They can cater for kids the restaurants are nice, so if they want Chips and Nuggets, they can get it,

Some have a good selection of fine wines as well.

I would asume there are a few near High St Ken, I think I can recall seeing one or two, from there Brick Lane, is either, Circle (anticlockwise) and change anywhere between South Ken and Tower Hill to District line, same tracks, and get off at Aldgate East, or Circle Clockwise to Edgware road, and swap to Hammersmith and City Line, to Aldgate East, (Slightly longer).

Andrew I could feel your desire for a good indian meal throught the computer!

My wife & I both enjoy some good Chicken Tika Masala & Nan with Basmati rice not to mention appetizer's & desserts!

 

[smilis]

Just got back from my California trip late last night and have lots to ketchup on.

DH was very impressed with the bus information you sent us Celestine and Paul He was checking the email for me while I was gone, but now he is glad I am back to take over the responsibility

The picture showing us where to be for pickup is a nice touch

We're on bus #2

Welcome back! Lot's of good reading to ketchup on!
We are on bus #2 as well. Looks like all the fun folks will be fratinizing and frolicking on Fun Bus #2

 

[smilis]

Can somebody who is DIY in Oslo tell me which of the two sightseeing options you decided on? I am looking at either purchasing the HOHO pass which has a set circuit of stops, but no venue admission included OR the Oslo Pass? It looks like the Oslo pass gets you on all public transportation plus admission to a number of museums and other venues?
The advantage I see to HOHO is having a guided explanation of what you are seeing. With the Oslo Pass, you are on your own to get on the correct transportation to take you where you want to go, but your entry into that venue might be included. It also offers dining discounts as well.

What are some of you doing who opted for DIY?

 

[MrsScooby]

Just Booked the 18th Jul Baltic, price was to good to pass up. Was anyone on the EB Transatlantic cruise or the 1st Med Cruise this Year? Did not think I would be back on Disney so soon, but always wanted to see the Baltic area.

Am concerned about the Volcano but figured the odd were good and plan to get the UK three days before the cruise and hopefully be able to adjust travel if the volcano cause delays. Expect this is a major reason the cruise may not be filling up with late bookings. Hope they get more takers, never want a company to lose due to no fault of their own.

If any ship questions should be able to give a hand since spent 25 days just ending on May 5th.

Welcome aboard

Firstly miss everyone hope you are all OK.

Hope you are doing well too Andrew

Posting for Celestine this evening as she is nursing sore eyes from her lasek today in Harley St, which we think has gone very well. She can already read road signs from about three times the normal distance without glasses. Still won't be able to drive as well as me though
she has has gone to bed looking very strange in her tinted goggles they give you!

I had Lasik done back in 2004. No pain for me, but my friend had some pain the first day and then it was gone.
Hope Celestine is feeling better soon
So glad I had it done

However the plan is all sorted, sweets sorry I mean candy & water has been purchased from Costco. I am working on a Balyhoo bus cd for the drive down, starts with a rousing speech from Sir Winston Churchill. Struggling with decent tracks for Tallin, Stockholm & Oslo thinking about doing a guess the link to the songs on our bus, if anyone is sober enough
Paul

Wow, sounds great

Robert,

Word of warning do not ask for a "packy store" in London, as you will be misunderstood and may cause a diversity row, let's say....

thanks for the advice
Not a term we use in Virginia, but
Please let us know of any other terms we need to be careful of.

Good morning everyone!!!

Wow, between all the yard and house work yesterday, I finally got "ketched up". Well, I read from page 16 on.

Anyway, I finally have made reservations for everything I can for the trip. I admittedly have been spending most of the time planning our 2 week pre cruise adventures as it is my responsibility to get us to where we need to be and to have a place to sleep!

Now, I have to get my passport renewed! It expires soon. Once I have that ordered, I will feel much better.

Wow, hope you get that passport soon

I would so love to do the post cruise back to Barcelona, I booked this cruise thinking maybe. My husband would never go for that long of a vacation. Too bad.

I would have loved to do that as well-but don't have the vacation time or the bank account for that.
Plus I have my hands full just planning this one

In that case feel extra sorry for DH. He will leave home at 0600 & motorbike up to London to make sure everyone is on bus 2.

Celestine

ouch
We're on bus 2...
What does he like for breakfast

 

[MrsScooby]

I WANT TO COME!!!! This is me throwing a two-year-old's tantrum on the floor.....NOT lauging....

Now that would be trouble on the ship that Robert would have to worry about. Maybe it's a good thing you weren't able to make this cruise with us....nah, it would have been so much fun to have you on the ship with us.

Ditto! Would love to have you on this trip Stace

2. Some people do have fairly early pick up times, just remember I have the earliest! So I will appreciate any stolen muffins from your hotel breakfast We have had to factor in the collecting about 70 people from 10 locations.
Paul

Our hotel includes breakfast...so what kind of muffins?

Go bus 2!!!

I am planning on it. I wouldn't want to let Stace down.

I'm glad you'll be doing this Andrew, that way I can read what we did when we get home.

Wish I had the patience to do a blog, let alone a live one. Looking forward to reading it as well Andrew

Do you have any signed affidavits by reputable persons (That leaves out just about anyone on this thread) attesting to that fact!

I'm reputable

Well I'm off for the day. Have to meet my brother at the hospital, he's getting his gall bladder out today. Then will be running DD around later today; from school to dinner, back to school to make the bus for the 8pm soccer game, then back to school to pick her up around 10:30pm or so. Ugh...

Thanks, after this surgery he then has to have his bit toe operated on for arthritis.

later all

Wow, hope everything goes well for your brother

to bus #2!!

Thanks

Someone suggested the''Gourmet Burger Kitchen Tower Place '' on this thread, looks nice and good value, ''Pizza Express Byward Street '' PE is always good, not just pizza's, feeling homesick, USA fare, at ''Bodean's Byward Street '', famous East End wine merchants Balls Brothers The Minster and Mark Lane are nice for liquid lunch. English Bangers and mash at ''Bangers Too'', now if you like a good curry, or want to try one, take a train a stop or two to Aldgate East (District Line) and go up Brick lane and choose from the many there.

I think that was me I found it on the top of a list of places that were close to the Tower of London. The menu looked good-definitely not the typical burger place. We might be there Saturday evening after the Tower closes.

Welcome back! Lot's of good reading to ketchup on!
We are on bus #2 as well. Looks like all the fun folks will be fratinizing and frolicking on Fun Bus #2

Can't wait

Can somebody who is DIY in Oslo tell me which of the two sightseeing options you decided on? I am looking at either purchasing the HOHO pass which has a set circuit of stops, but no venue admission included OR the Oslo Pass? It looks like the Oslo pass gets you on all public transportation plus admission to a number of museums and other venues?
The advantage I see to HOHO is having a guided explanation of what you are seeing. With the Oslo Pass, you are on your own to get on the correct transportation to take you where you want to go, but your entry into that venue might be included. It also offers dining discounts as well.

What are some of you doing who opted for DIY?

Gonna get the Oslo Pass as I pretty much know what we want to see-Viking museum, Kon Tiki museum, Fram, Akershus Fortress and Norwegian Resistance museum.
From what I heard it isn't too hard to find your way around

 

[Caropooh]

Welcome back! Lot's of good reading to ketchup on!
We are on bus #2 as well. Looks like all the fun folks will be fratinizing and frolicking on Fun Bus #2

I'm beginning to think that Robert and family are the only ones on bus #1! Very smart move on Paul and Celestine's part!

 

[Celestine]

Robert is not alone.....he has the Scrumpy

He also has our party of 10, Sailingpartyof10, MrsG, samanthasmom & Mala Hellwig.

Now that is what you call a bus You were put on busses by hotel location not by personality or DIS board status

 

[RJAYL]

I'm reputable

Do you have signed affidavits to support that position?

Robert is not alone.....he has the Scrumpy

He also has our party of 10, Sailingpartyof10, MrsG, samanthasmom & Mala Hellwig.

Now that is what you call a bus You were put on busses by hotel location not by personality or DIS board status

OOOOH & I thought I was special!

On the subject of special (UK) ANDREW (though the US version is invited as well) anyone up for an Indian food dinner meet on Friday or Saturday?

This came to me this morning whilst talking with DW! (She loves Chicken Tika Masala!) said let the kids eat nuggets as Andrew suggests! then oldest DD chimed in she would give it a go!

Good Morning All!

 

[Marla Hellwig]

 

[Caropooh]

WOO HOO!!!! We get to have a mini-DIS meet on Saturday! And it's even with an honorary Ballyhooer!
Stacey (justmestace) and family are going to be in Seattle this weekend to go on an Alaskan cruise! We're going to do lunch and at least the Space Needle!
Try not to be too jealous, Barb! I'm promise we'll take pictures and think about you! Probably even talk about you!

 

[Celestine]

For those DVC members, don't forget to bring your membership cards - you get 10% off at the Disney Store & the one on Oxford Street has some nice London exclusive merchandise - bought our American friends a Disney London photo frame as we won't have chance to get there on our whistle-stop tour of London.

Unfortunately that is the only perk I've discovered for us UK DVCers!

Celestine

 

[Celestine]

...I completed the half moon walk in London the week-end before last. This half marathon took in the following sites:
Hyde Park
Wellington Arch
Buckingham Palace
The Mall
Treasury
Big Ben
Embankment - Somerset House etc.
St Pauls
London Bridge
The Clink
The Golden Hyde
THe Globe
Imax
Festival Hall
London Eye
County Hall
Lambeth Bridge
Parliament Square

Unfortunately as the event starts at 11pm everything was in the dark

Celestine