7/18/2010 Mickey's Baltic Ballyhoo!! Part 4

[RJAYL]

Morning, Robert . . . I keep debating how early to get to London, given we will be on the ship for so long . . . maybe 3 or 4 nights . . . a week sounds wonderful!

Yes after the summer I will start planning our days, I already have a guide that we have used before for london, but would like to go down the Thames to Grenwich & the naval museum, the tower of london the london eye buckingham palace, portabelo road, Harrods & Windsor I will try & keep the Art Museums to a minimum as I have no kids club & will be touring with all 4 of my children!

 

[jlawall]

On our brief visit last year.........we went to the Tower of London, Covent Garden, Hyde Park, The Royal Opera House, Harrod's, The National Gallery, (we stayed next to Eye but didn't go on it), toured using the double decker busses and a riverboat down the Thames, Trafalagar Square, Picadilly Circus..........it was really cool, I feel really cool just saying all those places!


Now, I'm dying to branch out more and see other places as well in the surrounding areas.

 

[jilljill]

We love the Tower too. Have you ever done the Ceremony of the Keys? My oldest daughter and I have tickets to do this when we are there at the end of the month and I am looking forward to it . . .

We've never done the CotK and it was something I had never heard of until I began researching our last Baltics cruise and heard about it on cruisecritic.

 

[jilljill]

I recommend if anyone is going to ride the London Eye to prebook it online and do a meal package with it. I did that for us last summer and it was much cheaper and the pub we ate at was really, really good - I think it was Porter's in Covent Garden. There was 8 of us and I think I paid just under $300. for the Eye and meals. We had 4 adults and 4 kids, but the 2 older kids were allowed to order off the adult menu at the restaurant even tho I only paid the kids rate for them. The kids pricing was for either 15 and under or 14 and under. Considering the exchange rate last summer I thought it was a really good deal. The meals included an alcoholic/non-alcoholic beverage, entree and either a starter or dessert. We all opted for the dessert and the adults had alcoholic drinks. Also, our tip was included but I did leave a little extra since they allowed to 2 older kids to order off the adult menu.

 

[jilljill]

On our brief visit last year.........we went to the Tower of London, Covent Garden, Hyde Park, The Royal Opera House, Harrod's, The National Gallery, (we stayed next to Eye but didn't go on it), toured using the double decker busses and a riverboat down the Thames, Trafalagar Square, Picadilly Circus..........it was really cool, I feel really cool just saying all those places!


Now, I'm dying to branch out more and see other places as well in the surrounding areas.

We really like Stratford Upon Avon, it's touristy but very old and interesting. Plus, it's always impressed DD's teachers since she was in elemetary school that she's been there. We've been there a bunch of times since my friend used to live near there and we stayed there when we went over for her wedding.
We also like the other towns in that area; Warwick (love Warwick Castle), Kenilworth, Coventry just to name a few.

The one place I've always wanted to go and we've never been is Windsor Castle. Someday I'll get there.

For this trip I've promised DD she will get to Harrod's, missed it last trip and the only other time she's been there we were rushed since we were in the city for only a couple of days. Poor child wants her Harrod's fix.

 

[bellelinus]

We really like Stratford Upon Avon, it's touristy but very old and interesting. Plus, it's always impressed DD's teachers since she was in elemetary school that she's been there. We've been there a bunch of times since my friend used to live near there and we stayed there when we went over for her wedding.
We also like the other towns in that area; Warwick (love Warwick Castle), Kenilworth, Coventry just to name a few.

The one place I've always wanted to go and we've never been is Windsor Castle. Someday I'll get there.

For this trip I've promised DD she will get to Harrod's, missed it last trip and the only other time she's been there we were rushed since we were in the city for only a couple of days. Poor child wants her Harrod's fix.

You should do Windsor Castle -- it's wonderful, and it's fun to see Eton which is right there as well . . . I agree with you about Stratford-on-Avon, it's definitely worth a day visit if someone is in London for long enough (Robert, you and your family might like to go there if you are in London a full week before the cruise).

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

For the Baltic cruise and for thoose staying in a pre cruise hotel in London, best to decide which airport you are coming into.

Gatwick or Heathrow.

For Gatwick and using trains a location at London bridge or Victoria might be best, fast service to LB from Gatwick, as fast as the Gatwick express to Victoria.

The Dover trains leave mostly from London Bridge, ( x charing cross) and some from Victoria where there is also a bus/coach station.

Easy for luggage.

For Hearthrow, trains run to Paddington, or the tube, ( worse for luggage) via piccadillly line to West end.

 

[slg]

How about the bus to Dover from Heathrow? I read that it is easier than the trains.

Also, someone posted about a company called Silverline. Do you know anything about them?

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

How about the bus to Dover from Heathrow? I read that it is easier than the trains.

Also, someone posted about a company called Silverline. Do you know anything about them?

Silverline are a private taxi service

http://www.landflight.co.uk/

National express leave Victoria for Dover,

http://www.nationalexpress.com/coach/Destinations/index.cfm

For cruise terminal

http://www.nationalexpress.com/coac...ation_code=58158&fromc=Dover (cruise terminal)

Trains terminate at Dover priory which is a short taxi ride away.

 

[Celestine]

We love the Tower too. Have you ever done the Ceremony of the Keys? My oldest daughter and I have tickets to do this when we are there at the end of the month and I am looking forward to it . . .

Believe it or not after 32 years (i've excluded the 3 I lived in Cyprus), that is one of the few places in London I've not visited!

We have friends from the EB repo staying with us for a few days before the cruise & we're doing one of the Jack the Ripper pub walks. I did one many years ago & it was an absolute riot & very fascinating (if a bit gruesome). Obviously some of the places no longer exist as they were, but still interesting & a different way to see parts of London.

Celestine

 

[Celestine]

Yes after the summer I will start planning our days, I already have a guide that we have used before for london, but would like to go down the Thames to Grenwich & the naval museum, the tower of london the london eye buckingham palace, portabelo road, Harrods & Windsor I will try & keep the Art Museums to a minimum as I have no kids club & will be touring with all 4 of my children!

By all means skip the art museums, but my kids love the natural history & science museums - interactive, hands on etc. Are you talking about visiting the castle at Windsor (shame they built it so close to the airport!!!!) or Legoland at Windsor? If you're going to the castle, bear in mind that the changing of the guard does not happen every day! During the summer months there is usually a Windsor eye too.

Celestine

 

[bellelinus]

Believe it or not after 32 years (i've excluded the 3 I lived in Cyprus), that is one of the few places in London I've not visited!

We have friends from the EB repo staying with us for a few days before the cruise & we're doing one of the Jack the Ripper pub walks. I did one many years ago & it was an absolute riot & very fascinating (if a bit gruesome). Obviously some of the places no longer exist as they were, but still interesting & a different way to see parts of London.

Celestine

I would LOVE to do a Jack the Ripper pub walk -- as would one of my three daughters (the one who has spent the night in the Lizzie Borden house with me twice!) -- but the one I will be in London later this month would hate it, as would the youngest . . . I will just have to keep it in mind for the future.

 

[jilljill]

How about the bus to Dover from Heathrow? I read that it is easier than the trains.

Also, someone posted about a company called Silverline. Do you know anything about them?

We took that bus last summer to Dover from Victoria station. We were on the first bus, it left around 9:45, and we had a very, very nice driver that dropped us off at the port instead at the Priory Station in Dover. He said that since the bus was ¾ full of cruisers he would take us straight there instead of all of us trying to find taxis to take us over. We were all so grateful for his generosity and we did realize this was not the norm.

I had looked into the trains and decided the bus would be much easier. We've done the trains in England that were so full we had to stand the entire time of a 3 hour journey. Another time we had to ride in the baggage/mail car since there were no more seats and no more room in the passenger cars for passengers with luggage.

 

[jilljill]

For the Baltic cruise and for thoose staying in a pre cruise hotel in London, best to decide which airport you are coming into.

Gatwick or Heathrow.

For Gatwick and using trains a location at London bridge or Victoria might be best, fast service to LB from Gatwick, as fast as the Gatwick express to Victoria.

The Dover trains leave mostly from London Bridge, ( x charing cross) and some from Victoria where there is also a bus/coach station.

Easy for luggage.

For Hearthrow, trains run to Paddington, or the tube, ( worse for luggage) via piccadillly line to West end.

For us we just use the tube to get into the city and we usually fly in/out of Heathrow. We are familiar with the system and I have it figured out which stations we need to go thru. I always book a hotel that is very close to a tube station for convenience and know which area I want to stay in.

 

[Madisonznana]

We're talking pre-cruise, cruise talk should be coming soon!!!:banana:

 

[slg]

jilljill:

Was it easy to find the bus? Did you prebook? Does it regularly sell out? I hate to prebook as what happens if the plane is delayed?

I think the bus sounds more relaxing, just recline and look out the window. Is there only one connection?

Sorry to ask so many questions, I'm just so undecided about whether we do bus or something like silverline. We are a family of 5 and we are wanting to stay in London after the cruise as long as possible, so we want to economize every way we can without it being a complete disaster.

If you can fill me in to the details on the procedure and whether you would do it again with 3 kids, I'd much appreciate!

We're thinking of taking the train back to London as our b+b is in bayswater and very close to paddington station. Sounds easier than the other way.

Any thoughts on that would also be much appreciated.

 

[RJAYL]

We took that bus last summer to Dover from Victoria station. We were on the first bus, it left around 9:45, and we had a very, very nice driver that dropped us off at the port instead at the Priory Station in Dover. He said that since the bus was ¾ full of cruisers he would take us straight there instead of all of us trying to find taxis to take us over. We were all so grateful for his generosity and we did realize this was not the norm.

I had looked into the trains and decided the bus would be much easier. We've done the trains in England that were so full we had to stand the entire time of a 3 hour journey. Another time we had to ride in the baggage/mail car since there were no more seats and no more room in the passenger cars for passengers with luggage.

We should try to get a disser count & set up an early bus to the ship it has to be cheaper then what DCL wants for transfers we could go right to the ship gauranteed!

How long was the bus trip Barb?

 

[RJAYL]

Good Morning All

 

[MrsScooby]

We should try to get a disser count & set up an early bus to the ship it has to be cheaper then what DCL wants for transfers we could go right to the ship gauranteed!

How long was the bus trip Barb?

I was wondering about getting a bus or something with other Dis folks from London area to the port. Something like what was done last August from the Disneyland hotels to the port
I'm sure there will be plenty of Dis people interested

Good Morning All

Good Morning

 

[Marla Hellwig]

howdy

busy few weeks here will try to catch up later

graduation is tonight, part of the family came in yesterday and the balance arrives this morning

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