British Isles Cruise With the Kiddos?

[mmmears]

We did the Norway/Iceland/Scotland DCL cruise this past summer and loved it. Seriously, I'd be thrilled to book it again. My DD is older, but yes, there are plenty options in each port. I hired private guides, so we were able to do exactly what we wanted to on our own schedule, but there are also lots of fun options - check out the ports on the DCL site - that will give you a pretty good overview of your options. From what I saw (and heard about from our cruise group) the kids loved it, too. It was nice that we did the "traveling" part at night, so we had our days free to tour. Oh, and we also flew from CA. It's a long flight, but there are direct ones if you are flying to London.

 

[ChicosWife]

Direct flights from LAX last 11 hours.

We came all the way from Arizona, a very similar distance. I'm not going to lie; the long plane trip and jet lag are no joke!

BUT . . . it was a magnificent trip. Like a previous poster, there was no way on earth I was going to drive in the UK. Taking the cruise was like a sampler platter of Ireland and the U.K.; it helped us get a lovely taste of the area and figure out where we wanted to return. (We loved Scotland and Wales, in particular. And London was fabulous!)

For our family, having a solid week in London (also in an apartment rental located one block from the Victoria & Albert Museum, coincidentally) -PLUS- the week long cruise was a fantastic combo. If I could redo the entire experience (well, 99% of it anyway), I would in a heartbeat!

We may have to break our trip up and spend a night on the East Coast, because an 11 hour flight doesn't sound pleasant!

 

[mmmears]

We may have to break our trip up and spend a night on the East Coast, because an 11 hour flight doesn't sound pleasant!

I've done it both ways and at this point I just prefer to get it over with. If you collect airline points like I do you can try to get a more comfortable seat - it makes a world of difference. This is definitely a time when I think about how easier flights would be if I lived on the east coast.

 

[Marc D]

We may have to break our trip up and spend a night on the East Coast, because an 11 hour flight doesn't sound pleasant!

We’ve done 14 hours to Tokyo. It is really not so bad, unless you are unable to sleep on a plane. It is much easier to do one flight than two. Waiting in a layover airport is no fun and adds a layer of uncertainty to your trip. Stopping in a city involves a lot of time to go out of the airport and into the city, then back to the airport. You’re probably looking at double the time needed to travel to your final destination.

 

[ChicosWife]

We’ve done 14 hours to Tokyo. It is really not so bad, unless you are unable to sleep on a plane. It is much easier to do one flight than two. Waiting in a layover airport is no fun and adds a layer of uncertainty to your trip. Stopping in a city involves a lot of time to go out of the airport and into the city, then back to the airport. You’re probably looking at double the time needed to travel to your final destination.

Good point. We have only flown SW, so I am not sure what my comfort would be flying that long, with another airline.

 

[Karin1984]

Other question for the flying, are you and your family members short or tall? If you are short, it will be more comfortable than for tall people. All big airlines to Europe have plenty of entertainment in movies, series and games in the entertainment system. If you also bring a book, or something else you like to do, you will be fine.

 

[jdb in AZ]

We may have to break our trip up and spend a night on the East Coast, because an 11 hour flight doesn't sound pleasant!

On our recent trip to Europe we flew from AZ to NY and stopped over two days to visit friends and see a Broadway play. Then we flew to Rome. On the way home we flew from Rome, changed planes and terminals in England (got groped by the TSA twice in one day because my underwire bra set off the metal detectors!) then straight to Phoenix. Adding the time in NYC was a lot more pleasant than that long-haul at the end. I don't sleep well on planes, and the jet lag was a two-day nightmare.

 

[Yokelridesagain]

The current DCL British Isles itinerary is a good way to see four British cities (Edinburgh, Dublin, Belfast, and Liverpool) where you can see the highlights on a day trip.

But if your primary goal is to "see Scotland", day trips to Glasgow or Edinburgh are not the way to go.

 

[ChicosWife]

Other question for the flying, are you and your family members short or tall? If you are short, it will be more comfortable than for tall people. All big airlines to Europe have plenty of entertainment in movies, series and games in the entertainment system. If you also bring a book, or something else you like to do, you will be fine.

We are tall people. My DH is 6'3" and I am 5'8".

 

[Karin1984]

I am 5'7" and I am fine on longhaul flights, so I reckon you won't have much of a problem either, but with your husband's height, cutting the flight in two isnt a bad idea, with maybe a day or two in between? Or if possible, spend the money (or frequent flyer Miles, points on your credit card?) on flying in business or first class. The more space you have, the more comfortable you will be.

On the other hand, from (for example) New York to London is a short flight, only 5-6 hours but it is a night flight, which will probably mess with your rhythm.

Whatever option you chose, I would give yourself time to get over your jetlag before boarding the cruise.

 

[mmmears]

We are ok flying coach domestically (although DH is 6' tall and we do pay for extra legroom when it's not outrageously priced) but have used airline miles and credit card points to fly both first and business class overseas a few times. Coach from the west coast to Europe is a long flight.

 

[ChicosWife]

I am 5'7" and I am fine on longhaul flights, so I reckon you won't have much of a problem either, but with your husband's height, cutting the flight in two isnt a bad idea, with maybe a day or two in between? Or if possible, spend the money (or frequent flyer Miles, points on your credit card?) on flying in business or first class. The more space you have, the more comfortable you will be.

On the other hand, from (for example) New York to London is a short flight, only 5-6 hours but it is a night flight, which will probably mess with your rhythm.

Whatever option you chose, I would give yourself time to get over your jetlag before boarding the cruise.

Good idea!