Disney Magic 12 nt. British Isles Cruise 2017

[ahen]

Since we booked the 7 night trip while on the Wonder last week, this will be very helpful.

 

[poison ivy]

Since we booked the 7 night trip while on the Wonder last week, this will be very helpful.

thanks so much and great decision on booking the 7nt next year. wish we were going too!

ok who's ready for an update??

 

[poison ivy]

Pre-cruise Day 2
London

Sat. July 8, 2017


A walk among the stones.



If you had just 1 day ever to visit London,
Knowing you may never get back there again………

What would you do with it?

Well, that was our dilemma.
And with so many options, I've quoted what I'll call a first attempt at solving it way back in the early planning stages: (excepts from our cruise meet thread)

So here is our rough London 1 day touring plan: listed in order of importance (but may need to be rearranged depending on location).
Disclaimer: I have not mapped out anything.

1. Tower of London
2. Westminster Abbey
3. St. Paul's Cathedral
4. Churchill War Rooms

Still need to look into the "oyster card" and how to bypass any ticket booths by prepaying attraction entrance fees wherever possible.
Trying to keep it simple and plan to venture out early to maximize the day.

Again, any recommendations on how to accomplish this are welcome and greatly appreciated.

thanks so much.

To which @BadPinkTink graciously mapped out a comprehensive transportation schedule to assist:

Right sounds a good doable plan View attachment 267399

Tower of London and St Pauls are in the same general area, Westminster Abbey / Big Ben / Houses of Parliament and Churchill War Rooms are in the same general are\

This would be my suggestion

1. Get Piccadilly Line tube from Heathrow to South Kensington Station.

2. At South Kensington change to either the Circle Line (Yellow) or the District Line (Green) They both go to Tower Hill. You dont need to exit the station, just exit the Piccadilly Line Tube and follow the signs for Circle Line (Yellow) and District Line (Green). You need to get to the platform where the District Line Tube goes to Upminister (the last stop) There is a map on the wall at the entrance to the platform which lists the stations served by tubes on that platform. This is the map of District Line Tube https://tfl.gov.uk/tube/route/district

3. Exit the tube at Tower Hill Station. This is the station for Tower of London. When you get to ground level there will be signs for Tower of London.

4. When you are done at Tower of London get the Number 15 Bus to St Pauls (5 stops) https://tfl.gov.uk/bus/route/15

5. When you are done at St Pauls get the number 11 bus https://tfl.gov.uk/bus/route/11/

6. The number 11 bus stops at Trafalgar Square, which is right beside Leicester Square area. I would advise getting off at Trafalgar and having lunch in this area. Check Google Maps, there are tons of restaurants and cafes as well as all sorts of shops, theatres etc.

7. After your lunch break go back to the bus stop you got off at, and get back on the number 11 bus. You only need to go 2 stops and get off at Parliament Square / The Cenotaph for Churchill War Rooms.

8. When you are done at Churchill War Rooms, walk down to Parliament Square for Westminster Abbey / Big Ben / Houses of Parliament.

9. When you are done with Westminster Abbey / Big Ben / Houses of Parliament go to Westminster Tube Station. Reverse your morning journey.

10 Get the Circle Line (Yellow) or the District Line (Green) tube to South Kensington. You will need the platform where the District Line Tube goes to Ealing Broadway (last stop)

11. At South Kensignton, exit the tube and follow the signs for Piccadilly Line. You dont need to exit the station, you just need to follow the signs to change platforms. You will need the Piccadilly Line Tube that goes to Heathrow Terminal 5. Make sure it states that it goes to Terminal 5, as there are 2 routes for the Piccadilly Line Tube, Terminals 2,3 and 4 or Terminals 2,3 and 5

Upon first glance at that plan, I thought Whoa! Yellow line / green line / Piccadilly line / number 11 bus / omg!?@ Do we really need to hop all these transit stops to get around in time to accomplish 4 things? (hoping this was a lot easier than it sounds or maybe we could just walk.)

Well, we will never know the answer to that, because we abandoned the whole thing. (sorry Tink!)

Yep. Traded it all in for the opportunity to visit the inner circle at Stonehenge. And I'd do it again if I could.

Check this out.

Stonehenge – Inner Circle

Originally, we booked the Stonehenge adults only excursion thru Disney. https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/port-adventures/portland-england-stonehenge-adult-only/ Mainly for convenience and because I was under the wrong impression that you could physically walk in and around the stones.

Disney's description doesn't exactly lie when it states: "Walk amid the ancient stone circle of Stonehenge, erected before the Egyptian pyramids between 3,000 BC and 1,600 BC." I just wasn't quick enough to pick up on the term "amid" vs "among".

Apparently, "among" happened a long time ago.

Today, the DCL busses will arrive during regular operating hours, where you’re joined with the general public and completely roped off from the inner circle.

Definitely not what I envisioned and not what we wanted for $119/pp

So we started digging to see if there was any way to get past the ropes.
Turns out you can! (but only privately - and well outside the main operating hours which would not work during the cruise)

Here are the 2 main websites with all the information for anyone who might be considering this. Note that the vendors vary from day to day and incorporate their own touring plans with Stonehenge. You can make arrangements for a private group or book one of the packaged tours already set up.

Link 1) easy to follow links for direct booking with vendors by date. http://www.stonehenge-inner-circle-tours.com/

Link 2) more detailed website with same information. https://www.londontoolkit.com/tours/stonehenge_special_access_tour_private.htm
(both sites update regularly, so check back for summer 2018)

Also note they may not be running every day – and are very limited in capacity
(typically to 1 bus load = around 48 pax)

this is our coach



SO BOOK EARLY. THEY DO SELL OUT!

Our date was extremely limited. We only had the 1 day – Saturday, July 8, 2017. That meant we had to take whatever tour was being offered, using whichever vendor had that day and hope there were spots still open.


Enter: EVAN EVANS - Stonehenge at Sunrise, Oxford & Windsor Castle

https://evanevanstours.com/sightsee.../stonehenge-at-sunrise-oxford-windsor-castle/

This company was assigned Saturdays in 2017.

Duration: 9 1/2 hrs.
Prices: Adults £125.00 Children £115.00 Seniors (60+) £120.00

Highlights

• Private Viewing of the Inner Circle at Stonehenge
• Walking tour of Oxford
• Entrance to Windsor Castle and a tour of the State Apartments and St George's Chapel
• First-class luxury Motor-coach and the services of a professional Tour Guide
• Personal Audio Headset

If you click on the site, and read the reviews you'll see Charlotte mentioned as the guide - she was ours as well, and really great.

That's Charlotte guiding us through History.



It would appear Iron Man was a big Charlotte fan as well!




You'll also read a few comments about the timing at Windsor Castle being too short.
Yes our visit to Windsor was short but that's because it's a massive place which one could easily spend a full day at. Truly incredible. Wait til I post pics!

A couple hours here just doesn't do it justice. But we were thrilled to have gotten to see it - at all. Never even had Windsor on the radar. Who knew?!?!

(here's a sneak peek)



Anyway, we got lucky on this one. The website showed 3 seats available with full payment due upon booking. Great!
that seemed easy.......

Now comes the fun part.

If you go back to the Evan Evans website and hypothetically add a person to the basket you'll advance to the screen with a drop down menu for 3 pick up options:

5:00 am - Amba Hotel Marble Arch http://www.amba-hotel.com/en/london/marble-arch.html

5:15 am - Victoria Park Plaza https://www.parkplaza.com/london-hotel-gb-sw1v-1eq/gbvictor?facilitatorId=PARKPLAZAPPCBMM

5:30 am - Millennium Gloucester https://www.millenniumhotels.com/en/london/millennium-gloucester-hotel-london-kensington/

JQ and I of course, can't distinguish one stop from the other nor their proximity to the Sofitel.
So we exit that website and decide to call their US# from the states.

They tell us we are closest to the Millennium Gloucester.
(entrance under the archway next to the Grosvenor Casino sign)





They also state we’ll be traveling in the opposite direction from Stonehenge to get to that hotel– and since London Heathrow Airport (LHR) is not a pickup point, we’ll have to commute at least 40 min in to London even though the coach will proceed to drive out of the city passing the airport on its way to the site.

Oh well. What choice do we have? Just tack on an extra 1.5 hrs to a 9.5 hr tour. We prepay by phone and are confirmed for 5:30 am at the Millennium Gloucester. They want us at the stop at least 15min ahead of time.

It’s always good to have a visual on this stuff, so I’ve mapped out a few reference points for anyone new to this whole experience like we were.


Map 1: 3 pickup stops for this tour. Distance 4.2 miles apart. 25mins by car (with no traffic) crazy!
(Note: Amba Marble Arch is same street / 1 block away from Disney's hotel - Hyatt Regency The Churchill. Which prompted us to inquire about switching resorts – to no avail. Too little too late at that point.)




Map 2: 3 pickup points in relation to LHR and Stonehenge. As you can see I’m at least 20.3 miles away from the Amba Marble Arch and 16.1 miles from the Millennium Gloucester. and we're going to drive right past my hotel on the way out.



Map 3: Our entire touring route – London hotels (passing Sofitel LHR) to Stonehenge to Oxford to Windsor.
Travel time: estimated 4 h 27 min (without traffic) for the full round trip journey. Hence the 9.5 tour time.




word of advice when touring via coach:
1st pickup stop = empty bus with a lot of seats to choose from
last pickup stop = full bus with mainly single seats available.


Next up - Day 2 Pt 2: Q&A - How and What time do you leave the Sofitel to get into London to catch a 5:30am tour bus??

 

[Johnny Quest]

This was a great day. The weather was perfect and everything was new to us. The bus ride through the English countryside was very enjoyable with plenty to see. Having access to the stones was incredible and worth every Pound...and getting up at 3am. I would take this tour again in a heartbeat.

 

[85glht]

We did Stonehenge via DCL.... was ok. You guys had great weather on your visit.... it was cloudy and drizzling on the day we visited the rocks.. This was on my bucket list and I'm happy I got to see them.....I think aliens built it though,lol.

 

[tlynk]

For a 2 night stay pre-cruise do you recommend staying at an airport hotel with Disney for the convenience of everything? I would still want to do a one-day tour in London. Did you think it was difficult to do this while staying at an airport hotel? We are doing the BI b2b with the WBTA, so I don't think we can squeeze anymore days in. If I had more time I would stay in London vs an airport hotel 100%.

 

[85glht]

For a 2 night stay pre-cruise do you recommend staying at an airport hotel with Disney for the convenience of everything? I would still want to do a one-day tour in London. Did you think it was difficult to do this while staying at an airport hotel? We are doing the BI b2b with the WBTA, so I don't think we can squeeze anymore days in. If I had more time I would stay in London vs an airport hotel 100%.

We did this on a different cruise but for different reasons. It was convenient staying at the airport and getting to the touristy areas was a breeze. The Tube (subway) runs right to Heathrow and is easy to navigate.

 

[poison ivy]

This was a great day. The weather was perfect and everything was new to us. The bus ride through the English countryside was very enjoyable with plenty to see. Having access to the stones was incredible and worth every Pound...and getting up at 3am. I would take this tour again in a heartbeat.

so true. Did we really get up at 3am? btw-are you feeling the BI b2b WBTA pull?

We did Stonehenge via DCL.... was ok. You guys had great weather on your visit.... it was cloudy and drizzling on the day we visited the rocks.. This was on my bucket list and I'm happy I got to see them.....I think aliens built it though,lol.

aliens?? too funny! cloudy and drizzling sounds about right on that day. We went to Glastonbury Tor and the Cathedral City of Wells instead and beat the weather in the morning. Can't wait to showcase that one.

This was a bucket list for us too. I'd love to hear all about the DCL Stonehenge excursion since you guys were one of the first groups to go there with Disney. I'm sure a lot of the cruisers for 2018 will really benefit from this as well.

For a 2 night stay pre-cruise do you recommend staying at an airport hotel with Disney for the convenience of everything? I would still want to do a one-day tour in London. Did you think it was difficult to do this while staying at an airport hotel? We are doing the BI b2b with the WBTA, so I don't think we can squeeze anymore days in. If I had more time I would stay in London vs an airport hotel 100%.

Hi tlynk - Congrats on booking that B2B. very envious here! what a combo with those 2 great cruises.

It's a such a personal decision where to stay pre-cruise. You have to really weigh the pros and cons. Convenience and inexperience being first timers is exactly why we chose the Sofitel. But staying in London has its advantages with getting around town for sightseeing.

as @85glht is saying, the airport hotel at Terminal 5 is very easy for travel to and from London whether you opt for a cab or the Heathrow Express or ride the Underground (tube). They're all right there.

It's also pretty hassle free with the DCL transfers. They retrieve your luggage right from your hotel room and the busses pull up out front to transport you to the port. The DCL reps are in the lobby both the day before and day of the cruise to assist guests.

In the next segment I'll be getting into the 2 modes of transportation we used for our 1 day tour to give you an idea of what your options will be.

We did this on a different cruise but for different reasons. It was convenient staying at the airport and getting to the touristy areas was a breeze. The Tube (subway) runs right to Heathrow and is easy to navigate.

excellent points. totally agree.

 

[wdwfan]

I'm really enjoying your trip report. I hope to one day take the same cruise.

 

[poison ivy]

Day 2 – London
Sat. July 8, 2017
Tour: Stonehenge at Sunrise; Oxford & Windsor Castle

”Get me to the Millennium Gloucester on time.”

It’s Friday night. We’ve just flown into London from NYC after a very long day of travel and barely make dinner when all of a sudden it dawns on us –

We have to be at the Millennium Gloucester by 5:30am tomorrow and don’t have the slightest idea of how to get there.

This is not something we thought of or planned before now.

Why? because here in the US, things are a little too convenient. Anyone can just walk out of a major airport or large hotel at any hour and easily hail a cab to wherever you need to go because they’re usually just sitting there 24/7 waiting for a customer.

So we just assumed this was standard operating procedure across major European cities as well. And that when it was time to for us to leave, we’d simply hop a cab right outside the airport or hotel.

Well surprisingly, this is not how things work in London; nor at the Heathrow airport nor at the Sofitel for that matter.

We quickly run over to solicit the Transportation Desk for assistance.
(yes, the Sofitel has it’s own transportation desk – another bonus!)



They start mumbling things like:

“which Millennium hotel?”
“right – Gloucester, that’s Kensington”
“yes, leave at 4:15 am”
“No Black Cabs – too early”
“No Heathrow Express before 5am”
“night tube? no, Piccadilly line will take longer”
“would you like us to arrange a private hire?”
“need to do that right away – it’ll cost £60”
“that’s the only option from here at that hour”

They may as well have been speaking Greek as far as we understood.

Welcome to London Transportation 101:

Any new visitor to London will experience this at some point, and we were no exception.
So here’s a beginners intro as it relates to where we were staying & traveling to:

To get from our hotel – The Sofitel (LHR terminal 5) to the Millennium Gloucester (Kensington district)

We had what I’ll call “The BIG 5” in transportion options without a car:
(obviously, if you're in the city, there are many more http://www.visitlondon.com/travelle...d-london/london-transport#IbAUDIm41KLLkG2J.97
and of course there's "walking....always walking")

But for us – only The BIG 5:

1. Heathrow Express (express train runs only between Paddington & Heathrow) https://www.heathrowexpress.com
2. Underground (a/k/a the tube) (entirely different rail line – think DC metro)
3. Bus (red double-decker bus system)
4. Black Cab
5. Private hire

For #1 - you can NOT use the oyster card to ride either the Heathrow or Dover Express

For 2 & 3 (tube/bus), you CAN use the oyster card. this is the official website https://tfl.gov.uk/
but this is a much better and easier to follow guide: http://www.visitlondon.com/travelle...around-london/london-tube#lkrczyugeg1dw3wR.97

Also, to better understand using the Oyster Card & riding the various transports + tips on London etiquette for anyone new or confused with the whole process - watch this video! It's the best I've seen so far on this topic.

(NOTE: for the bus – you only tap IN - not IN & OUT. It isn't stated in that video, but if you tap both ways, you’ll actually be charged double for the bus)

As for the remaining 2 options (black cab vs private hire), London has taken the taxi experience to a whole new level which quite frankly puts the US to shame.

I highly encourage all first timers like myself planning a visit to:

1. read this subpage on black taxis vs. minicabs:
https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/taxis-and-...from-your-journey?intcmp=35121#on-this-page-0

and

2. watch this exceptional video - showcasing the black taxi experience w/emphasis on its’ accessibility features

That’s enough for now – Good Luck! It’s a big planning project if you’re not familiar. We'll try to help any way we can.

Ok Let's keep moving...............

So the Transportation Desk arranges a private hire for us and schedules our pickup time for 4:15am.
(In a very nice Mercedes)




They are convinced it's at least 45min - 1hr. commute to get to London by 5:30. All I keep hearing is "traffic", "bad traffic".

We're new. We're not from here. We know nothing. We trust their judgement.

Well, that was a mistake.

I believe this is what they were imagining as they debated what time to arrange the car.
(photo taken around 11am on Sun. from the DCL bus as we were leaving LHR for Dover)



Big difference compared to what we actually encountered: (@ 4:15 am Sat.)



Empty highways and deserted streets.




We arrive at the Millennium Gloucester promptly at:



Yes, you are reading that correctly. We're at the hotel a full hour ahead of our pickup time. 4:39 am.
It only took 24 minutes to get here.

Lucky for us, the Millennium Gloucester is a really nice hotel. They are very familiar with our tour and let us know the pickup will actually take place out at the street.



They graciously offer their lobby to sit and wait.



Around 5am we are joined by a 3 generation family also on the tour who happen to be cruising the British Isles on the Magic with us as well. Great! They too were dealing with a lot of logistics in getting to London from Arkansas and Oregon if I remember correctly. They also paid for a taxi to get here. Can't remember from where but the price was the same.
And here they are boarding our tour bus promptly at 5:30am.
(so definitely get there early)



Next up: Let's go to Stonehenge, Oxford and Windsor Castle

 

[Johnny Quest]

Those videos are great. They make me miss England and Ireland and Scotland...and France. I never realized how much I would like the isles. Can't wait to go back some day and hopefully get a better taste of London.

 

[poison ivy]

I'm really enjoying your trip report. I hope to one day take the same cruise.

That's so great to hear and there's lots more to come. I hope you get to take this cruise someday too! It was the best.

 

[poison ivy]

Those videos are great. They make me miss England and Ireland and Scotland...and France. I never realized how much I would like the isles. Can't wait to go back some day and hopefully get a better taste of London.

Me too. btw - You know I'm going to hold you to this.

 

[Mathmagicland]

Me too. btw - You know I'm going to hold you to this.

And you have witnesses in this thread

 

[85glht]

aliens?? too funny! cloudy and drizzling sounds about right on that day. We went to Glastonbury Tor and the Cathedral City of Wells instead and beat the weather in the morning. Can't wait to showcase that one.

This was a bucket list for us too. I'd love to hear all about the DCL Stonehenge excursion since you guys were the first group to go there with Disney. I'm sure a lot of the 7nt. BI cruisers for 2018 will really benefit from this as well.

Sure thing... cliff note version..... pretty much like any other cruise line excursion, herded like cattle to the buses and then whisked away for a two hour ride through the lovely British country side. The weather sucked but no one has any control over that. The place was crowded and so was the gift shop. If this place is high on you bucket list, then I would suggest going the route you did, private, intimate tour. If you just want to see what "aliens" built, then the tour we did was just fine. We had enough time to see the structure, visit the gift shop and then board the bus for our trip back to the ship. I'm very happy that I got to see this. Seen it a lot on the Discovery Channel.

Back to your awesome trip report

 

[tink1970]

I love the look on the transportation desk's lady's face. She did not appear particularly amused

I miss the Underground and its beautiful, effective transportation...I've been hauling around my Oyster Card for months now...wishful thinking I can use it here at home

Enjoy how thoroughly you outline options for those who haven't been to London. I'm sure it will be a big help for many.

 

[Johnny Quest]

so true. Did we really get up at 3am? btw-are you feeling the BI b2b WBTA pull?

I am definitely feeling the pull! Anyone else? The Magic is my favorite ship...19 days of cruising...no problem!

 

[ahen]

So we did a bus tour of England, Wales and Scotland 3 years ago. So want to spend at least 2 days in London either before or after cruise, because there is so much we didn't see. I can skip Stonehedge as we have been there.

 

[poison ivy]

And you have witnesses in this thread

So true! You need to jump on this one. Esp. if we do

Sure thing... cliff note version..... pretty much like any other cruise line excursion, herded like cattle to the buses and then whisked away for a two hour ride through the lovely British country side. The weather sucked but no one has any control over that. The place was crowded and so was the gift shop. If this place is high on you bucket list, then I would suggest going the route you did, private, intimate tour. If you just want to see what "aliens" built, then the tour we did was just fine. We had enough time to see the structure, visit the gift shop and then board the bus for our trip back to the ship. I'm very happy that I got to see this. Seen it a lot on the Discovery Channel.

Back to your awesome trip report

Thanks so much for this. Your description is very similar to our DCL excursion in Edinburgh. Very crowded. Very busy. Herded like cattle.
btw - did you manage to grab anything to eat at the Stonehenge Visitors center? We didn't have time. It was just opening as we were leaving.

I love the look on the transportation desk's lady's face. She did not appear particularly amused

I miss the Underground and its beautiful, effective transportation...I've been hauling around my Oyster Card for months now...wishful thinking I can use it here at home

Enjoy how thoroughly you outline options for those who haven't been to London. I'm sure it will be a big help for many.

Thank you. Really appreciate it.

That transportation desk photo is too funny. It's actually taken the morning we're all crowding the lobby to leave for Dover. You can see a lot of Disney cruisers in a reflection off the desk. Yeah, they weren't amused. But they are a big help when we're not honing in on their space.

I've edited my transportation post to note that the Oyster Card can't be used on the Heathrow or Dover Express rail lines. I think it's an important distinction. Did you get your deposits back on the cards? If so, how do you go about it? If we do go back the Oyster Card is something we'll probably need.

I am definitely feeling the pull! Anyone else? The Magic is my favorite ship...19 days of cruising...no problem!

I think you should book it. It's early. Plenty of time to plan. we can drop Bermuda.
This trip report makes me really miss that place. We didn't see nearly enough and it's got 2 stops in Ireland!!! Plus the WBTA goes back to Cork!

 

[poison ivy]

So we did a bus tour of England, Wales and Scotland 3 years ago. So want to spend at least 2 days in London either before or after cruise, because there is so much we didn't see. I can skip Stonehedge as we have been there.

If we go back we'll do the same as you. 2 days in London. I still have my list of 4 top things but this way we can really enjoy the time and incorporate some dining, shopping, and few more sights.

I highly recommend Windsor Castle, if you haven't seen it. What was that bus tour like? You covered a lot of country between England, Scotland and Wales. It must have been longer than 1 day.