Paris/London

[lb4747694]

Also, did you get a travel card or oyster card for your train/tube trips, or did you just pay as you went?

Get any Oyster or Travelcard (depending on your length of use). Basic rule of thumb is that a Travelcard is about the same price as a "cash" roundtrip and then you can use it all day. London is ridiculously expensive when it comes to mass transit.

 

[glassslipper2004]

Kristilew - I haven't heard the rule about ages of kids in pubs - we waltzed right in to the Salisbury Pub (near Leicester Square - very nice) without any problem at all. Certainly no one asked my girls' ages; they are 11 and 12 (now 13) and the younger one definitely doesn't look 14!

We didn't get any kind of transport card. Our hotel was very centrally located, so we walked to the theaters, London Eye, sights, etc. The few times we went further we took a cab, which seemed like a reasonable choice given the weather and that there were 4 of us.

Let me know if you have any more questions - have a wonderful time!

 

[kristilew]

Thank you!

 

[sayhello]

Kristilew - I haven't heard the rule about ages of kids in pubs - we waltzed right in to the Salisbury Pub (near Leicester Square - very nice) without any problem at all. Certainly no one asked my girls' ages; they are 11 and 12 (now 13) and the younger one definitely doesn't look 14!

We didn't get any kind of transport card. Our hotel was very centrally located, so we walked to the theaters, London Eye, sights, etc. The few times we went further we took a cab, which seemed like a reasonable choice given the weather and that there were 4 of us.

Let me know if you have any more questions - have a wonderful time!

glassslipper, where did you stay in London? I'm staying a couple of days in Winchester pre-ABD, roaming out to Oxford from there, but I want to spend at least one night in London before the ABD starts.

Thanks!
Sayhello

 

[glassslipper2004]

We stayed at the Radisson Edwardian Leicester Square. It is a very nice hotel, and we were able to get what they called a junior suite so that we could put 4 people in one room (often hard to do in London). It is right in the center of "theaterland," within easy walking distance of the theaters, right behind the Portrait Gallery, and a short walk to Trafalgar Square and then Parliament, Big Ben, a few more minutes to the London Eye... really a super location. The package we got included a full breakfast with both a cold buffet and your choice of a hot entree. It was definitely on the pricey side, but a nice luxury for our very short trip to London.

 

[sayhello]

We stayed at the Radisson Edwardian Leicester Square. It is a very nice hotel, and we were able to get what they called a junior suite so that we could put 4 people in one room (often hard to do in London). It is right in the center of "theaterland," within easy walking distance of the theaters, right behind the Portrait Gallery, and a short walk to Trafalgar Square and then Parliament, Big Ben, a few more minutes to the London Eye... really a super location. The package we got included a full breakfast with both a cold buffet and your choice of a hot entree. It was definitely on the pricey side, but a nice luxury for our very short trip to London.

Ouch! That is a little pricey. We'll see. Maybe my good sense will fail me! I got a really great rate on a B&B in Winchester, so maybe I can splurge... We shall see! Thanks for the info!

Sayhello

 

[mkmommy]

We were going to stay at the Premier Inn Victoria station, it was a new rebuild in 2009 and the location is 3 minute walk from Victoria station, so a great location. I ended up not staying there but we did go in and it was very clean, and if I go back to London will stay there. We did stay at a Premier Inn in Dover and it was a basic hotel, but very clean.

The Victoria Station hotel is ranked 55 /1054 in London on tripadvisor and about 100 pounds a night, which for London and the location is pretty good.

Not sure is you have been following the thread on the Carlsonf friends and family rate code on the cruise thread. I know Carlson is Radisson and Park Plaza and this promotional code brings up some great rate for London hotels (60-70 pounds a night). Some people from last years cruise used the code with no problems at Park Plaza County Hall

 

[sayhello]

We were going to stay at the Premier Inn Victoria station, it was a new rebuild in 2009 and the location is 3 minute walk from Victoria station, so a great location. I ended up not staying there but we did go in and it was very clean, and if I go back to London will stay there. We did stay at a Premier Inn in Dover and it was a basic hotel, but very clean.

The Victoria Station hotel is ranked 55 /1054 in London on tripadvisor and about 100 pounds a night, which for London and the location is pretty good.

Not sure is you have been following the thread on the Carlsonf friends and family rate code on the cruise thread. I know Carlson is Radisson and Park Plaza and this promotional code brings up some great rate for London hotels (60-70 pounds a night). Some people from last years cruise used the code with no problems at Park Plaza County Hall

Thanks for the tip, mkmommy! I'll look into that hotel, too.

Where is this Carlson friends & family rate thread? On the DCL board? If you could post a link, that would be great, but I'll go hunting, too.

Thanks!
Sayhello

 

[mkmommy]

the last couple of pages of this thread talk about the CarlsonF promo code.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2614495

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2616187

 

[sayhello]

the last couple of pages of this thread talk about the CarlsonF promo code.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2614495

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2616187

Oh, wow! Thanks! That's a fabulous rate for a London hotel! I got it for £66.08 GBP!

The reviews on Trip Advisor are great! It' #36 of 1,054 hotels in London!

Sayhello

 

[Judyat]

Have any of you who have done or are going to do the London/Paris ABD trip done or will do a few extra days at the end to go to Disneyland Paris? If so how easy is it to add on a few days? And would you just stay at the hotel in Paris and do a day trip to Disneyland Paris? Also how easy is it to add on a Versailles trip if it's not included in the Gateway London/Paris trip and is it worth adding on? We have just enough points to do the Gateway trip whereas the Knight and Lights one is more points than we have.

 

[glassslipper2004]

That is an incredible rate for a London hotel!! We got snookered into our pricey one because friends of ours insisted on staying there. We had a wonderful, wonderful time, and it was very convenient, but really too expensive.

Sayhello, you are going to have a marvelous time on the K&L trip. I look forward to reading your TR! Wish it was sooner (bet you do too).

 

[lb4747694]

Have any of you who have done or are going to do the London/Paris ABD trip done or will do a few extra days at the end to go to Disneyland Paris? If so how easy is it to add on a few days? And would you just stay at the hotel in Paris and do a day trip to Disneyland Paris? Also how easy is it to add on a Versailles trip if it's not included in the Gateway London/Paris trip and is it worth adding on? We have just enough points to do the Gateway trip whereas the Knight and Lights one is more points than we have.

Both DLP and Versailles are easy to get to from Paris. I took my family to both last year, using the Metro/RER. Depending on where you're staying, you'll just have to figure out which station to get to.

DLP - Take RER A to Marne La Vallee -- follow the masses

Versailles - Take RER C to Versailles-Rive Gauche -- follow the masses (it'll be about 1km from the station to the Chateau). If you like lamb, one of my favorite restaurants in the world is nearby--Le Limousin (if you have your back to the Chateau, you'll see a road that angles away to the right. It's on the corner)

 

[sayhello]

That is an incredible rate for a London hotel!! We got snookered into our pricey one because friends of ours insisted on staying there. We had a wonderful, wonderful time, and it was very convenient, but really too expensive.

Sayhello, you are going to have a marvelous time on the K&L trip. I look forward to reading your TR! Wish it was sooner (bet you do too).

I *HAD* to book it! It's probably not as fancy as the hotel you stayed at, but it's well located and the reviews are stellar. And for that kind of money, right *in* London? I'm quite relieved!

And yes, I do wish it was sooner! But I like having something to look forward to!

Sayhello

 

[glassslipper2004]

I really want to go back to London - we only had a few days there. I can't decide if I would want to do the K&L trip or something different, or do it on my own. You definitely see a lot more with a tour. I wish ABD had a trip where they combined London with something besides Paris (which we've seen enough of) like the English countryside, or Scotland. When and if we do return, I'll have to contact you, Sayhello, for your hotel info!

 

[WeLoveABD]

on the few times we've been surveyed I always include as a wish list trip England/Scotland/Wales---would be a great time!

 

[sayhello]

I really want to go back to London - we only had a few days there. I can't decide if I would want to do the K&L trip or something different, or do it on my own. You definitely see a lot more with a tour. I wish ABD had a trip where they combined London with something besides Paris (which we've seen enough of) like the English countryside, or Scotland. When and if we do return, I'll have to contact you, Sayhello, for your hotel info!

on the few times we've been surveyed I always include as a wish list trip England/Scotland/Wales---would be a great time!

I agree with you guys. I'm doing Paris this time because I've never been. I really can't see doing Paris on my own, as I don't speak a word of French, and any attempts I make are messed up with Spanish pronunciation, so the French would probably *not* be happy with me! But I don't think I'd want to go multiple times. But I can totally see going to London again, especially mixed with Scotland or Ireland or the surrounding areas. One reason I'm going early is to see some of that "other stuff", beyond London. I really do think they need another United Kingdom itinerary!

Sayhello

 

[sayhello]

So what airlines have people used for the K&L trip? Flying from Ohio to London then Paris to Ohio is almost as expensive as my flight to Ohio/Barcelona/Israel/Ohio!

It would be much cheaper to fly Columbus/London/Columbus, but then I'd have to get from Paris back to London, and probably do my extra days after the trip rather than before, and I'd rather do them before (plus adding extra days before the trip for cushion & jet lag). I refuse to fly Delta, for many reasons, but mostly, as I've been reminded, because Delta sells you one ticket, and what you ultimately end up with is FREQUENTLY not even close to what you originally booked, and is usually far inferior.

So what airlines should I be looking at? What kinds of experiences have people had flying these airlines internationally? I flew Iberia to Barcelona, and they're really not even in the running price-wise.

Any advice would be appreciated!

Sayhello

 

[lb4747694]

sayhello--when are you flying? UA would give you a one stop option to both LHR/CDG through either ORD/IAD. I've managed to get RT to LHR for $500, but CDG will be a bit more expensive.

 

[sayhello]

sayhello--when are you flying? UA would give you a one stop option to both LHR/CDG through either ORD/IAD. I've managed to get RT to LHR for $500, but CDG will be a bit more expensive.

I'm planning on flying out Aug 27th to LHR (although the start date is a bit flexible if it's really cheaper to fly in on, say, the 26th) and then Sept 10th from CDG. Since it's "open jawed" it seems to up the price quite a bit. But even RT to LHR is not that cheap. I'm going to have to keep an eye on it, but knowing myself, I'm going to cave & just buy the expensive ticket soon. I don't do well on waiting. Have you had good experience with UA? I can't remember the last time I flew them...

Sayhello