Planning Med ABD -Aug 2015 -Help Needed

[tracylynn]

Hello All-

I am planning a surprise trip for my daughter that will be graduating in June from high school.

So I have purchased our cruise, flights and ABD so expensive

We are flying from JFK TO LGW-

I booked a room near Gatwick at the Crowne Plaza so we can get over jet lag. It seems like we are far from everything. Should I head over to the Hilton Kensington as soon as we arrive or take a day to rest we land on 7-31 at 11:45am. My daughter will be so excited, but my 43 year old bones will need rest.

What is the best way to get from Gatwick to the Kensington area. We are staying at the Hilton Kensington.

After our stay in London we are heading to Paris, I believe the Eurostar is the best way to get from London to Paris. In Paris I selected Le Jardins de Villa it is near the l'Arc de Triomphe. After our time in Paris we are heading to Barcelona, I selected Hotel Jazz and off for the Med cruise. I am torn between the train and plane to get to Barcelone. Open for suggestions.

After the cruise we are heading home, but we have a 20 hour layover in Copenhagen any ideas on sites we should visit.

I am open for any suggestions anyone would like to share. I don't have anything planned just trying to make it across the pond.

I have no idea where to start planning site seeing. I would love to take my daughter to DLP not sure we have time. I would love to see as much as we can the best affordable way. Once we return she will be heading to college

Schedule below
London for 7-31 thru 8-4
Paris 8-4 thru 8-7
Barcelona 8-7 thru 8-10

Best

 

[sayhello]

If it were me, I'd go to the Hilton Kensington directly. That way, you can get out & walk around after you settle in, which is WAY better for jet lag then going to sleep. Seriously. I've done it both ways, and the nap can be a very bad idea. Also, you won't have to pack up and move hotels the next morning, but can, instead, sleep in.

A taxi is going to be the easiest from London Gatwick to the Hilton Kensington, but it's going to be pricey (probably around £80.00 one way). You can also take the Gatwick Express train http://www.gatwickexpress.com/ (in the £18 range one way) and then either the Tube (subway) or a taxi from there to the Hilton Kensington. I would warn you against taking the Tube with luggage. The stairs are horrendous, and very prohibitive with luggage. Someone told me that most stations have elevators, but they are very hard to find. I did the Heathrow express to Paddington station, then a taxi to my hotel and it work wonderfully.

I did the Eurostar from London to Paris, and it was a great way to travel. Very relaxing. I can't comment on any other ways of getting there...

It's extremely easy to get from Paris to DLP. There's a train that goes directly there (Marne La Vallée station, which is literally between the parks and their Downtown Disney.) Their parks are pretty small; you can see a lot in one day.

I'll probably think of more suggestions later, but wanted to answer what I could of your questions.

Sayhello

 

[tracylynn]

If it were me, I'd go to the Hilton Kensington directly. That way, you can get out & walk around after you settle in, which is WAY better for jet lag then going to sleep. Seriously. I've done it both ways, and the nap can be a very bad idea. Also, you won't have to pack up and move hotels the next morning, but can, instead, sleep in.

A taxi is going to be the easiest from London Gatwick to the Hilton Kensington, but it's going to be pricey (probably around £80.00 one way). You can also take the Gatwick Express train http://www.gatwickexpress.com/ (in the £18 range one way) and then either the Tube (subway) or a taxi from there to the Hilton Kensington. I would warn you against taking the Tube with luggage. The stairs are horrendous, and very prohibitive with luggage. Someone told me that most stations have elevators, but they are very hard to find. I did the Heathrow express to Paddington station, then a taxi to my hotel and it work wonderfully.

I did the Eurostar from London to Paris, and it was a great way to travel. Very relaxing. I can't comment on any other ways of getting there...

It's extremely easy to get from Paris to DLP. There's a train that goes directly there (Marne La Vallée station, which is literally between the parks and their Downtown Disney.) Their parks are pretty small; you can see a lot in one day.

I'll probably think of more suggestions later, but wanted to answer what I could of your questions.

Sayhello

Thanks so very much Sayhello

 

[kristilew]

What a nice surprise for your daughter!

I agree with Sayhello - go straight into London, drop your bags at the Hilton, then get outside and walk! You are close to both Kensington Gardens and the Portobello Road Markets, both great places to stroll and reset your bio clock. If you can stay awake until at least 8 pm local time, you can get a full night's sleep and wake up on the new time with most of the jet lag behind you. Resist the nap!

To start your sight seeing plans for London, I like http://www.hrp.org.uk for the historical places, and visitlondon.com for more general info and links. Also, you will be in London during the time Buckingham Palace is open. They are opening the state rooms this year - should be amazing. Book those tickets ASAP, if you think you'd like to see this. http://tickets.royalcollection.org....2015/2015?_ga=1.97825820.283643873.1426986644

For Paris, you can definitely do DLP in a day. There is good info on the DLP forum of these boards to help you plan.

For other stuff, I love a company called Paris Muse, which offers several different types of guided tour. If you book one of these on one of your first days there, the guide will have a ton of good suggestions to be going on with the rest of your days. Pricey, but so worth it. A less expensive tour option is called Sight Seeker's Delight. I haven't used them yet, but they keep coming up as I plan my own return to Paris for this summer. Highly rated on TripAdvisor, and used by many on the Cruise Critic forums.

If you haven't been over to the Cruise Critic site, check that out as well. The area for European Ports of Call has a section for Paris. A lot of folks who cruise in Europe add pre or post days in Paris and there are amazingly detailed 3-4 day plans worked out and shared in various posts. You could easily just follow in someone's footsteps (literally), or at the very least get great ideas of what you want to see and do during your time there.

I wish I could help with Barcelona and Copenhagen, but alas! They are still on my to-visit list!

One final word, as a mom of a teen daughter myself - I hope you will either tell her about the trip early enough that she can express an opinion about the sight seeing plans, or that you will leave a chunk of time open several days for her to choose what to do. I'm always surprised, when I travel with DD what is high and low on her list of must-see. Their cultural references are so different than ours!

 

[tracylynn]

Hi Kristilew- Thanks for the info. Yes my daughter will find out in June. I appreciate the tip about Buckingham Palace state rooms.

What a nice surprise for your daughter!

I agree with Sayhello - go straight into London, drop your bags at the Hilton, then get outside and walk! You are close to both Kensington Gardens and the Portobello Road Markets, both great places to stroll and reset your bio clock. If you can stay awake until at least 8 pm local time, you can get a full night's sleep and wake up on the new time with most of the jet lag behind you. Resist the nap!

To start your sight seeing plans for London, I like http://www.hrp.org.uk for the historical places, and visitlondon.com for more general info and links. Also, you will be in London during the time Buckingham Palace is open. They are opening the state rooms this year - should be amazing. Book those tickets ASAP, if you think you'd like to see this. http://tickets.royalcollection.org....2015/2015?_ga=1.97825820.283643873.1426986644

For Paris, you can definitely do DLP in a day. There is good info on the DLP forum of these boards to help you plan.

For other stuff, I love a company called Paris Muse, which offers several different types of guided tour. If you book one of these on one of your first days there, the guide will have a ton of good suggestions to be going on with the rest of your days. Pricey, but so worth it. A less expensive tour option is called Sight Seeker's Delight. I haven't used them yet, but they keep coming up as I plan my own return to Paris for this summer. Highly rated on TripAdvisor, and used by many on the Cruise Critic forums.

If you haven't been over to the Cruise Critic site, check that out as well. The area for European Ports of Call has a section for Paris. A lot of folks who cruise in Europe add pre or post days in Paris and there are amazingly detailed 3-4 day plans worked out and shared in various posts. You could easily just follow in someone's footsteps (literally), or at the very least get great ideas of what you want to see and do during your time there.

I wish I could help with Barcelona and Copenhagen, but alas! They are still on my to-visit list!

One final word, as a mom of a teen daughter myself - I hope you will either tell her about the trip early enough that she can express an opinion about the sight seeing plans, or that you will leave a chunk of time open several days for her to choose what to do. I'm always surprised, when I travel with DD what is high and low on her list of must-see. Their cultural references are so different than ours!

 

[carpenta]

Barcelona is really easy to get around on your own. They have a great Hop on/ hop off bus system that does three separate loops around the city. One ticket gets you on all the buses. They have English narration of all you see from the bus just plug in your headset. They are also 2 deck-open top buses. You can spend the whole day. La Familia Gaudi church has tours all day and you can buy them there or on the web. Montserrat is a old monks' cathedral outside the city and can be reached by train/subway and they also have local tours that you can reserve from your hotel front desk. Barcelona also has a vast bike rental kiosks where you rent them-ride-drop off at your pleasure and drop off at any rack. Great outdoor venues to eat. Check out Las Ramblus where everyone strolls after the evening meals. Wonderful fresh outdoor/indoor markets to check out local flavors. Outside Barcelona there is a Catalonian village built for the Olympics you can tour and it has a great view of Barcelona. Just walk the beach and enjoy the Med. Barcelona is a wonderful, wonderful city just full of history and you can spend days just wandering around the beautiful parks full of fountains. We have been there four times and still one of our favorite cities.

 

[Rapunzellover]

Re: getting to your hotel, If you're willing to shell the money for a cab, it might be better to get a car service. Viator.com has transfers you can book with car services for most major European cities. The prices are about the same as a cab, or slightly more, but you get benefit of no waiting in line, and there'll be someone waiting for you with a sign.

 

[carpenta]

Yes a car service is a great suggestion. With all the luggage it helps not packing into a small cab. In Barcelona get the price for your ride before you get in or set your baggage in the taxi. Some drivers are notorious for taking the long way around. When in Barcelona there is a very efficient subway and bus system. Not too much need for a cab in the city.

 

[Woodview]

From Paris to Barcelona ..... I would think of going by train ...... to see more of France & then Spain.

There are fast trains nowadays from Paris to Toulouse & beyond.

Just remember your Luggage weight IF you book an internal Europe Flight.

Remember Ryanair uses airports OUTSIDE of City's

How are you getting to Copenhagen ?

( Visit " The Tivoli " & the Carlsberg Brewery )

 

[tracylynn]

From Paris to Barcelona ..... I would think of going by train ...... to see more of France & then Spain.

There are fast trains nowadays from Paris to Toulouse & beyond.

Just remember your Luggage weight IF you book an internal Europe Flight.

Remember Ryanair uses airports OUTSIDE of City's

How are you getting to Copenhagen ?

( Visit " The Tivoli " & the Carlsberg Brewery )

Hi Woodview- thanks for the tips. I am leaning towards train? We are getting to Copenhagen by plane, layover on our return flight home.

 

[Woodview]

Hello Tracy,

Look up WWW.TGV.com or WWW.SNCF.com

You might have to go Via Toulouse or Via Perpignan Or Via Andorra ( yes a Country )

Journey times could be 7 hours .

( Site was saying too early for booking ) ??

 

[Woodview]

Paris Gare Lyon to Barcelona TGV Journey Time 6hrs 25min

Remember Cost of Ticket WILL be in EUROS & then YOU Convert