SixOneTwo

Dragon, as you know we stayed at the Doubletree last summer.

I'd like to second the mention of the brasserie "Cote" on St. Katharine's docks. It's a chain, but you can't tell when you're in there. Good service and food. There are many other places to eat within a few steps.

There's a pub nearby called "The Hung, Drawn & Quartered." We didn't eat there, but were sorry we didn't give it a try. I think it's on (upper? lower?) Thames street.

I really love Blackfriar's, a pub which isn't in the neighborhood of the hotel, but is at the Blackfriar's tube station a couple of stops away on the District or Circle line. It's not that the food is so great, it's the incredible building and interior design.

So the activities staff follow some folks before them, the social hosts, bridge hosts, golf pro, librarian and many live musicians.

Not all of these people were "employees," but they did offer services that completed a package of options for passengers... or at least the passengers that have been loyal to Celebrity for the 20 years or so that they've been in business.

If they're trying to attract a different demographic, they've obviously done market research. These aren't random decisions. The point of being in business is to bring profits to stockholders. Period.

You can only make so many cuts in programs before your brand changes. And perhaps that's what they're doing.

We've all been loyal customers to other businesses that have changed their brand to something we don't like. (Case in point: Banana Republic.) So we just stop patronizing them. This is a risk any company changing their brand makes. But NOT evolving your brand is a risk also.

The big stockholder-pleasing question is: who has the money to sail? THAT is the passenger they need to be attracting.

Refreshing this question, as I'm hoping someone has experience with visiting these sites.

A second vote for City & Causeway Tours! We used them last August and I couldn't recommend them more highly. Their small vehicles can drive the coastal route, which is so very worth it. Your entire day will be custom-designed to your order, peppered liberally with their great suggestions. Stevie was our guide and we spoke on the phone and via e-mail with Alister.

When we arrived home, they had sent us some very nice stock photos via e-mail of the places we'd been, to supplement our own photos.

I second the motion of DragonOfTheSeas, only we have actually stayed at the Doubletree Tower of London. It does have the amenities s/he mentioned and the service is very good. It's well-located only about half a block from the Tower Bridge tube station, and the Tower Bridge and Tower of London are right there. Plenty of eating nearby either in three nearby hotels or at St. Katharine's Dock. It's in a business district, so quiet at night. Amazing rooftop bar, which even if you're not into bars, is a great place to view and photograph all of London, including the Tower, the Shard, the Gherkin. the Thames and other landmarks. We also booked for a similar price as Dragon notes and we will definitely return.

That said, we've also stayed in the County Hall area (Marriott) and it is VERY convenient. But the prices can be higher. If I had to choose, I'd choose the former.

Have you read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society? It's a recent bestselling novel based historically around the German occupation. Fun easy-to-read book, and it will make you want to see more of Guernsey.

My parents are embarking on a cruise in Southampton, but spending a few days in London prior. Their main priority while in London is to get to Windsor Castle and Oxford on a day trip. They're looking for a PRIVATE tour. Neither public transportation nor a motorcoach tour are options, and they realize they'll pay appropriately.

Any thoughts or recommendations?

These trips are so very difficult to pack for, with the different climates. And what does one wear for warp speed? Can you even hold a cocktail in your hand during the time you're going, for instance, from Santorini to LA?

Please bring your poncho. They don't allow umbrellas, even when waiting in line to get into the venue. It was sprinkling when we arrived and waited for the gates to open. The guards were very strict about telling each umbrella user to stop. Lucky for us, the rain ended once we were seated.

Be prepared for it to be chilly and damp. We brought gloves and hats and they were appreciated. This is another reason to "rent" the seat cushions. They were very easy to return in big bins on your way out.

Also, bring your binoculars. if you have a compact pair, all the better.

This was an AWESOME experience for us and I hope your visit to the Tattoo is the same.

I just want to confirm that you chose wisely on the hotel. We stayed here pre-cruise last June and it was very convenient to everything, as the tube stop was just a half-block away. The Tower is RIGHT THERE! If you go to the rooftop bar, you will get an awesome view of the tower and bridge day and night. The neighborhood is so quiet at night.

We also took the train to Harwich and making the connection between Tube & train was a little strenuous with bags, but we made it fine and you couldn't beat the price. Liverpool Street Station is just a couple of stops from Tower Bridge. I urge you to give it a try. If you're budget-minded at all, don't hesitate to take the train that connects in Manningtree to save pounds. The connection there is super easy and can be done in about 60 seconds, even with luggage. There were train personnel there when we visited, who helped people with their bags.

For dining, ask the hotel's front desk to direct you to St. Catherine's Dock, which is a short walk, through a tunnel, to multiple restaurants on a marina.

P.S. If you're allowing 2:55 AT the Causeway (just there, not traveling), then it's probably too much. Unless you want to eat, shop and linger.

We did both in one day last year, although we had a private tour. It is a bit of a walk to both attractions from the parking lots.

The rope bridge is probably a 20-minute hike one way, up and down hills and rustic stairs. Much of this, if I recall correctly, is a narrow dirt trail. Once you're at the bridge, you could endure a short wait since they only allow one-way "traffic." Maybe 8 people are allowed to walk one way, then they switch. Once you've crossed the bridge, then what? You'll want to take some time to view the sea, take photos and look around before reversing your route and going back over.

The Causeway also has some walking involved between the parking lot and the rock formations. You can't see it from the visitors center. There's a little shuttle bus that makes a continuous round-trip, but it may not be running exactly to coordinate with your arrival or departure, or it may be full. We walked one way to the causeway, about 15 minutes, briskly. And we took the shuttle back. Again, once you're there, you'll want to spend time climbing around, taking photos and enjoying the views and the rocks. All of the reviews we read beforehand discouraged us from spending the fee and the time to go inside the visitor's center, and I'd have to agree, unless you have some budding geologists along who want to know more.

So my advice is to be sure you are not just journeying, but allowing time once you're there. Oh, and bring a jacket and sensible shoes, as it's cool/windy in both of these places and somewhat rough for climbing around.

We had a great day tour with an excellent guide who took us through the countryside along the coast and to all of the places we wished to go. If you don't drive the country/coastal route, you will have more time for the two attractions. If you wish to see the country, then you should definitely hire a service, because some of those roads are difficult to traverse and you'll need a local expert who's experienced in handling them.

I would definitely repeat these stops if I had the chance to do it in the future.

I have not stayed at the Grange, but we passed it daily as we walked around the corner just a few paces to the Doubletree Tower Bridge. If you like the neighborhood where the Grange is located, but want a Hilton property, you can have the best of both worlds!

We very much liked this location near the Tower Bridge tube station.

Last time we were in London we stayed at the County Hall and liked it also. You can't go wrong with either one.

Who wants to join me on this one?

I received an e-mailed ad today from Celebrity offering a 7 night "Alaska Sawyer Glacier" cruise that's described as "roundtrip out of Seattle, Washington with visits to San Juan, Puerto Rico; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; Phillipsburg, St. Maarten." Only $599! And it's on Solstice.

My best advice: Start saving now for the next cruise because you're gonna LOVE IT!

You're good! Deck 3 is really quiet. In fact, it's my favorite deck on this class of ship.

Sometimes Michael's Club is not used as a piano bar. We were on Infinity in August and it was blocked off as "reserved for private event" for the entire 2-week sailing. We never saw anyone using it.

You are in for a real treat. London's fabulous.

I concur with the HoHo for Day 1 and I think the Tower of London is worth the time to see, even if it takes you a day, because you WILL be back to London!

If the HoHo has a two-day ticket, it may even be worth your while to purchase that and use it as transportation for Day 2, if you decide NOT to go to the Tower.

Don't cut it close. Here is a post I made about our experience at Heathrow. You can just never be too cautious about how much time you'll need, as many times, your experience is out of your control. I'm not faulting anything that happened, just making people aware.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=40634194#post40634194

P.S. We've been to Heathrow before and this DIDN'T happen.

Used a traditional travel agent who doesn't charge fees for air booking when you book a cruise. For for our South American cruise, she said the air travel was too complex and charged us a fee because she felt we needed an extra level of service if something went wrong.

We arrived at the airport after our cruise and "something went wrong." The agent had booked us on a non-existent flight (no idea about how that happened.) Luckily our tour guide insisted on standing in line with us at the ticket desk and was able to help us with translations to resolve it. And thank goodness we weren't stranded or charged more $$$.

When we got home, I phoned the agent and stated the situation. "So sorry," was all we got.

I have a new agent.

I would like to second Towncar T's suggestions about visiting cathedrals. The Anglican Cathedral is amazing. It's huge, took forever to build, is beautiful and different. And it has an incredible cemetery in the old quarry below. It's totally visitor-friendly and you need not be religious to find it fascinating.

On the date we visited, they actually had people rapelling outside down the front of the building, which was odd, but fun. They were playing loud rock music as each person came down and we found it ironic that "Don't Fear the Reaper" was one of the songs...everyone got down safe and the crowd was entertained.

We loved the Tower Bridge Doubletree. Located within 3 minutes' walk of the Tower Hill tube station which is an easy connection to many lines on the underground.

Plenty of dining to choose from around there, or take a 10-minute walk to the St. Katharine's Dock area.

5 minutes' walk to the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge. Very easy walk to the beautiful Embankment area and the Thames.

The hotel itself is wonderful. Great service, clean, sleek rooms. Fridge, kettle, iron, safe, in-room computer for internet, TV or movies. Two on-site restaurants. A gorgeous rooftop bar (even if you don't drink there, check it out day and night for awesome views/photos).

Oh, and REALLY quiet because this is a business district, so there's no real traffic after 5:00.

Next time we're in London, we'll stay again.

Hank, you hit the nail on the head.

Ear plugs. Great for minimizing the drone of the engines, for tuning out loud talkers, and for SURE, blocking out crying babies. Along with the eye mask, it's even possible to block out enough stimulus to sleep.

The plugs come in handy in noisy hotel rooms and ship cabins, also.

GhStudio and LSimon, regarding texting in South Am:

I do believe GhStudio is correct that you could text from the ship using the ship's technology.

As for on land, here's what our Help Desk said. " You will be able to use the phone while in South America and all the countries you visit are covered by Verizon. However, there is no discounted plans through Verizon for voice at all, and there is absolutely zero option for texting. This means you will not have text access and that whatever phone calls you make or receive will be billed at the international roaming rates, frequently over $2.00 per minute in South America. Long story short, you can use voice, it’s just going to run up a bill which we don’t want to come as a surprise. "

Again, I'm not tech-oriented, and we all know what an oxymoron the term "Help Desk" is. It is especially confusing when you look at the Verizon reference LSimon provided, which seems very clear. But I also thought I saw something on the Verizon website (that I can't replicate) that said it WASN'T available. So, folks should maybe just be prepared for the possibility of not being able to text. Or of it being more expensive than it's worth.

Hopefully someone will join in the conversation here who has been successful IN SOUTH AMERICA and can tell about the reliability and cost.

This has been a great educational thread. Everyone's questions and answers are helpful to many.

For those of you who are continuing the conversation about foreign phone use, I've learned from our company's help desk that Verizon does not offer texting in or out while the phone is in South America.