hsaroya

Thanks to all those who replied. I will definitely check with Icelandair to see if they can route the bags through - slim chance, but doesn't hurt to ask. Waiting for the bags to arrive on the carousel in a timely fashion is a big concern. Usually, I can convince the family to do carry-on's, but three weeks in Europe meant they weren't buying in!

Hi there,

We arranged a 6 hr taxi tour ahead of time via e-mail for our Athens visit last September. We are early risers and met the driver at 7:20 in the a.m. right next to the ship. We were the first people in line for Acropolis tickets at 7:50. The whole tour was absolutely wonderful and cost us 80 Euros. I wrote about our experience in my travel blog

 

http://www.pandbtraveladventures.blogspot.com

 

Lots of pictures! Click on the tab labeled as Sept.30 on the left side of the blog.

Hope this helps!

Regards

Petra

Thank you, Petra. I had actually read your blog a few weeks back and have many details from it which I have copied and pasted into my own Aug cruise files. I just emailed the taxi company you had used and, unfortunately, their rates for 4 people for the half day tour are now 140e. Still 100e less than the company I had booked, so I think I will go with your recommendation.

Does anyone have any experience with tour rates from taxis at the port, rather than pre-booking? I'm kicking myself that I didn't think to enquire when I was there on our March student trip.

Can anyone provide info on the price for a full day tour provided by taxis at the port? We are in Athens in the heat of the summer and I think my family of 4 would prefer a taxi to take us to the Acropolis, plaka, changing of the guard, panathenaic stadium, and temple of Zeus. I was just in Greece last week with 11 jr high students and became quite comfortable at using the metro, but if I found a couple of the March days too warm, I can't even imagine what Aug will be like! :eek: We do have Private Greece Tours booked for 240e, but I'm wondering what people have paid on the spot. Thank you!

I should have given more info in terms of what I was looking for in a market. Not really seeking fresh produce as I'd rather frequent the local pubs (here you go, Steve!), or fish and chips joints instead of cooking. Looking for something that will give us some street entertainments, eclectic shopping stalls, street food, and a local as opposed to a tourist vibe. Hope that narrows it down.

Agreed. Though salt & vinegar of course.

 

Ketchup, tartar sauce etc you usually have to buy little sachets.

 

If you ask for a slice of lemon you'll be given a sideways look and told to go to a greengrocer. :D

 

No north/south divide on fish & chips, nor on mushy peas.

Just those strange folk in the Midlands who'll ladle curry sauce on your chips unless you stop them.

 

Yes, Whitby fish has the best reputation, but inconvenient since Whitby is a 250-mile walk from London.

 

Pub fish & chips are variable. Some freshly battered fresh fish in-house, many use pre-battered frozen fillets which vary from acceptable to inedible. Ditto mix of in-house or frozen chips.

 

Ashamed to say the best fish & chips I had was in the Wheelhouse Bar of Crown Princess. "Mushy peas" were actually puree'd, presumably the proper stuff didn't please the eye of the chef, but 10 out of 10 for effort.

 

Anyone want to start an argument on sunflower oil vs palm oil vs veg oil vs lard? :D

 

JB :)

I actually wanted to ask about the Wheelhouse fish and chips and how they compared, as we will be on the Regal Princess prior, but was afraid of offending the British masses!

If the OP wanted to be really daring they could go for a pickled egg with their fish and chips. Something I ate once and swore off, but some people love them (I guess you need to have a few pints of London's finest ale on board...)

The OP is pretty daring in her food selections, but some things are not meant to be pickled....and eggs are at the top of that list :eek:

Nope, I'm just looking for plain old fish and chips, with nothing more exotic than vinegar, ketchup, and tartar sauce on the side. :)

For anyone who knows the area, would it be reasonable to do a mid morning tour of Stamford Bridge and then head over to Baileys Fish and Chips for lunch? It's about a 15 min walk west of the Fulham Broadway station.

Am I correct in assuming that there's a bit of regional snobbery, where fish and chips are concerned, between the north of England and London? Trust me, I wish I had the time to explore the cuisine of all of England and give you my personal comparison! Maybe next visit. :)

I think you said in another post that you might be staying near County Hall/ London Eye and I gave advice about things to see on the South Bank. If so, you can find a traditional fish and chips shop in walking distance. Pub fish and chips are often disappointing. It's best to go to a proper 'chippy'. Just head down Waterloo Road to Masters. It has a good reputation and is definitely a 'no-frills' sort of place. You can buy at the counter to take away, or sit down and eat in the small dining room.

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaur...n_England.html

 

Sorry, I'm not familiar with Bailey's, but the reports sound good. I'll give them a try if I'm in their area!

 

You mention touring Stamford(?). Does that mean you are heading 100 miles north of London to the town of Stamford in Lincolnshire? or are you visiting Stamford Hill, an area of North London (not a lot to see there) or Chelsea's Stamford Bridge stadium, home of Chelsea FC?

 

Margaret

Sorry, should have specified Chelsea stadium. I'm not the one who posted about staying near the London Eye, but as we will be doing the Eye, I will put Masters on my list. Thanks!

What is a good, inexpensive, old school fish and chips place around the main tourist areas?

Any locals have thoughts as well on Bailey's, which appears highly rated on trip advisor? It's out of the way, but we will be doing a tour of Stamford.

Thanks, everyone, for your two cents/pence:) It's nice to see some regulars popping up on my London threads! By the time we leave for the Med cruise in Aug, your sage advice will have provided me a wealth of information. Some people enjoy the surprise element, I prefer to have every detail researched and planned out! 24 years as a junior high teacher - can't seem to let go of the planning even in my personal life.

I just posted a question about fish and chips I'm hoping some of you will chime in on.

If I had to pick one market in London to visit for eating, light shopping, street entertainment, etc, would Covent Garden be the best? We're travelling with DD 14 and DS 16 in Aug. Thank you!

One of the things my family is looking forward to the most on our Aug Med cruise is trying out pizza and gelato in every Italian port, particularly in Venice where we will be for 2 nights. I absolutely love the pizza on Princess and have yet to try the new Alfredo's on Royal/Regal.

For those of you who've had pizza on the Royals Alfredo's and in Italy, how do the two compare?

I love that Orlanda-Fort L drive and we did look into the flights to MCO, but they were just as bad as Fort L. :(

 

The lesson I've learned here is that, since I want to be out of the cold over Christmas break every year, I'll simply book flights for the two weeks as soon as they become available and are a decent price, even if it's a year out. I won't wait to do the cruise booking first. Even if it means I'm stuck in a hole in the wall hotel in Fort L for Christmas, at least it'll be a hole in the wall in the midst of plus 25 weather!

Hi, everyone. Not sure if any of you who posted on the original thread will see this update, but after all your sympathy and advice, I thought I'd let you know how things turned out. I took my own advice and booked flights for the family to Fort L for next Christmas break on the very date they became available a few weeks ago, for the full two weeks of the holiday. $471 all tolled per person!!!!!!!! Now, those same dates are over $1000. It was about a three day window of opportunity which I fully took advantage of. Have just booked the Regal Princess for the Christmas cruise. Just had to share as those of you who read my thread know how bitter I was having to cancel, especially since we're having the winter of all winters in Edmonton this year.

This straddles the line between rude and disgusting. Last year, our first RCL cruise was on the Oasis. I was pleasantly surprised to find jars of condiments (ketchup, mustard, jams, small jars of other unidentifiable spreads) on a self serve stand at the edge of the buffet. This was a pleasant surprise after searching high and low for the buffet ketchup dispensers on many Princess ships or begging a server for ketchup. Pleasant, only until I sat by a man eating breakfast, repeatedly dipping his dirty and well used bread knife into the jar and spreading the condiment onto his food, then using his knife and fork to shovel in the food, and dipping the knife back into the jar. I didn't have breakfast that day, needless to say. :eek: And suddenly felt grateful for Princess' hard to access large condiment dispensers which are utensil proof. Blech.

I posted my question on London toolkit and got an answer within 12 hrs. Pay as you go Oyster cards for three, and one child's daily travel card. You were on the mark, Twickenham!

Thanks for the advice thus far, everyone. I had pretty much settled on the Oyster card, but am still confused about which zones to get, if that's even a choice, or how to most easily go about getting the kids the discounted rate Zip Oyster card (or whether it's even worth it). Yes, I did look on London toolkits. Made me dizzy :o will post my question there. Thank you

I will take the advice and also post this question on the London forum of TA. And, yes, I was merely reading the postings - hadn't figured out how to post my own question until the advice today. Thank you!

Double post, sorry

Hi, everyone. So many of you have been extremely helpful on my other posts about our 5 days post cruise in London and I'm hoping you can provide that same assistance as I wade through the confusion of Oyster cards, Zip Oyster, Travel cards, single fares, etc. I have done extensive research on past threads, in Trip Advisor, on the official London transportation website, and am more confused than ever. Essentially, I want someone with direct experience to be able to tell me what I should get.

Below is our itinerary for our time in London; bear in mind that one of our 5 days will be a day trip to York. We want to use the tube from Heathrow and back to our rental apartment by Barons Court station. We will be using the tube and public busses exclusively - kids are 14 and 17'and very athletic. We have purchased London Passes so don't have to worry about a 2 for 1 discount. The 11-15 year old zip card looks great as does the 16-18 student one. However, it seems like an ordeal in terms of the online process and then picking it up at an official agency office. Or maybe it's not that difficult? Those in the know, tell me what to purchase and I'll do what the majority suggest. No more research - my head needs to stop spinning!! :eek:

Tower of London

Windsor castle

Hampton palace

Westminster Abbey

Tower bridge tour

Kensington palace

Royal mews

Wellington arch

Piccadilly Circus

Trafalgar square

Churchill war room

London bridge experience

Thames river boat cruise hop on hop off

Canal boat regent's canal

Chelsea stadium tour

Wembley stadium tour

Arsenal stadium tour

Buckingham Palace

London Eye

Please Note:

Your London Pass has a daily credit limit of £90. That is, the cumulative individual entrance cost of the individual attractions you visit in one day must not exceed this amount.

I believe the 90 is for a one day pass. We have 3 day passes and the info below from their website indicates we can use up to 270 (the full value) in one day. We'll do it over the three days, however.

"The London Pass is subject to a purse value of maximum gate prices related to the number of days. For example, with a one day adult pass you can visit up to £90 worth of attractions. Here is a complete breakdown of purse values:

Pass Duration"

Full Adult Public Entry Value "Purse Value"

1 Day Pass £90

2 Day Pass £180

3 Day Pass £270

6 Day Pass £540

I have suggested a different way of doing things before, so let me continue in that vein.

I'll give you OUR experience, so I know it works. If it is good for you, it just may help you spend a very enjoyable day.

 

If you like to walk and see things from a walking perspective, this may be for you.

Start out at the Tower of London. You can spend all day here or just a few hours, that just depends on you and how you want to approach it. Our hotel was by the Tower, so this was our starting point. We were there as soon as it opened.

 

We did the Tower of London, saw the Crown Jewels and just roamed around fairly quickly on this day. From the Tower, it is a short walk to the Tower Bridge. You can go up in one of the towers for the Tower Bridge Experience, but it is really nothing to write home about. From here we walked along the Thames River to the Globe Theater. We did a tour of the Globe but no show was being held then so we moved on. A bit further along the Thames is the Millennium Bridge. Cross over and St Paul's Cathedral is a block away. We went inside, toured the lower rooms and had some lunch and ice cream here. Back across the Millennium Bridge and walked to The London Eye. A short walk further will put you on Westminster Bridge. Going across is Big Ben and Parliament. We decided to save that for another day because it was getting dark. We stopped to eat at some out door café, took some great pixs of Parliament at Dusk, and then did the Thames River cruise back to Tower Bridge which was all lit up at night.

 

Yes it was a long day, and we should have done it in two parts, but time is short and we had a magnificent time and met some very interesting people along the way. We didn't rush and had plenty of time to just sit and enjoy where we were. We had no intention of going up in the Eye, but if you do, you can pre book the exact day and time and avoid the huge lines that are always there.

 

A few pixs of our journey

 

The Tower of London

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europept2127.jpg

 

Tower Bridge from the Tower of London

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe036.jpg

 

The Globe Theater

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europemaster060-1.jpg

 

St Paul's cathedral

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe067.jpg

 

The London Eye from Westminster Bridge

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe080.jpg

 

Big Ben and Parliament at Twilight

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe139.jpg

 

 

 

Hopes this helps in some way.

 

Cheers

 

Len

Thanks, Len. I'd actually admired your beautiful pictures earlier on one of your posts. Great to hear that so many of the attractions are within walking distance.

Glad you are coming 'up North' to York. You will love it. If you have any questions about your trip here please feel free to ask.

 

One thing. The train prices vary a lot. I think tickets become available 6 months out and the earlier you book the better. You are usually better buying two single tickets instead of a return. The train operator to York is East Coast Trains and their website will be the best place to book your trip. You then collect your tickets from a machine at the station. A single can be had for as little as £10 by booking ahead.

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

Thank you, kevinyork. I actually put myself on an alert from East Coast Trains so they will email me when tickets for my date become available for sale.

I was in York about 23 yrs ago and loved every minute of it. I still remember the smell of the Jorvig centre after all this time and use the information from the ghost walk related to the Black Death in my Social Studies classes. I am very much looking forward to returning, this time with my family.

Would we be best off to get a York Pass?

Would the hop on/hop off be a good option or can we really see most of the main attractions by walking? My kids are 14 and 16.

What's a good old style pub for a family lunch? I don't want any fusion food experiences - just simple, inexpensive, pub fare, fish and chips, pot pie, etc.

How much time do you anticipate is ideal to get the best of York in one day?

On the journey from London, what is the scenery like?

Thank you!

How could anyone not like cricket???:confused: I could watch all day--and often have.;)

 

You could easily work this tour into your London itinerary. Your husband and son would love it! ~

 

 

As for Twickenham and me... What can I say? Great minds think alike. However, Twickenham is much too modest, so I will have to be the one to tell you this: Twickenham has the most celebrated rugby stadium in England!:D

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twickenham_Stadium

 

http://www.rfu.com/twickenhamstadium

(What, you don't like rugby???:eek:)

Wow - is that a Zamboni for cricket fields in the youtube video?!! :D Who knew!

Rugby doesn't have quite the sleep inducing powers of cricket. ;)

Just for you to know, London Eye can be done late into the evening. Below is the opening times for 2014.

 

 

http://www.londoneye.com/VisitorInformation/OpeningTimes/Default.aspx

 

 

This may help a bit with planning.

Thank you!

I think you would be advised to ask this question on Trip Advisor as well. These itinerary questions are asked every day on the London forum there and there are some very experienced people who can give you a wealth of advice.

 

One thing I'm pretty sure they will tell you is that you are trying to do too much in only 4 days, certainly if you want to go into some of these places rather than just see them from the outside. For instance, Windsor castle is over 20 miles from London, so that is half a day gone. Hampton Court is over 10 miles from central London. People usually spend several hours at the Tower of London. The stadium tours will all take time, do you really want to do three of them? I think you need to prioritise.

Aquilegia, the three soccer stadium tours are a non-negotiable. The children have agreed to suffer in silence through all the ruins and museums of 10 Mediterranean ports if they can make their soccer pilgrimages to Camp Nou and in London. I am not quite convinced they will, in fact, suffer in silence, but it's a hope :rolleyes:. I think my son is still convinced we can squeeze in a Man Utd trip! Uh, no. But as two kids who have played indoor and outdoor soccer year round since they were 4 yo, we will indulge their soccer desires in the Mecca of soccer as much as we are able. DD's U16 team just took gold yesterday in cities and is moving on to Provincials. :)

I think, perhaps, Windsor Castle might be one to strike off the list if time becomes an issue. I will definitely seek advice on Trip Adv as per your suggestion.

The most obvious groupings, just off the top of my head, are as follows:

 

_____________

 

Tower of London

Tower Bridge

"London Bridge experience"

+ maybe Thames River cruise

+ maybe the London Eye

______________

 

London Eye (if not done in the previous day-group)

Westminster Abbey

Churchill war rooms

Buckingham Palace

Royal Mews

Wellington Arch

+ maybe Kensington Palace (if you're not knackered!)

______________

 

You can easily spend a full day at Hampton Court. Ditto Windsor Castle. But not both on the same day.

______________

 

The Regent's Canal boat trip doesn't obviously fit in with any of these other activities. (Frankly, this would be lower on my list of priorities. The Little Venice area is scenic & pleasant, but not necessarily worth going out of your way to see in the limited time you have for your stay in London. The most natural "fit" would be to combine it with a visit to Regent's Park & Primrose Hill--neither of which are on your list.)

______________

 

Sorry, I can't help with the football stadiums. Though I can tell you how to get to Lord's Cricket Ground (near Regent's Park and the Grand Union Canal:)) and The Oval.:D

 

 

Post Captain, I see you're not giving up on the cricket! Good on you - keep trying. But I did warn you, in another thread, that my husband's a lost cause where cricket's concerned. I do admire your tenacity, however. :)

Looks like you and Twickenham are of a like mind where the groupings are concerned. As usual, you've both come through with great, well thought out advice. I am very appreciative of your help.

Hi, everyone. We are in London 5 days post cruise. Below are the things that are important to my family members, individually or collectively (DH, me, 15 yo and 17 yo). We are spending one day on a day trip to York. That leaves 4 full days for London itself. How would you group the following activities by area? I don't want to spend all of my time running from one end of London to another because I wasn't knowledgeable enough to cluster the activities for location and length of time of the activity. I'm hoping those of you who have experience in London with sites and transportation (we will be using the tube and public busses) will be able to group these activities together for us. Thank you!

Tower of London

Windsor castle

Hampton palace

Westminster Abbey

Tower bridge tour

Kensington palace

Royal mews

Wellington arch

Churchill war room

London bridge experience

Thames river boat cruise hop on hop off

Canal boat regent's canal

Chelsea stadium tour

Wembley stadium tour

Arsenal stadium tour

Buckingham Palace

London Eye