Never been to Europe. Need help with a few questions

Hi everybody, I have decided it's time to get over to Europe while I can still enjoy it. I am very claustrophobic so I don't fly. I am looking at Cunard to get to Southampton. 7 days.

Could someone tell me where it's terminal is? I will be needing a hotel close to the port. This will be in May of 2019. We will lay over for 1 night in Southampton before boarding the Aurora for 14 days to the Baltics. Can someone please tell me where it terminal is? I know absolutely nothing about P&O cruises and it's hard to find a Travel Agent that can book with them. I am told by one travel agency that I can only book with them. Could this possibly be right? After the 14 days on the Aurora we will have a 4 day layover before we board Cunard to cruise back to New York. Could I get some suggestions on what to do those 4 days? Is there time to go to Paris by train? I am an experienced cruiser but have only cruised the Caribbean, Alaska and Hawaii. This is all so new to me. I would greatly appreciate any help I can get so I can get on with my planning. Thanks in advance.

If you go to the index, then press Europe, and then British Isles, you'll be in reach of a lot of experts who'll know more than I do... I can tell you that both QM2 and Aurora are owned by Carnival, so will be at either dock 106 or 46, which are Carnival piers, and that hotels can be seen from both docks.

Have a wonderful time! :)

Hi,There are a few choices its not far from the city centre.The Grand Harbour is near as is The Premier Inn very close to the port.Nice clean hotel or the Holiday Inn.

Take a look at TripAdvisor.

You could go to London or fly up to Scotland or head down to the coast Devon or Bournemouth and visit the New Forest area.

Whatever you do it will be a great trip

If you go to the index, then press Europe, and then British Isles, you'll be in reach of a lot of experts who'll know more than I do... I can tell you that both QM2 and Aurora are owned by Carnival, so will be at either dock 106 or 46, which are Carnival piers, and that hotels can be seen from both docks.

Have a wonderful time! :)

Thanks a lot Jo. I will check on the Europe board. Thanks for the info on the docks and also the hotels. Happy Sailing.

Hi,There are a few choices its not far from the city centre.The Grand Harbour is near as is The Premier Inn very close to the port.Nice clean hotel or the Holiday Inn.

Take a look at TripAdvisor.

 

You could go to London or fly up to Scotland or head down to the coast Devon or Bournemouth and visit the New Forest area.

Whatever you do it will be a great trip

Thank You Orla56. I will be checking out the hotels and other recommendations you suggested. but since I don't fly, I think Scotland won't work unless there is another way to get there. I haven't been on a plane since around 1990. Thanks again for the info.

Sorry smarks forgot you said that about flying.It's quite a long drive to Scotland about 7.30 hrs.Just as long or by bus or train.

Enjoy your trip.

Sorry smarks forgot you said that about flying.It's quite a long drive to Scotland about 7.30 hrs.Just as long or by bus or train.

Enjoy your trip.

Quiet alright orla56. I got a laugh out of it just thinking me on a plane. I will go up 20 flights of stairs to avoid a crowded elevator. Just something I have learned to live with. Thanks again for your suggestions.

Holiday Inn is handy to most of the dock area.

Holiday Inn is handy to most of the dock area.[/quote

Yes, it's the hotel we most often use, mainly because it's by the docks and you can watch the ships... but you still need a taxi to the Carnival piers when you have luggage. It's handy when you leave from the dock next door, though- Just wheel your luggage along the path!

Holiday Inn is handy to most of the dock area.[/quote

Yes, it's the hotel we most often use, mainly because it's by the docks and you can watch the ships... but you still need a taxi to the Carnival piers when you have luggage. It's handy when you leave from the dock next door, though- Just wheel your luggage along the path!

We are staying at a guest house next year instead as we thought we would try a different experience this time round.

Thank You Orla56. I will be checking out the hotels and other recommendations you suggested. but since I don't fly, I think Scotland won't work unless there is another way to get there. I haven't been on a plane since around 1990. Thanks again for the info.

You can take the train to Edinburgh, if you choose to visit Scotland. It's probably about a 6-7 hour train ride (Virgin), and there are train fares starting at about 30 pounds. However, if you have never been to London, there is plenty to do there also without going too far away. The public transportation system in London is amazing and so simple to figure out. It's truly one of the easiest cities to get around in that I've ever visited. You could take the train to Paris...if that's a bucket list visit, but with only 4 days, I would use it to see London & surrounds.

Where you stay in Southampton may be easier to figure out if you knew which terminal your ship would be using. From the Ocean Terminal, there is a quaint tavern called the White Star Tavern that is just a two block walk to the cruise terminal. The food and service were great! The only way to get upstairs to the hotel is via stairs though, so that would be a consideration. Some people can't do the stairs. But we thoroughly enjoyed our stay there the night prior to our cruise.

Good luck with your plans! You will love the Baltics and London!

Holiday Inn is handy to most of the dock area.

Thank You. I will check into that.Glad there are hotels close to the dock.

You can take the train to Edinburgh, if you choose to visit Scotland. It's probably about a 6-7 hour train ride (Virgin), and there are train fares starting at about 30 pounds. However, if you have never been to London, there is plenty to do there also without going too far away. The public transportation system in London is amazing and so simple to figure out. It's truly one of the easiest cities to get around in that I've ever visited. You could take the train to Paris...if that's a bucket list visit, but with only 4 days, I would use it to see London & surrounds.

 

Where you stay in Southampton may be easier to figure out if you knew which terminal your ship would be using. From the Ocean Terminal, there is a quaint tavern called the White Star Tavern that is just a two block walk to the cruise terminal. The food and service were great! The only way to get upstairs to the hotel is via stairs though, so that would be a consideration. Some people can't do the stairs. But we thoroughly enjoyed our stay there the night prior to our cruise.

 

Good luck with your plans! You will love the Baltics and London!

Thank You for all the great tips. I have switched coming over from Cunard to Celebrity crossing over.This will add a couple of new countries. It will be going to Portugal, Spain and Le Havre, France. Your suggestions are much appreciated.

Thank You for all the great tips. I have switched coming over from Cunard to Celebrity crossing over.This will add a couple of new countries. It will be going to Portugal, Spain and Le Havre, France. Your suggestions are much appreciated.

Enjoy.

Happy to offer you some day trip ideas from Southampton if you guide me as to your interests: you’re near the New Forest for walks in..well in a forest! Ferry to Isle of Wight for quaint history like watermills. Within 2 hours you could be at Windsor Castle or Hampton Court Palace. Or indeed London as all it’s delights. Train from Southampton takes you into Waterloo, and a pleasant walk along the south bank gets you to Tower of London, or walk over the river and you have Big Ben and Westminster within 10 minutes. So you could have a great day of sightseeing and not have to worry about the confines of the underground trains if they might trouble you.

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Happy to offer you some day trip ideas from Southampton if you guide me as to your interests: you’re near the New Forest for walks in..well in a forest! Ferry to Isle of Wight for quaint history like watermills. Within 2 hours you could be at Windsor Castle or Hampton Court Palace. Or indeed London as all it’s delights. Train from Southampton takes you into Waterloo, and a pleasant walk along the south bank gets you to Tower of London, or walk over the river and you have Big Ben and Westminster within 10 minutes. So you could have a great day of sightseeing and not have to worry about the confines of the underground trains if they might trouble you.

 

 

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Thank you Linda. Sounds like some great ideas. We love to walk, hike or just stroll through forest. I will be keeping your suggestions in my travel folder if you don't mind. I am getting some great info from this site. Thanks again.

Here's a basic list of hotels in the city centre of Southampton, and at the bottom a thumbnail map showing them, the cruise terminals etc.

https://www.londontoolkit.com/travel/southampton_accommodation.htm

Ibis Budget is usually cheapest - modern and clean but very basic),..................

IMHO best amongst the mid-range are Premier In West Quay or Novotel

.............. then there's Holiday Inn (the one at Herbert Walker Ave) .

............... at the expensive end are Grand Harbour Hotel and a new one, not on the list https://www.southampton-harbour-hotel.co.uk/ which is the city's only 5-star hotel (other 5-stars are in the Hampshire countryside around Southampton, inconvenient for a cruiser without a car)

................ for something a little more quirky, boutique hotels https://www.thepighotel.com/in-the-wall/ (not on the list), or Ennios, or White Star Tavern http://www.whitestartavern.co.uk/ mentioned by cruisegrammie.

Or there's the Mercure Dolphin, a historic coaching inn.

Southampton has two Hilton Doubletrees & two HI Express's but all are on the city limits & poorly-located for a cruiser.

Celebrity normally berth at City cruise terminal (berth 101)

Holiday Inn is right by City cruise terminal (red B on that map) and very popular with those cruising from there. Premier Inn West Quay, Grand Harbour, Ennios, and Pig-in-the-Wall are only a short walk, even with luggage

P&O ships berth at Ocean terminal (berth 46) (red D on that map) or Mayflower (berth 105/6) (red A on the map).

Those same hotels plus Southampton Harbour Hotel and White Star are walkable to Ocean terminal

With luggage, there's no hotel within comfortable walking distance of Mayflower.

Since berths won't be allocated for another year or more, and all the hotels on that map are within a five-minute taxi ride from any cruise terminal I suggest you choose a city centre hotel that suits you best rather than one which might be a little more convenient to a cruise terminal.

Closest match to P&O ships would be Princess, which is theoretically a subsidiary of P&O within the Carnival empire,

but P&O are more under-stated and less glitzy than Princess.

Dining is perhaps not quite as good, especially the buffet, and the mainly- Indian crew more reserved than the SE Asian crews you might be used to.

Clientele is mainly Brit, hence your difficulty sourcing thro a US T/A. Perhaps check out Brit T/As by googling "UK cruise agents"

P&O's ticket-pricing is on two scales, with a big price difference. At the higher price you can select a specific cabin and evening dining plan (1st or 2nd sitting or anytime) and there are a number of freebies such as shuttle-buses in appropriate ports (shuttles payable on the cheaper ticket plan). At the lower price you have a guarantee cabin and specified dining plan.

Aurora is a favourite ship of ours, and we've sailed her to the Baltic. Just our size at 2000 passengers and she's a "proper" cruise ship with tiered open decks at the stern. Two full-size pools on the main deck - one with a retractable roof which will doubtless be in "indoor" mode for the Baltic. And an adults-only pool and bar at the stern.

Bear in mind that ship's currency is sterling so there'll be some small conversion cost, but you'll be delighted with on-board costs which are much much lower than on US ships, especially bar prices and daily service charges.

Post-cruise if you have your hearts set on both Paris and London .......................

Aurora's itinerary probably includes Zeebrugge (for Bruges) as the last port-of-call.

Rather than disembarking back in Southampton you can save yourself 2 or 3 days of time and travel by jumping-ship at Zeebrugge (needs permission, normally given). 2 miles on ship's shuttle from port to Blankenberge station, direct train to Brussels (90 minutes) where you change to Eurostar (90 minutes direct to Paris) and spend a few days in Paris

Then it's Eurostar train direct to London in little more than 2 hours.

Spend those saved days in London, then travel down to your ship in Southampton (90 mins by train, 2.5 hrs by road) on the morning of the sailing.

Alternatively you can

- visit Paris from your Le Havre stop. I'd not recommend it cos journey time is 2 to 2.5 hours e/w, giving you just one seriously-foreshortened day in a city that's worth a week. From Le Havre the D-Day beaches and sights would be a much more valuable use of your time, or a relaxing day in the picturesque fishing/tourist town of Honfleur.

- visit Paris in a one-day excursion by Eurostar from London. Again, it can be done & plenty of folk do it. but it makes for a very very long day for a half-day or so in Paris.

- spend time in Southampton post-Baltic. It's not a tourist city, it has enough to interest the visitor for no more than a day - but it's a great base for day-trips to places like Bath, Salisbury+Stonehenge, Portsmouth, Oxford, etc. That said, London and Paris come top of the list for first-timers to Europe.

Lots of options, lots to think about. But lots of time to do that before your trip.

JB :)

Here's a basic list of hotels in the city centre of Southampton, and at the bottom a thumbnail map showing them, the cruise terminals etc.

https://www.londontoolkit.com/travel/southampton_accommodation.htm

 

Ibis Budget is usually cheapest - modern and clean but very basic),..................

IMHO best amongst the mid-range are Premier In West Quay or Novotel

.............. then there's Holiday Inn (the one at Herbert Walker Ave) .

............... at the expensive end are Grand Harbour Hotel and a new one, not on the list https://www.southampton-harbour-hotel.co.uk/ which is the city's only 5-star hotel (other 5-stars are in the Hampshire countryside around Southampton, inconvenient for a cruiser without a car)

................ for something a little more quirky, boutique hotels https://www.thepighotel.com/in-the-wall/ (not on the list), or Ennios, or White Star Tavern http://www.whitestartavern.co.uk/ mentioned by cruisegrammie.

Or there's the Mercure Dolphin, a historic coaching inn.

Southampton has two Hilton Doubletrees & two HI Express's but all are on the city limits & poorly-located for a cruiser.

 

Celebrity normally berth at City cruise terminal (berth 101)

Holiday Inn is right by City cruise terminal (red B on that map) and very popular with those cruising from there. Premier Inn West Quay, Grand Harbour, Ennios, and Pig-in-the-Wall are only a short walk, even with luggage

 

P&O ships berth at Ocean terminal (berth 46) (red D on that map) or Mayflower (berth 105/6) (red A on the map).

Those same hotels plus Southampton Harbour Hotel and White Star are walkable to Ocean terminal

With luggage, there's no hotel within comfortable walking distance of Mayflower.

 

Since berths won't be allocated for another year or more, and all the hotels on that map are within a five-minute taxi ride from any cruise terminal I suggest you choose a city centre hotel that suits you best rather than one which might be a little more convenient to a cruise terminal.

 

Closest match to P&O ships would be Princess, which is theoretically a subsidiary of P&O within the Carnival empire,

but P&O are more under-stated and less glitzy than Princess.

Dining is perhaps not quite as good, especially the buffet, and the mainly- Indian crew more reserved than the SE Asian crews you might be used to.

Clientele is mainly Brit, hence your difficulty sourcing thro a US T/A. Perhaps check out Brit T/As by googling "UK cruise agents"

P&O's ticket-pricing is on two scales, with a big price difference. At the higher price you can select a specific cabin and evening dining plan (1st or 2nd sitting or anytime) and there are a number of freebies such as shuttle-buses in appropriate ports (shuttles payable on the cheaper ticket plan). At the lower price you have a guarantee cabin and specified dining plan.

Aurora is a favourite ship of ours, and we've sailed her to the Baltic. Just our size at 2000 passengers and she's a "proper" cruise ship with tiered open decks at the stern. Two full-size pools on the main deck - one with a retractable roof which will doubtless be in "indoor" mode for the Baltic. And an adults-only pool and bar at the stern.

Bear in mind that ship's currency is sterling so there'll be some small conversion cost, but you'll be delighted with on-board costs which are much much lower than on US ships, especially bar prices and daily service charges.

 

Post-cruise if you have your hearts set on both Paris and London .......................

Aurora's itinerary probably includes Zeebrugge (for Bruges) as the last port-of-call.

Rather than disembarking back in Southampton you can save yourself 2 or 3 days of time and travel by jumping-ship at Zeebrugge (needs permission, normally given). 2 miles on ship's shuttle from port to Blankenberge station, direct train to Brussels (90 minutes) where you change to Eurostar (90 minutes direct to Paris) and spend a few days in Paris

Then it's Eurostar train direct to London in little more than 2 hours.

Spend those saved days in London, then travel down to your ship in Southampton (90 mins by train, 2.5 hrs by road) on the morning of the sailing.

 

Alternatively you can

- visit Paris from your Le Havre stop. I'd not recommend it cos journey time is 2 to 2.5 hours e/w, giving you just one seriously-foreshortened day in a city that's worth a week. From Le Havre the D-Day beaches and sights would be a much more valuable use of your time, or a relaxing day in the picturesque fishing/tourist town of Honfleur.

- visit Paris in a one-day excursion by Eurostar from London. Again, it can be done & plenty of folk do it. but it makes for a very very long day for a half-day or so in Paris.

- spend time in Southampton post-Baltic. It's not a tourist city, it has enough to interest the visitor for no more than a day - but it's a great base for day-trips to places like Bath, Salisbury+Stonehenge, Portsmouth, Oxford, etc. That said, London and Paris come top of the list for first-timers to Europe.

 

Lots of options, lots to think about. But lots of time to do that before your trip.

 

JB :)

Hi John, oh my, what a fantastic detailed response. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and taking the time to share it with me. I will take note on all the suggestions. This gives me a lot to work with. This is really appreciated Thanks again.

Well done John.