Celebrity Infinity - Oct 24 2013 - T/A Harwich to Miami - Pied Piper sailing

[Turtles06]

Only 8 months to go! We'll all be sailing away before we know it!

[Petert102]

LONDON HOTELS TO HARWICH AND SHIP TRANSFERS

 

I just found a site where I was able to book tickets for a bus service to take Paul and I directly from the Marble Arch Thistle Hotel ( any main London Hotel ) to the Ship. Best of all it includes a 45 minute stop en route at a large supermarket where we can stock up on wine ( Celebrity allows two bottles for your cabin ), cabin munchies, listerene, a real shower size bar of soap, toothpaste and mineral waters for our voyage.

 

This seems to us ideal, as both of us are somewhat frail at the moment ( me had a mini-stroke this week ) and being literally door to door, it removes all the stress and schlepping that a railroad transfer would involve.

 

If anyone is interested, please e-mail me at petert102 at mac.com if you would like details and I will send you the link to the site - to avoid an unintended detour to my SPAM folder please mark the Title HARWICH TRANSFER. Although it is not cheap, neither is a cab from a west end hotel to Liverpool Street Railroad station Plus a train to Harwich International Railroad station which involves a transfer a Manningtree

 

Peter

Edited February 26, 2013 by Petert102

[Turtles06]

 

This seems to us ideal, as both of us are somewhat frail at the moment ( me had a mini-stroke this week ) and being literally door to door, it removes all the stress and schlepping that a railroad transfer would involve.

 

....

 

Peter

 

Peter: as I said on the X board, so sorry to hear this happened, but SO glad you got the right drugs in time and are recovering. I hope your recovery is speedy and full!

 

Judith

 

PS: Agree with you about not wanting to schlep on the train, esp. since there's no "cruise train" the day we are traveling, and so that would require the change at Manningtree (which, from what I've read, means dragging luggage up and down stairs). We are going to Harwich directly from Heathrow, and we've booked a private transfer....A splurge for sure, but we are worth it! :)

[Petert102]

Peter: as I said on the X board, so sorry to hear this happened, but SO glad you got the right drugs in time and are recovering. I hope your recovery is speedy and full!

 

Judith

 

PS: Agree with you about not wanting to schlep on the train, esp. since there's no "cruise train" the day we are traveling, and so that would require the change at Manningtree (which, from what I've read, means dragging luggage up and down stairs). We are going to Harwich directly from Heathrow, and we've booked a private transfer....A splurge for sure, but we are worth it! :)

Thank you for the good wishes, much appreciated

 

You are going to be exhausted !!!! Plane to the ship !!!! I feel for you, but you are most wise taking the private transfer from LHR, it would all be too much after the long night flight, never mind the three mile walk at Heathrow to immigration and the one hour wait there to get your passport stamped ....you WILL definitely need the restorative powers of that MARTINI on sailing !!!!!

 

Word to the wise, even if able bodied, get the airline to order you a wheelchair at Heathrow, it saves on the long lines at immigration, not to mention the three mile walk to immigration ( you can always bet that the moving walkways will not be working there, I sometimes think that they have been installed as purely decorative items )

 

Peter

[Turtles06]

Thank you for the good wishes, much appreciated

 

You are going to be exhausted !!!! Plane to the ship !!!! I feel for you, but you are most wise taking the private transfer from LHR, it would all be too much after the long night flight, never mind the three mile walk at Heathrow to immigration and the one hour wait there to get your passport stamped ....you WILL definitely need the restorative powers of that MARTINI on sailing !!!!!

 

Word to the wise, even if able bodied, get the airline to order you a wheelchair at Heathrow, it saves on the long lines at immigration, not to mention the three mile walk to immigration ( you can always bet that the moving walkways will not be working there, I sometimes think that they have been installed as purely decorative items )

 

Peter

 

Ugh, the arrival at Heathrow sounds awful; we haven't flown in there in a zillion years. Thanks for the head's up. (We did fly out of Heathrow last spring after an eastbound TA, and it felt like we'd walked forever just to get to our gate.)

 

But we are not doing "plane to the ship." We are getting in the day before the ship departs; our plan, assuming our plane is on time, is to have a quiet afternoon in Harwich and a nice dinner at the well-reviewed restaurant at The Pier overlooking the water, where we'll also be staying.

[Petert102]

Ugh, the arrival at Heathrow sounds awful; we haven't flown in there in a zillion years. Thanks for the head's up. (We did fly out of Heathrow last spring after an eastbound TA, and it felt like we'd walked forever just to get to our gate.)

 

But we are not doing "plane to the ship." We are getting in the day before the ship departs; our plan, assuming our plane is on time, is to have a quiet afternoon in Harwich and a nice dinner at the well-reviewed restaurant at The Pier overlooking the water, where we'll also be staying.

I am so happy that you are spending the night at Harwich, I was quite worried that you might be doing it in one hop !!!! They should re-name Heathrow "Bangladesh International" except that I have a sneeking feeling that Bangladesh will be more modern !!! Heathrow really does redefine the concept of squalor

 

Peter

[Turtles06]

I am so happy that you are spending the night at Harwich, I was quite worried that you might be doing it in one hop !!!! They should re-name Heathrow "Bangladesh International" except that I have a sneeking feeling that Bangladesh will be more modern !!! Heathrow really does redefine the concept of squalor

 

Peter

 

Thanks for the concern. We never plan to do that one hop thing! :)

[Hobie]

@Peter:

 

Have you stayed at the Marble Arch Thistle before? Do you recommend it? Reasonable prices? I like the location.

 

Thanks.

[Petert102]

@Peter:

 

Have you stayed at the Marble Arch Thistle before? Do you recommend it? Reasonable prices? I like the location.

 

Thanks.

Yes , Paul and I always stay there and have done so for years, it is a large commercial hotel, so expect conventions, airline crews and groups, it is a little limited on the charm stakes. Having said that the rates, if you use the advance purchase no cancel option, are reasonable for London. Is it deluxe ?, no, but it is clean, has good heating and something that approximates to US plumbing. Accross the road is the Cumberland, also a Guoman Hotel ( Thistle is owned by Guoman, a Hong Kong Chinese owned company ), it is supposed to be a notch better, but we have not always found this to be so, so stay at the Marble Arch Thistle. Anyway it is a good second option. We are members of their frequent stay club, so do get fairly good benefits

 

Its best asset is, is its location, good for busses and subways and the Oxford street stores. The icing on the cake is that the City of Quebec watering hole is under the hotel, so no problems getting home once the public transport system shuts down. The C of Q is always jumping !!!!

 

Best of all is that we have arranged a bus to pick us up there at 7:40am which takes us all the way to Harwich and the Celebrity Infinity

 

Hope this is of help Glenn

 

Peter

Edited February 27, 2013 by Petert102

[Hobie]

@Peter,

 

Thanks for the recommendation.

 

I always have fun at the City of Quebec!

[Petert102]

@Peter,

 

Thanks for the recommendation.

 

I always have fun at the City of Quebec!

We will arrive there on the aternoon of Monday Oct 21 and leave at 7:40 on Thursday Oct 24. We have not booked yet as sterling seems to be falling against the dollar

 

Peter

[Petert102]

Just keeping the page current

[Turtles06]

Just keeping the page current

 

I think you just violated a CC rule against thread bumping. :eek::);)

[Petert102]

I think you just violated a CC rule against thread bumping. :eek::);)

Oh dear will get suspended yet again, I guess I will just have to meet you Guys on the ship !!!!

 

Peter

[Turtles06]

Oh dear will get suspended yet again, I guess I will just have to meet you Guys on the ship !!!!

 

Peter

 

You've been suspended? What did you do? :)

[Petert102]

You've been suspended? What did you do? :)

Somebody posted a very homophobic review ( all those G**** on board !!! my poor kiddies type of stuff ) I suggeted in reply that folks should protest and CC shut me down for a month and removed my post leaving the homophobic one on the board !!!!! They So I am not entirely comfortable with the editorial policy

[BlazerMB]

Hi I am Michael, from Rhode Island. My partner, Tom, and I just booked this TA with Pied Piper today! This will be out first PP cruise. We have done Atlantis and RSVP, but have heard great things about PP so we thought we'd give them a try! We are flying from Boston the Friday before the sailing, will spend a few nights in London, then head to Harwich on Wednesday. Can't wait to meet all of you!

[Petert102]

Hi I am Michael, from Rhode Island. My partner, Tom, and I just booked this TA with Pied Piper today! This will be out first PP cruise. We have done Atlantis and RSVP, but have heard great things about PP so we thought we'd give them a try! We are flying from Boston the Friday before the sailing, will spend a few nights in London, then head to Harwich on Wednesday. Can't wait to meet all of you!

Hi Michael and Tom

 

I think you will like your choice with PP, they are very different from the Charter Companies, quieter but you will meet some really great folks.

 

Harwich has zero to see and do, have an extra night in London. There is a company, which we are taking, that takes Celebrity passengers direct from central London Hotels to the ship at Harwich. We have a 07:40 am pick-up on the thursday Oct 24. If you need more info on the Non-Celebrity direct hotel to ship transfer e-mail me at petert102@mac.com

 

As you can see from this board, when you have a chance to catch-up, we seem, so far to have a small, but very interesting group of PP folks on the ship. My husband Paul and I will be flying over from JFK on Oct 17, spending three days in Brighton on the south coast before then three days in London. We are completely addicted to T/As, loving the long lazy sea days, enjoying good books on the Kindle and the chance to really get to know the good company of your fellow travelers in the evenings. As we know Europe very well, our ports of call visits are focused on having a really superb lunch at a great local restaurant and shopping, for instance there is a small store in Lisbon that specialized in bed linens of the most incredible "million count" egyptian cotton at incredible prices

 

Hugz

 

Peter

Edited March 13, 2013 by Petert102

[BlazerMB]

Hi Peter: Thanks for the info abot the transfer. I will discuss it with Tom. My thought was that we would enjoy a quiet evening in Harwich, at the Pier Hotel, and be up and refreshed to board Infinity. We have not yet made a London Hotel booking. Still working on gathering info. But, I think we are committed to the Marble Arch area.

 

We too love TA's...and also the Kindles, etc. I have never been bored by a day at sea! We love meeting new people and sharing martinis with new friends! We have booked Celebrity Select dining so we are not locked into a set dining time. Having done PP before, I would be happy to know yout thoughts on that. Thanks! Michael

[Petert102]

Hi Peter: Thanks for the info abot the transfer. I will discuss it with Tom. My thought was that we would enjoy a quiet evening in Harwich, at the Pier Hotel, and be up and refreshed to board Infinity. We have not yet made a London Hotel booking. Still working on gathering info. But, I think we are committed to the Marble Arch area.

 

We too love TA's...and also the Kindles, etc. I have never been bored by a day at sea! We love meeting new people and sharing martinis with new friends! We have booked Celebrity Select dining so we are not locked into a set dining time. Having done PP before, I would be happy to know yout thoughts on that. Thanks! Michael

 

Hi Tom and Michael

 

We have mixed feelings about the fixied /select dining arrangements. We have found in the past that the reality of things is, is that if you are on Select you end up going in anyway on the late sitting time as the Martini Bar empties out then anyway. We have been many times with PP, usually they have put together a great table, but on one occasion we have had a table from hell. This time we have selected the PP late sitting but requested a table for two as I do not think I could take an incompatible table for two weeks. Like I imagine ourselves, you are Celebrity Elite, so secureing a table for two is not usually an issue. Also after a couple of convivial hours at the Martini Bar, it is really nicer to have a quiet dinner and not have to force polite conversation

 

Hugz

 

Peter

Edited March 13, 2013 by Petert102

[BlazerMB]

Hi Peter: Tom and I love to socialize....but we just plain enjoy having dinner together. In the past we have been very luck with talemates, but since the advent of open seating, we prefer it...and usually end up with a standing time/table/waiter after the martini bar hoopla dies down. We are Select on Celebrity....edging closer to Elite, but not quite. Michael

[Turtles06]

Hi Peter: Thanks for the info abot the transfer. I will discuss it with Tom. My thought was that we would enjoy a quiet evening in Harwich, at the Pier Hotel, and be up and refreshed to board Infinity. We have not yet made a London Hotel booking. Still working on gathering info. But, I think we are committed to the Marble Arch area.

 

We too love TA's...and also the Kindles, etc. I have never been bored by a day at sea! We love meeting new people and sharing martinis with new friends! We have booked Celebrity Select dining so we are not locked into a set dining time. Having done PP before, I would be happy to know yout thoughts on that. Thanks! Michael

 

Hi Michael and Tom,

 

Welcome aboard! My partner, Eileen, and I are booked thru PP as well (I've posted earlier in this Roll Call). We love being at sea; the more sea days, the better. We sailed on a TA with PP on the Eclipse last spring and had a great time. We were the gender diversity.:)

 

We are staying at The Pier on Wed. night, arriving in Harwich that afternoon. It seems to be a quaint little town with enough to do for the afternoon (yes, Peter, I see you trying to get more people on your bus from London the next day, LOL!)... Our preference was not to travel up from London the day of embarkation, but that's us...We are looking forward to that quiet night in Harwich, including a good fish dinner at The Pier's restaurant.

 

On the ship, we are doing Late Dining with the PP group, but if all you nice guys are dining on your own, who will you leave us with???!!! :eek:

 

Judith

Edited March 14, 2013 by Turtles06

[BlazerMB]

Hey Judith: Tom and I have been discussing the dining issue, but I think we're going to stick with what we have. We are also looking forward to a nice evening at The Pier. They seem like delightful people....I'm sure you received the nice welcoming email from them. Sounds like a great spot to spend a leisurely evening and enjoy a local dinner! There are only 12 rooms in the hotel I believe...so we will surely meet each other in the bar!!!! What are your plans for getting from Liondon to Harwich? Peter's contact does offer smaller transport arragements! Michael

[Turtles06]

Hey Judith: Tom and I have been discussing the dining issue, but I think we're going to stick with what we have. We are also looking forward to a nice evening at The Pier. They seem like delightful people....I'm sure you received the nice welcoming email from them. Sounds like a great spot to spend a leisurely evening and enjoy a local dinner! There are only 12 rooms in the hotel I believe...so we will surely meet each other in the bar!!!! What are your plans for getting from Liondon to Harwich? Peter's contact does offer smaller transport arragements! Michael

 

Yes, we got that very lovely, wonderfully British welcoming email from The Pier as well. I'm a total anglophile, so this is perfect. We aren't flying in until the morning of Wed. the 23d, and so we have arranged private transport from Heathrow to Harwich. Yes, it sounds like we'll definitely cross paths in The Pier's bar!

 

We're very much looking forward to meeting everyone!

[BlazerMB]

May I ask who you are using for the transport to Harwich? I am gathering information! Thanks. Michael