10 Year Anniversary Cruise- 10-Day British Isles From Copenhagen to London: Ireland & Northern Ireland- Budget and hotel rec?

[NCLGirl2013]

Hello!

My husband and I have a 10-Day British Isles From Copenhagen to London: Ireland & Northern Ireland cruise booked for fall of 2023. We fly from the US to Copenhagen  and we paid the upcharge to fly in 2 days early. The cruise ends in London and we are going to stay 2 days later there as well.

 

My questions are the following:

 

How much should I budget for a safe, nicer hotel for 2 nights both in Copenhagen and London?

 

Does anyone have recommendations for particular hotels they have stayed at before?

 

Is travel easy via taxi in both these cities or should I try to rearrange travel before hand?

 

I already have the cruise booked and I know the cost for that (we are just doing an inside cabin). On average, how much money would you budget for this type of cruise for off boat activities? This will be our 10 year anniversary so I want to have a great time but I also don't want to go into debt. We both make an honest living but nothing exceptional. This will by far be the most expensive vacation we have ever done. I want to go ahead and start saving now so the burden is less when the time comes. 

 

Any recommendations or suggestions are highly appreciated! 

[Turtles06]

1 hour ago, NCLGirl2013 said:

Any recommendations or suggestions are highly appreciated!

 

Congratulations on your anniversary!  It sounds like you are planning a wonderful trip.  Besides your cruise, London of course is one of the world's greatest cities, and Copenhagen is quite enjoyable as well.

 

The questions you have asked -- about hotels in those cities, local transportation, and budgeting for the off-ship activities -- really aren't NCL-specific, and so I would encourage you to visit the appropriate Ports of Call forums for information, research, and question-asking, where you will also have "locals" and travelers to those areas reading your posts and able to help.   For example, where to stay in London and Copenhagen are frequent subjects of discussion in the respective sub-forums covering those cities:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/148-british-isleswestern-europe/

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/116-northern-europe-amp-baltic-sea/

 

And in the latter forum, there's an entire thread devoted to "Wonderful Copenhagen" that is run by a local (CC Member Danish Viking), who is an incredible source of information.

 

Enjoy your special trip!

 

Edited May 14, 2021 by Turtles06

[KeithJenner]

Copenhagen - Firstly, the cruise port is a little distance from the city centre, so you will need a taxi unless you are happy carrying your luggage on buses/trains. Getting between the city centre and the airport is very easy as there is a train station at the airport which takes you directly into the centre and is a relatively cheap and short journey. Alternatively you could take a taxi of course.

 

I haven't stated in the city before (either been on an overnight stay onboard or have stayed at the airport, but there are plenty of options. Copenhagen isn't cheap, but not as bad as some big cities. It is a fairly compact city and there are various fun and inexpensive things to do like a boat trip. Tovoli can be quite fun and again isn't too badly priced.

 

London - Hotels are generally very expensive in the city. Even budget options (Premier Inn or Hampton Inn for example) can be well over £100 a night. Fairly standard hotel chains can easily cost £250+ a night in the centre.

 

There is so much to do in London that it is almost impossible to suggest something specific. You can spend a day just walking and seeing the sights which will cost little or you could spend a load of money on tours or going into attractions.

 

The other thing to consider about London is travel. The post that NCL use is in Southampton, which is a couple of hours travel away depending on how you do it). Many people book transfers which can be expensive, and even the train isn't cheap. Also getting from London to your airport can take a while, depending on the airport. The train to Heathrow or Gatwick is not expensive, but also not the most pleasant experience with luggage. A taxi may be a better idea if you want an easier journey but again costs more.

 

You could spend a lot of money in London on accommodation, food and travel, so you do need to plan if you are on a budget. For example, if you do decide to use the train then booking early can save you a lot.

[Turtles06]

44 minutes ago, KeithJenner said:

The other thing to consider about London is travel. The post that NCL use is in Southampton, which is a couple of hours travel away depending on how you do it). Many people book transfers which can be expensive, and even the train isn't cheap.

 

Good point about the transfer.  OP, once again, there is a huge wealth of information in the Britain Port of Call forum (linked in my comment above) about getting to London from Southampton, as this is another topic of frequent discussion.  One possibility is to arrange for a private car service with a small group of folks from your Roll Call, which should make the price manageable.  We did that a few years ago, and arranged to visit Salisbury and Stonehenge on the way to London.  You'll see even cheaper options in the Port of Call forum for doing the same thing.   

[milolii]

All of the advice above is excellent.  There are many experts on the Port of Call Boards, as suggested; and utilize your roll call as well.  
 

I would add a few thoughts.  Since you have only 2 days each in London and Copenhagen,  I would resist the temptation to stay at a hotel outside of the cities to save money, thereby wasting time commuting in  to see sites.  Perhaps decide what sites you want to see and choose a hotel near those sites.  Hotels are expensive in both cities.  
 

You can purchase tickets to attractions in advance, saving time spent in line and some money. 
 

Congratulations on your 10th. 

 

[cabincop]

In London I stayed at Premier near Waterloo. Great location & near Starbucks & London Eye. In was a budget hotel but for 2nites it was fine. Had breakfast every morning there. On my way to port in Southampton a few other people from roll call split cost of van & we also stopped at Stonehenge for 2hrs. Just something to think about. Enjoy. Happy Anniversary 

[NCLGirl2013]

Thank you all very much!

[NCLGirl2013]

So I am playing around with mock bookings for things around the same time this year (since I can not book out to 2023 yet) and I am kind of thinking the following
 

Budget for London hotels for 2 nights- $300 USD

Transfer Cab Service from Southampton to London for 2-$223.38

Taxi from London hotel to airport-$90

Misc Travel expenses for those 2 days -$100

Food & drink for both for 2 days -$350

 

 

Copenhagen Hotel-$350

Taxi from Copenhagen airport to hotel-$90

Taxi from Copenhagen Hotel to Cruise Port-$90

Misc Travel for 2 days- $50

Food & Drink for 2 days- $350

 

Does this seem pretty accurate or high enough to give me wiggle room?

[KeithJenner]

5 minutes ago, NCLGirl2013 said:

So I am playing around with mock bookings for things around the same time this year (since I can not book out to 2023 yet) and I am kind of thinking the following
 

Budget for London hotels for 2 nights- $300 USD

Transfer Cab Service from Southampton to London for 2-$223.38

Taxi from London hotel to airport-$90

Misc Travel expenses for those 2 days -$100

Food & drink for both for 2 days -$350

 

 

Copenhagen Hotel-$350

Taxi from Copenhagen airport to hotel-$90

Taxi from Copenhagen Hotel to Cruise Port-$90

Misc Travel for 2 days- $50

Food & Drink for 2 days- $350

 

Does this seem pretty accurate or high enough to give me wiggle room?

I don’t think you are far out.

 

I just checked the booking we had for Copenhagen for 2020 (which we obviously never used) and it was 2708DKK (just over $400) but there were cheaper options available.

 

To get anything in London, even budget for $300 you will need to book it well in advance. The Premier Inn near Waterloo mentioned earlier (it is called County Hall) is an excellent location. It can be booked for about £100 a night but that is a non cancellable rate. Flexible rates will likely be $400+ for two nights. Bookings open up a year out.

[cabincop]

Hi everyone I just checked this cruise. It says we arrive in Copenhagen on Tuesday but disembark Wednesday. Is it 2 different parts of Copenhagen 

[KeithJenner]

5 hours ago, cabincop said:

Hi everyone I just checked this cruise. It says we arrive in Copenhagen on Tuesday but disembark Wednesday. Is it 2 different parts of Copenhagen 

I don’t know this specific cruise, but occasionally there are cruises where the ship arrives a day early and you affectively get the extra night onboard rather than have to head off to a hotel.

 

We had a similar thing in Venice once where we arrived around midday and then disembarked the following day. It sounds like you have something like this.

 

Most likely you will be docked in the same place both days.

 

However, in Copenhagen there are different docks that the cruise ships use. The main embarkation/disembarkation port is a little way out of the city centre, whereas there is another dock that is used for visiting ships very close to the little mermaid.

 

On a Baltic’s cruise we were on a few years ago we missed the last port so arrived back in Copenhagen a day early. We docked at that closer port on that extra day and then moved the couple of miles to the disembarkation port in the early hours of the morning. I suppose it is possible that they could do something similar (although I suspect that they wouldn’t actually plan it that way).

Edited May 17, 2021 by KeithJenner

[SullytheBFG]

Blimey for that price on a transfer from Southampton to London I would either get the train or a coach. As others have said London hotels are expensive so book ahead however if you are only here for two days I would stay central. You can get the Heathrow express train if that is where you are flying back from. Copenhagen is expensive followed by Sweden then Norway. These are pretty much cashless countries.

 

The USD is still strong against GBP which gives you good buying power, who knows where it will end up. GBP is strengthening against the USD from the terrible place it was.

 

For London it is a good plan to know what you want to do and see. Best advice buy a travel card which means you can you buses, tube and train as much as you want. Please don’t use an Uber and support our London cabbies.

[Sailing12Away]

When we were last in London we stayed here: https://www.parkplazacountyhall.com/

 

Splurged for a suite with London Eye view. From the living room we had a great view of the Eye, and in the bedroom we had views of Big Ben. It was a great location to hop on the tube or easy walking distance to most of the touristy stops. 

 

The only downside was it cost a fortune ($2K for 4 nights). But it was a splurge we still talk about to this day and being in a prime location meant we got to maximize our time in the city. Look into the London Pass, https://londonpass.com/en-us  - depending on your interests it may be worthwhile.

[KeithJenner]

2 hours ago, Sailing12Away said:

When we were last in London we stayed here: https://www.parkplazacountyhall.com/

 

Splurged for a suite with London Eye view. From the living room we had a great view of the Eye, and in the bedroom we had views of Big Ben. It was a great location to hop on the tube or easy walking distance to most of the touristy stops. 

 

The only downside was it cost a fortune ($2K for 4 nights). But it was a splurge we still talk about to this day and being in a prime location meant we got to maximize our time in the city. Look into the London Pass, https://londonpass.com/en-us  - depending on your interests it may be worthwhile.

Given that the OP is after buffet options, that is probably a bit out of their price range. 🙂

 

However, as you say the location is great. It is the same location as the Premier Inn mentioned earlier.

[KeithJenner]

12 hours ago, SullytheBFG said:

For London it is a good plan to know what you want to do and see. Best advice buy a travel card which means you can you buses, tube and train as much as you want. Please don’t use an Uber and support our London cabbies.

Very good point about the travel card.

 

If just using London Transport (tube and bus) for a day or two then a good option is to use contactless payment (card or Apple Pay etc) as it registers your trips and then at the end of the day you get charged the best rate for the journeys you have taken. Just remember to always use the same payment method. It is how I have paid for transport in London for years now.

 

If you are there for longer then a multiple day travel card will probably be best, and these need purchasing in advance of the travel.

 

One other travel tip for London, that few people seem to consider, is remember that you don’t always have to use the transport. I know people who automatically go to the tube, sometimes wasting time changing lines, just to travel a ten minute walk down the road. There is so much to see as you walk, so don’t spend all your time in a hole in the ground.

[MagnoliaBlossom]

Check out the website “ London toolkit” for lots of good offers.  We found lots of useful information and transportation offers there.

Edited May 19, 2021 by MagnoliaBlossom

[Fabulous97]

7 hours ago, KeithJenner said:

Very good point about the travel card.

 

If just using London Transport (tube and bus) for a day or two then a good option is to use contactless payment (card or Apple Pay etc) as it registers your trips and then at the end of the day you get charged the best rate for the journeys you have taken. Just remember to always use the same payment method. It is how I have paid for transport in London for years now.

 

If you are there for longer then a multiple day travel card will probably be best, and these need purchasing in advance of the travel.

 

One other travel tip for London, that few people seem to consider, is remember that you don’t always have to use the transport. I know people who automatically go to the tube, sometimes wasting time changing lines, just to travel a ten minute walk down the road. There is so much to see as you walk, so don’t spend all your time in a hole in the ground.

Very good point re Apple Pay etc. I agree walking is also great to get around, you never know what you will see. I love our city, lived and worked centrally for quite some years.