Cruiser Formerly Known As Cheapo Dad's Trip Report on Odyssey of the Seas Sailing to A Minus B Plus C Plus H Islands

[harryfat1]

One advantage of being an author of my own thread is I can “hijack it” and ask questions nobody cares about and the author won’t get upset about it.

 

Although the whole concept of being upset of a “hijacking the thread” is idiotic to me as we are all here as fellow travelers sharing info to help/entertain each other and all us pay the same premium membership dues to be here on CC.

 

What’s wrong if someone to ask a question within a thread?  Some people get upset over the smallest things.  So if anyone has any questions/comments, please just drop them in here as I don’t adhere to the protocols of “hijacking” being a bad thing.

 

No fear of “hijacking” this thread – not like it’s going anywahere…

 

That being said, here’s my off topic question of the day as now my mind is on Europe with all this discussion about it the past few days:  As we plan to fly to London/Paris and then take Eurostar from one city to another, does it make any difference which city to go first?

 

I’m inclined to go to London first as they speak English and it’ll be easier to get my bearings straight after coming off an 11 hour flight and a 8 hour time zone difference. Then go to Paris and come back from there.

 

Assuming the difference in airfare isn’t material on either starting with London or Paris, any reason why I should start with Paris first?

[harryfat1]

Anyway, onward to the trip report as we were at Grand Central.  It's a very iconic place with lots of history and how many train terminals in the US look like in the grandeur?

 

 

 

You can sit atop the fine dining section to enjoy the scenery from above.

 

 

This being NYC, there is a heavy security presence in all the areas we visited

 

 

[harryfat1]

They even have an Apple store right at the top section of the train station

 

 

 

The dude is not happy looking at my Samsung phone and taking pictures of the Apple store...

 

 

[harryfat1]

This being NYC where space is at a super-premium, they build a big part of the train station below ground level.

 

In the lower section of Grand Central, there are some shopping areas.  This being NYC, you will see police presence everywhere you go

 

 

 

All the train tracks are downstairs at the lower levels like subways.  You won’t see any trains arriving at the station from the ground floor.  This whole area is underground

[harryfat1]

There is also a food court at the below-ground level for people to grab some food before/after their train ride.  We would come here on the very last day to buy something to eat for the plane ride home.

 

Again, we don't have anything like this on the West Coast.  I don't think anywhere in the US has a train station on this scale with all this being underground.  If anyone knows of one, leave a comment below.

 

In Japan, they have more extensive train stations built out underneath but this is the largest scale I have seen in the US.

 

 

 

 

 

Shake Shack

 

 

 

 

[harryfat1]

Magnolia Bakery inside the station

 

 

Pizza Place - we would come back here on last day to get food before leaving for the airport

 

 

When was the last time you had your shoes shined at these are the old school shoe shine seats.

 

The woman in the black was running to catch her train as she sped past me while I was taking this picture.  Think she would appreciate the 1 extra minute she got if she was looking at the clock in the ticketing area

 

 

[harryfat1]

OK, back up to the main level again.

 

If you look way up a the tall glass area, you will notice people walking past periodically.  We asked the police officers there if the area is for public access and were told no, not for the general public as my wife wanted to go up there and take a picture looking down.

 

[harryfat1]

All done with Grand Central Terminal.  It was 7:35.  Time for dinner.

 

 

Dinner tonight is at the Urban Hawker food hall.  It’s a Southeast Asian cuisine-only food hall just a few blocks from Grand Central and we’d be walking by the Rockefeller Center on the way there

 

On paper, the entire food hall closes at 10 PM. In reality, many of the places were already closed by the time we got there at 8. Dang. They lied

 

 

 

 

I wanted the Hainan Chicken from one of the stalls but they were already closed by 8 PM so the only good option left was just the “meh” fried rice area.

 

 

 

 

[harryfat1]

 

 

[harryfat1]

After dinner, we walked past the Broadway show theater where they performed “Wicked”.  We thought about going there to see the show but at $150 per ticket, it’s a tad too rich for Cheapo Dad’s wallet books as I can see 3 observation decks for this price.

 

I can catch Broadway-style show back in SF later on but I can’t be in the observation decks later on to see the sights of NYC.

 

 

 

 

[harryfat1]

After the Broadway theater, we made it back to Times Square where our initial visit the other night was cut short due to the rain. No rain is forecasted tonight and tonight seemed more crowded than the other night.

 

 

 

 

 

The back view of the red steps

 

 

 

[harryfat1]

Yeap.  We are going to try up the stairs of full of bodies

 

 

 

 

 

Me and my new BFFs...

 

 

[h20skibum]

5 hours ago, harryfat1 said:

I’m inclined to go to London first as they speak English and it’ll be easier to get my bearings straight after coming off an 11 hour flight and a 8 hour time zone difference. Then go to Paris and come back from there.

That was the direction we intended, although we were flying in for a 14 day cruise from Southampton. Did our pre cruise stay in Southampton, then up to London after the cruise. We had planned to go to Paris after London, but then there were riots and burning things going on in Paris at that time so we decided to wait for a later date to do Paris. 

 

We actually did that long flight from San Francisco, because we were there with our grandson.  Kind of a Summer of Fun -1.0, because it was the summer before 2020 which was everyone’s no fun year.  DIL took our grandson to China for those three weeks we were gone.

 

We packed a lot into our days in London.  I covered that in my Live from that cruise.  Now, back to my planning.  My Utopia Live will probably start later today at Day -2.

[rncruiser]

11 hours ago, harryfat1 said:

 

 

That being said, here’s my off topic question of the day as now my mind is on Europe with all this discussion about it the past few days:  As we plan to fly to London/Paris and then take Eurostar from one city to another, does it make any difference which city to go first?

 

I’m inclined to go to London first as they speak English and it’ll be easier to get my bearings straight after coming off an 11 hour flight and a 8 hour time zone difference. Then go to Paris and come back from there.

 

Assuming the difference in airfare isn’t material on either starting with London or Paris, any reason why I should start with Paris first?

I felt the same way, start where we can speak the language. I loved both cities but my husband preferred Paris, so maybe it is best to start with the one you think you may like less so your last memories are of the better one, whichever that may be. 
Harry, you may prefer London since many of the museums have free admission. In Paris, nothing is free.

And as I have previously discussed, hotels in Paris are very pricey, though if you stay in an Air BnB that won’t be a concern. Of course, if you are traveling into the city every day you may want to start there before you tire out. 

[harryfat1]

12 hours ago, h20skibum said:

That was the direction we intended, although we were flying in for a 14 day cruise from Southampton. Did our pre cruise stay in Southampton, then up to London after the cruise. We had planned to go to Paris after London, but then there were riots and burning things going on in Paris at that time so we decided to wait for a later date to do Paris. 

 

We actually did that long flight from San Francisco, because we were there with our grandson.  Kind of a Summer of Fun -1.0, because it was the summer before 2020 which was everyone’s no fun year.  DIL took our grandson to China for those three weeks we were gone.

 

We packed a lot into our days in London.  I covered that in my Live from that cruise.  Now, back to my planning.  My Utopia Live will probably start later today at Day -2.

Mark,

 

Have a great vacation.  I will be dropping in on your trip reporting in between my postings here.

 

Thanks for the info on your cruise out of UK.  I will be checking out your trip info later.

 

Yeah, good decision to skip Paris during the unrest as you never know some crazies could be attacking innocent bystanders.

 

Maybe after this European land trip, we might do the Mediterranean cruise to see Greece but from all the news reports, it doesn’t sound like some of Europeans are welcoming the tourists and the areas are super crowded in the summer periods.

[harryfat1]

7 hours ago, rncruiser said:

I felt the same way, start where we can speak the language. I loved both cities but my husband preferred Paris, so maybe it is best to start with the one you think you may like less so your last memories are of the better one, whichever that may be. 
Harry, you may prefer London since many of the museums have free admission. In Paris, nothing is free.

And as I have previously discussed, hotels in Paris are very pricey, though if you stay in an Air BnB that won’t be a concern. Of course, if you are traveling into the city every day you may want to start there before you tire out. 

I think London is for the mind and Paris is for the heart in terms of what’s out there.  It’s a matter of personal preferences of what each person likes.

 

As you said, the London museums are free and it’s a great enrichment for the mind but Paris is where the books/movies all romanticize the city so it’s for the hearts.

 

From a high level, I think there are more interesting/picture-worthy spots in Paris than in London so if nothing else, we will use the first “jetlag” day in London to meander around the city and not have to worry about the language barrier. 

 

Wouldn’t want to spend my first jetlag day standing in line at Disneyland Paris.

 

 

I haven't decided on Airbnb in Paris or London.  I would think one of the stays should be an Airbnb so we can deal with laundry by day 7 or 8 of the trip on either end in doing laundry before leaving the apartment or right after arriving.

 

I was just checking Expedia and the Internet yesterday and found this Paris Disneyland Partners Hotel - Hotel L'Elysee Val D'Europe. 

 

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g780713-d289828-Reviews-or20-Hotel_L_Elysee_Val_D_Europe-Serris_Marne_la_Vallee_Seine_et_Marne_Ile_de_France.html

 

It’s across the street from a major suburban mall in Paris and close to the train station.  Has free shuttles to Paris Disneyland as well as A/C that you referenced.  It's supposed to be a 4-star hotel. 

 

Expedia is quoting me $2,400 USD (including tax and fees) for a 7-night stay in late June for 4 of us in 2 queen-sized beds.  That price includes a breakfast buffet daily for all of us.

 

I’m very tempted to book this soon just to have something locked up as I pay nothing until next June and it’s 100% cancellable with no penalties for cancellation if I find a better option later on. 

 

At $340 USD per night including taxes it’s not a screaming bargain compared to the other cheaper Airbnb places but the location near the mall and train station and free shuttle to Disneyland is a major plus.  With A/C and daily breakfast, this place checks off all the boxes.

 

The only concern is that since it’s closer to Disneyland, it’s further out in the suburbs and not within the heart of Paris and we will have to deal with riding the RER train into town daily which is around 40 minutes one way. I will need to check the frequency of the trains later on but at this stage, I’m going to book this sooner than later just to lock in the price/room.

 

 

 

 

[dani negreanu]

19 hours ago, harryfat1 said:

They stopped the Meet and Mingle activities now, right?  Was that a victim of the Covid and never came back afterwards?

 

M&M -- one of the many Covid victims...

 

My thoughts about your Paris cum London trip --

 

By now, you've gathered that I like to be "in the middle of the things". Taking into consideration the cost of flights, hotels and per diem, time is very valuable.

 

I wouldn't want to spend 40 mins from my home away from home to get to the main sights in Paris. I would also like to option to get back in the middle of the day / afternoon in order to "regroup".

 

How many days do you plan for Paris Disney? I'd limit my stay near the park to the number of days I'll be visiting. Afterwards, "back to Paris", find the cheapest accommodation in a good and central hotel / Airbnb.

 

I speak French. I've found a big difference between our 1st visit to Paris in 1976, where nobody spoke English, and subsequent many visits, where English was widely spoken.

 

My personal preference is to fly to Paris first. I hate the long journey from Heathrow to Central London and found it easier to get from CDG to central Paris.

 

Afterwards, very easy to catch the Eurostar from Paris and find myself, after 3 mere hours, right in central London.

 

 

[rncruiser]

I was just about to say the same thing as Dani, that I wouldn’t want a 40 minute trip back to my hotel for a rest in the middle of the day. 
I looked at the location of the hotel you are thinking of and see that it costs 6€ per person to get to Disneyland using public transportation, even though it only takes a few minutes. Something to think about as that adds 48€ per day to your cost. 

[harryfat1]

3 hours ago, dani negreanu said:

 

M&M -- one of the many Covid victims...

 

My thoughts about your Paris cum London trip --

 

By now, you've gathered that I like to be "in the middle of the things". Taking into consideration the cost of flights, hotels and per diem, time is very valuable.

 

I wouldn't want to spend 40 mins from my home away from home to get to the main sights in Paris. I would also like to option to get back in the middle of the day / afternoon in order to "regroup".

 

How many days do you plan for Paris Disney? I'd limit my stay near the park to the number of days I'll be visiting. Afterwards, "back to Paris", find the cheapest accommodation in a good and central hotel / Airbnb.

 

I speak French. I've found a big difference between our 1st visit to Paris in 1976, where nobody spoke English, and subsequent many visits, where English was widely spoken.

 

My personal preference is to fly to Paris first. I hate the long journey from Heathrow to Central London and found it easier to get from CDG to central Paris.

 

Afterwards, very easy to catch the Eurostar from Paris and find myself, after 3 mere hours, right in central London.

 

 

 

3 hours ago, rncruiser said:

I was just about to say the same thing as Dani, that I wouldn’t want a 40 minute trip back to my hotel for a rest in the middle of the day. 
I looked at the location of the hotel you are thinking of and see that it costs 6€ per person to get to Disneyland using public transportation, even though it only takes a few minutes. Something to think about as that adds 48€ per day to your cost. 

Thanks to both for the feedback on London/Paris.  Let me go back to the drawing board to rethink my strategy.

 

I was hoping to be lazy in just staying at one place in Paris and not have to move within Paris if at all possible.

 

We are looking to stay 7 nights in Paris and if we switch hotels, it would be 3 nights Disneyland area and 4 nights in central Paris. Or 7 nights in central Paris and take the trains for 2 or 3 days to the Disneyland area.

 

Disneyland Paris closes at 10:30 PM or so during the summer.  Being a Disney fan, I anticipate us staying close to closing time and then lingering at the Disney Village until 11 PM.  Then we would need to take the train back to Paris to get back to the hotel after midnight.  And doing it for 2 nights.

 

So it’s a case of picking my poison in either giving up part of the day to move between hotels to check out/check-in/get settled or spending multiple days going back and forth between places.

 

As for the cost, I was thinking of getting the Navigo Weekly Pass that I saw online the other day which  includes every transportation option in Paris, like the RER so we don’t have to pay separately each way:

 

 

 

 

[harryfat1]

Back to the Times Square:

 

 

Zooming in you see the person dressed as Mickey.  If you want to take a picture with them, be sure to agree on a price beforehand

 

[harryfat1]

Here are pictures of another youth group.  Think they are from Mexico/South America?

 

Everyone was wearing a red backpack and a clear lanyard with the subway MetroCard inside.  They were boisterous and provided a lot of energy to the area when they were singing and dancing as a group.

 

 

Here’s a tour bus full of tourists taking pictures of the youth group in red while they took pictures of the tour bus – reciprocating phone opts.

 

 

Note the ad on the bus trying to get people to go to the Cayman Islands in the winter.

 

 

The billboard had ads about this group as you can see their hands taking pictures of the screen

 

 

[harryfat1]

Went down the red stairs to be with the masses and check out few stores (aka visiting uncle in prison)

 

 

I would hate to be driving around this crowd

 

 

 

 

 

SHOW ME THE MONEY as you need to pay to have photos taken

 

 

[harryfat1]

Street performers trying to make a buck

 

 

 

Time to visit the uncle in prison (aka shopping).

 

Throwing in an RCI cruise photo as this is supposed to be an RCI cruise-related thread so let’s show an RCI logo shirt in NYC it for a mere $130 USD…Cheapo Dad chuckle and kept on walking

 

 

Instead, I bought this shirt.  You might see me wearing it on the December cruise...

 

 

[harryfat1]

Done with the prison visit.  Time to head back to the hotel as it was 10:30 PM but Times Square was still buzzing full of energy as you see more street performers trying to entertain the people and making a buck.

 

Gotta love NY.  Where else do you find a big crowd at 10:30 PM listening to a Mexican band playing music?

 

These people might be staying for the Midnight Moment display

 

 

 

 

Shops are still open 

 

 

Made it back to the hotel by 11 PM to shower

 

Distance walked for the day = 9 miles

 

This concludes day 6 of the trip report as we are about 2/3 of the way done with this supplemental report

[harryfat1]

Day 7 July 2 – Central Park/Empire State Building

 

Another morning of hotel breakfast. 

 

It may not be the best but it’s certainly convenient to just take the elevator down to the lobby and there’s a mini buffet waiting for you.  No need to stand in a long line like Ess A Bagel or have to whip out the wallet to pay for a family of 4 for breakfast daily for coffee/tea.

 

 

 

Never-ending construction in NYC.