London - Cruise Line Fans: Cruise Reviews and Chat From Real Cruisers

isujim · 06-10-2005, 06:57 PM

Anyway sailed out of Harwich England and spent a few days in London? Would like to hear about your trip if you did?

isujim · 06-12-2005, 04:55 PM

Anyone been to London?????

Chudley · 06-12-2005, 05:00 PM

We need to get Judy over here!

isujim · 06-12-2005, 05:10 PM

Just hoping as the board grows, someone who has taken a cruise over there will see this and provide information.........keeping it up front from time to time so it doesn't get lost

Chudley · 06-12-2005, 05:19 PM

Jim, Al and I were seriously looking at Princess's European capitals cruise if he hadn't got those trips. We still want to do that.

MCcruiser · 06-12-2005, 06:34 PM

I visited London twice, once on my own for 3 weeks, and once with my sister for a loooooooooooong week. (Some people shouldn't travel together.) It was over 10 years ago, but I can recommend books to use to start your research.

London for the Independent Traveler by Ruth Humleker. She wrote this book assuming that you would spend 3 days in London, and then move on. So she wrote about a dozen 3-day tours that you can take based on you interests, whether it be history, royalty, gardening, the arts, etc. I really put my copy to good use, mixing and matching her walking tours.

Daytrips London by Earl Steinbicker. Get this book from the library, unless you are planning to spend a lot of time in the UK. This has 45 different one-day excursions you can make from London, many of them by train, with excellent maps and directions of where to go and what to see.

The London Guide by Nicholson. Nicholson seems to be the British version of Frommer's, Fodor's, etc. Get the latest version. This book has EVERYTHING you would need, lists of restaurants,sites, detailed maps, emergency numbers, and best of all, it will fit in a purse or deep pocket.

The Penguin London Mapguide -This is a very thin, very easy to read map book of London, with hotels, theatres and Underground stations clearly marked. I use it even when I am reading books set in London to get a lay of the land. It also has a maps of the National Gallery, the Tower of London and the London Zoo. There are lists of museums, places of interest, shopping areas, theaters and cinemas, all keyed to the map, and with phone numbers. The only problem with this book is that it is too wide to put in a pocket.

Look into getting a Transport pass for the Underground and Buses for the length of your stay. It may be cheaper to buy it before you leave.
And now that I've pulled out all these books, I WANNA GO!!!!

isujim · 06-13-2005, 07:54 AM

Thanks MC.........I appreciate the info.............

Anyone know the best way to get from London to Harwich where the cruise pier is located?

MCcruiser · 06-13-2005, 10:14 AM

Even if I wasn't going on a cruise, there would be no doubt that I would use BritRail to go to Harwich. It should be faster and cheaper than going by car. If you leave out of London's Paddington Station, there are trains that take you directly to the quay. I do not think you will need to take a cab from that station; BritRail is set up to make direct connections to other forms of transport, unlike some cities here in the US.

Here is the directions from RCCL's website:
http://www.royalcaribbean.com/customersupport/faq/faqSubject.do;jsessionid=0000Ndr829xMFYkGC2tPqsuDy FX:v2mocbr0?pagename=faq_subject_directions_to_the _pier&faqSubjectName=Directions%20to%20the%20Pier# 13

isujim · 06-13-2005, 02:34 PM

Thanks MC..........

You have been most helpful.........fruballing you as soon as I can

MCcruiser · 06-13-2005, 11:39 PM

No rush - I'm just happy I could help.