London pass

Has anyone done the London pass? We are arriving two days early, any advise? Thank you for any info

You may want to also ask on the British Isles ports of call board:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=233

but I don't see any recent threads on London Pass there so I'll answer here.

I've used it twice for short visits--once two days, once four days. Yes, you will get your money's worth easily as long as you can hit at least two major attractions (St Paul's Cathedral, Kensington Palace, Churchill War Rooms, Wimbledon) each day plus two or three lesser ones (Shakespeare's Globe, Tower Bridge, Banqueting House, London Transport Museum, Jewish Museum of London are ones I enjoyed).

Other hints which I hope still apply since my last visit:

Show your pass even if going to a museum with free admission; there may be some "bonus" for you (I recall getting a glossy program that normally cost several pounds for free at the Greenwich Maritime Museum);

You pass includes rides on London riverboats even if you do not add the Tube pass to it--a good way to get to Greenwich if you wish;

Showing the pass also waives fees at some chains of Bureau d'Change if you need to buy some more pounds.

I would suggest not getting the Tube Travelcard as an add-on unless you plan to use the tube extensively and exclusively--sometimes you will just need a taxi instead. If you want to ride the tube a few times an Oystercard for each person may end up less expensive even with the initial five pound charge. (I assume the card or something similar still exists...)

*You will note under my 'major' recommendations the omission of Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London. The former is OK but if you only have time for one church, St Paul's is far superior. And I found the Tower a total snoozer, Crown Jewels notwithstanding. One 'minor' attraction I hit solely because I was in the area with the pass was the Ben Franklin House--which was a huge waste of time.

We spent a week in London pre cruise and did the tube and bus add on. We were glad we did. When we told Londoners on the cruise all we did for the week and the cost they said we did more in one week than they did their whole life. If the Queen is on holiday Buckingham palace is a must see. We can recommend Q Gardens and Warwick Castle and Bath an Stonhenge and the Cottswalds for day trips. The nicest surprise was a behind the scenes tour of Albert Hall. West End theatre with discount tickets was so much cheaper than New York. There is an office for London pass folks to visit and get updates on what is going on. Good luck with max sightseeing at minimum cost. Terry

Sent from my iPad using Forums

We used them for two days before a cruise last May. Very much worth the price for us. To make it worth it though, my hint would be to plan very carefully with your traveling companions what you want to see and when - as in hour by hour. There is a per day price cap so you need to balance the expensive with less expensive items per day as well as pay attention to logistics so you are not spending your time in the tube. We did not add the travel option - used the HOHO and the boat ride one day to get us from one end of town to the other, and bought some sort of travel pass for the other day. (There are some London travel sites discussing the various travel pass options in London which are sort of overwhelming but provide great explanation if you can hang in there.)

That said, if you are museum people and not church people, many of the incredible museums are free and we felt rushed to leave them to be able to use our passes. So be sure you actually want to see enough of the places included in the pass to make it worth it to you.

have not done London but similar "pass" is available in many places and we've always gotten our money's worth ... if transportation costs extra it is typically worth the $

Two days early gives you very little time.

Day 1: Arrive, check into hotel, do some sightseeing, battle jet lag, eat two or three meals.

Day 2: have a full day of sightseeing.

Day 3: Possibly do some sightseeing, check out of hotel, transfer to ship.

I advise against the London Pass. By racing to get your money's worth you will miss out on all the free attractions that are absolutely world class. The British Museum, National Gallery, British Library, Wallace Collection, and Imperial War Museum are just a few of the free attractions that beg for your limited London time. Check out a good guidebook or two, find out what you want to see in London, then see if the London Pass is any help.

We thought it well worth it when we went to London for a week not in conjunction with a cruise. As you'll only be there for two days, as they above posted pointed out there are quite a number for free sites in London and if you're only there for 2 days, take advantage of those. As your time is limited, if there are a few other attractions you may want to see as time permits, pay......... as it would probably be less $$$$$ to just pay for them rather than getting the London pass.

Two days early gives you very little time.

Day 1: Arrive, check into hotel, do some sightseeing, battle jet lag, eat two or three meals.

Day 2: have a full day of sightseeing.

Day 3: Possibly do some sightseeing, check out of hotel, transfer to ship.

 

I advise against the London Pass. By racing to get your money's worth you will miss out on all the free attractions that are absolutely world class. The British Museum, National Gallery, British Library, Wallace Collection, and Imperial War Museum are just a few of the free attractions that beg for your limited London time. Check out a good guidebook or two, find out what you want to see in London, then see if the London Pass is any help.

Sound advice. Find a guidebook you like and pick the things you want to see. Then decide if the pass makes sense. +1 on the Imperial War Museum. I love London. I've spent a couple weeks there over a couple trips and have just scratched the surface.

You could spend a month in London and not see everything you want. Pick a couple things each day and enjoy them instead of racing through "to see everything". I'd also suggest a London Walks tour one night. I've taken 5 or 6 and all have been fun.

Free advice is worth exactly what you pay for it.