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cruise critic member - lives near Harwich - happy to answer questions


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Anyone need any help pre-post cruise from Harwich...just ask

 

Hi Debzie,

 

Welcome to cc. :)

 

Good to have someone who can help out with our east coast ports of Harwich, Harwick, Hawich and Howick ;)

 

John Bull :)

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Anyone need any help pre-post cruise from Harwich...just ask

 

Several...my wife and I are coming to London 3 days before our cruise out of Southampton. What is the best way to get from Heathrow to dowtown...who has the best tours in the City?

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  • 4 weeks later...

Also, what to do there, in Harwich that is. Is driving in the UK a pain for us Americans? Any special paperwork or license needed?

Also, looks as if Ipswich has more acommodation to offer than Harwich. Anything of real interest there as well?

Thanks,

TnT

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  • 2 weeks later...
Several...my wife and I are coming to London 3 days before our cruise out of Southampton. What is the best way to get from Heathrow to dowtown...who has the best tours in the City?

 

quickest is the Heathrow Express train. Its quick and goes into Paddington. Takes 15 mins and runs every 15 mins. The catch is its pricy about £15 each way. And you still then need to make your way to your hotel or place of visit.

 

Id always take the tube (subway) Its single £4.50 or for £8 you can get an off peak travelcard and use it all day on tubes trains and buses.

 

A black taxi cab will cost about £50. Journey time 40 mins - 90 mins dependening on time of day.

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Back to the original poster! What would you recommendations be for a pre-night hotel in Harwich. We will not have a rental car.

 

Thanks!

 

In my opinion, Best is The Pier and its got a good restaurant. There are two other in Dovercourt nearby. So next best in my opinion is The Tower. Last of three is Continental.

Harwich is quite small so you could be better off in Colchester or Ipswich which offer a better choice then take train or taxi into Harwich.

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Also, what to do there, in Harwich that is. Is driving in the UK a pain for us Americans? Any special paperwork or license needed?

Also, looks as if Ipswich has more acommodation to offer than Harwich. Anything of real interest there as well?

Thanks,

TnT

 

Harwich is quaint but small. It has loads of character and some nice pubs but you'll get round it in half a day.

 

Ipswich is much larger and busier. Head to the waterfront for bars and restaurants or the Salthouse hotel. The town centre has lots of shops that appear on most UK high streets. Seckford Hall hotel is a little out of town but is really nice. You should also try Woodbridge.

 

Colchester is similair distance and has a bit more character in my opinion. There's a castle, some unique shops and its Britains oldest town having been the first place that was settled by Romans. My fave hotel is The George.

 

If you can get out a bit further then try Dedham Vale (30 mins max) for some very traditional British countryside and take cream tea at the Essex Rose.

 

Finally you can head to the Suffolk coastal towns Aldeburgh or Southwold. These are gloriously English and attract people from all over UK and the world.

 

There are not to many chain hotels in the area e.g. Marriott, Hilton Holiday Inn. And those that are here dont get my recommendation.

 

As for driving its probably as difficult as for us Uk folk driving in America. Confusing at first but you soon get used to it. First time I went to America was first time in automatic and husband didnt take to it too well. Just take care at roundabouts which you may not be used to. And remember drive on left and think that turning left is easier than turning right.

 

Good luck

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I think what would be usefull is a guide to getting to the cruise terminal by train or other local public transport from the nearby towns and all airports

 

Being UK we drive for round trips but sometimes would prefer to hire car get close and then transport in, that lack of hire car drop off in Harwich area is a problem.

 

We fly back into Heathrow and can get the bus home, train via london does not work

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best public transport option is to take the train. It stops almost next to the ship, probably closer to a ship than any other port in the world.

 

The route is on mainline to London from where you can get to most of the UK and Europe of course. You might have to change once at Manningtree.

 

Also, change at Manningtree for Colchester, Ipswich, Norwich, Cambridge, Peterbrough.

 

You can drop a hire car in Ipswich or Colchester. A taxi from either will be around £30. Or take train as above.

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All comments on this thread by debzie essex are personal opinions of myself and/or my husband.

Love the "Disclaimer" :D....Knowing nothing on our first cruise out of Harwich...Took the Train from there to Liverpool Street Station for our week post cruise stay in London and how great and easy this decision was for us West Coast Californians who were very unfamilure with Train travel anywhere !!..Next time I will also take the Train to Harwich.

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I have a very unglamorous one for you, Debbie ......... Is there a laundromat in Harwich?

 

We're going to be traveling about -- London, Sussex, Essex -- for about a week before the cruise and it would be great to get on the ship with all clean clothes. (Plus I suspect you see a 'different' part of any area by hanging about a laundromat for a bit. Certainly not the usual tourist trap, at any rate. <g>)

 

I'm not positive we'll be in Harwich the last night, but just in case is there somewhere we could go to get clean clothes and maybe a bit of local color?

 

Also, what's the standard operating procedure at laundromats? Would we be able to get change and soap there or need to organize all that ahead of time?

 

Thanks so much!!

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I have a very unglamorous one for you, Debbie ......... Is there a laundromat in Harwich?

 

We're going to be traveling about -- London, Sussex, Essex -- for about a week before the cruise and it would be great to get on the ship with all clean clothes. (Plus I suspect you see a 'different' part of any area by hanging about a laundromat for a bit. Certainly not the usual tourist trap, at any rate. <g>)

 

I'm not positive we'll be in Harwich the last night, but just in case is there somewhere we could go to get clean clothes and maybe a bit of local color?

 

Also, what's the standard operating procedure at laundromats? Would we be able to get change and soap there or need to organize all that ahead of time?

 

Thanks so much!!

 

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=launderette+harwich&hl=en&ll=51.94117,1.270165&spn=0.015927,0.036306&fb=1&gl=uk&view=map&cid=7112359617639736929&t=h&z=15

shows a Launderette (thats what we call them!) at 'A' near Dovercourt railway station. The cruise terminal is top left (you can see Jewel of the Seas). You can normally get soap powder out of a dispenser and most machines are about £4 for a wash and £3 for 30 mins of a dryer. Try and get change if you can, though I had a look at this Launderette on Street View and it does service washes, so according to what time you get there, they may be an attendant who can help you out with change. Otherwise find a bank or post office.

 

Simon

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http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=launderette+harwich&hl=en&ll=51.94117,1.270165&spn=0.015927,0.036306&fb=1&gl=uk&view=map&cid=7112359617639736929&t=h&z=15

shows a Launderette (thats what we call them!) at 'A' near Dovercourt railway station. The cruise terminal is top left (you can see Jewel of the Seas). You can normally get soap powder out of a dispenser and most machines are about £4 for a wash and £3 for 30 mins of a dryer. Try and get change if you can, though I had a look at this Launderette on Street View and it does service washes, so according to what time you get there, they may be an attendant who can help you out with change. Otherwise find a bank or post office.

 

Simon

 

phew...thanks for replying to that one. I've never used a launderette so wouldnt know what to do myself. :o

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I have a very unglamorous one for you, Debbie ......... Is there a laundromat in Harwich?

 

We're going to be traveling about -- London, Sussex, Essex -- for about a week before the cruise and it would be great to get on the ship with all clean clothes. (Plus I suspect you see a 'different' part of any area by hanging about a laundromat for a bit. Certainly not the usual tourist trap, at any rate. <g>)

 

I'm not positive we'll be in Harwich the last night, but just in case is there somewhere we could go to get clean clothes and maybe a bit of local color?

 

Also, what's the standard operating procedure at laundromats? Would we be able to get change and soap there or need to organize all that ahead of time?

 

Thanks so much!!

 

As for your travelling around..try and get to Dedham and the Stour Valley. Its a real gem and very unphased by the trappings of modern life. No street lights, poor mobile signal, quaint tea rooms and pubs so give it a real taste of England as it was. Great scenery too as Constable used to paint here so get to his place at Flatford Mill. Towns like Colchester, Hadleigh, Manningtree are worth a visit in Essex too.

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Thanks for your help!

 

Besides the Pier, where would you recommend to eat in Harwich?

 

Cheers,

 

Also The Ship is a nice restaurant with a good menu choice and great quality food. Typical British fayre.

 

Joi Tandoori is great for a curry - despite it being Indian in origin, curry is one of britains favourite dishes apart from Fish and Chips.

 

Venture out to Manningtree, Ipswich or Colchester for much more choice.

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As for your travelling around..try and get to Dedham and the Stour Valley. Its a real gem and very unphased by the trappings of modern life. No street lights, poor mobile signal, quaint tea rooms and pubs so give it a real taste of England as it was. Great scenery too as Constable used to paint here so get to his place at Flatford Mill. Towns like Colchester, Hadleigh, Manningtree are worth a visit in Essex too.

 

Had a lovely day last Fall doing this very thing on our drive/transfer to Harwich from London! We really enjoyed the countryside of Essex.

 

We arranged to meet up with a walking guide at the Red Lion Inn in East Bergholt & after a great lunch, we walked around Flatford & the Stour and saw many of the scenes (largely unchanged!) that Constable painted, also an overlook over Dedham Vale. After Flatford Mill, we went through Manningtree (home of the "Witchfinder General"), and saw the many, many swans at Mistley which we saw again later from the ship as we sailed from Harwich.

 

Do you know the type of trees we saw in this area from which cricket bats are made? Got a great picture of a whole stand of them, forgot the

type of tree. Very straight trunks.

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Cricket bats are made from Willow.

 

Simon

 

Yes. Now I remember. Thanks!

 

Guide called them "Cricket Bat Willows." Many, many in the field. Very straight trunks, but still too young to look like our Amer Willows in my pix. She said that the largest supply of them for cricket bats is grown in Essex.

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WE are arriving in Harwich May 15/12 aboard the Jewel of the SEas... and wish to rent a car with a drop off near London as we want to tour the south of England before touring London.

 

However if it would be more economical we could take the train to London and pick up a car there....

 

How long is the train ride into London and what is the cost?

 

Areas we want to visit are Duxford, Aldershot, Cambridge, Canterbury

 

All advise will be greatfully received

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Hi debzie -

 

We are planning on taking a cruise out of Harwich (Jewel of the Seas) and then after that taking another out of Dover (Ocean Princess). Could you tell me my options on getting from Harwich to Dover (keeping in mind we will have at least 2 large suitecases to deal with)?

 

Any advice would be appreciated.

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