The 50th Anniversary Trip

Hi Folks

September 2018 will see us celebrating 50 years of marriage , it MUST be worth a cruise !

Here are my sketch plans I would like to hear your thoughts

Dates are mostly flexible

7th September fly Emirates A-380 from Melbourne to Paris via Dubai taking advantage of a very special fare

A few days in France mainly to recover from jet lag

September 10th early morning Eurostar to London to join Azmara Journey leaving from Tower Bridge Terminal for 11 nights bound for Lisbon

Lisbon to Funchal Madeira where we have an apartment in the Marina Complex for 14 days 22nd Sept to 6th October

Funchal to Lisbon at least 3 nights in this city and then fly to Paris to rejoin our Emirates flight to Melbourne

Would like your input and suggestions for the short stay in Paris and perhaps anyone who has done any stopovers in Dubai

Regards

John

I can't help with the actual questions but congratulations on the milestone.

First of all, congratulations. How long will you be in Dubai? I will be there for 3 nights in about a month as I disembark QM2, staying at Conrad. This was one of the deals through a group that specialises in luxury escapes/short breaks/trips* and I see that they have offers in Dubai reasonably often. Pricing was excellent and it includes Club, which if you like a spot of alcohol is well advised in the UAE.

Pushka has been to Dubai several times and if she posts, she can give you some great itinerary ideas.

I have been to Paris many times and again I suppose it depends on how long you are there (and how long it takes you to get over any jet lag) for ideas of what to do and see. The Museums are wonderful of course though if you have been there before you have probably visited the main ones. A day trip to Giverny or Versailles even if on a tour is good. We tend to stay in apartments as we are there longer than a few days but again you can often pick up a deal through the group above. You can contact them as well to see if they have anything coming up as not all their deals are advertised widely.

*They may be classed as a travel agent so not allowed mention the name

Sounds like a wonderful trip. We're doing something similar to celebrate our 20th this September, including starting in Paris, although we're then going to Barcelona to embark on a 21 night Royal Princess cruise.

What to do in Paris very much depends on whether you have been there before. If you haven't then here are some thoughts based on what we've enjoyed on various trips to Paris.

For a art lover the Louvre is a must but get there really early, before it opens. If you're really in to art then contrast that with the Pompadou Centre for modernist, and the Musee D'Orsey has the impressionists.

On our first trip there we really enjoyed a night at the Moulin Rouge with dinner and a show. Very tasteful caberet.

Montmartre is also worth visiting.

A stroll down the Champs Elysee to the Arc de Triomphe is interesting although the upmarket shops there these days aren't much different to what you find in any major city in the world.

Notre Dame is also worth a visit.

Galeries Lafayette is one of the most beautiful department stores in the world and is worth a visit. There is a metro station that links directly into the basement of this store.

Rambling around the Left Bank is interesting. We did a walking tour once out of the Lonely Planet guide which took us to some very interesting places, including the Pantheon. We like that area so much we've stayed there a couple of times.

Strolling through the Jardin du Luxembourg is interesting. Quite different from Aussie parks.

The Eiffel Tower, of course.

Enjoy some Macarons from Laduree - the best in the world IMHO.

If you like simple French food there is a gorgeous little bistro on the Isle de St Louis that we love. Aux Anysetiers du Roi. It's down the middle about two blocks from the bridge over to Notre Dame.

Getting around Paris is very easy on the Metro. All the lines interconnect and I've never had to change trains more than once to get to where I wanted to go.

I just realised you'll only have two nights and one full day in Paris so not a lot of time to sightsee. Don't try to do too much, the jetlag will hit mid-afternoon. Prioritise what you want to do and be prepared to flag things away if you're getting too tired.

WOW..What a fabulous adventure. The highlights for me would be ....

sailing from Tower Bridge and............

2 weeks in Funchal .:D:D

Ah, just read the dates in the original post so not a much time at all in Paris. And it's an early morning train to London. I would choose a hotel close to the Gare de Nord where the Eurostar leaves from (and IMO first class on the train is much better than standard but it's a good trip anyway). There are some hotels very close/short walk away from the station and I would look at them. Just makes it a bit easier IMO. I would check out some of the hotel review sites and see what comes up recommended in the area.

Your trip looks great and a lovely way to celebrate this milestone.

I'm intrigued that you say you will have Emirates flights at a special fare - we are heading to Europe in May 2018 and I did not think I would be able to start looking for discounted flights until at least June 2017. Is there a secret?

I'm intrigued that you say you will have Emirates flights at a special fare - we are heading to Europe in May 2018 and I did not think I would be able to start looking for discounted flights until at least June 2017. Is there a secret?

Yes I'll be interested in the background to that as well

Congratulations to the OP on this impending milestone - it seems you're having a better start to 2017 than you did for 2016!

Your trip looks great and a lovely way to celebrate this milestone.

 

I'm intrigued that you say you will have Emirates flights at a special fare - we are heading to Europe in May 2018 and I did not think I would be able to start looking for discounted flights until at least June 2017. Is there a secret?

Hi Folks

I'm basing my emirates fares on whats been offered over about the last 3 years or so , Paris seems to pop up on a regular basis and we do have some skywards points in the kitty

As for time in Paris thats flexible and can be extended

Funchal and Lisbon are very special places to me with many memories

The cruise ex the Pool of London (Tower Bridge Upper) is just a nice bonus

Thinking about France a few days in the Country rather than in the city would be nice , perhaps a country house somewhere???

Just trying to make the holiday relaxing ,,,looks like I will have to use a mobility scooter so cannot gad about too much ...of course in Funchal we MUST do afternoon tea at "Reids" and a little taste at "Blandys"

I 'm looking for a more relaxing time , would like to think time spent meeting people would be part of our trip

Now what about Azamara Journey ..any thoughts on the ship??

Regards

John

It's been a while since we were on Azamara (and it was Journey's sister ship, Quest) but we enjoyed it very much. Being small it can dock in locations that the bigger ships can't. You can then just walk off the ship. We had a Sky Suite and it was quite spacious and did make it hard for us to book non-suites after that, though we have at times. Since we went the ships have had major refurbishments. Just haven't managed to book again but would be very very happy to sail on an Azamara in the future.

Wonderful achievement and great plans to celebrate it.

I think a dinner on the Champs Elysees is warranted along with a river cruise on the Seine.:D

Congratulations on such a wonderful milestone!

We've been to Dubai quite a few times and I'd still highly recommend the Hoho as the way to get around. Buy a 2-3 day pass and that'll allow you to see it all in style including the chance to explore Atlantis the Palm and swim at the beach. It also includes a water taxi trip on the Canal and you must do a proper cruise as well.

In terms of somewhere to stay there are plenty of great hotels in the Deira district. We've stayed at the Metropolitan opposite the Clock Tower but if you really want to experience a little bit of old Dubai you can't go past the Arabian Courtyard Hotel. It's within walking distance of the Old Souk and the waterfront and is directly opposite the Maritime Museum which is lit magnificently at night. Ask for a room overlooking the museum and make sure you visit the museum in the day. It's cheap and wonderful.

So, what did you decide? Is the Xmas/NY cruise to NZ going to be the big celebration?

Congratulations.

Previously, we have bought the Paris Pass for access to a variety of attractions. Some, e.g., Louvre, d'Orsay, have express entries to avoid the queues.

https://www.parispass.com

Wonderful achievement and great plans to celebrate it.

I think a dinner on the Champs Elysees is warranted along with a river cruise on the Seine.:D

A lot of the restaurants on the Champs Elysees are tourist traps.

VK3DQ, if you like truffles then I can recommend La Truffiere. It's on the Left Bank, in Rue Blainville, which is a side-street just up from the Place de la Contrescarpe. Make sure you tell them you're from Australia. We had an awesome meal there a few years ago. It's expensive though.