caribbean princess brit isles 6/29/13 w/pre & post stays

we have been home nearly 3 weeks - cannot get myself to sit still

long enough to write a review - my mind is continually whirling with

memories/visions of everything we experienced for 4 weeks in the amazing british isles !

an honest & simple summation of the land would be:

10 shades of green everywhere we looked, only 1 day of rain,

beautiful flowers in gardens & hanging baskets, friendly & caring people,

awesome castles, cathedrals, churches, quaint/charming/magical /

almost fairylike cottages & villages, etc.

but that does not even begin to tell the whole story -

several have asked me to write a review soooooooo it may take me

several weeks or months to finish but by golly i am going to "soldier on"

(as i did "limping" along thru the long days of touring - exhilarated but exhausted)

& slowly but surely get it done !!

so many others have written excellent reviews that i shall not even

try to match theirs but hopefully some of what i have to say may help

others & isn't that what we, who depend so much on cruise critic

for our planning, are trying to do ?

tomorrow we are leaving for a week w/ 2 grandkids & their parents

in their motor home for a relaxing week at a resort near el capitan

between santa barbara & solvang - will spend most of my time in

pool & jacuzzi while the rest are playing in the sand & swimming in the cold pacific ocean

you may ask, "why did you start this review if you are not going to write it NOW ?"

the best way to answer that is to say, at least in a small way i have begun - once started, i must finish !;)

ann 71 w/ "escalator hip" & jim 68 w/ 4 broken ribs

before we left for london - more on those issues in the review

we have been home nearly 3 weeks - cannot get myself to sit still

long enough to write a review - my mind is continually whirling with

memories/visions of everything we experienced for 4 weeks in the amazing british isles !

 

an honest & simple summation of the land would be:

10 shades of green everywhere we looked, only 1 day of rain,

beautiful flowers in gardens & hanging baskets, friendly & caring people,

awesome castles, cathedrals, churches, quaint/charming/magical /

almost fairylike cottages & villages, etc.

 

but that does not even begin to tell the whole story -

several have asked me to write a review soooooooo it may take me

several weeks or months to finish but by golly i am going to "soldier on"

(as i did "limping" along thru the long days of touring - exhilarated but exhausted)

& slowly but surely get it done !!

 

so many others have written excellent reviews that i shall not even

try to match theirs but hopefully some of what i have to say may help

others & isn't that what we, who depend so much on cruise critic

for our planning, are trying to do ?

tomorrow we are leaving for a week w/ 2 grandkids & their parents

in their motor home for a relaxing week at a resort near el capitan

between santa barbara & solvang - will spend most of my time in

pool & jacuzzi while the rest are playing in the sand & swimming in the cold pacific ocean

you may ask, "why did you start this review if you are not going to write it NOW ?"

the best way to answer that is to say, at least in a small way i have begun - once started, i must finish !;)

ann 71 w/ "escalator hip" & jim 68 w/ 4 broken ribs

before we left for london - more on those issues in the review

You go girl - I am following every word!;)

we just returned from a relaxing week at ocean mesa resort -

everyone enjoyed the pool & jacuzzi so much they only went

to the beach once for 2 hours:)

having read emily, amy, tina-ann, touring tom, am not sure

just what i can add of our own experiences to help others,

but shall give it my best ! unfortunately, all the photos are on

jim's computer plus i do not know how to add them anyway !

we planned a trip to brit isles a few years ago but had to cancel

when jim had a motorcycle accident in DC in 2009 after riding 10 days

cross country on the run for the wall - last year we chose the may 2013

TA & brit isles but had to cancel those cuz jim wanted to do the 25th

anniversary of RFTW & chose the june 29 sailing instead

however, on may 15 after leaving rancho cucamonga, there was a

traffic jam & jim & several of his combat vet buddies took a different

route - just before needles, jim encountered a small portion of fine

gravel which tipped him over resulting in 4 broken ribs & a lot of road

rash - that same evening, one of his friends had a heart attack so 4

of them returned home & did not make it to DC

last year after our panama canal cruise FT lauderdale to LA,

going thru customs i had a mishap on the escalator & have suffered

a bit with my right hip ever since - probably arthritis since nothing is broken

the reason i am telling you all this is to let you know WHY we limped along,

could not do quite as much each day as we wanted, went to bed earlier than

we usually would have on a cruise ship/vacation, hired so many private cars

for transport, & taxis in the ports BUT STILL enjoyed every bit of it !!!

as so many others do, i research similar itineraries on all the

major cruise lines - decide which would be most satisfactory,

book about a year ahead, choose a cabin, join the cc thread,

choose a private cc or ship tour - print it all out, place in a

3 ring binder, adding to it throughout the year until it weighs

5 or 6 pounds:eek:

then, determine how many places we can see before and after the cruise -

keeping it about 4 weeks max cuz of our 13 yr old cat clarissa who is

"watched over" each day by our neighbor patsy

spend several hours, days, or weeks reading trip advisor to choose

just the right b&B or hotel, has to have elevator or rooms on ground floor,

book soon as i can cuz some are booked several months or even a year

ahead esp for ground floor rooms

during this whole process, jim is either at cemeteries or missions

w/ patriot guards or american legion riders functions, watching the history

or military channel, playing party poker on his computer next to me,

and just tells me to book whatever i think is best -

occasionally i give him an update or hand him the notebook to browse -

he is totally happy with whatever i choose &

then is surprised as each day actually unfolds on our trips !

Thanks for posting your review! Take your time doing it. No need to rush. We will all be here waiting and dreaming of our trip to the British Isles.

since we had never been to british isles, wanted to spend as much time

in london & southampton before and stratford upon avon & oxford after

already knew 5 nights would NOT be enough for london but wanted to go to

several places outside of southampton (as john bull had suggested on the

britain thread) so needed 5 nights there also

to complete the 4 weeks total, only had 3 nights in each of stratford & oxford

but we made the most of our time there as you will see

will describe the hotels as we go to each city;)

we chose ez air with princess on air new zealand - non stop from lax to heathrow -

it was about $2400 for 2 which was $400 less than ANZ at time we booked -

from our place we used prime time shuttle van which has increased this past year to $259 round trip :eek:

packing is NOT our favorite part of the trip esp not THIS time w/ ANZ !

in the past, we would pack our 2 piece samsonite 28 " large & 22" carryon size -

each 40 to 45 - saving a few pounds for the return & check all 4 in plus carry

on jim's breathing machine, my super large red purse, w/ 1 or 2 tote/flight bags

which slip onto the other suitcases when "rolling along"

however, due to anz restrictive rules, since we had the cheapest seats on the plane,

we were only able to check in 1 large bag each

& our 2 carry on bags could only weigh 15 pounds (not 50 !!) -

so we could not use our samsonite carry ons which weigh 8 pounds empty -

but could use our tote /flight bags AND had to learn to pack less

went to all the packing gurus who say to wear all one or 2 colors -

black /grey or tan/brown - NO - absolutely cannot do that !!

i wear bright or multi colored clothes - red, purple, chartreuse, etc.

tops & light jackets -but did settle on a few dark blue jeans for touring

and a purple skirt w/ floral silky tops for 2 formal 6 pm dinners -

i took 2 white pants to wear w/ regular tops for other dinners but just wore

1 of my newer jeans instead

jim took a jacket, 2 shirts, 2 ties, belt, shoes, dark socks for formal nights

our 2 large suitcases have two sides so we placed all our evening clothes & shoes,

bathing suits which we never used, extra clothes for the ship on the top zippered

side so we only went into the bottom side in the 2 pre cruise hotels for our day clothes &

cosmetics/toiletries bags which cannot be in carry on totes,

2 rick steves london & great britain + frommers england -

those 3 alone probably weighed 5 or 6 pounds ;)

(as soon as we got on the ship we did 2 loads of laundry and

then wore all those clothes again while on cruise)

2 days before our flight, we weighed our suitcases and of course they were

well over 50 so we had to put some of the day clothes into our small totes

along w/ our meds (bought a 4 week pill dispenser at walgreens -

we each just take 2 small dose pills for high blood pressure & cholesterol &

jim had a special pill for his ribs plus i took an extra few days in a little pill holder -

just in case), an extension cord, adaptors, chargers for phones & camera, phones,

& the large notebook w/ all our info, etc.

before long they were way over 15 pounds each so we started loading

up jim's 18 pocket vest and my large red purse - neither of those get weighed -

honestly, my purse must have weighed 30 pounds by the time we got to the airport !

we thought we were doing pretty well w/ our packing plan until our return

but that's another story for later on !!

Thanks for posting your review! Take your time doing it. No need to rush. We will all be here waiting and dreaming of our trip to the British Isles.

for your encouragement !

i am exhausted just reliving the packing part at the beginning

especially knowing what happened at the end of the trip !!:D

our van dropped us and our luggage at anz door -

we sat outside awhile to drink our water & for jim

to smoke a cig or 2 - NO he did NOT quit before we left

not funny but sort of a joke cuz every year before we go on

a major trip, jim makes a pledge to quit a week or so before we leave -

as days get closer to departure, he claims that once he boards

the plane for that long ride, he'll not smoke again cuz the cigs

are so high wherever we are going - well, it did NOT happen

just to finish this cig story, when we got to london, he could NOT get

out of there fast enough to smoke - and the final NOT funny either -

someone at our hotel was smoking an electronic cig - so what does he do ?

goes and buys one which is good for 40 smokes - but instead of replacing

regular ones, he tried to smoke the electronic cig in our hotel room

& ship cabin cuz it's not really a cig BUT i said this is ridiculous

so he disposed of it along the way !

if you met jim you would know what a great guy & comedian he is -

constantly telling funny stories about his life, our 20 years together,

and our trips so this just adds to his repertoire or mine actually

cuz he knows how pitiful the whole situation is !!!;)

anyway, we made it thru the check in line - all the luggage made the weight limit -

they took the 2 large, placed special ticket on the 2 tote bags verifying it made the cut -

less than 15 - did NOT weigh his breathing machine, vest, or my huge red purse

we used a cart to get our stuff up the elevator instead of escalator - to go thru security -

we filled up all the plastic baskets - made it thru easily - and found a pizza place

before going to sit at anz boarding area

jim told them he had 4 broken ribs & i had a bad hip so they let us board early

right after the few babies & children & wheel chairs - this was super as we could

get to our seats & load the overhead w/out bunch of people next to us

we were in 42 f & g - seats are 3 4 3 - so g is on aisle cuz i get up a lot !!

if you know what i mean ???!!!:rolleyes: jim and i are both large and

had trouble fitting in the 17 " wide seats - thank goodness lady next to him in e was thin

and my right hip was partially in the aisle :p

usually jim goes to sleep immediately - no way on this flight !!

we did have the nice tv - lots of movies and tv series - on back of seat of the person

in front of us which was upright for some of the trip but almost in our lap when person reclined -

did i say the seats were close ???:(

and the base columns holding down the seats in front were placed where my right foot

should have been so my right foot had to brace up against the pole in the aisle along

w/ part of my hip ! not a comfortable position for 11 hours !!! :eek:

believe me, i got up and walked around as much as i could even

when i did not really have to - if you know what i mean ???!!!:rolleyes:

to be fair, anz has great customer service & very good food for an airline

these days but we shall never ever ever fly anz again !!!

last night lay in bed thinking of all the things i forgot to write

in the planning & packing phase

yesterday wrote i wore jeans for casual dining but now realized

i did not but had worn 2 other slacks - sage & beige capris

also we each packed a water repellent jacket, umbrellas, sweat shirt -

these added to the weight - i only wore the sweat shirt in belfast,

the lst few ports we carried the rain jackets and umbrellas in a bag -

never used them in 4 weeks - the one day it rained - in dublin -

we had NOT taken them ! from then on, we decided NOT to drag

them around;)

for us the weather was pleasant - a little cooler in london and

warmer the rest of the time - a few days i used a light windbreaker

but mostly just wore a short sleeve top - jim occasionally wore long

sleeves but mostly short sleeves t shirt

we did notice others did the layer type - we are probably warmer

than the average person - we do not use heat (where the heater

used to be is a linen closet) at home even if it is in 20s or 30s

in may i had ordered 800 pounds and 400 euros from chase bank -

these were distributed into envelopes for the initial driver picking

us at airport, the weekly bus & subway pass & extra pounds for

lst day in london until we found an ATM, all the private excursions

which we gave to the leaders at our m & g, etc.

from then on, we accessed the ATM about 5 times getting 300 pounds

amounting to about $2500 which paid for the small meals, ice cream,

beverages, quite a few taxis, 4 private car transports - more about them later,

post cards & souvenirs when i was NOT buying a lot at a time -

it adds up real fast considering the exchange rate - 1 pound was about $1.50 !

before departure i had called 2 banks (for the ATM debits) & 6 credit cards

to give them dates and countries we would be visiting - i had designated a

different card for each of the 4 hotels, the ship, & 1 for meals & souvenirs

- it worked out well so jim did not have to ask me which card to use

& i did not have to call to find out our balances -

we probably charged about $4500 which would have been higher

if the casino had been open more evenings !:eek:

am sure i've left other details out but we must get off the plane,

thru customs & to our london hotel !!:)

after the long overnight flight we arrived in london on time about 11 am

at door of plane, we were asked if we needed a wheel chair -

we thought it would be nice to walk after sitting upright for 11 hrs -

what a mistake !!:eek: anz is at the very last terminal - each building

is at an angle so at each corner we would expect to see customs -

there are moving sidewalks for a portion of each section along the way -

finally after what seemed like a mile & sitting twice on benches to catch

our breath & sipping on water, we arrived at the customs line which said

it was 90 minutes to front !!:o:o

i was dripping wet from head to waist in just a short sleeve top -

it was very warm - thought i was going to pass out - after awhile,

jim went to a desk where he spotted wheelchairs &

asked if he could borrow one for me - a lady pushed it over &

asked me to leave the line - proceeded to take us to the handicap desk

& we were done in a few minutes - jim pushed me to baggage which was ready

we attached everything to our 2 rolling bags & went to the "meeting point - arrivals barrier"

where our driver from Just Airports was holding a sign "james & esther" - my lst name -

it was 41 lbs - we gave him 50 - what a relief/thrill to finally be in london !!

we had originally booked thru luna simone's email - our ground floor room # 2

about a year before for 2 different dates - for may, then august, then, in october

changed for the final date of wed june 19 - mon june 24 - 5 nights at 125 pounds -

total 625 which was $964.50

every communication/questions with them were handled w/ total efficiency &

in a friendly manner - we enjoyed meeting the twin brothers/owners, one son,

& entire staff all of whom treated us so well - our room was waiting for us !

i believe the whole 4 story + basement breakfast room has been renovated -

at least what we saw - the basement and ground floor - were all freshly painted

w/ crown moulding, new ceiling fans, squeaky clean beautiful tile in our bathroom

w/ crystal clear glass door, new toilet, sink, fixtures, et.c

after getting settled in our room, we took short nap, enjoyed an italian beer

& dinner at the nearby corner - sole mio - for $62.70

then, walked across street from our hotel to catch the bus 24 for 2

or 3 pounds & rode it all the way to the end - passing victoria station,

westminster cathedral & abbey, parliament, downing st, trafalgar square,

leicester sq, to hampstead heath, where we got off and waited for a few

minutes for a return bus to our stop in front of hotel steps -

this bus runs 24 hours a day and comes every 10 or 15 minutes or less !

pubs on numerous corners w/lots of people standing outside w/wine beer drinks -

chatting away - lots of lovely hanging flower baskets everywhere -

we decided we would wait for the pubs as we were more than

ready for our first good nights sleep in london

breakfast is served by the twins each morning between 7 & 830 consisting of eggs,

tomato, beans, bacon (which is like canadian ham), toast, jellies, orange juice

which is what jim ate every day- i chose just the ham, fruit yogurt, banana, toast,

& juice - gave us a great start before going on our daily bus rides

thursday we walked down the street to pimlico station - the last stop for the bus 24 -

walked down the ramp - bought our 7 day bus/tube passes for $55.49 each -

rode the tube (for the only time ! cuz the bus was so convenient !) to westminster stop

walked a short distance to churchill war rooms where we spent a few hours intrigued

by all the exhibits, of churchill's life, and audios & videos, describing the underground

night life that so many endured during the 6 years of bombing - before leaving we ate

a delicious pastry in their cafe chatting w/ a charming elderly couple from scotland

who had been young teenagers during ww11

we boarded 24 bus rode awhile checking all the places we were going to stop in

next few days - realized it was time to eat - chose the historic clarence pub -

had beer and fish & chips - for $59.00

( getting these prices from my credit card bills which are for US $$)

while in paris in 2001 we had enjoyed several paris walking tours so chose

to do the london walking tours - believe still owned by same couple -

their guides are well versed in history, art, architecture, etc. -

what is nice is their website schedule of daily tours -

you can just pick a few and meet them at the tube stop or

the actual entrance which is what we did at westminster abbey

at 10:45 am on friday for 2 hour tour

you pay the guide their nominal fee - think it was 12 or 15 pounds

plus the pounds for the much reduced group rate tour tickets which

they purchase while we waited to enter - i do not remember how much it was -

not very much - there were 2 groups of about 15 in each so you

can stand near your guide to listen easily

cuz they are not going to yell ! :rolleyes:

there is so much to hear & see - centuries of history & awesome architecture -

stepping on top of all the historic figures buried there - but we were not rushed thru -

after the tour, we went to the abbey museum, the gift store, & the new cafe -

believe it was called solarium but not positive - beautiful surroundings -

from your seat you can gaze thru glass at the towers while enjoying a delicious meal

my 2 charges for the abbey were $33.80 and $46.49 -

first was most probably for souvenirs & 2nd was lunch ?

we returned to hotel for late aft nap & then decided to go to the

hippodrome casino we had passed in leicester sq on "our bus" -

there are lots of roulette tables & machines downstairs -

roulette used to be my favorite form of gambling but now i love texas hold em

so we went upstairs in elevator & played & chatted a couple of hours with the locals -

jim won about 60 pounds and i lost about 30

so we were just happy we had a chance to play there !

across the street are theaters & restaurants - we chose one on corner -

more of a deli w/ inside & outside seating - think we split a sandwich & had ice cream -

at 11 pm (the latest we stayed up while in london !) outside on street was like

new york city on new years eve - hundreds of happy looking people of all ages &

nationalities walking to and fro - we almost felt young again !;)

saturday am we hopped on 24 bus, stopped at westminster cathedral for

a quick look around, another lovely church which is still catholic instead of

church of england, back on bus 24

a stop which was a block or so away from the free british museum -

we had intended to meet a london walking tour group at 2pm but it was only

about noonish so we just decided to do our own tour -

(at left side there is an outdoor lift instead of climbing steps to the front door level) -

at front entrance on right side - we spotted wheelchairs so jim asked for one and

we took turns pushing each other around - sometimes i just walked and leaned on it

so i could read all the displays in glass cabinets

there is so much to see on the first floor - early england finds, greek, egyptian,

we were mentally exhausted enough not to go to the other floors -

plus trying to choose souvenirs in the gift shop - outside on

that entrance level were several long benches where we chose to rest

and look out over the lower level of food vendor trucks and spotted a

pub across the street - think it was called museum pub

the pub was bustling with laughter & conversation - we shared a table w/ 2 ladies-

think they were professors from wash or oregon university - lots of fun -

cannot find the charge so jim may have paid here in cash but we had some

wonderful food and beer - it took quite awhile to get our delicious food but

we just drank more beer & enjoyed our time there;)

sunday we took bus 24 to trafalgar square where we took bus 15 to

st paul's cathedral - wow is all i can continue to say about all the art &

architecture in all the buildings

across street was cafe rouge which was a great rest stop for some croissants

& cafe & juice before we boarded 15 again to tower of london

once again, while comfortably sitting at home at my computer,

thought we would have the same energy as i do sitting :o, so

we were going to meet up w/ london walking tour of the tower

at 1:30 - sunday is probably more crowded w/ lots of families

when we arrived we saw the long line to even buy the tickets much less

get in the tower line even w/ a tour group - it is not totally accessible

w/ a wheelchair plus they only had 2 which were already being used

so we opted to buy tickets for the lovely river cruise which took us to greenwich

which had a great museum and gift shop and later chose the boat to westminster

where we could hop back on bus 24 - there was a live commentary on both segments

describing all the buildings, pubs, boats along the river on both sides w/ great views

of the bridges and the london eye

each day we had passed this one restaurant near our hotel whose sign said

"cuban & mexican food" - we thought that would be fun to try in london -

ordered huge margaritas - looked at menu - did not see a single cuban item -

trust me, my oldest son is half cuban & i know all about cuban food -

i asked them re the cuban food - black beans, platanos, fried yucca,

arroz con pollo, etc. - the waitress said they had refried beans blah blah blah -

all the mexican food etc. which we also love but it was NOT cuban food

and secretly thought they should cross off cuban on the sign !!!:):D:p

we loved london so much and were sad to leave luna simone

but assured them we shall return in 2015 - we are going to try

to lose weight and walk more in preparation for further travel

the main thing to remember for people who have limited energy, moblity

or even use wheelchairs - you can do a lot more than you think but

realize your limitations - do NOT overdo - wear comfortable shoes -

choose 1 or 2 places you really want to see each day -

get plenty of sleep & good food - if you want, you can always plan a future return trip

if you cannot get on the bus easily, you can always call a taxi -

some even take wheelchairs - it may cost more $$ but you can do it !

this was our theme for the entire 4 weeks - we are here and

we are going to enjoy as much as possible but within our personal limits !;)

Loving your review. Great that you are showing that you can get around London by bus, and you can see so much more from there as you pass by.

Loving your review. Great that you are showing that you can get around London by bus, and you can see so much more from there as you pass by.

one of my main reasons for writing this is to share HOW we did

manage to get around even if "limping along" much of the time !;)

am getting my receipts in order so i can write part 3 - our phone plan,

getting from london to southampton via windsor castle, premier inn stay,

4 day trips to winchester, portsmouth, salisbury, & sea city museum &

tudor house in southampton

for those wondering when the review of the cruise is happening -

it will be part 4 - stratford, oxford, cotswolds will be part 5

the 2nd reason for writing this is personal - am printing this all out

for our big red binder so we shall remember this sensational trip &

the beautiful people in the british isles forever !!:)

. . . then, walked across street from our hotel to catch the bus 24 for 2

or 3 pounds & rode it all the way to the end - passing victoria station,

westminster cathedral & abbey, parliament, downing st, trafalgar square,

leicester sq, to hampstead heath, where we got off and waited for a few

minutes for a return bus to our stop in front of hotel steps -

this bus runs 24 hours a day and comes every 10 or 15 minutes or less !

I am really enjoying your very personal review. I am particularly interested in your mentioning bus 24. These are the kinds of things that make reviews so helpful.;)

I am really enjoying your very personal review. I am particularly interested in your mentioning bus 24. These are the kinds of things that make reviews so helpful.;)

thanks for your post !:)

yes that bus 24 & luna simone were what made it so much easier !!

am hoping people are not too put off by my long review -

and that it will assist some especially if they have not been

to british isles or europe or are not that young and energetic

any more who cannot walk miles a day but are willing to take

a cab, private car, wheel chair, or shuttle

i have enjoyed reading everyone's brit isles reviews in past 2 years -

each one has a few good tidbits to aid in our travel journey thru life;)

before we departed, we went to a t & t to discuss the best plan

for my little red flip top (which they don't make any more) &

jim's iphone (his old flip top broke in 2012 on the run for the wall -

the one year HE did not have an accident !!:rolleyes:)

we chose $30 for 200 global messages for him & $60 for 80 minutes

europe calling for me for the 4 weeks we were traveling -

this was ample coverage & allowed us to keep in touch w/family

& a few friends plus calls to verify our private driver pickups & hotels etc.

had originally planned to use trains or national express bus to southampton

& stratford & oxford but after jim broke his ribs, did not want him hoisting

all the heavy luggage each time we moved -so went online & booked great britain cars

to southampton w/ a 2 hour stop at windsor castle - quoted 138 pounds -

asked them about the other places & they said we could book those

after we were in england which i thought was a good plan so we could test them first;)

we scheduled pickup for 10 am which i knew would give us plenty of time

to get to premier inn - either he called us or luna simone called company -

they told us he was stuck in traffic/construction - plenty of which is found in london -

would be about half hour late - we did not mind as were sitting in the lobby

saying our good byes to the twins & staff - almost crying:o cuz we wanted to stay longer !!

anyway driver arrived, loaded up the "saloon" car in back - jim sat in passenger seat

& i sat in rear seat - both very comfortably (as we did from that point on)

the driver talked but we could hardly understand a word he was saying

altho he said he had lived in london 15 yrs - maybe he meant 15 days ??!!!

we asked to be dropped off as close to the castle entrance as possible

and agreed to call him & meet him in same spot in 2 hrs -

it actually turned into 2 1/2 hrs for which he charged us 168 pounds -

we gave him 180 - it was worth it, believe me !

the queen was there that day but did not leave until after we did :)

as we approached the entrance gate, the streets were kept clear

for the 11 am changing of the guards which was fun to see -

we walked to the line w/ our pre booked tickets - our concession price

which means we are seniors was 16.15 pounds each + 2 books 4.95 each -

windsor guidebook & queen mary's doll house -

total was 42.20 pounds = $64.04 on my card

have i mentioned i buy every book written ???:p

jim found a wheel chair & we were taken right to the lift & jewels

great britain has made it a law to aid all who need assistance

but they cannot force people to be so helpful & cheerful

as we found everyone to be - thru the years, have learned that

comes from within a person & it certainly abounds there !

windsor castle was just one of many delightful castles we enjoyed -

some people say you see one castle or church or cathedral or museum,

you've seen 'em all - NO WAY - we love each and every

one of them !! that's why we travel !!

Thanks so much for taking the time to tell us your thoughts and experiences on your trip! It's always great to see what others see and do while on vacation, especially when we're planning on doing a similar trip next year. We're waiting to buy Future Cruise Credits on our upcoming October cruise so we can book the British Isles cruise for next July. We'll spend my wife's 64th birthday in Liverpool. A GREAT treat for a huge Beatles fan! As she reminded me....."When I'm 64!!!"

we arrived in southampton about 3 pm - premier inn has 2 entrances -

one from back parking lot & 1 on street w/ no stairs - both easily accessible -

our driver unloaded our luggage & we rolled them a few footsteps inside to

lobby w/2 friendly efficient ladies standing behind 2 podium like stands -

no waiting - paid $572.67 for 5 nights

breakfast was extra about $25 for 2 per day - so worth it !!

it was served buffet style but not like some hotels w/ just cold stuff or

those funny waffle makers - the chefs there were super - everything

was freshly prepared w/ wide selection - i loved the croissants,

the fresh berries & fruit & yogurts - jim of course had all the other stuff -

eggs benedict, ham, etc.!

we ate 4 nights in the restaurant open from 6pm - twice had

salmon w/ bernaise sauce - the best food we had during our whole 4 week trip

altho we enjoyed all our ship meals also !

the room was very large - queen size bed - a little hard but

we asked for 2 extra duvets which maeve, one of podium ladies,

brought and personally made up for us - she is from scotland

w/ an irish mother (thus her maeve name) in late 30s &

expecting her lst child - a wee baby boy - loved her accent !

the bathroom had shower w/ tub - a little high for me and my escalator hip

but i held onto the handicap rails as i gingerly stepped in and out:rolleyes:

no place had face cloths which i remembered from reading before our italy trip

when i had ordered rick steves face cloths which dry quickly -

jim knows his is green and mine is blue !

we took a little nap - realized how hungry we were - no food

since 8 am at luna simone & not yet knowing about the wonderful

restaurant, we walked across street to the huge mall & found the food court -

ordered fish & chips - gigantic pieces of fish - also ice cream cone

we were more than ready to go back to sleep - think this is when we had

asked maeve to fix our bed which made it much softer than during our nap;)

Thanks so much for taking the time to tell us your thoughts and experiences on your trip! It's always great to see what others see and do while on vacation, especially when we're planning on doing a similar trip next year. We're waiting to buy Future Cruise Credits on our upcoming October cruise so we can book the British Isles cruise for next July. We'll spend my wife's 64th birthday in Liverpool. A GREAT treat for a huge Beatles fan! As she reminded me....."When I'm 64!!!"

wow !! she is in for one of the best birthdays of her life !!

we loved our whole "beatles" day in liverpool -

will give you all the details/info when i get to that part !;)

after breakfast on tuesday, we were ready to begin discovering

in these 4 days all the nearby towns & sights that john bull of the britain thread had described so vividly/thoroughly w/ the transportation directions - we planned to use the nearby train

station which locals say is just a few minutes walk which to us

means "get us a taxi please"

the hotel called a cab for us which picked us up a few footsteps

out the front door - a tall local born driver greeted us - when told we just wanted to take the train to winchester cathedral, he offered to drive us there - i think it was 25 or 30 pounds !

spencer coleman gave us phone # & became our "best friend"

for 3 of the 4 days plus taking us to cruise ship on sat !

he dropped us off right next to the tourist info at 10:55 where we met

a lady who was guiding a walking tour which began at 11 ! it was very

inexpensive - maybe 10 or 15 pounds at most - there was only 1 other young lady from australia with us - so we had the guide's total attention for about 2 hours - walking about a block or so before going

into the cathedral

winchester cathedral is another amazing architectural wonder full of history & burial plaques including jane austen - in all the churches & cathedrals, i like to sit in a pew & gaze up at the ceilings for quite awhile while jim takes photos all about - which is what i did after our tour ended - she would have taken us further up the street to the great hall but i did not want to walk any further - i loved sitting in the pew & did not want to get up :D

later jim left me sitting on a comfortable bench (across from the oldest pub in england sign) while he walked up to the great hall -

the only part of the winchester castle which survives - to quote

john bull, "the fabled king arthur's great round table hangs on the

wall" - whether it is really his or not is debatable - but jim got photos

it's a lovely cobbled street w/ no car access filled w/ those gorgeous hanging flower baskets - lots of little shops & places to eat

we chose the oldest pub - i used the restroom - no stairs -

jim ordered a stella artois for me & a tall cold cider for him thinking

it would be a refreshing apple juice type - well, after a large gulp,

he soon found out that cider is not that ! could not drink it and ordered coke instead - so that was the end of ordering cider for jim -

we also ordered some appetizers - delicious nachos which came in

a small bowl

remember i get a book or pamphlet everywhere (jim was already carrying a bag with bottled water & the cathedral book - i do not

carry anything but a lipstick in my pocket - don't want to overtax

my escalator hip !:o) so i asked our handsome young waiter if

there was a flyer about this historic site - he said he was fairly new but would find out - about 15 min later he returned & gave me a 10 page computer printout telling all about the building & the old pub which was downstairs almost 1000 years ago

the train goes 4 times an hour & takes 15 minutes but we chose a bus which leaves every 30 minutes & takes about 45 minutes dropping us off on street above the mall near our hotel - when we got off the bus, there are cabs lined up - i needed to use restroom & did not want to walk another step so we hailed a cab which of course cannot go that 1 block to the hotel cuz it's a sidewalk so they have to circle around a few blocks to front door of premier inn which has a restroom right there in lobby ! it cost less than 5 pounds - but hey we are helping the local economy - we did the same thing the next day after the

almost 2 hour portsmouth to southampton bus which goes thru lots

of little villages along the way - definitely had to use the restroom that day - so anyway enough of that kind of chatter !!

just wanted to let you know how it is sometimes with us older folk but we soldier on !:eek:

next day portsmouth

after another lovely breakfast, spencer picked us up in his taxi -

chatting all the way while enjoying the gorgeous landscapes/countryside -

& dropped us off right at the portsmouth pier

since we were not positive we would make it to portsmouth, we had

not purchased tickets online -so while i sat comfortably on a bench

(you are probably thinking i am very spoiled & you would be correct -

jim has spoiled me for 20 years !), jim stood in a rather long line

which went reasonably fast to buy our tickets for all the attractions

cannot remember how much it was - the only cc charge while in portsmouth

was 53.45 pounds - $82.53 - do not think that was for souvenirs -

but it could have been -so it may have been for the tickets

for about 30 minutes, jim toured & took photos of the first ship -

beautiful Warrior 1860 - next to the ticket office while i sat on bench

to be first in line for the harbor cruise - an english couple chatted

with me & later sat with us on the boat - they may come in 2015 for

his 60th to ride harleys on rte 66 w/ jim -

have i said how much we enjoyed the people in england ??

after an interesting 30 - 45 min cruise w/ live audio, we said our goodbyes

to arthur & catherine & headed to exhibits along the way to the new

mary rose museum - just opened may 31- this was the highlight of the day for us -

the hms victory was closed by the time we finished at the mary rose

but we took lots of photos of the exterior

it is quite a long walk from the harbor cruise to mary rose so jim

had asked for a wheel chair at the ticket office - none were available -

however, by time we arrived at mary rose entrance we asked again -

a nice young man called office, must have run over there cuz

he returned so quickly w/ one !!

anyway, the mary rose - wow is all i can say about this museum -

it is worth going to portsmouth just to see it ! great britain has spent multi multi

millions(perhaps billions) on their cathedrals & museums & restorations /

preservations & mary rose must be close to the top of the list !

will not even try to describe it - so perhaps you can google it &

read all about what they have done to restore & continue to maintain

what had been sunk w/about 19,000 artifacts for about 450 yrs !!

of course, had to buy the books in the gift shop before the cafe

visit to enjoy a pastry - the very yummy "millionaires shortbread"

which we ate several times !! jim just said he wished

we had some now but it would destroy the diet we are on !

as i mentioned yesterday, we took bus - which was a block away &

taxi - back to hotel where i had the first of 2 salmon dinners !

after another lovely breakfast, spencer picked us up in his taxi -

chatting all the way while enjoying the gorgeous landscapes/countryside -

& dropped us off right at the portsmouth pier

since we were not positive we would make it to portsmouth, we had

not purchased tickets online -so while i sat comfortably on a bench

(you are probably thinking i am very spoiled & you would be correct -

jim has spoiled me for 20 years !), jim stood in a rather long line

which went reasonably fast to buy our tickets for all the attractions

cannot remember how much it was - the only cc charge while in portsmouth

was 53.45 pounds - $82.53 - do not think that was for souvenirs -

but it could have been -so it may have been for the tickets

for about 30 minutes, jim toured & took photos of the first ship -

beautiful Warrior 1860 - next to the ticket office while i sat on bench

to be first in line for the harbor cruise - an english couple chatted

with me & later sat with us on the boat - they may come in 2015 for

his 60th to ride harleys on rte 66 w/ jim -

have i said how much we enjoyed the people in england ??

after an interesting 30 - 45 min cruise w/ live audio, we said our goodbyes

to arthur & catherine & headed to exhibits along the way to the new

mary rose museum - just opened may 31- this was the highlight of the day for us -

the hms victory was closed by the time we finished at the mary rose

but we took lots of photos of the exterior

it is quite a long walk from the harbor cruise to mary rose so jim

had asked for a wheel chair at the ticket office - none were available -

however, by time we arrived at mary rose entrance we asked again -

a nice young man called office, must have run over there cuz

he returned so quickly w/ one !!

anyway, the mary rose - wow is all i can say about this museum -

it is worth going to portsmouth just to see it ! great britain has spent multi multi

millions(perhaps billions) on their cathedrals & museums & restorations /

preservations & mary rose must be close to the top of the list !

will not even try to describe it - so perhaps you can google it &

read all about what they have done to restore & continue to maintain

what had been sunk w/about 19,000 artifacts for about 450 yrs !!

of course, had to buy the books in the gift shop before the cafe

visit to enjoy a pastry - the very yummy "millionaires shortbread"

which we ate several times !! jim just said he wished

we had some now but it would destroy the diet we are on !

as i mentioned yesterday, we took bus - the bus yard going to

many destinations was only a block away from the pier & taxi -

back to hotel where i had the first of 2 salmon dinners !