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Help with pre-cruise stay in London
Turtles06 replied to dickinson's topic in British Isles/Western Europe
One suggestion in Southampton: the Sea City Museum. It has a very interesting exhibit called "Southampton's Titanic Story." As you may know, many people from Southampton worked on the ship, and so the disaster was especially devastating for the city. The Museum is very walkable through the center of town from wherever you are likely to be staying https://seacitymuseum.co.uk/exhibitions/southamptons-titanic-story/ -
Where can you go on Apex to see off the front of the ship?
Turtles06 replied to BuckeyeMark's topic in Celebrity Cruises
I don't agree. I don't think of a cruise ship as just a floating hotel or resort. I think of it first and foremost as a ship; a key reason for me to be on it is to be on the water, feel like I'm on the water, and see the water. The trend with newer builds (and it's not just Celebrity) is to disconnect guests from the water. You feel differently, that's fine. -
Help with pre-cruise stay in London
Turtles06 replied to dickinson's topic in British Isles/Western Europe
Thanks, that’s very helpful. We are looking at International Friends. Enjoy your trip! -
Help with pre-cruise stay in London
Turtles06 replied to dickinson's topic in British Isles/Western Europe
Thanks very much. I do know about International Friends and I’m glad to know you’ll be a repeat customer. We’ve been to Salisbury and Stonehenge before, but not Windsor, so we just want to visit that on the transfer from Southampton to London. That would also give us more time there. It might require a private transfer/tour with them, and I plan to inquire about that. Have fun planning your trip! -
Help with pre-cruise stay in London
Turtles06 replied to dickinson's topic in British Isles/Western Europe
@kflietst Do you mind sharing the name/website/contact info for this guide? We may be interested in doing the reverse at the end of a transatlantic cruise arriving in Southampton. Thank you! -
Help with pre-cruise stay in London
Turtles06 replied to dickinson's topic in British Isles/Western Europe
As others have noted, you have a chock full itinerary, even without the British Museum. I'm not trying to add to it, I just wanted to suggest something you may not have considered, perhaps in lieu of something else (maybe Buckingham Palace), and that's a guided tour of the Palace of Westminster (aka the Houses of Parliament). We did this in 2018; the tour is about 90 minutes long, and it was one of the best tours we've ever taken, anywhere. The Palace has incredibly opulent rooms, and you walk through many of them, learning about history and about what you are seeing. And then, a major highlight, we visited the Chamber of the House of Commons. We got to stand in the rows of seats (only elected Members may sit in those seats, as we learned) while the guide discusses what happens in the Chamber, who sits where, the history of the Chamber, etc. It was a "pinch me" moment to actually be inside such an iconic place that I'd only seen on TV. (And I say that as an American.) Just throwing that out there (especially since your hotel is so convenient to Parliament). https://www.parliament.uk/visiting/visiting-and-tours/ -
Help with pre-cruise stay in London
Turtles06 replied to dickinson's topic in British Isles/Western Europe
On another thread you'd started, I posted about doing exactly that (so perhaps it was me 🙂). Arrived at the Abbey at 9:30, immediately went to the desk to book the Verger Tour for a time after our visit to the Diamond Jubilee Galleries (per our pre-booked timed ticket). That was all fabulous and took up the entire morning. Walked toward the Churchill War Rooms (had a 3pm booking) and had lunch at some pub along the way. Might have been able to make an earlier time for the War Rooms but we of course didn't know in advance exactly how long we would spend in the Abbey and definitely did not want to feel rushed for time. And I totally agree with @markeb that you can (and we did) spend hours in the Churchill War Rooms. It depends on your interest in the subjects. I found the entire place fascinating and probably stopped to read just about every exhibit sign. -
Thanks so much for that helpful information!
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Are you in an official group all booked together as a group (e.g. NCL has a group number for you), or an unofficial group of 13 folks traveling together. I’m asking because I may be in the latter situation and am wondering if “group dining” will handle such “groups.” Also, do you have a phone number for group dining? Thanks and enjoy your cruise.
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I know you said you paid extra for the cancellable reservations you booked yourself, but you also mentioned that you have gotten good seats on those flights. Do you really want to risk having Celebrity in the middle of all this by booking through them and possibly not getting the seats that are important to you? Only you can answer that of course. I hope whatever you choose works out for you.
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Where can you go on Apex to see off the front of the ship?
Turtles06 replied to BuckeyeMark's topic in Celebrity Cruises
For those of us, like the OP, who enjoy the "connection" to the water that comes from being on an outside, forward-facing deck, it's a shame that Celebrity's new builds (the E Class ships) have restricted that unique space to suite guests (and that Celebrity is doing as much possible on the S and M classes to do the same). It's one thing to have a suites-only restaurant and interior lounge. These are not unique spaces on a ship, everyone gets to eat somewhere and hang out in other places. That's my personal feeling in terms of one of the things that I find special about being on a cruise ship -- seeing the ocean from an outside deck, seeing where the ship is going, seeing the ship pull into port, just hanging out on that deck.