Cruise recs.that start or end in London

[tpbf]

Sadly, we see we are reaching the end of our independent travel days. However, one place we do want to visit is Stonehenge. We are looking to book a cruise (max 14 days) that begins or ends in London so we can arrange to see this site pre or post. We would appreciate recs. from anyone who has cruised Princess starting or ending here. Which itinerary did you like best? I know this is really an individual question, but we do like the input of others with experience. Month and ship do not matter as much as the ports.

[Stevesan]

Although one or two lines with smaller ships may dock at London, I'm virtually sure Princess isn't one of them.

 

However, I can highly recommend Princess's British Isles cruise out of Southampton. The port is a straight shot by train to/from Waterloo Station.

A prestay in London is always a good thing. If that's not practical, you could book Princess land transfers by bus from either Gatwick or Heathrow airports.

One of the transfers offers a stopover at Stonehenge.

 

if you do book that itinerary, I strongly recommend it during August for the Edinburgh Tattoo. That was the highlight of the trip.

 

http://www.princess.com/pb/itineraryDetails.do?voyageCode=3027&trade=E

[Stevesan]

Double Post

[boards]

Thanks for the recommendation. We are booked on that cruise. Would you recommend booking the tours through Princess or privately? Had read somewhere that Princess was not having good success with their tours in this area. We personally would feel more comfortable booking with them, but would appreciate your thoughts. Thanks in advance.

[can786]

The Grand Princess is doing a transatlantic in April from Ft. Lauderdale to Southampton. While it doesn't quite meet your requirement of a maximum of 14 days (it is a 15 day cruise) if travelling is getting difficult this would require only one transatlantic flight. The cruise starts with two days at sea then a day in Bermuda before six more days at sea. After that there are calls in Glasgow, Dublin, Cork, Cornwall and LeHavre, France.

[Atomica]

Princess has a variety of cruises that leave from Southampton. This past July/August we did the 12-night Iceland, Norway and British Isles cruise which was absolutely fantastic. I'd highly recommend it, though I see for 2010's itinerary they've dropped Belfast as a port of call, which is unfortunate as we really enjoyed our time there.

 

There are also the 12-night British Isles cruises onboard Crown Princess, and a variety of 14-night cruises on Grand Princess that sail to the Med from Southampton. You might want to have a look on Princess's site and see what suits your needs.

[Genessa]

Thanks for the recommendation. We are booked on that cruise. Would you recommend booking the tours through Princess or privately? Had read somewhere that Princess was not having good success with their tours in this area. We personally would feel more comfortable booking with them, but would appreciate your thoughts. Thanks in advance.

 

 

we did the British Isles with Princess in 2008. We did Dublin and Glasgow independently, but for all otehr ports we booked Princess excursions. We thought they were great. Our only complaint was the price.

They offered a variety of excursions and we had difficulty choosing in some ports because I wanted to take several.

[boards]

Thank you. We really don't have an idea of what we want to see, so we will probably be relying on our TA and the tours offered by Princess.

[spongerob]

Princess does transfers/tours from Southampton on the day of disembarkation back to Heathrow. Some of those trips include a stop at Stonehenge.

 

My honest opinion...Stonehenge is not worth the effort. It looks better in the photos and you don't have to fight the crowds. To me it was a letdown after seeing many of the fantastic neolithic sites in Orkney - where people are permitted much greater access, by the way.

 

Winchester, which is another option between Southampton and London, is lovely and the cathedral is very interesting.

[Druke I]

I am glad to find out that I'm not the only one not impressed with Stongehenge. I didn't even bother getting off the bus.

[Katie333]

We did a transatlantic from Southampton to NY, and it was wonderful! Really amazing and unique stops such as Iceland and Greenland. We took a car service from London to Southampton and stopped at Stonehenge and several other small towns and interesting sites. We also had a private picnic in front of Salisbury Cathedral. The whole thing was fantastic.

[Shogun]

Hi All,

 

Stone henge is well known,

 

but Scotland has a lot to offer.

 

 

 

http://www.scotland-info.co.uk/ork-arch.htm

 

 

yours Shogun

[DrivesLikeMario]

if you do book that itinerary, I strongly recommend it during August for the Edinburgh Tattoo. That was the highlight of the trip.

 

http://www.princess.com/pb/itineraryDetails.do?voyageCode=3027&trade=E

 

Lucky you! That is very high on my To Do List - especially since some of my clansmen will be marching/performing in it in 2010.

[cruisegal101]

If you are traveling from/to London and Southampton, I'd suggest hiring a private car. We have used smithsforairports.com and they will include a stop at Stonehenge or for that matter, anywhere else that you might want to go. Their prices are very reasonable and it is much more comfortable than a cruiseline's bus.

[mycruz]

We have booked our second cruise on Princess, 14 days from Southampton to NYC. We loved our last cruise sailing west, arrived back in the states very well rested. We are also looking forward to a visit to Ireland and a second visit to Iceland, what a beautiful country.

 

A pre-cruise stay in London or Southampton will allow you the opportunity to visit Stonehenge and see some beautiful countryside. I've not been to Stonehenge myself but it is someplace that for some is a must.

[Megsdad]

but Scotland has a lot to offer.

 

STB ****:)

[cruisemom42]

Princess does transfers/tours from Southampton on the day of disembarkation back to Heathrow. Some of those trips include a stop at Stonehenge.

 

My honest opinion...Stonehenge is not worth the effort. It looks better in the photos and you don't have to fight the crowds. To me it was a letdown after seeing many of the fantastic neolithic sites in Orkney - where people are permitted much greater access, by the way.

 

Winchester, which is another option between Southampton and London, is lovely and the cathedral is very interesting.

 

That's sad to hear. I visited Stonehenge in 1981 and I guess access to the site must've been more lenient then, nor do I remember significant crowds. It was quite stunning and one of the things I remember most clearly from my 3 week visit. (Along with seeing the Edinburgh Tattoo and kissing the Blarney stone!)

 

Edited to add: Forgot to add to the list of memorables my introduction to a proper Devon cream tea. Yum!

[tcdcruiser]

Visited Stonehendge after disembarking the Grand Princess last year. It easily visited on your way to either Heathrow or London. While impressive, the visit itself is typically fairly brief since it's only a brief walk around the location. Here's the car and driver firm I hired...

 

http://www.woodfordchauffeurcars.co.uk/

[kruisey]

During the Second World War with my mother.My father in the RAF was stationed near there at that time.Mum and I were the only visitors. Was under 10 years old it was a very cold grey day and I wondered at the time why mother had brought me to see this circle of stones. Pleased now that I did see this part of ancient history.

[Stevesan]

Thanks for the recommendation. We are booked on that cruise. Would you recommend booking the tours through Princess or privately? Had read somewhere that Princess was not having good success with their tours in this area. We personally would feel more comfortable booking with them, but would appreciate your thoughts. Thanks in advance.

 

I took three tours booked privately as groups thru our roll call. All worked out extremely well. I booked another groip tour thru Cruise Critic's Britain msg board: the McCombs Giants Causeway tour. That one had major problems. The rest booked thru Princess were fine. I had no gripes with any of them.

 

I strongly urge booking the Edinburgh Tattoo visit thru Princess. They offer a "Premium" ticket that provides outstanding seats for the performance. The Premium was only $10 more! Of course, another MAJOR advantage is not having to worry about transportation to/from the ship. I also did the ship's "Royal Mile" walking tour the same morning. The guide provided good commentary throughout, and it includes an extended visit at Holyrood Castle .

 

If you want more info about the Princess (or other) tours, e-mail me and I'll provide more detail, especially if you're staying over in London. It's quickly becoming my second home! :D

 

Tour # 1 40 GBP Thurs Aug 20

 

Clans & Castles Tour (Inverness)Invergordon Tour with Alastair Cunningham from Clans and Castles,

we have toured with Alastair before, he is AMAZING!!! You will find many reviews of Alastair’s tours on these boards, he is abundantly praised.

Tour to include:

1. Urgurt Castle on Loch Ness

2. Brodie Castle

3. Culloden Battlefield

4. Clava Cairns

5. Beauly Priory

 

 

Tour # 2 44 GBP Tues Aug 18

 

Braveheart & Rob Roy Country Tour (Glasgow)

Greenock / Glasgow Tour with Gordon Ross of Great Scot Tours.

Gordon started the Society of William Wallace and was involved with the movie Braveheart.

1. Loch Lomond

2. Stirling Castle

3. The Village of Luss

4. Sites related to Robert ‘Rob Roy’ MacGregor

5. Sites related to William Wallace

 

Tour #3 40 GBP Sun Aug 16

Operator: PJ Chauffers

In Liverpool: A brief tour of Liverpool including - Albion House, Cavern Club, Chinatown Arch and the Anglican Cathedral.

Than on to Chester, we would like to be there at Noon to see the Town Crier. From there to Conwy in North Wales and the Castle.

[Stevesan]

Thanks for the recommendation. We are booked on that cruise. Would you recommend booking the tours through Princess or privately? Had read somewhere that Princess was not having good success with their tours in this area. We personally would feel more comfortable booking with them, but would appreciate your thoughts. Thanks in advance.

 

Sorry, but if you are asking if I took a transfer/tour combination thru Princess, the answer is no. I took the direct transfer from Southampton to LHR. I stayed in London a week pecruise and took the train to Southampton.

 

BTW - if you do go by train, purchase a frist class ticket. You will have problems with luggage space in coach. It becomes extremely crowded as it makes stops along the way. First class has lots of space and empty seats, and doesn't cost too much more. I bought a R/T for @ 55GBP. I asked for a one way, but the ticket agent said a R/T was cheaper. Who knew? :p I gave the return portion to a crew member.

[jpalbny]

We have done two TA from London --> NY and on both of them, spent time in London prior to the cruise. We hired a private driver to pick us up in London and drive us to the pier. The first time we went to Stonehenge on the way to Southampton, which was really a great experience.

 

We arranged for "Stone Circle Access" which is more expensive, but much more exclusive. You have about an hour there BEFORE it opens to the general public. You have to make reservations well in advance through English Heritage, and it's a bit more expensive than general admission. However, you have the place mostly to yourself (25 people max) and the ropes are taken down so you can walk right up and wander around within the stone circle, touch the stones, etc... This link gives a description and instructions on how to arrange this; I did it entirely by e-mail.

 

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/nav.878

 

They also do Stone Circle Access in the evenings after closing time but that wouldn't work on embarkation day. You can find tour operators who buy these tickets and take small groups if you search online, but we chose to do it ourselves and save a few $ (or ₤, I suppose).

 

Here is a link to some pictures I took during the tour - just so you have an idea how close you can get to the stones in the monument. We had plenty of time and never felt rushed to leave. I have never been to the regular tour but I doubt it's any comparison to this:

 

http://picasaweb.google.com/jphafnermd/StonehengeStoneCircleAccess?feat=directlink

 

The only disadvantage of this approach was that our tour was at 6:15 AM - so we were packed up and ready to leave our hotel by 4AM. However, we had a sea day the next day to rest up for our cruise, so we thought it was well worth it! If it's your lifetime dream to see Stonehenge, do it this way.

[imsulin]

Princess does transfers/tours from Southampton on the day of disembarkation back to Heathrow. Some of those trips include a stop at Stonehenge.

 

My honest opinion...Stonehenge is not worth the effort. It looks better in the photos and you don't have to fight the crowds. To me it was a letdown after seeing many of the fantastic neolithic sites in Orkney - where people are permitted much greater access, by the way.

 

Winchester, which is another option between Southampton and London, is lovely and the cathedral is very interesting.

 

I agree. We were very lucky to have visited Stonehenge twice (back in the 70's - Frames Tours) when we could actually walk among the stones, and there were very few people. We also visited Winchester Cathedral and it's no-spire. Also did Salisbury Cathedral (tallest spire in England), and near Stonehenge. My oldest son spent two weeks in Scotland in September, and opted not to do Stonehenge. (Probably did pub crawling) IMHO - you just can't "cruise" Great Britain! Anglophile that I am, I have to do it by land.

 

OT, but I can recommend a great novel, "Sarum", by Edward Rutherford. Good historical fiction about the history of the Salisbury Plain, including Stonehenge.

[Desert Cruizers]

For any of you experienced TA Cruisers, which have you found the most difficult Port to leave from, Southampton, Rome or Barcelona. We are looking over some possibilities for 2011 and have never been to Europe before. Since it would be our first time, would we be better off with ship transfers. Thank You

[Stevesan]

For any of you experienced TA Cruisers, which have you found the most difficult Port to leave from, Southampton, Rome or Barcelona. We are looking over some possibilities for 2011 and have never been to Europe before. Since it would be our first time, would we be better off with ship transfers. Thank You

 

I recommend cruise line transfers for both the Southampton and Civitivecchia (Rome) ports. The distance from the airports make the transfers convenient and worry free.

Can't answer to Barcelona. Never started a cruise from there.

 

If you stay precruise in London the train is a good option. More comfortable and quicker than motor coach.

Unless policy has changed, when you book a hotel thru the cruise line the transfer is included.

Same for cruise line air, except the fares may be higher and the routing less desirable than booking independently.