British Isles Trip Review w/Pics: A Thesis :)

[Riley Pete]

Emily, I wish I could write as well as you. Have loved re-living the cruise through your review, it really was a dream come true. As soon as I figure out how to add an attachment I'll post our pictures that my DH put on a DVD with music. So much fun!

 

Ellen

[DeloreanGirl]

Emily, I wish I could write as well as you. Have loved re-living the cruise through your review, it really was a dream come true. As soon as I figure out how to add an attachment I'll post our pictures that my DH put on a DVD with music. So much fun!

 

Ellen

 

Thanks! Please share your photos!

 

I have a few songs downloaded that I would love to put some pictures with to create a slideshow of sorts. Someone did it on the Caribbean cruise boards and it was so cute.

So far I have:

"Collision of Worlds" from Cars 2 for London

Michael Flatley score for Scotland.

Bill Whelan score for Ireland

Woody Allen's "Midnight In Paris" theme for France.

 

If I had a free moment (which does not currently exist), this would be my next project.

[DeloreanGirl]

Does anyone know where I can find the 8-9" model of the Caribbean Princess? I have 5 other ships in my collection from our other cruises, and the gift store did not sell the 8-9" model. Only a tiny 4" model and an ornament. I've tried eBay and posting a thread about it on CC to no avail. Any ideas? :( :confused:

[catsforkids]

Emily, do you have a Google Earth photo of the LeHavre port? I cannot figure where the ships come in looking at the satelite view. Your Edinburgh one was sooooo helpful!

 

We are going to rent a car in LeHavre & want to see if it is walkable to the Europcar office!

 

Thanks,

Linda

[nostalgiaguru]

Thanks! Please share your photos!

 

I have a few songs downloaded that I would love to put some pictures with to create a slideshow of sorts. Someone did it on the Caribbean cruise boards and it was so cute.

So far I have:

"Collision of Worlds" from Cars 2 for London

Michael Flatley score for Scotland.

Bill Whelan score for Ireland

Woody Allen's "Midnight In Paris" theme for France.

 

If I had a free moment (which does not currently exist), this would be my next project.

 

What, no Beatles!? ;)

[nostalgiaguru]

Does anyone know where I can find the 8-9" model of the Caribbean Princess? I have 5 other ships in my collection from our other cruises, and the gift store did not sell the 8-9" model. Only a tiny 4" model and an ornament. I've tried eBay and posting a thread about it on CC to no avail. Any ideas? :( :confused:

 

Not sure this is what you want:

 

http://scherbakshipmodels.tripod.com/id138.html

 

[newsier]

Not sure this is what you want:

 

http://scherbakshipmodels.tripod.com/id138.html

 

 

This place has some really, really nice ship models........

 

Glenn

[DeloreanGirl]

Yeah, that's the one that keeps popping up which is a $300 version and doesn't match the others. I know the one I'm looking for exists since someone has a video of it on YouTube.

 

I e-mailed Princess HQ so I'll see how far that goes. Thanks though! ;)

[DeloreanGirl]

Emily, do you have a Google Earth photo of the LeHavre port? I cannot figure where the ships come in looking at the satelite view. Your Edinburgh one was sooooo helpful!

 

We are going to rent a car in LeHavre & want to see if it is walkable to the Europcar office!

 

Thanks,

Linda

 

This is a rough guess, but attached is where I believe we walked and where the ship docked. I remember seeing those ugly white stubby silo things out our window. I remember seeing a Mercure Hotel nearby. So my guess is that it docks at "Quai Joannes Couvert".

Edited June 21, 2012 by DeloreanGirl

[loma linda ca a & j]

For some reason, I seem to recall that you were on our roll call for the Star Princess transAtlantic (or the Baltic portion) two years ago in May and had to cancel, unfortunately. Am I correct?

 

Sandy :)

 

what a good memory ! yes, we indeed did cancel as we were in process of having a mobile home completely gutted so that everything is new and looks like a house inside

 

we are hoping to get to sweden - my maternal grandparents birthplace - in 2014

 

looking forward to brit isles next year for jim's ancestral heritage !

where is your next cruise ?? ann & jim

[Riley Pete]

Thanks! Please share your photos!

 

I have a few songs downloaded that I would love to put some pictures with to create a slideshow of sorts. Someone did it on the Caribbean cruise boards and it was so cute.

So far I have:

"Collision of Worlds" from Cars 2 for London

Michael Flatley score for Scotland.

Bill Whelan score for Ireland

Woody Allen's "Midnight In Paris" theme for France.

 

If I had a free moment (which does not currently exist), this would be my next project.

 

The DVD is still in the editing room, I like your music choices above. We have "God Save the Queen" for London pics, a few bagpipe pieces for Ireland and Scotland, Beatles: Penny Lane and Magical Mystical Tour. The song that's causing the problem now is a Scottish Ballad solo of my son's in high school with the men's choir. As soon as we get that on we'll try to post. The difficult part is trying to line up songs with the specific port pictures, and we pulled Liverpool/Wales out of sequence.... anyway, big production that we may just finish as is, enjoy what we've put together and move on. Will try to finish tonight.

[catsforkids]

This is a rough guess, but attached is where I believe we walked and where the ship docked. I remember seeing those ugly white stubby silo things out our window. I remember seeing a Mercure Hotel nearby. So my guess is that it docks at "Quai Joannes Couvert".

Thanks again Emily!:)

[Northern Light]

what a good memory ! yes, we indeed did cancel as we were in process of having a mobile home completely gutted so that everything is new and looks like a house inside

 

we are hoping to get to sweden - my maternal grandparents birthplace - in 2014

 

looking forward to brit isles next year for jim's ancestral heritage !

where is your next cruise ?? ann & jim

 

My memory isn't always good, Ann and Jim, but I kept track of the roll call for that cruise after the keeper of the roll had to cancel the voyage because of an injury. When you see names over and over, they tend to stick in one's mind.

 

I'm chopping at the bit to do another cruise. It's just getting DH and I to agree on which one and when :D! A trip to Hawaii is high on my bucket list but not as a cruise. DH promised me we would return to France so trying to see if I can combine it with a TransAtlantic or even a river cruise so we can see more of Europe. The Scandinavian countries are fabulous as are the British Isles. You will enjoy seeing both very much.

 

Sandy :)

[DeloreanGirl]

I'm chopping at the bit to do another cruise. It's just getting DH and I to agree on which one and when :D! A trip to Hawaii is high on my bucket list but not as a cruise.

Sandy :)

 

Same here! Mike's vote was Hawaii, my vote was British Isles. I think I owe him now...

[loma linda ca a & j]

My memory isn't always good, Ann and Jim, but I kept track of the roll call for that cruise after the keeper of the roll had to cancel the voyage because of an injury. When you see names over and over, they tend to stick in one's mind.

 

I'm chopping at the bit to do another cruise. It's just getting DH and I to agree on which one and when :D! A trip to Hawaii is high on my bucket list but not as a cruise. DH promised me we would return to France so trying to see if I can combine it with a TransAtlantic or even a river cruise so we can see more of Europe. The Scandinavian countries are fabulous as are the British Isles. You will enjoy seeing both very much.

 

Sandy :)

we want to go to paris again, giverny, reims, brussels, bruge, tulips in holland, amsterdam, copenhagen, sweden in 2014 - probably none of it on a cruise so we can have several days in some of the places unless we take a TA over if they would leave earlier before the tulips are gone !! but have almost decided the time & $$ would be better spent using train to see all these places !;)

 

when did you go to brit isles ?

 

am so excited about 2013 !:)

 

jim will go anywhere i choose/plan - he usually doesn't remember where we are going each day - he likes the surprise each morning as i announce - OK babe we're in dublin now !!!

 

just kidding but it's almost true !!:D

[Garfunkel]

Let me know if you have any Los Angeles questions. Our city is pretty crazy but we do have some interesting stuff tucked away here and there. :o

 

Thanks! We're staying in West Hollywood, at the Andaz - used to be The Riot House in the 60's/70's, which I'm quite excited about. Very interested in the Laurel Canyon area, but have been told it would be best to have a car to go there, so may not visit. We want to have an evening at The Troubadour, assume we'll need to take a cab there? Not too bothered about seeing the movie stars' homes, although may take a half day tour just to say we've been! Need to pick up some things in Macys, is that walkable? Other than that, not sure what we'll do. We arrive at 2pm and have 2 nights, before our Hawaii cruise, so only one full day really.

[nostalgiaguru]

Same here! Mike's vote was Hawaii, my vote was British Isles. I think I owe him now...

 

you know, while we would certainly love to perhaps visit France again and maybe do a Med cruise someday, the only place that we've cruised that we've decided we HAVE to go back to is Alaska. In fact, the Princess setup is nice, as they have their own train and inland resort, so you can do their cruisetour and just make one reservation and pay one bill - I like that!

[4774Papa]

you know, while we would certainly love to perhaps visit France again and maybe do a Med cruise someday, the only place that we've cruised that we've decided we HAVE to go back to is Alaska. In fact, the Princess setup is nice, as they have their own train and inland resort, so you can do their cruisetour and just make one reservation and pay one bill - I like that!

If you go back to France and haven't done a Rhone River cruise (SW France), consider going there. It was great, especially if you love wine.

[bobalink]

If you go back to France and haven't done a Rhone River cruise (SW France), consider going there. It was great, especially if you love wine.

 

 

We are interested in trying a river cruise.

What river cruise line did you choose?

[DeloreanGirl]

Thanks! We're staying in West Hollywood, at the Andaz - used to be The Riot House in the 60's/70's, which I'm quite excited about. Very interested in the Laurel Canyon area, but have been told it would be best to have a car to go there, so may not visit. We want to have an evening at The Troubadour, assume we'll need to take a cab there? Not too bothered about seeing the movie stars' homes, although may take a half day tour just to say we've been! Need to pick up some things in Macys, is that walkable? Other than that, not sure what we'll do. We arrive at 2pm and have 2 nights, before our Hawaii cruise, so only one full day really.

 

I've never heard of the Andaz. Sounds neat! Laurel Canyon is simply a boulevard that connects the Hollywood/city area with "The Valley" behind the hills. I suppose you could drive it to look at homes but I never thought of it as a tourist destination -- just a road to get you out of Hollywood if there was an accident on the freeways. :)

 

Nothing is walkable in L.A. except Santa Monica's "3rd Street Promenade" and Hollywood Boulevard itself. If you stroll the freak show that is Hollywood Boulevard, they have the City Sightseening double-decker buses that do tours and there's a new TMZ (paparazzi) tour.

 

It's hard to describe what to do in a day in Los Angeles. There's some people that just want to see the beaches, others that want to see the funky areas like Venice and Santa Monica, some want to see Hollywood, etc. You definitely need a car to get around or know someone who does.

 

Enjoy Hawaii!

 

the only place that we've cruised that we've decided we HAVE to go back to is Alaska. In fact, the Princess setup is nice, as they have their own train and inland resort, so you can do their cruisetour and just make one reservation and pay one bill - I like that!

 

Mike loved our Alaska cruise and it's the only cruise he wants to do over again because he liked it so much. Doesn't RCCL have a train too? I know Princess has the glass-top trains which look awesome. :D

[nostalgiaguru]

Mike loved our Alaska cruise and it's the only cruise he wants to do over again because he liked it so much. Doesn't RCCL have a train too? I know Princess has the glass-top trains which look awesome. :D

 

Yes, and theirs are glass-topped as well

[4774Papa]

Deloreangirl,

Our BI cruise will be from May 13-24, about the same time of the year as your cruise.

What kinds of clothes did you and your DH pack for such a cruise. I would Imagine that you didn't need many shorts and polo shirts with the chilly weather?

[DeloreanGirl]

Deloreangirl,

Our BI cruise will be from May 13-24, about the same time of the year as your cruise.

What kinds of clothes did you and your DH pack for such a cruise. I would Imagine that you didn't need many shorts and polo shirts with the chilly weather?

 

Hi 4774 (that's my husband's birthday ;) )

 

I packed:

-Long sleved shirts

-cardigan sweaters

-some short sleved shirts

-Running jacket (thin nylon), cargo jacket, light shell rain jacket with hood

-Jeans, cargo pants

 

Hubby packed:

-long sleved shirts in various textures

-short sleved shirts

-Columbia fleece (I wish I brought a fleece for myself)

-Shell rain jacket with hood

-Jeans

 

We did end up packing t-shirts because the weather on our trip warmed up (we actually got sunburned in Guernsey). This, as I now read the May 14th and June 7th trip reports, was a fluke -- as the weather is fickle and the fact that we got nearly 12 days of sun was VERY rare.

 

It's true that they have "4 seasons in a day". It can go from cloudy, to drizzle, then rain, then sun, then warmth, then cloudy. Anywhere up on deck is WINDY and brisk so bring a fleece or a soft hat (fabric/beanie hats stayed on better than baseball caps).

 

It's true to "layer". Having a thin long-sleeved shirt underneath a light jacket worked when the sun came out and we tied them around our waist. We only brought collared shirts and khakis for dinner on the ship.

[travelmum]

We leave on July 6 for the identical Princess Cruise you have so well-reviewed. I'm a complete planner and usually spend months combing internet sites, guidebooks, etc. and then map out a nearly minute by minute itinerary. Just haven't been able to do that this time, so you can imagine how delighted I was to find your review. Before I got to your kind offer to e-mail the word version of your review, I had copied every word you wrote and am about to sit down to use all of your wonderful information. I can't thank you enough.

 

We, too, are independent travelers and the information you've provided about seeing ports independently will be priceless to me. This is perfect. And completed just in time to be totally useful. Thank you. Thank you.

[DeloreanGirl]

We leave on July 6 for the identical Princess Cruise you have so well-reviewed. I'm a complete planner and usually spend months combing internet sites, guidebooks, etc. and then map out a nearly minute by minute itinerary. Just haven't been able to do that this time, so you can imagine how delighted I was to find your review. Before I got to your kind offer to e-mail the word version of your review, I had copied every word you wrote and am about to sit down to use all of your wonderful information. I can't thank you enough.

 

We, too, are independent travelers and the information you've provided about seeing ports independently will be priceless to me. This is perfect. And completed just in time to be totally useful. Thank you. Thank you.

 

 

Thank you for the kind comments, travelmum! I know what it's like to want to know such specific details before embarking on such a big trip.

 

It seemed like the majority of us saw the sights either on our own or with private tours that were coordinated and booked by someone on the CC roll call. However, Princess has a good variety to choose from as well.

 

It's a fantastic itinerary, you will love it. :rolleyes: