Questions - British Isles on Caribbean - July 2013

[tulips*n*truffles]

Hi there! Been a while since I've been around these parts! Gearing up for finally booking a summer 2013 cruise after having to cancel my summer 2012 one. :-(

 

I hate hijacking a thread so I hope you can direct me a bit. I've read a lot of posts, but I'm starting to get pretty confused!! I've got just a handful of questions about the 12 day British Isles cruise.

 

The plan is to have 3 or 4 days ahead of the cruise in London, then on the last day in London, find a shuttle (taxi...something??) to the pier in Southampton. Cruise for 11 of the 12 days, then disembark in Paris for another 2-3 days there before flying home.

 

So my questions. First, when booking, do you have an opinion on port or starboard side? I'm looking at a mid-ship balcony. I've read various opinions but it's hard to not make a mistake!

 

Is there a preferred method of transportation to the pier in Southampton? There are a couple of hotels near the pier that offer shuttles, but we'd like to stay in the heart of London and then make the trek the day we depart.

 

I've read a couple of places that this cruise has missed the Le Harve port because of weather. Obviously that could happen...but wow that could put a crimp in my plans! What are my options if that would happen, since I'd like to book my return flight out of Paris? Anything?

 

Is departing the cruise early frowned upon? Anything special we need to do prior to doing so?

 

Can someone walk me through currency? Can I assume every place we could possibly want to spend money would accept Visa or AmEx? Is there a place to exchange money on the ship?

 

Thank you in advance!

[Pam in CA]

To answer some of your questions, you can book a Princess transfer that leaves from London without having to go back to the airport. Another option is to take the train. I've never done either so someone else likely has more specific information.

 

For a British Isles cruise, I would get € and £. You will need £ in England, Northern Ireland and Scotland. You'll need € in Ireland and France. You can always use your credit card but most charge an exchange fee plus there will likely be times when you want or need to pay cash. Either get € and £ before leaving home or exchange in Heathrow or in ports. The exchange rate on the ship is horrible plus you're charged an exchange fee on top of that.

 

If you plan to disembark the ship in France, you must contact Princess and receive permission. You cannot just leave the ship as that will trigger a search (even an international search) and most likely delay the ship's sailing. The ship also needs to know in order to finalize your onboard spending folio. Not a good idea. Permission is pretty routinely approved so it's not a big deal. As for the likelihood or chances the ship could miss the port, you'll need to consult with Mother Nature. No way to know in advance.

[caribill]

The plan is to have 3 or 4 days ahead of the cruise in London, then on the last day in London, find a shuttle (taxi...something??) to the pier in Southampton. Cruise for 11 of the 12 days, then disembark in Paris for another 2-3 days there before flying home.

 

 

I've read a couple of places that this cruise has missed the Le Harve port because of weather. Obviously that could happen...but wow that could put a crimp in my plans! What are my options if that would happen, since I'd like to book my return flight out of Paris? Anything?

 

If the ship misses Le Harve your choice is how to make your way to Paris.

 

Is departing the cruise early frowned upon? Anything special we need to do prior to doing so?

 

It is not frowned upon but must be arranged in advance. Contract your TA (or Princess if you did not use a TA) to request permission for this. You will still pay the price for the full cruise.

 

Can someone walk me through currency? Can I assume every place we could possibly want to spend money would accept Visa or AmEx? Is there a place to exchange money on the ship? Most real businesses and restaurants will accept credit cards. Local transportation and street venders will not. ATMs give you a much better exchange rate (assuming you are using a debit card) than the ship does. Since you are flying into London, use an ATM at the airport. Get Euros at an ATM at your first stop in a Euro using country.

 

Thank you in advance!

 

see above in red

[Mom33]

When we took the cruise in June, we stayed in London for 3 days and used a Princess transfer to Southhampton. We took a taxi from our hotel to Victoria Coach Station where the Princess buses are located. It was reasonable and convenient. Our TA took care of the reservation.

 

It really doesn't matter which side of the ship your cabin is on. This is a port intensive cruise and you may not use the balcony as much on this cruise as in a warm climate.

 

If you miss LeHavre because of weather, you can stay on the ship till Southhampton and arrange to take the train to Paris. You will be a day behind in your Paris plans, but if you can change your flight , all will not be lost. you must inform Princess of your plans.

 

Just about everywhere we went accepted our Visa and the exchange rate was much better using the card. We also had British pounds and Euros. We generally base how much to convert on what we expect to purchase where we go.

[rdsqrl]

I've traveled twice from London to Southampton by train. I would recommend that over a bus transfer any day. The best trains to Southampton leave from Waterloo station (there are also some from Victoria, but that's a longer trip). Journey takes about 1.5 hour. Cabs are always waiting at the station and it's a very quick ride from there to the port.

[Sea Breezer]

After a year of research, planning and talking to folks on our Roll Call here on CC, my family of 9 just did EXACTLY what you are planning this past July and had the "trip of a lifetime". Stayed 3 days pre-cruise in London and took private transport to Southampton on the day of the cruise, stopping at Stonehenge on the way. Arranged and participated in several private tours arranged here on CC. Departed the ship in LeHavre and made it to Paris via private van for a 3 day stay there, then back to the US. If you are interested in who we used and where we stayed, email me at amcarlisle4 AT yahoo DOT com and I can give you the details. :)

[Underwatr]

The cheapest way to get currency is through an ATM, but be aware of your bank's fees for out-of-country cash withdrawals. The fees might be higher than at home. But for the equivalent of a couple hundred dollars the ATM fees will almost certainly be lower than a cash exchange fee.

[DrivesLikeMario]

The others have answered your questions but I just wanted to add that you should make sure you get a credit card with a micro chip in it. It is becoming harder & harder to buy things in Europe & the UK without one. (Even Rick Steve's latest info. is touting this now.) Chase's British Airways Visa is one of the very few American companies that is "with it" when it comes to this. It will make your purchases there much easier and with a credit card, you'll get a much better exchange rate (and no foreign transaction fees).

 

Make sure your ATM card only has 4 digits (not numbers). Use it for getting cash but remember, you're not going to get $300 worth of anything out if that is your US max. You'll get maybe 180 GBP out after the exchange rate and ATM fees. If you have something you plan to buy or pay for that costs 500 GBP, it's going to take you awhile to get that many pound notes. Every time you use the ATM, you'll be charged a fee, so try to make bigger withdrawals vs. smaller ones.

 

We didn't miss Le Havre - it was a gorgeous, sunny day and about 86 degrees in May!

[caribill]

Make sure your ATM card only has 4 digits (not numbers).

 

I assume you mean password

[phabric]

Check out the Roll Call for that date.

[aquilegia]

Visa is fine, but AmEx is not accepted in a lot of places in the UK.

[Chippy1]

Hi and welcome to the UK!

 

Travelling from London to Southampton can be done by car, bus or train in under 2 hours assuming you have no hold ups. The train will be a little more comfortable as the traffic leaving central London can be pretty manic - it will depend on the time and day you are travelling. You can us this site to check train times/ routes/fares

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

 

When I travel to the States I get a small amount of cash before I go and then use the cashpoints or pay by card for everything I buy and I would suggest you do the same, that way you will be able to get pounds or euros as you need them. Just about everywhere will accept VISA and Mastercard but only bigger shops/hotels accept Amex as they charge the business a higher fee.

 

We do all now have chip and pin cards here and whilst shop assistants can allow you to sign for your purchases they may well be unsure at first and will certainly think you are from planet zogg :) So if you can get a chip and pin it will avoid any issues.

 

If you were to miss your stop at Le Havre then getting to Paris from Southampton would be quite a treck. Again use the national rail site to have a look going via Dover /Calais maybe using the Eurostar train which goes from Ashford to Calais. http://www.eurostar.com/dynamic/index.jsp

Another option could be a ferry from Portsmouth to Caen or even back to Le Havre. This site will give you some idea if that is possible. http://www.ferrysavers.co.uk/southampton.htm

 

Hope you have a fab time, next time you can include a visit to Wales too- we always missed out :o

[Underwatr]

For what it's worth, avoid the Travelex ATMs at Heathrow (and Gatwick) airport. They're set up to use "Dynamic Currency Conversion" in which they choose an exchange rate favorable to them and charge your card in dollars. "Regular" ATMs pass the charge in local currency to your bank and your bank uses a disclosed exchange rate to convert the charge to dollars. Even a private ATM with a fixed fee of a couple of pounds is bound to be a better deal for you.

[bconley351]

We have twice used National Express buses to travel from London to Southampton. Once from Heathrow, and once from central London out of the Victoria Coach Station. If you go from the Victoria Coach Station you may be able to get a 'fun fare', which is very low. There are limited tickets at those prices but worth it if you can get them. Even if you don't get a fun fare the cost will still be less than the Princess bus, and they leave from the same coach station. Many of the buses have free wifi if you want to check internet one more time before you board. You will need to take a taxi from the bus station to the port however.

[Mom33]

We have twice used National Express buses to travel from London to Southampton. Once from Heathrow, and once from central London out of the Victoria Coach Station. If you go from the Victoria Coach Station you may be able to get a 'fun fare', which is very low. There are limited tickets at those prices but worth it if you can get them. Even if you don't get a fun fare the cost will still be less than the Princess bus, and they leave from the same coach station. Many of the buses have free wifi if you want to check internet one more time before you board. You will need to take a taxi from the bus station to the port however.

 

Just curious: what is the fare on National Express and the cost of the taxi to the pier? When we used the Princess transfer at Victoria Coach station, the bus took us straight to the ship and we found our luggage in the cabin ahead of us.

Thank you.

[phabric]

Just curious: what is the fare on National Express and the cost of the taxi to the pier? When we used the Princess transfer at Victoria Coach station, the bus took us straight to the ship and we found our luggage in the cabin ahead of us.

Thank you.

 

Check out the Natonal Express http://www.nationalexpress.com about 3-4 months in advance of your cruise London Victoria Coach to Southampton Coach. Just keep checking their site for the FunFare prices. The National Express Coach shows a couple of stops for Southampton, the one you use is Southampton Coach. The Funfare prices can be as low as 5GBP/pp. They have the Funfare prices up to January and they show 5.50-8.50GBP. The Funfare does not apply from Heathrow.

 

A taxi from the Southampton Coach station to the Princess dock is 5-7 GBP (under 10 GBP) and is a very short ride.

 

The Coach driver puts the luggage under the coach in London, takes it out and puts it beside the coach in Southampton, you take it to the taxi, when you are at the dock, the porters will take your luggage from you and you will see it outside your cabin door.

[Mom33]

Check out the Natonal Express http://www.nationalexpress.com about 3-4 months in advance of your cruise London Victoria Coach to Southampton Coach. Just keep checking their site for the FunFare prices. The National Express Coach shows a couple of stops for Southampton, the one you use is Southampton Coach. The Funfare prices can be as low as 5GBP/pp. They have the Funfare prices up to January and they show 5.50-8.50GBP. The Funfare does not apply from Heathrow.

 

A taxi from the Southampton Coach station to the Princess dock is 5-7 GBP (under 10 GBP) and is a very short ride.

 

The Coach driver puts the luggage under the coach in London, takes it out and puts it beside the coach in Southampton, you take it to the taxi, when you are at the dock, the porters will take your luggage from you and you will see it outside your cabin door.

 

Thank you for the information. We paid more for the Princess transfer and will keep this in mind for a repeat trip. However, the convenience of not handling luggage from London to ship and knowing the ship would wait if there was a traffic problem, gave us piece of mind.:)

[smz42]

Hi there! Been a while since I've been around these parts! Gearing up for finally booking a summer 2013 cruise after having to cancel my summer 2012 one. :-(

 

I hate hijacking a thread so I hope you can direct me a bit. I've read a lot of posts, but I'm starting to get pretty confused!! I've got just a handful of questions about the 12 day British Isles cruise.

 

The plan is to have 3 or 4 days ahead of the cruise in London, then on the last day in London, find a shuttle (taxi...something??) to the pier in Southampton. Cruise for 11 of the 12 days, then disembark in Paris for another 2-3 days there before flying home.

 

So my questions. First, when booking, do you have an opinion on port or starboard side? I'm looking at a mid-ship balcony. I've read various opinions but it's hard to not make a mistake!

 

Is there a preferred method of transportation to the pier in Southampton? There are a couple of hotels near the pier that offer shuttles, but we'd like to stay in the heart of London and then make the trek the day we depart.

 

I've read a couple of places that this cruise has missed the Le Harve port because of weather. Obviously that could happen...but wow that could put a crimp in my plans! What are my options if that would happen, since I'd like to book my return flight out of Paris? Anything?

 

Is departing the cruise early frowned upon? Anything special we need to do prior to doing so?

 

Can someone walk me through currency? Can I assume every place we could possibly want to spend money would accept Visa or AmEx? Is there a place to exchange money on the ship?

 

Thank you in advance!

 

One comment on your London to Southampton transfer. Depending on the number of people in your group, a private car may be reasonable on a per person basis. We are on the 5.24.13 British Isles sailing and I am arranging a private car or van and am looking for people from my roll call to join us. For 2 people it is pricey, but for 3 people and up it gets more reasonable and you get door-to-door service; no cab to the train or bus in London and no cab from the train or bus in Southampton. And no schlepping luggage in between.

If you want any private transfer info, email me at smz42 at aol dot com.

 

We prearranged with Princess to disembark one port early on our Scandinavia cruise (Oslo instead of Copenhagen) and it went very smoothly (both the approval and the disembarkation). There is the risk if you miss the port, but remember, Le Havre is the largest port in France. Since Le Havre is the last stop before the ship returns to Southampton, I would arrange the exit in Le Havre, but develop a contingency plan, such as taking the high speed train from London to Paris the morning the train returns to Southampton. You'll lose a day, but salvage most of your Paris time.

[cruis247g]

We used http://www.batransfer.com to go directly from our hotel, which was a stone's throw from Buckingham Palace, to the pier in Southampton this summer. They provide private cars as mentioned above. There were 4 of us and it was very convenient!

[caribill]

We do all now have chip and pin cards here and whilst shop assistants can allow you to sign for your purchases they may well be unsure at first and will certainly think you are from planet zogg :) So if you can get a chip and pin it will avoid any issues.

 

 

Although the Princess credit card (issued by Barclays) does not have chip and pin, the Royal Caribbean credit card (issued by Bank of America) now incldues chip and pin technology.

 

So if you are traveling to Europe from the USA, you may want to apply for this card which does not have an annual fee. However its use outside of the USA does have a 3% foreign transaction fee.