12 days in the British Isles: Photos and info aplenty!

[loma linda ca a & j]

Sorry, all. Life got in the way this week. I'm flying tomorrow but will wrap up the story this weekend. We still have our unplanned day at sea, disembarkation and our day tour to Salisbury, Stonehenge and Windsor and, finally, our whirlwind visit to London before flying home.

 

I promise to finish this weekend! Thanks for sticking with me.

 

we both enjoyed your review - we were waiting for the finale but

am sure you had a busy weekend -we sure did - perhaps tonight ??

 

we fly to london tomorrow so were eager to see what adventures

you experienced there & in stonehenge, salisbury, & windsor!;)

jim & ann in so california

Edited June 17, 2013 by loma linda ca a & j
add

[ohhbother]

We awoke Thursday morning excited about our final port -- Guernsey in the Channel Islands. We had what looked to be a great excursion lined up -- a self-guided bicycle tour of the small island of Sark. This was, in fact, the first excursion we’d booked so many months ago, and we were super excited about it.

 

First things first, we headed to Sabatini’s for our final breakfast. The food and service were perfect, as always. Then we made our way to Explorers’ Lounge for our 10 a.m. excursion meeting. We were sitting there, wearing our little stickers and ready to go, when the captain began a dreaded overhead announcement. Due to the wind and sea conditions, we would not be able to safely tender to Guernsey. And just like that, we found ourselves with an unplanned sea day.

 

After dealing with the initial disappointment, Mark and I decided to make the best of it. Since we’d been planning on an active excursion, we knew we needed to make up the physical activity somehow. So we went to the room and changed and then made our way to the promenade deck, where we jogged three miles (our own private 5K on deck). This was actually pretty awesome, as the sea was rolling with whitecaps, the air was brisk -- it was the best view I’ve ever had while running. And I kept thinking to myself to enjoy the biting wind, as I’d be back running in the Louisiana heat and humidity all too soon!

 

We then headed back to the stateroom, where we decided to finish up packing. Once that depressing chore was completed, we headed to Horizon Court for a quick lunch. By this time, the ship had produced all new Patters with added activities for the sea day. We noticed the movie, “Quartet,” was playing in the Princess Theatre at 2 p.m., so we opted to check that out. Great movie and a full house -- everyone seemed to really enjoy it.

 

The rest of the day was a quiet one. We spent some time on deck, exploring the ship’s nooks and crannies, etc. We enjoyed our final plate of chocolate-covered strawberries and, at some point, had dinner in the buffet upstairs. All in all, it was a quiet day and sort of a letdown to what was an amazing trip. But we didn’t let it bother us. After all, even though our cruise was ending, we still had two and a half days of exploring England to come!

 

We were up early the next morning for disembarkation. Because we had arranged a private transfer from the ship, our scheduled disembarkation time was 7:15 a.m. -- yuck! Unfortunately, there was no breakfast in Sabatini’s this morning, so we went to Club Fusion for the elite/suite private lounge. This left a lot to be desired. The only food was a small tray of pastries, and there were no plates -- only napkins. I even asked a server about plates and was told they weren’t available. OK then. I ran up to the buffet and grabbed a box of cereal. I was expecting it to be a madhouse, but it wasn’t crowded at all. If we had it to do again, we would skip the suite lounge and have breakfast in the buffet. Anyway, by the time I got back to Club Fusion, our number had been called. Leaving the ship was quick and easy. We didn’t have to stop for any kind of customs check -- we just headed right outside.

 

I had booked our transfer to London through a company called International Friends. We quickly spotted a guy with a sign for International Friends and checked in. We were then directed to our waiting bus. We left Southampton around 8:30 a.m. I booked this particular transfer because it included stops at Salisbury Cathedral, Stonehenge and Windsor Castle. It seemed like a good way to see the sights while making our way to our central London hotel.

 

The bus was about two-thirds full, and everyone was nice. Unfortunately, a family in the back of the bus clearly had pneumonia, bronchitis or some other horrible respiratory disease. The entire day was a non-stop series of coughing, hacking, sneezing, etc. I felt bad for them and for the rest of us. Fortunately, though, we avoided getting sick -- though I don’t know how!

 

Our first stop was Salisbury Cathedral. You were given the option of visiting the cathedral or exploring the small town. We chose the cathedral -- one, because we were interested and, two, because it was freezing cold outside. The cathedral was absolutely lovely, and we really enjoyed this stop. We even got to see an original Magna Carta document -- one of only a handful in existence. There was no admission fee beyond a suggested 5 pound donation.

 

 

 

 

Our next stop was Stonehenge, which was something I was really looking forward to. Our admission here was included with the tour I booked. I’ve been fascinated by Stonehenge since I was a kid, and I wasn’t disappointed. It was amazing to see in person, although it was bitterly cold. The wind was just cutting. But we made it through. Oddly enough, the gift shop at Stonehenge is tiny -- like a kiosk in a mall tiny. It was crammed full of people shoulder to shoulder, but I pushed my way in and got a sweatshirt. I had to have something that said Stonehenge!

 

 

Our final stop was Windsor Castle. Here, we used the London Passes I’d purchased before leaving for entrance. That allowed us to skip a long line and make our way right up to the castle. This was absolutely amazing. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I wasn’t prepared for the sheer degree of opulence. Wow -- our White House pales in comparison. We spent most of our time here in the Royal Apartments, and we also visited the chapel, etc. (No photos were allowed inside, so exterior photos are all I have.) Unfortunately, it was now freezing and raining -- the only time in the entire trip that we just got pelted by rain. After touring the castle, we grabbed lunch at Gourmet Burger Kitchen, which is located in the train station/shopping mall area at Windsor. This was absolutely delicious. Mark and I are still craving the “skinny fries” we had there. If you get a chance, grab a meal there. Yummy!

 

 

 

Continued in next post...

Edited June 17, 2013 by ohhbother

[ohhbother]

We met back up with our tour bus at 3:30 and headed into London. This was where things went south. We were supposed to be at our hotel (Rubens at the Palace) no later than 5:30 p.m. But some kind of mix-up happened in which a driver who was supposed to pick up half of our bus folks refused to take some of them. So we got stuck going way out of our way. We literally went to Heathrow and then to every major area of London to drop people off. Traffic, of course, was terrible, and everyone was getting really cranky about being trapped on the bus so long.

 

 

By the time we got to the Rubens (great hotel and worth the price), it was 6:30 p.m. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t have minded too much. But we’d booked tickets to see Wicked at 7:30 p.m. I thought about skipping the show -- I was just exhausted. But Mark convinced me to go. So we checked into the hotel, grabbed a very quick shower and were out the door walking toward the theater by 7:10. Luckily, the theater is only a five-minute walk from the hotel, so we got there in plenty of time. The only bad thing -- we didn’t have time for dinner. So we ended up splitting a bucket of toffee popcorn at intermission. The show itself was fabulous, and I’m so glad we went. Our seats were great, and we really relaxed after a tiring day. When the show was over, we walked back to the hotel and collapsed in our bed!

 

 

On Saturday morning, we rose early for a full day of touring. We started with a full breakfast in the hotel restaurant -- we were famished after skipping dinner the night before. We then set out on foot to see London. One of the reasons I booked the Rubens is its proximity to the major sights, and we weren’t disappointed. Buckingham Palace was just up the street, and Westminster Abbey was a short walk away. We started with Westiminster, where our London Pass got us in. Westminster was absolutely incredible, and the audio tour, narrated by Jeremy Irons, provided great insight into what we were seeing. We spent more than two hours here and could have spent all day. But we knew there was more to see.

 

 

 

Continued in next post...

[ohhbother]

Next, we made our way to the River Thames, where we caught a river cruise (included in the London Pass) to the Tower of London. This was on Mark’s list of must-sees, and he loved it. We saw everything but the Crown Jewels -- we just couldn’t bring ourselves to wait in line for those. We also grabbed lunch at the Tower at the on-site cafe. It was delicious, and we received a discount with our London Pass.

 

 

 

 

Around 3 p.m., we caught the river cruise back toward Westminster, but this time we disembarked at the London Eye. We had booked a package for 4 p.m. that included a chocolate and champagne tasting hosted by Hotel Chocolat. This was a great experience -- highly recommended. We were in a private capsule with just a small group of people participating in the tasting, and we got to stay on the Eye for two rotations instead of one. Plus, the chocolate was ridiculously good, and the champagne flowed freely. It was a decadent way to celebrate what had been a glorious trip!

 

 

 

 

Continued in next post...

Edited June 17, 2013 by ohhbother

[ohhbother]

 

 

 

After leaving the London Eye, we walked by Big Ben and Westminster, making our way to Buckingham Palace. We spent some time outside the gates just taking in the beauty of it all before we headed back to the hotel. By this point, we’d walked several miles, and we were exhausted. But nothing on the room service menu sounded appealing, so we headed back out. Just a few blocks over, on Victoria, we found a great little Italian restaurant and enjoyed a delicious dinner. We spent the rest of the evening packing and preparing for our return flight home the next day.

 

 

On Sunday morning, we slept in as long as possible. Around noon, we checked out of the hotel and caught a cab to Heathrow for our 3:25 p.m. flight. Check-in at the airport was painless, and the British Airways Club World lounge was awesome. We had a delicious lunch there that included pasta, chicken, sandwiches, salads, dessert -- anything you could think of. Soon enough, it was time to board our plane for the nine-hour flight back to Atlanta.

 




 

 

The flight was uneventful and, though we tried to sleep in our lie-flat seats, neither of us really did. After all, it was afternoon/early evening. Our flight landed in Atlanta a little after 7 p.m. (which was midnight to our internal clocks). This was where things got a little stressful. You see, I was heading back to Louisiana and had a two-hour-plus layover. But Mark was heading to Tennessee with a layover of just over an hour. Because we had booked our domestic flights on Delta, we had to leave the international terminal, transfer over to the domestic terminal, go through check-in and get to our flights. Sound impossible? It almost was. Our only saving grace was the Global Entry passes we got from Customs a couple of months before our trip. If you haven’t done this, I highly encourage you to. The fee is $100 and, after completing a long application and a face-to-face interview with a Customs agent, you get a special sticker that allows you to skip the lines at Customs. You just scan your passport and fingerprints at a self-serve kiosk, and you’re on your way. Miraculously, Mark made his flight (barely), and I had plenty of time to catch my plane to Louisiana. By the time I was at home and in bed, I’d been awake 21 hours -- not sure I’ve ever been so tired in my life. But I went to sleep happy and content, knowing we’d experienced a true trip of a lifetime.

 

Now that we’ve been back three weeks, it’s hard to believe it’s all over. But we’ve, of course, turned our attention to our next big trip. We’re not sure where we’re heading next summer -- Norway is a strong contender. But we know we’ll be cruising, and we can’t wait to go and explore some more of the world!

 

Thanks for sticking with me through this very long review. If I can answer any questions, just let me know. Happy travels!

[las313]

Thanks for a wonderful review. I enjoyed touring along with you.

It shows with pre planning, you can have an amazing trip.

Welcome home.

Louise

[loma linda ca a & j]

glad i checked back after my post this morning

cuz within an hour you had posted the rest of your review & photos !!

 

understand your joy of this trip of a lifetime -

we feel that way about so many of our trips !

 

consider the baltics next may ??;)

[leavingocalaagain]

Thanks for the great trip report. As I mentioned very early in this thread my SO and I are doing this cruise on the Ruby Princess next year and I have been taking lots of notes and chasing links to the tour companies, hotels and restaurants you have mentioned. You have provided me a good incentive and hints to get started on our trip planning for next year. Again, thanks!

[h3rjp]

Thank you for completing your review. I hope I speak for many people when I say, I hope your next vacation is a really, really long one. Then I can enjoy reading about it over many instalments :)

 

Thank you for taking us all with you on your trip around our fair isles!

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[beachgirl50]

Such a wonderful review of your amazing trip! Thank you for sharing your experiences with us. Your attention to detail in your pre-cruise/trip planning really paid off. I can't wait until your next voyage!

[flacruiser]

Thank you.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[Steph27]

Thanks for the final recap. I am glad you enjoyed your last few days in London. Very impressed you made your connections at Atlanta. Global Entry is definitely worth it! We spent time at the Heathrow T5 BA Lounge in December. I highly recommend it! However, we didn't really enjoy the Club World service from ATL to LHR and then LHR to Shanghai (PVG).

 

Next June we are sailing on the Oceania Marina that does have a stop in Norway. You might be interested. We are boarding the ship in Bruges instead of Dover so we can spend more time in Belgium and Holland. Here is a link:

 

http://www.oceaniacruises.com/findcruise/balticandscandinavia/mna140607/default.aspx

[harrodsfan]

Really enjoyed your taking us along o. Your trip.

A great review! You guys are great travelors!

[Bmwopel]

A big thanks for your very interesting reviews. I guess I will be referring to your posts while I am on the same British Isles cruise in July. You made me extremely excited and I am looking forward to it more than ever. Million Thanks!

[nurse@sea]

Beautiful review. Thanks so much for sharing. Vickie

[Luckynana]

Thank you for taking us along on your trip! We are looking forward to cruising the British Isles on the Ruby Princess next August, 2014. I took many notes while reading about all of your wonderful experiences and my DH and I thoroughly enjoyed the numerous pictures of your trip. You are quite the romantic! Thank you for this enjoyable journey!;)

 

maryann

[DRS/NC]

Thank you for sharing your wonderful trip! DH and I did the British Iles cruise in 2002 on the old Royal Princess & loved it. I'm a British history nut, so we hit every castle & cathedral -- even toured Buckingham Palace. The ports have changed a good bit. I just might have to do it all again!

[MaChere]

Amy,

Just completed reading your fabulous trip tale! Loved it. Loved it. We hope to take this trip in August 2014 or 2015, so we can add the Tattoo to this super itinerary. You have given us some great ideas. Must begin to seriously plan. We were just in Lafayette last month, when we stopped at Prejean's for some seafood on our way home from Orange Beach. We have relatives in nearby Sunset, too. Thanks again for taking the time to write your story!

Sharon

[DeloreanGirl]

Let me begin my review of our day in Edinburgh by offering up a big thank you to Emily (deloreangirl) on these boards. I pored over her “thesis” review of her 2012 cruise to the British Isles -- particularly her information on Edinburgh. Thanks to her advice, I knew to buy my tickets to Edinburgh Castle in advance. And, most importantly, I knew to take the train into the city. Thanks, Emily!

..

 

Wow, I just saw this! My heart did a flip-flop when I saw my name. I'm SO thrilled you were able to find your way up the steps to the train and on into Edinburgh. Hurray! :D

 

And I love that your hubby was able to take the Annie Lennox tour. How cool is that?!

[DeloreanGirl]

Just finished reading your entire review. One word: STUNNING! The things you were able to pull off and see in each port were magnificent! You two sound like a blast to travel with and your photos are amazing. I'm so glad you had a great time!

[willow surfside]

Ohhbrother....Is there anyway you can send me the instructions you had about the train in Edinburgh or is it pretty much JUST what you wrote in your post. If so I can copy and paste. Also, I thought I saw something about a Dubln bus tour. Can you tell me about that as well. THANKS

[Uniall]

Ohhbrother....Is there anyway you can send me the instructions you had about the train in Edinburgh or is it pretty much JUST what you wrote in your post. If so I can copy and paste. Also, I thought I saw something about a Dubln bus tour. Can you tell me about that as well. THANKS

 

Pardon me jumping in but perhaps my many years of annual visits to "The Holy Ground" can be of help.

 

There are two Dublin HoHO bus companies. One operated by the City's Bus Company (2 tone Green) and the other private (Red).

 

The City Bus Tour is far superior.

http://www.dublinsightseeing.ie/citytour.aspx

 

John

[willow surfside]

Thanks so much. I will ck into that

[Steviewonder1]

Thanks very much for your posting. We are taking this cruise next May and your thoughts and notes will greatly help us in making choices for excursions. We already have 2 excursions (Private) lined up. I am the keeper of the M&G and Excursion planning sheet for our Group/Thread which is under the Princess Ruby ship. I will forward this thread to our group for their reading and note taking. Once again, a Hearty Thanks for posting and the pictures were absolutely wonderful!

[willow surfside]

I cked the bus information. How far is the bus from the port and how do you get to the bus.