First time sailing from Southampton and 5 days post cruise

[happy_travellers]

Hi

I hope I am on the right board to get some help for my spring cruise.

We are taking the Explorer of the Seas to the Canary Islands. We will fly from Toronto Canada to London. Where should we stay the night before and how do we get to the cruise terminal?

 

After the cruise we have 5 or 6 days that we may explore a bit of Britain. Any suggestions? We have thought of renting a car from Southampton but not sure what area to go to. We could also take the cruise shuttle to London and then rent a car and go north?

 

My trusted travel agent is very ill and I feel a bit overwhelmed as where to start planning.

 

Thanks very much for any and all help and ideas, Karen

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[Globaliser]

After the cruise we have 5 or 6 days that we may explore a bit of Britain. Any suggestions?

Have you been to London before? If not, that would be the first suggestion of somewhere to spend your 5-6 days.

[happy_travellers]

We plan to do London pre -cruise. But I don't know where to stay in order to be able to get to Southampton easily.

Thanks Karen

[Pet Nit Noy]

Hi

I hope I am on the right board to get some help for my spring cruise.

We are taking the Explorer of the Seas to the Canary Islands. We will fly from Toronto Canada to London. Where should we stay the night before and how do we get to the cruise terminal?

 

Cruisers who arrive the day before the sailing divide into two groups: those who want to enjoy every possible moment of time in London and those who want a gentle pace. Chances are you'll be flying overnight from Toronto which means you'll still have a bit of the morning, all of the afternoon, and the evening in London. If you go this route, you'll have to ignore your fatigue, visit two or three prime places (e.g. Tower of London and Westminster Abbey), eat dinner, and fall into bed exhausted. (You'll be amazed at how much energy you'll have because you'll be so happy to be in a wonderful city.) The next morning, you can take one of several forms of transportation to your port.

 

There are several cruise terminals in the UK. Below, you mention Southampton as your return port. That's probably your departure port, too. However, until you share that name you can't expect people to provide very useful, detailed information.

 

Many cruisers combine the journey to their port with a bit of sightseeing along the way. If you're sailing out of Southampton, the two most likely places to visit en route are Stonehenge and Salisbury Cathedral.

 

The easy-going approach is to take some form of transportation to the embarkation city, doing a bit of sightseeing there, and stay overnight in a local hotel.

 

After the cruise we have 5 or 6 days that we may explore a bit of Britain. Any suggestions? We have thought of renting a car from Southampton but not sure what area to go to. We could also take the cruise shuttle to London and then rent a car and go north?

 

From what you've written, you don't appear to want to spend any time of that five or six days in London. Is there a reason for this?

 

There's a regular poster on this board who has visited London 37 or so times. My husband and I will be making our seventh trip to London next year, the third in three years. But you may have a reason for ignoring London. Again, we need to know something about you and your interests to recommend where you ought to go.

 

My trusted travel agent is very ill and I feel a bit overwhelmed as where to start planning.

 

You really need to buy a guidebook for the UK and see what appeals to you. I highly recommend any of the beautifully illustrated guidebooks, like the DK series. Seeing photographs of the sights I'm reading about helps me develop my priorities better than simply reading words, even reading a good guidebook like Rick Steves.

 

As for where to start planning, think about your interests. You've already taken a couple of European cruises. How did you create your plans for those trips. If you turned all the planning over to your travel agent, start by asking yourself the following question: What do I like to do in Europe? focus on history? on gardens? take nature walks? see art? shop for crafts? visit food markets? Depending on the answer, post here again and we'll help you develop a list of destinations to meet your needs.

 

The fact that I've repeated my recommendation that you do a bit of research before you post here should tell you how important this step is if you want to have a successful trip.

[happy_travellers]

Thanks for the previous posts.

We are taking the Canary Islands cruise round trip from Southampton.

We are keen on Photography and we are also hoping to soak up some culture. We would like to get a feel for "small town" England.

I have already read and re -read "The Key Guide to Britain" and DK "Back Roads of Great Britain". I also have AA Big Road Atlas Britain. So as you can see I have done some homework but I was hoping to get some "first hand" ideas to help me plan my trip.

 

I already feel like I have done TOO much homework and have found way more things to see and do than I have time or money for. I was hoping for some local or previous cruisers insight to give me some ideas that will help me narrow down what we can do.

 

When we arrive in London (not sure what area to stay in to get easy transport to Southampton) we will be "gung ho" to see as much as possible. We have two "sea days" to catch up from jet lag.

 

My in-laws spent 5 weeks in England and they have suggested everything so you can imagine how overwhelming planning can be.

 

Thanks for any help, as you can see with my post being almost a year out I do love the planning stage of all our vacations.

 

Karen

Edited July 9, 2014 by happy_travellers

[Pet Nit Noy]

We plan to do London pre -cruise. But I don't know where to stay in order to be able to get to Southampton easily.

Thanks Karen

 

Getting to Southampton comes up routinely on this board. John Bull, a UK poster, has written long, amazingly details responses on the topic. He explains every way of getting from London to Southampton in all price ranges and at all levels of convenience. I suggest you do a search on his name or on the phrase getting to Southampton. The method you select for the trip will impact where you stay. For example, pre-cruise we stayed in the Bloomsbury section of London, near the British Museum. We keyed our hotel choice to what we wanted to do/see in London itself rather than transportation. This made sense since we went via private sedan to Southampton. As long as you're in central London, you can pretty much stay any place you'd like when going via private sedan. Hotel location will be more impacted if you'll be going by bus or train.

 

I already feel like I have done TOO much homework and have found way more things to see and do than I have time or money for. I was hoping for some local or previous cruisers insight to give me some ideas that will help me narrow down what we can do.

 

I recommend the towns throughout the Cotswolds, but if you haven't included that region on your list, all I've done is expand the list. Why don't you post your ideas and let people comment on them?

[happy_travellers]

Getting to Southampton comes up routinely on this board. John Bull, a UK poster, has written long, amazingly details responses on the topic. He explains every way of getting from London to Southampton in all price ranges and at all levels of convenience. I suggest you do a search on his name or on the phrase getting to Southampton. The method you select for the trip will impact where you stay. For example, pre-cruise we stayed in the Bloomsbury section of London, near the British Museum. We keyed our hotel choice to what we wanted to do/see in London itself rather than transportation. This made sense since we went via private sedan to Southampton. As long as you're in central London, you can pretty much stay any place you'd like when going via private sedan. Hotel location will be more impacted if you'll be going by bus or train.

 

 

 

I recommend the towns throughout the Cotswolds, but if you haven't included that region on your list, all I've done is expand the list. Why don't you post your ideas and let people comment on them?

 

Thanks for posting . I will look up John Bulls post.

When we originally booked the cruise (when sailing on the Legend of the Seas) my DH said "maybe this is an opportunity to see a bit of the English countryside". So I immediately thought the "Cotswalds". Then I started looking and talking to my inlaws and they said we should go to St. Ives, Baths, Cotswalds. Then I thought well we could add Ilfracombe and the list went on. My brother in law is from the Lakes so that was his choice.

 

I know that England is much more "compact" than Canada and the towns are much closer together so we can cover a lot of area in 5 days. I just wanted to make the best of the 5 days.

 

Thanks for any input. Karen

[scottbee]

Right off the bat, if you're flying into one of the London airports, and then travelling to London (a very very expensive city to stay in), you're headed in the opposite direction of Southampton. If you're going to visit London post-cruise, I wouldn't stay there pre-cruise.

 

If you're looking for a town (technically it's a city as it has a cathedral), with history in between the London Airports and Southampton, I would recommend Winchester; and accommodations will be 1/2 of what they would be near London

 

If you're looking for countryside, go a little past Southampton, and stay in the New Forest (Brockenhurst / Lymington area).

[newport dave]

Thanks for posting . I will look up John Bulls post.

When we originally booked the cruise (when sailing on the Legend of the Seas) my DH said "maybe this is an opportunity to see a bit of the English countryside". So I immediately thought the "Cotswalds". Then I started looking and talking to my inlaws and they said we should go to St. Ives, Baths, Cotswalds. Then I thought well we could add Ilfracombe and the list went on. My brother in law is from the Lakes so that was his choice.

 

I know that England is much more "compact" than Canada and the towns are much closer together so we can cover a lot of area in 5 days. I just wanted to make the best of the 5 days.

 

Thanks for any input. Karen

 

Even though the UK may be compact, it doesn't mean you can get around easily and see loads of stuff in 5 days. The UK's roads can be some of the most congested in Europe. Also, what may look like a decent road on your road atlas will more than likely turn out to be a single lane road(ie. 2 lanes, one going in each direction), especially if you're spending time in the Cotswolds or the South West.

 

A 30 mile trip between towns on local roads can quite easily take close to 1 hour.

Edited July 10, 2014 by newport dave

[Globaliser]

I already feel like I have done TOO much homework and have found way more things to see and do than I have time or money for. I was hoping for some local or previous cruisers insight to give me some ideas that will help me narrow down what we can do.

Only you can work out what interests you. You're never going to get to see everything that interests you, so you simply have to choose. You can start by eliminating the things that aren't as interesting to you. But asking others to narrow down your choices for you is not far off asking them to choose for you, and that's unlikely to end well.

 

Don't forget that you can always come back. And next time, you don't have to go on a cruise if you want to spend more time seeing places on land.

I know that England is much more "compact" than Canada and the towns are much closer together so we can cover a lot of area in 5 days. I just wanted to make the best of the 5 days.

It's a fallacy to think that covering a lot of ground (= travelling a lot of miles in a car) makes a good trip. It only lengthens the list of places you've set foot (or sometimes only rubber) in.

 

If you want to make the best of 5 days, pick a place (or an identifiable area, like the Cotswolds) and stay there so you actually get to see things rather than merely drive past them.

[happy_travellers]

Only you can work out what interests you. You're never going to get to see everything that interests you, so you simply have to choose. You can start by eliminating the things that aren't as interesting to you. But asking others to narrow down your choices for you is not far off asking them to choose for you, and that's unlikely to end well.

 

Don't forget that you can always come back. And next time, you don't have to go on a cruise if you want to spend more time seeing places on land.It's a fallacy to think that covering a lot of ground (= travelling a lot of miles in a car) makes a good trip. It only lengthens the list of places you've set foot (or sometimes only rubber) in.

 

If you want to make the best of 5 days, pick a place (or an identifiable area, like the Cotswolds) and stay there so you actually get to see things rather than merely drive past them.

 

Thanks for your input. I am trying to gather info and make good choices. As much reading and scouring the internet that you do it is still better to get opinions, in my opinion.

 

The Cotwolds keep coming up in discussion so I think that I will go back to that idea. Or go to Paris!

 

Karen

[Globaliser]

The Cotwolds keep coming up in discussion so I think that I will go back to that idea.

That would be a good area for five days or so, and you can easily spend one of those days in Oxford, too.

[Pet Nit Noy]

... It's a fallacy to think that covering a lot of ground (= travelling a lot of miles in a car) makes a good trip. It only lengthens the list of places you've set foot (or sometimes only rubber) in.

 

If you want to make the best of 5 days, pick a place (or an identifiable area, like the Cotswolds) and stay there so you actually get to see things rather than merely drive past them.

 

Back in the 60s, my husband and I took our first trip to the UK. We adopted the attitude that we'd be back so we planned our trip to visit fewer places more thoroughly. This approach worked just fine until we got to Bath. We stayed at the Priory Hotel (our splurge for the trip), a place where -- at the time -- guests gathered in the drawing room for before-dinner drinks as a group and, then, went into the dining room where they were seated at individual tables. Each of the two days we stayed there, the other guests and staff hounded us demanding to know why we weren't visiting the Cotswolds when we were so close. Nothing we said about wanting to see places in depth brought the "helpful" behavior to a halt. On the third day, we conceded and hired a private driver to take us through the Cotswold villages for that day. The experience was a disaster. En route, the driver turned to us and said, "Isn't this the prettiest scenery you've ever seen?" Feeling bullied, I answered ungraciously, "No. Actually, it looks exactly like the drive between Washington, DC and Charlottesville, VA." Surprisingly, the driver replied, "That's what every one of my clients from the Middle Atlantic states tells me." (NB: Development has taken over and this statement is no longer true of the drive to Charlottesville.)

 

The day passed in a blur of visits to charming, small towns -- and they were considerably smaller and more charming forty plus years ago. There was a lot of "driving by." The longest we stopped anywhere was to hop out of the car, pause in front of a stream cutting through town or in front of a half-timbered house while the driver took our picture. (Over the decades, we lost track of the photographs.) The day never lived up to the promises and was super expensive for what we got.

 

About twenty years later, we planned a land trip that included a week to ten days in the Cotswolds. Imagine our surprise, when we discovered that we had seen few half-timbered houses on our infamous day-trip. The local architecture is stone buildings made with the available golden stone, although some of those buildings do have thatch roofs. The whirlwind visit had produced muddled and wrong memories.

 

The second time around, we had the leisure to thoroughly investigate every place we visited. We appreciated the slow drives with vistas of rolling hills and sheep grazing. We enjoyed learning about the sheep market towns, poking in antique shops, eating lunches at charming inns or creekside, and discovering everything about the Cotswolds that had made the folks at the Priory praise it so long ago.

 

Hopefully, someone reading my experience will save themselves from the temptation to try to cram too much into too little time.

Edited July 10, 2014 by Pet Nit Noy

[Dididi]

OP,

 

We just returned from a cruise out of Southampton. This had not been our original plan, but we changed our cruise and port (from Dover) and my aunt dropped out, so suddenly my Mom had four pre-cruise nights in England by herself. Because Heathrow and Southampton are west of London, I suggested a stay in Bath. Here is what my Mom did:

 

National Bus from Heathrow to Bath. This was a two-hour ride, but it did not involve changing buses or trains, and the bus was immaculate and comfortable. The Bath Hilton can be pricey (yet cheaper than comparable London hotels), but we got a great rate on Priceline.com. Service was excellent and a comfortable bed is priceless after a redeye flight. Two day trips with Mad Max Tours (recommended by Rick Steves). My Mom had been to the Cotswolds, and did not wish to drive on the "wrong" side of the road by herself, so instead she took advantage of the fact that there are plenty of charming towns and cities less than an hour's ride by bus or train from Bath. The four nights in Bath flew by, and it was time to take the train to Southampton (1.5 hours, direct, reserved seating, purchased online in advance for a very good price).

 

You can do something similar pre or post cruise, or use another city as your hub. John Bull and others offer excellent advice on what to do out of Southampton (Winchester, Salisbury, etc.) if you arrive a couple of days pre-cruise to England, and don't want to travel east (from Heathrow to London) to then go west (from London to Southampton) before your cruise.

 

As others have suggested, get a couple of the DK travel guides (the ones with the beautiful photos but limited practical advice) from the library or a bookshop and decide which places appeal to you the most. Then consult Rick Steves (with an assist from Fodor's and Frommer's) to deal with the practical side of travel.

[John Bull]

Hi Karen,

I've just posted a reply to you on another thread before seeing this one.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2059730

Have given much the same thoughts & suggestions there, but here's a couple of add-ons in the light of this thread.

 

I'm more inclined toward the south coast options than the Cotswolds - but then I'm a southern lad so I would, wouldn't I. ;)

I rate the Dorset downs & villages as up there with the Cotswolds but not so touristy, and with more to offer in the vicinity.

But that's all personal opinions & I think you'd enjoy either.

 

What I suspect we'd all agree on is that St Ives & Ilfracombe are both a long way & both have plenty of counterparts much closer.

And that although the Lake District is quite unique in England, its "mountains" & lakes have far more impressive counterparts on your side of the Pond. it's also a long & tedious journey from the south coast, a full day to get there & the same back to London - and that's if you just stick to the crowded & boring motorways.

JB :)

[gdlamberth]

After a Monte Carlo to Dover Cruise my wife, cousin and I stayed in a B&B out near South Woodford (on the Central (Red on the maps) line) for 5 days. We had rented a car in Dover and drove to the B&B with a stop in Canterbury (that was really cool). for our forays into London we took the tube. We did two day trips we enjoyed a lot. One was to Bath with stops in Avebury (Stone Circles) and a drive by photo op at the Uffington White Horse. This still gave us time for a bus tour of Bath and a walk around in the city and cathedral. The second day trip we took was up to Cambridge (we even went "punting":D). Enjoyed that outing also. I should say that I spent a fair amount of time working with BAe at Hatfield plant and my DH had spent two USNR active duty tours just outside of London, so we had been to the Cotswolds, Oxford, Salisbury, Windsor, and around London a fair amount of time (first trip for cousin though). Bath, Canterbury, and Cambridge was new for all of us. If you use Bath as a "Hub" then Avebury and Ufffington are very handy and both are neat photo opportunities. If you stay in Bath then Wells, Glastonbury, & Salisbury are all worth a visit. If you don't have a car all of these are handy Bus trips from Bath (I'd take the train to Salisbury though:rolleyes:). The First Bus Company in Bath used to offer a day pass for 7 GBP that covered all their routes. If they still do that it will be cheaper and less hassle than a car.

 

Hope I didn't ramble too much,

Greg

[kevinyork]

I would recommend renting a car - stonehenge - bath - cotswolds - oxford. The lakes and Cornwall will mean you will spend most of your time on the road.

[happy_travellers]

I would recommend renting a car - stonehenge - bath - cotswolds - oxford. The lakes and Cornwall will mean you will spend most of your time on the road.

 

Any specific towns I should look at for accomodations? Thanks Karen

[kevinyork]

Any specific towns I should look at for accomodations? Thanks Karen

 

 

Cheltenham would be a good base. You could head to Bath for a couple of days taking Stonehenge in En Route. Then Cheltenham would allow you to see the Cotswolds before heading off to Oxford.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Surreyman]

May I ask what part of Canada you are from as this might influence where would be best to recommend. For example if you are close to the Rockies then we have nothing that would rival them. However the Lake District might appeal to someone from the prairies.

 

Cornwall would appeal if you want to see the English Coast.

 

You could fly to Edinburgh and hire a car and see some of Scotland.

 

Or you could do London for several days plus a couple of days in say Brighton.

[happy_travellers]

May I ask what part of Canada you are from as this might influence where would be best to recommend. For example if you are close to the Rockies then we have nothing that would rival them. However the Lake District might appeal to someone from the prairies.

 

Cornwall would appeal if you want to see the English Coast.

 

You could fly to Edinburgh and hire a car and see some of Scotland.

 

Or you could do London for several days plus a couple of days in say Brighton.

 

I was born and raised near Niagara Falls and we live near the Muskokas (2 hours north of Toronto) , it is a "Lake District".

Karen

[Surreyman]

I was born and raised near Niagara Falls and we live near the Muskokas (2 hours north of Toronto) , it is a "Lake District".

Karen

 

The English Lake District is lakes plus what we call mountains but most are hills. It is certainly worth visiting.

 

Scotland is more dramatic scenery wise.

 

North Cornwall has some lovely beaches

 

So much to see.....

[orchestrapal]

I was born and raised near Niagara Falls and we live near the Muskokas (2 hours north of Toronto) , it is a "Lake District".

Karen

 

The English Lake District is so much more beautiful and charming than the Canadian one. No contest!

[happy_travellers]

After a lot of input on this and various threads and the realization that we don't have as much time as I hoped here is my plan.

 

From Heathrow go to Southampton overnight before cruise.

After cruise take train from Southampton to Bath. Spend 3 nights in Bath.

From Bath take train to London staying in Paddington area.

 

Any thought? Hotels? Things that are must sees or does? We will be on cruise Apr 24-May4.

 

Thanks Karen

[John Bull]

After a lot of input on this and various threads and the realization that we don't have as much time as I hoped here is my plan.

 

From Heathrow go to Southampton overnight before cruise.

After cruise take train from Southampton to Bath. Spend 3 nights in Bath.

From Bath take train to London staying in Paddington area.

 

Any thought? Hotels? Things that are must sees or does? We will be on cruise Apr 24-May4.

 

Thanks Karen

 

Just answered you on another thread, Karen.

But have now noticed - be aware that Monday 4th May is a public holiday.

Might affect your rail travel to Bath, sometimes on public holidays the trains run on a "sunday" timetable (so check out sunday times to see if that throws any gremlins in the works). And major rail engineering works are carried out on holiday weekends - though don't get too concerned about that - this isn't a major commuter route so its unlikely to happen, and if it does they simply close the affected section of line and provide an included bus shuttle service between the stations either side of the break. Bit of a pain, might cost a few minutes, but not a big deal.

Sights & shops will still be open in Bath, Salisbury etc, but you'll find everywhere busier than the average Monday in May.

 

JB :)