Northern Europe Information

[ftl principal]

Hi everyone... This past year we travelled on a Med cruise and the information we got here was most useful. This year, we are sailing on the July 2 voyage of the Celebrity Constellation from Dover to Scandanavia and Russia. I am hoping to gather some useful information regarding this itinerary on CC, too, although it seems like much of the info is for Med cruises...

 

Anyway, neither my partner nor I have ever been to England, so we are, at this point, planning on doing 3 nights pre-cruise in London and then heading to Dover on the morning of the cruise. Is this advisable? Can anyone recommend a few good places to stay in London that are near metro lines?

 

Also, what is the best way (without spending a fortune - want to save money for use on tours, etc.) to get from London to Dover?

 

Additionally, after the cruise, we have a 1 pm flight back to Florida from Gatwick. How do you suggest getting from the ship to the airport in a very timely fashion? Does Celebrity offer good transfers?

 

If anyone has any information or advice to make our trip more pleasurable, please let me know. Thanks so much!

 

Mark

[aqua]

We sailed on the Constellation Dover to Stockholm trip this summer. We went to London 2 days early and stayed at the Holiday Inn London-Bloomsbury. It was a nice hotel, reasonably priced and well located. We were a 5 minute walk from the Russell Square tube station and the British Museum. We bought day passes for the tube and traveled all over the city, even to Wimbledon. The morning of the sailing, we took the National Express Bus from London's Victoria Coach Station to Dover. It is the least expensive way to get to Dover. We were pleased with the bus, as were the several other Constellation passengers on board. The web site is http://www.nationalexpress.com.

[missm]

Hi Mark ~

 

You might also want to check the Baltic ports board ~ that seems to be where most of the information you seek is posted. That said, we just completed this itinerary and can assure you that you are in for a treat! It is a wonderful itinerary ~ truly the trip of a lifetime!

 

We stayed at Millennium Bailey's Hotel in London. The Gloucester Road tube station is literally out the front door and across the street. Couldn't be more convenient. The hotel still has plenty of London character ~ not one of those American chains with European bath fixtures as the only variable!

 

Since we wanted a truly stress-free holiday, we opted for the Celebrity transfer from Victoria Coach Station which is very efficient and dependable ($69/pp/each way). You can also arrange for a transfer to the airport thru them and will be the first off the ship the morning of arrival back at Dover.

 

For your visit to St. Petersburg, I can highly recommend a private tour company such as Red October (which we used). You see a LOT more and spend about the same as you would on ship's tours. Most of the other towns you can do on your own, if you are willing to do the necessary research.

 

Have fun in your planning and dreaming!

 

All the best,

MissM

[ftl principal]

Thanks for the info that was provided. I will also post in the Baltic Area, as suggested, for additional assistance. I do appreciate the feedback received.