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LIVE: Caribbean Princess, British Isles, Aug. 17, 2017


geoherb
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We are leaving tomorrow on the Caribbean Princess for a 12-day cruise around Great Britain. Our scheduled ports are Guernsey, Cobh (for Cork), Dublin (overnight), Belfast, Greenock (for Glasgow), Invergordon (for Inverness), South Queensferry (for Edinburgh), and Le Havre. We have booked a couple of independent group shore excursions for Cork (Blarney Castle) and Invergordon (Loch Ness). I bought tickets in advance for Edinburgh Castle. We don't have exact plans for the other ports. We'll do some by ear just as we did in London for the past three days.

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Saturday, August 12

 

Our flights over on Delta went fairly smoothly. We were delayed leaving our airport due to a broken tow bar. Nevertheless, we made it to Atlanta only a few minutes late. Then there was a delay leaving Atlanta for some undisclosed reason, but once again, the pilot made up the time and we landed in London on schedule. The service on Delta was very good on the trans-Atlantic flight. They had blankets and horrible little pillows ready for each passenger. After takeoff, the cabin attendants passed out bottles of water.

 

About 90 minutes later, they served a light dinner—a choice of shrimp salad, stuffed chicken breast, or vegetable lasagna. I had the shrimp salad, and DH had the chicken. His was much more filling. With dinner, they served free alcoholic beverages. But DH couldn’t drink due to one of his medicines, and I'm limited and did not want any at the time. He’ll finished that one up before we get on the CB.

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Sunday, August 13

 

I tried to sleep but could not very much even with the eye mask and ear plugs they provided. DH slept more. Around 7:30 London time, they served breakfast—peach muffin, piece of cheese, and yogurt. When we landed, the captain made an announcement that there was not a gate ready for us and we would be deplaning on the tarmac and shuttled over to the terminal. The process went as well as expected—a bit of a mess. We were on the fourth shuttle bus. We had a long walk to the place they had to check our passports and entry cards. The cabin attendants passed those out the night before. Apparently some people did not keep theirs, but there were more of them in the terminal for people who did not have them ready. By the time we got to the luggage carousel, one bag had already been unloaded and our second one was coming around the belt. Then we had a long walk to the tube stop for the Piccadilly Line. I had checked with our credit card company about our cards being compatible with contactless chips. They have the right symbol on them, according to the woman at the tube who helped us. But they did not work. We bought Oyster cards instead with 20 pounds each on them.

 

I unfortunately did not look at a map very well and relied on our hotel’s website for directions. We took the Piccadilly Line to Earl’s Court and had a long walk to our hotel on Kensington High Street. We stayed at the Hilton Olympia. I booked the room on Priceline for under $100 a night. It’s supposedly a 4-star hotel. It does have nice amenities (very comfortable bed, nice linens, good quality toiletries, and huge fluffy towels) and very helpful staff members. Our room, though, was tiny, about the same size as our inside cabin. It’s a 15-minute walk from the Kensington High Street station, which is a little closer than the Earl’s Court station.

 

We got to the hotel a little after noon and were able to check in right away, which was very nice. I knew that the official check-in time was 3 p.m., but had hoped a room would be ready. Even though I did not sleep much on the flight, I knew we needed to keep moving to get over jetlag. We took the No. 9 bus to Trafalgar Square. It went past the Travellers’ Club on Pall Mall where I worked 32 years ago. It does not seem to have changed at all on the outside and neither did the surrounding Athaneum and Reform clubs. But the rest of the area has. We walked from Trafalgar Square down past Scotland Yard, No. 10 Downing Street, and the Horse Guards, to Westminster Abbey in time for evensong service. The abbey is closed to tourists on Sundays, open just for services. The service was lovely.

 

I sang evensong regularly with a group at my church during college and attended evensong when I lived in London, although at a church near Marble Arch and never at Westminster.

After church, we walked back through the edge of St. James’ Park back to the Travellers’ Club and then caught the tube at Piccadilly Circus. We ate an early supper at the Hare and Tortoise, an Asian restaurant on Kensington High Street near our hotel. I stopped by the Sainsbury’s Local also near the hotel for some pastries for our dessert. And then we went to bed at 7:30.

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Thanks!

 

Monday, August 14

 

After a good night’s sleep, I feel adjusted to the time change. I woke up a little after 6 and walked about three-quarters of a mile to pick up breakfast for us at McDonald’s, two egg and cheese McMuffins. I stopped by Sainsbury’s as well for some oranges and yogurt. I’m still getting reacquainted with the currency. The bills are a lot different than they were in the ’80s. There are also the new pound and two pound coins. It feels great to be back in England. I’ve already talked about coming next summer for an extended stay. I’m thinking a month would be nice.

 

We had to wait in line around 15 minutes at Kensington Palace. It’s a stop I had not planned on doing, but DH wanted to see it. There are two separate lines. The first is for people who bought their tickets ahead of time. When that one goes down, they let over a few people who need to buy tickets. Other folks with prepurchased tickets just join in the first line whenever they arrive. In my previous three times in London, I never went. I’m not sure why. When I was here a month during college, the professor gave us a list of places to see, and we got points toward our final grade depending on how many of them we went to. There were a lot of the usual tourist places, such as Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, and the National Gallery. There were less usual ones as well, such as the Imperial War Museum and the American Chapel. I think I have the list somewhere at home in the notebook I kept back then. That was in May 1983. I also wrote down prices of everything I bought on that trip. I should have looked at some of them to see how much more things are now.

 

Kensington Palace was interesting. They have a special exhibit of Princess Diana’s dresses on display currently. We also saw the other public rooms, spending about two and a half hours in the palace. On the way there, we think we saw Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. She got out of a black luxury car with a dog and two security guards about 100 yards ahead of us at Hyde Park. One security guard walked with her, and the other followed about 10 yards behind.

 

After touring the palace, we walked to the Victoria and Albert Museum. We ate lunch in the cafeteria, which has a good selection of food. I had a salad sampler. DH had a chicken wrap and two side salads. We split a huge piece of limoncello cake. Everything was tasty. After eating we went to view the ceramics galleries. We saw several pieces of Clarice Cliff, Lucy Rie, Shoji Hamada, Bernard Leach, Michael Cardew, Peter Voulkos, and even one Grayson Perry. I am a potter and could have stayed even longer. DH is quite as interested in pots. One of the attendants told us that there was a special exhibit of Grayson Perry’s at the Serpentine Gallery.

 

After leaving the V&A, we went to Harrods to gawk at the food halls. The prices there have gone up dramatically. I remember eating there affordably in the ’80s. DH took a bus back to the hotel since his ankle is acting up. I walked over to the Serpentine Gallery. Unfortunately, it’s closed on Mondays. I enjoyed my walk back to the hotel through the edge of Hyde Park and then along Kensington High Street. I stopped along the way at Whole Foods to get a bottle of water. I used the WiFi there to send messages to our mothers that we were OK. I did not want to pay our hotel’s exorbitant rate of 12 pounds a day to send just a couple of messages. There are also several thrift stores along the way that I shopped in. I did not find anything, but it’s always fun to look. When I lived in Hornsey, all of my kitchen items came from various thrift stores. I also bought a violin at one. I’m a violist and not a violinist, but it was fun to play while living here, checking out music books from the public library in Harringay. I sold the violin at a flea market a few years after getting home. I made money on it.

 

I bought takeout from an Indian restaurant near the hotel. I have been observing Meatless Mondays for around six years, ever since signing up at an Earth Day event in my hometown. Indian restaurants have a great variety of vegetarian dishes. I ordered us vegetable samosas, spinach with potatoes, lentils and chickpeas, rice, and naan. Everything was delicious, especially the lentil and chickpea dish.

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Have a great time! Please check out Planks & Steamers if you get a chance. I'm curious about whether you can still order from either menu if you eat dinner at just one. And if they offer anything special (different from the buffet) at breakfast and lunch. Thanks!

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Tuesday, August 15

 

Similarly, I walked backed over to the Sainsbury’s Local to pick up breakfast for us: bagels, bananas, and lemon curd yogurt. I now understand how British passengers wish that electric teakettles were allowed in cabins. It’s so convenient to have almost instant hot water for tea. At least on the CB we’ll be on the Lido Deck and not too far away from getting tea in the morning from the buffet.

 

We took the No. 9 bus to Trafalgar Square after breakfast. We had time to see a few paintings in the National Gallery, the highlight being Leonardo da Vinci’s Madonna of the Rocks. I went back to the Travellers’ Club and went inside the lobby area. It has undergone renovation, chopping up the front hall lobby not to my liking. I took a photo after two employees acquiesced. There are two employees still working from 32 years ago. I remembered one of them. But the club was not open yet and neither of them was there.

 

We picked up a sandwich in one of the arcades off Pall Mall and ate it in St. James’ Park. We enjoyed our walk through the park to Buckingham Palace. I had purchased tickets July 1 for the palace tour and garden tour. We’re lucky we did. The people who had not prepurchased them were able to see the palace but not the gardens. They also had an hour wait after purchasing their tickets until their entry time. I bet there is an even lengthier wait some of the time. We were able to go right in after exchanging our voucher number for our tickets. The tour of the palace is very good. They have headsets with personal controls. You can listen to as much or as little as you wished. We both listened to all the recordings for each room. The current exhibit is about gifts to the Queen. There’s also a small exhibit commemorating the 20th year after the death of Princess Diana. It includes her ballet shoes, writing desk and personal photos and other items from it, and a case of tapes—pop and classical music. Princes William and Harry helped select the artifacts to display.

 

Hundreds of people were touring the palace, but it only felt crowded a few times around the gifts to the Queen and especially the Princess Diana exhibit. It was very interesting to see portraits of the Georges and their wives, which we recognized from our tour Kensington Palace. The garden tour was more intimate, with just two dozen visitors on it along with three guides. One guide was the primary narrator about the gardens. Another one followed up the rear to keep people in line. But she also answered questions during the walks between stops. The third one followed in a golf cart in case anyone needed to ride. We spent around three and a half hours in total at Buckingham Palace. The ice cream stand at the end had delicious flavors. I had black currant and clotted cream, and DH had salted caramel.

 

I wanted to go to Fortnum & Mason for tea like I used to do after work some days. It’s changed. Like Harrods, the prices have increased dramatically. Service was a little bit sparse. We had just two scones and tea for 21 pounds. It was a disappointment. We walked to Piccadilly Circus to get tickets to a show after tea. The TKTS booth had several shows available. I decided we should see something quintessentially British and picked “Half a Six Pence.” It was a rollicking musical with a pretty predictable plot, but nevertheless very enjoyable.

 

We caught the No. 9 bus back to the hotel before the show, and then to it and back again. It’s been our primary mode of transportation around London, getting from the Hilton Olympia to the Trafalgar Square area. We only road the tube the first day from the airport and then back from Piccadilly Circus. We’ve also walked a lot—14 miles for me on Monday and 12 miles on Tuesday. I picked up a light supper of a chicken and bacon baguette and smoked salmon salad at Sainsbury’s Local. We did not need much after having had tea late in the afternoon.

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Wednesday, August 16

 

 

Sainsbury’s Local supplied breakfast as well: rolls, yogurt, and oranges. We have saved a lot of money by eating light at breakfast time. The hotel charged 12 pounds for it. There was a café down the street that charged 10 for a full English breakfast. Even the Ibis Budget in Southampton wants five and a half pounds for a continental breakfast. We will eat at McDonald’s instead.

 

Due to the train accident at Waterloo on Tuesday morning and ongoing construction, we headed to Paddington Station to catch a train to Southampton. The No. 27 bus picked us up less than a block away from the hotel. Even with our large pieces of luggage, it was not too bad a trip. We did have to change trains in Reading, but the second train was right across the platform from the first. Overall, the journey went very smoothly. It took about 90 minutes. The train from

Paddington to Reading did not stop. The one from Reading to Southampton stopped five or six times along the way at various little towns including Winchester. We could not see the cathedral from the train. It looks like it may have been cheaper to leave from Victoria instead. The tickets for some of the times tomorrow from there match what we paid, but there are some tickets less than half the price. Next time we’ll know to book in advance and plan to leave the hotel in plenty of time to make it.

 

We are staying at the Ibis Budget, which was walking distance from the station. We got here around 1 and check-in time was not until 2. The front desk clerk did not have a room ready but held our bags for us while we went for lunch and to tour Southampton. We ate at the Pig in the Wall, a little deli and inn. I had a salad sampler again, which was very good and filling: a barley salad, green beans and snow peas with hazelnuts, and zucchini ribbons with sundried tomatoes and pine nuts in a pesto dressing. DH had a tomato and goat cheese sandwich that looked a little sparse. It came open faced on one piece of toasted bread with the tomato and goat cheese diced up on top. He said it tasted good.

 

After lunch we went to the Tudor House and Gardens and bought a combo ticket to view the exhibits there and the SeaCity Museum. The Tudor House and Gardens was interesting, seeing exhibits about the house through various time periods. One of the most interesting was the display in the cellar, which was used during WWII as a bomb shelter. They have it set up with narration and sound and lighting effects.

 

The Titanic display is the highlight of the SeaCity Museum. The main focus is on the workers from Southampton who were on the ship. They tell the story of seven different individuals, talking about the duties, the pay, the conditions, etc. Another interesting part was recordings of interviews with three survivors from the 1980s. The rest of the museum has displays about Southampton’s history including interesting artifacts. A special exhibit of nature photographs is also at the museum. They were terrific photographs lit from the back from all over the world. I think seeing the two museums made coming down from London the day before worthwhile.

 

We walked back to the Ibis Budget after picking up a couple of bottles of wine for our cruise at the ASDA, which reminded me of a Walmart. DH picked out two merlots with screw caps so he can have a glass of wine in the cabin. I won’t be drinking much on the cruise. Our room is a sparse as I envisioned: even smaller than our room at the Hilton. The commode is in a tiny separate room. There is no closet area and nowhere to put our luggage other than right by the door. The shower and sink are right beside the bed. But we do have free WiFi and a plug beside the sink that will recharge my phone and laptop.

 

Somehow my phone still had 15 percent power. I kept it in airplane mode ever since leaving Atlanta. I took a few photos with it the first afternoon when I did not want to lug my camera to church, checked maps to find places a few times, and checked in with my mother, mother-in-law, and brother on Facebook and email. There is an outlet for a razor for me to recharge the phone, but my laptop battery will not last much longer. The plug on it is grounded and does not fit the outlet.

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Have a great time! Please check out Planks & Steamers if you get a chance. I'm curious about whether you can still order from either menu if you eat dinner at just one. And if they offer anything special (different from the buffet) at breakfast and lunch. Thanks!
Thanks! I will. Our cabin is on the Lido Deck and will probably be checking out the buffet more than we usually do since it will be so convenient.
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Thanks! I will. Our cabin is on the Lido Deck and will probably be checking out the buffet more than we usually do since it will be so convenient.

 

Totally agree. We'll be on Riviera deck right below Planks & Steamers on our cruise, and I'm sure we'll be doing the same thing. :)

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Thanks, everyone. The weather in London and Southampton has been perfect, sunny and warm. I've worn my light jacket only on my breakfast runs and coming back from the theater last night. I'll probably need it again in the morning to walk to see the ship. DH will stay back. I'm scoping out whether we can walk the distance or not. His ankle is better but not a hundred percent.

 

We walked to Ikea and ate there. It was definitely cheap and closer than going back to the city center. I didn't want TGIFriday's, which is next door. And DH bought a wash cloth for 30p since this hotel doesn't supply them. I bought two wood display stands for my pottery. I have been looking all around locally at home for this design. I found some on the internet before my last show but too late to order. These were 2 pounds each. Ordering them would have been a whole lot more.

 

Let me know if anyone has specific questions.

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Can you also please find out whether the CB has Happy Hour and if not, why not?

 

And someone has just reported today that on the Crown Princess the MDR is limiting people to ordering just one main course. Not that we've ever ordered more than one, but if possible please check and see if the same rule now applies on the CB.

 

Have an wonderful cruise!

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After leaving the V&A, we went to Harrods to gawk at the food halls. The prices there have gone up dramatically. I remember eating there affordably in the ’80s.

 

 

I lived in London from 1972 to 1976. The first time I went back was in 1991, and I actually ate lunch at Harrods. I couldn't believe the prices![emoji15]

 

I'm loving your review! We are doing the British Isles on the Royal at the end of June next year, and I'm already starting to plan. We are spending four nights in London before the cruise, and I think I'm just as excited about that as I am about Ireland and Scotland. Even though I have been to London with my husband he was working (while I played!) so I haven't had the opportunity to show him my old haunts. I think our time in London will be all about wandering around and enjoying the city but avoiding most of the tourist attractions.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

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Hello from hot, humid North Carolina! Love your blog! Following along, we are booked on British Isles on the Royal next June.
I hope you have clear skies for the eclipse on Monday. That's one thing we will miss. I'm not sure it will be noticeable in Dublin. I looked at the weather on a Raleigh TV station and see what we're missing.
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Our string of beautiful weather ended today. It was drizzling lightly as I walked to see the CB in dock. It's a mile away. I'm thinking we can walk. The sidewalks are in good repair, better than some in Fort Lauderdale. But if it is still drizzling, we will take a taxi.

 

We will eat breakfast at McDonald's. The continental one at the hotel did not look great.

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The drizzle has stopped. Breakfast at McDonald's was pretty good. This one was very modern, with four huge screens to place your order. There's still one employee with whom you could your order if you didn't want to use the screen.

 

I did my old trick of turning hot tea into iced tea to go with my egg McMuffin. I'm not sure the employee realized why I kept asking for more scoops of ice in my courtesy cup.

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Thanks! I will. Our cabin is on the Lido Deck and will probably be checking out the buffet more than we usually do since it will be so convenient.

Just checking in to this thread. We stayed at the BW Bolton. It's minutes from Earls Court station.

Went to Buckingham Palace yesterday and the saw An American inParis last night. The show was fabulous!

 

See you all in a few!

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Enjoyed to pre cruise review. I did the British Isles on the Caribbean 2013.

 

For the Buckingham Palace and Garden tour, did your husband find it too much walking with his ankle? I have done the tour of the Palace and found the walk out off the grounds, a long walk. I plan on doing the Palace tour again in 2018. I find I sometimes have a hard time walking a long time with my knee.

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The drizzle has stopped. Breakfast at McDonald's was pretty good. This one was very modern, with four huge screens to place your order. There's still one employee with whom you could your order if you didn't want to use the screen.

 

I did my old trick of turning hot tea into iced tea to go with my egg McMuffin. I'm not sure the employee realized why I kept asking for more scoops of ice in my courtesy cup.

We are leaving Sat for a 9 day Airbnb stays in Devon and Cornwall until our Aug 29th GB sailing out of Southampton. I downloaded your London info for 2 couples who are going to be staying in London for a few days before the sailing. Thank you so much for taking the time to inform us all;p

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Thursday, August17

 

All aboard! We left our hotel around 10:30 and made it to the pier around 11. Checking in was a breeze. Within 15 minutes we were sitting in the Elite lounge. They had a nice table with small pastries and coffee, tea, orange juice and water available while we waited. It took about a half an hour before they started letting us in. When we arrived, about two dozen passengers were in the lounge. Another two dozen showed up during that half hour. Security screening came right before boarding. They did not even mention our bottles of wine. DH had one in his backpack and I had the other in mine. Perhaps they do if one person is carrying more than one bottle.

 

They were making announcements in the terminal that rooms were not ready, but we went ahead directly to our cabin on the Lido Deck. It’s a spacious inside cabin compared to the tiny outside one we had on our last cruise on the Caribbean Princess (P201). I’ll be using the stairs for the whole cruise. DH is taking the elevator. We went down to the Coral Dining Room for lunch. The menu has shrunk. There were two appetizer choices (smoked salmon with crayfish salad andfettuccini alfredo), two entrée choices (trout amandine and slices of beef tenderloin), although the fettuccini could be ordered as a main course as well, and one dessert (chocolate-hazelnut soufflé). We both had the salmon and trout for our appetizers and main courses. DH ordered the soufflé and I ordered a fruit plate. Our waitress said she would have to check to see if it was available, and it was.

 

Our luggage was waiting for us after lunch. We have about two hours until muster drill.

 

Here is a list of the ship’s officers: Mario Ciruzzi, captain; Peter Hollinson, hotel general manager; Marahscalh Stanton, entertainment director; Michael Reitano, cruise director; Cara Winter, food and beverage manager; Thomas Ulrich, executive chef; and Angelo Balbiani, maître d’. I’ve left off some of the ones listed in the Patter such as engineering officers. Let me know if there’s a particular person/position.

 

 

Entertainment this cruise includes: guitar comic Chas Burnett; instrumentalist Ian Cooper; jugglerSteven Ragatz; vocalist Paul Baker; vocalist Celena Bridge; tribute act “Beatles Celebration”; production shows “Piano Man,” “Broadway Ballroom,” “Bravo,” and “Born to Be Wild”; Dublin folkloric show “Gaels Afloat”; Greenock folkloric show “The Music Scotland Show.” MUTS movies: “Arrival,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Founder,” “A Dog’s Purpose,” “Ghost in a Shell,” “Kong: Skull Island,” “The Great Wall,” “The Zookeeper’s Wife,” “Going in Style,” and “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.”

 

DH is walking OK. Buckingham Palace was not too much since it was a relaxed pace. I've been typing in Word and saving as a text format, then opening in Notepad. This time I copied directly from Word. Please forgive any run-on words. I don't know why Word and Cruise Critic don't get along better. I'll go back to Notepad from now on. It has glitches, too, but doesn't try to leave out spaces.

Edited by geoherb
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