stickyshocker

Sorry, I didn’t realize even the 2 bedroom suites at those hotels won’t allow a 5th person. Have you looked at the serviced apartment market? Those vary in price and location, but many could accommodate your family.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Thanks.. I found one near Victoria Coach Stn., It’s called Cherry Court Hotel, still not cheap but i figure we’ll just take the coach to the port to offset the cost.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Am so excited for you, the Latin Quarter would be perfect, one of my fav parts of Paris. Is this a hotel or an apartment? I just booked an apartment in the same area near the Luxembourg Gardens for this June through booking.com, with the option to cancel till end May. But please know that the city council is cracking down on illegal rentals and now all apartments are required to have a registration number, this will appear on the listing.

Its a hotel supposedly, that and another one i spotted right by Gare du Nord..

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I had a mix up, our call at Le Havre is actually 14 hrs and Cherbourg 12.

I already sent an email to RCCL, and fellow cruisers at my fb group implied that wait times for a response takes about a month.

Maybe its just me, but my initial scan gives me an impression that Paris is cheaper than London.

I found a base in the Latin Quarter, and i’m not sure if thats a prime spot at all, also found a unicorn in London at last -Cherry court near Victoria.

I’m a “ splurge when its cheap, scrimp when expensive” type of traveller, and i am grateful for all the advices from you: JB and Hank... This cruise is starting to shape up better than i thought.

Thank you [emoji4]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

There are so many chances that we could’ve done Paris before which i squandered for lack of planning( maybe intentionally, because i’ve been to Quebec many times).

I got 3 options:

1. Fly to Paris, train to London before heading down S’hampton.

2. Jump ship from Le Havre

3. Worst case, visit it on a Port day.

... If i have to utilize our port day in Cherbourg, then i will toss that in too.

Paris it is then...

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You got it JB..

But.. I might have to go thru the ordeal of finding a hotel for 5 people again ..in Paris.(Yep, i’m that cheapo dad poster at the UK forum).

I haven’t booked my flights yet, and at a quick glance, an open jaw from Iceland air is quite cheaper than a round trip to LHR.

But it also requires a layover of almost a day.

..in Reykjavik.

Btw, i’m also thinking of taking the bus from Le Havre to Paris (non stop).

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Very stringent, as in zero chance you'll get away with having 5 to a room. Most times occupancy limits in Europe are due to fire laws, so there's really no getting around them.

Its ok.. On to the next chain or airbnb.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I tried their website, wont allow me to book 5.(2 children max) wonder how stringent the policy is for this chain or/and the hotels in London when it comes to headcount..

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks for taking your time..

I’ve underestimated this port,

your advice about Paris opens a new door for me..

and that is to take a partial cruise, it being the last day of our cruise before heading back to S’hampton.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

We're a family of 6

 

ETA: I have also found that the more people we have, the more cost-effective private transfers become.

From your experience, If we were to stay near Victoria coach stn, what roughly would be the cost for a private transfer? for a van i presume.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Logistics:

Paris

1. Can we walk from the cruise terminal to Le Havre train station?

2. Where do we get off? Is 6 hrs enough in Paris?

Etretat/Honfleur/Normandy

1. Is there a public bus stop nearby to take us there? How’s the frequency?

2. Is there a town near the Etretat beach?Can we walk?

3. Most importantly, Any HoHo bus we can get on to take us to all these places.

.. kids ages are 7,8&10.

Etretat&Honfleur

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Ok im tweakin’ my plans.

But first let me throw this out there:

1. Airport hotels - $3-5 bills for 2 or 3 nts for 5 guests.

2. City centre - $1-2k

for 5 guests. LOL

Thanks for the Premier Inn suggestion, that never showed up on my fave booking site.

Now for my modified plans:

1. Stay in London, close to the bus station for 2 nights.

2. Transfer by bus to Salisbury and stay there for another night.

3. Salisbury to Cruise terminal on the day of the cruise.( there’s a train right?)

Airport hotel will sit on the sidelines for now..

Will this be cheap and easy for a family of 5?

.. yeah airbnb will be thrown in the mix, when push comes to shove.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks.. I dont mind the city centre, but its costly for a family of 5. Any alternatives?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

We have 12 hrs at Le Havre, Plan A is Paris

Plan B is Etrerat and Honfleur, public transportation(bus)is an x factor for us, and we also have kids in tow.. Please advise. Thanks

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

We plan on staying at a hotel near Heathrow to control costs(Family of 5). We are arriving 3 days before cruise with 1 of the day dedicated to staying at S’hampton. Could anyone advise how to get to city centre if one were to stay at an airport hotel? and likewise how to head down to the port?

or does my choice of accomodation even make sense?

Thanks

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I did.. So much avenues to cover. I underestimated these ports, looks like i really need to go board by board + guidebooks on this one... Thanks.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This fall, we are cruising with Royal’s Navigator of the Seas...

I’m a meticulous planner of some sort, but i’ve been out on the road for awhile now and im having planning fatigue. So far these are all i can manage to come up with:

1. Southampton - No plans yet

2. Bilbao - Guggenheim Museum

3.La Coruna - La Coruna town

4.Cherbourg - (Plan A)Mont St Michel

(Plan B) Etretat

5. Le Havre - maybe Paris?

With so much to cover, i keep gettin lost especially on logistics,

so anyone who has done/cruised this itinerary care to share their experiences? It would be a family trip of 5(3 kids)plus friends. We are typically a Public transpo’/DIY/BnB kinda family.

I’m all ears for anything. Thnks in advance.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thank you for the very helpful tips. Egypt has been at the top of my list for years. I’ve just recently convinced my husband of its safety, so I appreciate the information. We’ll be there in November!

You’re welcome.. It is safe, there’s army and police everywhere not including undercovers. Approx. 1 mile to every tourists site(Pyramids, VoK etc..etc) and airports, there are checkpoints with bomb sniffing dogs. When you get to the entrance, again you have to go thru security( scanners,xrays and pat downs) the same applies to each and every hotels. In Cairo airport, i went thru security 2x(landside) 1(airside).

For the hasslers, this phrase worked for me sometimes: “La Shokran”. Don’t make eye contact, wear sunglasses if you will, give a little smile, nod your head and keep walking like you know what you’re doing and going. If you have no time for formalities, just pay them to go away 5 egp will do.

Sometimes the local guide will steer you to restaurant or shops where they will earn a commission, they will be expensive on egyptian standards.(still cheap for us tho). You can either go or let them know right off that you have already done your shopping. When it comes to food, since you do have to eat, tell them to bring you to this rooftop terrace resto right in front of the Luxor temple, they are certified at TA, and have breathtaking views of the Temple,Nile river and the Valley of the Kings....and you pay what the locals pay.

I just returned from a week long trip from Egypt(3 days in Luxor), and just to add to all the great advices above, never hand your ticket to anyone who ask for it once inside the Valley or any temples, some of them are guised like an employee but they are not(they're only after the tips). If you are planning to take photos inside the tomb,be sure to purchase the "Photo Pass" they are priced at 300 egp w/c is roughly around $17.. The entrance is 120 egp($7) and this allow you to visit 3 tombs with the exception of King Tut and Seti for which you have to pay extra. Make sure you have small notes, for washrooms and for the trolley ride to Hatchepsut's Temple.Hire a local reputable guide, I found this invaluable when dealing with the hassles and when there was 3 bus loads of tourist that came before us( We were able to skip the line).In my experience, he brought me to the most important area of the temples unknowngst to all the hordes of other tourist taking selfies. They also know the perfect spot to take the photos and they will explain/lecture you before hand (with illustrations) of all you are gonna see inside the tombs, guides are not allowed inside. If you have mobility issues, skip the Tomb of Merenptah as it has a steep incline/decline.

I underestimated Luxor when it came to what it has to offer, 1 week is not even enough for this great city.. Yes it is underprivileged, it is a dustbin, it is smelly, there's incessant hassling from vendors trying to sell you stuff. ...BUT, It is one of the best trips I've ever done in my life...Did I mentioned, it is Safe?

Thanks for the link, i will also speak to Guest services for good measure.

John&lala, sounds like you’ve done it before. Thanks

Will these be US ports? If so, then it probably would not be allowed. However, if they are European ports, it can probably be arranged in advance with the cruise line.

Its European, who do we notify?

Can i rent the car at Cherbourg and return it at Le Havre?

We are scheduled to visit 2 ports back to back that are 2.5 hrs away from one another. We are contemplating on renting a car and spending the night on the 1st port then board back to the 2nd. Will Royal allow this?, Has anyone done it before?.

We want to give an advance notice so as not to incovenience our fellow cruisers. Do we need to speak directly to the captain about this?

I’m all ears for your insights.

Thanks.

This opens up another option which is to rent the car for 2 days, spend the night somewhere in France, and catch up to the ship on Le Havre :). We have sometimes done these kind of deviations (you need to request it in advance from your cruise line). In fact, we are doing one of these deviations on an upcoming cruise..while in Japan.

 

 

Hank

12hrs in Cherbourg then 14hrs in Le Havre next day, doesn’t make any sense right?, like why cant they just have an overnighter in either of these ports instead? .. I honestly think, us spending the night in Cherbourg can be done.

I was just looking for someone that have done it.

If this is your first time in Japan, and have Tokyo in your sights, feel free to ask. Been there like 4x on land.

We have a stop at Le Havre the following day in case we encountered any deviation. The car rental hours could play a vital role on this excursion of ours.

Thanks to all for the great advices, this would be our first DIY driving excursion and perhaps the trickiest.. I'm pretty sure we can nail it now. THANKS!!!