Morgans

Addison Lee are very good. We have used them many, many times but not for the particular journey you describe.

St James Court is a beautiful hotel and has several restaurant options available within the hotel and its grounds. I can recommend Kona which serves excellent food. It is also within walking distance of several other restaurants in the area.

If you book I would suggest you look at the Executive rooms as they tend to be slightly more modern. Lovely hotel!

Great ship - fantastic theatre and it has a dedicated cinema although dinky! Can't understand the comment that there is little to do around the ship. Swimming pool is beautiful and indoor spaces elegant. Excellent restaurants......what more could you want.

It's possible that the cruise ship has booked it all hence no availability.

I can't remember if the price was based on the price at the original time of booking or not but I do remember it was less than the first two passenger's individual fares. Hope this helps.

As Globaliser says the Victoria one is fine - short walk to Pimlico tube, slightly longer to Victoria. The Stratford one is further out and less convenient. What about looking at HEX London City on Old St. It's in a very trendy area and backs onto Hoxton Square, very popular with youngsters. Some fabulous Vietnamese restaurants round the corner and the hotel itself has a decent bar. Handy for restaurants, cafes, etc also very close to Old Street tube.

Rather than go on another excursion why don't you explore Geiranger itself and walk upto the Fjordcentre? It's a lovely walk and the Centre is very interesting - it takes you up behind the village past local houses & hotels. There's a very pleasant cafe at the Centre where you can sit and enjoy the scenery. Come back when you're ready and explore the town which won't take long but there are pleasant strolls to be had through it.

I believe the fjord cruise you mention is just a repeat of the journey you'll have already done anyway to get to Geiranger, but I could be wrong.

Agree that you won't have time to do the Viking Ship Museum and the Park before your Segway tour. But the Viking ship museum is easy to do from the ships berth - take the small ferry over the fjord from near where the ship docks. (It also goes to the Folk Museum.) We paid on the ferry - all very easy. I'm not sure you would get your money's worth from a pass but could be wrong. Agree with Hank that the price of food/meals can be eye watering so be prepared!

Another vote for la Croisette - turn right when coming off the tender and walk along sea front.

We added an extra person to a cruise when we found they were able to come. We originally booked for two but the cabin (by chance) had an extra berth. We added the extra adult and only had to pay the 3rd person price - no amendment fee. It worked well.

Just thought of two more which could well come up with reasonable prices - have a look at these:-

Motel 1 , Minories ,London EC3. - modern, clean with great transport links and near the Tower. Very popular.

The Chamberlain, also in Minories,London EC3- slightly older fashioned Fullers Pub with excellent rooms and good food.

They are both worth a look.

One place you might look at is "Wombats" - a luxury hostel which is getting rave reviews. It's in Dock Street, London E1 about 5 mins from the Tower of London and handy for transport links and sightseeing. Its a chain found throughout Europe and eveytime I've passed it, it seems extremely busy and popular. Nice lounge and bar. I gather rates start about £60 per night. Might be worth a look.

Don't forget the English Gardens (also known as the Villa Comunale or Giardini Trevelyn.) - a haven of peace and quiet where you can wander/sit and enjoy the views and plants. Spot the follies around, all very interesting. Shop early and sightsee and eat later.

The Southwark one is much bigger with better facilities and is also very handy for Tate Modern & the Globe theatre, Millennium Bridge to St Paul's so more attractions - but it's not really that near to Victoria. If you're on a budget then go with the cheapest and it would be fine I'm sure , they are both decent hotels in decent areas.

If it's a choice between Victoria or Vauxhall then go with Victoria. Wouldn't recommend Vauxhall. I've stayed at the Holiday Inn Express Victoria and it's not too bad ( I didn't see any mould.) As I said before rooms can be small but perhaps you could request a larger one. Breakfasts were fine and the area too.

If you want an excellent IHG then Holiday Inn Bloomsbury is a good one with lovely bar and restaurant and also only metres from a tube. I appreciate its not Victoria but it's rates are often very attractive.

Does anyone know if Holiday Inn Express Victoria is a decent place? Reviews have been mixed and recently mentioning mold and noise. These things concern me.

 

We're torn between HIE Victoria or Staybridge Suites Vauxhall. Victoria is a great location but Vauxhall is a far better hotel it seems.

 

Since we'll only be there for 3 days we are taking tours that leave from Victoria Station.

If you're sure that you want to stay in the Victoria area have a look at Dolphin Square Hotel (sometimes known as Dolphin House) which is a very pleasant hotel not far from the station. Also The Taj St James Court hotel which is very comfortable and in an excellent area.

The Holiday inn Express is fine but the rooms are very small and facilities are limited ie no bar to speak of. They do free breakfasts however.

Yes a very good decision! Citadines are very good and from this one you can walk to lots of tourist spots. St Paul's, museum of London , British Museum, St Pauls etc. if you prefer to get the tube you're near to Holborn . You will enjoy this spot much, much better than Turnpike Lane!

For Catania there is usually the choice of visiting Etna and/or Taormina. Being on a ship you can be constrained by the timings of arrival and departure which will impact on your choices for DIY which makes the ship's excursions more doable. Renting a car in Sicily when you have a tight schedule will eat into time as they may not realise that you need to be quite punctual and want to get going quickly. Plus driving in Sicily can be a bit of an adventure although once out of the towns it isn't too bad.

Driving upto Etna isn't very easy - neither Taormina so I would suggest you do the ship's excursion here. However you may be a much better driver than me and feel you could well give it a go ...but be aware.

Etna is fascinating and well worth seeing but you will need to bring a jacket and wear good walking shoes/trainers if you want to walk around the smaller craters. It can be cold up there, even when warm below. You then have the choice from the lower station to take the cable car further up and from there to go even further with a guide. It's quite an experience. At the lower station there are several restaurants and shops where you can purchase souvenirs etc. and you may well want to stay here and not proceed further.it is still very interesting and an excellent experience of seeing and being on the volcano.

Taormina is beautiful - there are shops, gardens and the amphitheatre looking out over the straits. When on an excursion, you will be dropped at a car park (usually Lumbi) from where you will be transferred to a local shuttle (sharing with locals) to take you up into the town itself as very little tourist traffic is allowed in the town proper.

I'm not sure you would have time to do the two places to do them proper justice but if you chose one of the then you should have a decent trip and see quite a bit.

There is an excellent fish restaurant at the dock in Stavanger -.just walk a couple of hundred metres from the ship towards town and you should see it near the water. The fish soup is delicious and the salmon salad incredible. Be aware that meals out in Norway equal very expensive so come prepared to be shocked by the cost.

At Bergen there is lots of choice at the fish market where there are cafes galore mainly selling fish dishes. The prawn sandwiches are delicious.

The lift is what you would need rather than the shuttle bus then - Princess tour staff should be able to let you know how the excursion is organised. Perhaps posters on the Princess boards would have more information for you.

Aix - Bistro Romain, 13 Cours Mirabeau - this is one of our favourites, right in the Centre. Neither very posh nor too expensive. Cassis - you will have a good choice of fish restaurants if you prefer fish to meat.

Unfortunately I believe this would be very tricky for you, as at the car park (Lumbi)you have to transfer to a local shuttle bus to get up into Taormina itself (very little if any tourist traffic is allowed.) I don't think you would be able to transfer your scooter onto the shuttle bus.

Mercure Eiffel Tower and the Hotel Chopin are two complete opposites. The former is modern and big and the second is older fashioned and smaller, typically Parisienne and furnished quirkily. Some of the rooms are a lot bigger than others. They are both lovely hotels but if you want something typically French then stay at the Chopin and if you want something corporate!and modern then stay at the Mercure (although it is French corporate.) The Chopin is in a more interesting area and as has been said is at the end of the Passage Jouffrey. There is the Musee Grevin immediately next to it which is well worth a visit ( a sort of French Madame Tussaud's) and there are several nice restaurants in the vicinity (try Bistro Romain.) Neither hotel is exactly in the centre but I would think the Chopin has the edge for walkability to the centre.

I would suggest you go on Tripadvisor and compare photos but I think I might be tempted by the Chopin for character, welcome and personal service but request one of the bigger rooms to get more space.

Have a look at http://www.addisonlee.com. We use them fairly regularly for cars but they can possibly help you re small minibuses etc. Worth an enquiry.

It depends what you are after - nothing like Royal Caribbean etc. There are playrooms and club with a small outdoor space. Children would be able to use the pools if weather is good enough. They are very well looked after but if you want climbing walls, ice rinks etc the children could well be disappointed. It depends what they are used to - also set dining times unless you are in Grills/Britannia Club.