Advice needed, please---British Isles

[Sheltieluv]

Hello all, We have never cruised with Princess, but are considering a 12-night British Isles cruise on the Caribbean Princess for September 2017. I need advice before I talk to my travel agent, so here goes.....

 

Our preference would be to fly in to London a couple of days before the cruise. We live about 4 hours from Toronto, and Air Canada has a daytime flight that gets us into London at 9 p.m. at night. (I can't sleep on planes so hence the daytime flight :o). Usually I make all of our flight and hotel arrangements, as we have only cruised out of Ft. Lauderdale and Miami, but we have never been to Europe, and consequently I admit that I'm nervous about flights, hotel, and transportation once we arrive, and also on the return. I guess we're just not as independent as we once were and are (maybe) willing to let someone else take care of the details at this point.

 

So, what do you folks think about our using EZ Air roundtrip, using a pre-cruise Princess hotel, transfers, etc. I know it will cost more, but are there any other "nervous Nellies" out there who have done this? I have been reading the threads about using EZ Air, and there are pros and cons, and it's just overwhelming trying to decide what to do!

 

This particular itinerary visits several of the places that we've wanted to see, especially Ireland. (At one point I was even contemplating crossing on the Queen Mary, spending some time in England, and then flying to Dublin and touring on our own. Now, not so much....., plus we don't want to schlep all that formal wear).

 

So do we let Princess take care of us all the way, or am I worrying about nothing? I am just "all over the place" on this. Thanks so much for your input and advice! :)

[moki'smommy]

OK, my daughter attended grad school in London, so I made LOTS of crossings...and that doesn't include the vacation, the interview trip etc.

 

If I were arriving at 9 pm, I'd spend that night in the Heathrow area. There are several Holiday Inns, and there is at least one Premier Inn. Premier Inn (the purple palace) isn't fancy, but it is clean, safe, and priced right. There is some stupid rule that doesn't allow hotel shuttles into the Heathrow area, but there are free city buses that technically don't take you to the hotel. They take you to the stop right next to the hotel.

 

My logic in this is that you will not get your luggage and get out of the airport till probably 10 pm. That's late to travel into London, get to your hotel there, etc.

 

The next day, return to Heathrow and take the tube into London. There are lots of travel places that encourage you to purchase an Oyster Card in advance. Reality is that you can buy one at any tube station. It is quick and easy to get into the city from Heathrow on the tube. Go to your hotel, drop your luggage, and enjoy your day in the city.

 

Would I pay Princess to do transfers and stay at their overpriced hotel--NO. London is a very easy city to get around in and the people are very helpful. Princess will likely offer transfers from Victoria Station or one of the hotels to the port--that I might do. But when we went out of Dover, transfers were $70 per person. We rode a National Express bus for 4 pounds each (advance purchase special), and paid a total of 5 pounds for a taxi from the hotel to the port in the morning (we went a day early and saw Dover). Total for 2 was under $20 US, compared to $140 had we done transfers.

 

We are doing a Japan cruise. I called Princess to find out what hotel they were using (they had 2) and the price. It was $600 for the hotel and transfers for 1 night. I looked up the hotel on line. I got the hotel + breakfast + shuttle to the hotel for $116, and the Princess transfers added another $98. Again, $200 vs. $600? It rather turned me off of any thought I ever had re Princess hotels.

 

There are plenty of hotels in London in various price ranges. Decide what you want to visit and pick something in that general area. London is divided into zones. All the main tourist stuff is in zone 1 and 2. Depending on how long you'll be there, you can get a travel pass for unlimited travel in the zones you want. Day passes are costly, but week passes MIGHT be a good deal for you depending on how much you plan to use the system. The travel pass can be electronically added to your oyster card.

 

JMHO.....

 

Also, money in London is EASY. I have a credit card that charges no exchange fees. Virtually every place in London takes a card as long as it has the "pin and chip" function. Other than street vendors, my card is good everywhere. You might want to get a little converted to GDP in advance, but you'll need very little. The only issue I ever hit was that they usually have to see a photo ID to use my card because it is a US card. When I used my daughter's British card (tied to her British bank account and address), it was all on the machine and I never had to see a cashier. But again, they were always kind about it. They'd look at the ID, push the "ok" button, and let it go thru.

Edited June 12, 2016 by moki'smommy

[SusieS]

I would do whatever YOU feel comfortable doing! Enjoy!!

[moki'smommy]

One other thought....if you are arriving several days in advance, Princess may or may not be running a shuttle to the hotel at that time of night. If you decide to do "princess all the way," verify in advance that they WILL get you to the hotel on arrival.

[Renmar]

Unlike moki'smommy I would suggest to use one of the shuttle services from Heathrow into London. The reason is that your hotel might be a long way from a tube station and then you have to drag your luggage from the station to your hotel. We used Silver fleet shuttle (http://www.silver-fleet.co.uk/) and the cost was not that bad.

Unless your hotel is very close to a station, and that station has elevators or escalators.

There is also a very good tread here on cruise critic by Delorean Girl

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1652129&highlight=england+review

 

Theo

[jsmac3]

We just returned from a British Isles cruise on the Caribbean Princess. . .

 

I would book my own flights, hotel, and transportation. I would book my own flights because sometimes EZAir will change your flights. The hotel, transportation, and tours because it is all so easy. You have a long time and access to a roll call here and all the helpful people with lots of great ideas.

 

London and nearly all these ports have the hop-on-hop-off buses which make touring so easy.

[Sheltieluv]

Thank you all so much for your replies and advice. Great, comprehensive, and pertinent information. I really appreciate it. I'm getting excited to look into this cruise further, even though it's a long way in the future! :)

[cynbar]

I was on the May 8th cruise, and we made all our own arrangements with no problem, it really is easy to do, especially with so much time for you to plan. We didn't go to London this time because we have been there before, spent a night in Southampton before the cruise. Go over to the British Isles section of the Ports of Call boards, and you'll get plenty of recommendations for London hotels and what to do in the city. We booked a private car for transportation from LHR to Southampton and back, for us the expense is well worth it, used SmithsforAirports and highly recommend them. I'm not sure if they will also take you to your London hotel but you'll find advice on that on the ports of call boards. I haven't priced EZAir, Princess transfers and hotels, but I'd be amazed of you can't do it much cheaper yourself, have your choice of hotels and not have to wait for a bus to fill up with other passengers. Good luck, it sounds daunting to plan yourself but really isn't that bad with all the advice you can get here.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=233

Here is the link to the British Isles board, it was invaluable to us as we did our research.

Edited June 12, 2016 by cynbar

[e050377]

We just flew to London for the first time last Christmas. We arrived early after an overnight flight, but I think even arriving late I would head into London. Youll be tired, but i think its much brtter/easier to get to your home base once vs schlepping luggage to an airport hotel for the night.

 

We prearranged for Blackberry cars to pick us up and take us to our hotel. It wasn't the cheapest option, but we liked the convenience

 

We stayed at the Park Plaza County Hall. It was a very nice hotel/area. Very good prices for hotels in the area and easy access to the hop on hop off. When we go again we will most likely spend a bit more and stay closer to Trafalgar Square or Oxford Street because we spent a lot of time in those areas. We took cabs everywhere we couldn't walk as my son has a fear of subway crowding and never had a problem getting one

 

Can't help with getting to Southampton, but London on your own I think is very doable

[jsmac3]

Thank you all so much for your replies and advice. Great, comprehensive, and pertinent information. I really appreciate it. I'm getting excited to look into this cruise further, even though it's a long way in the future! :)

 

Start/Join a roll call for your cruise and it will be here before you know it . . . 400+ days can go by very quickly when you are chatting with your fellow cruisers regularly.

[caribill]

Hello all, We have never cruised with Princess, but are considering a 12-night British Isles cruise on the Caribbean Princess for September 2017. I need advice before I talk to my travel agent, so here goes.....

 

Our preference would be to fly in to London a couple of days before the cruise. We live about 4 hours from Toronto, and Air Canada has a daytime flight that gets us into London at 9 p.m. at night. Although it will be 9 PM local time when you arrive, your body will still think it is 4 PM and it is likely you will be awake enough to go to whatever hotel you have chosen. (I can't sleep on planes so hence the daytime flight :o). Usually I make all of our flight and hotel arrangements, as we have only cruised out of Ft. Lauderdale and Miami, but we have never been to Europe, and consequently I admit that I'm nervous about flights, hotel, and transportation once we arrive, and also on the return. I guess we're just not as independent as we once were and are (maybe) willing to let someone else take care of the details at this point.

 

So, what do you folks think about our using EZ Air roundtrip, using a pre-cruise Princess hotel, transfers, etc.

 

This needs to be three separate decisions, using EZAir or not, having Princess xfers, and whether or not to have a Princess pre-cruise hotel package (which would include xfers).

 

Flight options are not available until 330 days before the flights, so for a round trip, it would be 330 days before the return. Always check the EZAir price vs. what you can get booking without EZAir.

 

EZAir has two options. One option is the restricted fare which is just like booking a restricted fare with the airline. You must pay for the reservation at the time you book it. If you cancel, there is no refund but the funds can be used within a year of booking according to whatever the airline's change rules and fees are.

 

The other option is flexible fares. You do not pay until it is time for final payment for the cruise. Up to 45 days before the trip begins, you can cancel with no penalty and if you have already paid for the flights, get a full refund. Also, up to 45 days before the trip begins, you can take advantages of any price reductions in airfare or even change to different flights if you wish. After that 45 day deadline, it becomes a restricted fare with no refund and subject to airline change rules and fees.

 

Amazingly, the flexible fares are usually less than the restricted fares.

 

One benefit of using EZAir is that if there is a problem reaching the embarkation port or disembarkation port on time, Princess will assist you.

 

As far as the xfers to /from Southampton, you will find many suggestions in the UK section of Cruise Critic for transfers by private car. If we are not doing other touring, we usually take the Princess xfers airport to pier and pier to airport. However, I do suggest checking International Friends ( http://www.internationalfriends.co.uk ) to see if they have any tours you could take on your way to or from the ship.

 

And it is up to you about the hotel package (which would include the xfers). Yes, the Princess package is expensive (remember, it is priced per person), but it will be a very good hotel and you will have a good experience. But since you are using a travel agent, your TA could probably arrange a very nice hotel for you, either in the Heathrow area or in downtown London, at a lower cost.

 

I know it will cost more, but are there any other "nervous Nellies" out there who have done this? I have been reading the threads about using EZ Air, and there are pros and cons, and it's just overwhelming trying to decide what to do!

 

This particular itinerary visits several of the places that we've wanted to see, especially Ireland. (At one point I was even contemplating crossing on the Queen Mary, spending some time in England, and then flying to Dublin and touring on our own. Now, not so much....., plus we don't want to schlep all that formal wear).

 

So do we let Princess take care of us all the way, or am I worrying about nothing? I am just "all over the place" on this. Thanks so much for your input and advice! :)

 

see above in red

Edited June 13, 2016 by caribill

[Sheltieluv]

I'm so glad I posted on this Princess board; you all have been so kind in taking the time to address my questions/concerns. I have a lot of reading and research to do, but that's fine; I enjoy it. It's all good.

 

My husband does have concerns about cruising on such a large ship. We have mostly sailed with Regent, which is all-inclusive and carries on average 700 pax. (Regent does have a cruise that has a British Isles itinerary, but it is only 10 days, as opposed to Princess' 12, and it costs far more. It is, however, nice to have the smaller ship and all inclusive aspect, including excursions.) Adjusting to such a large ship as the Caribbean Princess will be interesting!

 

We do enjoy a balcony, but in such a port-intensive cruise as the British Isles, I am wondering how much we would even be able to use it. Any thoughts on this from people who have done this itinerary?

Am thinking of a mini-suite for the extra space, but am open to all suggestions.

 

Thank you all again so much!:)

[Shogun]

Hi

 

Why fly into London you can fly into Scotland with cheap flights from Canada,

 

spend time touring Scotland, cheap flights to Ireland then fly into Southampton

 

yours Shogun

[bassmaster150]

What we normally do is the following as we always spend time in London first to acclimate to the time when sailing out of Southhampton:

 

We use a car service called Just Airports....about $70 from Heathrow into the center of London. They will be waiting for you right outside of the customs hall. ALways on time and very courteous.

 

We usually stay at the Hilton Waldorf which is in the theater district and within walking distance of Parliament, the theaters, the London eye, etc

 

We normally have a tour booked the following day or days through Viator. One of the pickup location for these tours is right around the corner at the Strand Palace hotel.

 

Works every time!!

[skf]

Hiya, Sheltie...

We almost always book EZAir for overseas flights and have never had a problem. Princess has been running good deals on international flights, considerably lower than retail.

Your idea of going early is the way to do it. (Although London is expensive.)

For us the big difference in a Mini-Suite is that it has a couch or love seat. The Balconies & lower have one comfy chair and one desk chair (not so comfy).

Shogun's idea of Scotland is a thought...Edinburgh is a wonderful place.

Steve

[phabric]

I took Air Canada daytime flight Toronto to LHR in 2013. I thought it as great, with no jet lag. If possible, purchase the extra leg room seats.

 

I have booked my flights myself and also through Princess. With Princess air you choose your flight times and price, can be reserved by yourself or by agent (my agent booked cruise and I reserved my air myself). I have also reserved Flexible fare (pay at final payment). I would check their price often. If the price is lower, you can use the motifiy button to change the price as often as you want (my price did have a lower price a few times). With airline, you have to purchase right away and can not change. After reserving Flexible fare, I would also check airline prices, if better than Princess, I would purchase through airline and cancel Princess before final payment. Princess does not purchase the tickets until 45 days in advance of flight. I had paid early and was not able to purchase paid seats without tell Princess to release the ticket early before the 45 days. Check your flights times with airline as times DO change. Flight times change is airline NOT Princess.

 

I have used http://www.justairports.com to get from LHR to my London hotel for about £40 and also from London hotel to LHR. It is nice to be met at the baggage area after a long flight and taken direct to the hotel.

 

I have stayed in the Victoria area, near Buckingham Palace, The Royal Mews, Queen's Gallery, The Mall, Hop On Hop Off (HOHO), regular bus, pubs, restaurants, tube, National Express Coach station, train station.

 

If doing the cruise in August, Edinburgh Tattoo is on (excellent show) and Buckingham Palace's staterooms are open to the public while the Queen is away (excellent tour).

 

I have stayed in the Waterloo area, - Park Plaza Waterloo and Premier Inn Waterloo. Premier Inn Waterloo is one block behind Park Plaza Waterloo. Premier Inn hotels are a basic hotel with everything I needed including a restaurant and bar. The area has Big Ben, Parliament, London Eye, HOHO, regular bus, tube, Waterloo train station, pubs, restaurants. Westminster Abbey, Thams river.

 

I have taken the National Express Coach http://www.nationalexpress.com from their Victoria Coach station to Southampton Coach station(this is the stop you want). You take your luggage a short distance to a taxi to the port (under £10). Check their prices a few months before your cruise for their cheap fares. You can take a taxi from your London hotel to the coach station, if not walking distance in the Victoria area.

 

Princess also has a transfer on the cruise day only from Victoria Coach station to Southampton port for the passengers that are staying in London. They go direct from London to the port. You do not see your luggage until it is your cabin.

 

Princess has a transfer on cruise day only from LHR to Southampton.

 

International Friends http://www.internationalfriends.co.uk have on cruise day only transfers from LHT hotel and certain London hotels to Southampton with a stop along the way.

 

If in the Waterloo area, can take the train to Southampton and a short taxi to the port.

 

I have taken Princess transfer back to LHR. Another time the train to Waterloo station for our London hotel. If staying post cruise in London or LHR airport hotel, I have used http://www.internationalfriends.co.uk. They picked up at port, with a stop along the way, and take you to your London hotel or LHR airport hotel.

 

Check Cruise Critic - Port of Call - Britain for great information.

 

I would start or join a Roll Call for your cruise. Check out other year's Roll Call for ideas and recommendations for private tours. I saved over $1,000 doing private tours with others on my Roll Call.

 

Here are tours I used and were recommended from past cruise Critic passengers.

 

Cobh - http://www.ecoach.ie

Dublin - http://www.hop-on-hop-off-bus.com

- http://www.dublinsightseeing.ie

Liverpool - http://www.pooloflifetours.com - Beatle and city

Belfast - http://www.odysseycoachtours.co.uk

Invergordon - http://www.shorexcursions.co.uk

Le Havre - http://www.overlordtour.com

 

London -

http://www.lunasimonehotel.com

http://www.london-hotel.co.uk

http://www.visitlondon.com

http://www.visitbritainshop.com

http://www.londonpass.com

http://www.discount-londontours.com

http://www.royalcollection.org.uk

http://www.theorginaltour.com

http://www.bigbustours.com

http://www.parliament.uk

http://www.simplyairports.co.uk

http://www.londoneye.com

 

Most of the North American hotels have hotels in London. Some hotels have A/C if that is important to you.

 

I took an oceanview cabin since there are only 2 sea days and we would be on all day tours each day. Another, time I was often an paid balcony upgrade, we only used the balcony a few times.

 

Princess ships have self laundry machines. I used them a couple of times, go early as their get very busy on sea days.

Edited June 13, 2016 by phabric

[flamomo]

I just returned from a transatlantic from FLL to Southampton and a BI cruise on the Caribbean Princess 3 weeks ago. My cruise friend and I also spent 2 post-cruise nights in London. I booked our flights back from London thru EZAir and got some excellent fares using the flexible option. I booked our London hotel myself after doing a lot of research and asking for guidance/recommendations on the British Isles board. There are huge numbers of hotels to choose from, spread all over the city and outlying areas, making it rather difficult to make a choice. Hence the seeking of help for those who live in the area.

 

I suggest you also read and post on the British Isles thread, There are some Brits, especially the one who uses John Bull as his screen name, who post on there that are wonderful about answering questions in detail, as well as clarifying things.

 

If you do book the Princess cruise, be sure to monitor the fares closely on the Princess website for fare decreases. A couple of months after I booked, I found the fares had decreased $650 apiece for our cabin category! Since I booked directly with Princess, I called Princess immediately, and was able to get us re-fared at the lower rate! If you use a TA for your bookings, they would have to make that call to Princess.

 

Also if you do use EZAir, also monitor the fares often ... ours went down by $200 apiece, so I cancelled and rebooked at the lower fare. Same airline, same flights, and we got to keep our same seats!!

 

We were very happy with the Caribbean Princess. She's a lovely ship, our balcony cabin on the Caribe deck was very comfortable, we enjoyed the food and the entertainment options, and had great service from everyone from our steward to the people manning the Passenger Services desk to dining room wait staff.

[Sheltieluv]

One item on my bucket list is to visit the British Museum and see the Ancient Egypt section. I have always loved archaeology, so that is a must-do for me. My husband will be more interested in visiting pubs!:p Other than the Museum, we will hit as many highlights in London as we can. Everyone's input re. London has been awesome. Thank you!

 

Hadn't thought about flying into Scotland; will have to see if there is a daytime flight from Toronto. Bring on the reading/research! I love it!

 

Another question if you folks don't mind---There are actually 2 itineraries that cruise the British Isles. One overnights in Dublin (9/10/17 sailing); the other visits the Orkney Islands (8/29/17 sailing) but does not overnight in Dublin. If you had to pick one itinerary over the other, which one would it be? Thanks again!

[Sheltieluv]

Just wanted to add---phabric, thanks for the suggestion re. the Military Tattoo in August. I did see that itinerary. But, it doesn't include Belfast. Just before my brother died, I promised him that I would step foot on County Antrim soil if I ever got to Ireland. Would love to see the Tattoo someday tho.

[NavyVeteran]

One other thought....if you are arriving several days in advance' date=' Princess may or may not be running a shuttle to the hotel at that time of night. If you decide to do "princess all the way," verify in advance that they WILL get you to the hotel on arrival.[/quote']

 

If you book everything with Princess, then they will provide a transfer to the hotel when you arrive.

 

When I flew into Rome three days early with a Princess hotel stay, a Princess representative met us at the airport. We were the only people she was waiting for. When we arrived, she walked us to a waiting taxi. The taxi took us (and the Princess representative) to the hotel. The Princess representative then went in to the hotel with us to check us in. Our bags were taken to our room, with the bellman gratuities paid by Princess.

 

When we left the hotel to the ship, we went on a Princess bus. By that time, there were several more people at the hotel for our cruise.

 

We may have paid a little more, but the Princess transfer service was excellent. Since we were the only ones arriving when we did, we received a private car transfer at the same cost as the bus transfer.

[cynbar]

We were on the May 8 cruise this year, had a balcony but the weather was just too cool to use it much. An ocean view cabin would save you money and you're really not in the cabin that much since the cruise is so port intensive. However, we love the Princess mini suites, it gives you a sitting area with couch (most other cabins only have a semi-comfortable chair) and a full bath with vanity and tub/shower combo, much nicer than a regular bath.

 

Our cruise included Kirkwall in the Orkney Islands, and we loved it. Beautiful little town with a free shuttle into town, and a number of tours to the countryside and prehistoric sights. We did a private tour of the Highland Park Distillery, arranged directly through them, and saw some of the island on the drive to and from. I'm not sure that an overnight in Dublin is a big draw, the port is in an industrial area and you'd need a cab to/from the city proper. If you're staying in London pre cruise, you can visit the pubs on your evenings there.

 

We also were a little concerned about the size of the Caribbean Princess, but the itinerary was exactly what we wanted, and it was a great cruise. We loved every port, every tour we took. The CB is an older ship but well maintained for the most port, food was good and crew was very friendly. Sure, we sometimes ran into lines or crowds, such as before dinner in the lounges, but it didn't detract from our fun. The focus here is on the ports, not the ship so much. And we did appreciate how Princess brought on local acts, two in the late afternoon before departure as well as a young Irish singer who gave 2 shows the evening before Dublin in the main theater. Plus, many of the ports had local entertainers --- we were welcomed by bagpipers in Greenock and serenaded by a full piper band at departure, there were Irish step dancers in Dublin, ladies in local dress in Guernsey to welcome the ship, and so on. Not sure you'd find that on a smaller ship.

[mamkmm2]

If you book everything with Princess, then they will provide a transfer to the hotel when you arrive.

 

When I flew into Rome three days early with a Princess hotel stay, a Princess representative met us at the airport. We were the only people she was waiting for. When we arrived, she walked us to a waiting taxi. The taxi took us (and the Princess representative) to the hotel. The Princess representative then went in to the hotel with us to check us in. Our bags were taken to our room, with the bellman gratuities paid by Princess.

 

When we left the hotel to the ship, we went on a Princess bus. By that time, there were several more people at the hotel for our cruise.

 

We may have paid a little more, but the Princess transfer service was excellent. Since we were the only ones arriving when we did, we received a private car transfer at the same cost as the bus transfer.

 

It depends as far as Princess providing the transfers. We used EZAir ... quite a bit cheaper than retail. We booked our own hotel and will be in London almost a full week before the cruise. That shouldn't have prevented being able to get a Princess transfer from London to Southampton on the day of the cruise. However, for what ever reason it was never an option on my cruise personalizer nor did it show up as an option for us when we called Princess directly.

[bassmaster150]

One thing you can also do if your hotel is in central London as opposed to the Heathrow area....which is quite far from London anyways....is to get your transfer from Victoria Coach station to Southampton as opposed to Heathrow. Princess offers that as an alternative....I just found out as my PVP gave me that option for our European Capitals Cruise in April of 2017.

[Shogun]

Hi sheltieluv,

 

You would have direct flights to Glasgow, and indirect via Iceland and Dublin,

 

have done Iceland Air very cheap good service brand new plane,

 

think most take off around lunch time your time add time zones you arrive

 

morning here.

 

Kirkwall is an amazing port of call not to be missed, Tattoo is a highlight

 

of any UK cruise, Belfast has much to offer Titantic etc,

 

So fly into Scotland, do tattoo on your own here, spend a day or two to tour,

 

then hop over to Belfast flights are cheap and short, spend a day or to there

 

then fly into Southampton, do your cruise that includes Kirkwall.

 

yours Shogun

[Sheltieluv]

Re. the Orkney Islands itinerary (off topic)----Years ago we were scuba diving in Bermuda. My husband brought up a bottle that was apparently very old--"wavy" glass and all that. It had the words "Highland Park" and "Orkney Islands" embossed in the glass. We discovered that the area we were diving used to have a bar in front of it, and apparently the bottles were just tossed into the water when empty. We think it's from the 20's, but that's a guess. Of course we did research the Orkney Islands, as we had no idea of their location.

Anyway, we may visit a place that we could have only imagined, on the Kirkwall itinerary.:)