New to UK cruising

[Amy41971]

Hi!  I have cruised to the Caribbean several times but this is our first cruise to London!  We just booked it with 2 other couples for Aug 2022.  Please tell me all the tips and tricks and advice you have for flying from the US to London and visiting Glasgow, Dublin, Belfast, Cork and Liverpool.  

 

Thanks!

 

[Aulanis]

Hi , not sure you are in the right place here, it is generally for UK cruisers chichat.

 

I see you have joined a roll call for your cruise which is probably the best place

to see what others from the US are doing. I dont know that UK members will

have much info on flying from the US.

 

For port information  maybe try this forum 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/148-british-isleswestern-europe/

 

and  there is a website called whatsinport.com    that has useful  bits of information

just type whatsinport dover  into google will give you an idea.

[Heidi13]

3 hours ago, Amy41971 said:

Hi!  I have cruised to the Caribbean several times but this is our first cruise to London!  We just booked it with 2 other couples for Aug 2022.  Please tell me all the tips and tricks and advice you have for flying from the US to London and visiting Glasgow, Dublin, Belfast, Cork and Liverpool.  

 

Thanks!

 

 

Can you provide some more information - are you cruising into London or embarking on a cruise in London. Which berth are you using - Tilbury or Greenwich, or even Dover/Southamptom. Is the cruise visiting Glasgow, Dublin, Belfast, etc or are you planning these visit pre/post cruise.

 

Also, which London airport are you flying in/out - Heathrow or Gatwick.

[John Bull]

Hi Amy,

 

First things first.

Round-Britain cruises generally start / finish in Southampton or Dover, some smaller lines use Tilbury or Greenwich.

For any of these, flying from the USA your airport will be London Heathrow (LHR) or London Gatwick (LGW). It makes little difference which airport you use, so choose flights  to/from London according to criteria such as your most convenient US airport, your preferred airline, best price, etc. Your London airport will be what it will be. 

 

Please post your UK departure port, ship / cruise line, ideally precise dates (day-of-the-week can be significant), any overnights in ports, whether you're planning to spend pre-cruise or post-cruise time in England, and anything else that might affect advice from this side of the Pond.

 

As Aulanis' post, this forum is really for British chit-chat, and it's quite a quiet forum.  For visitor information you're better to use Ports-of-Call- Britain forum 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/148-british-isleswestern-europe/

 

JB 🙂

Edited March 18, 2021 by John Bull

[Aulanis]

In case it helps in getting more information  the sailing port is

Dover  - as per signature  which members may not see if they use a phone.

Carnival Pride   12 August 2022 fro.m roll call

[babs135]

Have a look at www.whatsinport.com for ideas.  But bear in mind that as a result of the pandemic some attractions/shops may have closed or their hours changed.  And as has been said, check out the ports of call forum here.

[John Bull]

23 hours ago, Aulanis said:

In case it helps in getting more information  the sailing port is

Dover  - as per signature  which members may not see if they use a phone.

Carnival Pride   12 August 2022 fro.m roll call

 

Thanks for the ferreting, Aulanis - useful for those who only use smart-phones.

Also useful for those of us who use a full-function desk-top, but are blind to the signature line 🙃

 

My advice - fly into LHR or LGW - still holds.

 

Travelling between Dover and either airport by public transport is fraught. There are no direct buses or trains, they all go via a change in central London - public transport in that corner of Blighty is very London-centric. By train you have to change stations as well, by bus the change is very easy at Victoria coach station - but both are time-consuming & tedious, especially with schlepping luggage.

This is one of the rare occasions that I advise singletons or couples to consider ships' transfer coaches - Carnival will certainly offer coach transfers between LHR and Dover, probably also between LGW and Dover but best to check.

Alternatively a pre-booked one-way private transfer will cost in the order of £100 for LGW or £125 for LHR. That'd be cheaper than ship's transfer coach for 3 or more, possibly even for a couple. Journey time about 90 minutes (LGW) or 110 minutes (LHR). Allow 60 to 90 minutes longer for travel at commuter-time.

 

If you are spending pre or post-cruise time in London, travel between central London and LHR or LGW or Dover is frequent, inexpensive and direct by bus or rail (as above, transport is London-centric). Which to choose depends on the location of your central London hotel, and whether we're talking LHR or LGW or Dover - ask again once your basic plans are in shape. 

 

JB 🙂