A Trip of Firsts ~ WBTA 2018 Trip Planning - 7/24/18 Update

Hello! Just started reading along and just joined the FB page too. We did the WBTA from Barcelona 2017 and fell in LOVE with the TA cruises and booked it again! You are making me realize I better start making some plans. I have not done anything other than booked the cruise and bought some books. We will be flying out of Cleveland and were thinking of either flying WOW or Icelandic Air. I haven't seen the bad reviews for Icelandic and both are just coming to CLE starting May. Have you heard of problems with WOW? they are both so much cheaper than any other options we have seen from CLE.
 
Following along as we're on the same cruise.
We live in the UK & have booked transport from home down to Dover on the 8th - staying in the Premier in near the port the night before embarkation.
 
I think the hardest part of departing out of London is the departing out of London. We were scheduled to arrive on the Sept 5th from Dallas, take the train to Dover on the 8th, and stay at the Best Western (which is now sold out). We backed it up to the departure to 1st given it was a long weekend here in the States, but as we looked at things we wanted to see in London, the list kept growing, we backed up the date of departure from Dallas to the 30th. I'll need the 25hr days at sea to recoup! I'd love to do a day trip to Edinburgh, but I don't know if we'll have time. We thought we'd make a dash to DLP, but that we cut out too... If I just had unlimited money and vacation days this would be so much easier........
 
Won't be getting the first train out, our train will be around 1pm, which is the earliest we can do really - we get married the day before and then will be getting the train to London Sunday morning! Going to be a bit hectic haha!
Oh wow, that is quite a reason to take an afternoon train! Congratulations! :cheer2:

Hello! Just started reading along and just joined the FB page too. We did the WBTA from Barcelona 2017 and fell in LOVE with the TA cruises and booked it again! You are making me realize I better start making some plans. I have not done anything other than booked the cruise and bought some books. We will be flying out of Cleveland and were thinking of either flying WOW or Icelandic Air. I haven't seen the bad reviews for Icelandic and both are just coming to CLE starting May. Have you heard of problems with WOW? they are both so much cheaper than any other options we have seen from CLE.
Hello :wave2: I appreciate you stopping by! Hmm, yeah, getting the transportation/lodging stuff taken care of me a good idea sooner rather than later. I think it's great that you bought some books for it :D
I have heard about WOW and I'm not too impressed with how everything is a-la-carte. If you take a look at the prices and then add whatever else needs to be added on for you and your family, it may end up being comparable to other airlines. Be sure to read reviews on the airline to help you decide if it's something you and your family are comfortable with.
We WERE going to do Icelandic air because they fly right out of MSP but there are a lot of reviews about how flights are usually delayed and baggage gets lost frequently. I'm sure there are great experiences with the airline but, for this trip, I don't want to chance an airline with so many lost luggage reviews.

Following along as we're on the same cruise.
We live in the UK & have booked transport from home down to Dover on the 8th - staying in the Premier in near the port the night before embarkation.
Yay! Are you going to stay in the US after the cruise at all?
Premier looks like a great hotel chain. If we didn't get such a deal with the Alhambra Hotel, we would have booked Premier. Richard is also really interested in the B&B experience.
I wish I lived in the UK :)

I think the hardest part of departing out of London is the departing out of London. We were scheduled to arrive on the Sept 5th from Dallas, take the train to Dover on the 8th, and stay at the Best Western (which is now sold out). We backed it up to the departure to 1st given it was a long weekend here in the States, but as we looked at things we wanted to see in London, the list kept growing, we backed up the date of departure from Dallas to the 30th. I'll need the 25hr days at sea to recoup! I'd love to do a day trip to Edinburgh, but I don't know if we'll have time. We thought we'd make a dash to DLP, but that we cut out too... If I just had unlimited money and vacation days this would be so much easier........
Oh yes, we really wanted to do DLP as well but we just can't afford it. Staying in London and doing a few sightseeing things would be cheaper for us compared to DLP. This just means that we have to do another European cruise so we can stay at DLP next time! :D
 


UPDATE

Finally the major pieces are coming together for this trip!

  1. Domestic airfare has been booked! As laid out in my plans, we will be traveling on Southwest to make it to/from New York. The flights came out last week and the prices just started to start going up. Thankfully the flights we wanted to book did not go up prior to booking BUT we did get the last 2 low fares on our outbound portion.
    • While I'm not going to publish the EXACT flights, we will be stopping in MDW for a bit before going to LGA. We are thinking of using Lyft to transfer from LGA to JFK because the prices look more reasonable and you can book a car a week prior to pick up.
    • The flight departing LGA won't be until later in the afternoon, so maybe we can do a brief tour somewhere? Any tips would be welcome :)
  2. We have decided upon our Halifax port adventure! Found out that the Hop On Hop Off buses do stop at the Titanic Cemetary so we will have plenty of time to enjoy that stop. We added Peggy's Cove because Richard is quite interested in coves/lighthouses/boats and the brief history we've read sounds quite interesting and we'd enjoy learning more.
  3. Added a checklist to the thread so I have somewhere to keep a checklist. Sometimes the small things tend to slip through the cracks on such a large trip, so I need to make sure I can keep track of everything. This feature is more for me than anyone else but if anyone notices I missed something, please feel free to let me know!

Now, let me tell you, there was quite the drama with obtaining our airline tickets.
So, I use Swagbucks to help me earn money back for this trip (if you'd like a referral, let me know!) and buying gift cards through the site really helps with that. I bought hotels.com gift cards through SB and then booked on hotels.com through SB to get a nice amount of cash back. They also have Southwest gift cards and I tried ordering $600 worth ... twice!
I ordered the cards first via credit card and the payment was declined by the gift card people. I called them to find out what was going on and they said to just try again if everything is in order on my end. So, we ordered through the site via paypal (which was another payment option) that directly linked to a bank account. They declined the payment AGAIN! They said it was for fraud of the credit card. We used the same account for the hotels.com order (which was $500) and there was not an issue.
Yeah, so, I'm quite ticked off about that because we had to order our tickets now because the prices started going up and having $40 cashback was not worth tickets going up by $200+.
So, while I am going to continue using Swagbucks to earn money, I am not going to use their gift card services to buy gift cards outright. It's just not worth the risk for me.


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UPDATE
  1. We have decided upon our Halifax port adventure! Found out that the Hop On Hop Off buses do stop at the Titanic Cemetary so we will have plenty of time to enjoy that stop. We added Peggy's Cove because Richard is quite interested in coves/lighthouses/boats and the brief history we've read sounds quite interesting and we'd enjoy learning more..

How much is the hop on hop off bus? I saw $62.50/person, unless you are using it for more sites than the cemetery, I would take a cab, it would be less than $20 one way. :)
 
How much is the hop on hop off bus? I saw $62.50/person, unless you are using it for more sites than the cemetery, I would take a cab, it would be less than $20 one way. :)
We are also wanting to do Peggy's Cove, which they have a port Adventure combining both. I think it's $75?
 


That would be worth it the hop on hop off is pricey on its own :)

Are you talking the excursion price? I don't remember it being so much when we did it on our own in 2016.I'll have to go back and check my notes.
 
I would take a cab, it would be less than $20 one way. :)
You know what ... I think I'm going to do that. We do only want to do the cemetery that requires a bit farther than the port. We can walk to the Maritime museum :) So, I know it would be easy to get a cab from the port, but what about from the cemetery?
 
Update

This is going to be a long post ...

  1. MAJOR overhaul of itinerary plans over the whole vacation. This is due to the desire to be in the inner circle of Stonehenge and also because of finances.
    • We've been going back and forth between taking a tour to go to the center of Stonehenge since a few months after we booked. We were torn over how expensive it was. We also didn't think that any would be available for the time that we are there without having to bump our arrival day to one day earlier.
    • In order to be able to afford the private Stonehenge tour, we had to get rid of/alter some of our plans for our vacation.
      • We are changing our Afternoon Tea at the Ritz to our arrival day (Thursday) since Friday and Saturday will have full-day activities. I don't like having ANYTHING reserved on day of arrival because I usually don't sleep on planes ... BUT there is a discount on the 7:30pm seating (not quite afternoon, huh?) for tea which saves us $23. If this wasn't the case, we would have had this on Saturday.
      • We will be changing our Harry Potter tour to Saturday since Friday is the only day for the private Stonehenge tour. I initially did not want the studio tour to be on Saturday because it will most likely be crazy crowded. But, I figured if I can survive Disney World in the middle of freaking hot summer, I can handle a crowded but air-conditioned studio tour lol
      • We will NOT be doing excursions through DCL like we had originally planned. In Halifax, instead of the Peggy's Cove & Hop On Hop Off tour, we will be just going to/from the Titanic Cemetery via cab, forgo Peggy's Cove and walk to/from the maritime museum. This will save us about $100 and be able to do everything at our own pace. We will not be booking the Maple excursion at Saint Johns because we have a local brunch even covering the same thing coming up next month! When we found that, we were pretty excited :D By doing our local Maple Brunch prior to the cruise, we will be saving $146.
  2. Due to the above changes, our purpose of visiting Harrods has slightly changed. We were only going to visit for the food court to have lunch/dinner but now, we will be going to have a late lunch and also buy some foodstuffs for the private Stonehenge tour. We've actually had to email the Ritz to find out if we can store bags while having afternoon tea.

So, to kind of give you an easier idea of what's being changed, here is a comparison itinerary:


Thursday, Sept. 6th
  • Old Itinerary
    • Arrive to London/trains/check-in
    • Harrods Food Court
    • Science Museums
  • New Itinerary
    • Arrive
    • Harrods Food Court
      • Buy foodstuffs for lunch for the next day
    • Ritz Tea at 7:30pm at discount
Friday, Sept. 7th
  • Old Itinerary
    • Harry Potter Studio Tour
    • Possible Ritz Tea
    • Possible Fish & Chips
  • New Itinerary
    • Private Stonehenge Tour

Saturday, Sept. 8th
  • Old Itinerary
    • Shakespeare Globe Tours
    • Play Tourist
    • Possible Ritz Tea
    • Possible Fish & Chips
  • New Itinerary
    • Harry Potter Studio Tour
    • Possible Harry Potter Bar
Monday, Sept. 10th
  • Old Itinerary
    • Excursion to Stonehenge
  • New Itinerary
    • Fish and Chips at Weymouth

Monday, Sept. 17th
  • Old Itinerary
    • Peggy's Cove & Hop On Hop Off tour through DCL Port Adventures
  • New Itinerary
    • Cab to/from Titanic Cemetery
    • Walk to Maritime Museum

Tuesday, Sept. 18th
We are not doing an excursion for this day anymore.

Lots of changes, huh? Lol we just keep refining it, but hey, that's what this board is for, right?


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Your plans look amazing. You are so organised- unlike me.

New Itinerary
  • Arrive
  • Harrods Food Court
    • Buy foodstuffs for lunch for the next day
  • Ritz Tea at 7:30pm at discount

Just to be aware you will pay a premium for any food you purchase in Harrods. Have a look at their website for ideas of prices.

https://www.harrods.com/en-gb/food-...uple-slot_module-17_element-3_gourmet-grocery

There are plenty of little supermarkets near by eg a Sainsbury's Local across the road from Harrods itself. It might be more cost effective to pick up bread etc from there and get some treats from Harrods itself. Oh and the necessary Harrod's bag to put it all in.

If you are a fan of Diana, Princess of Wales there is a memorial to her and Dodi.
 
You know what ... I think I'm going to do that. We do only want to do the cemetery that requires a bit farther than the port. We can walk to the Maritime museum :) So, I know it would be easy to get a cab from the port, but what about from the cemetery?
I have read that you can book the cab to pick you up when they drop you off. There are 3 cruise ships in Halifax that day so there will probably be cabs coming and going from there that day.
 
Your plans look amazing. You are so organised- unlike me.
Thank you ^_^ If it makes you feel better, I've always been crazy organized with trip planning and I know my memory is horrible, so I just write everything down so I don't forget lol. I was also a travel agent



Just to be aware you will pay a premium for any food you purchase in Harrods. Have a look at their website for ideas of prices.
There are plenty of little supermarkets near by eg a Sainsbury's Local across the road from Harrods itself. It might be more cost effective to pick up bread etc from there and get some treats from Harrods itself. Oh and the necessary Harrod's bag to put it all in.
Yes, I have been to Harrods before and I love their food court(?), the prices seemed decent. The challenge will being able to get food that travels well. We are also planning on stopping by other markets or convenience stores. We like food, so we will definitely be budgeting to get a few of the already packaged things like sweets or tea for us to bring back home :D

If you are a fan of Diana, Princess of Wales there is a memorial to her and Dodi.
Oh, that's a really good idea! May I ask where it would be located?


I have read that you can book the cab to pick you up when they drop you off. There are 3 cruise ships in Halifax that day so there will probably be cabs coming and going from there that day.
Oh, eesh, really? Lots of cabs! Hopefully that means more opportunities for cabs and not huge lines for cabs lol
Hmm. The problem is I'm not sure how long we're going to be at the cemetery. Perhaps I should ask a local about it more (unless you are one?)
 
Oh, eesh, really? Lots of cabs! Hopefully that means more opportunities for cabs and not huge lines for cabs lol
Hmm. The problem is I'm not sure how long we're going to be at the cemetery. Perhaps I should ask a local about it more (unless you are one?)
Yes I am a local, but I have only ever driven by the cemetery I have never stopped. Another choice would be to rent a car for the day. You could drive out to Peggy's Cove and then stop at the cemetery, both are easy to drive to. Signage to Peggy's Cove is plentiful. There is a few car rental place at the Weston Hotel, about a 5 minute walk from the Port, National Enterprise and Thrifty).

We are on the cruise as well and are planning to visit Citadel Hill that day.
 
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Yes I am a local, but I have only ever driven by the cemetery I have never stopped. Another choice would be to rent a car for the day. You could drive out to Peggy's Cove and then stop at the cemetery, both are easy to drive to. Signage to Peggy's Cove is plentiful. There is a few car rental place at the Weston Hotel, about a 5 minute walk from the Port, National Enterprise and Thrifty).

We are on the cruise as well and are planning to visit Citadel Hill that day.
I just checked and you could rent a car for $68 Canadian dollars, about $53USD with National and the emerald discount.
 
Oh, that's a really good idea! May I ask where it would be located?
)

It is located at the base of the Egyptian Escalator.
Unfortunately their store plan does not show which one that is, but it is in the Egyptian area of the shop.
 
I just checked and you could rent a car for $68 Canadian dollars, about $53USD with National and the emerald discount.
Thank you for the information :) However, we only need a car for the cemetery, we don't think it would be worth the hassle of renting a car. We will definitely do more research into the cab thing for the return. Hopefully there will be lots of cabs around if there are 3 ships in port that day.


It is located at the base of the Egyptian Escalator.
Unfortunately their store plan does not show which one that is, but it is in the Egyptian area of the shop.
Haha okay thank you. I didn't know there was an Egyptian area.
 
Update

  1. We purchased our trip insurance today. We went with iTravelInsured SE Coverage policy. We found the policy though InsureMyTrip, which is a comparison website for all types of travel policies.
  2. Inner Circle Stonehenge Tour Booked! So excited about this :) We decided to book this tour early because there is only ONE date with ANY tour company that offers this during our stay that's affordable. Since there are limited options and this tour is something that is quite important to us (all of our other land-based travel in the UK is based upon this), we figured that we'd just get it now.
    • The tour is with Anderson Tours and it is the Stonehenge Special Access Inner Circle Evening Tour. Not only will we have the special access to the henge, we will also be visiting another stone circle in Avebury and going to a burial tomb. It's quite different than most tours that usually go to Bath or Salisbury. The only downside is that we have to bring our own snacks.
    • The currency is in British Pounds and we had our card declined and locked because of the purchase. We had to call to get it unlocked so we can try and repurchase. Thankfully, that went through. Just so you know, Wells Fargo debit cards have a 3% charge for payments in foreign currencies.

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Haha we've been waiting over a week to make a partial payment on the cruise because the new itinerary release has been clogging the phones.
The next big update will probably be when we are paid in full.
 

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