Virtual Online Disney Magic 5 Night Western Europe September 2020 Trip Report

While on the Magic one of the Entertainment Hosts, Mike, kept talking about Nando's and how excited he was to use his Nando's Loyalty card when in Port at Dover. He must have mentioned it a half dozen times at various onboard events. Since we don't have Nando's in California, we decided to seek one out for dinner that night in Mike's honor. We tried the roulette plate and a few other things and enjoyed trying all the sauces. We even got a Loyalty Card :)

Nandos is hugely popular. Its mid priced fast food and is just the right style of restaurant and price range for teenagers and the under 30's. The food is fresh and good quality and they have branches almost in every area of London, so they are very accessible. Its defiantly one of my must do places to eat when I visit London :)
 
London Saturday September 19 2020

Today would have been my relaxing and chill day. In the morning I would have gone over to Kings Cross Station and got coffee in Starbucks and food for breakfast in Pret A Manger and gone back to my hotel room and had a lie in watching TV. I probably would have started my Dis cruise trip report while having breakfast.

Pret A Manger is a coffee and sandwich chain similar to Starbucks. They specialize in fresh made on the premises sandwiches and salads. I used to work for the company when I lived in London and I just love their food.


About lunch time I would have got ready and gone out. I would probably have made plans to spend the day with my friends. I still keep in contact with my London friends, even though I left about 10 years ago. My friends are now married with children so I usually spend the day over at their house.

After spending the day with my friends I might have gone to the theatre in the evening. I usually get cheap on the day tickets at the discount kiosk at Leicester Square. It was one of the things I used to do on my days off in London, just head into Leicester Square and see what shows are on offer. I rarely paid full price for theatre tickets.

 
Going Home To Ireland Sunday September 20 2020

Today I would leave London and go home to Dublin Ireland.

The hotel check out is 12 noon.

Again this morning I would have gone over to Kings Cross Station and got coffee in Starbucks and food for breakfast in Pret A Manger and brought breakfast back to my hotel room.

This is my usual breakfast from Pret A Manger, a coffee, an almond croissant and a cheese and tomato croissant. I would probably spend as much as buying the hotel breakfast but I don't eat the full fried breakfast every day.
pret breakfast.jpg


Breakfast is available at the hotel and costs £9.99
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Again in the morning before check out I would have just stayed in my hotel room, having a relaxing morning.

Check out is usually 12 noon, so once I had left the hotel I would have walked over to Kings Cross Station and got the Tube to Heathrow airport. This journey take about an hour, so I would aim to be at the airport for about 1.30pm


I usually like to be at the airport about 2 hours before my flight, so that I have time to have lunch and do some shopping

Aer Lingus flights from London to Dublin depart from Heathrow Terminal 2

 
Things To Help People Planning 2021 European Cruises

Get UK Train Tickets Online In Advance

In the UK , train tickets are bookable from about 3 months in advance. Train tickets increase in price the closer you get to travel day. The most expensive tickets for a route will be on the day tickets bought at the train station.
I always use this website to book train tickets https://www.thetrainline.com/train-times and I choose the option to collect at the train station.

If you are planning your own transport from London to Dover, the train will be the fastest and most economical way to travel. Be aware though that luggage space is limited, luggage racks are usually at the end of each carriage. Seat pitches are smaller than trains in USA. Pre Covid, trains could be very crowded, depending on the route and time of day. Many times there would not be seats available and people will stand in the aisle and at the doorways. Train travel in off peak times is always advisable.

Public Transport In London

TFL (Transport For London) website is one thing you should study BEFORE you visit London. https://tfl.gov.uk/ It has a huge amount of information, from fares and Oyster Cards to interactive bus and tube maps and journey planners. Before leaving your hotel for the day, make sure to check the status updates, which will give updates about diversions, station or route closures.

What To Wear

UK and Ireland and Europe in general dress very different to Americans. Generally branded and slogan clothing is usually only worn by young people, mostly under 24. Branded clothing tends to be very subtle branding, so generally you will see children and teenagers wearing Disney tshirts or hoodies but the mom and dad would be wearing plain , non branded clothes. If you are buying clothes in Europe, be aware that clothes sizes are generally smaller and even in Disneyland Paris you will not find the range of adult clothes you will find in the American parks or on DCL. You will not find clothes sizes either womens or mens in the bigger American sizes either. Other than in specialty plus size clothes shops, most European shops wont stock clothes bigger than womens UK 20 / 18 USA or mens XL / chest 44 inches

Generally womens casual clothes would be jeans, or smart pants, plain tshirts, plain jumpers, plain cardigans, comfy shoes or floral, striped or printed dresses, skirts etc. Think a more relaxed office casual look. https://thesavvybackpacker.com/womens-european-fashion/

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For men, its generally the same, jeans and jumpers, comfy shoes or pants like chinos. Men in Europe do not wear baseball hats on a day to day basis.

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Weather / Temperatures

In UK and Ireland generally June/ July /August are the hottest months of the year. The hottest heatwave days in London can get to 30 c / 86 f. Most of the time though in June/ July /August a good guide would be 25 c / 77 f. Rain can happen on any day. Summer rain can be anything from a light mist for about 30 minutes to a day long downpour with thunder and lightening. Some days can be very windy, even if the temperature is high.

September, the temperatures start to drop, a good guide would be 20 c / 68 f. Again wind and rain can happen at any time.

Many days will be overcast and cloudy, even if the temperatures are high. We don't get continuous days of endless blue skies. We have year round humidity of about 50% , even on the most hottest days in summer.

Small compact umbrellas are a handbag staple, in every month of the year. They can be bought in most grocery shops, convenience stores, drug stores etc. Most coats and jackets are waterproof with a hood. UK and Irish people dont really tend to wear raincoats or windbreakers.

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Truly enjoyed your "trip report." It was chock-full of great information and all the videos were very helpful. Again, I'm really sorry your cruise didn't really happen and look forward to the day we can all read your after-cruise trip report. :)
 
In addition to Nando's we ate at a Pret 3 times in London! There was one at the London Bus terminal on our way to Dover, then twice for our overnight before flying back to California (where the only Pret in the whole state is 6 hours drive from us). It was quick, easy and tasty. We were too tired to manage something more than a Nando's or Pret.

Thanks for the Virtual Trip Report. Just like a cruise, it is over too soon.
 
Badpinktink....This is totally awesome! We lost our Northern Europe cruise this past summer And were going to be at some of the places you highlighted in your virtual trip report. I am home isolating as we all have just come down with Covid, despite our best efforts to avoid it, and this is such a happy thing to be reading as I am recovering! Thank you for all of your hard work you put into this! 🥰
 


Badpinktink....This is totally awesome! We lost our Northern Europe cruise this past summer And were going to be at some of the places you highlighted in your virtual trip report. I am home isolating as we all have just come down with Covid, despite our best efforts to avoid it, and this is such a happy thing to be reading as I am recovering! Thank you for all of your hard work you put into this! 🥰

aww thanks, virtual hugs, it was hard, day by writing this in real time from home when I should have been on the ship but it makes it worthwhile knowing that it helps all those who also lost European cruises this year. Best wishes to you and your family and hopefully you all get through the illness ok.
 
BPTink, Loved your photo of the Magic in Dublin in 2019. We were on that cruise and loved it. Enjoyed Dublin and ventured beyond the city to Malahide. Also, loved Belfast and learned so much history. People were so friendly. Thanks for writing about your missed trip and here's hoping we All get back to cruising and enjoying foreign ports and meeting new people real soon. Especially will enjoy reading your post trip report. We'll stay positive! :tigger:
 

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