My wife and I started our journey in Vancouver Canada on Aug. 14th. where we flew to Heathrow via Air Canada 777 service. We were prepared to hate the flight and the service from what we have heard, but were pleasantly surprised. We travelled economy and found the seating space to be adequate considering my 6'1" frame. Customs in Heathrow went smoothly and we soon found ourselves looking for the tube station into London. We had pre purchased the London Pass with transportation so the Piccadilly Line was already paid for and off we went. Glouster Road Station was our stop to our Hotel and to my surprise, once we emerged from the depths of the tube station, our hotel was right in front of us. We stayed at the Bailey's Millennium Kensington near Hyde Park which was a four star for $150 USD/per night. Having pre paid for the London Pass, we checked in and then went touring London. In three days, we saw all the major attractions including Windsor Castle and only made one mistake on the tube. We found the subway system to be easy and effective. We really enjoyed London and the weather was great, only a little rain for five minutes or so that certainly didn't dampen our spirits.

We shared a transfer to the ship with another couple we met through Cruise Critic on Aug. 18th. We used London Airport Cars for both transfers to the ship and back to Heathrow at the end of the cruise. If you use this company you need to be sure to state the amount of luggage you have as they were woefully inadequate for the transfer back to Heathrow. We could not use the vehicle they sent even though we stated our group size and cruise ship luggage. They were not helpful in addressing our problem and we would up finding another company to take us to Heathrow.

Check in was very fast and efficient and we went directly to our cabin as we arrived after 1 pm. We were soon enjoying a glass of wine with our newly met travel companions on our deck. Read more