2022 Ascension Cellars Norway: London Pre-Cruise Stay

By Suzanne Klasen
Destinations/Ports Series: 2022 Norway Cruise
Show All Destinations/Ports in this Series

If you have only one day in London like we did, you need to make the most of it… and really, we had about half a day.

I had arranged for our entire group to stay at the Doubletree by Hilton London Victoria. This hotel was located not only close to Victoria station but in walking distance of the Thames River and Buckingham palace. The black taxis that serve London are also an efficient way to get around and most drivers take credit cards or cash.

We met up with family in a little beer pub for lunch and then had intended to walk to Thames, but when we got delayed by some folks who couldn’t figure out that they had to use their room card in the Elevator to go up to their floor at the hotel, we had the hotel call a black cab to take us down to the river cruise embankment. It wasn’t too expensive, and our driver told us about a few of the things we passed.

The one thing that I wanted to do on this visit to London was a Thames River Cruise. With the river really being in the heart of London, a cruise from Parliament to the Tower Bridge allows you to see all the highlights of London in a short 1 hour river cruise. We had great views of all the things that one would probably visit if they had more then a 1/2 day in London: The London Eye, The Shard, Globe Theater, Big Ben, Parliament, Train Station, the London Tower and the Tower Bridge. If you want a little more excitement in your Thames River cruise, there are also Jet Boat tours as well.

For dinner, well when in London, where else would you go but a German Beer Garden: Munich Cricket Club. There is actually a reasonable explanation for our dining choice. We have a Vegan in our group and we tasked her with finding a place with Vegan Options that would also have food that everyone else would love. We all love German Food and with it being just a few blocks walk from the hotel it was the perfect option for our group. We even got back to the hotel early enough to have some drinks with friends in our group before turning in for the night.

To be clear, a half day in London is not nearly enough time. Some folks in our group came in two to three days early and were able to enjoy things like a West End Show or the famous London Museums. If you have the time and the budget, definitely come in a few days early to London before your Southampton cruise.

This entry was posted in My Cruise History
Suzanne Klasen

Suzanne Klasen is the Owner / Travel Advisor of CruiseOne Suzanne Klasen. We have combined our love of cruising with computer skills to bring you a very informative and entertaining site that follows my cruising travels and thoughts. I hope that you will let me help plan your next vacation.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.