GregD Posted July 7 Report Share Posted July 7 We dropped our luggage at the hotel in Southampton. We are staying in the Novotel across from the port. I didn’t get a chance to grab a picture of the room before bags were strewn everywhere, but it’s a standard room. Beds, bathroom, espresso machine (best day ever). When we got here the room wasn’t ready, so the front desk stored our bags and we went exploring. We started at the Seacity Museum that has an interesting Titanic exhibit. (Photos to follow) After this we were feeling tired and calorie depleted, so lunch, or whatever meal our bodies felt we were on was required. There was a place close by called “Slug and Lettuce “ I love weird names, so that’s where we went. Following this, we felt a little recharged and ready to rally. We wandered around the city center and marveled at the modern buildings being built among the original walls of the city. we wandered long enough for the room to be ready. We are now in the room, ready to crash. Tomorrow will be fun when the kids find out we are star class. They still think we are in a small room. Here is a little photo dump for you all. Skigoofy, Lovetocruise2002, Ray and 12 others 13 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDaley Posted July 7 Report Share Posted July 7 25 minutes ago, GregD said: Hahaha Who doesn't love a good Goofy Movie reference? CravingaCruise, Skigoofy, WAAAYTOOO and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Posted July 7 Report Share Posted July 7 2 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said: WOW ! I don't think we can blame this one on @Lovetocruise2002though. I seem to recall that @Raywas the rabble-rouser for this one ! LOL Without going into details of his latest controversy, this time he had to go! Even his closest allies had enough and bailed out leaving him alone lol WAAAYTOOO, JLMoran and CravingaCruise 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted July 7 Author Report Share Posted July 7 London- Day 4 Today was mainly “Things that Hubby wanted to do” day. But first, breakfast at the Savoy’s Thames Foyer again. We have breakfast included with our stay and true to Fairmont standards, each morning it has been tasty and super fresh. RWDW1204, Jax, CravingaCruise and 5 others 5 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted July 7 Author Report Share Posted July 7 Our next stop for the morning was riding the Tube to the real King’s Cross Station. They have a makeshift Platform 9 3/4 (photo op) and a souvenir store. JLMoran, Guy Gadwa, Skigoofy and 5 others 5 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted July 7 Author Report Share Posted July 7 From there we made our way to the event that Hubby was most excited for…. Madame Tussaud’s! What can I say, he loves his Star Wars WAAAYTOOO, Skigoofy, RWDW1204 and 8 others 10 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted July 7 Author Report Share Posted July 7 After Madame Tussaud’s, we headed back to the Savoy for something that my 15 year old and I have been looking forward to ever since we started planning this vacation, Traditional Afternoon Tea. No better way to experience it than at the Savoy, so we bit the bullet on the cost. While Hubby did not enjoy the cost of it, he did agree that it was good for everyone to experience once, and essentially, that is what you are paying for. I love my tea. I am a bit of a tea snob to the point where I travel and carry my own tea to different places and restaurants, even at home. I was impressed with the teas this afternoon at the Savoy. The cakes and scones were amazing too!! twangster, WAAAYTOOO, CravingaCruise and 12 others 12 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted July 7 Author Report Share Posted July 7 Hubby needed a pick me up after signing off on the bill for afternoon tea, so we headed back to Covent Garden for some some shopping that he and the 16 year old wanted to do. Hubby went one way, and my daughter and I went another. Hubby found this place a few weeks ago on YouTube and put it on his “must do” list lol My daughter and I shopped at the many other stores in the Covent Garden area. Guy Gadwa, Neesa, CravingaCruise and 5 others 7 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted July 7 Author Report Share Posted July 7 After already eating dinner once in Covent Garden, we decided to head back to Chinatown for our last meal here. Main reason being that we know the food coma that lies ahead and noodles and soup was calling us again. Back at the Savoy now and packing up because tomorrow is cruise day!! On the cruise front, Leroy sent us the confirmed entertainment schedule yesterday and the activities (North Star, iFly, bumper cars, etc.) today so we have our schedule firmed up a bit more now. Tomorrow, for the first time ever, I won’t be at the port when boarding starts. Bit of a mix up. When check in opened in May, the earliest time that everyone got was 11:30am. I had originally booked Blackberry Cars to pick us up at 8:30am but after check in, I bumped it back to 9:30am. @GregDand I were chatting a few days ago and I realized that I didn’t even think to ask Leroy or if could show earlier. I just assumed that they later boarding was due to sailing out of a different port. After talking to @GregDand Leroy (who said that boarding can definitely be before 11:30am), I contacted Blackberry Cars to move it back to 8:30am pick up but no luck. They are booked up. So we will be rolling in around 11:30am as originally planned. The girls are happy. They get to sleep in slightly. Teenagers ellcee, Skigoofy, Jax and 2 others 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregD Posted July 8 Report Share Posted July 8 It’s cruise day!!!! ellcee, Lovetocruise2002, MicDay and 5 others 1 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregD Posted July 8 Report Share Posted July 8 While it’s no afternoon tea at the savoy, having an Uber Eats delivery of pizza to the hotel last night at 11pm as we fought off jet lag and worked on changing our internal clocks surely hit the spot. We are all awake (it’s currently 5:26 local time) and ready to go! CravingaCruise, sammy79, Jax and 4 others 4 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregD Posted July 8 Report Share Posted July 8 Breakfast at the hotel this morning was decent. They had all the typical things for a full English breakfast as well as typical continental fare. The host looked at me like I had three heads when I asked him if the Thomas’s factory was nearby. I’ll keep trying when we get to London though. A little backstory here, my stepmother is from England, and any time she and my father are in England he always asks the same thing much to her chagrin. Stray Observation about the hotel. Typically when we check into hotels, when booking it’s specified two adults and two children. Without fail when we arrive, we have to open up the couch, if it’s that type of room, then we have to call the front desk because without fail, the spare linens are never in the room. When we arrived here and got into room, the sleeper sofa was already open and prepared with plenty of pillows, sheets blankets, and extra towels for the bathroom. After such a long day of travel and exploring, having one less thing to deal with was really appreciated. Continental breakfast side Hot Breakfast Someone was thrilled they had coco crispies, and pancakes with Nutella. (Scope the cruise lanyard that he was so excited to find in his suitcase that he just had to wear it) Guy Gadwa, Jax, JLMoran and 7 others 8 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregD Posted July 8 Report Share Posted July 8 Inquiring minds want to know. Any physicists out there? Why is that when you are on the ship, time moves at a breakneck speed, but when you are sitting in your hotel waiting for your cab ride time moves backwards? Our “ride” is here Day one cruise outfit is on point. Gotta represent right? Norwegian Blue nails are done too Why is it only 8:56??!!??? sammy79, ellcee, JLMoran and 12 others 9 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted July 8 Author Report Share Posted July 8 @GregDwe are on our way! The disadvantage of maximizing your time in Central London and staying there until Cruise morning PPPJJ-GCVAB, WAAAYTOOO, Neesa and 7 others 6 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Posted July 8 Report Share Posted July 8 I hope you both have a great cruise. I live on the Isle of Wight and will be out on my balcony this evening to watch you sail through the Solent. PPPJJ-GCVAB, Guy Gadwa, WAAAYTOOO and 3 others 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregD Posted July 8 Report Share Posted July 8 We are on board!!! Our van picked us up promptly at 10:15, and we were at the port by 10:20. We were dropped off in the general cab area, and the porters were ready to grab our bags. The Boss channeled her inner @WAAAYTOOO and had a vice like grip on her bags and exclaimed “WE ARE STAR CLASS” at which point the kids said wait what??!! A few of the porters looked at us confused, but one knew what we meant and pointed us in the right direction. The star class check in area is in the middle of the building. At that point we were on a mission, so I didn’t get a chance to snap a picture. The regular and star class people did have a list of the star class rooms, so they do verify. Once at the correct area, we turned our bags into the right people and at that point we were assigned to port personnel who guided us through the rest of the check in. He first verified our test results, then brought us to security. Security was a quick walk through the metal detectors where Leroy was waiting for us. We met the next crew member who completed the check in process. He verified our passports, vaccine stuff, health questions. Shortly after Leroy escorted us onto the ship. Meanwhile, I was sending messages to @Lovetocruise2002 about what to expect, and she “yelled” at me that I was teasing her. From arrival to on the ship was about 10 minutes. JLMoran, Skigoofy, MaryS and 14 others 15 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted July 8 Report Share Posted July 8 12 minutes ago, GregD said: Shortly after Leroy escorted us onto the ship. Meanwhile, I was sending messages to @Lovetocruise2002 about what to expect, and she “yelled” at me that I was teasing her. Trust me. JLMoran, CravingaCruise, Skigoofy and 6 others 8 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruisin and Boozin Posted July 8 Report Share Posted July 8 Enjoy the cruise ! WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted July 8 Author Report Share Posted July 8 We made it too! Took us about 2 hours. Some traffic cleared up for us. When we got here boarding had started. Like @GregDalready mentioned, no Star Class podium or banner here in Southampton. Just this sign. However, once you identify yourself as Star, boarding was very smooth and efficient. Driving up to the ship This was the only sign to indicate Star. JLMoran, CravingaCruise, ellcee and 9 others 10 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YOLO Posted July 8 Report Share Posted July 8 @Lovetocruise2002 & @GregD Enjoy your cruise!!! We are Fjording B2B on Anthem next MAY (14th & 21st) - can't wait to hear your story... Lovetocruise2002 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted July 8 Report Share Posted July 8 Woohoo! Now it's a cruise! Enjoy! Lovetocruise2002, Neesa and WAAAYTOOO 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregD Posted July 8 Report Share Posted July 8 Ugghhhh…..the days of empty and fast elevators is over….. PPPJJ-GCVAB, YOLO, WAAAYTOOO and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted July 8 Report Share Posted July 8 Boarding day is always the worst elevator experience. ellcee, WAAAYTOOO and YOLO 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregD Posted July 8 Report Share Posted July 8 10 minutes ago, twangster said: Boarding day is always the worst elevator experience. That’s true….it’s been a bit since we’ve experienced a “normal” boarding day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted July 8 Author Report Share Posted July 8 10724 Lower level Downstairs Bathroom Upstairs Upstairs Bath Balcony Ray, Neesa, Guy Gadwa and 18 others 13 6 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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