When I booked a European cruise, I purposefully planned to arrive a few days early so that I could have a better cruise experience.
Cruise experts will always advocate flying in at least one day before a cruise begins, but that tip is primarily about ensuring a travel delay does not prevent you from missing your cruise. While this is sage advice, there's one other really good reason to arrive early.
When your cruise goes out of an area with significant cultural and historical significance (sorry Port Canaveral), you'll likely want to explore on land as much as ensuring you don't miss the ship.
My 7-night France and Spain cruise on Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas was scheduled to depart on a Sunday, but I flew in Thursday night so I could have a few days in London prior to the cruise beginning.
My primary impetus for coming in two days early was so that I would make the cruise, but the opportunity to see London was just as important. In retrospect, I made a few mistakes along the way that I won't repeat on my next visit.
Not starting with jetlag
Probably the single largest concern I had prior to my trip was being jetlagged and it ruining my cruise.
No matter what strategy you have to fight jetlag, the more time you have to acclimate to local time, the better your chances of jetlag not messing up your ship tour plans.
Unfortunately, sleeping on an airplane wasn't in the cards for me on this trip. I read, listened to music, and watched movies. I attempted — and failed — to fall asleep.
Because I booked this cruise as the primary reason for travel, I was more concerned with being optimized for the cruise, than my time in London. While I would have been disappointed to miss out on time in London, that was always a bonus for my overall trip.
Because I didn't sleep at all on my flight over, I stayed up all day while in England and then finally went to bed after 36 hours being awake. It wasn't easy, but I felt like I avoided the worst of the jetlag and the morning of my cruise, I was ready to go.
Even if you break every jetlag advice out there, if you have a few days to sleep it off and get yourself set, you'll have a better cruise.
Mistake: Taking the train from the airport
I did a fair amount of research prior to my trip on how to tackle London, and a lot of the YouTube videos I watched implored to use the train between London Heathrow airport and the city.
I found this to be mistake in the sense going on a train with full-size (and heavy) luggage is cumbersome, difficult, and a giant pain.
Not only are there long distances to pull the luggage around, but there are stairs and platforms to traverse that are not easy with a lot of luggage.
The advice is spot on with how to save money, but it's really meant for someone backpacking or traveling with carry-on luggage.
The only saving grace was I was traveling solo, because if I tried to do this with my family, it would have resulted in a lot of tears of frustration.
If you have big pieces of luggage, my advice is spend extra on an Uber ride, car service, or taxi.
Balancing tourist traps & the real deal
If you read enough articles and videos about what to do in London, there's lots of conjecture about what's worth your time or not, and inevitably I found myself weighing the pros and cons of any activity.
Part of my strategy to avoid not falling asleep on my first day in London was to get out and explore. I knew sitting in my Airbnb rental would just lead to sleep, so I deliberately got out and walked around.
The biggest issue I found is picking things you want to do and how to see the most without succumbing to heavy tourist traps.
Certainly everyone wants to see Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, and the like. The problem is the insane crowds that are there most of the day.
I found it best to take a leisurely walking tour of the area so I could see them, take photos, but not commit to going in for a tour. My rationale is the most notable thing about them is being able to say you saw it and take a photo. What the hallways, portraits, and artifacts found inside are all about is less memorable.
That probably sounds like a cold approach to it, but I wanted to maximize my time and see more.
I ran across a great tip for an alternative to the hop on, hop off buses. Those bus tours cost around 40 pounds per person, but instead you can hop on the route number 11 bus for just 1.65 per person and the loop goes by many of the major attractions in Central London.
I also took time to walk along the Thames River on the south bank of the Thames, which gives you great views of the major sights.
There are inexpensive boat tours you can take, or enjoy a leisurely stroll. The walk between Westminster Bridge and Tower Bridge allows you to see:
- London Eye
- The Shard
- London Bridge, Southwark Bridge, Blackfriars Bridge, Waterloo Bridge, Hungerford Bridge & Golden Jubilee Bridges
- Southwark Cathedral
- London County Hall
- Shakespeare’s Globe
- Royal Festival Hall
- Houses of Parliament
- Westminster Abbey
- Tower of London
There's so much to see around London, which is why I found it advantageous to take in sights as I passed by.
Mistake: Not prioritizing outdoor activities when weather is good
The stereotype that it's always cloudy and raining in England is not that far off from the truth, so take advantage of good weather when you can.
I had near perfect weather on the first day I was in London. It was mostly sunny, comfortable temperatures, and a nice breeze. It was very pleasant to be outside and walk around.
While I did do a lot of walking around the Thames river, I wish I had spent more time prioritizing outdoor activities I thought I could do the next day.
The second day was mostly a rain out, and I don't care how motivated you are to see outdoor sights rain or shine, it's miserable being outside in the rain.
I would recommend having a list of what you want to see and do, and double down on anything outdoors when it's nice out. Save the museums and shows for rainy days whenever possible.
Mistake: Taking the stairs at Covent Garden station
196 stairs or the elevator, and I thought taking the stairs up wouldn't be so bad.
What was I thinking taking the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator?!
Despite the stairs mistake, Covent Garden is a fun area to go I liked all the different vendors selling all sorts of souvenirs.
