When I booked a European cruise, I deliberately arrived a few days early so that I could have a better cruise experience.
Cruise experts always recommend arriving by air at least a day before your cruise, but this advice is mostly to ensure that travel delays don't cause you to miss your cruise. While this is sage advice, there's another really good reason to arrive early.
When your cruise ship sails out of a culturally and historically significant area (sorry, Port Canaveral), you'll most likely want to explore on land to make sure you don't miss the ship.
My 7-night cruise to France and Spain on Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas was scheduled to depart on Sunday, but I flew in Thursday evening so I could spend a few days in London before the cruise.
The main reason I arrived two days early was to catch my cruise, but the opportunity to see London was equally important. In retrospect, I made a few mistakes along the way that I won't make again next time I'm in London.
No need to worry about time difference
My biggest worry before traveling might be Jet lag ruined my flight.
Whatever strategy you use to combat jet lag, the more time you have to adjust to local time, the less likely it will disrupt your cruise plans.
Unfortunately, I couldn't sleep on the plane this trip. I read, listened to music, watched movies. I tried – and failed – to fall asleep.
Since I booked this cruise as the main purpose of my trip, I was more concerned with optimizing the cruise than the time in London. Although I would be disappointed to miss the time in London, it is always a good thing for my overall trip.
Since I hadn’t slept during the flight, I was up all day in the UK and didn’t finally fall asleep until 36 hours after not sleeping. It wasn’t easy, but I felt like I had avoided the worst effects of jet lag and was ready to go on the morning of the cruise.
Even if you go against all the jet lag advice, your cruise will be much more enjoyable if you have a few days to get some good sleep and prepare yourself.
Mistake: Taking the train from the airport
Before my trip, I did a lot of research on how to get around London, and many YouTube videos I watched suggested taking the train between London Heathrow Airport and the city.
I think this was a mistake, as taking the train with full-sized (and heavy) luggage is cumbersome, difficult, and downright painful.
Not only do you have to drag your luggage a long distance, but you also have to climb stairs and platforms, which is not easy with a lot of luggage.
This is great advice on how to save money, but it's really for backpackers or Traveling with carry-on baggage.
The only thing I was thankful for was that I was travelling alone because if I had tried to travel with my family it would have resulted in many frustrated tears.
If you have large luggage, my advice is to spend a little more money and take an Uber, car service, or taxi.
Balancing tourist traps and authenticity
If you read enough articles and videos about what to do in London you’ll realise there’s a lot of speculation about what’s or isn’t worth your time, and I inevitably find myself weighing up the pros and cons of any activity.
One of the strategies I adopted to avoid being unable to sleep on my first day in London was to go out and explore. I knew staying in my Airbnb would only make me sleepy, so I made a point to get out and about.
The biggest problem I found was choosing what you wanted to do and how to see the most without falling into heavy tourist traps.
Of course, everyone wants to see Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, etc. The problem is, they are packed with people most of the day.
I found the best approach was to take a leisurely walking tour of the area so I could see them, take photos but not commit to going in. My reasoning was that the most striking thing about them was being able to say you saw it and took photos. The corridors, portraits, and artifacts found inside were less memorable.
This may sound like a cold attitude, but I want to maximize my time and observe as many things as possible.
I stumbled across a great suggestion for an alternative to the hop on hop off buses. Those bus tours cost around £40 per person, but you can take the number 11 bus for just £1.65 per person, which loops past many of the main sights in central London.
I also spent time walking along the Thames on its south bank, which offered great views of the main sights.
You can take an inexpensive boat tour or just take a leisurely walk. 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 and Golden Jubilee Bridge
- Southwark Cathedral
- London County Hall
- Shakespeare's Globe Theatre
- Royal Festival Hall
- Parliament Building
- Westminster Abbey
- Tower of London
There are so many places to visit around London that I find it beneficial to take in the sights as I pass by.
Mistake: Not prioritizing outdoor activities when the weather is nice
People often think that England is always cloudy and rainy, but this is not really a big problem, so make the most of the good weather when you can.
The weather was almost perfect on my first day in London. It was sunny most of the time, with a nice temperature and a gentle breeze. It was very pleasant to go out for a walk.
While I did take quite a few walks around the Thames, I wish I had spent more time prioritizing the outdoor activities I thought I could do the next day.
It rained most of the next day, and no matter how much you wanted to see the outdoors raining or shining, being outdoors in the rain was miserable.
I recommend making a list of things you want to see and do, and do more outdoor activities when the weather is nice. Save museums and exhibitions for rainy days whenever possible.
Mistake: Taking the stairs at Covent Garden station
196 steps or an elevator, I don’t think taking the stairs up would be that bad.
Why did I think of taking the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator?!
Despite the faulty staircase, Covent Garden was still an interesting place to visit and I loved all the different vendors selling all sorts of souvenirs.
