England & France: Cities of Knights & Lights (London & Paris) Meets Thread

[SingingMom]

Do we need to pack an iron or do they have these in our hotel rooms?

We had irons in our rooms.

"SingingMom" ....Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[AZ Mom]

Hi, all. We just got back from the 5/20 K&L trip. Had a phenomenal time! There were 21 of us (including HDry!) and we had two great guides - Adam and Caroline! Rather than a full-blown TR, just a few comments/highlights:

1) Landmark London is a fabulous hotel. Service was top-notch and the rooms were huge and well-appointed. Ate at two great places very close by: The Potting Shed (just around the corner, but a bit hard to find) and Seashell of Lisson Grove. Both worth a visit for meals on your own. Great food, service, and reasonable (really) prices.

2) Wear layers. We had very cold, rainy weather most days. Some places were very warm inside, so you'll want to be able to add and remove layers as needed.

3) As many have said, comfy shoes are a must! There is tons of walking and a fair amount on cobblestone. Dress was very casual in both cities and plenty of tourists and locals wear sneakers. Go for comfort!

4) Foxhills is a nice retreat outside of town. Not sure if all tours will do this, but the Stonehenge trip in the a.m. was optional (we did go and were glad) and then we returned to Foxhills for lunch. That afternoon, we headed out to Windsor Castle, which was really one of the highlights.

5) The hotel in Paris is centrally located near the Arch de Triomphe and the Champs Elysse. It is a beautiful hotel, but can get busy with lots of other tour groups. There's a lovely park nearby (Parc Monceau), where you can stroll, people watch, and relax just like the Parisians!

6) We ate at a couple of great places in Paris, too. Both Visconti and Del Papa (Italian/Pizza) were fairly close to the hotel and a welcome change from French food (especially for our teenager). We also ate at a cute little crepe place right around the corner from Notre Dame. Paul is a local chain with sandwiches, pastries, etc. This is a good place to go if you want just a light lunch and/or a tart!

7) The final dinner at Lauduree was magnifique! The food was wonderful and the atmosphere provided a fitting end to our all-to-brief visit to London and Paris!

8) We knew very little French, but greeting staff at restaurants and shops with a "bonjour" and leaving with an "au revoir" went a long way toward ensuring friendly, warm service. We were pleasantly surprised to feel so welcomed and appreciated everywhere we went

9) Relax, enjoy, and soak it in! It will go more quickly than you can imagine and you'll want to make sure you take full advantages of the opportunities that await you.

10) I can't say enough good things about our guides, Adam and Caroline. They had boundless energy and enthusiasm and seamlessly guided us through last-minute royal ceremonies, traffic pile-ups, and demonstrations. I hope you're fortunate enough to have one or both of them on your trip.

11) Finally, I want to acknowledge our fabulous co-adventurers. What a great group of people! It really helped to make our experience even more special!

If you have any questions, let me know. Hope this helps those with upcoming trips!

 

[SingingMom]

Hi, all. We just got back from the 5/20 K&L trip. Had a phenomenal time! There were 21 of us (including HDry!) and we had two great guides - Adam and Caroline! Rather than a full-blown TR, just a few comments/highlights:

1) Landmark London is a fabulous hotel. Service was top-notch and the rooms were huge and well-appointed. Ate at two great places very close by: The Potting Shed (just around the corner, but a bit hard to find) and Seashell of Lisson Grove. Both worth a visit for meals on your own. Great food, service, and reasonable (really) prices.

2) Wear layers. We had very cold, rainy weather most days. Some places were very warm inside, so you'll want to be able to add and remove layers as needed.

3) As many have said, comfy shoes are a must! There is tons of walking and a fair amount on cobblestone. Dress was very casual in both cities and plenty of tourists and locals wear sneakers. Go for comfort!

4) Foxhills is a nice retreat outside of town. Not sure if all tours will do this, but the Stonehenge trip in the a.m. was optional (we did go and were glad) and then we returned to Foxhills for lunch. That afternoon, we headed out to Windsor Castle, which was really one of the highlights.

5) The hotel in Paris is centrally located near the Arch de Triomphe and the Champs Elysse. It is a beautiful hotel, but can get busy with lots of other tour groups. There's a lovely park nearby (Parc Monceau), where you can stroll, people watch, and relax just like the Parisians!

6) We ate at a couple of great places in Paris, too. Both Visconti and Del Papa (Italian/Pizza) were fairly close to the hotel and a welcome change from French food (especially for our teenager). We also ate at a cute little crepe place right around the corner from Notre Dame. Paul is a local chain with sandwiches, pastries, etc. This is a good place to go if you want just a light lunch and/or a tart!

7) The final dinner at Lauduree was magnifique! The food was wonderful and the atmosphere provided a fitting end to our all-to-brief visit to London and Paris!

8) We knew very little French, but greeting staff at restaurants and shops with a "bonjour" and leaving with an "au revoir" went a long way toward ensuring friendly, warm service. We were pleasantly surprised to feel so welcomed and appreciated everywhere we went

9) Relax, enjoy, and soak it in! It will go more quickly than you can imagine and you'll want to make sure you take full advantages of the opportunities that await you.

10) I can't say enough good things about our guides, Adam and Caroline. They had boundless energy and enthusiasm and seamlessly guided us through last-minute royal ceremonies, traffic pile-ups, and demonstrations. I hope you're fortunate enough to have one or both of them on your trip.

11) Finally, I want to acknowledge our fabulous co-adventurers. What a great group of people! It really helped to make our experience even more special!

If you have any questions, let me know. Hope this helps those with upcoming trips!

So happy you had a great trip! We had Frankie & Francesc last May and adored them. We know of Adam & Caroline - I don't think there is a bad guide in all of ABD. LOLOLOL

"SingingMom" ....Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[calypso726]

Hi everyone! We are booked for this adventure on the adult trip for September 19, 2014. It is me, my DH Wally (W@LL-E), and my mom and dad. This will be our second ABD. Our first takes place this August for the Scotland Brave Adventure. Looking forward to trip reports and feedback from those who are traveling before we are.

 

[SingingMom]

Hi everyone! We are booked for this adventure on the adult trip for September 19, 2014. It is me, my DH Wally (W@LL-E), and my mom and dad. This will be our second ABD. Our first takes place this August for the Scotland Brave Adventure. Looking forward to trip reports and feedback from those who are traveling before we are.

Have you ever been to London or Paris before? We had never been to Europe and this trip was better than we could ever imagine!!
My only regret is it was so busy! Lol. We needed another day or so in the middle to catch our breath, or see more!!! LOLOLOL

Favorite London moments :
Walking tour of London, Westminster Abbey, changing of the guard, lunch & shopping at Harrods, Les Miserables on the West End (on our own)
Cathedral of St Paul (Mary Poppins "Feed the Birds") Kensington Palace (on our own), WINDSOR CASTLE!!! (Most favorite!)

Favorite Paris moments:
Versailles, biking and losing my pedal along Versailles gardens ;-) , the Louvre, Champs Élysées, dinner at George V (on our own), champagne and the BREAD!


Nice but not our favorites:
Stonehenge (DD went with group, I stayed back with DH who wasn't feeling well that morning), Tower of London (very interesting, especially the guided tour & Crown Jewels, but a little too much on your own time)... Effiel Tour breathtaking, but so very crowded on the top. Would like to see again, but no need for me to go to the top ever again. ;-).

Surprising reactions for me:
I wasn't as impressed with the inside of Cathedral de Notre Dame. It was gorgeous, but honestly, so similar to Saint Patrick's Cathedral in NYC (which was modeled after Notre Dame) where I have been many times. Also, the Mona Lisa was so much smaller than I anticipated. Our guide did pull DD19 aside to warn her. Lol

I didn't love the hotel in Paris. It was a typical Hilton any place in the world. Opposite was our reaction to Chancery Court in London. That was beautiful and the staff was so British and charming!

Missed opportunities because there is only "so much time" (but a reason to return!!!! Lol):
London Eye - we didn't get to do this because we shopped in Harrods for a bit, had Afternoon Tea at Chancery Court, and went to the theatre on our "on time". When we first arrived we went to Kensington Palace, which was SO worth it! We'll get to the Eye some day!

Paris: didn't get a boat ride down the Seine. Guides gave us tickets for it to do on your own, but we took that bit of time to pack for our departure the next morning right after breakfast. Although we were disappointed to miss that chance, packing gave us the freedom to stay up late and visit with our fellow passengers after our finale dinner. We had drinks in the lobby and all exchanged addresses and phone numbers. I am so glad we didn't have packing hanging over our heads that last night.


Most favorite thing we took away from this trip:
The wonderful friendships we made! We have visited two of our group and two others have visited us a number of times already! We keep in touch with others through Facebook and email.

Germany's "Once Upon a Fairytale" is next, in July!!!


Hope this wasn't too long! You asked for "feedback"! ;-). LOLOLOL

"SingingMom" ....Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[calypso726]

Have you ever been to London or Paris before? We had never been to Europe and this trip was better than we could ever imagine!!
My only regret is it was so busy! Lol. We needed another day or so in the middle to catch our breath, or see more!!! LOLOLOL

Favorite London moments :
Walking tour of London, Westminster Abbey, changing of the guard, lunch & shopping at Harrods, Les Miserables on the West End (on our own)
Cathedral of St Paul (Mary Poppins "Feed the Birds") Kensington Palace (on our own), WINDSOR CASTLE!!! (Most favorite!)

Favorite Paris moments:
Versailles, biking and losing my pedal along Versailles gardens ;-) , the Louvre, Champs Élysées, dinner at George V (on our own), champagne and the BREAD!


Nice but not our favorites:
Stonehenge (DD went with group, I stayed back with DH who wasn't feeling well that morning), Tower of London (very interesting, especially the guided tour & Crown Jewels, but a little too much on your own time)... Effiel Tour breathtaking, but so very crowded on the top. Would like to see again, but no need for me to go to the top ever again. ;-).

Surprising reactions for me:
I wasn't as impressed with the inside of Cathedral de Notre Dame. It was gorgeous, but honestly, so similar to Saint Patrick's Cathedral in NYC (which was modeled after Notre Dame) where I have been many times. Also, the Mona Lisa was so much smaller than I anticipated. Our guide did pull DD19 aside to warn her. Lol

I didn't love the hotel in Paris. It was a typical Hilton any place in the world. Opposite was our reaction to Chancery Court in London. That was beautiful and the staff was so British and charming!

Missed opportunities because there is only "so much time" (but a reason to return!!!! Lol):
London Eye - we didn't get to do this because we shopped in Harrods for a bit, had Afternoon Tea at Chancery Court, and went to the theatre on our "on time". When we first arrived we went to Kensington Palace, which was SO worth it! We'll get to the Eye some day!

Paris: didn't get a boat ride down the Seine. Guides gave us tickets for it to do on your own, but we took that bit of time to pack for our departure the next morning right after breakfast. Although we were disappointed to miss that chance, packing gave us the freedom to stay up late and visit with our fellow passengers after our finale dinner. We had drinks in the lobby and all exchanged addresses and phone numbers. I am so glad we didn't have packing hanging over our heads that last night.


Most favorite thing we took away from this trip:
The wonderful friendships we made! We have visited two of our group and two others have visited us a number of times already! We keep in touch with others through Facebook and email.

Germany's "Once Upon a Fairytale" is next, in July!!!


Hope this wasn't too long! You asked for "feedback"! ;-). LOLOLOL

"SingingMom" ....Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

Thank you for the feedback SingingMom!
DH and I have been to London but it was over 10 years ago. We have done much of what is on the itinerary but it has been so long we don't mind doing it again. Besides, it will be exciting to see it through my parents' eyes this time around since the y have never been to Europe We've never been to Stonehenge and I am really looking forward to that part. None of us have been to Paris, so we are excited about visiting for the first time.

We are planning to arrive a few days early into Inverness, Scotland for a day tour then head to London before the ABD tour starts. We are also planning to stay a couple of days extra in Paris to visit the Disney parks there.

I would love to squeeze in a show at West End and a Harry Potter tour somewhere along the way

Question: Did you bring electronic adapters? If so what type would you suggest? Thanks a bunch!

 

[tufbuf]

England uses a different type of electric plug. It's the three-prong one. Once you go to Paris, they use the standard European two-prong round plug. If your electronic system runs from 110-220V, you don't need an adapter. Most electronics are set up that way (laptops, iPad/iPhone chargers, camera battery chargers, etc.) so you can use the chargers for those. The two things I found that are strictly 110V are electronic toothbrushes and the standard Nintendo DS chargers (which we got a travel version of).

 

[SingingMom]

Thank you for the feedback SingingMom!
DH and I have been to London but it was over 10 years ago. We have done much of what is on the itinerary but it has been so long we don't mind doing it again. Besides, it will be exciting to see it through my parents' eyes this time around since the y have never been to Europe We've never been to Stonehenge and I am really looking forward to that part. None of us have been to Paris, so we are excited about visiting for the first time.

We are planning to arrive a few days early into Inverness, Scotland for a day tour then head to London before the ABD tour starts. We are also planning to stay a couple of days extra in Paris to visit the Disney parks there.

I would love to squeeze in a show at West End and a Harry Potter tour somewhere along the way

Question: Did you bring electronic adapters? If so what type would you suggest? Thanks a bunch!

My adapter set came from Brookstone. It had numerous country adapters. Just in case. Lol

Needed it for Foxhills. Don't remember if we used it in Paris. Only charged phones, camera , and notebook. Didn't bring anything else electronic.

I highly recommend a show on the West End. DD is a theatre major, so it was must! She is actually getting ready to move there for the fall semester! Smack in the middle of the West End!

 

[calypso726]

England uses a different type of electric plug. It's the three-prong one. Once you go to Paris, they use the standard European two-prong round plug. If your electronic system runs from 110-220V, you don't need an adapter. Most electronics are set up that way (laptops, iPad/iPhone chargers, camera battery chargers, etc.) so you can use the chargers for those. The two things I found that are strictly 110V are electronic toothbrushes and the standard Nintendo DS chargers (which we got a travel version of).

Thank you! Not bringing any games but we all have Sonicare toothbrushes.

My adapter set came from Brookstone. It had numerous country adapters. Just in case. Lol

Needed it for Foxhills. Don't remember if we used it in Paris. Only charged phones, camera , and notebook. Didn't bring anything else electronic.

I highly recommend a show on the West End. DD is a theatre major, so it was must! She is actually getting ready to move there for the fall semester! Smack in the middle of the West End!

Thank you! I will check out Brookstone. We will need to charge phones, iPad, camera and Kindle. Oh that must be so exciting! Now, you have the perfect reason to visit London often

 

[sayhello]

Thank you! Not bringing any games but we all have Sonicare toothbrushes.

Thank you! I will check out Brookstone. We will need to charge phones, iPad, camera and Kindle. Oh that must be so exciting! Now, you have the perfect reason to visit London often

I highly recommend buying one of these:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003UHYDYO/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

You get multiple outlets but only need one adapter. Helps with charging multiple electronics at the same time. But it's nicely compact. I found a lot of the rooms did not have multiple outlets.

Sayhello

 

[calypso726]

I highly recommend buying one of these:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003UHYDYO/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

You get multiple outlets but only need one adapter. Helps with charging multiple electronics at the same time. But it's nicely compact. I found a lot of the rooms did not have multiple outlets.

Sayhello

Definitely getting one of those! Thank you!!!

 

[imajinable]

I've been looking into maybe doing this trip solo. Ive never been on a trip by myself and i figured the safest way to travel alone would be to travel w a grp..lol But im a lil nervous about it all. Im a lil shy and tend to not speak to anyone unless they speak to me. Either way...i was wondering if anyone might have advice on doin this trip solo. Would it be better to book the adult only trip? or does it matter?

 

[SingingMom]

I've been looking into maybe doing this trip solo. Ive never been on a trip by myself and i figured the safest way to travel alone would be to travel w a grp..lol But im a lil nervous about it all. Im a lil shy and tend to not speak to anyone unless they speak to me. Either way...i was wondering if anyone might have advice on doin this trip solo. Would it be better to book the adult only trip? or does it matter?

This is a perfect trip to go solo! Everything is planned for you. The guides will make you feel comfortable. The group ends up feeling like a family. I don't think it matters adult only or not. We had more children on our 2nd adb than out first. They tend to group together. It was fun to see some of the sights through their eyes too.

 

[sayhello]

I've been looking into maybe doing this trip solo. Ive never been on a trip by myself and i figured the safest way to travel alone would be to travel w a grp..lol But im a lil nervous about it all. Im a lil shy and tend to not speak to anyone unless they speak to me. Either way...i was wondering if anyone might have advice on doin this trip solo. Would it be better to book the adult only trip? or does it matter?

I took this trip Solo, Adults Only, 2 years ago. Absolutely fabulous! ABD is a wonderful way to do a trip as a solo (I've done 5 of them solo, and am planning #6!) The Adventure Guides are great at making sure that everyone is included, and the group ends up feeling like a family, so there's always people to hang with when you want to, but also on-your-own time if you want that. Personally, I prefer the Adults Only trips, but the one non-Adults-Only trip I took was still great. I think you'll do fine either way!

Sayhello

 

[Haute Okole]

My hubby, I and my 11 & 8 year old daughters just returned from our first ABD in London & Paris. This was my kids' first trip overseas, our first organized tour and I can say without reservation that Disney delivered beyond our expectations. I, personally, have been to London and Paris numerous times, but going with Disney pushed my enjoyment of theses two cities to a new level. The local guides were extremely knowledgable and entertaining. Our ABD guides Laura and Andy were professional, courteous, funny, FUN. We want to do all of our tours with them, no matter where we go! Truly, a great and unforgettàble vacation. Last but not least, the families on the tour with us were also so much fun. I would tour with them again in a heartbeat.

 

[SingingMom]

My hubby, I and my 11 & 8 year old daughters just returned from our first ABD in London & Paris. This was my kids' first trip overseas, our first organized tour and I can say without reservation that Disney delivered beyond our expectations. I, personally, have been to London and Paris numerous times, but going with Disney pushed my enjoyment of theses two cities to a new level. The local guides were extremely knowledgable and entertaining. Our ABD guides Laura and Andy were professional, courteous, funny, FUN. We want to do all of our tours with them, no matter where we go! Truly, a great and unforgettàble vacation. Last but not least, the families on the tour with us were also so much fun. I would tour with them again in a heartbeat.

So happy you enjoyed traveling with Laura! She was in training on our trip and we had a blast with her! We have kept in touch and loved her Wild Africa Trek in AK! What a great personality, sense of humor, and wonderful photographer!! We love our Laura!

"SingingMom" ....Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[sayhello]

My hubby, I and my 11 & 8 year old daughters just returned from our first ABD in London & Paris. This was my kids' first trip overseas, our first organized tour and I can say without reservation that Disney delivered beyond our expectations. I, personally, have been to London and Paris numerous times, but going with Disney pushed my enjoyment of theses two cities to a new level. The local guides were extremely knowledgable and entertaining. Our ABD guides Laura and Andy were professional, courteous, funny, FUN. We want to do all of our tours with them, no matter where we go! Truly, a great and unforgettàble vacation. Last but not least, the families on the tour with us were also so much fun. I would tour with them again in a heartbeat.

Glad you had such a great time! Beware! ABD's are highly addictive!

Sayhello

 

[acndis]

We just booked for Christmas 2014. It will be me, DH, DS (7), and my dad. We can't wait!

 

[sayhello]

We just booked for Christmas 2014. It will be me, DH, DS (7), and my dad. We can't wait!

I didn't realize they had a Christmas time trip going! Very cool. It's a wonderful trip! I've added you to the Roll Call in the first post.

Sayhello

 

[acndis]

Yes, the trip is 12/26/14 to 1/2/15. We just got back from a Winter Wonderland and this is a great time to travel for us! Looking forward to doing it again next year!