Because of our upcoming trip to London I will be posting a mini-blog here starting Dec. 8th covering the highlights of each day. Be sure to check back often for the latest news!
For the full version of the travel blog & links to videos click here:
November 13th - The Call
Cunard emailed me today asking that I call them. Come to find out they have selected Ambiance Travel to be among the agencies to attend the ceremonies! I am thrilled to say the least and immediately called James to make sure he got the time off work from his other job.
Dec. 8th - Leaving for England
It is finally here! The morning went well and we actually got out the door on time. Saying goodbye to the girls was hard but by the time we left they were already busy playing so we knew they would have a good time. Our flights leave at 2:20pm and we are waiting to board. Security was pretty light but I think it helped that we followed all of the TSA's suggestions for packing. (No pointy objects, fluids over 3 oz, nail files or M16's) We have one connection in Chicago and then non-stop to London!
James is especially looking forward to being able to stretch out in his "pod" in BA Club World class (their fancy term for business class) I am looking forward to being able to raid the galley as I am always hungry on flights.
Next post from London!
Dec. 9th - Arriving in London
We arrived early this morning and were very thankful for BA (British Airways) Business/First Class Lounges. We had a nice relaxed breakfast before being met by Cunard and taken to the ship. The ship is AMAZING!! It will be hard to get off. We have a cat. B balcony stateroom and love it! Very well laid out. In fact, only 2 complaints: The shower is quite small and there is limited drawer space. Thankfully, there is plenty of closet space and the bed is raised up so room underneath is plentiful. After touring mostly the top decks today I have to comment that the spa and the Grills areas were the highlights. Just walking through the huge spa was enough to get in a relaxing mood and the Grills featured the best dining experience I have ever had.
Dec. 10th - Naming Ceremony
Today the Duchess of Cornwall named the Queen Victoria amist a wonderful top-notch entertainment production that featured some of the top performers in Briton complete with fireworks. You really will have to read the full blog as was just too much to the ceremony to list here! Following the ceremony was the gala reception, dinner and masquerade ball. We dined in the Britannia, danced in the Queen's Room, walked through the Royal Arcade shops and wandered through the museum.
A few favorite places that I look forward to returning too are the Golden Lion pub, this cosy space had the same feel as the pubs we later visited in London and I hear has the same type of wonderful food. The Commodore Club, just didn't get enough time to fully enjoy this great vantage point as well as the library which just begged to be enjoyed.
Dec. 11th - Seeing London
Unfortunatly our time had come to leave the ship much as we didn't want to! London was great even though we had such limited time there. We found that from Victoria Station you could walk in a rather short time to some of the most famous sights in London including Buckingham Palace, St. James Park, Westminster Abby, Big Ben and the houses of Parliment, the London Eye and Trafalgar Square. We also discovered that the only place you get get free WiFi is Mc Donald's. Don't travel on the tube between 5 & 7pm you will emerge 5lbs thinner and 3 inches taller. Enjoy a pub dinner instead!
Dec. 12th - Flying Home
The flight home was great. After arriving at the airport really early we enjoyed a refreshing show, nap and a complimentary spa treatment at the BA Elemis Travel Spa that completely energized us for the day. I enjoyed a facial and massage while James tried the head & shoulders treatment with massage. This is probably the very best perk of traveling business and first class as you feel so great afterwards. We enjoyed several hours of sleep on the plane between a great lunch, afternoon tea and snipets of a movie. We nearly missed our connection in Chicago but thankfully the flight to Grand Rapids was delayed.
Although, we ultimately arrived still about 20 hours behind on sleep we consider it well worth it. It was an amazing trip we won't soon forget!