Skip to main content

Tower of London Tour Review

One of the great things about taking a cruise to a few different ports is that you get a taste of each location and see if you want to come back for more. In May of 2022 I did a British Isles sailing that sailed out of Amsterdam, went to England, Ireland, Scotland, France and then returned to Amsterdam. 

Tower Bridge
I figured I would like all of these places, at least to some degree. Some were pleasant surprises, such as Liverpool, which was far better than I thought it was going to be. Some didn’t have the impact I thought they would, such as Stonehenge. It was cool to look at but you can’t really get close to the rock formations as they are roped off. So many of the cities I visited were great such as Cork, Belfast, Edinborough, and I’d happily visit these locations again. The one place that absolutely took my breath away was London. I am from New York City, so I don’t impress easily, but this city completely captivated me. I’m not sure if it was the history, the grandeur, or the majesty that got me, but I cant wait to go back!

Prior to our sailing we knew we would only have a few hours in the city, so we purchased tickets to the Tower of London. My travel buddy, Gloria, has been there before and knew this was a good idea to do. As soon as we got there we got on a river Uber Boat that you scan into using your credit card, and then scan back out when you get off the boat. A great way to see the Thames and all of the bridges. As we were pulling up, Gloria pointed out Traitor’s gate. This is where people were brought into the tower directly from the Thames. 
The Yeoman Warders, commonly called Beefeaters regularly do tours and tell the stories and history of the Tower. The tours are included as part of an admission ticket and there is no need to book in advance. Chris was our guide and he was awesome. He spoke movingly about Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard, Jane Grey and many of the other stories surrounding this location. The highlight for me was seeing the Chapel Royal of St Peter ad Vincula, which is a chapel that Henry The VIII had dedicated to his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, so she could attend church and pray. Many of the more prominent people who were executed on Tower Green are buried in this chapel. Only prominent people were allowed to have a “private” beheading on Tower Green inside the walls. Common people were executed in a large public spectacle.
We wandered around the Tower complex, as it isn’t a single building, and I could have spent many more happy hours checking out all of the historical exhibits, hearing the stories of the Tower from the Beefeaters, and watching the Ravens which are kept at the complex. There is a myth that if all of the ravens ever fly away from the Tower, London itself will fall. Luckily, they look pretty happy and are well taken care of so they don’t show any signs of leaving soon. 
Unfortunately our time was running out so we had to get back to the tour bus to go back onboard our cruise ship. I fully intend on taking a longer weekend trip to catch all the sights I didn’t see this time. I do believe London is calling!

Marie started traveling a little later in life and hasn't stopped since! In addition to many Disney vacations, she is branching out into bucket list trips around the world. Contact her at Marie@kingdomkonsultant.com to start planning your own adventures.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Mythos Restaurant at Universal's Islands of Adventure

Located on The Lost Continent of Universal's Islands of Adventure, Mythos is an award-winning, full-service restaurant that offers an otherworldly experience. If you've ever been to Universal's Islands of Adventure, you've undoubtedly walked by this restaurant with its towering rock formations, waterfalls and ancient figures carved into the side of the building. The restaurant has been calling to me for years and I was finally able to give it a try. When you enter the restaurant, it feels like you've entered a cavernous grotto from another world. There are oceanic and mythical touches throughout the indoor dining room and there's also outdoor seating with great views of the park. View from our table The menu features a mix of Mediterranean, Asian and American cuisine including Spanakopita Dip, Pad Thai and a Bacon Cheeseburger. There's also a kids menu for little ones and a dessert menu featuring Chocolate Banana Gooey Cake.  On our first visit to Mythos, we

5 Ways To Get Psyched For Your Disney Trip!

Hey-Howdy-Hey, Disney Guys and Gals!      Is anyone familiar with Barney Stinson's "Get Psyched" Mix? Anyone? How I Met your Mother Fans? Ok, great! So you totally get where I'm going with this! If you have no idea what I am talking about, you can watch a clip  HERE!  Basically, the theory is that no matter what's going on in your life, you can get yourself psyched up and ready for something awesome to happen, all by listening to the right piece of music. Playing off of that theory, I feel that one of the very best things about a Disney trip is actually  preparing  for it, or getting psyched! You can have a whole bunch of crappy stuff happening in your life at the time, but if you have a Disney trip on the horizon... even if it's 564 days away, you have something to look forward to and enjoy preparing yourself for. In fact, many Disney fans, (myself included), pretty much get from one day to the next by preparing for upcoming trips. You may even book a ne

Universal's Volcano Bay Private Cabana Review

On a recent training in Universal Orlando Resort, agents Maci, Ashley, Aubrey and Yaritza and I rented a private cabana for the day at Universal's Volcano Bay. There are multiple locations around the park along with the option to have an upper or lower level, all of which reflect in various pricing. Agent Ashley received an email the day before informing her of where to check-in the next morning. While we were personally escorted to the cabana shortly after check in, the line at the check in location is the same as those getting towels, meaning it was not short. As expressed by an additional guest checking into a different cabana, we would have greatly appreciated a separate line, since this caused our group about a half hour wait. We're all adults and made great use of our time getting some fun pictures before the park was filled with guests, but this is important to be aware of if you are traveling with children.  We had an upper level Cabana which came with a splendid view!