Disney Magic 12nt. British Isles
Tuesday, July 11, 2017
Cruise Day 3 – Portland (Stonehenge), England
weather: Portland drizzle partly sunny 63 °F / 17 °C
Having just visited Stonehenge a few days earlier, we chose a different
DCL excursion today:
(PT03) - Glastonbury Tor and the Cathedral City of Wells.
Price: $89.00 (ages 10 and up)
(increased to
$99.00 in 2018)
Activity Level: Active
Duration: 7.5 to 8 Hours
Our day would be broken down as follows:
Drive each way approx. 2 hrs = 4 hrs round trip coach
with two main stops:
Glastonbury Tor
Cathedral City of Wells
And lunch on our own while visiting the City of Wells
______________________________________________
We started the day with the usual questions:
What time to get up? 6:00 am
What time is the tour? 9:00 am
Where is the meet-up? WALT DISNEY THEATRE DK 4 FWD
How long before we have to leave? 3 hrs
It was important to get a routine down, especially with a port intensive itinerary such as the British Isles.
3 hrs lead time became standard for us on mornings leaving the ship. This may seem a bit long to some, but we’re talking - start to finish.
So 6am alarm it is! (after setting the clocks back 1hr. from France). Then shower, check the weather, figure out what to wear, pack for the day, grab breakfast and head out.
Contrary to what was printed on the Navigator, rain was in the forecast on and off today, with temps ranging in the high 50’s/mid 60’s.
This weather should be a good indicator for what to expect on a September BI cruise.
So here’s a sample of today's attire to assist with packing.
And again, we would add and subtract a few layers throughout the day.
Which brings me to:
Hurdle #5 - The DAY BAG
There’s no way around it. When you plan to be out all day / every day, you have to pack a few essentials.
And today would be no exception with another long (8 hr.) DCL excursion ahead.
What to bring? Was a constant question mark regarding daytrip packing.
Typical contents of our travel bag would look something like this:
an extra hoodie or shell
well made lightweight waterproof rain jackets
a small umbrella
extra camera
extra batteries (rechargeable & regular)
portable phone chargers
snacks and bottles of water
In the earlier part of this trip (like today), we had developed a bad habit of constantly carry on and off the bus
everything we’d stuffed in this 1 full size backpack - to insure we were prepared for sudden changes in weather or in fear we might need something at our disposal.
It wasn’t that we overpacked, but multiply everything x 3 adults and this bag became quickly weighted down.
You can see it here on JQ as we enter Glastonbury Tor (today – Portland)
Our backpack technique was not ideal. It was too big and too bulky. By the 3rd day nobody wanted to carry much around, so we started to keep it on the bus. (we were always assigned a bus for the day)
But there's a risk in doing this. We were caught off guard a few times with needing something too far away to retrieve.
Eventually, we wound up using a small tote and small purse while touring in addition to the backpack staying on the bus.
Solution: utilize a well functioning day bag
This Rick steves day travel segment has some fantastic ideas: (it’s a short video and well worth the time)
We should have done the same.
Btw DCL gave this gold
castaway club stateroom gift when we arrived.
and many cruisers carried it.
But the sling feature has its disadvantages as well. One being that it doesn't always hang straight.
(as shown by a fellow cruiser mid-climb to the Tor)
And as I’ve said before, we’d also bring around 200 cash in local currency
Mainly for convenience.
But today having a few British pounds in our pockets became a necessity for everyone on this excursion.
Apparently the tour company DCL contracted with did not pre-arrange transportation for our coach to the Tor from the town of Glastonbury. Instead, the whole group was required to pay £3.00 per person for a public transport shuttle to take us up to Glastonbury Tor.
(and no, you couldn’t walk there from the Glastonbury Abbey lot our bus parked in)
This caught everyone by surprise and caused a big problem for quite a few people who did not have any British currency on them.
Later, everything was rectified on the part of the tour company, and any fees paid were refunded - but that didn't change the situation at the time.
So heed my advice and always have some local cash on you.
Ok time to get on with our day!