Just because the Journey into Darkness team are based in the United Kingdom doesn’t mean we don’t know a thing or two about travelling in our home nation.
It’s been a busy year, so we haven’t written up Cruise #9 or Kraków yet. Maybe we will get round to it. One day. Perhaps.
Anyway, we’re off to Southampton again for our ninth Princess cruise, visiting Iceland and Greenland (and two lesser ports) over the next sixteen nights. The drive down was unremarkable although we took our chances at the Dartford Crossing – thankfully it paid off, saving us at least an hour going the other way on a heavily congested M25.
Once in Southampton, we had planned to play an escape room and have some dinner before heading back to our hotel. Turns out No Escape rooms are half price on Tuesday night in Southampton, so nothing was available. Not even in Portsmouth, a little further down the coast.
Top tip: No Escape rooms are half price in Southampton on a Tuesday night, so you can grab a bargain. Just don’t forget to book in advance.
Instead we had dinner at the local German Doner Kebab outlet (nothing special, but cheap and reliable) and a quick pint in the Slug & Lettuce (nothing special, full stop).
It’s a bit of a schlep across town to the Holiday Inn Express Southampton and I am mildly concerned about getting a taxi to the docks tomorrow. However, we eventually find the hotel opposite the Rose Bowl, Hampshire County Cricket Club’s ground.
Once past reception, the hotel is pretty average, not unlike a Travelodge. It is also heaving.
Top tip: The Holiday Inn Express Southampton offers good value cruise parking deals. Expect to pay approx £250 for a one night stay, breakfast, 14 days parking and taxis to and from the port. Considering the rack rate is £300 per night, this is a bargain.
The decor is a little dated and the hotel has a very Travelodge feel, but we’re only here for the night, so it doesn’t matter too much.
As usual, we have stayed overnight in Southampton so that we can get to the port with plenty of time before sailing. This time we have opted for a cruise parking package at the Holiday Inn Express Southampton. The hotel itself is pretty average, but the bed is comfortable and there’s a kettle in the room, so it’s perfectly adequate for a one-night stay.
Breakfast at the hotel is a hectic affair, but there is plenty of food so it’s a good start to the day. The automated pancake making machine is awesome – we need one at home.
After breakfast we get a taxi to the port (included in the cruise parking package). The transfer is relatively quick and smooth and we arrive far earlier than intended. The traffic in Southampton city centre isn’t too bad today because there are just two ships in.
This time we will be sailing on the Island Princess, one of the smallest and oldest ships in the fleet. Once aboard, the differences between Island and the other ships we have been on is obvious – the decor is completely different for starters.
Looking back along the Promenade deck towards the Bayou Restaurant
We had a few concerns about this ship prior to boarding; Facebook forums are full of gripes and moans from disgruntled cruisers (fancy that!). We were worried that:
The ship would be falling apart
We had made a mistake in booking a basic balcony cabin
We were on a lower deck than normal
We were at the back of the ship
All of these concerns were completely unfounded. The ship is in great shape although the decor is a little bid mad in places.
Our cabin stateroom is on Deck 7 promenade at the rear of the ship. But we are far enough away from all the major entertainment highlights to be unaffected. We can hear the rumble of the engines in our cabin stateroom but I am sure we will grow accustomed to it soon enough.
One the plus side, our cabin stateroom, PR723, has no neighbours on either side – it is flanked by two cupboards. Better yet, the balcony is absolutely massive, almost as wide as the deck elsewhere on the ship. And by opening the dividing door we can double the size of our outdoor real estate. Winning!
The rest of day 1 onboard follows the usual pattern; lunch in the main dining room, drinks before dinner, dinner in the main dining room. Island Princess is already growing on us.
Our first port of call is Falmouth, just a little way along the coast from Southampton. Despite its diminutive size (in terms of Princess Cruises) our ship is too big to dock in the harbour proper, so this will be a tender port. In his early morning address, the captain advises us that the transfer will take about 45 minutes, which seems like an extraordinarily long time compared to other ports.
Top tip: Tenders operate on a ticket basis – collect yours from the Crooners Bar on Deck 7, then hang around in the central atrium area until your number is called. Tender embarkation takes place on deck 4, Gala.
Once washed, dressed and breakfasted, we head down to the tender embarkation point and onto the small boat which will take us into town. The journey is quite long, weaving around various sailboats and naval transport ships. Eventually we are deposited at a dock where buses are waiting to take us into the centre of town proper.
With no definite plan about what to see or do, we tap up one of the local escape rooms. Located on the main tourist road, Market Street, Eureka Escape is able to fit us in, although we do have to book by phone.
We stop into the Prince of Wales across the road for a quick beer first. Neither the pub nor ale is particularly impressive, but it does seem to delight the American tourists from our cruise.
Beer drunk, we head back to Eureka Escape to try out the Nocturnal Alchemist game. It’s a multi-room affair with some nifty little puzzles, searching for various chemicals and ingredients – along with the key to the exit. We complete the escape room with just over 3 minutes to spare which is a relief. The gamesmaster claims that although one of their oldest rooms, the Nocturnal Alchemist is also one of their hardest. We did ask for five clues, but this is well below the twelve average – particularly impressive for a team of two apparently.
Was it worth visiting? Absolutely. There are some good, tricky puzzles to be solved here.
Market Street, Falmouth
Afterwards I pick up a Cornish pasty from Rowe’s Bakers to eat on the walk back to the port. It is delicious – and face-meltingly hot.
Top tip: Port transfer buses are freeand run from the dock to the Maritime Car Park. Simply follow the road straight ahead to get to the centre of the town.
At the port, we are serenaded by a Cornish men’s choir which is nice and entertaining. There is something very special about a group of men’s voices in song.
On every trip we take, something unusual happens. One event that will stick in our memories for years to come. This has ranged from meeting the presidents of several countries to gatecrashing an international footballer’s funeral. But today it was getting lost on a tender.
As we left Falmouth dock, we quickly became engulfed by fog, severely limiting visibility. Not a problem in the age of radar – or so you would think. After 45 minutes or so, we noticed that our tender driver could not find the Island Princess – despite being one of the largest vessels for miles around. And so we looped and circled for another twenty minutes or so while the bridge issued instructions via radio.
Eventually the Island Princess loomed out of the mist and we were able to disembark. Some people were worried, some people were angry. Linda and I were just greatly amused; ‘This is that memorable thing, isn’t it?‘ Linda laughed. At least we didn’t end up gatecrashing a funeral this time.
Today’s journey to Southampton will be different – we’re using National Express coaches to get from Braintree to the South Coast because we won’t be coming back to the port. Instead, we will be flying back from Miami to Heathrow, which means we can’t just leave our car in Southampton like we normally would.
Annoyingly, there are no direct National Express coach links, so it’s a two leg trip. First, Braintree to London Victoria via Stansted Airport and Stratford. The second goes from Victoria to Southampton city centre with a stop in Basingstoke.
It’s a long day and not hugely exciting, so here’s a few observations:
The coaches are not too crowded, which is nice.
The seats by the rear emergency exit have extra legroom.
London Victoria Coach Station is busy and hectic, but there’s a Sainsbury’s across the road where you can buy sandwiches and drinks.
There is a Greggs bakery inside the departures terminal – and the hot sausage rolls are very good.
Arrivals and departures take place in different buildings and you will need to cross a road between the two.
The journey into and out of London takes in some of the biggest landmarks – Tower Bridge, HMS Belfast, Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Olympic Park etc – which is great news for any one who has never seen the city.
The view from London Bridge is a bit like this
Top tip: When travelling with a mobility scooter you must email National Express head office in advance to inform them. You can contact the assisted travel team at addl@nationalexpress.com. Doing so will ensure that the driver knows to expect you – and they will provide additional assistance in loading your luggage and scooter.
Bonus tip: Don’t try to dodge the additional luggage charge. If you are travelling with two suitcases, make sure you pay for the second one. Otherwise you can expect to be embarrassed by the driver charging you extra at the roadside.
Just how important is this advance notice? Extremely. The driver on our London to Southampton leg initially refused to load Linda’s mobility scooter citing concerns about exploding batteries. It was only after I showed him the email from head office that he changed his mind. After that, he couldn’t do enough for us, boarding us early and helping load our suitcases neatly.
The journey from Braintree to Southampton takes 5.5 hours in total. This is just under three hours longer than making the drive ourselves, so it’s not an ‘express’ option. However, Linda says that she thinks the coach is preferable to the equivalent train journey which requires multiple changes and a lot more stairs and walking between connections. It’s also a little cheaper.
Anyway, tonight we’re staying at the Moxy Southampton which we have used a couple of times before. It’s just a few hundred metres walk from Southampton Coach Station. The hotel is comfortable enough and close to the centre of the city, which means we have plenty of places to eat when we’re ready. And as always, it’s full of people waiting to join a cruise tomorrow. Feel free to strike up a conversation in the bar if you want to start making new friends early.
Top tip: Room 505 provides a good view out towards the Ocean Cruise Terminal – which means we’ll be able to see Sky Princess when we get up in the morning!
One other detail of note. Because Linda is unable to pull a suitcase, I am having to manage three. This could have been a nightmare – until I discovered the Wisdompro luggage strap. Easy to fit, the strap allows me to connect the two larger cases and drag them together. Yes it’s heavy, but also surprisingly manoeuvrable – which will be very important for our return journey in a few weeks time.
Wisdom Pro Luggage Strap
The strap is ideal for those situations when you can’t find a luggage trolley because you can link cases by their handles and pull them in a ‘train’. This pack includes two straps, so you could conceivably attach a third suitcase too if needed.
The Wisdom Pro strap performed brilliantly, making the short walk from Coach Station to hotel much, much easier than expected. A good travel accessory investment in my opinion.
Stansted Airport has received a boost this week with two big announcements – which is great for those of us who use the Essex airport regularly.
British Airways Makes A Return
First, British Airways has announced they are returning to Stansted Airport in 2024. The short haul subsidiary BA CityFlyer will be offering flights to Florence (Italy), Nice (France) and Ibiza (Spain).
Some random AI artwork of a British Airways plane leaving Stansted Airport
Although these destinations are already well-served, I am hopeful that BA uses this as a launchpad to expand their network from Essex. Given that British Airways fares aren’t that different to Ryanair‘s (once you add on ‘extras’ like luggage and seat selection), it will be good to see some competition back at Stansted. Plus the opportunity to earn some Executive Club tier points from our local airport.
Notably, British Airways is was the only airline offering business class services from Stansted Airport, until…
Royal Jordanian Touches Down At Stansted
In something of a surprise move, Royal Jordanian has announced they will be operating 4x weekly flights between Stansted and Amman (Jordan). How popular this route will be remains to be seen, but if the fares are low enough, it might be tempting to hop on a city break to visit Petra.
Royal Jordanian also offer ‘Crown Class’ on all their aircraft too. Which puts a dent into BA’s claim to be the only business class offering at Stansted.
What About Lounges?
Although BA is pitching their Stansted service at the budget market, their planes will still have a Club Europe section. And one of the perks of business class is lounge access before a flight.
Currently Stansted Airport only has one lounge, The Escape Lounge, which costs (a frankly ridiculous) £31.99 per person for a very basic offering. The lounge will certainly not impress anyone travelling Crown Class on Royal Jordanian – or Club Europe. It doesn’t even impress us when we manage to score free access through a credit card offer or similar.
Top tip: You can get access to the Escape Lounge for £20 per person if you are a member of Priority Pass. If you have an AmEx Gold card or a Revolut Metal plan, you already have free Priority Pass membership (worth $99 USD).
Bonus tip: £20 is probably still over priced for the Escape Lounge at Stansted.
WARNING! The Escape Lounge is quite small and frequently full. The only way to guarantee entry is to pre-book – which means you won’t be able to get a discount rate or use your Priority Pass membership.
Personally, I hope BA sees enough success in their Stansted offering to encourage further investment. A BA/oneworld co-branded lounge would be great – but they would need to significantly expand their flight schedule to justify that outlay.
However, Stansted Airport recently received planning permission to extend the terminal building by 30%. So there is always potential should BA and Royal Jordanian services take off (sorry, awful pun).
A taxi transfer to the docks is probably the smarter choice when dealing with large suitcases (see below).
Which is the nearest hotel to Southampton Coach Station?
Both the Premier Inn and the Moxy are a short walk away.
And no, you don’t have to walk around the second roundabout shown in the map above, saving some time and distance.
Can I get a taxi from Southampton National Express Coach Station?
Without pre-booking, probably not. There is a taxi rank just out the front of the coach station (see map below) but there is rarely a queue of waiting vehicles.
You could call an Uber or book a West Quay Cars taxi by calling +44 (0)2380 999 999.
Can I catch a regular bus to the cruise terminal at Southampton?
No. None of the cruise terminals is served directly by a public bus route. Even if you do manage to struggle onboard with your suitcases, you will still have to walk quite some distance from the nearest bus stop to your ship.
What facilities are there at Southampton Coach Station?
You will find toilets and a small shop at the Coach Station – if it is open. There is a roof to shelter under if the weather is bad. There is also a small coffee shop, payphone and an automated ticket machine.
Is there a toilet at Southampton Coach Station?
Yes. But it is only accessible when the bus station is open. And if it is like the toilet at Victoria Coach Station, wear a mask – the stench is probably quite bad.
Note that coaches do arrive and depart outside these hours, but you will not be able to access any of the facilities inside the station – including the toilets. So if you need to go, use the toilet on the coach before disembarking.
Can I buy National Express tickets at the bus station?
Yes, there is an automated ticket machine – but you can only use it when Southampton Coach Station is open. Buying tickets online may be a smarter move though – that way you can guarantee your seat on the coach to London.
National Express also accept telephone bookings – but they will apply an additional £3 booking fee for doing so.
Is the coach station accessible?
Access from street to coach is completely step-free. But you will need to climb several steps once you are on the bus.
Is there a left luggage office at Southampton Bus Station?
No. And there are no luggage storage options at the nearby railway station either.
Instead you will need to consider using a service like CitySpareSpace to book baggage storage – prices start at £7 per bag. The nearest option appears to be the Maynards Store, a six minute walk away. We’ve not used this service, so cannot provide a personal recommendation.
UK hotels tend to store luggage free of charge which may be a better option if you are staying in Southampton overnight.
What about coaches from London Heathrow Airport to Southampton?
National Express operate several coaches daily between Southampton and London Heathrow Airport. The bus is a viable transfer option if you are doing a fly-cruise trip.
And National Express coaches from Gatwick to Southampton?
Travelling between Gatwick Airport and Southampton Cruise Terminal is a two-leg trip. Ironically you must first catch a bus to Heathrow Airport, then change to reach your final destination. The same is true if you are hoping to connect with London Stansted Airport.
Probably not the best option if you’re already tired and jet-lagged.
Can you travel by coach to Southampton on the same day you sail?
If your cruise leaves in the afternoon or evening, you could arrive in Southampton in the morning. Just remember that coaches are subject to the same traffic conditions as cars, so if there is a traffic jam anywhere along the route, it will affect arrival times.
And don’t forget – you must also factor in the time required to get from the coach station to your cruise terminal too.
What is the phone number for the National Express Southampton Coach Station?
You cannot call the Southampton bus station direct. However, you can contact customer services for more information on 08717 81 81 81. Calls cost an eye-watering 13p per minute however.
BONUS TIP: You can avoid sky high call charges by using the local-rate number instead: +44 (0)371 781 8181
There are three coach bays – make sure you board the correct bus if travelling away from the cruise terminal.
Speak to the agent at the gate if you have mobility issues. They may be able to board you first, saving a lot of the hassle and discomfort of boarding with the other passengers.
What’s the best way to celebrate Mother’s Day? Chocolates? Breakfast in bed? Flowers? Meal out? No. It’s a trip to Twilight Manor.
As Linda’s recovery from her hip replacement operation continues apace, we decided to have a family day out to try a new escape room – Twilight Manor. Hosted by Cluetopia, this is a ‘haunted house’ style room housed in an old building down near Ipswich Marina.
From the blurb:
You managed to buy Twilight Manor at a fraction of its true cost. You knew it needed some work. However, you didn’t know it was HAUNTED! A local urban legend states the only way to rid the house of its unwanted guests is to find the ancient Talisman, hidden somewhere deep within the manor. No one who has entered has survived longer than an hour. Can you find the Talisman and rid the Manor of its nasty spirits?
Obviously I can’t say much about the specifics, but this is a quite large, multi-room affair. There is a good mix of simple and difficult puzzles and many of them require good teamwork and timing to solve.
The theming itself isn’t too bad and the room is clean and well-maintained. The horror theme means that you will encounter some blood and body parts, but they are relatively tame compared to what you encounter on the European mainland!
Twilight Manor is reputed to be one of the hardest rooms at Cluetopia Ipswich so less experienced teams may want to take a fourth member (you can have up to eight).
There are also a few ‘scary’ moments but I was so focused on the puzzles I missed them all!
Did we escape? Yes Did we have fun? Yes Mobility rating: 2.5 out of 5 (there are a few stairs in this multi-room game) Price: £72.00 Would we recommend? Yes Rating: 3.75 out of 5
Linda and I have done a few rooms at another Cluetopia location (Clacton on Sea) and enjoyed them both. The games masters are always very friendly and helpful and take great pride in doing a good job for the players.
Other important Twilight Manor stats Number of players: 3 Time limit: 60 minutes Time remaining: 3 minutes Number of clues: 1 Live actors: No Cluetopia difficulty rating: 4 out of 5
It’s also worth noting that there is no parking at the Cluetopia escape rooms, although there are two car parks nearby. Just be warned that it’s not cheap (£3.20 for two hours).
Unusually we managed to catch both boys at home and in a good mood, so we arranged another family trip – The Illusionist escape room hosted by Escape Basildon. Because of the relatively short notice, we had to book by phone (not a problem) and pay over the phone (big problem).
The escape room itself is located close to the pedestrianised city centre of Basildon opposite one of the more run-down looking buildings. Once inside however, the shop itself is fine, looking very much like any of the other games arenas we have visited over the years.
After a shortened introduction and safety briefing, we were led into the room and given an analogue countdown clock and the background story:
The curtains close, the cheering stops, yet you still await the appearance of the Illusionist. Having volunteered to take part in the grand finale it turns out there is a more sinister edge to the Magicians final trick. In order to escape you will need to defeat the magical challenges ahead!
Then we were set loose.
It took us a little while to get into gear but once the first few puzzles were solved, we found our groove. There are quite a few padlocks in this particular game, some easier than others. On the few occasions we did get stuck, it was usually down to miscommunication rather than the difficulty of the puzzle itself.
Experienced gamers will recognise many of the puzzle principles used in The Illusionist. But we still had fun and enjoyed the challenge, escaping from the room in just 45 minutes. The theming and condition of the room is also pretty good.
As you can see, we had 15 minutes left on the clock
With four people playing, the room did feel a bit cramped at times. With six (max capacity) I can see fellow players becoming a hindrance – especially if one of you is less mobile than the others. There is no crawling, climbing or uneven floors in this room, which makes it relatively accessible.
Back in the Escape Basildon foyer, there are plenty of comfortable seats and a collection of 80s style arcade games. There is also a milkshake bar selling Shakeaway style drinks which is pretty cool.
There are two other rooms to play at Escape Basildon (a horror room and a wizard-themed room) which we may come back and play at some point in the future.
Did we escape? Yes Did we have fun? Yes Mobility rating: 4.5 out of 5 (the whole game operates in one room on one level) Price: £88.00 Would we recommend? Yes Rating: 3.75 out of 5
Other important stats for The Illusionist escape room:
Number of players: 4 Time limit: 60 minutes Time remaining: 15 minutes Number of clues: 0 Live actors: No Escape Basildon difficulty rating: 4 out of 5
It’s worth noting that there is no parking at the Escape Basildon escape rooms, although there are plenty of car parks nearby. After 6pm on Sundays and Bank Holidays, it costs just £0.75 to park. There is no free parking for Blue Badge holders.
We have seen the Aurora Borealis a couple of times over the past few years, usually somewhere up near the Arctic Circle. Last night we were lucky enough to catch sight of the Northern Lights from our own back yard in Eastern England.
And it was spectacular.
Looking north westLooking north east
Obviously, it is incredibly rare to see the Aurora Borealis this far south. Even more so to see this level of colour and detail. As always, Norway and Iceland offer a far greater chance of seeing the phenomenon in real life, but sometimes even the UK gets lucky.
If you happen to be in the UK, you can monitor Aurora activity with the AuroraWatch UK app. It’s free and will even alert you to heightened activity (when you are most likely to see it).
Fingers crossed we get to see the Aurora again in July as we head to Greenland and Iceland.
*Note: Neither of these photos of the Northern Lights has been altered in any way. They were captured on an iPhone 14 with the low-light Night Vision mode enabled.
UPDATE 17/05/2024: An email newsletter landed in my inbox today with a genuine Center Parcs discount code: SAVE50
The code is valid for ‘all spring and early summer breaks when you book before midnight on 21st May‘.
Looking at the Amex T&Cs, it would appear you can “stack” the Amex rebate with the Center Parcs discount code to give a £125 total discount on your next forest lodge holiday…
The UK’s favourite middle class holiday camp is offering another Center Parcs discount code to American Express cardholders. This is highly unusual in the run-up to the summer holidays.
A Center Parcs discount code could allow you to enjoy a view like this at the Woburn park
As always, the discount is not earth-shattering. Amex card holders will receive a £75 ‘statement credit’ when they spend over £1000 on a Center Parcs break. That’s the equivalent of a 7.5% discount.
The Center Parcs discount code is available to the first 10,000 American Express card holders who activate the deal from the online account portal. The holiday booking transaction should be detected automatically, no discount code is actually required. The £75 credit will appear on your next statement. If not, Amex customer support are generally very good at making things right.
And don’t forget, you’ll earn at least 925 American Express Reward Points for your booking (one per pound spent). Reward Points are extremely useful because they can be traded for other loyalty points, such as Avios or Virgin Red points.
This particular offer is probably only of interest if you are already planning a trip to one of the Center Parcs parks. But as the famous supermarket slogan says, ‘every little helps‘. Just make sure you complete and pay for your booking before the offer ends on July 13th.
If you don’t yet have an American Express card, you can use our custom referral link to receive a 22,000 Membership Rewards bonus (equivalent to 22,000 Avios).
Please note that Journey Into Darkness does not select, endorse or control the advertisements shown above. See our Affiliate Disclosure page for more info.
