Expensive early arrival
Although I booked ten months ahead for Amsterdam to Basel there was no "gift of time" for us. So Tauck booked me into the Pulitzer Hotel for one night at a whopping $680 for a standard room. I went on-line and discovered I could book the same room for $400, which I did. I called Tauck and it was explained that hotels are booked two years in advance and they are locked into the quoted price. The polite agent told me I was wise to book the room and canceled my previous booking. I will still be picked up at the airport and taken to the Pulitzer then to the ship the next afternoon.
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I guess the only difference is you will not probably get the free breakfast that Tauck includes at that rate. Amsterdam hotels do seem pricey.
Did you not get the gift of time because they had already sold out available rooms? You can use the GoT at the end of a cruise. We stayed at the Kimpton de Witt last summer and never paid move than $350 a night. It's very close to central station and where the ships dock. Also there is a Hilton even closer. Less than $10 cab ride worst case. No breakfast isn't a biggy as there are tons of restaurants in the area.
I had something similar happen. I booked ESW for later this year. Doing my GoT at the end at The Savoy in London. I wanted to do an additional night. Tauck quoted me a price $200 more than if I book it on my own. I did not have them book it for me...
BKMD, worst case no breakfast and theirs is incredibly expensive and enormous. They don't do a buffet. There is a pret a manger a very short walk down the strand if you want something smaller and more reasonably priced.
Thanks Claudia. At first, I'm thinking what does "ready to eat" mean (the hazards of understanding French), then googled it and see it's a restaurant chain :-)
There are many places to have breakfast near the Savoy -- including in Covent Garden. I also like to go to the Cafe in the Crypt at St. Martin-in-the-Fields, an easy walk from the Savoy. I've never been there for breakfast (not my favorite -- or favourite -- meal), but the website says breakfast is available from 10-11 a.m. You can also grab something at Charing Cross Station. I do not care much about food when I travel.
During ESW several years ago, Pret A Manger was our go to place for a quick and tasty sandwich.
Less time eating, more time touring!!
Agree lots of other choices. We ate at several Pret's during our ESW. I remember a cold wet day in Chester when we dove in for hot soup and tea. They remind me of Paneras but since it's mostly grab and go, faster.
And then there was the Subway (US fast food chain) in a pedestrian pass-through under the Embankment tube station, just a 1/2 block from the Royal Horseguards where we stayed. Predictable US sandwich shop, but what made it really extra special was they had a US style soda vending machine that also dispensed ice!!!! (something unheard of in most of the UK. McD didn't even have one of those!!!)
Ice is definitely an American thing.
Free refills are also an American thing.
Due to the presence of Charing Cross Station, that whole area between the Royal Horseguards and the Savoy is loaded with restaurants and fast food. We found that Villiers St. (trivia: named after the former Duke of Buckingham) was a good spot to look. There's a Starbucks, a good little Italian restaurant, and the memorable Gordon's Wine Bar. Gordon's has been there since 1890 and is literally a wine cellar (there are also tables outside on the right hand side of the building). Despite the somewhat run down exterior, this place is awesome! Website: gordonswinebar.com/
Speaking of Starbucks, I got a kick out of this place in Bethlehem:
That wasn't the only knockoff in Bethlehem. We also spotted this one.
The decoration and logo were the same but in Bahrain there was a "Burger Queen" (there is only one true King in Bahrain!!) At the Dairy Queen in Bahrain, they had caramel topping but, since it is an Islamic country they didn't have butter "scotch." One of our ships visiting Kuwait was invited to the US Embassy for a cookout. The van carrying supplies from the ship almost didn't make it. Getting through the inspection at the port security involved some interesting explanations. When the van was inspected they were challenged because among the soft drinks were several cases of root "beer" and the hot dogs looked like "pork" sausages.
I wonder if Hebrew National hot dogs would have made it through...