(AD) We were recently invited along on one of the Caledonian Travel Family Fun Trips.
Caledonian Travel are a much loved name in Scotland and have been for over 30 years. From 2021 they started departures from the North East & North Yorkshire
North East departures can be found HERE
To Book Your Family Fun Break Click HERE
One of the many things we love about Caledonian Travel is they use the cleanest, most efficient vehicles with euro 6 fuel efficient engines, which emit reduced levels of carbon dioxide. You are probably aware by now that we like to be as green as we can and earlier this year switched to an electric car, so eco friendly coaches are a big plus for us.
Caledonian Travel have added a Family Fun section to the website offering some fantastic deals for family breaks. Some of the more popular breaks include:
Harry Potter Studio Tour
LEGOLAND
Alton Towers
Chester Zoo
Cadbury World
Disneyland Paris
Our driver for the this trip was Ray. I have to do a little section just for him because he was absolutely wonderful. Ray was a delight for the whole trip and I hope that on future trips we have someone just like him.
He kept everyone entertained throughout the trip, did little quizzes for the adults and kids and he was very knowledgeable when it came to London. We really enjoyed the coach tour and he just knew everything there was to know.
When you have someone like this working for you, Caledonian Travel I hope you cherish him.
Our Trip
We had a 2 day break to London and The Harry Potter Studio Tour
We chose Park Lane as our pick up point as we just live a 10 minute walk from the bus station
On our trip we were travelling on the Green Goddess, the coach turned up on time and I was quite surprised by the coach as its been a while since I was last on one.
On the coach you can expect:
Reclining Seats
Foot Rests
Air Con (This was handy)
Toilet and small wash area
Lap belts
Your seats are reserved for your whole trip. This was super handy, as it meant we could leave our backpacks on the coach when we were on toilet stops.
The seating is comfortable and it didn't feel like we were on the coach that long to be honest. We had two stops on the way down for toilet breaks and to stretch our legs, which was great because I'm claustrophobic and couldn't use the toilet on the coach. Our pickup in Park Lane was 7.10am and we were in London by 2pm. On our trip our driver Ray was offering a coach tour around London, which we did and I am so glad we did, because I think this was probably my favourite part of the whole trip. We got to see some of the wonderful sights and get off for photos too. The coach tour is extra and costs £12.50 per adult £7.50 for kids. You could also get off and not do the tour which would have given you 4 hours free time to explore the sights and sounds of London. After the tour we had around an hour and a half of free time, so we just went for a walk and watched some of the festival, which was taking place in Trafalgar Square. We also headed to the Savoy Hotel for a little nosey (It is extravagant) followed by a walk back to the coach.
On the tour
This was a chance to see some of the tourist spots and find out a bit about them. This is how our tour went.
St Pauls Cathedral
London Bridge
The Shard
Tower Bridge
The London Eye
Big Ben
We were able to stop at various points for photographs and Ray was a great help. Full of facts and gave advice on where to get the best pictures.
Once everyone was back on the coach we then headed into Watford, to the Jurys Inn Hotel.
The rooms were lovely, we had 2 adjoining rooms, each with a king-size bed and a single bed, bathroom with bath and shower, tv, wardrobe and a dressing table.
The rooms were nice and clean and spacious.
Food is included in the price of your trip. You get an evening meal and then Breakfast.
Breakfast was fantastic, they had lots to choose from and it suited everyone's dietary needs.
We did have a little wander and found a Sainsburys, a convenience store and a bar across the road from the Hotel
The following day (Sunday)
Everyone was back on the coach by 10am and all the kids were super excited for Harry Potter. Elliot even wore his Gryffindor cloak and had his wand. We did arrive a little early but we were allowed entry at 10.30.
We were handed tickets and a passport and off we went.
Harry Potter (Please see the full Blog Review for more in depth details)
The Passports have some spaces to collect embossed stamps at different points on the tour and there are also snitches to find. When we dfirst joine the tour we were guided through with other people. I would say roughly around 100 people. We were taken to a cinema room. After a 5 minute video you are then taken to the Dining Hall and from there you can go around at your own pace. There are lots of photo opportunities. There are a few spots you can not take your own photos and they are in the cinema and at the green screens. (Copyright issues) It was busy, as to be expected for a weekend, but it wasn't crazy busy
We had 4 hours in total and to be honest we were done after 3 hours. It is a fantastic place to visit and if you fancy it, I would recommend doing it through Caledonian Travel as entry just to the Studios is expensive. (Over £200 for a family of 5)
Unfortunately we didn't take our own food in for lunch and ended up waiting until we had finished the tour to get food, because the queues at the halfway point were ridiculous. It is quite expensive at £6.75 for a child's pizza and £4.50 for a side of chips. The Adult Pizza was £10. We did have ice cream because we did budget for that, which again is expensive. We had a tasting tub which was £8.95 but to be honest the cones were better which were £4.95 and Adam had a milkshake which cost £6.95. All in all though it was a fantastic day and we thoroughly enjoyed it. To Book Your Harry Potter Break Click HERE
To read about our trip to The Harry Potter Studios HERE
Once everyone was back on the coach we headed for home, we did stop twice. Once just for 10 minutes and then again for 1 hour. We were back in Park Lane just after 9pm.
We would highly recommend Caledonian Travel for your breaks, especially with kids as we had a fantastic time and I have actually been eyeing up a few other trips with Caledonian Travel, so watch this space.
Good To Know
When Booking a UK break, £10 deposit per person is needed and then the rest 6 weeks before your departure. If you are booking a European, Ireland & The Channel Islands plus any special events needs to be paid 8 weeks before departure.
To Book Your Family Fun Break Click HERE
To Book Your Harry Potter Break Click HERE