By Marcia Abramson
American Airlines was the first to announce the lowering of airfares to London and many other foreign cities. Many other airlines followed suit. These fares do not include taxes and they have many restrictions. However, if you can fly before December 14, you may find a very inexpensive flight to not only London, but Paris and Rome, too. I got in on one of these deals two years ago and flew to London on British Airways round-trip for a little more than $200. I would suggest that you check with the airlines for expiration dates of the offers. Summer travel fares are considerably higher. In fact, British Airways Holidays is also offering some attractive packages to fill up their planes. They can be reached at (800) 359-8722.
Club ABC Tours offers some excellent travel value for its members, at two-year dues of $35. When I started traveling years ago, I used them for trips to London, Lisbon and Madeira in Portugal as well as a cruise from Athens, Greece, the Greek Islands ending in Istanbul, Turkey. Currently a five-day weekend to London starts at $429 per person. This includes airfare on a scheduled airline from JFK. Round-trip airport to hotel transfers, hotel accommodations for three nights, continental breakfasts, hotel tax and service charges are included. The drawbacks, as I recall, was the location of the hotels and that no payments can be charged to credit cards. I recall that a planned trip to Bangkok, Singapore and Hong Kong was canceled because of lack of participation. Since all trips must be paid fully in advance, it did take a while for me to get the refund. I do recommend hotel upgrades which might cost about $100 per person for more central locations. A five-day weekend in Paris can cost about $499 with the same features as the London trip. Many more destinations are available. Additional information is available by calling Club ABC Tours at (212) 888-2227 or visiting their website at www.clubabc.com.
I have always found London to be a very special place, primarily for its great theater. However, I do miss being served tea and biscuits at my seat in the stalls (orchestra) which was a special treat decades ago. But this fall the new season starts with two spectacular musicals. Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Beautiful Game," about an Ulster soccer (football) team, just opened to good revues at the West End's Cambridge Theater. On October 17 the musical, "Napoleon" opened at the Shaftesbury theater. The advance word is that this will be another "Les Miserables" and "Phantom of the Opera." Incidentally, both of these are still very much alive on the West End, where I did enjoy them for a second time on my last visit to London.
There is excitement in the air about Hollywood's, Daryl Hannah's appearance in George Axelrod's comedy "Seven Year Itch," which starred Marilyn Monroe in the movie version years ago and the forthcoming opening of Eugene O'Neill's "Long Day's Journey Into Night" on November 21 at the Lyric with another screen celebrity, Jessica Lange, in a starring role. The splendid actor, Derek Jacobi, whom I saw in Hugh Whitemore's superb "Breaking the Code" in the West End and later on Broadway, is scheduled to open in a new play by Whitemore, "God only Knows," in November. The buzz is that this will be another exciting dramatic event.
Vanessa Redgrave will also be appearing at the National Theater in Trevor Nunn's revival of Chekhov's "Cherry Orchard." For rib tickling laughs, "Noises Off" will start a run at the National Theater and should be a must on the itinerary for an hilarious theatrical adventure. I have always been able to get good seats by showing up at the box office on short notice. In fact, the seats were better and less expensive than those offered to me by the hotel concierge. For a non-musical, the cost of a stall (orchestra seat) is about $50. A musical runs about $70. If you are sharing the West End theater experience with a youngster, a seat in the first row mezzanine is the seat to go for. The price is the same as a stall seat. But buying a theater ticket in the U.S. could cost almost double the price at the box office.
Another interesting London package has been set by Insight Vacation for a six-night stay, with a higher rated hotel, the Kensington Hilton, and a voucher for a selection of plays in the West End. The cost of this package is $995 per person double occupancy for four Saturday departures in November and December 2 and 9. This includes a full breakfast, round-trip transportation from the airport to the hotel and back to the airport. Also in the package is a half- day sightseeing tour. Insight Vacations is located in Boston, Ma. and can be reached at (617) 482-2000 and at web site www.insightvacations.com.
Another thing I try not to miss is a visit to the Historic Royal Palaces when in the British Isles. There is nothing like the grandeur of Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace and Kensington Palace State Apartments to make my sojourn even more memorable and meaningful each and every time. I would suggest that you take advantage of the low fares for the "price is right." The British Tourist Authority at (212) 850-0313 has more helpful information.
