Does anyone here know central London?

[IneedsomehelpinLondon]

Hello, I’m very sorry to post here it’s not AIBU. I have ALN and am getting stressed and overwhelmed trying to organise a trip to London for me and my children .
I can’t seem to work out where things are despite looking on Google and how to get from one place to another.
we want to do the following

we will arrive in London at Waterloo station

London dungeon
London Eye
show at Adelphi theatre
Aquarium (sealife London).

I obviously need to book these things in advance, is it possible to do this in one day? Sorry I don’t know anyone in London to ask. Which order would be best? I was thinking the show latest (either matinee or evening)
thank you very much if you can help

If your son qualifies for a blue badge, do you also have an access card? They cost £15 for 3 years. My daughter qualifies for an access card despite not qualifying for a blue badge,

If your disabled child has any sensory issues I think that's a lot in one day combined with hustle/bustle noise of London. Depending on the dc I'd do either the Aquarium or the London Dungeon. If a dull day with poor visibility I'd think twice about the Eye.

He may think he will enjoy the Dungeon but he cannot know that and you need to factor that in to whatever you decide. I understand that you are visiting for a short time and I am a bit like that when I visit a new city over a couple of days. However, my DCs seem to have missed a lot of what we have done to date and their clearest memories are of completely random events which took place outside of what I planned!

Please ditch the aquarium. Utterly cruel!

You can do it in a day if you are arriving first thing. You would have to very organised, bring a packed lunch to save time, and you would probably be pretty tired though...

Waterloo is right next to all 3 attractions and the theatre is 15 minutes walk across the river. The atttractions have time slots, which which will help but you will still need to queue. I would call Merlin to ask about being fast tracked due to your DS's disability.

You can buy a combined ticket for all 3 attractions that is cheaper. Merlin attractions are also part of the 2 for 1 National Rail offer:

www.daysoutguide.co.uk/2for1-london

9am London Dungeon
I would start with the dungeon while you have energy, if that is what they want to do most of all. They recommend it takes 90 minutes to see the attraction so I would allow 2 hours. The queues should be short at that time.

11.30am London Eye
The ride is 30 minutes but the queue can take time (you can get fast track tickets though) so I would allow 1.5 hours.

1.30pm packed lunch by the river or walk along the river to the street food market behind the Southbank Centre (if the London Eye queues are short and you have time). There may well be free lunchtime music at the Southbank Centre.

2pm London Aquarium. They recommend allowing 2 hours so I would allow 3 for queues etc Or you could push it back to 2.30pm if you aren't that bothered about cutting the visit short and would rather have leeway to spend more time at the dungeon or for going to a restaurant.

5.45pm book at table for dinner at Joe Allen's (a theatreland classic, it's an American diner filled with signed photos and play posters) or somewhere on the Southbank/Covent Garden/The Strand. You can get an Uber to Joe Allen's or the theatre (if you decide to eat on the Southbank) for under a tenner. It may well be cheaper than the tube for such a short journey! It's only 15 minutes walk but an Uber might be less stressful and you might be exhausted by then!

7.30pm Theatre

At 13 and 15, could your DC cope with a post theatre dinner? When is the last train home? That would make for a more relaxing day. Joe Allen's is famous as a post theatre destination, especially for actors and theatre staff or you could grab fast food at Waterloo to eat on the train back. You could have a more substantial lunch in a restaurant with the extra time that frees up. If you do that, the London Eye is open until 6pm (the other attractions close at 5pm) so you could move that to last. But check the sunset time, if you are going later in the year!

We did those 3 attractions in 1 day. I think it's doable as yours are teens and won't spend hours in SeaLife. We got a discounted pass via a website like this.

www.visitsealife.com/london/tickets-prices/ways-to-visit/combination-tickets/

You mentioned crowds at the attractions. Can’t comment on the Sea Life Centre but the London Dungeons are small group tours with limited numbers, so you are in relatively close proximity to people in your group but it’s not a big crowd.

Also not sure if anyone’s mentioned this but they do pick on people at random to join in with the story but you end up the butt of the joke basically, especially if you’re male who seem to be more ‘fair game’. You could probably say no but I’ve got a feeling they’d probably make a joke out of you to keep the story going. It totally ruined the experience for me as I’m far too anxious and spent the whole time worrying! Not sure if they only do it with adults but I know my autistic brother wouldn’t have coped well at all with that side of it.

Also, it is expensive for what it is so if you can do Clubcard vouchers it works out better value.

Dungeon doesn't open til 10am. I took DS15, it was okay, a bit of fun rather than educational. It's guided, so you can't walk around in your own time. It will only take 90 minutes.

London eye - I would get fast track tickets, leave 1 hour

Aquarium is fun. 2 hours max for kids your children's age.

Back to the future is amazing too.

I would do
10am Aquarium (as it will be quieter)
12noon Lunch
1pm: London Eye
2.30pm: Dungeon
5.30pm: Dinner
7.30pm: Show
Home.

I'm not sure about now, but not so long ago a child getting DLA could take a carer in free to the London Eye.

Walking is so much easier - by the time you have navigating getting to and from the tube and the walk (plus the crowds) walking is fine and easy to do.

I have planned Back to the Future plus London Eye for half term (find the aquarium a bit meh and Dungeon would scare DD)

do you think I can get away without booking anywhere for lunch as someone mentioned there were a lot of places to eat around the south bank.?

I don't think you have time for a restaurant lunch AND dinner AND 3 attractions. I would take a packed lunch (or go to Maccys for lunch). There is an M&S and other places that sell picnic food in Waterloo station. If you end up having time because the queues are short, you could always ditch the packed lunch and get street food at the market or one of the vans near the Southbank Centre or a fast food place. Dinner at a restaurant makes more sense as you will have time to kill after the attractions close and before the theatre.

It depends what day you go on how busy restaurants will be. Whatever you decide to do, I would definitely book as you will be on a tight schedule with time specific tickets. You don't have time even for a short wait for a table.

I agree with the others that it’s too much for one day especially with autism in the mix. Do you need to factor in some chill time for example.

we often walk from Southbank area to The Strand (where Adelphi is). My dd works at a different theatre on The Strand.

The Adelphi has different owners (LW) than where she works but many theatres have Access Hosts or similarly named and if you contact them in advance they can be aware of any needs. The merch stand is usually
rammed. Be warned that whist BTTF is a visual & technical spectacle and you leave thinking how on earth did they do that (DD’s ex house mate worked on the show) it is a major sensory overload, even Dd who is autistic, struggled slightly with bits. You might want to consider headphones/ear defenders.

neither of my two ever had problems with the tube from a young age but trains were a special interest.

The Eye and the aquarium are next door to each other

Just to clear up the confusion - London Dungeon used to be next to London Bridge but moved back when the station was redeveloped and is now on the South Bank

My standard holiday outing for me and 12/15year old is to Arrive midday - potter/lunch in covent garden (Wagamamas for us) and watch the buskers (take some change for the tips) - and then a 2.30pm matinee and then get an early evening train home! You can go to a sea life centre in lots of other places and I always find them horrendously overpriced for what is often an underwhelming experience so I'd consider more Londony things. I agree a prebooked early evening Eye experience before going home would be a nice way to round the day off if you and your son have the stamina for it.

I think you can do everything if there were no queues. I don’t think the Aquarium takes more than 2-3 hours, 45 minute on London Eye (although the queue could be another 45 minutes) -Lunch then the Dungeons and then meal followed by theatre

If you do the London Eye and Aquarium then do those together.

We had years ago a Merlin pass which allowed us to skip the queue into the aquarium.

Sea life aquarium is shit, don’t bother going there. Huge waste of money. The London dungeon/aquarium/London eye are all now in the same area. It’s all next to Westminster tube station. You can go to the theatre after. You can book online or there in person.

Is it possible for you to stay op. I think this would make the boys experience.
it might be better or worse for autism knowing he’s got somewhere to stay at the end of the day,safe to return to.
more fun. staying in london is fab.
And way more relaxed in terms of times.
I’d say it opens up and relaxes your trip tenfold but I totally get if this isn’t an option.
one thing that helped us was having a code word if the dc was getting overwhelmed.
talking through what might happen if things had to change.plans can’t always go to plan in London!no matter how nailed down you think you have it.
also having heads phones if dc needed to put some music on if things got too much.
bag of snacks.
and don’t stress.you will have a great time.

I also know people have given there opinions on some of the places you want to see. But I would sway it too much.it’s part of it all.doing the good and bad bits of London and have a story to tell and memories.

Aren’t all attractions now on southbank?
So coming from Waterloo 10-15 min walk at the most, all possible to do in a day.

However I would ditch one of them so as not to rush, probably the aquarium if I’m being honest.

I appear to be in the minority here but 100% dungeons over aquarium!!!! I don't think Aquarium is worth the cost AT ALL and not exactly relevant to London

Given your boys ages I would definitely do the London dungeon....it has moved back to the south bank and is right by the London Eye. If you timed your day well, you could do all of it but it might be tiring but if tge weather is bad you might be grateful to be inside!

With regard to lunch, we always slip into M&S at Waterloo station when we're in town (DS is under the Evelina Hospital near the South Bank) and get a meal deal. It's a lot easier than trying to find a street stall or book somewhere for lunch and, if it's nice, you can sit near the London Eye for lunch. Not so great if it's raining but....

I'd do two of the three then have a walk across the bridge to Embankment. You could go over early and take a stroll through Covent Garden (lots of street entertainment there - good and bad - as there is on the South Bank). Or you could take a walk through Trafalgar Square. And loads of places to eat on the theatre side of the river, from pizza places to Garfunkel's, TGI Fridays and more upmarket depending on your tastes.

If you're going back to Waterloo you may find it easier to jump on a train at Charing Cross - it's one stop to Waterloo East then a short walk across to Waterloo. Otherwise you're on the underground and those tunnels can be looonngg on the feet when you're tired. Most trains from Charing Cross call at Waterloo East but do check in case they're going straight to London Bridge.

Have a lovely time. London is a great city especially at this time of year.

Agree with ditching the dungeon, for one thing you have too many indoor activities! London needs to be seen to be enjoyed.

I would do the eye first so you get a good look at London from the air, if it’s a sunny clear day it is a terrific thing to see, then walk down by the river to find somewhere for lunch, your kids will probably enjoy watching the skateboarders showing off their amazing skills. Then turn back and walk up along the river again to the Aquarium. You could then stroll over the river on Westminster Bridge and see the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. If you are up to it then walk up to Trafalgar Square then to the theatre.

I don’t know how much walking your child is ok with, but if you take it slow and with breaks you should be ok.

Thank you so much everyone- I’m feeling far more in control and knowledgeable now!

I’ve decided to drop the aquarium and do this another time at Bristol Aquarium as it seems to have better reviews and I don’t want to feel rushed.

will definitely do London eye & London Dungeons, I think I’ll book the 2:30 matinee performance of Back to the Future then have a meal afterwards as I don’t want to be leaving London too late.

I’m not looking for anything posh or too expensive as DS are easily pleased with simple food like burgers or fish and chips or pizza so may just book a pizza express or Zizi.

Does Planet Hollywood still exist or maybe Frankie and Bennys type place or American Diner?