Help with London Hotel and Transportation for Dummies

[lovcruzing]

Were really overwhelmed with all the information that were reading on CC.

This is our 1st trip to London and we only have 1 1/2 days to tour.

Can anyone tell me if this is a good plan or where I should make changes?

Arrive LHR Oct 30 1:25 pm. Stay at a inexpensive airport hotel.

Oct 31, head in to London and stay 1 night at Doubletree Westminister, Premier Inn County Hall, or Premier Inn Waterloo. See as much as we can in the surrounding area.

Nov 1 take the National Express to Southampton with a stop at Stonehedge.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. What would be the best way to get to London hotel?

[Icantthinkofone]

Premier inn waterloo is a great choice , there is a fantastic restaurant directly opposite, and you are central to walk to all the sights , National express is the cheapest and most reliable you can get, maybe get that from LHR too:).Stonehenge is a long drive to see a heap of stones stuck in the middle of the country that you cant even touch! , stay in London or come to Brighton that's far more fun !!:D

Edited January 31, 2014 by Icantthinkofone

[lovcruzing]

Thank you. Were going on a cruise out of Southampton. Should we just go there and see what we can before getting on the ship? Were is Brighton is it on the way the Southampton?

[Icantthinkofone]

You can get the National express straight down to Brighton which stops at POOL VALLEY and spend a night in a premier Inn or even a hotel on the seafront perhaps The Albion , all walking distance with a case ! which is so central and reasonably priced its about 90 miles south of London ,and Southampton is about another 90 miles west straight along the coast , you could take the train to the port . And Southampton has got some greats shops at West Quay, but forgive me for saying its a bit of a run down place best to sail away asap !!! lol

Edited January 31, 2014 by Icantthinkofone

[jsmeeker]

Visiting London is never a horrible idea. :)

 

I don't see a good reason to stay in a hotel near LHR with a 1:25 PM arrival time. Head straight into central London. All locations mentioned would be fine and far preferable to being near the airport. Just stay all night there until you are ready to head to Southampton.

[lovcruzing]

If I go to London when we arrive should I still use National Express? Kinda of worried about tube, trains etc.

[p_mori7]

If you are arriving early afternoon LHR, I would book 2 nights in-town rather than split it up.

 

You can take the Tube (Subway) right from the airport almost all the way to the hotel of your choice. If the walk from the closest Tube station to the hotel is too far to do comfortably with baggage, take a cab.

 

Look at private transfer companies or British Rail to get to the cruise terminal (we did the Railway).

 

:)

[Pet Nit Noy]

Visiting London is never a horrible idea. :)

 

I don't see a good reason to stay in a hotel near LHR with a 1:25 PM arrival time. Head straight into central London. All locations mentioned would be fine and far preferable to being near the airport. Just stay all night there until you are ready to head to Southampton.

 

+1 Head straight to London on arrival day.

 

To the OP...

 

You said this was your first trip to London. Is it your first trip to Europe? If so, you'll need to think about how to accelerate your adjustment to European time. That goal ties in to what I'm about to write about your arrival half day.

 

Do as much walking, preferably in the sunshine as possible. Exposure to daylight helps to re-set your body clock. Resist the temptation to take a nap, but if you really need one after all your walking, make sure it is no longer than 30-45 minutes. You'll feel like death warmed over when the alarm clock wakes you, but a quick shower will put you right. Eat an early dinner. Try to stay up as close as you can to normal bedtime.

 

I would not do a ho-ho bus tour on the first day. I'd stay in a smaller area so I could walk. One example might be a St. Paul's and Globe Theater combo, crossing the river via the pedestrian bridge. (You might also want to add the Tate Modern if you like contemporary art.)

 

Another cluster of destinations might be Parliament and Westminster.

 

The Tower of London could occupy your entire afternoon.

 

Your full day in London would be your time to take the ho-ho bus or (my choice) get around the city using the underground.

[p_mori7]

If I go to London when we arrive should I still use National Express? Kinda of worried about tube, trains etc.

 

The tube is REALLY easy ! Once you've collected your bags and walked out into the main terminal, just follow the signs towards the "Underground". Before you get to the Tube turnstiles, there will be some automated tellers where you can purchase your "Oyster Cards" for travel on the Tube or Busses.

 

There are staff there that can guide you to the proper tube platform to go to for your intended destination.

[SteveH2508]

Another thought - go into London in the afternoon and take a river cruise down to Greenwich and back - you can get meals on some of the river cruises and you get a good view of London with commentary.

[lovcruzing]

Thank you all for the great information.

[huntersyaya]

Thank you all for the great information.

 

I think the hop on hop off buses have two day tickets. Whenever we go to a big city in Europe on our arrival day we buy a two -day ticket because they are almost the same price as a one-day....,we always ride at least one route on the hop on hop off BUT we never hop off. We just ride and get our bearings. We are usually a little bit tired and this is just a no brainer....easy way to see a lot and hear a lot. The next day, we have an idea of what we really want to see and then we will ride the Hop on and hop off where we want to. We also might incorporate the tube to get us to an area of interest if we are spending too much time waiting on the Hop On. It's a matter of preference but if we just start wandering on our first day when we are tired, we don't accomplish much!

 

Enjoy your trip! London is a wonderful city with lots to see!

[Ashland]

I agree...get yourself into London and don't waste your time at LHR..and do consider the HOHO.

 

www.theoriginaltour.com

 

It gave us the best overview of London we could have asked for...Enjoy :)

[hatolincoln]

Hello,

 

Have a question about transportation from London to Southampton. Transfer fees are $54 per person and I wonder what a cab would cost as well as how long it would take to get there. Would appreciate any information. Thanks.

 

Al

[ckap]

Staying for two days before cruise at park plaza Victoria near Victoria station what is the best way to get there

[baggal]

Hello,

 

Have a question about transportation from London to Southampton. Transfer fees are $54 per person and I wonder what a cab would cost as well as how long it would take to get there. Would appreciate any information. Thanks.

 

Al

 

Somewhere, either on this thread or another, someone quoted that a private car service would be about 125 - 130 GBP. At today's exchange rate, that would be about $210 or roughly double the cost of the ship's (in my case Princess) transfer.

[Ashland]

Somewhere, either on this thread or another, someone quoted that a private car service would be about 125 - 130 GBP. At today's exchange rate, that would be about $210 or roughly double the cost of the ship's (in my case Princess) transfer.

Also in our case when we compared the RCI cruise transfers by bus on day of cruise from LHR-Harwich it was a much cheaper option..the private transfers were $$$'s..One of the few times we have found the cruise transfers to be the best deal ;)

[SkiCruiser]

Hi Lovcruising from California,

 

We are Dennis & Cheryl from St. Petersburg, FL. We are on the Indy to Ft. Lauderdale, too! We are arriving at Heathrow on the 31st, our flight arrives at 6:25 am and will take the HEX to Paddington and a taxi to the hotel, staying overnight at Marriott County Hall, whirlwind tour with a private cab and getting the Cruise Bus to Southampton via Stonehenge on Nov 1st!!!! I found the Cruise Bus info on The London Toolkit website at £59, not sure if it is the National Express. I have not made reservations for the bus yet. I finally made hotel reservations since the rates had not changed at all after checking every day for a couple months!

 

This cruise is for our 40th Anniversary!:eek: Where did all those years go?

 

Maybe we will be on the same bus to the Indy! We can't wait!

 

Cheryl

[plank]

Hi Lovcruising from California,

 

We are Dennis & Cheryl from St. Petersburg, FL. We are on the Indy to Ft. Lauderdale, too! We are arriving at Heathrow on the 31st, our flight arrives at 6:25 am and will take the HEX to Paddington and a taxi to the hotel, staying overnight at Marriott County Hall, whirlwind tour with a private cab and getting the Cruise Bus to Southampton via Stonehenge on Nov 1st!!!! I found the Cruise Bus info on The London Toolkit website at £59, not sure if it is the National Express. I have not made reservations for the bus yet. I finally made hotel reservations since the rates had not changed at all after checking every day for a couple months!

 

This cruise is for our 40th Anniversary!:eek: Where did all those years go?

 

Maybe we will be on the same bus to the Indy! We can't wait!

 

Cheryl

 

Hi, we are on that cruise too! I am trying to gather info because we are staying about a week prior to cruise. Was the Marriott a good deal? We have to get transportation to the ship as well. Peggy We will be celebrating 39 years! Time flies when you are having fun!

[John Bull]

Hi Lovcruising from California,

 

We are Dennis & Cheryl from St. Petersburg, FL. We are on the Indy to Ft. Lauderdale, too! We are arriving at Heathrow on the 31st, our flight arrives at 6:25 am and will take the HEX to Paddington and a taxi to the hotel, staying overnight at Marriott County Hall, whirlwind tour with a private cab and getting the Cruise Bus to Southampton via Stonehenge on Nov 1st!!!! I found the Cruise Bus info on The London Toolkit website at £59, not sure if it is the National Express. I have not made reservations for the bus yet. I finally made hotel reservations since the rates had not changed at all after checking every day for a couple months!

 

This cruise is for our 40th Anniversary!:eek: Where did all those years go?

 

Maybe we will be on the same bus to the Indy! We can't wait!

 

Cheryl

 

Hi Cheryl,

 

The cruisebus is operated by International Friends, a well-established & well-respected coach tour operator, & promoted on that excellent London Toolkit website..

No luggage restriction within reason.

The Cruisebus collects you & your luggage from your hotel, takes you via a stop at Stonehenge & on to the quayside by your ship.

 

Cruise lines offer a simple coach transfer from Victoria coach station to the ship. No luggage restriction within reason.

 

National Express operates regular service routes, kinda like Greyhound in the US. Fares up to £16 per person, frequently "fun fares" way less than that.

Limited to hand luggage plus 2 x 44lb cases per person (within reason, I don't think they worry too much about the weight limit)

For National Express you board at Victoria coach station (about 2 miles from your hotel) & book to Southampton coach station. nb - don't book to "cruise ship", that only applies to Fred Olsen cruises & will lead you up a blind alley.

Then it's a 20 minute walk or a £5 taxi ride to your ship.

 

Your hotel is a five-minute walk from Waterloo rail station, which has direct trains to Southampton takes about 90 minutes. Regular rail fares are about £36 but can be as little as £4 to £10 if pre-booked on http://uk.megabus.com/megatrain.aspx

Megatrain tickets are limited to only a few trains per day (none on sundays) & are non-amendable, but excellent value. Similar 15 min walk or taxi hop from Southampton central station to ship.

BTW IMHO the County Hall hotels are an ideal location for tourism in London - London Eye & tour boats right by, walkable to a great many sights, handy tube & ho-ho stops.

(lovcruisin - same applies to Premier Inn County Hall. Premier Inn Waterloo a little less convenient but I'm guessing significantly cheaper)

 

If you're not flying home same-day, the International Friends cruisebus offers a much more comprehensive tour-transfer from ship to Heathrow or London hotels, because it doesn't have the constraint of having to guarantee early arrival for a sailing.

 

JB :)

Edited February 7, 2014 by John Bull

[lovcruzing]

I changed my hotel to the Double Tree Westminster. Hope we won't have a too much of a problem getting around. Haven't booked the bus yet. It would be great if we are on the same bus. JB since my hotel is different can you give me updated information on how to get around and catch National Express.

[referee]

Hello John Bull. You seem to be the one with the most helpful information about London . Perhaps you can help us. We will be in London for only one day prior to our cruise. We booked a hotel near Buckingham Palace. We would like to see as much as possible in that short amount of time. My question to you is, we are in our 70's, and traveling from Heathrow to the hotel, and from the hotel to Harwich would not be easy for us by train. Do you have any recommendations for car or bus service that we could use. As inexpensive as possible. Thank you Jay

[francia35]

Hello John Bull. You seem to be the one with the most helpful information about London . Perhaps you can help us. We will be in London for only one day prior to our cruise. We booked a hotel near Buckingham Palace. We would like to see as much as possible in that short amount of time. My question to you is, we are in our 70's, and traveling from Heathrow to the hotel, and from the hotel to Harwich would not be easy for us by train. Do you have any recommendations for car or bus service that we could use. As inexpensive as possible. Thank you Jay

 

John Bull & Jay - this is exactly the question we had! (same age group) The train sounds good but is it easy getting to the train in London and from the train in Harwich? As long as there are no stairs, we should be able to handle the luggage. Also, return - does the train go to Heathrow? If so more than once a day and what time?

Thanks, Fran & Len (Brilliance - 6/19/14)

[Twickenham]

John Bull & Jay - this is exactly the question we had! (same age group) The train sounds good but is it easy getting to the train in London and from the train in Harwich? As long as there are no stairs, we should be able to handle the luggage. Also, return - does the train go to Heathrow? If so more than once a day and what time?

Thanks, Fran & Len (Brilliance - 6/19/14)

 

A picture is worth a thousand words - check out Liverpool St. Station on Google Street View - you can go right into the station, a great way of getting the lay of the land. It appears the platforms are one level down from street level, but there is an elevator.

 

Returning, you'll need to transfer in London - either Liverpool St. then tube, or to avoid stairs take a taxi to Paddington Station to take either the Heathrow Express or Connect train to LHR.