London Hotel / Harwich cruise bus pickup / under $250 / easy tube

[suec12]

Sorry for another hotel thread! there are so many to sort thru, I was hoping a poster might help me hit my trifecta of what I am hoping for and save me some time. We will be there in Oct. for 3 nights, using the cruiseline bus to get to Harwich. Thanks! whoops I should specify, easy tube connection from LHR (no stairs? maybe no transfer? we can handle our bags if not too strenuous of transit).

Edited February 21, 2014 by suec12
additional info

[Twickenham]

Sorry for another hotel thread! there are so many to sort thru, I was hoping a poster might help me hit my trifecta of what I am hoping for and save me some time. We will be there in Oct. for 3 nights, using the cruiseline bus to get to Harwich. Thanks! whoops I should specify, easy tube connection from LHR (no stairs? maybe no transfer? we can handle our bags if not too strenuous of transit).

 

First, I have to ask: if you're planning on taking the tube from LHR, why not take the train to Harwich? Is the cruise line transfer from LHR? If so, that's an awfully long way to go the wrong direction to get to Harwich, as Central London is between LHR and Harwich.

 

For hotels, I would probably be looking at somewhere in Bloomsbury; will let someone more familiar with the area suggest something.

[kevinyork]

If the cruise line transfer is from LHR then forget it. It doesnt make sense to go all the way back to LHR to then travel back around London again.

 

There is a cruise train from Liverpool St Station direct to the quayside in Harwich. Its direct and gets you to the ship around 13.40, a journey of 1hr 12 mins. Price is around £30 However, there are other trains throughout the day which require one change should you wish to travel earlier and the price of those is £8. Only takes 1 minute longer with a simple change of trains at Manningtree. To book the trains see http://www.greateranglia.co.uk/ however its too early for October bookings at present.

 

As for Hotels, not sure when in October you are looking at but the last week of Oct is a School Holiday and prices will be high.

 

Your budget is tight at around £50 p/n. Somewhere like a Travelodge Hotel (the one at Convent Garden is about 5-7 mins walk from the tube at Holborn which is a direct tube journey from Heathrow. Alternatively stay close to Paddington Station/Hyde Park and take the Heathrow Express from LHR to Paddington. Thats a very quick trip.

Edited February 21, 2014 by kevinyork

[suec12]

Oh my budget is $250 per night! and the cruise lines (well RCCL brands) run a bus service from many central hotels to Harwich. It is 59 pounds per person, not too bad. If I can get a direct train (I read that some involve changes) then that might be a good option as well. We did the Megatrain for 9 pounds I think to Southampton - the biggest bargain in London IMO.

[Twickenham]

Oh my budget is $250 per night! and the cruise lines (well RCCL brands) run a bus service from many central hotels to Harwich. It is 59 pounds per person, not too bad. If I can get a direct train (I read that some involve changes) then that might be a good option as well. We did the Megatrain for 9 pounds I think to Southampton - the biggest bargain in London IMO.

 

While a bus service from Central London is better than LHR, I still don't think it's worth double the price over the cruise train. If you can handle your bags (and, being smart world travellers :cool:, you only have as much luggage as you can comfortably manage on your own), you can do the one transfer at Manningtree and save even more money. And, as you can see in

, the train station is just steps from the cruise terminal. To get a feel for things at the Liverpool Street station end, check out Google Street View - it goes straight into the station.

 

Back to tube/hotels: the Picadilly line (the one that comes from the airport) goes quite deep once it hits Central London, so for many stops there is an elevator. May involve a few steps at some stations, but a hotel that is close to any of the stations between, say, Leicester Square and Kings Cross/St. Pancras would be your best bet.

[Post Captain]

suec12 ~

 

The easiest & most convenient (stair-free) direct route by tube from Heathrow to central London is to Kings Cross/St Pancras, where you can get from the train platform to street level entirely by lift (elevator), albeit also with some walking through modern pedestrian tunnels.

 

There are numerous hotels within a 10- or 15-minute walk of King's Cross/St Pancras. Three modern budget chain hotels in this area are Premiere Inn London Euston, Travelodge London Euston (though this wouldn't be my first choice), and Ibis London Euston St Pancras. There are several small, independent hotels on Gower Street as well as others virtually adjacent to the British Museum (e.g., on Montague Street); plus some larger "tourist" hotels near Russell Square.

 

You will find a plethora of reviews of just about all of these hotels on Tripadvisor.

[Ashland]

Make your way to the Liverpool Street Station and take the (cruise direct) train...I have done the RCI bus transfer to Harwich (although from a day of cruise arrival flight)...It was a looong 3 hour ride. We took the train on the return into London for our post-cruise week..and found it to be much quicker and easier..Next time I'll avoid the bus option.