First TA to Southampton with 4 days stay in London after cruise. Need help planning.

[Odesitka70]

This is our first TA to Southampton from NY. We would like to stay in London and explore as much as possible in 4 days after the cruise. This will be our first time in London as well. Any help would be greatly appreciated. We will be coming to London mid may if it's makes a difference.

[markeb]

What are your interests? Do you want to see a lot, or experience a little less? How mobile are you? Are you into art? History? Have you looked seriously at a budget? Do you want to get out of the city, or are you content to spend your four days in London (there's plenty to do there!).

 

May should be good. If you're mobile and don't tire real easily, you can do things early and late. A lot of the "just see this" locations (exterior of Buckingham Palace, the Westminster Palace, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, etc.) are open all the time and you'll have daylight. Other attractions (interiors of the above, for instance) require planning.

 

A lot of the major attractions are fairly centrally located, and also give you an ability to experience being in London. Trafalgar Square is just a really nice urban location, but the National Gallery is there as well (free except for special exhibits). Personally, if the budget allows, I'd look for a place to stay roughly between Mayfair and County Hall, and not far from the Tube. I'm not a HOHO fan, but if you've never been, at least research your options. The Tower of London is kind of a "must see"; take the Tube and get there early before the crowds. The changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace is at 11:00. Couple that with a walk around Westminster and maybe Green Park. The London Eye is touristy, but IMHO well worth it for the views, if the weather is good. You can pre-book times online and save time in line. The British Museum is amazing, but you'll spend forever there if you don't have a plan (I'd spend forever, but you only have 4 days). Windsor is worth a trip as well. The river boats up the Thames to Greenwich are also very nice for an overview you won't get otherwise. Greenwich is a great day, but, there's always your time...

 

BTW, I've just killed your four days with any reasonable pace...

[Odesitka70]

What are your interests? Do you want to see a lot, or experience a little less? How mobile are you? Are you into art? History? Have you looked seriously at a budget? Do you want to get out of the city, or are you content to spend your four days in London (there's plenty to do there!).

 

May should be good. If you're mobile and don't tire real easily, you can do things early and late. A lot of the "just see this" locations (exterior of Buckingham Palace, the Westminster Palace, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, etc.) are open all the time and you'll have daylight. Other attractions (interiors of the above, for instance) require planning.

 

A lot of the major attractions are fairly centrally located, and also give you an ability to experience being in London. Trafalgar Square is just a really nice urban location, but the National Gallery is there as well (free except for special exhibits). Personally, if the budget allows, I'd look for a place to stay roughly between Mayfair and County Hall, and not far from the Tube. I'm not a HOHO fan, but if you've never been, at least research your options. The Tower of London is kind of a "must see"; take the Tube and get there early before the crowds. The changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace is at 11:00. Couple that with a walk around Westminster and maybe Green Park. The London Eye is touristy, but IMHO well worth it for the views, if the weather is good. You can pre-book times online and save time in line. The British Museum is amazing, but you'll spend forever there if you don't have a plan (I'd spend forever, but you only have 4 days). Windsor is worth a trip as well. The river boats up the Thames to Greenwich are also very nice for an overview you won't get otherwise. Greenwich is a great day, but, there's always your time...

 

BTW, I've just killed your four days with any reasonable pace...

 

Omg thank you so much for such a quick and wonderful response. We are celebrating my husband big 50 on cruise, so we consider ourselves still young and pretty mobile. We just booked our cruise few days ago and started our planning.

[markeb]

You really need to look at a map, and look at things to do in London; that may be a Fodors or Frommers, even in these days of the internet.

 

For instance, if you want to experience a British Pub (or two), they're everywhere except when you want to find them. There's a pub or two near Leicester Square, and China Town is nearby. There's a wonderful, and relatively inexpensive, Indian Place in Covent Garden. It can be a lot of fun to just wander around Piccadilly Circus. That's all in a fairly compact area. I really would look at a map, and seriously consider what you want to do. Make a top 5-10 and come back. I've been to London quite a few times for work and leisure; there are people here who live there...

[Odesitka70]

You really need to look at a map, and look at things to do in London; that may be a Fodors or Frommers, even in these days of the internet.

 

For instance, if you want to experience a British Pub (or two), they're everywhere except when you want to find them. There's a pub or two near Leicester Square, and China Town is nearby. There's a wonderful, and relatively inexpensive, Indian Place in Covent Garden. It can be a lot of fun to just wander around Piccadilly Circus. That's all in a fairly compact area. I really would look at a map, and seriously consider what you want to do. Make a top 5-10 and come back. I've been to London quite a few times for work and leisure; there are people here who live there...

 

British pub is good but not on my priority list right now. What we need to figure out now is how to get to London from Southampton after we disembark. Then where to stay in London. I know we want to stay in central London to be close to main attractions.

[markeb]

The two times we've actually cruised out of the UK, we left from Harwich.

 

You can definitely take the train:

 

http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/service/timesandfares/SOU/London/091018/0900/dep

 

 

Random booking shows at least two direct trains to Waterloo and Victoria. Waterloo puts you close to Winchester and County Hall for hotels; I don't know the Victoria station area (but there are folks here that do). Waterloo puts you close to the Marriott County Hall, the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge, and other hotels. Those are all relatively easy walks to major attractions in the Westminster/Whitehall area. You don't have to be in walking distance, BTW. You do probably want to be near the Tube. If you pull up Google Maps, kind of draw a line from Paddington to Waterloo stations and check out the hotels. If you find some that meet your budget (hotels can be VERY expensive) look closer and ask about them here. For full disclosure: I save my Marriott Points and use them in London! A Category 7-8 hotel in London can run £450 and costs me the same points as a NYC hotel at $300/night. So it's been awhile since I've actually paid in cash for a hotel in London... There are some local "chains", such as Radisson Edwardian, that you should check out as well.

 

There are several regular contributors on this thread who can give you better advice on transportation. If you dig through a few threads, you'll find that many people have a favorite or at least a successful hotel they've stayed at. So you'll have options. Maybe too many...

 

Good luck! I'm going to wait for John Bull, Globalizer, and Bob ++ to bail me out and help you!

[CruisingIGo]

I am planning a “1st time in London” pre-cruise trip for April 2018. I have found http://www.LondonToolkit.com very helpful.

 

 

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[SteveH2508]

I live in Central London and I can certainly give you some pointers as to decent pubs (even though you said it was not a priority - it is good to have a list of decent boozers in an area for a pint, a sit-down and a pee!)

 

 

Some good recommendations so far.

 

 

 

Look into getting an Oyster card for travelling around.

We usually use the train to/from Waterloo to get to Southampton.

 

Cannot help on hotels.

 

Don't forget the museums at South Kensington: Science, Natural History and Victoria and Albert.

Cabinet war rooms are good - has a great museum on Winston Churchill which gives a great overview of British history of that period.

[Bob++]

There are so many hotels in London that without knowing your budget and what you want to see, it's hard to make suggestions. London is expensive and you will want to budget 100 - 150GBP a night.

 

As said above, I would start by reading guidebooks to get ideas on what I want to see. Top of the list is usually The Tower of London and Buckingham Palace, but after that, it depends on your interests. There are dozens of museums from The Natural History and The Science, through The Victoria and Albert (majors in fashion and style) to the Churchill War Rooms and

Pollock’s Toy Museum. - Just Google them for more detail. If you like gardens/trees/tropical plants/etc, then Kew Gardens will be a must see, although it will take a full day https://www.thewanderblogger.com/kew-gardens-london/

 

The two most popular ways of getting the 80 miles from Southampton to London are a train (to Waterloo) or a coach (to Victoria). Each has advantages and disadvantages and it may depend on which hotel you choose.

[kctwinmommy]

If you read my review (in my signature), we did 4 days post-cruise in London. So you can see how we spent our days and the things we did. We did a LOT of walking on the first day, I think 11 miles. But that's because we hit many of the big tourist places, and wanted to stay above ground. But then we used the tube the next days to get to things faster.

[phabric]

I have taken http://www.internationalfriends.co.uk from Southampton to my London hotel. They only go on embankment and disembarkment days. We stopped at Salisbury, Stonehenge and Windsor before being dropped off at my London hotel.

 

I have also taken http://www.nationalexpress.com from LHR to Southampton Coach station then a short taxi (under £10) to the dock and short taxi to Southampton Coach station to London Victoria Coach station.

 

 

I have stayed at Premier Inn Westminster 3x. The hotel is close to HOHO, regular bus, Waterloo train station, tube, London Eye, Westminster Abbey, Thamas river, Parliament, restaurants, pubs.

 

 

I used http://www.justairports.com, a car service to/from LHR/London hotel. The price is per car, use your hotel’s postal code to get a quote.

[Odesitka70]

I have taken www.internationalfriends.co.uk from Southampton to my London hotel. They only go on embankment and disembarkment days. We stopped at Salisbury, Stonehenge and Windsor before being dropped off at my London hotel.

 

 

I have also taken www.nationalexpress.com from LHR to Southampton Coach station then a short taxi (under £10) to the dock and short taxi to Southampton Coach station to London Victoria Coach station.

 

 

I have stayed at Premier Inn Westminster 3x. The hotel is close to HOHO, regular bus, Waterloo train station, tube, London Eye, Westminster Abbey, Thamas river, Parliament, restaurants, pubs.

 

 

I used www.justairports.com, a car service to/from LHR/London hotel. The price is per car, use your hotel’s postal code to get a quote.

 

Thank you for such a great information. We would definitely look into this company once we decide on hotel. If it's reasonable we would love to see Stonehenge and Windsor on the way to London. Do you remember by any chance how much they charge you? I went on their website but can't get a price since I don't know where I'm going in London.

We don't have return air tickets yet, but will check this car service when we do.

[Odesitka70]

If you read my review (in my signature), we did 4 days post-cruise in London. So you can see how we spent our days and the things we did. We did a LOT of walking on the first day, I think 11 miles. But that's because we hit many of the big tourist places, and wanted to stay above ground. But then we used the tube the next days to get to things faster.

 

Cindy I read your cruise report, thank you. But when I click on the link for post cruise review it still brings me to your cruise report. If not too much trouble can you please send me a link.

[phabric]

I have taken www.internationalfriends.co.uk from Southampton to my London hotel. They only go on embankment and disembarkment days. We stopped at Salisbury, Stonehenge and Windsor before being dropped off at my London hotel.

 

I have also taken www.nationalexpress.com from LHR to Southampton Coach station then a short taxi (under £10) to the dock and short taxi to Southampton Coach station to London Victoria Coach station.

 

 

I have stayed at Premier Inn Westminster 3x. The hotel is close to HOHO, regular bus, Waterloo train station, tube, London Eye, Westminster Abbey, Thamas river, Parliament, restaurants, pubs.

 

 

I used www.justairports.com, a car service to/from LHR/London hotel. The price is per car, use your hotel’s postal code to get a quote.

 

I do not remember what I paid for International Friends for July 2018.

 

I purchased through www.LondonToolkit.com, (under cruise ports - Southampton Cruise Ship Shuttles and tour transfers) the tickets were cheaper than going direct through International Friends.

 

If I use the same dates for 2019

International Friends wants £94/pp

London Toolkit wants £89/pp

 

If you plan on going to see Stonehenge and Windsor purchase your tickets through them so you do not waste time purchasing tickets yourself. Both Stonehenge and Windsor had long lines.

 

What happens-

Southampton - met outside after you have picked up your luggage to be checked in.

They walked us to the Coach.

Salisbury - walked to the Cathedral and given a time to return to the coach.

Were advised to buy sandwich/lunch to eat on the Coach.

Stonehenge - given a time to return to the Coach.

We ate our lunch while waiting for others to return to the Coach. The driver sold water.

Windsor Castle - walked to group entrance and given time to return to the Coach. Just inside can pick up free audio set.

People going to LHR or LHR hotels stayed on that Coach.

People going to London hotels switched to another Coach.

People were dropped off at different London Hotels.

 

I have taken International Friends from Dover and Southampton, a great way to another part of Britain.

 

For our date, they advised that London was having a bike event that day and they might not be able to drop off at certain hotels. They replied to my inquiry fast.

 

International Friends might be more expensive than the cruise line transfer ( drop off at LHR or London Victoria Coach station) or National Express Coach (drop off at London Victoria Coach station) or train (Waterloo train station or London Victoria train station) and we are dropped off at our London hotel.

 

For your London stay, I would try to pre purchase your attraction tickets sometimes you save £ and time. Seniors are 60+ in Britain. Buss are cashless.

Edited October 7, 2018 by phabric

[geoherb]

We spent five nights in London last month before our westbound trans-Atlantic cruise. One of the highlights was seeing Hamilton. I got our tickets online in April. Tickets haven't been released yet for May (only through March, currently). We saw three other shows as well: Everybody's Talking about Jamie, Heathers, and The Comedy about a Bank Robbery. We bought tickets in advance for the first one and picked up tickets for the last two at the TKTS booth in Leicester Square. We also went to a piano recital in St. Martin in the Fields.

 

This year, our highlights included the Globe Theatre, Sky Garden, Tate Modern, British Museum, National Gallery, and Portobello market. Last year our highlights included Kensington Palace, Buckingham Palace (not open in May), the Victoria and Albert, and an evensong service at Westminster Abbey. I'd love to go back next year. There's always something more to see. DH hasn't made it to Windsor, Greenwich, or Hampton Court (but I did before we met 30 years ago). Maybe next time we'll make it to those.

 

Last year we stayed in Kensington. This year we stayed in Waterloo. I chose that location for being in walking distance to the Globe and Tate Modern. Our hotel was about 4 blocks from two Tube stations. We took the coach from Victoria to Southampton. It was around $15 for the two of us.

[Bob++]

A quick look shows that the International Friends tour to Central London, via Salisbury, Stonehenge and Windsor would cost around 130GBP each including admission charges. Pretty good value really, but a long day so you wouldn't want to plan anything for the evening.

[Odesitka70]

A quick look shows that the International Friends tour to Central London, via Salisbury, Stonehenge and Windsor would cost around 130GBP each including admission charges. Pretty good value really, but a long day so you wouldn't want to plan anything for the evening.

 

 

 

Yes I look at it too. Thank you! I think it would be perfect way to start our short vacation in england.

 

 

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[kctwinmommy]

Cindy I read your cruise report, thank you. But when I click on the link for post cruise review it still brings me to your cruise report. If not too much trouble can you please send me a link.

 

Hmm... never knew it had the wrong link! Thanks for letting me know. Here it is...

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2561970

[Odesitka70]

Hmm... never knew it had the wrong link! Thanks for letting me know. Here it is...

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2561970

 

Read your review, very helpful. Thank you!

[kctwinmommy]

Read your review, very helpful. Thank you!

 

You're welcome! And I think I fixed the link in my signature too. :)

[adstz]

On 10/5/2018 at 6:26 PM, Odesitka70 said:

British pub is good but not on my priority list right now. What we need to figure out now is how to get to London from Southampton after we disembark.

 

Go online to The London Toolkit.  I found a tour on there that picks you up from the ship in Southampton, goes to Stonehenge and Windsor Castle and drops you near (if not at) your hotel

Salisbury, Stonehenge & Windsor Tour Transfer  Visit 3 world class attractions in one day on your transfer from your cruise ship at Southampton to your London hotel or Heathrow airport, (hotels or passenger terminals). An opportunity to visit Salisbury Cathedral, Stonehenge and Windsor Castle. Arrives Heathrow around 5pm and London hotels around 6pm It is an all day tour but a great way to get some sightseeing in on the way to London.

[phabric]

3 hours ago, adstz said:

 

Go online to The London Toolkit.  I found a tour on there that picks you up from the ship in Southampton, goes to Stonehenge and Windsor Castle and drops you near (if not at) your hotel

Salisbury, Stonehenge & Windsor Tour Transfer  Visit 3 world class attractions in one day on your transfer from your cruise ship at Southampton to your London hotel or Heathrow airport, (hotels or passenger terminals). An opportunity to visit Salisbury Cathedral, Stonehenge and Windsor Castle. Arrives Heathrow around 5pm and London hotels around 6pm It is an all day tour but a great way to get some sightseeing in on the way to London.

This is www.internationalfriends.co.uk that I mentioned in the above threads.

[Cruise Junky]

We just got back on Saturday from two days in London. We've been there a few times previously. We really loved the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge Hotel.  A highlight for us this trip was the Borough Market if you're a foodie at all.   So much to see and do in London.

[LocoLoco1]

We stayed 1/Block from St. Pancras Intl' Train Station at the Premier Inn/St. Pancras. An excellent choice BECAUSE.... we caught HoHo double deckers that run constantly from their stop at St. Pancras.  OR we would take 'The Tube' or walk to catch Mini-bus Tours that leave from Victoria Station, which is quite close to Buckingham Palace, for our day trips out to Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, etc. I strongly recommend a Hotel close to Transport. You'll never find the 'perfect' hotel spot becuz the city is so huge.... I would stay there again, and I recommended my plan to family friends. Nice Pub nearly next door!! LocoLoco1 TOM

[Bob++]

Most of Central London is "close to transport". The part to consider is the connection to and from the hotel when you have all your cruise luggage. For a pre-cruise stay, it makes sense to stay somewhere near Victoria (for a coach) or Waterloo for a train. Post cruise you need to think about the journey to whichever airport you are using.