Experience opinions needed! LHR to London to Dover

[KaiBlue]

Hello all!  

I keep going back and forth between two scenarios for our trip next year on the Carnival Pride going out of Dover (which leaves on a Sunday).  Dealing with luggage, the availability/cost of taxis and traffic getting to Dover are my main concerns. As an aside, my husband and I have no physical limitations so are fine with wielding the luggage.

 

While we are traveling fairly light (plan for 1 medium sized check and 2 carryons for us), wondering about the following scenarios and which you all think might be better.  After spending 2 nights in London....

 

Option 1:  Taking a tour of London on Saturday, then catching the train from Pancras Station (hotel not booked yet so probably need transportation to the station) to Dover later in the day and taxi to a Dover hotel.  Take a taxi to Dover Castle the next morning and then back to hotel to pick up luggage and yet another taxi to the cruise port.  This requires 2 hotels which obviously isn't as convenient as just staying put.   Questions: 1) Will taxi's be this plentiful/readily available without costing an arm and a leg (sub-question: do they tend to hang out at these locations or is this something we will need to call for?) and 2) will most UK hotels hold your luggage for you? 

 

Option 2:  Spend Saturday night in London, then use International Friends transfer  on Sunday from our hotel to Dover cruise port (with a 2 hour stop over at Dover Castle).  I have read that 2 hours really isn't enough time to fully see the castle but the ease of this route might make it worth it.  They say we would be at the cruise port by 2pm and we sail at 5pm, so I'd assume our all aboard will be 3 or so.  My biggest concern with this option is the traffic getting to Dover the day of the cruise.  I guess if we were running late, we could skip the castle but obviously not something we'd like to do. 

 

Would greatly appreciate any advice from people who have experience. 

[Post Captain]

6 hours ago, KaiBlue said:

Hello all!  

I keep going back and forth between two scenarios for our trip next year on the Carnival Pride going out of Dover (which leaves on a Sunday).  Dealing with luggage, the availability/cost of taxis and traffic getting to Dover are my main concerns. As an aside, my husband and I have no physical limitations so are fine with wielding the luggage.

 

While we are traveling fairly light (plan for 1 medium sized check and 2 carryons for us), wondering about the following scenarios and which you all think might be better.  After spending 2 nights in London....

 

Option 1:  Taking a tour of London on Saturday, then catching the train from Pancras Station (hotel not booked yet so probably need transportation to the station) to Dover later in the day and taxi to a Dover hotel.  Take a taxi to Dover Castle the next morning and then back to hotel to pick up luggage and yet another taxi to the cruise port.  This requires 2 hotels which obviously isn't as convenient as just staying put.   Questions: 1) Will taxi's be this plentiful/readily available without costing an arm and a leg (sub-question: do they tend to hang out at these locations or is this something we will need to call for?) and 2) will most UK hotels hold your luggage for you? 

 

If I read your timeline correctly, I assume that you will be arriving at Heathrow on Friday morning.  Depending on your landing time, you'll likely get into the city centre no earlier than 10 AM, and perhaps after noon if you have a late-morning arrival.

 

My default route from Heathrow to London proper has always been the Underground--the cheapest way of all, and easy with a manageable amount of luggage.  In future, I would consider the brand new Elizabeth line (train)--a tad more expensive but still quite reasonable, and faster than the Underground.  Some people recommend the Heathrow Express, but it terminates at Paddington Station, which is still some distance from where you'll want to be, and it is quite expensive unless you book well in advance.  A pre-booked car service would be convenient and should cost less than a taxi--but the price might well be considered "an arm and a leg," depending on your definition of that term. 

 

Pre-pandemic, most hotels would allow you to drop off your luggage several hours before check-in.   I've read conflicting reports about current practice, so it would be best to contact the hotel directly to find our their current policy.  Otherwise, for short-term luggage storage in London, check Stasher.com.  They offer numerous locations throughout central London, so there should be one reasonably close to your hotel.

 

As for hotel location:  There are numerous hotels in almost all price ranges within easy walking distance of St Pancras station, and the location offers excellent public transport links to other parts of London.  At the upper end of the range, there's the historic St Pancras Renaissance and the Great Northern, as well as modern hotels such as Pullman London St Pancras and The Standard.  In the budget range, there's the Premier Inn St Pancras and Premier Inn King's Cross.  At Cartwright Gardens, a leafy Georgian crescent about 10 minutes' walk from St Pancras station, there are several town-house hotels.    (There also are quite a few "cheap" small hotels clustered around Argyll Square, but they can be hit or miss, and personally I'd avoid them.) 

 

Not quite sure of the timing of your "tour"--do you mean the morning of your arrival, or the next day?  Do you have a specific tour in mind, or are you just assuming there will be some "tour" that you can take on the spot?  (HoHo bus?)  Don't underestimate the effects of jet lag on the day you arrive.

 

 

6 hours ago, KaiBlue said:

Option 2:  Spend Saturday night in London, then use International Friends transfer  on Sunday from our hotel to Dover cruise port (with a 2 hour stop over at Dover Castle).  I have read that 2 hours really isn't enough time to fully see the castle but the ease of this route might make it worth it.  They say we would be at the cruise port by 2pm and we sail at 5pm, so I'd assume our all aboard will be 3 or so.  My biggest concern with this option is the traffic getting to Dover the day of the cruise.  I guess if we were running late, we could skip the castle but obviously not something we'd like to do. 

 

Would greatly appreciate any advice from people who have experience. 

 

I think I would lean toward this option.  London hotel as per recommendations under Option #1 aboive.  I assume that the International Friends service would take any traffic delays into account in their schedule.  Two hours at Dover Castle may not be ideal, but as you say, it will at least give you a chance to do a bit of exploring there.

 

Hope this helps!   

 

 

 

 

[KaiBlue]

@Post CaptainThank you!  Yes, that is helpful. I'm thinking of doing a pre-arranged car service from LHR to our hotel just so we don't have to figure out the Tube while being on possibly no sleep:)  Then a pre-arranged tour the day after our arrival as I'm generally not good at handling jet lag.  Thanks for the advice on the luggage - I'll have to look at Stasher if our chosen hotel won't hold it (I hadn't even thought of that and assumed we would have to book the hotel for the night before so we'd have access the morning of) .  Going the day-of transfer via International Friends route would be the easiest and I went back to look again at their website.  They say that they do adjust according to the current drive situation so to keep watching emails.  That does give me some comfort.    Thanks for the advice!

[Cruise Kay]

Taxis were NOT plentiful in Dover when I was there in September. It's critical to book them ahead of time.