Recommend a hotel near Heathrow and also near a train station? (Going to cruise pier by train)

[fstuff1]

Male, solo, 1 carry on and 1 backpack

 

Flying into Heathrow in late May a day early for my NCL cruise out of South Hampton.

 

My plan on embarkation day (9am):

Leave hotel, walk to train station, travel to South Hampton Central station and walk to pier. (i know pier is 1 mile from train station.)

 

Please recommend a hotel near the airport (preferable with free airport transfer) and is also located near a train station that's on the same line as South Hampton Central station.

 

Thx

Edited April 15, 2023 by fstuff1

[Cotswold Eagle]

1 hour ago, fstuff1 said:

Please recommend a hotel near the airport (preferable with free airport transfer) and is also located near a train station that's on the same line as South Hampton Central station

Such a hotel does not exist. 
 

There are innumerable threads on this board about travel to Southampton from Heathrow, or central London, including the sticky at the top of the list. 
 

Perhaps you were unable to find them because you have the spelling of your embarkation port wrong, but they are well worth reading to get a sense of your realistic options. 

 

[gumshoe958]

Forget the train.

 

Assuming your flight lands at Terminal 2 or 3, check out the ‘Hilton Garden Inn London Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3’ which is a short walk from both terminals.
 

It’s also a short walk to the Heathrow central bus station from where you can catch a National Express coach direct to Southampton at 8.30am or 9.45am. Journey time 2 hours, then you can walk to the ship.

 

Alternatively there are dozens of other hotels near the airport, but none with a free shuttle - at the very least you’d have to pay £1.75 each way for a local bus - but if the hotel’s cheaper than the HGI you’d still save money.

[Bob++]

A lot depends on your time of arrival at Heathrow. If you arrive early enough in the day to get to Southampton for the night, then that's your best option. It takes a couple of hours on the bus, plus (say) an hour to get through immigration and customs (although that may be quicker with no checked luggage) so any arrival before 4 pm would qualify.

 

Holiday Inn or Premier Inn at Southampton have both been popular overnights for cruisers and both are walkable from the bus station and to the ship.

 

If your flight land in the evening, you will be stuck at Heathrow, so I suggest using a search to find the most suitable. You can then take the coach to Southampton in the morning.

 

[Globaliser]

 

1 hour ago, Cotswold Eagle said:

2 hours ago, fstuff1 said:

Please recommend a hotel near the airport (preferable with free airport transfer) and is also located near a train station that's on the same line as South Hampton Central station.

 

Such a hotel does not exist.

 

Travelodge Woking Central or Premier Inn Woking Town Centre would seem to tick more of the OP's boxes than most. The Railair bus isn't free, but it would easily allow:

 

2 hours ago, fstuff1 said:

My plan on embarkation day (9am):

Leave hotel, walk to train station, travel to South Hampton Central station and walk to pier.

 

Tell me, am I being a bit naughty with this one? 😛

[John Bull]

As per various replies on the sticky at the top of this forum, there's no convenient travel by train from LHR to Southampton.

 

Most trans-Atlantic flights to LHR are overnite, arriving sometime next morning.

If that includes your flight, simplest & cheapest is to book a direct National Express bus from LHR to Southampton - about £17, journey time about 2 hrs.

Allow about 2 hours from scheduled landing to boarding a coach.

But play safe and shell out an extra £5 for the flexibility to switch to an earlier or later coach in case your flight is early & airport formalities quick, or late and slow.

And book a hotel in central  Southampton. 

If you know which cruise terminal, go to the maps at the bottom of this hotel page for which are most convenient to your ship - but a taxi from any of those hotels to any of those cruise terminals will cost no more than about £10.

 

https://www.southamptonvts.co.uk/Live_Information/Shipping_Movements_and_Cruise_Ship_Schedule

 

https://www.londontoolkit.com/travel/southampton_accommodation.htm

Hotels numbered in blue 4 to 8 are the most convenient for the city's shops, pubs, restaurants & sights, and only a 10 to 15 minute walk from the coach station (also shown on that map).

Next morning no worrying about time and transportation worries - you're handy to your ship.

 

If your flight arrives in the evening, follow Bob's advice.

You can travel to Southampton that evening, but if you arrive in Southampton after about 8pm you'll be dining from a burger van, and if after about 10pm you might be bedding down in the coach station with an empty belly 🤔

 

Globaliser's RailAir bus to Woking & direct train from there has some merit, but it's more expensive and inconvenient.

 

JB 🙂

 

[fstuff1]

  

14 hours ago, John Bull said:

As per various replies on the sticky at the top of this forum, there's no convenient travel by train from LHR to Southampton.

 

Most trans-Atlantic flights to LHR are overnite, arriving sometime next morning.

If that includes your flight, simplest & cheapest is to book a direct National Express bus from LHR to Southampton - about £17, journey time about 2 hrs.

Allow about 2 hours from scheduled landing to boarding a coach.

But play safe and shell out an extra £5 for the flexibility to switch to an earlier or later coach in case your flight is early & airport formalities quick, or late and slow.

And book a hotel in central  Southampton. 

If you know which cruise terminal, go to the maps at the bottom of this hotel page for which are most convenient to your ship - but a taxi from any of those hotels to any of those cruise terminals will cost no more than about £10.

 

https://www.southamptonvts.co.uk/Live_Information/Shipping_Movements_and_Cruise_Ship_Schedule

 

https://www.londontoolkit.com/travel/southampton_accommodation.htm

Hotels numbered in blue 4 to 8 are the most convenient for the city's shops, pubs, restaurants & sights, and only a 10 to 15 minute walk from the coach station (also shown on that map).

Next morning no worrying about time and transportation worries - you're handy to your ship.

 

If your flight arrives in the evening, follow Bob's advice.

You can travel to Southampton that evening, but if you arrive in Southampton after about 8pm you'll be dining from a burger van, and if after about 10pm you might be bedding down in the coach station with an empty belly 🤔

 

Globaliser's RailAir bus to Woking & direct train from there has some merit, but it's more expensive and inconvenient.

 

JB 🙂

 

 

'Hilton Garden Inn London Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3' sold out for when i'm there (may 30).

 

my NCL cruise is may31.

i arrive at 7am may 30 in Lhr.

So i should get a National Express bus, goto south hampton, and get a hotel near the pier?

 

I wanted to sight see a little of London but your suggestion sounds better.

Sightseeing London for a few hrs vs stress of getting to pier that's 2hrs away.

 

I am assuming Horizon pier so from your link, hotels 1-3?

 

And thx everyone for your great suggestions!

 

edit:

Novotel and Ibis sold out.

Hotel #3 (Ibis budget) is available for $75 but only a 7/10 rating.

i guess it's ok just for 1 night?

 

Edited April 16, 2023 by fstuff1

[gumshoe958]

Ok, so you’ve got over 24 hours between your flight arriving and your cruise departing.

 

That gives you plenty of time to get into London (by tube is cheapest, or Elizabeth Line train) and sightsee, which will be far more worthwhile than going straight to Southampton where there’s very little to see.

 

Here’s what I’d do: spend the 30th sightseeing in London, have an early dinner there, then when you’re done get to Waterloo station to catch an evening train to Southampton Central. They take about 75-80 minutes and run every half hour until nearly midnight. It’s cheapest if you book a specific service in advance but if you’d rather not commit upfront you can just turn up and buy a ticket whenever you’re ready.

 

Spend the night in Southampton and you’ll be all set for your cruise. Ibis Budget is just that - budget. Basic. No frills. But fine for one night.

 

Edited April 16, 2023 by gumshoe958

[Cotswold Eagle]

That's a long day off an overnight flight with nowhere to rest. The alternative is to stay in London and travel down to the port the next day. The number of options to travel to Southampton (OP - please note the spelling!) mitigates the 'same day' risk somewhat. 

 

London hotels are expensive, of course, and there are very few bargains to be had these days, but the extra cost may be worth the convenience, only you can decide. 

[gumshoe958]

Yes, it would be a very long day. But as long as @fstuff1 can grab some sleep on the flight I get the sense he’s up for an adventure!

[John Bull]

That's one of the earliest flights of the day, which broadens your choice.

Four options (in no particular order, it's your vacation, not mine).......

 

Head straight to Southampton

Book the 8.30am or 9.45am Nat Express coach. (times are a little later from T5, from T4 you need to transfer to another terminal so you'll need to book the 9.10am)

Book a standard ticket (£17) but - esp. if you book the 8.30 - book with the "change & go"  facility (add £5).

Book a Southampton hotel - Ibis Budget is fine for one night, but hotels 4 to 8 are walkable from the coach station and more convenient for city amenities, also walkable to Horizon (shorter walk via Dock Gate 8, the gate for City cruise terminal) but any hotel on that map is convenient enough and there are none - other than currently the Mercure Dolphin - that I'd caution against.

This will be your simplest and cheapest option.

 

But if you're keen to grab a quick look round central London...........

 

Book a Heathrow hotel,

Stash your bags at your airport terminal left-luggage (or hotel if walkable) & take the Tube (London's metro system) direct into the city. Back to Heathrow, collect your bags, hotel overnite & coach to Southampton next morning. Book the 11am or earlier National Express coach to get to your ship in good time. Probably the poorest option, tho' cheaper than a hotel in central London

or

Book a central London hotel

Ideally handy to Waterloo train station (half-hourly direct trains to Southampton Central, journey time about 90 minutes) or Victoria train station (hourly direct trains but 2hr 30 min journey time) or Victoria coach station for hourly direct coaches to Southampton (journey time about 2hrs 15 mins).

Book train or coach for next morning getting you to Southampton by about 1 pm.

The most expensive option

or

Book a Southampton hotel

Tube into London, stash your luggage at either Waterloo or Victoria train station, spend the rest of the day in London & take a late train to Southampton. As per my first post, check the latest check-in time at your Southampton hotel and take Gumshoe's advice to eat before you travel to Southampton.

Probably the most rushed option

..........................................

 

Each option has different levels of stress, energy, complication, depth of pocket and reaction to jet-lag.

 

Train options at https://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/ (note Gumshoe's comment, and click on the train website's "advance" ticket to see the terms - but the saving with an advance ticket is huge).

With so many direct services, best to avoid those which involve a change of train.

 

Lots of useful info about London's hotels, the Tube, the sights, the ho-ho buses, etc on other pages of the London Toolkit website that I linked.

 

I always advise that - like anywhere else in the world - if you think that a time-limited visit like this will be your only opportunity to see London, go for it.

But if you reckon to return some time, give it a miss this time and spend at least a few days there at some time in the future.

I'll hazard a guess that you're younger and more adventurous than most cruisers.

 

Complicated, innit - I bet you wish you'd never asked 😜

So sit down with a large sheet of paper, a calculator, some headache pills or a stiff drink and weigh-up the pros & cons.

But your date isn't far off - each day your hotel choices are going down and prices going up. So don't dally too long.

 

Again, any opinions are just mine. 

 

JB 🙂

 

Edited April 16, 2023 by John Bull

[wowzz]

4 hours ago, John Bull said:

Book a Southampton hotel - Ibis Budget is fine for one night

I think they should change their title. I suddenly realised yesterday that I needed to book a hotel before our next cruise,  as my driving route takes me past Silverstone, and it is the FI  GP weekend.

Quoted cost for one night, two people - £117 ! That to me is not a budget price.

Edited April 16, 2023 by wowzz

[John Bull]

2 hours ago, wowzz said:

I think they should change their title. I suddenly realised yesterday that I needed to book a hotel before our next cruise,  as my driving route takes me past Silverstone, and it is the FI  GP weekend.

Quoted cost for one night, two people - £117 ! That to me is not a budget price.

 

Booking.com has it at just £60 / $75 on the OP's night.

Yes, £117 Brit GP Friday, £145 that Saturday, just £45 that Sunday.

But still by some margin the cheapest city centre hotel on your night

That's dynamic pricing for you

 

JB 🙂

 

[wowzz]

24 minutes ago, John Bull said:

 

Booking.com has it at just £60 / $75 on the OP's night.

Yes, £117 Brit GP Friday, £145 that Saturday, just £45 that Sunday.

But still by some margin the cheapest city centre hotel on your night

That's dynamic pricing for you

 

JB 🙂

 

Decided to go to the PI in Winchester for £82 !

[Yaya_in_Oz]

@John Bull. Thankyou for your info. I've stayed at the Ibis Budget and Ibis opposite just prior to a cruise and I'm coming over again in August and will stay there again because its just a short walk from the bus station. This time my plane arrives in the arvo but delays are pretty common. I will be travelling alone and wondered if it was safe walking from the bus station to Ibis in the dark if my plane was delayed? The buses seem to run most of the night. I want to go to the Portsmouth Maritime Museum the next day and cruise the day after. I take a taxi to the cruise terminal.

[John Bull]

1 hour ago, Yaya_in_Oz said:

@John Bull. Thankyou for your info. I've stayed at the Ibis Budget and Ibis opposite just prior to a cruise and I'm coming over again in August and will stay there again because its just a short walk from the bus station. This time my plane arrives in the arvo but delays are pretty common. I will be travelling alone and wondered if it was safe walking from the bus station to Ibis in the dark if my plane was delayed? The buses seem to run most of the night. I want to go to the Portsmouth Maritime Museum the next day and cruise the day after. I take a taxi to the cruise terminal.

 

Should be perfectly safe, tho after about 1 am when folk leave the clubs some may be boisterous,  having over-indulged before heading to the MacDonald's behind Ibis Budget. But your paths are unlikely to cross, and it's only a 5 minute walk.

 

For the Royal Navy museum & ships (aka Portsmouth Historic Dockyard) stay on the train to the end of the line - Portsmouth Harbour, not the main Portsmouth & Southsea station.

When you exit the station you'll see the three-masted (HMS) Warrior, and the dockyard entrance.

Look over the three main ships soonest if there's no long queues (Warrior & HMS Victory included in the ticket, extra to see the Mary Rose. Lots of other exhibits etc.

 

JB 🙂   

[Ladybug18]

@John Bull you seem to be very knowledgable regarding transfers from Heathrow and Southampton so I am hoping you can help me.

 

We are booked on an NCL cruise out of Southampton in July. We booked and paid for NCL air and transfers. We are currently waiting on our NCL air information so I am not sure when or where we will fly into but my parents who are doing the same cruise a few weeks before us are flying into Heathrow with a 7AM arrival the day of the cruise. My guess is if we don't add the 1 day deviation NCL will put us on the same flight arriving the day of the cruise. My concern is will we make the cruise if we come in the same day and take the NCL transfer or would we be better of getting the 1 day deviation and staying at a hotel at Heathrow and booking our own transfer to the cruise terminal in Southampton? Do you have any Heathrow hotel recommendations? Do you have any car service recommendations? The last thing we want to do is miss the cruise because of an issue with the NCL transfer. Thank you

[John Bull]

9 hours ago, Ladybug18 said:

@John Bull you seem to be very knowledgable regarding transfers from Heathrow and Southampton so I am hoping you can help me.

 

We are booked on an NCL cruise out of Southampton in July. We booked and paid for NCL air and transfers. We are currently waiting on our NCL air information so I am not sure when or where we will fly into but my parents who are doing the same cruise a few weeks before us are flying into Heathrow with a 7AM arrival the day of the cruise. My guess is if we don't add the 1 day deviation NCL will put us on the same flight arriving the day of the cruise. My concern is will we make the cruise if we come in the same day and take the NCL transfer or would we be better of getting the 1 day deviation and staying at a hotel at Heathrow and booking our own transfer to the cruise terminal in Southampton? Do you have any Heathrow hotel recommendations? Do you have any car service recommendations? The last thing we want to do is miss the cruise because of an issue with the NCL transfer. Thank you

 

Flying in on the day of the cruise won't give you an issue with NCL's coach shuttle to port..🙂

 

I was a coach driver before I retired and drove many many cruise shuttle runs between Southampton and London or its airports. 

All cruise lines run similar shuttles on sailing day - I'm not aware of any ships' shuttles operating before sailing day. There'll be anywhere between six and ten NCL coaches from Heathrow, as well as coaches from Gatwick and probably central London. There'll be reps in the arrivals halls of each terminal and two or three coaches trawling the airport terminals at any one time between 8 - 8.30am and about 1pm - 1.30pm. When one of the coaches trawling the airport terminals fills and heads for Southampton, another is brought forward from the holding area, so you don't have long to wait before you're on the road. Always smooth and well-organised.

If a  coach is seriously delayed, for instance  by a late flight or traffic, they phone (or more accurately, they get a volunteer passenger to use the coach phone) to provide details of the passengers to the reps at the port in order to complete the ship's manifest in time. It's happened to me a couple of times, no worries.

I'm not aware of any passenger ever missing a sailaway from Southampton due to a problem with a shuttlebus..

 

Ships' shuttles are significantly more expensive than the scheduled National Express coach services, but all cruise lines' transfers to Southampton are well-organised and the coaches are in touch with each-other and with NCL's shore handlers at both the airport terminals and the ship.

And once on a ship's shuttle you're the responsibility of the cruise line - any problem is theirs, not yours. These are the reasons why many folk choose ships' over-priced shuttles.

 

What's a little more risky flying in on sailing day is if you miss your flight (very much your problem) or if it's cancelled or if it's delayed by many hours (NCL air gives you some security).

 

There are public transport options from both airports - Gatwick has an hourly train service to Southampton, Heathrow a coach service. Without pre-booked tickets Nat Express coaches may be fully- booked, the train service is slow and expensive, and a taxi super-expensive.

But IMHO when using ship's shuttles it doesn't make sense to pre-book any of these, or an overnight hotel in bland & boring airport-land, "just in case". 

 

You'll be fine 🙂

 

JB 🙂

[Ladybug18]

@John Bull Thank you so much for your response! Your information is very helpful. I do have some more questions below if you don't mind...

 

We will be flying from Boston to London so I would be willing to guess that NCL will book us on a nonstop flight to London Heathrow. I am hoping they will schedule us on a flight that will arrive early like my parents who arrive at 7AM. 

 

Do you know roughly how long it generally takes in the morning to go through passport control/customs at Heathrow? I'm assuming we would meet the NCL rep after passport control with our luggage. What happens after we meet the NCL rep...do they take us straight to the NCL transfer bus? How long does it take to get from Heathrow to the Southampton cruise terminal? When we get off the NCL bus in Southampton do we take our luggage and drop it with a porter at the pier? In America it is customary to tip the driver and porter. Is it the same in the UK? If so what would you recommend?

 

I appreciate your advice. After reading your reply I think we will stick with our original plan of flying in the day of the cruise and hoping all goes as planned and there are no issues with delays or cancellations.

 

thank you

[John Bull]

57 minutes ago, Ladybug18 said:

@John Bull Thank you so much for your response! Your information is very helpful. I do have some more questions below if you don't mind...

 

We will be flying from Boston to London so I would be willing to guess that NCL will book us on a nonstop flight to London Heathrow. I am hoping they will schedule us on a flight that will arrive early like my parents who arrive at 7AM. 

 

Do you know roughly how long it generally takes in the morning to go through passport control/customs at Heathrow? I'm assuming we would meet the NCL rep after passport control with our luggage. What happens after we meet the NCL rep...do they take us straight to the NCL transfer bus? How long does it take to get from Heathrow to the Southampton cruise terminal? When we get off the NCL bus in Southampton do we take our luggage and drop it with a porter at the pier? In America it is customary to tip the driver and porter. Is it the same in the UK? If so what would you recommend?

 

I appreciate your advice. After reading your reply I think we will stick with our original plan of flying in the day of the cruise and hoping all goes as planned and there are no issues with delays or cancellations.

 

thank you

 

Time thro passport control is variable, quicker if you've got one of those fancy biometric e-passports (camera icon on the front cover).

Others who've flown via London Heathrow more frequently than I will hopefully estimate the time. (London Gatwick is the main airport for impoverished former coach drivers who fly budget airlines 😥 😏)

 

After passport control you collect your bags from the baggage hall, then unless one of his majesty's finest thinks you're a drugs mule customs is a simple walk-thru. and you're in the Arrivals Hall.

Usually at least two reps from NCL or their Ground Handler where you enter the Arrivals Hall, easy to spot. You wait with them until there's a worthwhile group and a coach is summoned and one of the reps will walk you thro to the coach.

Driver loads your luggage, no specified seating tho' the front row is usually reserved for disabled folk.

Coach may visit several LHR terminals to fill.

 

Usual drive-time to your ship is about 80 to 90 minutes, often longer on a sunny saturday when the lemmings pour out of the big bad city & head for the coast.

Journey is usually non-stop, but most (all?) coaches have a bathroom.

 

Routine varies depending on the cruise line or cruise terminal. Sometimes the bags are unloaded and you're asked to identify yours, sometimes you exit the coach and it drives to the luggage drop.

Either way, that's the last time you'll see your luggage until it appears at your cabin door - so make sure it's not lost its cabin number label, and keep your documents, credit card, medications and a change of clothes in your hand luggage.

 

Tip for the coach driver - usually £50 per person.😀

Stop that nonsense, JB, you're not driving now. 🙄

OK, if he/she has been friendly & helpful, a pound or two per person, max £5 (or US dollars) for a family.

But most Brits don't tip for a simple transfer so if you can perfect " Thanks awfully for the ride old bean" in an English accent you can save a few bucks.😏

 

JB 🙂

[1island2go]

On 4/16/2023 at 4:30 AM, John Bull said:

That's one of the earliest flights of the day, which broadens your choice.

Four options (in no particular order, it's your vacation, not mine).......

 

Head straight to Southampton

Book the 8.30am or 9.45am Nat Express coach. (times are a little later from T5, from T4 you need to transfer to another terminal so you'll need to book the 9.10am)

Book a standard ticket (£17) but - esp. if you book the 8.30 - book with the "change & go"  facility (add £5).

Book a Southampton hotel - Ibis Budget is fine for one night, but hotels 4 to 8 are walkable from the coach station and more convenient for city amenities, also walkable to Horizon (shorter walk via Dock Gate 8, the gate for City cruise terminal) but any hotel on that map is convenient enough and there are none - other than currently the Mercure Dolphin - that I'd caution against.

This will be your simplest and cheapest option.

 

But if you're keen to grab a quick look round central London...........

 

Book a Heathrow hotel,

Stash your bags at your airport terminal left-luggage (or hotel if walkable) & take the Tube (London's metro system) direct into the city. Back to Heathrow, collect your bags, hotel overnite & coach to Southampton next morning. Book the 11am or earlier National Express coach to get to your ship in good time. Probably the poorest option, tho' cheaper than a hotel in central London

or

Book a central London hotel

Ideally handy to Waterloo train station (half-hourly direct trains to Southampton Central, journey time about 90 minutes) or Victoria train station (hourly direct trains but 2hr 30 min journey time) or Victoria coach station for hourly direct coaches to Southampton (journey time about 2hrs 15 mins).

Book train or coach for next morning getting you to Southampton by about 1 pm.

The most expensive option

or

Book a Southampton hotel

Tube into London, stash your luggage at either Waterloo or Victoria train station, spend the rest of the day in London & take a late train to Southampton. As per my first post, check the latest check-in time at your Southampton hotel and take Gumshoe's advice to eat before you travel to Southampton.

Probably the most rushed option

..........................................

 

Each option has different levels of stress, energy, complication, depth of pocket and reaction to jet-lag.

 

Train options at https://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/ (note Gumshoe's comment, and click on the train website's "advance" ticket to see the terms - but the saving with an advance ticket is huge).

With so many direct services, best to avoid those which involve a change of train.

 

Lots of useful info about London's hotels, the Tube, the sights, the ho-ho buses, etc on other pages of the London Toolkit website that I linked.

 

I always advise that - like anywhere else in the world - if you think that a time-limited visit like this will be your only opportunity to see London, go for it.

But if you reckon to return some time, give it a miss this time and spend at least a few days there at some time in the future.

I'll hazard a guess that you're younger and more adventurous than most cruisers.

 

Complicated, innit - I bet you wish you'd never asked 😜

So sit down with a large sheet of paper, a calculator, some headache pills or a stiff drink and weigh-up the pros & cons.

But your date isn't far off - each day your hotel choices are going down and prices going up. So don't dally too long.

 

Again, any opinions are just mine. 

 

JB 🙂

 

 

[1island2go]

You are always so helpful, I was wondering if you could answer a couple questions for me. We have never been to London. We are taking a NCL cruise around Ireland. We are flying into Scotland and spending a few days before coming to London. Here are my questions if you would be so kind...

 

1. Best way to get from Edinburgh to London?

2. We will have 3 nights in London before our cruise.  Best area to stay that we can take in the most sights in three days. We like to walk to most things but not sure London is that kind of town as hear most things spread out. so close to a tube staton, hoho stop, etc? Would prefer not to spend more than $275/night. Looking currently at Kensington but not sure.

3. Best way to get to Portsmouth and how long does it take?

4. We have our air already out of LHR. We decided not to fly home day we depart from the ship as schedules would be tight, so will need a hotel by Heathrow as it is an early flight the next day. Is there anything to see out there or will we need to go into London proper?

 

Thank you in advance for any help you can provide!

[fruitmachine]

12 minutes ago, 1island2go said:

1. Best way to get from Edinburgh to London?

Let me answer this, but let others with more direct knowledge cover off your other points.

 

Take the train!

 

City-centre to city-centre, it's probably less an hour slower than flying, and you can be far more relaxed with no worries about security queues or missing bags.  Unless you want to travel on a tight budget, I'd recommend First Class travel on LNER (https://www.lner.co.uk/).  where you get a bigger seat that reclines; a free at-seat food, soft, and alcoholic drink service; and access to the (small) First Class lounge in Edinburgh.  The cheaper option (which I'd still recommend over air) is standard class on the same trains.

 

There are up to 25 trains a day, running every hour or 30 minutes, and the journey typically takes around 4 hours 30 minutes.  The trains are new, most having entered service in the last 5-6 years.  Cheaper fares are only released every so often; if you're looking well in advance you can sign up to an alert when they become available.

 

You arrive in London at Kings Cross station, so plan your onward journey/hotel from there.

[1island2go]

Thank you for the train info.  Also forgot to mention we go out of Portsmouth. On Londontoolkit.com they mention Dover, Southampton and Harwich for ports. Is Portsmouth the same as Dover or Harwich? I haven't seen much on Portsmouth.

[Globaliser]

2 hours ago, 1island2go said:

Also forgot to mention we go out of Portsmouth. On Londontoolkit.com they mention Dover, Southampton and Harwich for ports. Is Portsmouth the same as Dover or Harwich?

 

No: Dover, Harwich, London, Portsmouth and Southampton are all different ports.