Advice - transportation Southampton to London after cruise

[Globaliser]

2 hours ago, Cotswold Eagle said:

Which booking engine is that?

 

It looks like LNER. It's interesting that it doesn't price GroupSave. But Avanti West Coast and GWR websites will both give you GroupSave.

 

FWIW, GroupSave requires that 3 or more adults travel together, so the £42.10 lowest price is fared for 3 adults and 1 child. There's no problem with a child travelling on a more expensive adult ticket.

[Cotswold Eagle]

1 hour ago, Globaliser said:

 

It looks like LNER. It's interesting that it doesn't price GroupSave. But Avanti West Coast and GWR websites will both give you GroupSave.

 

FWIW, GroupSave requires that 3 or more adults travel together, so the £42.10 lowest price is fared for 3 adults and 1 child. There's no problem with a child travelling on a more expensive adult ticket.

I am surprised it's an edge case of a TOC not offering tickets available from the operating TOC (and others). It's not offered even if checking for a group of adults. I can hear Mr Bull exploding from here....

 

Commendably, I think, SWR does market Group Save specifically to families, even though as you say the discount is always off the adult fare. The actual condition applied is that at least one adult travels. 

 

For the OP's purposes, it's a walk up fare, like the Off Peaks, so could be bought on the day. 

[Dohmacc]

10 hours ago, gumshoe958 said:

The other route to Windsor & Eton Central doesn’t go from Waterloo. If you’re staying near an Elizabeth Line station (eg Paddington, Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road) it might be faster and more convenient, although you do have to change trains en route at Slough. 
 

 

 

 

10 hours ago, Island2Dweller said:

The train from Waterloo goes to Riverside, not W&E Central.  Whether is the best option depends where you will be staying in Central London,  If it's somewhere near Waterloo / South Bank then this is a good option.  If elsewhere, using the Elizabeth Line to Slough then switching to the shuttle train into W&E Central is better.

If you use the line to Riverside, you need a traditional paper/card ticket.  Buy on the day, either from ticket office or machine.  If you use the Elizabeth line option, don't buy a physical ticket, just use contactless bank card (or phone or smartwatch).

 

Thanks! I noticed this when mapping out via Google Maps and see that direct from Waterloo is only to W&E Riverside. I'm staying near London Bridge, so I'm thinking that Riverside with the uphill walk is still easier than a transfer at Slough to W&E Central (but I don't know how steep the hill is!)

 

 

8 hours ago, Thejuggler said:

Saturday is usually off peak all day. Click the 'i' above the fare class for more detailed information.

 

Flexible means you aren't tied to a particular train, that restriction is with Advance tickets.

 

4 hours ago, Globaliser said:

 

It looks like LNER. It's interesting that it doesn't price GroupSave. But Avanti West Coast and GWR websites will both give you GroupSave.

 

FWIW, GroupSave requires that 3 or more adults travel together, so the £42.10 lowest price is fared for 3 adults and 1 child. There's no problem with a child travelling on a more expensive adult ticket.

 

That's what I was assuming (Saturday being off peak all day), but I just found it odd that they would list the Anytime Day Single option for Saturday tickets. 

 

Yes, this is LNER's website. I had trouble with GWR making an account without UK address and LNER lets me check out as a guest and use Paypal.

 

So my best option would be to try Avanti West Coast and purchase a GroupSave (3 Adults and 1 Child) for 42.10 and this ticket would be roundtrip direct from Waterloo to W&C Riverside on Saturday with open ticket times (any train both ways)... is this right?

 

Is there any savings from buying these tickets now, or would I be able to purchase GroupSave open ticket time tickets on the day of? 

 

I'd prefer to have the flexibility of not buying ahead of time, and I'm thinking maybe Saturday off-peak would have plenty of seating.. so just wondering if there's a price savings?

 

Thanks to everyone for their help! 

[Thejuggler]

All UK rail tickets can be purchased at any time.  Buying before travel is not necessary for anytime tickets.  Pre purchase is advised for Advance tickets because numbers at Advance fare prices are limited, but this fare isn't an option for your journey.

 

There is no problem buying a Groupsave ticket on the day of travel, even at the station if you prefer, as it will be the same price.

Edited Wednesday at 05:10 PM by Thejuggler

[gumshoe958]

From London Bridge to Waterloo you can either walk (a mile) or catch the Jubilee line tube a couple of stops.
 

No need to buy tickets to Windsor in advance online - off-peak and GroupSave are walk-up fares valid on any train that day, which you can buy on the day at the station for the same price. 

[Island2Dweller]

You can buy the rail tickets at London Bridge (mainline station, not underground station).  Then use them on the train (towards Charing Cross) one stop from London Bridge to Waterloo East, which is linked to the main Waterloo station.  Your ticket will be from "London Terminals" which means it is valid from London Bridge, you don't need to pay separately for the ride to Waterloo.  No advantage in buying in advance and unlikely to be any queue to buy at the ticket office in London Bridge at a weekend.

Why does the ticket booking engine show the expensive "anytime" fare for a weekend when you never need to pay that fare?  Oh - you could write a doctoral thesis on the complexity of UK rail fares combined with the idiocy of whichever sixteen year old programmed the ticket buying sites.

[fruitmachine]

8 hours ago, Cotswold Eagle said:

Which booking engine is that? As well as having a rather confusing interface, it’s not showing you the actual cheapest tickets for your journey, which is a Group Save, costing total £42.10 for Off Peak returns. 

That's the LNER (classic) one, and it normally uses the group rate (as long as you put in the actual number travelling!).

[Globaliser]

1 hour ago, Dohmacc said:

... so I'm thinking that Riverside with the uphill walk is still easier than a transfer at Slough to W&E Central (but I don't know how steep the hill is!)

 

Not that steep.

 

I've tried to dissuade CCers who would have to do it with full-size luggage. That wouldn't be a good idea. But if you're just visiting for the day and you only have minimal stuff with you, it's not really a steep hill. Buses go up it.

 

You can get an idea by starting here on Google Maps and "walking" ahead, and then following the road around to the right and up the hill.

  

1 hour ago, Dohmacc said:

... I'm thinking maybe Saturday off-peak would have plenty of seating ...

 

You would normally be fine. It can happen that a Saturday train is really busy for some reason. For example, I think that the line to W&E Riverside goes through Twickenham. So if there's a match or other event at Twickenham Stadium that day, then the trains will be packed at least until Twickenham station and there's a very good chance that you'll have to stand until that point. But you can't reserve seats on these trains anyway, so it makes no difference whether or not you buy tickets in advance.

[Globaliser]

27 minutes ago, Island2Dweller said:

Oh - you could write a doctoral thesis on the complexity of UK rail fares combined with the idiocy of whichever sixteen year old programmed the ticket buying sites.

 

I agree with the latter, but not the former. Anyone with a modicum of knowledge about the way that air fares work will recognise that UK rail fares are an exercise in simplicity in comparison.

[Dohmacc]

Thank you everyone for the clarification! For the flexibility of my travel schedule, I'll probably hold off on buying tickets until day-of if it's all the same pricing and ease of getting seats.

 

3 hours ago, Island2Dweller said:

You can buy the rail tickets at London Bridge (mainline station, not underground station).  Then use them on the train (towards Charing Cross) one stop from London Bridge to Waterloo East, which is linked to the main Waterloo station.  Your ticket will be from "London Terminals" which means it is valid from London Bridge, you don't need to pay separately for the ride to Waterloo. 

 

Would this require a complicated navigation from Waterloo East to Waterloo main station, even though they're linked?

 

Would it be easier to take Jubilee from London Bridge underground to Waterloo underground, and then navigate to the Waterloo main station?

 

I guess I'm wondering which is more straightforward.. navigating from Waterloo East to Waterloo train station, or from Waterloo underground to Waterloo train station. I don't know how labyrinth-like these stations are.. 

[gumshoe958]

5 hours ago, Dohmacc said:

Thank you everyone for the clarification! For the flexibility of my travel schedule, I'll probably hold off on buying tickets until day-of if it's all the same pricing and ease of getting seats.

 

 

Would this require a complicated navigation from Waterloo East to Waterloo main station, even though they're linked?

 

Would it be easier to take Jubilee from London Bridge underground to Waterloo underground, and then navigate to the Waterloo main station?

 

I guess I'm wondering which is more straightforward.. navigating from Waterloo East to Waterloo train station, or from Waterloo underground to Waterloo train station. I don't know how labyrinth-like these stations are.. 

 

Waterloo East to Waterloo is perfectly simple, they’re linked by a covered footbridge. Probably easier than the tube, which is indeed labyrinthine.

 

You shouldn’t have any issue finding seats on the train to Windsor. I’d recommend walking right to the other end (front) of the train at Waterloo - not only should it be quieter but you’ll be closest to the exit at Windsor.

[Dohmacc]

2 hours ago, gumshoe958 said:

 

Waterloo East to Waterloo is perfectly simple, they’re linked by a covered footbridge. Probably easier than the tube, which is indeed labyrinthine.

 

You shouldn’t have any issue finding seats on the train to Windsor. I’d recommend walking right to the other end (front) of the train at Waterloo - not only should it be quieter but you’ll be closest to the exit at Windsor.

 

So at the London Bridge train station, purchase a roundtrip Groupsave ticket to W&E Riverside. Can I then get on any train heading to Waterloo East with this ticket?

 

Or would I need to have two separate tickets from London Bridge to Waterloo East, then Waterloo to W&E Riverside?

 

 

[gumshoe958]

12 minutes ago, Dohmacc said:

 

So at the London Bridge train station, purchase a roundtrip Groupsave ticket to W&E Riverside. Can I then get on any train heading to Waterloo East with this ticket?

Yes. Look for any train going to Charing Cross - they all stop at Waterloo East. It’s a very quick journey, only 3 or 4 minutes, and there’s a train every 3 to 5 minutes.
 

12 minutes ago, Dohmacc said:

Or would I need to have two separate tickets from London Bridge to Waterloo East, then Waterloo to W&E Riverside?

No, one ticket will cover both trains.

[sddsddean]

This is how easy it is...just bear in mind you are going further than Vauxhall.

Simon

[Globaliser]

12 hours ago, Dohmacc said:

Would it be easier to take Jubilee from London Bridge underground to Waterloo underground, and then navigate to the Waterloo main station?

 

I guess I'm wondering which is more straightforward.. navigating from Waterloo East to Waterloo train station, or from Waterloo underground to Waterloo train station. I don't know how labyrinth-like these stations are.. 

 

7 hours ago, gumshoe958 said:

Waterloo East to Waterloo is perfectly simple, they’re linked by a covered footbridge. Probably easier than the tube, which is indeed labyrinthine.

 

If for some reason there are no trains from London Bridge to Waterloo East (which may happen if there's weekend engineering work between London Bridge and Charing Cross), then taking the Tube is not nearly as bad as gumshoe958's reply makes it sound.

 

When you enter London Bridge Tube, follow the signs towards the Jubilee Line, which will take you down escalators that go straight down to those platforms. You need a westbound train, obviously.

 

When you alight at Waterloo Tube (two stops from London Bridge), follow the signs for National Rail, which will take you up escalators to street level. You don't need to leave the building. Ahead and to your right, there's one more (well signed) escalator up to the mainline concourse. A good proportion of people exiting the Jubilee Line will be heading in that direction anyway.

 

Do not alight from the Tube at Southwark (one stop from London Bridge), even though there will be signs referring to "Waterloo East" there. If no trains are running to Waterloo East, then you will be in a world of navigational pain if you exit the Tube system at Southwark.

[gumshoe958]

Thankfully there is currently no engineering work scheduled for July 27th.

[John Bull]

On 7/3/2024 at 10:41 AM, Cotswold Eagle said:

Which booking engine is that? As well as having a rather confusing interface, it’s not showing you the actual cheapest tickets for your journey, which is a Group Save, costing total £42.10 for Off Peak returns. 

 

 

That's exactly what I see on the National Rail site.

Broadly direct trains every half-hour from Waterloo to Windsor & Eton Riverside & return  - £42.10 total for 2 adults & two kids (aged 5 to 15 - younger are free, older are adults).

All Saturday tickets are off-peak, the same price for any direct train - supplements for peak-time travel don't apply on a Saturday.

You can buy in advance or at the station, tickets are good for any direct train in both directions. 

 

https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

This National Rail site automatically applies the lowest fare for your group.

And you might find it more customer-friendly, altho if you buy on-line it will direct you to the website of the train operator (South-Western)  for the actual transaction

 

JB 🙂

 

[Globaliser]

55 minutes ago, John Bull said:

https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

This National Rail site automatically applies the lowest fare for your group.

And you might find it more customer-friendly, altho if you buy on-line it will direct you to the website of the train operator (South-Western)  for the actual transaction

 

Unfortunately, that's where the problem occurs: SWR won't accept US addresses.

[John Bull]

40 minutes ago, Globaliser said:

 

Unfortunately, that's where the problem occurs: SWR won't accept US addresses.

 

Got it, G.

 

Then @Dohmacc can simply buy group-save tickets at Waterloo 🙂 

 

JB 🙂

Edited Thursday at 12:26 PM by John Bull

[Globaliser]

10 minutes ago, John Bull said:

Then @Dohmacc can simply buy group-save tickets at Waterloo 🙂 

 

Or at London Bridge, where they're starting from, paying the same through fare to include the London Bridge to Waterloo East bit of their journey.

 

Which was a great piece of advice up-thread.

[Dohmacc]

Thanks @Globaliser, @sddsddean, @gumshoe958, @John Bull!

 

The video showing the trip and the backup Tube directions are great and I feel fully prepared to Windsor!

 

I have a couple of questions about getting to Heathrow from London:

 

From what I've gathered via Google Maps, from the hotel (near London Bridge station), I can:

 

1 Take the Jubilee to Baker Street, walk (within the station? above ground?) to take the Bakerloo line to Paddington Station, then take the Heathrow Express to the Terminal 5

 

For 2 adults/2 kids, this would be around 6 pound for the Tube, then 30 pound for the Heathrow Express (with advanced purchase)

 

OR

 

2: Take the Jubilee to Bond Street, walk (within the station? above ground?) to take the Elizabeth line all the way to Terminal 5

 

For our group, this would be 12 pound for the Tube.

 

OR

 

3: Take a cab/Uber/private car from hotel to Terminal 5. 

 

This would be 60 pound or more..

 

 

Is my understanding of these options and their prices about right? Is there another, better (in terms of logistical ease) option I am unaware of?

 

For Option 1 is the walk between the stations (getting off Jubilee at Baker onto Bakerloo) straightforward and easy to manage/navigate with luggage? What about when getting off from the Paddington Underground to the Heathrow Express?

 

For Option 2, same question about the walk between the stations (getting off Jubilee at Bond onto Elizabeth)? 

 

Will the big luggage pose a problem on the Tube in terms of crowdedness? This would be for Sunday morning.

 

Google Maps estimates Options 1 and 2 taking similar times (about hour total).. considering Sunday morning traffic, would Option 3(cab/Uber) be much (if any) faster?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

 

 

 

 

[Thejuggler]

On a Sunday morning cab would be quick enough and of course door to door, but £60 could be low end of price.

 

Moving between lines on the Underground with luggage can be a pain due to steps and escalators.  Some stations and interchanges aren't step free.

 

Consider a half way house so no underground interchange.   Black cab to closest Elizabeth Line station from your hotel (probably Liverpool Street) then a direct service to Heathrow.

[gumshoe958]

1 hour ago, Dohmacc said:

Thanks @Globaliser, @sddsddean, @gumshoe958, @John Bull!

 

The video showing the trip and the backup Tube directions are great and I feel fully prepared to Windsor!

 

I have a couple of questions about getting to Heathrow from London:

 

From what I've gathered via Google Maps, from the hotel (near London Bridge station), I can:

 

1 Take the Jubilee to Baker Street, walk (within the station? above ground?) to take the Bakerloo line to Paddington Station, then take the Heathrow Express to the Terminal 5

 

For 2 adults/2 kids, this would be around 6 pound for the Tube, then 30 pound for the Heathrow Express (with advanced purchase)

 

OR

 

2: Take the Jubilee to Bond Street, walk (within the station? above ground?) to take the Elizabeth line all the way to Terminal 5

 

For our group, this would be 12 pound for the Tube.

 

OR

 

3: Take a cab/Uber/private car from hotel to Terminal 5. 

 

This would be 60 pound or more..

 

 

Is my understanding of these options and their prices about right? Is there another, better (in terms of logistical ease) option I am unaware of?

 

For Option 1 is the walk between the stations (getting off Jubilee at Baker onto Bakerloo) straightforward and easy to manage/navigate with luggage? What about when getting off from the Paddington Underground to the Heathrow Express?

 

For Option 2, same question about the walk between the stations (getting off Jubilee at Bond onto Elizabeth)? 

 

Will the big luggage pose a problem on the Tube in terms of crowdedness? This would be for Sunday morning.

 

Google Maps estimates Options 1 and 2 taking similar times (about hour total).. considering Sunday morning traffic, would Option 3(cab/Uber) be much (if any) faster?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

 

 

 

 

Option 1 - the Jubilee/Bakerloo line interchange at Baker Street is simple, cross platform and on the level. At Paddington they’re building new lifts from the Bakerloo line up to the mainline station “by this summer” but I don’t know if they’re open yet. Otherwise, the old route involves stairs and escalators.

 

Option 2 - the Jubilee/Elizabeth line interchange at Bond Street is all underground within the station and step-free using lifts. The adult fare from London Bridge to Heathrow using the Elizabeth line is £13.30 per person.

 

Option 3 - for guidance, right now Uber is quoting £75 with a 95 minute journey time. It’ll be faster on a Sunday morning, but the train will still be quicker and cheaper.

 

If price is more important than speed, there’s also the cheapest option 4 - Jubilee line to Green Park then Piccadilly line direct to T5. Adult fare £5.60 per person, journey time just over an hour. The interchange at Green Park involves escalators.

 

The tube and Elizabeth line aren’t especially luggage friendly but lots of people do take big bags and Sunday morning is probably the quietest time to travel so it’s doable. 
 

Or @Thejuggler makes a sensible suggestion - Uber or cab to Liverpool Street then Elizabeth line from there.

 

Edited Thursday at 03:42 PM by gumshoe958

[Globaliser]

8 minutes ago, gumshoe958 said:

Or @Thejuggler makes a sensible suggestion - Uber or cab to Liverpool Street then Elizabeth line from there.

 

If you do this, my suggestion would be to get the cab to take you to the western entrance to the Elizabeth Line station. This is actually situated here on Moorfields. You need to get the cab to drop you off at this point, which is the closest that a vehicle can get to the Elizabeth Line entrance. That drop-off point is outside the entrance to the Northern Line, but don't go in through that entrance. The Elizabeth Line entrance is on the other side of the street and a few yards further, and it's very easy to see. This is what it looks like. It's all step-free; the construction work around it has all gone and the building (Deutsche Bank's new London headquarters) is now finished. (If you pull the image around to the left, you'll also see the signs for the Northern Line entrance.)

 

Using this entrance should be easier than the more convoluted route at Liverpool Street Station itself. The Elizabeth Line platforms are basically situated between Liverpool Street Station itself and Moorgate Tube.

[Dohmacc]

3 hours ago, Globaliser said:

 

If you do this, my suggestion would be to get the cab to take you to the western entrance to the Elizabeth Line station. This is actually situated here on Moorfields. You need to get the cab to drop you off at this point, which is the closest that a vehicle can get to the Elizabeth Line entrance. That drop-off point is outside the entrance to the Northern Line, but don't go in through that entrance. The Elizabeth Line entrance is on the other side of the street and a few yards further, and it's very easy to see. This is what it looks like. It's all step-free; the construction work around it has all gone and the building (Deutsche Bank's new London headquarters) is now finished. (If you pull the image around to the left, you'll also see the signs for the Northern Line entrance.)

 

Using this entrance should be easier than the more convoluted route at Liverpool Street Station itself. The Elizabeth Line platforms are basically situated between Liverpool Street Station itself and Moorgate Tube.

 

Should I ask the cab take us to Moorgate station off Moorfields (instead of Liverpool Street) and that will be dropped off near that Cards Galore store on the corner, but walk forward and enter the Underground from this big entrance:

 

 

And once inside, we'll be able to easily navigate to the Elizabeth line, right?