Post-cruise question

Hi all -

We arrive in Southampton on September 14 and have tickets to a play in London at 3 that afternoon, and are staying outside Oxford near my sister-in-law and her family. Assuming an on-time arrival in Southampton, I'm trying to decide between the two scenarios:

(1) Train to Waterloo, leave our luggage with Left Baggage at Waterloo (should be approximately GBP50), Tube from Waterloo to Piccadilly Circus, see the play, Tube from Piccadilly Circus to Waterloo, retrieve luggage, train from Waterloo to Oxford via Reading

(2) Cunard-sponsored coach to Victoria Coach Station, leave our luggage at Victoria Coach Station Left Luggage (max GBP28), Tube from Victoria to Piccadilly Circus, see the play, Tube from Piccadilly Circus to Victoria, retrieve luggage, Tube from Victoria to Paddington, train from Paddington to Oxford via Reading.

I would like to save GBP22 on left luggage fees, but I would also like to not have to take a week's worth of luggage on the Circle Line during rush hour. I'm not too terribly concerned about the extra hour or so it would take to get from Waterloo to Oxford vs. Paddington to Oxford.

Thoughts?

Another consideration is stairs. There are number of stairs down to the Victoria Circle Line platforms and also stairs up at Paddington. The Circle Line trains are just about ok with luggage as they are more akin in size to surface trains than the more usual tube trains but nevertheless busy in the rush hour as you mention.

One other suggestion is Cunard bus to Heathrow T5 the Heathrow express to Paddington and leave your bags at Paddington so you are unencumbered for the tube trip. Hex is £25 single per person and takes about 25 to 30 minutes from T5 to Paddington mainline station. You can also take the Bakerloo line to and from Paddington which saves a little time over the Circle route.

M-AR

Another consideration is stairs. There are number of stairs down to the Victoria Circle Line platforms and also stairs up at Paddington. The Circle Line trains are just about ok with luggage as they are more akin in size to surface trains than the more usual tube trains but nevertheless busy in the rush hour as you mention.

 

One other suggestion is Cunard bus to Heathrow T5 the Heathrow express to Paddington and leave your bags at Paddington so you are unencumbered for the tube trip. Hex is £25 single per person and takes about 25 to 30 minutes from T5 to Paddington mainline station. You can also take the Bakerloo line to and from Paddington which saves a little time over the Circle route.

 

M-AR

Thanks - I think I could live with stairs at Victoria and Paddington as long as it's one train between the two.

Commuters would probably murder us if we were blocking escalators in the middle of rush hour with luggage (I know I would if I were them).

(1) is looking like the best option, honestly. Coach to LHR and then HEX (though I'd probably do Heathrow Connect and save money) is an interesting idea, but probably not worth saving the extra hour to get from Waterloo to Reading.