Pampered1971

Has anyone gone to Chester on their own from Liverpool cruise port?  If so, how was that accomplished? Transportation, tours, etc.  THANK YOU!!

We walked, it's also a great way to see Amsterdam along the way. It was at most 30 minutes

3 hours ago, Pampered1971 said:

We are a family of 4 (2 older teens) and are arriving in Southampton on a Sunday from a cruise.  We have one additional night before we have to fly home and want to see as much as possible in this short time.  I am looking for London hotel recommendations for a family of 4 as well as any transfers from the port to London that may include a tour where we can see as much as possible. Any other sightseeing tips while we are in London would be greatly appreciated.  This will be most of our first time in London but not the last, so we know we won't be able to see everything.  Thanks for your help 

Based on a Tripadvisor search I'm considering London County Hall.  Got good reviews, has a family room and is close to London Eys.

55 minutes ago, John Bull said:

For door-to-door tour-transfers from your ship in Southampton to your hotel consider the International Friends' cruise tour-transfer via Salisbury, Stonehenge & Windsor.

https://www.internationalfriends.co.uk/southampton-cruise-tour-transfer-to-london.html

The £99 per adult fare doesn't include admissions.

Do buy your Stonehenge admission tickets with your coach tickets (there's only a distant view from the coach and buying at the gate is subject to numbers & could leave you sat on the coach for 90 minutes while others go visit)

You might want to decide on the day whether to pay for admission inside Salisbury cathedral (not available sundays) and Windsor castle, depending on time available, weather etc. - you can see both of them up-close from outside and - unlike Stonehenge, which is in the back end of nowhere - they're both in historic & interesting surroundings.

 

But that tour-transfer will take up the whole of your arrival day, leaving only a trunkated evening in central London - if your flight is next-day before late afternoon / evening you'll not have any time for sight-seeing in central London next morning. 

In that case I suggest you get to London by quickest means, which is by train from Southampton Central (the furthest cruise terminal is no more than a £10 / 6 to 8 minute taxi ride) to London Waterloo station. Train journey about 90 minutes, so you could be in central London by about 11 am   https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

After dropping your bags at the hotel, consider a round-trip on a ho-ho (about 2hrs 15 mins) or a walk from Parliament Square (Big Ben, Westminster Abbey ) up Whitehall past Churchill's War Rooms (only worthwhile if you go inside), Banqueting House, Downing Street (Prime Minister's residence), Horse Guards Parade and other iconic sights) to Trafalgar Square. If you can't decide which or want to do both, mebbe take the ho-ho from Waterloo (stop 4 on the linked map) & hop off near Trafalgar Square (stop 2) to walk down Whitehall to Big Ben & back to your hotel. https://www.tootbus.com/en/london/map

 

In the evening - if you're still awake 😛 - mebbe the nightlife of Leicester Square or Covent Garden.

 

If you choose the cruise tour-transfer mebbe a hotel near Paddington station for a fast direct train to Heathrow next day

https://www.heathrowexpress.com/

 

If you choose by train, a hotel near Waterloo station and a pre-booked private transfer to Heathrow. Post back if your flight is from Gatwick.

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I'm assuming you're from North America.

The vast majority of hotel rooms in the UK and in Europe generally are twin or double, few have family rooms. Apartments might be difficult to book for just one night.

I'm a country boy, not a Londoner, but if you don't get any suggestions here,  you might want to try TripAdvisor.

 

JB 🙂

 

Thank you so much, this was very helpful.  

We are a family of 4 (2 older teens) and are arriving in Southampton on a Sunday from a cruise.  We have one additional night before we have to fly home and want to see as much as possible in this short time.  I am looking for London hotel recommendations for a family of 4 as well as any transfers from the port to London that may include a tour where we can see as much as possible. Any other sightseeing tips while we are in London would be greatly appreciated.  This will be most of our first time in London but not the last, so we know we won't be able to see everything.  Thanks for your help 

1 hour ago, insidecabin said:

I had scallops and veal chop(salad on the side) very good.

OH had snails and duck also good.

Latitudes voucher(before we found out we could use it anywhere)

Good Call, we went a few weeks ago on the Escape, worst meal I have ever had by far.  My daughter and I made the best of it and had a good laugh about it.  Cagney's was much better.