Harwich, England (Scandinavia) Transfer request for help

[CCruiser1234]

Hello all,

 

Though my wife & I are somewhat seasoned cruisers, we have never 'done' the Scandinavia itinerary. That will change next year. For those of you who would care to throw out some knowledge about the London-Harwich transfer..it is appreciated in advance. Comment under the assumption that one is in London 2 days before the sailing date, and we are buying RCCL's air:

 

1) With a 2-nt pre stay, I assume you have to return to LGW/LHR to be 'met' for the transfer to Harwich IF your 2-nt stay is not through RCCL?

 

1a) Is the transfer via train or coach?

 

2) Assume that 2-nt stay is through RCCL. I assume the transfer hotel-Harwich would be included (But then one has already 'paid' for it with their air....)?

 

3) INDEPENDANT transfer to Harwich. Has anyone eve taken the London-East Anglia BritRail train and 'transferred' on their own?

 

If you think there is something good to know about this subject, and I haven't asked the right question.. please feel free to comment/suggest.

 

Thanks in advance!

[ChipLondon]

If you are considering an independant transfer London-Harwich the ability to do this will depend on when you cruise and which day of the week you will head to Harwich. Be aware that the train service can be a nightmare on a Sunday, as alot of track work is done on those days, and the train is then replaced by a bus service.

[Bethee99]

I did that cruise two summers ago. We booked air and two nights in London with Royal.

 

Acutually as I'm typing I'm drawing a blank. I think a Royal person picked us up at the airport and drove us to the hotel.

 

Once at the hotel there was a letter for us and a rep from Royal to talk about the transfer on embarkment day. It picked us and several others (2 delux busses worth) in front of the hotel early in the morning. The ride from London is pretty far a few hours but we still got there at like 10-11 am ish.

 

After the cruise we had busses to go back to the airport.

 

We booked it all with royal for the ease factor. The flight from Los Angeles to London non-stop was actually really good price plus it had the transfers.

 

The prestay was expensive but it had the transfer which was nice so we didn't have to go back to the airport.

[Shak]

Unless things have changed you can buy transfers from RCI that departs from the Victoria Coach Station, a central London location. While the Victoria Coach Station is close to the Victoria Train Station it is a couple of blocks away.

 

Shak

[scottbee]

 

3) INDEPENDANT transfer to Harwich. Has anyone eve taken the London-East Anglia BritRail train and 'transferred' on their own?

Really this is the only way to go. The train station and cruise terminal at Harwich (Harwich International Station) are co-located. Harwich is NE of London (about 75 miles), and the airports are either west (LHR) or South(LGW) of London. You really end up going pretty much exactly the wrong way if you want to catch a bus transfer from the airport.

 

This aerial view shows the train/ship nicely:

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=51.947218,1.256256&spn=0.002473,0.005879&t=h&z=18

 

Trains leave from London's Liverpool Street Station every hour, and the trip takes about 90 mins , http://nationalrail.co.uk/ has more details

[CCruiser1234]

Thanks, Scott..train looks good.

[Jo and Rob]

If you are considering an independant transfer London-Harwich the ability to do this will depend on when you cruise and which day of the week you will head to Harwich. Be aware that the train service can be a nightmare on a Sunday, as alot of track work is done on those days, and the train is then replaced by a bus service.

 

I grew up in Dovercourt, Harwich and my parents still live there! I totally agree with the above post as Sundays can be very hit and miss in the UK with a limited service. However, any other day of the week the train is ideal, it goes from London Liverpool Street and you get off the train and walk straight onto the boat!!

 

There should be direct trains but also there are also trains if you change at Colchester or Manningtree. If you are going to enjoy London for a couple of days independent transfer seems a good idea. I will warn you however that the buffet car on British Rail is rubbish so grab something to eat before you get the train...no, forget that...be hungry for the cruise and eat in style, much more like it!

 

I am really interested to know about your cruise as we would like to do something similar although I was under the impression that RCI was pulling out of Harwich next year - my TA may be wrong of course as the brochures aren't out yet.

 

Bon voyage - as you sail out of Harwich you will pass Felixstowe (on the opposite side of the mouth of the river) which is the largest container port in Europe.

[negc]

I was under the impression that RCI was pulling out of Harwich next year - my TA may be wrong of course as the brochures aren't out yet.

 

For 2011 at least, RCI will still be sailing from Harwich. Our 2011 westbound transatlantic on Jewel of the Seas sails from there on September 3, 2011. Probably won't know about 2012 and later until this time next year when they will release those itineraries.:)

[southend1112]

hello! i live in shenfield which is right on the east Anglia line!

some suggestions: the trains are great if theres nothing wrong around here, always go 3 hours before the time you want just in case the line goes bad, there are really good connections on the line! if you want to get to harwich quick in the morning grab a hotel in colchester, its 20 mins away from harwich so you could get a taxi if you want.

enjoy your cruise and enjoy your service you choose to it :)

[Jo and Rob]

hello! i live in shenfield which is right on the east Anglia line!

some suggestions: the trains are great if theres nothing wrong around here, always go 3 hours before the time you want just in case the line goes bad, there are really good connections on the line! if you want to get to harwich quick in the morning grab a hotel in colchester, its 20 mins away from harwich so you could get a taxi if you want.

enjoy your cruise and enjoy your service you choose to it :)

 

Another option is the Pier Hotel at Hotel (I worked there in the Summer when I was at university) It is a hotel that looks out over the river with two restaurants (upstairs is a la carte and they will ring the bell if a ship goes past, downstairs is more informal. Get a sea view room and you will see your cruise ship arrive in the morning! If you decide to do this stay on the train beyond Harwich International, past Dovercourt station and get off at the last stop Harwich town.

[Marlys]

We are very interested in all the answers in this thread. My husband and I are arriving at Gatwick from Florida early AM on May 17 for the Jewel of the Sea cruise starting May 19. We would like to go independently by bus or train to Harwich. We have booked a Premier hotel for the nights of the 17th and 18th in Harwich. We are looking at tour books, maps, and on line for an economical and not too inconvenient way to get from Gatwick to Harwich. It seems one would have to change trains three times if going by train. Is that correct? Is there bus service? Thanks for all the postings so far.

Marlys and Bill

[CCruiser1234]

Hello.. wow. .you are about 53 weeks ahead of us.. we will be on Jewel NEXT May. I'd be very interested in your experiences when you return.

 

My private email is bob221b1@yahoo.com

 

Respectfully yours,

Bob

 

 

 

We are very interested in all the answers in this thread. My husband and I are arriving at Gatwick from Florida early AM on May 17 for the Jewel of the Sea cruise starting May 19. We would like to go independently by bus or train to Harwich. We have booked a Premier hotel for the nights of the 17th and 18th in Harwich. We are looking at tour books, maps, and on line for an economical and not too inconvenient way to get from Gatwick to Harwich. It seems one would have to change trains three times if going by train. Is that correct? Is there bus service? Thanks for all the postings so far.

Marlys and Bill

[Hlitner]

You folks are asking good questions, but this is not the right place. Repost your Harwich questions on the Ports/Europe/British Isles forum where we discuss these issues on a regular basis. In fact, you might want to do a search on that forum because you might actually find that there are some recent answers to your questions.

 

Hank

[stace11]

In addition to the regular Liverpool Street to Harwich train service, there is an additional "cruise train" that is direct to Harwich (no stops). We took this a few years ago and it worked out perfectly. I'm not sure if you can book in advance, though. When we went (2006) you had to purchase tickets at the station. No additional cost for this train, either. Here is some additional info:

 

http://www.harwich.co.uk/cruise_trains.asp

 

Enjoy your trips!

[Globaliser]

Hi, Apple1234, and welcome to CC!

It seems one would have to change trains three times if going by train.

No, I think that two changes will do the trick, if you can manage the Tube. Take the Gatwick Express to Victoria station, then get on the Circle Line eastbound to Liverpool Street, then get the train from there to Harwich.

 

However, if you have cruise luggage with you, I would recommend getting a taxi from Victoria to Liverpool Street. Alternatively, you could take the First Capital Connect train from Gatwick to London Bridge station, and then get a taxi from there to Liverpool Street. That's a shorter taxi trip, although that train is not built for airline passengers (unlike the Gatwick Express, which is).

[palmbay]

st1\:*{behavior:url(#default#ieooui) } Hi,

We arrive 7AM at Gatwick on a Wednesday and must be at Harwick at 4PM to depart on a Scandanavian cruise. Family of 4, Mom, Dad and 2 teenage daughters. How can we take in a few sights along the way during the transfer?

 

Would it be possible to take the Gatwick Express to Victoria Station and stow the baggage somewhere and walk around the area for a few hours then depart to Harwich?

 

Or would it be more practical to hire a car to show us around and take us to Harwich?

 

Also, we don’t want to spend a fortune on this transfer, but it will cost us at least $400 for a “straight” transfer with no stops.

 

Any ideas?

 

Thanks,

John and Faye

Palm Bay, Florida

[Globaliser]

Hi, palmbay, and welcome to CC!

We arrive 7AM at Gatwick on a Wednesday and must be at Harwick at 4PM to depart on a Scandanavian cruise. Family of 4, Mom, Dad and 2 teenage daughters. How can we take in a few sights along the way during the transfer?

If you are flying in to Gatwick on the morning of the cruise, you have already accumulated a significant amount of timing risk. I'm afraid you don't really have time to do much sightseeing on the way; you should concentrate on just getting to Harwich. If you deliberately stop on the way, you will only accumulate more risk.

 

The only thing that might make this feasible but remaining safe is if you use a private car transfer on the basis that you will be taken into central London so that you can do some drive-by sightseeing. But that might cost you more than you have already been quoted.

 

Fundamentally, the problem is that when you've reached Gatwick, you are outside London on the wrong side of London. And Harwich is not London, but quite a long way away from it.

[sddsddean]

Agree with G. I wouldn't even attempt sightseeing. If you did the trip by public transport and everything went right, your timings are something like

7am Arrive LGW (if you are on time)

8am exit LGW

8.15 Train to London

8.45 arr London

9.30 get to Liverpool St station

9.45 get train

1130 arr Harwich

1230 Get on ship(?)

 

Assuming you have got to be on by about 3.30/4.00, you are only leaving yourself 3 hours for 'contingencies'. I'd just go straight to the ship.

 

Simon

[Ashland]

We are arriving at 7:10am day of the cruise into LHR and have purchased the roundtrip Transfers from RCI $200.00pp..Have no idea yet how they get us to Harwich by train or bus. Has anyone done this recently ? Have no concern on the return from Harwich to LHR as we will then be staying in London for a week post cruise..

[Drifting Happily]

I strongly recommend the train. We took it two years ago, and it was the most convenient transfer we've ever had. The train station is closer than any taxi or bus can get to the ship (see the link above for a photo). Our ship docked in Harwich, so we took the train into London. We were on the 'cruise express,' it was £49 for 4 of us (not each, for all 4), and the conductor collected our fare once we were underway. It was non-stop and we were in London in 1 1/2 hours.

[Globaliser]

Have no idea yet how they get us to Harwich by train or bus.

I think that cruise lines transfers are done by coach.

[Oakville]

... We took it two years ago, and it was the most convenient transfer we've ever had ... We were on the 'cruise express,' it was £49 for 4 of us (not each, for all 4), and the conductor collected our fare once we were underway. It was non-stop and we were in London in 1 1/2 hours.

 

My "anytime" train fare on June 12, 2010 for two adults is £52.40

 

Am I missing some kind of bargain or have prices just gone up?

[John Bull]

We are arriving at 7:10am day of the cruise into LHR and have purchased the roundtrip Transfers from RCI $200.00pp..Have no idea yet how they get us to Harwich by train or bus. Has anyone done this recently ? Have no concern on the return from Harwich to LHR as we will then be staying in London for a week post cruise..

 

Your transfer from LHR to the ship at Harwich will be by coach and will use the London orbital road. It goes nowhere near central London.

Which is great for you going out.

LHR to Harwich by public transport is difficult, there is no direct link.

 

But I'm not too sure if I've mis-understood your post regarding your return. If you are staying in central London on your return, you will need to take a train from the port to London's Liverpool St station, or an RCI transfer coach to Victoria (or their other point/s in central London), and not one of their LHR coaches. Apols if I'm teaching grannie etc, just wanting to be sure you dont end up with an inappropriate transfer.

 

JB

[Ashland]

Your transfer from LHR to the ship at Harwich will be by coach and will use the London orbital road. It goes nowhere near central London.

Which is great for you going out.

LHR to Harwich by public transport is difficult, there is no direct link.

 

But I'm not too sure if I've mis-understood your post regarding your return. If you are staying in central London on your return, you will need to take a train from the port to London's Liverpool St station, or an RCI transfer coach to Victoria (or their other point/s in central London), and not one of their LHR coaches. Apols if I'm teaching grannie etc, just wanting to be sure you dont end up with an inappropriate transfer.

 

JB

From what I understand so far..since we are doing roundtrip RCI transfers..they will be returning us to LHR..TA is checking on this and hope we will have another option from RCI..If not we will then just have to get to our hotel (Milestone) from LHR..Lucky we are not really pressed for time..Assume we will get to our hotel at some time that day..one way or another..Please no apols.necessary...Appreciate all the input I can get....

[Globaliser]

From what I understand so far..since we are doing roundtrip RCI transfers..they will be returning us to LHR..TA is checking on this and hope we will have another option from RCI..If not we will then just have to get to our hotel (Milestone) from LHR..

There really is no point in doing round-trip RCI transfers if they will take you back to the airport. The cruise ship transfers to/from the airports are really only intended for people who are connecting directly to flights.

 

Just do the one-way RCI transfer and come back to London independently. It is simple and straightforward and much less hassle than messing about with the transfer to the airport and having to double back on yourself to get back into town independently afterwards.