Sightseeing London on day before cruise

[Piggeldy]

I am still contemplating that this might be a totally stupid idea - and have thus come to the conclusion to let other make the decision :D

 

We cruise out of Southampton on 3 November.

 

Our flight from DUS arrives in London Stansted at 7 am on 2 November. We had actually planned to take the National Express "directly" to Southampton (changing at Victoria Coach Station) and arrive in Southampton early in the afternoon. But...

 

While I have been in London a few times (with school, on vacation, on business) my husband has never been to the UK. Eventually we are planning a longer vacation (as soon as I have conquered my fear of driving on the left side of the road) but we don't know when this might be possible.

 

My newest idea - and if you think it's crazy and we shouldn't do it just let me know - is to buy one coach ticket Stansted - Victoria Station (leaving Stansted at 9 am as National Expess advises to pick a time two hours after arrival), meaning we should reach London around 11 am, leave the luggage at the station (the deposit seems reasonable), catch the "London Panorama - 3 Hour Open Top Bus Tour" Gray Line offers, and buy a separate coach ticket Victoria - Southampton (leaving London at 4.30 pm or even 5.30), reaching Southampton at either 7 or 8 pm.

 

This should be doable, right?

I guess we could take the Stansted Express and be in the city quicker but we would still need to get the luggage to Victoria Coach Station (which would take what... 30 minutes maybe? plus changing from Stansted Express to Circle Line with all the bags)... I don't think saving maybe 20/30 minutes would be worth the extra hassle (and cost)?

And even if the Ho Ho bus broke down at the Tower of London, we could just take the underground back to Victoria station. Or if the traffic was horrible, buying a ticket for the 16.30 bus to Southampton would allow 5 1/2 hours to deposit luggage and take a 3-hour tour which should be fine and we should even be able to grab a sandwich somewhere?

 

Sorry, total overplanner and absolutely OCD when it comes to travel planning. I know. But this should work, right? It might be a little more stressful then just going directly to Southampton but it would give DH a chance to at least glimpse the major London sights.

[Eboracum_d]

A better option might be to spend the night in London and then down to Southampton by rail the next day. You will have plenty of time to get down to Southampton on the morning of your cruise.

 

That would enable you to drop your bags off at your hotel on arrival from Stanstead and give you the afternoon / evening to see something of London. You can also use rail to get in from Stanstead which will be quicker than the coach.

 

Three hours would be a bit long frame to sit on a coach. I would be more inclined to buy a one day travel card for zones 1 and 2 and do my own hop on hop off tours on Londons Buses or Underground.

[lucymorgan]

A better option might be to spend the night in London and then down to Southampton by rail the next day. You will have plenty of time to get down to Southampton on the morning of your cruise.

 

That would enable you to drop your bags off at your hotel on arrival from Stanstead and give you the afternoon / evening to see something of London. You can also use rail to get in from Stanstead which will be quicker than the coach.

 

Three hours would be a bit long frame to sit on a coach. I would be more inclined to buy a one day travel card for zones 1 and 2 and do my own hop on hop off tours on Londons Buses or Underground.

 

I agree! I'm not from UK but I've travelled to/through London quite a few times for work with tight time frames. I would get to London as quickly as possible off the flight, do the hop-on hop-off bus for the day, stay overnight in London and then catch the train to Southhampton the next day. You could even squeeze in a night tour or a show in London if you did this.

:)

[KirkNC]

I concur, arrive a day or two early. Remember on arrival day you will have just gotten off an all night flight.

[John Bull]

The frequent ho-ho buses operated by the Original Tour or Big Bus would be more flexible than a specified tour & time, especially since you're flying in that day.

 

Yep, overniting in London would be less stressful & give you the evening in town. A hotel in Victoria then National Express coach or slow train (hourly service, takes towards 3 hrs) from there to Southampton next morning.

Or choose a hotel in either Victoria or in/near County Hall if you prefer to take the much faster (90minutes) & more frequent train from Waterloo station to Southampton. Taxi between Victoria & Waterloo/County Hall area (no direct tube route so you wouldn't want to take it with luggage) should be under £15

Coach from Victoria or megatrain rail tickets (megatrain tix only from Waterloo) can be silly-cheap, as little as £1, but need to be pre-booked. Regular train tix cost about £20 from Victoria or £36 from Waterloo & no requirement to pre-book.

 

If you stick to plan A, Southampton is a pleasant enough city with a decent selection of pubs & restaurants and enough minor sights to interest you, right in the city centre close to the port.

 

And Southampton hotels will be a lot cheaper.

But you've given us licence to spend your money, so we'll spend it in London :p

 

http://www.theoriginaltour.com/

 

http://www.bigbustours.com/eng/london/custompage.aspx?

 

http://uk.megabus.com/

Yes, I know the web title is megabus, but trust me ;)

 

http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/service/planjourney/search

Search journeys from "all London stations" or from Waterloo and then from Victoria. For all cruise terminals & city centre hotels your destination is Southampton central. This site doesn't show Megatrain prices, though some of the trains are the same.

 

http://www.nationalexpress.com/

Your journey is from London Victoria to Southampton coach station. IGNORE the "cruise terminal" option, it doesn't apply to your cruise. A £5 to £8 taxi ride from coach station to any cruise terminal.

 

Always willing to spend other folks' money

JB :)

 

Edit: Ooops! November 3rd is a sunday!!!!!!!!

No megatrain tix available on sundays. And train timetables can sometimes be disrupted by planned engineering work, always carried out on sundays to avoid fouling-up weekday services. So if you overnite in London, I'd advise booking the Nat Express coach for sunday morning. No coach or train timetables yet for November, but picking a random SUNDAY will give you the info you need.

[dogs4fun]

Count me in for another vote for an overnight in London. Makes more sense & allows more time to explore wonderful London. :)

[Sinppu]

Voting for the overnight stay as well.

Less hassle, more time to see the lovely London.

 

I'd definitely rather leave early to Southampton on the morning of your cruise.

[Mairnealach]

Hi,

 

If you are determined to go ahead with your proposal, I offer this suggestion which may allow you greater flexibility in getting from Stansted airport to Victoria coach station.

 

Take the Stansted Express train but get off at either Tottehham Hale or Seven Sisters stations. Both of these stations are on the Victoria underground line and this will take you directly to Victoria rail station. I think it is only a ten minute walk from there to the coach station.

 

At present, the Stansted Express stops at Tottenham Hale on weekdays, but on Saturdays/Sundays it stops at Seven Sisters instead. The current rail timetable only goes up to early July, so on a Saturday in November it will stop at one or the other station. The Stansted Express operates every fifteen minutes and no advance booking is required. There is a standard fare whenever you travel. In case you clear immigration at the airport earlier than anticipated, this option may give you a little extra time in London.

 

Dermot

[Piggeldy]

Thank you all for all your input :)

 

I concur, arrive a day or two early. Remember on arrival day you will have just gotten off an all night flight.

 

Fortunately, for us it's only a 1 1/2 hour flight. And we are staying at the airport hotel in DUS the night before. We only live about 2 hours from the airport (by train) but this way we can do the late night check-in the night before and won't have to worry about the luggage on the morning of the flight.

 

But you've given us licence to spend your money, so we'll spend it in London :p

 

Edit: Ooops! November 3rd is a sunday!!!!!!!!

No megatrain tix available on sundays. And train timetables can sometimes be disrupted by planned engineering work, always carried out on sundays to avoid fouling-up weekday services. So if you overnite in London, I'd advise booking the Nat Express coach for sunday morning. No coach or train timetables yet for November, but picking a random SUNDAY will give you the info you need.

 

Don't we all prefer to spend other people's money? ;)

 

But yes, we will think about spending the night in London instead of in Southampton. Of course, I will always be able to come up with some kind of scenario that might prevent all kind of travel from London to Southampton on that Sunday... but rationally I of course know they won't happen.

 

I'll have to think about what will be less stressful for me.

Spending the day (and night) in London without having to worry about catching a specific bus or arriving a day early in Southampton without having to worry about... I don't know... France deciding to declare war on England :D or the bus to Southampton breaking down and us missing the ship.

 

JB, thanks for the advice on engineering work usually beeing planned on Sundays! We would never have thought of that.

[SteveH2508]

Sunday 3rd November 2013 is the annual London to Brighton veteran car run. Sat 2nd the cars are on view in Regent Street.

 

Well worth a visit if you like that sort of thing. http://www.veterancarrun.com/introduction/timetable.html

[KirkNC]

Oops, sorry I missed the fact that you have a short flight. That does make a difference.

[John Bull]

Sunday 3rd November 2013 is the annual London to Brighton veteran car run. Sat 2nd the cars are on view in Regent Street.

 

Well worth a visit if you like that sort of thing. http://www.veterancarrun.com/introduction/timetable.html

 

Needs an early-riser on the sunday morning.

No, I do mean early.

The last of them will be on their way to Brighton by about 8.30.

But a great sight, & plenty of vantage points on London's streets. Hundred cars, all of them pre-1906, and an assortment of enthusiasts in vehicles of all ages to cheer them on.

 

(no, it won't affect your journey to Southampton)

 

JB :)