London help please

[jletsgo]

Need help from my felllow CC'rs........Heading to London for a few days pre-cruise in May 2015. Never been to this city before. Looking for recommendations for car service from (a) Heathrow to London, (b) London to Southampton port. Also, will take any and all hotel recommendations; something close to hop off/hop on and popular tourist attractions. Thanks in advance.:D:D

[Big Kev]

Need help from my felllow CC'rs........Heading to London for a few days pre-cruise in May 2015. Never been to this city before. Looking for recommendations for car service from (a) Heathrow to London, (b) London to Southampton port. Also, will take any and all hotel recommendations; something close to hop off/hop on and popular tourist attractions. Thanks in advance.:D:D

 

 

Have been to London many times now, and have found this website and its links to be one of the best for helpful information every time we are faced with new questions.. Maybe it will help you too..:)

 

http://www.londontoolkit.com/

 

Sue and Phil..

 

.

[barbienj]

I stayed at the Doubletree in Westminster last year. Very nice hotel and a good location.

[CVU]

A few years ago we stayed at Luna & Simone. We were happy there. Buses on both sides in front of the hotel then. Check it out on Google Earth.

http://www.lunasimonehotel.com/ Seems the sons are still running it and they were there when we were.

[Morecruisesplz]

Need help from my felllow CC'rs........Heading to London for a few days pre-cruise in May 2015. Never been to this city before. Looking for recommendations for car service from (a) Heathrow to London, (b) London to Southampton port. Also, will take any and all hotel recommendations; something close to hop off/hop on and popular tourist attractions. Thanks in advance.:D:D

 

There is a taxi stand @ luggage claim. We booked ahead ours ahead of time but it was a lot of work for nothing. Much easier just to go to the inside stand, pay and they will escort you to your taxi. For a place to stay we always use VRBO in London if we're going to be there several nights. This is our favortie -- right in the heart of everything: http://www.12trinitysquareapt7.iowners.net/ If you prefer a hotel, this is a one nearby that we have heard great things about: http://www.londontown.com/hotels/information/the_tower_-_a_guoman_hotel/154407/?pid=ba400396ff311f2bb8016fa402d326e1

 

You can pick up the double decker bus within a couple blocks walk of either choice. As for the condo, the places to eat nearby are endless, with a favorite of ours being the pub located on the street level of the apartment. They serve food all day long and their breakfasts were inexpensive and wonderful. (Served all day.) There is a Starbucks across the street and a great sandwich shop a block away which has locations all over town. There is also a grocery store nearby if you prefer to have breakfast or some meals in.

 

Hope this helps!

[Baseball fan]

We stayed at the President hotel near the Russell Square tube stop. We took the train from Heathrow to Russell Sq (no train change). The location is great and the hotel is fine, but nothing fancy.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[markeb]

There's a very good board on UK ports of call/embarkation here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=233

 

I suspect this thread will be there shortly!

 

How long will you be in town and how many are there? There are a number of ways into central London, depending primarily on your willingness to pay, and to some extent on how many travelers. Cabs work, car services work, the Heathrow Express + a cab works, and the Tube works. As to hotels, you've had several suggestions. If you're only there for a day or two, and really want to see Westminster and vicinity (Parliament, Whitehall, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, etc.), then it may be worth paying for a more expensive hotel close to the sites.

 

London is a beautiful, but expensive city. You certainly have some time to plan, but it's good to research early!

[PompeySailor]

Heathrow Airport Transfers

Will cost you around £45-£70 one way that would be apr $72-$112

You can get these outside all Terminals

 

Public transport is in abundance and the preferred route from Heathrow T3

If coming in on AA Delta or Virgin would be to take the train

 

Non-stop rail service between Heathrow and Paddington Station in central London from terminals 1, 3 and 5. Travelers arriving into terminal 4 connect through terminal 1 or 2 via a free inter terminal transfer.

A lot cheaper $40 2nd class $55 1st class

 

You can then use the underground at Paddington to get to the hotel that you choose,

Would recommend for underground(tube) get a day pass which covers all of London lines and you will be able to get to go to all of the main attractions the city has to offer

Day ticket for underground will cost you £5 Apr $8.00

 

Let me know if I can help with anything else

Enjoy your time in London

And Happy Cruising

Happy Days:)

Edited May 25, 2014 by PompeySailor
Spelling

[PompeySailor]

London Waterloo train station to Southampton Central

Takes around 1hr 40mins and cost £38.50 one way $62.00

These run every our 35 past & 54 past 7.35 7.54 and so on all day

 

Southampton Central train station to Port will cost you between £6-£10 ($11-$16) and take 10-15 mins depending on time

 

Taxi from London to Southampton Port will cost you £90-£110 ($144-$176)

And take around 1hr 30 mins

 

Happy Days

[LindaO]

Follow this link

 

http://www.premierinn.com/en/hotel/LONCOU/london-county-hall?CID=TRA_US_BL_LONCOU

 

It will take you to London County Hall Hotel, a Premier Inn Hotel

 

Been to London many times and this hotel beats all others hands down for great room sizes... and location location location -- it is right next to the London Eye... a short walk to Big Ben... and several tube stations! You won't be disappointed with this location and hotel! And it is a great price.

[SPacificbound]

We spent 8 nights at Rubens At The Palace, it is in a wonderful location.

http://www.rubenshotel.com/

 

i arranged for us to be picked up the first day for a black taxi tour, it was most helpful in us getting our bearings on where all we wanted to go.

http://www.blacktaxitours.co.uk/

[PLEIKU68]

Need help from my felllow CC'rs........Heading to London for a few days pre-cruise in May 2015. Never been to this city before. Looking for recommendations for car service from (a) Heathrow to London, (b) London to Southampton port. Also, will take any and all hotel recommendations; something close to hop off/hop on and popular tourist attractions. Thanks in advance.:D:D

 

Just stayed at the Elizabeth Hotel. Hop on Hop off at the door. Tube about 50 yds away. Reasonable priced

[davenew]

Need help from my felllow CC'rs........Heading to London for a few days pre-cruise in May 2015. Never been to this city before. Looking for recommendations for car service from (a) Heathrow to London, (b) London to Southampton port. Also, will take any and all hotel recommendations; something close to hop off/hop on and popular tourist attractions. Thanks in advance.:D:D

A cab from LHR will cost a fortune. Why dont you get the Heathrow Express to Paddington, then get a cab to your hotel?

[CyberTag]

Following since we cruising the Anthem in May 2015 out of Southampton.

[Ashland]

We did a week post cruise at the Milestone Hotel on Kensington....amazing hotel and location (Tube is Highstreet - Kensington) and it's just across the street from Hyde Park...Also highly recommend the Original Tour Bus HOHO (red one) a stop just up the street from this hotel...Also if you have time we loved the shopping at Camden Town. London is now a favorite and we can't wait to go back and take the whole family for just a land only trip !!

[BARNET]

Need help from my felllow CC'rs........Heading to London for a few days pre-cruise in May 2015. Never been to this city before. Looking for recommendations for car service from (a) Heathrow to London, (b) London to Southampton port. Also, will take any and all hotel recommendations; something close to hop off/hop on and popular tourist attractions. Thanks in advance.:D:D

You have a number of options dependent on where you wish to stay, getting from Heathrow to central London cheapest to use the Tube/Underground these run from all terminals to central London takes about 50 mins cost £5.70, Heathrow express also runs is faster but at a cost £21 takes 15 mins, London Black cabs are could be expensive as you will be on the metre and traffic will cause delays, private cars must be booked in advance.

Check Hotels.com / expedia on google for the best rates, all the big chains have hotels i.e. Hilton, Holiday Inn and Radisson Blu cost of hotels depends on location.

Getting around London during your stay is best using the Tube/underground and buying a travelcard Zone 1-6 is £8-90 a day that the most you will need.

Getting to Southampton National Express coaches run from London check website at Nationalexpress.com cost about £14 from Victoria travel time 2h 40m, trains as someone else has said run from Waterloo station cost £38.50 about 1h 40m, London Black cabs will not really be a option, private cars will be about £90-100. Hope this helps.

[jletsgo]

Thanks for all the responses. I knew my fellow cruisers would be extremely helpful. I am going to check out the Heathrow Express and all the recommended hotels.

[loubetti]

London is one of the world's great cities, a great walking city, and also one of the most expensive for Americans. I've been there over a dozen times.

 

As for airport to hotel, if you're coming into LHR, just take a taxi direct to your hotel. You can do a train but the train doesn't stop at your hotel, so you still need a taxi. Also, London taxis are the BEST in the world!

 

London is also a physically huge, spread out city, but if you position yourself well, you can enjoy some great walks to great places and see a lot along the way. Otherwise use the tube, or spring for a taxi.

 

As to getting to Southampton, I suggest the train from Waterloo, and with that in mind one centrally located hotel is the Strand Palace, located, well, on the Strand near Waterloo bridge in the theater district and close to Covent Garden, and a nice walk to Trafalgar square, Pall Mall, and of course Buckingham Palace. Prices here are moderate, maybe £130 per night, and you're a 2 minute taxi ride to Waterloo station.

 

If money is no object, stay directly across the street at the newly renovated and legendary Savoy, but expect to drop probably no less than £500 per night here.

 

You WILL like the location of the Strand Palace, trust me. You're in the postal district WC2 (WC= West Central) and "2" tells you you're in the heart of that area. I stay in that area every time, and never have regrets.

 

Best wishes! :)

[dasi11]

We always take the Heathrow Express or Connect right out of the airport to Paddington station. Then we get a hotel right near Paddington. There is even a Hilton in Paddington station. We have stayed at the Novotel near Paddington 3 different times and loved it. Paddington stations tube also has 4 lines running through so it is convenient to go to any attraction. I get the zone 1 and 2 all day tube pass to get around London for the day.

[Shak]

It has been a while since I took a cruise from England but here are some of my memories. Firstly I want to limit my exposure in public with all my money and important documents so I took the cab to town. We stayed near a hotel near the Victoria Train Station. Staying at a hotel near the tube is a real asset. We booked transfers though RCI from Victoria COACH Station (the Victoria Coach station is a few blocks from the Victoria Train station).

 

Another idea is to stay near the airport and commute to town via public transportation and purchase transfers from RCI from the airport to the ship. You may find hotels far cheaper near the airport.

 

RCI also offers hotel packages that include transportation to the hotel and cruise. This can be very expensive but takes the stress out of it. I also read of people booking the cruise line hotel for the night before the cruise after staying at another hotel beforehand. You will have to find your own way to town and cruise line hotel for this method.

 

Lastly you may be able to put together a group from your Roll Call to share in the expense of travel.

 

Shak

[truffles2]

One of our favorites is Royal Garden on Kensington. It is right next door to Kensington Gardens and K. Palace and you might even see Wills & Kate. The park is truly lovely to explore. It is also a short walk to Kensington High St. tube station and Royal Albert Hall, where there is almost always something of interest playing.

[pcur]

A few years ago we stayed at Luna & Simone. We were happy there. Buses on both sides in front of the hotel then. Check it out on Google Earth.

http://www.lunasimonehotel.com/ Seems the sons are still running it and they were there when we were.

 

Love this great little hotel! We stayed there on our first trip to London, and it's good to hear they are still going strong.

 

I really like the location: walk to the Victoria tube station, and the Victoria coach station "kitty-corner" to the tube. The hoho stops right there, too. A short walk to Buckingham Palace, etc.

[besberry]

Take the train and tube, the price of a cab will make your eyes bleed! The Heathrow Connect is cheaper than the Heathrow Express, takes 5 or 6 minutes longer as it stops at about 5 places en route. I'd recommend the Park Plaza Westminster, a stunning view of the Houses of Parliament across the river and 5 minutes walk from Waterloo station. You'll love London and you should definitely take in a show in the West End. http://www.theatrepeople.com/home/londontheatre?gclid=COGl_NKwx74CFe3JtAodNjQAMg

[PSCruiser]

Lots of advice on here about taking the train or underground various places, however the hangup here can be luggage - if you have full TA luggage that can be tough.

Just back from our TA ending in London, and stayed at The Belgrave, on Belgrave Rd. a very nice budget property. I would recommend staying in this area (Victoria) because of the transport possibilities.

For hotel to airport we used British Cruise Transfers (check website) - private van, right on time, 55 pounds for the van (one to 3 couples). This service can also be used for port, but in the past we have used National Express coach which is out of the Victoria coach station. Inexpensive, and the driver loads and unloads your luggage.

A few other hints - buy an Oyster card and used the underground to go everywhere.

Also, we discovered pubs of the Wetherspoon chain (check website). Good food at great prices, and a pint or glass of wine included with the meal!

[The Sunset Glow]

Follow this link

 

http://www.premierinn.com/en/hotel/LONCOU/london-county-hall?CID=TRA_US_BL_LONCOU

 

It will take you to London County Hall Hotel, a Premier Inn Hotel

 

Been to London many times and this hotel beats all others hands down for great room sizes... and location location location -- it is right next to the London Eye... a short walk to Big Ben... and several tube stations! You won't be disappointed with this location and hotel! And it is a great price.

 

 

I agree. Good hotel and awesome location!!

 

 

 

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