Heathrow to Dover on National Express?

[teacherplus]

I tried to search and could not find my answer so hopefully one of the many helpful people on cruise critic will answer. My DH and I arrive Saturday August 15 at 10 am at Heathrow on Virgin Atlantic. I think it is terminal 3 but unclear on how to double check that. Would we be able to make a 12 (noon) bus to Dover? Is it easy to find the bus? We are staying at the Dover's Restover B&B at 69 Folkestone Road Dover, CT17 9RZ So next question is which stop would we choose- the ferry port or town centre? Any help is greatly appreciated.

[phabric]

We are also taking the National Express to Dover from LHR August 7. We arrive at terminal 2 at 6:25am and are taking the 9:50am coach. I have been told the terminals are well marked for central coach station and is a short walking distance.

 

You can get Information from http://www.heathrowairports.com. You arrive at terminal 3.

[Giantfan13]

I tried to search and could not find my answer so hopefully one of the many helpful people on cruise critic will answer. My DH and I arrive Saturday August 15 at 10 am at Heathrow on Virgin Atlantic. I think it is terminal 3 but unclear on how to double check that. Would we be able to make a 12 (noon) bus to Dover? Is it easy to find the bus? We are staying at the Dover's Restover B&B at 69 Folkestone Road Dover, CT17 9RZ So next question is which stop would we choose- the ferry port or town centre? Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

Personally, I think you are cutting it very close. What happens if your flight is delayed a bit. Why not just opt for a later coach. I would give yourself about 3 hours to arrive, clear customs etc and get to the bus.

 

JMO though

 

Cheers

 

Len

[Bob++]

In case you aren't aware - You will have to change coaches at London Victoria Coach Station.

 

There is no public transport that does not involve changing in London. The coach is probably the easiest. If you tell the Dover coach driver that you are going on a cruise, he may drop you off at the port. If he does, a small tip (5GBP) is appropriate.

 

If you arrive a day ahead (very sensible), go to the terminal and take a taxi to your accommodation.

Edited April 21, 2015 by Bob++

[John Bull]

I tried to search and could not find my answer so hopefully one of the many helpful people on cruise critic will answer. My DH and I arrive Saturday August 15 at 10 am at Heathrow on Virgin Atlantic. I think it is terminal 3 but unclear on how to double check that. Would we be able to make a 12 (noon) bus to Dover? Is it easy to find the bus? We are staying at the Dover's Restover B&B at 69 Folkestone Road Dover, CT17 9RZ So next question is which stop would we choose- the ferry port or town centre? Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

I do wish you had either one hour or three hours from touch-down to bus station, cos we could all give a definitive answer.

Like Len, I think two hours is a bit "iffy".

 

But your next coach (its actually a coach to central London's Victoria coach station then switch to a Dover-bound coach) isn't til noon - a potential two-hour wait at Heathrow. And lousy connection times at Victoria mean another 45 minute wait, so a total journey time of about 4 hours. That's up to 8 hours from touch-down to Dover.

 

A few alternatives:

 

1. Book the 10am coach. If you don't make it, you can re-book for the noon bus at Heathrow airport bus station on payment of a small (£5?) amendment fee. A very small chance that the noon bus will be booked-out.

(nb for others - the facility to amend Nat Express tickets is limited to journeys from airports)

Book the coach to Dover town centre, Pencester Road. It's a 6 to 8 minute walk to your B&B, slightly uphill. Or a taxi from the rank in Pencester Road will cost mebbe £5 to £7.

 

2. Book Nat Express for just Heathrow to Victoria, or just buy those tickets when you arrive. Those buses are very frequent - 3 to 4 per hour, the two hour gap is because of the much less-frequent Victoria to Dover service. Then a ten minute walk or a very short taxi hop from Victoria coach station to Victoria train station & take a train to Dover. Direct trains every half-hour, even more frequent if you're prepared to make one change. Buy your train tickets at the station, the fare is about £24. Add the bus from Heathrow to Victoria & a taxi hop for a total journey cost of about £33 per person.

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

Train times for August won't be confirmed until about a month from now, so use a July Saturday for research - alterations are unlikely.

Your destination is Dover Priory station. From the station its just a two minute slightly downhill walk to your B&B.

 

3. Take the tube (London's metro) from Heathrow to Victoria, for the train to Dover. About the same cost as Nat Express to Victoria. Gives you much greater flexibility on timing (tube train every five minutes) and Victoria tube station is at Victoria train station. Does involve one simple change of tube train & the tube isn't luggage-friendly, but without excessive baggage, that's the route I'd take.

 

4. A pre-booked private transfer from Heathrow to your B&B will cost around £100 to £130 & take something under 2 hours. Try http://www.folkestonetaxi.com/

or

http://www.dovertaxis.com/

both of which have served CC members.

 

JB :)

 

Phabric - note Bob's comment about Nat Express drivers offering to drop cruise passengers at the cruise terminal (nowhere near the ferry terminal). You can't book to the cruise terminal unless there's a Fred Olsen ship sailing same-day (and if there is, it's significantly more expensive) but drivers usually offer as a personal favour & a £5 tip neatly divides the avoided £10 taxi fare between passengers & driver.

Edited April 21, 2015 by John Bull

[phabric]

[quote name='John Bull

 

Phabric - note Bob's comment about Nat Express drivers offering to drop cruise passengers at the cruise terminal (nowhere near the ferry terminal). You can't book to the cruise terminal unless there's a Fred Olsen ship sailing same-day (and if there is' date=' it's significantly more expensive) but drivers usually offer as a personal favour & a £5 tip neatly divides the avoided £10 taxi fare between passengers & driver.[/quote']

 

That is what happened last time I went to Dover. I went the day before my cruise, on route the driver asked if any passengers were going to the cruise terminal since there were Disney passengers on the coach, he went to the cruise terminal. I mentioned I was staying at the Premier Inn Ferry Terminal, he said he was going to be passing it. He stopped across the street from the hotel.

 

I am staying again at Premier Inn Ferry Terminal. I have my National Express ticket to Ferry Terminal two days before my cruise Monday August 9. I will ask the driver if not, it is a short taxi to the hotel.

Edited April 21, 2015 by phabric

[teacherplus]

Thank you all for the great information. We are arriving two days early. We come into Heathrow on Saturday and our cruise leaves on Monday. I will have to look at the options and decide. I had not thought of all those possibilities.

[PhilbeachTraveller]

We live in the area and it takes us 2 hours, door to door, so add about 15 minutes to that time to get to Dover. From Heathrow, you can get the Piccadilly Line to Kings Cross St Pancras and then get the fast train from St Pancras to Dover Priory (there is a direct train once an hour). As John Bull says, your B&B is just down the road from there.

[John Bull]

We live in the area and it takes us 2 hours, door to door, so add about 15 minutes to that time to get to Dover. From Heathrow, you can get the Piccadilly Line to Kings Cross St Pancras and then get the fast train from St Pancras to Dover Priory (there is a direct train once an hour). As John Bull says, your B&B is just down the road from there.

 

Yep, good thinkin' Phil.

I mentioned a train from Victoria station to Dover but there are a number of other London stations that serve Dover. And if you choose to take the tube from Heathrow to central London, Kings X / St Pancras is indeed the best bet because it's a direct tube from Heathrow, no changes.

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/cdn/static/cms/documents/standard-tube-map.pdf

(Heathrow is bottom left on the map)

 

JB :)

[teacherplus]

Thank you Phil and JB. Would I buy these tickets ahead of time? No change on Piccadilly to King's Cross and the train sounds like a good plan.

[John Bull]

Thank you Phil and JB. Would I buy these tickets ahead of time? No change on Piccadilly to King's Cross and the train sounds like a good plan.

 

Pre-purchase of the train ticket may save you a little, but isn't necessary.

And if the saving comes with the limitation of being valid only for the chosen train time, pre-purchase is unsuitable in your uncertain time frame.

 

Plans are in place to remove all ticket offices from the tube system, since nowadays something like 98% of journeys are done using an oyster card. If there's no ticket office you'll need to use a credit card in a machine, but its promised there will be tube staff to help if needed. Fare is something like £6.

 

Mind the gap ;)

 

JB :)

[PhilbeachTraveller]

There are no discounts for advance purchase on the High Speed trains so no need to prebook (although if you are returning using the same route, be advised that the trains from Dover to St Pancras are usually packed. Travel after 10 am to get the off peak fare. St Pancras is a very busy station so give yourself time to purchase the tickets. You can book them on line and collect from the machine (this is what I do) but be sure you get the High Speed tickets (Southeastern Trains operate both the slow trains from Charing Cross and the fast ones from St Pancras).

[teacherplus]

Now that it is getting close to the trip (we leave August 14) I wanted to ask about stairs? Are there stairs? From your suggestions we plan to take the Piccadilly Line to Kings Cross St Pancras and then get the fast train from St Pancras to Dover Priory and if DH and I both have a medium size bag, is it doable? Thank you all.

[Globaliser]

Now that it is getting close to the trip (we leave August 14) I wanted to ask about stairs? Are there stairs? From your suggestions we plan to take the Piccadilly Line to Kings Cross St Pancras and then get the fast train from St Pancras to Dover Priory and if DH and I both have a medium size bag, is it doable?

At the London end, it's step-free from baggage reclaim to the Tube station at Heathrow (and there will be routes that don't even require the use of escalators). Kings Cross St Pancras Tube station has step-free routes up to the mainline station, and I'm pretty sure that there should be step-free routes onto the train.

 

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations/DVP/details.html will have all the details you need about Dover Priory station.