ChattTenn Posted March 28, 2017 #1 Share Posted March 28, 2017 We are planning a British Isle cruise either 2017 (if possible) or 2018 season. As we have never been in UK/London before with very little knowledge about this city. We would like to use HOHO bus to get a general view of London. We are planning for a 2 or 3 days either pre or post cruise to give us a chance to have a little look at the city and major tourist sites (with some walking would be great. Are there mid-price/budget hotels you can recommend that fits this criteria we can check into?. Also, would like to have your recommendation for a transfer service to take us from Heathrow to Southampton and back to London. We probably will be arrive on Delta. Thank you, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Bull Posted March 28, 2017 #2 Share Posted March 28, 2017 Pre-cruise is generally rated better than post-cruise, for a number of reasons - any outbound travelling glitch (missed flight, flight delays etc) won't mean missing your cruise, it just eats into your pre-cruise time. - As a general rule pre-cruise is something folk look forward to, post-cruise a lot of folk look forward to getting home. - Particular to this location, except on sundays, London to Southampton by direct train is ridiculously cheap (£1 to £10) through the https://uk.megabus.com/megatrain.aspx website (bookings from about 6 weeks out). That option isn't available in the mornings in the Southampton to London direction (regular walk-up fare £40). http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/ Excluding the mega-expensive areas of London (Mayfair, Sloane Square, etc) best location in central London IMHO is the County Hall area (Marriott County Hall, Premier Inn County Hall, Premier Inn Waterloo, Park Plaza County Hall, Park Plaza Westminster, and others). Close by The London Eye, river cruises, walks & eateries and drinking holes along the South Bank of the river, just across Westminster Bridge from Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Churchill's War Rooms, and Whitehall (Downing Street, Horse Guards Parade, Banqueting House, etc) leading to Trafalgar Square & National Gallery. Also right by Waterloo for aforesaid direct trains to Southampton. On the main ho-ho routes, tube stations nearby. Not great for travel from Heathrow, probably best to book a private transfer for about £40 If those hotel prices are a bit steep, consider Victoria. (western end of central London) Lots of smaller privately run hotels as well as the big chains. Close to Buckingham Palace, walkable to Westminster Abbey etc. Depending on the precise location, (it's a large district) it's on the main ho-ho routes, handy to tube station & Victoria coach station for buses from Heathrow & to Southampton. http://www.nationalexpress.com/home.aspx South Kensington. London's museum district, just a little further west than Victoria. Again, many small hotels - but choose carefully. Direct tube trains from Heathrow. Check for ho-ho feeder route. Paddington. (north-east) Mainly small hotels, tolerably close to Marble Arch and Oxford Street shops, walk or ho-ho feeder bus to the main ho-ho routes at Marble Arch. Very quick & easy to or from Heathrow using the Heathrow Express. Cheap at about £5 if you book months ahead, expensive (£20+) walk-up fare. https://www.heathrowexpress.com/ Kings Cross.(north) Had a very seedy reputation a few decades back but now an excellent area. Full range of hotels, British Museum, ho-ho feeder routes, tube stations. Tower Bridge. At the easternmost end of central London, in the commercial City ("down-town" in American) district. Tower of London, Tower Bridge (the bridge on postcards), main ho-ho routes, tube stations. Because it's down-town it's usually expensive during the week (business clientele) but exceptional value at weekends. Plenty of other districts - make sure it's a hotel handy to a tube station & check back here or on TripAdvisor about the district before booking. Two main ho-ho operators, little to choose between them other than feeder routes. Here are their route maps London Original hop-on https://www.theoriginaltour.com/media/2109/the-original-tour-map.pdf and Big Bus London hop-on. https://www.bigbustours.com/en/london/london-routes-and-tour-maps/ For private transfers between Southampton and either Heathrow or central London consider www.smithsforairports.com (Cruise Critic members' favourite) or www.aquacars.co.uk or www.westquaycars.com All three are baed at the Southampton end, so unsuitable/uncompetitive for transfers between Heathrow & central London. From Southampton expect to pay about £80 - £90 for Heathrow, about £130 for central London. Or there's the aforesaid train or bus options for London / Southampton, or bus option for Heathrow. There's also the option of the privately-run cruise tour-transfer bus. https://www.internationalfriends.co.uk/shore-excursions-and-cruise-transfers.html There are a few flights from the US to London Gatwick (LGW). For train or bus to central London, Victoria is the most convenient district. Marginally more expensive than Heathrow for a private transfer to Southampton or central London, but don't choose between Heathrow & Gatwick - choose the most convenient airport at your end and the best-value flights. Tube map (don't bother to print-off, they're widely available) http://content.tfl.gov.uk/standard-tube-map.pdf Finally, an excellent resource for London hotels, transportation, attractions etc and for Southampton transportation options https://www.londontoolkit.com/ JB :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
langleyfld Posted March 29, 2017 #3 Share Posted March 29, 2017 WOW, huge valuable information!! We travel to London pre cruise May 2018. Thank you John Bull for such precise info :-) And thanks to ChatTenn for asking questions:-) Sent from my SM-G920V using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Bull Posted March 29, 2017 #4 Share Posted March 29, 2017 // Paddington. (north-east) Mainly small hotels, tolerably close to Marble Arch and Oxford Street shops, walk or ho-ho feeder bus to the main ho-ho routes at Marble Arch. Very quick & easy to or from Heathrow using the Heathrow Express. Cheap at about £5 if you book months ahead, expensive (£20+) walk-up fare. https://www.heathrowexpress.com/ // Ooops, typo :rolleyes: Paddington is north-west central London. JB :o Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChattTenn Posted March 29, 2017 Author #5 Share Posted March 29, 2017 Thank you John Bull for such a detail information. We will print the information down to keep and start to do more research for this cruise. ChattTenn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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