Four Nights Post British Isles Cruise--London Report

[js10]

At the conclusion of a 12 night British Isles cruise on Royal last month I extended with a four night visit to London. I wanted to share my experiences in order to assist anyone who might be planning a similar itinerary.

 

Since time was not a problem I decided to try the National Express from Southampton Coach Station on the morning of disembarkation. I booked a 9:50 am ride. I was off the ship by 6:45 or so and arrived at the station way too early. There were people in line although the waiting area in the station was not open yet. My cabbie told me that the grocery store across the street opened at 7:00 and that there was a coffee shop there I could use. It was clean, warm and had free wifi. At 9:00 I headed back to the station and large crowds were already forming what roughly passed for a line. The bus was on time but boarding was chaotic. Even with a reservation I just barely made it on board and a few people behind me did not. There was another bus right behind us however so I assume everyone made it to London more or less on time. There was one brief stop and the uneventful ride was about 2 1/2 hours. Departure was at Victoria Station in the heart of London where I was able to walk to my hotel with a pass by Buckingham Palace and a stroll through St. James Park.

 

I booked a room at the Z Hotel in the Soho section of London. It was a hoot and not for everyone but I enjoyed the experience. Hotels in the central area of London can easily reach $300 or $400 per night. The Z hotel was $150 prepaid and non refundable. The catch? Take a standard cruise cabin on Royal and cut it in half and that is approximately the size of a single room! It is modern and clean but VERY small. I had a single room since my GF went to Amsterdam post cruise to visit relatives but the website honestly warns that the doubles are small as well. A free wine and cheese reception is offered to hotel guests from 5-8 each night in the cafe. Breakfast is also served there each morning. The best part of this hotel is the location. A couple blocks from Trafalgar Square and the West End, I literally walked everywhere with the exception of taking the Underground to Heathrow at the conclusion of my stay. The area is a little gritty--you will see the occasional homeless person and/or drunk but there are tons of people everywhere day and night so I always felt comfortable.

 

Since I had not been to London before I hit as many of the top tourist sites as I could in four days. I took a long walk to the Tower of London the first day, saw St. Paul's and Westminster Abbey, took a quick boat ride on the Thames and saw two West End shows after scoring great tixs at TKTS. There are discount ticket booths everywhere but only one TKTS. Also visited the British Museum after not being able to get tixs to the Churchill War Room. I booked The English Bus for a tour of Stonehenge and Bath with an added stop at their famous "secret place." A wonderful tour company with small clean buses and personal service. I was shocked that at the end of the very long day our driver asked us where each of our hotels were located and made multiple drop offs to get us a close to our hotels as possible.

 

Great restaurants and pubs everywhere. I took the tube to Heathrow and it was cheap and easy but the first few stops are crowded and hauling your luggage can be a hassle.

 

Great city--great visit.

JS10

[caribill]

Thanks for this review.

[geoherb]

Thanks for posting. I'm planning our precruise visit to London in September. We're staying at a hotel near Waterloo. It's also walking distance to many major sites.