2 night stay in LONDON before CRUISE?

[AdventureTwins]

Hello!  First time UK travelers here! There may be a lot of questions!

 

How easy will it be to leave LHR for London - stay there 2 nights and then head to the cruise port on Sunday? 

Any recommendations for hotels in London? We would like to sight see & see Buckingham Palace, the EYE, London etc. and then head to the port.  

We have heard that it's quite a ways from LHR to Southampton?

 

Thanks!  

[princeton123211]

1 hour ago, AdventureTwins said:

How easy will it be to leave LHR for London - stay there 2 nights and then head to the cruise port on Sunday? 

Extremely easy-- you can take the Heathrow Express train right into town from your terminal or you can hire an Uber or cab to take you directly to your hotel for more. 

 

1 hour ago, AdventureTwins said:

Any recommendations for hotels in London? We would like to sight see & see Buckingham Palace, the EYE, London etc. and then head to the port.  

This one is a bit subjective because there are thousands of hotels at all price points. My personal favorite is The Savoy, both for location and quality, but it admittedly is one of the priciest hotels in town. There are all sorts ranging from budget to luxury-- its going to depend on how much you want to spend. 

 

1 hour ago, AdventureTwins said:

We have heard that it's quite a ways from LHR to Southampton?

It's not that bad-- Southampton was essentially Heathrow for ocean liners before the age of the airliner. There are plenty of car services, cruise ship arranged busses, and trains that go there. It takes a little over 2 hours to drive-- trains direct from Waterloo take about 1 hour 15min. 

[Bob++]

A lot depends on your budget, but as princeton says, getting into London from LHR is pretty easy. You should look for hotels in "Victoria" or "Westminster" Premier Inn are a mid-range hotel in good locations. You should sit down before looking at prices - London is expensive, although the exchange rate is really favourable to you ATM.

 

The three choices of transport from London to Southampton are, in descending order of cost, Private-hire car, train or coach. The train goes from Waterloo Station and the coach from Victoria Coach Station (near but not in Victoria railway station).

[ducklite]

Depending on where you stay in London and how you get there, LHR is 45-75 minutes away.  Personally I am not a fan of the black cabs, they are overpriced and rude.  I take the Tube to and from LHR.

 

It's difficult to give hotel suggestions without knowing your budget and how many will be in the room--are you a couple? Family?  Three friends?

 

It's about a 75 minute train ride from Waterloo Station to Southampton.  

[AdventureTwins]

Thanks so much everyone!  A FEW answers & QUESTIONS

 

1. We are a couple. My husband and I are in our late 40's early 50s. 

2. We want to see 1. Stonehenge, Jimi Hendrix home, The Eye, and Buckingham Palace before we leave. 

3. Hotel in London - maybe $300 for 2 nites.  

4. I heard they didn't have uber in UK, but AWESOME!

5. The Tube sounds fun, but crowded? 

QUESTIONS:

5. Should we stay at a hotel near the airport? for our London touring days? or is it too far to go back and forth?

6. Is it possible to take the bullet train to Paris in a day? 

 

Thanks again!  

AdventureTwins

 

[markeb]

As previously stated, you have many options, but $150/night may not be one of them... (If I'm reading you correctly.)

 

Two of you with bags. Unless you're staying very close to Paddington, I'd book a minicab or Uber to your hotel. I LOVE the Heathrow Express, but the cab from Paddington to a hotel that's not very close will probably make it more expensive than a car service. Black cabs are on the meter, and that's bad in traffic; there's almost always traffic.

 

The Tube can be crowded, but it's convenient. If you don't have a lot of bags, it can be convenient, and cheap, to Central London. Look at hotel options before settling on transportation options. There are places where it's easy to change trains (if needed) across the platform at the same level, and there are places where you're going over the river and through the woods.

 

I would not stay at the airport. I agree with Bob; Victoria or Westminster if at all possible. It is "possible" to take the Eurostar to Paris and back in a day, but if you're only doing 2 days pre-cruise, I think it would exhaust you, and you wouldn't do justice to either city.

 

As to Stonehenge (turning over a few rocks with my British friends🙂), you may want to look at doing that, possibly with a trip to Windsor, on your way from Southampton to LHR. If you look around the board, there are a number of airport transfer options that do that, depending on the time of your flight. Something to consider, and you'll get suggestions on that.

[Turtles06]

1 hour ago, markeb said:

As previously stated, you have many options, but $150/night may not be one of them...

 

You beat me to it.   

[Bob++]

If you stay in Victoria, and it's just possible to get under $200 a night at today's exchange rate, you would be best to catch a National Express coach https://www.nationalexpress.com/en/destinations/london/heathrow-to-london. It takes a little longer but a fifth of the the price of a taxi and the driver will handle your luggage. You also get to see a bit of scenery on the way.

Edited August 2, 2019 by Bob++

[ducklite]

16 hours ago, AdventureTwins said:

Thanks so much everyone!  A FEW answers & QUESTIONS

 

1. We are a couple. My husband and I are in our late 40's early 50s. 

2. We want to see 1. Stonehenge, Jimi Hendrix home, The Eye, and Buckingham Palace before we leave. 

3. Hotel in London - maybe $300 for 2 nites.  

4. I heard they didn't have uber in UK, but AWESOME!

5. The Tube sounds fun, but crowded? 

QUESTIONS:

5. Should we stay at a hotel near the airport? for our London touring days? or is it too far to go back and forth?

6. Is it possible to take the bullet train to Paris in a day? 

 

Thanks again!  

AdventureTwins

 

2. Stonehenge is quite a distance from London.  It's the better part of a full day tour to get there, see the stones, and return to London.  A better (but much more expensive) option is to hire a driver to take you to see them on embarkation day on the way to Southampton.  

3.  You won't find a safe and clean hotel for two nights in that price range.  I typically plan on housing in London to cost me $300 per night.  There are a few places in the $225 range, but they are fairly scarce and very basic with little or no services.

4. They absolutely have Uber--but it's expensive and we only use it late at night or if it is truly the best option to get someplace.

5.  We've never found the Tube to be overly crowded.

5.  Stay in London.  It's $15 per person each way to get to the airport on the Tube (cheapest option), and other than the Sofitel (~$500 per night but lovely!), there aren't any really good and convenient hotels near LHR anyhow.

6.  You only have a couple of days. Yes, it's possible, but you'd have to skip an entire day in London.

 

The reality is that by the time you clear Customs and Immigration at LHR and get to your accommodation, it will be around 10:00 am at the earliest.  It's quite likely you'll be hungry and your room won't be ready.  Be prepared for that.  By the time you're really beginning to see the sights, it will be around noon.  You'll be exhausted, so you'll really only have 5-6 hours before you'll want dinner, a shower, and a bed.

 

It only leaves you with one full day in London.  London is VERY large and I think you are greatly underestimated how much you can actually do in a single day.  You need to either do London OR Paris, and if you want to add in Stonehenge you need to either skip a lot of things in London and take a tour there, or hire a driver to take you there and then to the port.  

[picsa]

58 minutes ago, ducklite said:

3.  You won't find a safe and clean hotel for two nights in that price range.  I typically plan on housing in London to cost me $300 per night.  There are a few places in the $225 range, but they are fairly scarce and very basic with little or no services.

 

Nonsense. There are plenty of reasonable hotels in London for around $150 a night if you book in advance - sure you won't get the Savoy, but you will get something perfectly fine.

 

58 minutes ago, ducklite said:

4. They absolutely have Uber--but it's expensive and we only use it late at night or if it is truly the best option to get someplace.

 

Uber isn't expensive in London! It is half the price of black cab taxis and if there are more than two of you it is usually cheaper than the tube.

 

1 hour ago, ducklite said:

5.  We've never found the Tube to be overly crowded.

 

Hilarious!

 

Get on the tube at 'rush hour' (which extends up to 10am on some lines) and if you manage to physically get into the tube carriage then you will find yourself so closely pressed up against the other passengers that anywhere else you have to pay for this 'special service' or would be arrested.

 

It always amused me getting on the Piccadilly line which leads out to Heathrow, standing next to American tourists moaning about how busy and full it was, whilst the usual commuters were thinking "it's not bad today, I actually have room to breath".

 

1 hour ago, ducklite said:

5.  Stay in London.  It's $15 per person each way to get to the airport on the Tube (cheapest option), and other than the Sofitel (~$500 per night but lovely!), there aren't any really good and convenient hotels near LHR anyhow.

 

There are plenty of hotels surrounding Heathrow for an awful lot less than $500 - I stayed a couple of weeks ago in one and it cost me around $65.

 

However you don't want to waste a couple of hours of your time travelling back and forth when there are plenty of reasonable hotels in central London.

[ducklite]

10 minutes ago, picsa said:

 

Nonsense. There are plenty of reasonable hotels in London for around $150 a night if you book in advance - sure you won't get the Savoy, but you will get something perfectly fine.

 

 

Uber isn't expensive in London! It is half the price of black cab taxis and if there are more than two of you it is usually cheaper than the tube.

 

 

Hilarious!

 

Get on the tube at 'rush hour' (which extends up to 10am on some lines) and if you manage to physically get into the tube carriage then you will find yourself so closely pressed up against the other passengers that anywhere else you have to pay for this 'special service' or would be arrested.

 

It always amused me getting on the Piccadilly line which leads out to Heathrow, standing next to American tourists moaning about how busy and full it was, whilst the usual commuters were thinking "it's not bad today, I actually have room to breath".

 

 

There are plenty of hotels surrounding Heathrow for an awful lot less than $500 - I stayed a couple of weeks ago in one and it cost me around $65.

 

However you don't want to waste a couple of hours of your time travelling back and forth when there are plenty of reasonable hotels in central London.

Perhaps you and I have different ideas on what constitutes clean and safe--unless you are talking about hotels in Zone 2 or quite off the beaten path otherwise.

 

Uber is expensive in the congestion zone.  Outside of it, I'd agree with you.

 

I worked in NYC for a number of years, and am fully aware of what a crowded train car is.  We didn't find that in London, even during rush hour.  The reality is that they would be coming FROM LHR during morning rush (or after it ended) so it shouldn't be too bad.  The majority of places they are talking about wanting to see would be walkable from a hotel in Mayfair, St. James, Marlybone, Westminster, or Covent Garden, so they might not need transport at all once at their hotel.

 

I didn't say there were no hotels at LHR under $500, I said none that were convenient.  The Sofitel is the only one that doesn't require a shuttle (and some charge for that service) after getting off the Tube.   But I totally agree that staying out at LHR makes no sense.

[picsa]

13 minutes ago, ducklite said:

Perhaps you and I have different ideas on what constitutes clean and safe--unless you are talking about hotels in Zone 2 or quite off the beaten path otherwise.

 

No, I know perfectly well what a clean and safe hotel is, and there are plenty of them in zone 1 at $150 a night.

13 minutes ago, ducklite said:

Uber is expensive in the congestion zone.  Outside of it, I'd agree with you.

 

Sorry, but Uber isn't expensive in the congestion zone - the most recent trip I took $12 for a trip from Kings Cross to Waterloo - from one side of zone 1 to the other - that isn't expensive.

 

13 minutes ago, ducklite said:

I worked in NYC for a number of years, and am fully aware of what a crowded train car is.  We didn't find that in London, even during rush hour.

 

No idea what tube trains you were catching. On most lines it is simply not physically possible for anyone else to board the train it is so full. At many stations in the rush hour the platforms are so full the gates to the stations are closed to prevent anyone else entering.

 

13 minutes ago, ducklite said:

13 minutes ago, ducklite said:

I didn't say there were no hotels at LHR under $500, I said none that were convenient.  The Sofitel is the only one that doesn't require a shuttle (and some charge for that service) after getting off the Tube. 

 

 

The hotel I stayed at Heathrow for $65 two weeks ago didn't require a shuttle as it was a short walk through covered walkways from the terminal.

Edited August 2, 2019 by picsa

[phabric]

I have stayed at Premier Inn Waterloo (Westminster) www.premierinn.com.  The hotel has a bar, restaurant, A/C, walking distance to London Eye, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Parliament, pubs, restaurants, Hop On Hop On, regular bus, 2 tube stations, Waterloo train station.  Also stayed at Park Plaza Westminster, a block away from the Premier Inn Waterloo.

 

I have stayed in the Victoria area, close to Buckingham Palace, The Mews, Queen’s Gallery, The Mall, pubs, restaurants, stores, tube, regular bus, tube, Hop On Hop Off, Victoria train station, National Express Coach station.

 

I use www.justairports.com a car service from/to LHR to/from my London hotel, price is based on hotel postal code, car size (per car not person).

 

I have taken the train from Waterloo train to Southampton then a short taxi ride to the dock.  The cheapest is the National Express Coach www.nationalexpress.com from London Victoria Coach station to Southampton Coach station then a short taxi to the dock.  They put your luggage under the Coach, you pick it up and walk to the taxi. The cruise line offer a transfer from London Victoria Coach station direct to the ship dock and you do not see your luggage until it is at your cabin door.

 

The Hop On Hop Off (HOHO) is a great way to see London.

 

Depending when you are going, Buckingham Palace, the royal staterooms might be open,  www.royalcollection.org.uk.

 

International Friends www.internationalfriends.co.uk, only go on embankment and disembarkment days from certain London hotels, LHR hotels, LHR, Southampton. Embankment day to Southampton, they stop at Stonehenge and on disembarkment from Southampton, they stop at Salisbury, Stonehenge, and Windsor.  Purchase the entrance tickets from them to save time.

 

Edited August 2, 2019 by phabric

[AdventureTwins]

Having the names of the hotels is PERFECT!  Thank you so much! I love having options.  

 

We are 1st time to UK and really do want to see as much as our feet can handle.  We won't mind being exhausted by the time our cruise starts, but it's been a long time since anyone in our family has been to Europe {besides Military} and we just want to see EVERYTHING! haha! 

 

Seems the hotels book quickly so I'm trying to secure that first. I thought staying in London would be great but not knowing the distance to several places makes a huge difference.  You all are absolutely fabulous with the help and direction.  I assume some of you live in London?  How lovely! I'm a native NYer and now reside in rural Colorado so I don't think the tube is going to sway me either way! Sounds exciting - I've been told to watch out for pic pocketers though!! 

 

Just a few last questions: 

1. Can I get the "Oyster Card" in the airport or do I wait till I get to the Tube station? 

2. What hotel do you recommend by Southampton Pier?

3. Are the souvenirs at the airport worth it? Or wait til we get to London?

4. Money:  the best way to handle cash/cards exchange in UK.  On another thread someone said that we will need cash once we leave the plane?

5. Hop On, Hop Off: Can I reserve this now or wait til we get there. Is there a link to the stops it makes? 

 

Thanks again everyone for being so helpful!

AdventureTwins

[markeb]

1.  TFL visitor page here

 

you can order loaded Visitor Oyster Cards before leaving. You can also use Touchless credit cards and with some minor effort Apple Pay. All explained on TFL’s excellent web page. 

 

4.  If you book ahead or prepay a minicab, you can pay by card. If not, get a few pounds from the Travelex ATM in the arrivals hall, and then refresh when needed at a bank ATM. “Most” purchases can be made on a Visa or MasterCard. 

[phabric]

I have stayed at Premier Inn West Quay 2x and this hotel is popular with cruisers.  A short taxi to the dock.  Other Southampton hotels, Holiday Inn Herbert Walker, Ibis, Novotel.

 

Souvenirs will be more expensive at the airport as they would have a higher overhead than a store.  example, I had purchased small teddy bears at Harrold’s, the same bears were more at the airport.

 

You can google Hop On Hop Off London to see their stops.  There are 2 HOHO companies with the same routes..  You might save £ purchasing in advance.

 

Sometimes purchasing in advance can save £ and time for the different places.

 

Take some cash £, most places take credit cards,  some small stores might have a minimum £ before you can use a credit card.  American Express credit card is not popular. Example, we were at a small cafe  on an excursion, the cafe did not take credit cards  and someone tried  paying in US$, he had to go the post office to exchange money to pay his bill, he thought everywhere took US$ and credit card.

 

There are money exchange places at the airport and ATM if you can not order £ at your bank.

[phabric]

If you purchase clothing, shoes, etc, there is VAT (tax) on the items.  You are able to collect some of the VAT back, not on food/hotel/services/car rental/attractions.  Go to the VAT office at the airport (leave plenty of time to do this) with the items encase they want to see items leaving the country or you can mail the receipts in.  At the store, ask for a VAT receipt and they will fill it out, you can not claim VAT without the VAT receipt and the store receipt.  The store usually will charge a fee to do it.

 

At restaurants, you do not need to tip as it would be included in the receipt.

 

 

Edited August 2, 2019 by phabric

[Cotswold Eagle]

17 hours ago, ducklite said:

didn't say there were no hotels at LHR under $500, I said none that were convenient.  The Sofitel is the only one that doesn't require a shuttle (and some charge for that service) after getting off the Tube. 

 

This is simply not true. There are four hotels attached by walkway to Terminal 4 and one in the central area for T2 and T3. They can all be booked for significantly less than $500. 

[Cotswold Eagle]

19 hours ago, ducklite said:

It's $15 per person each way to get to the airport on the Tube (cheapest option)

 

Oh, my. The peak single fare using Oyster or contactless is £5-80.  The Zone1-6

 cap is £12-80, so you can get in to London, use as much public transport as you like in London and get back to Heathrow for just over $15 per person. 

 

 

[Bob++]

On 8/1/2019 at 5:58 PM, ducklite said:

Personally I am not a fan of the black cabs, they are overpriced and rude.  I take the Tube to and from LHR.

Black cabs (and they are not always black these days) are certainly more expensive than Uber, but I dispute 'rude'.

 

While we were in London a few weeks ago we used black cabs, hailed from the street, four times. My wife uses a heavy electric wheelchair and on each trip the drivers could not have been more polite and helpful. 

[princeton123211]

17 hours ago, AdventureTwins said:

2. What hotel do you recommend by Southampton Pier?

I wouldn't recommend spending the night in Southampton at all unless you want to specifically see Southampton. You can easily get from London to the pier in the same day for departure and this gives you much more time to see London. 

[picsa]

1 hour ago, Bob++ said:

Black cabs (and they are not always black these days) are certainly more expensive than Uber, but I dispute 'rude'.

 

I don't, but I would add grumpy and arrogant, tinged with a undercurrent of 1960's cultural attitudes, and with a tendency for the card machine they are obliged to have to always be mysteriously 'out of order' and want to be paid in cash.

 

As you can tell, I am not a fan.

[ducklite]

4 hours ago, Cotswold Eagle said:

 

Oh, my. The peak single fare using Oyster or contactless is £5-80.  The Zone1-6

 cap is £12-80, so you can get in to London, use as much public transport as you like in London and get back to Heathrow for just over $15 per person. 

 

 

I shouldn't have put "way" in there, fingers typing things the mind wasn't thinking.  It is $15 each.  Based on the places they want to see, once they get to Green Park or Piccadilly, they would likely just walk to their various destinations.  Either way, what a waste of precious time in a wonderful City going back and forth to the LHR area for a hotel.

 

There is a value to one's time when on holiday, and with the economies of scale, the more time that can be devoted to seeing and doing the things in any given area, the more value one has gotten for their holiday funds.  I'm not suggesting not taking time to eat or sleep--walking around like hangry zombies certainly isn't a good use of time either.  But if I can spend an additional $50-100 per night to stay in a hotel where I'll get better nights sleep on a bed with a nicer mattress and bedding (and a bigger mattress than the standard double--which my husband and I can not co-occupy!), a better location, or more services, I"ll readily spend the extra funds to gain more value from what I do spend.

[ducklite]

8 minutes ago, picsa said:

 

I don't, but I would add grumpy and arrogant, tinged with a undercurrent of 1960's cultural attitudes, and with a tendency for the card machine they are obliged to have to always be mysteriously 'out of order' and want to be paid in cash.

 

As you can tell, I am not a fan.

This.  As well as cheats. I had one try to double charge me thinking I would just readily hand over the extra pounds because he showed up an hour early and I wasn't ready yet.  I had written confirmation of the pick up time, and his lack of time management or ability to read a clock was not my problem.  Had another who took me a long way round so he could stop someplace and pick up something he had left someplace--and wanted me to pay the full meter fare.  Nope.

[ducklite]

16 hours ago, phabric said:

If you purchase clothing, shoes, etc, there is VAT (tax) on the items.  You are able to collect some of the VAT back, not on food/hotel/services/car rental/attractions.  Go to the VAT office at the airport (leave plenty of time to do this) with the items encase they want to see items leaving the country or you can mail the receipts in.  At the store, ask for a VAT receipt and they will fill it out, you can not claim VAT without the VAT receipt and the store receipt.  The store usually will charge a fee to do it.

 

At restaurants, you do not need to tip as it would be included in the receipt.

 

 

Take a look at the receipt and see if service is added.  Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't.  When it isn't, add 10% at a nicer restaurant.