Help!!! With heathrow to harwich transfer

[kalokincanadian1]

:eek:Can anyone give me advise as to a reliable transfer service from Heathrow Airport to Harwich Port. We are arriving on a late flight at 12:00pm day of our cruise and require a reliable transfer service to get us to our ship in Harwich by 3:30PM.

 

Can someone please advise a good airport transfer without costing us an arm and a leg.

 

 

Thank you for your help

 

 

 

Kate

[celle]

:eek:Can anyone give me advise as to a reliable transfer service from Heathrow Airport to Harwich Port. We are arriving on a late flight at 12:00pm day of our cruise and require a reliable transfer service to get us to our ship in Harwich by 3:30PM.

 

Can someone please advise a good airport transfer without costing us an arm and a leg.

 

 

Thank you for your help

 

 

Kate

 

Hi Kate,

 

At first, I read your question as 12.00 pm meaning 12 mid-day, and answered as below:

 

"You are cutting this awfuly close! You will need extraordinary luck and everything to run dead on time to make this transfer in time. I really think you need to re-book onto a flight that arrives earlier in the day, or even the day before.

 

It could take more than an hour after your plane lands for you to negotiate immigration and customs and uplift your baggage.

 

Going by train (either Heathrow Express or by tube) would involve getting into central London, and then crossing London to get to Liverpool Street station, from where you would catch a train to Harwich. The Heathrow Express takes about 20 to 25 minutes to get you into London (the tube takes longer). Allow about 45 minuts to get to Liverpool Street station and then about 1.5 hours to get to Harwich.

 

It's the geography that makes this transfer time-consuming. Heathrow is west of London and Harwich is north-east.

 

To get from Heathrow to Harwich by any form of transport, you need to either go into and across London itself or, if going by road, to go towards London on the M4 and then skirt central London on the M25 (which is notorious for congestion) before heading east towards Harwich.

 

The AA roadmaps on-line gives the distance from Heathrow to Harwich as being 117 miles by road, with an estimated travel time of 2 hours, 40 minutes, without traffic hold-ups."

 

Then I re-read your question, and realised that you probably meant 12:00 pm to be 12 midnight, in which case you do have plenty of time.

 

There are reliable car services from Heathrow, and, given luggage and that you will be arriving late and tired, I would take that option. If you search on line, there are several companies that offer a transfer service. I do not have personal experience of any of them, so I will leave it to someone who has used them to recommend one to you.

 

Are you planning a hotel, so you can get a few hours' sleep between Heathrow and Harwich?

[scottbee]

:eek:Can anyone give me advise as to a reliable transfer service from Heathrow Airport to Harwich Port. We are arriving on a late flight at 12:00pm day of our cruise and require a reliable transfer service to get us to our ship in Harwich by 3:30PM.

 

Can someone please advise a good airport transfer without costing us an arm and a leg.

 

If you can change your ticket to the previous day, you'll be a lot better off. There is absolutely no wriggle room in your schedule as you need to travel about 2.5 hrs from Heathrow (15 miles west of London) to Harwich (45 miles NE of London).

 

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=London+Heathrow+Airport&daddr=Harwich,+Essex,+UK&hl=en&geocode=&mra=ls&sll=49.263588,-123.138565&sspn=0.271542,0.727158&ie=UTF8&z=9

[tally10]

As agreed with the others, you are cutting it very close. Here is an extremely dependable car service that we have used for years and have them booked for our next 2 cruises: Woodford Chauffeur Cars. Their website is www.woodfordchauffeurcars.co.uk or cherylfinch4@aol.co.uk. You can email them for a quote. They are owned by Cheryl and Bryan Finch who are Cruise Critic members and cruisers themselves. Good luck!

[Twickenham]

Then I re-read your question, and realised that you probably meant 12:00 pm to be 12 midnight, in which case you do have plenty of time.

 

No, she means noon. The OP's other posts show that she's on Air Transat flight 544 arriving at LHR at 12 pm.

I cannot for the life of me understand why you would book this flight, especially when Air Transat has a flight arriving at LGW at 6 am that is currently listed at $200 less on their website. There is no real advantage to arriving at LHR, certainly not for a Harwich departure; indeed, a LGW arrival is probably just as easy a train trip, LGW-London Bridge then taxi to Liverpool Street station for the train to Harwich International.

If I were you, I'd be on the phone with Air Transat begging to be changed to the Gatwick flight.

[celle]

No, she means noon. The OP's other posts show that she's on Air Transat flight 544 arriving at LHR at 12 pm.

 

I cannot for the life of me understand why you would book this flight, especially when Air Transat has a flight arriving at LGW at 6 am that is currently listed at $200 less on their website. There is no real advantage to arriving at LHR, certainly not for a Harwich departure; indeed, a LGW arrival is probably just as easy a train trip, LGW-London Bridge then taxi to Liverpool Street station for the train to Harwich International.

 

If I were you, I'd be on the phone with Air Transat begging to be changed to the Gatwick flight.

 

I think it's high time the OP came back to clarify this! To say 12:00pm is extremely confusing - it could mean either midnight or noon. I read the post to mean midnight, because the OP said "late at 12:00 pm".

 

If she is arriving at 12 noon on the day of her cruise, there is no way she is going to get from LHR to Harwich in time to be on that ship!

 

It would probably take just as long to get from LGW to Harwich as it would take to get from LHR. Stansted is the closest international airport to Harwich, and the only one from which the OP stands any chance of making the transfer to Harwich in time.

 

I agree - the OP needsto change her flight, if she is truly arriving at noon!

[celle]

I think it's high time the OP came back to clarify this! To say 12:00pm is extremely confusing - it could mean either midnight or noon. I read the post to mean midnight, because the OP said "late at 12:00 pm".

 

If she is arriving at 12 noon on the day of her cruise, there is no way she is going to get from LHR to Harwich in time to be on that ship!

 

It would probably take just as long to get from LGW to Harwich as it would take to get from LHR. Stansted is the closest international airport to Harwich, and the only one from which the OP stands any chance of making the transfer to Harwich in time.

 

I agree - the OP needs to change her flight, if she is truly arriving at noon!

 

TS 544 is scheduled to arrive at 12:00 mid day (noon) on 22 August. I just searched on Google.

 

The OP has left herself very little time to re-schedule her flight and has almost no chance of making it to Harwich in time for her cruise.

 

While her booked flight has a pretty good record of arriving on time, her journey is going to be a nail-biter.

 

A note to US cruisers: While the UK may look small, it can take a long time to get from A to B, especially if going west to east (or vice versa). Do buy a map and look where places are, before committing to travel arrangements.

[Globaliser]

Then I re-read your question, and realised that you probably meant 12:00 pm to be 12 midnight, in which case you do have plenty of time.

By convention, 12 pm = 12 noon.

 

There are no passenger flights scheduled to arrive at Heathrow at 12 midnight.

 

Therefore, for this reason alone, the OP must mean 12 noon.

We are arriving on a late flight at 12:00pm day of our cruise and require a reliable transfer service to get us to our ship in Harwich by 3:30PM.

 

Can someone please advise a good airport transfer without costing us an arm and a leg.

To echo what others have said, you will be lucky to make it to Harwich by 3.30 pm on a Saturday afternoon if your flight is not scheduled to arrive at Heathrow until 12 noon. Never mind road transport that doesn't cost an arm and a leg. With that timescale, I'd be wondering about either a helicopter transfer; or just flying straight to the next port on the cruise.

 

In any case, if you are going to try to make it to the cruise at Harwich, please make sure that you have a backup plan. How are you going to get yourself to the next port if you miss the ship at Harwich? What's the actual sailing time? If the ship is sailing at 4, you have real problems. If the ship doesn't sail until 5, you can hope that if you arrive at the pier after 3.30 pm, they will still let you check in late.

 

This really is living life right on the very edge.

[celle]

By convention, 12 pm = 12 noon.

 

There are no passenger flights scheduled to arrive at Heathrow at 12 midnight.

 

Therefore, for this reason alone, the OP must mean 12 noon.To echo what others have said, you will be lucky to make it to Harwich by 3.30 pm on a Saturday afternoon if your flight is not scheduled to arrive at Heathrow until 12 noon.

 

I do agree with you, and my initial reaction was to assume the OP meant noon, but I simply could not believe than anyone would schedule a flight that cut it so fine! :D

 

I guess quite a few people get misled to believe that the UK is small and, therefore, that ports are quickly accessible from airports. After all, I have seen several cruise-line websites that state something like "Departure - London (Harwich)" or "Departure - London (Southampton)". And US visitors have never seen the congestion on the M25! :eek:

 

Hence my comment for US travellers, that they should buy a map and do some research before committing to flight arrangements.

[kalokincanadian1]

Thank you so much for all of your input. I do feel so foolish for making such a close flight, I was not thinking.

 

Now I am truly panicking. Our ship leaves at 5:00pm. We are travelling 1st class and have been assured that our luggage should be 1st off of the carousel. I can only hope that we can clear customs and have a private car waiting to take us to the ship. With a wing and some prayers maybe we will make it.

 

If not any advise as to taking the overnight ferry from Harwick to Amsterdam our 1st port. I know the ferry goes to The Hook but I have no idea how to get us from the ferry port to the cruise ship in Amsterdam.

 

Any advice would be helpfull.

 

Please don't be too hard on me I feel bad enough about this reservation.

You are right I am use to Caribbean cruising where the ship and airport are relatively close and it only takes 20 minutes to get luggage and be on our way.

Thank you for any info.

[kalokincanadian1]

Thank you Celle for your input

 

I am not a US traveller, hence kalokinCANADIAN and I am sure if you were to check thorougly 12:00pm always has been and will be 12 noon not midnight.

 

I am already stressed to the max over this and only requested some help, I don't require a lecture.

 

We are flying first class and have arranged for a private car to pick us up. If we miss the ship any advise on how to get to Amsterdam as quickly and economicly feasible.

 

Kate

[Twickenham]

Not trying to lecture, just get the point accross. We all make stupid mistakes - I once almost missed a flight because I read the arrival time to be the departure time!

Anyways, back to the situation at hand. A 5pm departure gives you a fighting chance. Have you confirmed with the cruise line what is the latest time you can board the ship? Your mention of 3:30 makes me think you're basing this on the requirement that all passengers embarking at a US port be checked-in 1 1/2 hour before sailaway. As this is a UK port, I don't believe this applies, but make sure you check with the cruise line.

In any case, I'm serious about checking to see if you can change to the Gatwick flight. The worst they can say is no, and even if you need to pay a change fee, it will probably be cheaper than travelling to Amsterdam last minute...

[celle]

Thank you Celle for your input

 

I am not a US traveller, hence kalokinCANADIAN and I am sure if you were to check thorougly 12:00pm always has been and will be 12 noon not midnight.

 

I am already stressed to the max over this and only requested some help, I don't require a lecture.

 

We are flying first class and have arranged for a private car to pick us up. If we miss the ship any advise on how to get to Amsterdam as quickly and economicly feasible.

 

Kate

 

Hi Kate,

 

I didn't mean to lecture you. I'm sorry if I upset you further. :o

 

What I said was intended to warn other travellers that getting from airport to cruise port is not quick, even if the distance does seem short.

 

Sorry, too, about confusing Canada with the US - we now live in New Zealand, and we have a similar problem when we travel - people often think we are Australian! I grew up in England and now have 2 adult children who are married and live in the UK, so we still visit the UK frequently.

 

Now, to your problem:

 

I've looked at one of the web sites for the Stena Lines ferry from Harwich to the Hook of Holland (search on Google for web sites for the ferry). There is a ferry departing from Harwich at 23:45 (11:45 pm) on the 22nd of August. It arrives at the Hook of Holland about 07:45 on 23rd August. At this time, there are still vacancies for 4 adults. I don't know if you can book on the day, or if you need to book in advance.

 

The quoted fare is £104.00 per person, plus £70.00 for one (shared) cabin for 4 persons and £8.00 per person for a light breakfast.

 

I understand that you can get a train from the Hook of Holland to Amsterdam Centraal Station (Dutch trains are good). The connecting train from the ferry arrives in Amsterdam about 10:00 am. The cruise terminal is not far from the station, but a taxi would probably be a good idea at this point.

 

Easyjet (http://www.easyjet.com/) has no flights from any London airport to Amsterdam after 12:45 pm on 22nd August.

 

There is an Easyjet flight from Stansted (the closest airport to Harwich) to Amsterdam, departing at 08:00 am and arriving at 10:05 am on Sunday, 23rd August. fares showing for this flight at the moment are £68.49 per person, plus a fee for checking one bag and another, smaller fee (I forget what for).

 

If your flight into Heathrow is delayed, and you are certain you will not make Harwich in time, Easyjet also fly out of Gatwick, which is closer to Heathrow than is Stansted. Again, no afternoon flight on 22nd of August, but there is one departing at 08:00 and arriving at 10:05 on 23rd August.

 

I think you need to book Easyjet in advance, and cannot just turn up at the airport.

Also, they are strict with their baggage allowance - one check-in bag (maximum weight 20 Kg) and one carry-on.

 

You'll need to consider overnight accommodation as well (for the night of 22nd August) if you have to fly to Amsterdam.

 

I also looked at Eurostar (London, St Pancras, to Amsterdam) but that was no good - one train (departs at 14:34 and arrives at 21:12) each day and appears to be already fully booked on both 22nd and 23rd August.

 

British Airways fly out of both Heathrow and Gatwick. At the moment, there are at least 4 seats on the flight departing Gatwick at 17:50 and arriving Amsterdam at 20:00 on 22nd August. The total fare for 4 is quoted as £427.00.

 

BA also has a flight departing Heathrow at 16:00 on 22nd August. arriving Amsterdam at 18:15. However, the price quoted is £427.00 per person!

 

There are other airlines flying London to Amsterdam, but you will need to do some research yourself on these.

 

I really do hope that you make your cruise in time, at Harwich. Flying 1st Class and having a car pre-booked to take you direct to Harwich will improve your chances.

 

Also in your favour is that you will be traveling on a Saturday, and will not be subject to rush hour holdups.

 

Good luck!

 

If you have time, do come back after your cruise, and let us know how you got on.

 

Celle

[scottbee]

Not trying to lecture, just get the point accross. We all make stupid mistakes - I once almost missed a flight because I read the arrival time to be the departure time!

 

Anyways, back to the situation at hand. A 5pm departure gives you a fighting chance. Have you confirmed with the cruise line what is the latest time you can board the ship? Your mention of 3:30 makes me think you're basing this on the requirement that all passengers embarking at a US port be checked-in 1 1/2 hour before sailaway. As this is a UK port, I don't believe this applies, but make sure you check with the cruise line.

 

In any case, I'm serious about checking to see if you can change to the Gatwick flight. The worst they can say is no, and even if you need to pay a change fee, it will probably be cheaper than travelling to Amsterdam last minute...

 

Call Air Transat; the worst they can say is no. The YYZ-LGW flight gets in at 6am, WAY more wriggle room, even if it Gatwick is marginally further away (but Train -> London Bridge Station; taxi -> London Liverpool Street Station; train -> Harwich is very very doable for quick transit).

 

 

As for Hook of Holland, it's due west of Rotterdam and South of Den Haag (the Hague). There's a train station at the Hoek ferry terminal. Train to Rotterdam, quick change and train to Amsterdam is under 2hrs (incl the change), it's only about 90km, and under 10 euro.

 

10:07 Hoek van Holland Haven to Rotterdam Centraal

10:14 Maassluis West

10:17 Maassluis

10:21 Vlaardingen West

10:24 Vlaardingen Centrum

10:27 Vlaardingen Oost

10:30 Schiedam Nieuwland

10:33 Schiedam Centrum

---

10:47 Schiedam Centrum to Amsterdam/Den Haag HS

10:55 Delft

11:03 Den Haag HS

11:06 Den Haag Laan v NOI

11:15 Leiden Centraal

11:28 Heemstede-Aerdenhout

11:36 Haarlem

11:46 Amsterdam Sloterdijk

11:52 Amsterdam Centraal

[insidecabin]

If you can't change the flight and can get off quick you may be OK.

 

We do a similar distance to Harwich round the M25 and can do it in 2hrs when the traffic is OK on a Sat or a Sun. we give ourselves 2.5hr but allways like to arrive before lunch.

 

You need to check if there is a fast track through imigration that is where the likely holdup will be(never seen one), even first off there may be a back log from previous aircraft, more time for the luggage

 

1hr to get to the car is tight, 2hr travel is tight, that leave 30mins contingency for a 3:30pm target at Harwich.

 

Make sure you have the phone numbers for the ship and port agents so you can keep them informed if your expected arival time at the port is looking like it will be a bit late for the 5:00pm departure.

 

Make sure you have done ALL the preboarding forms/check in details on-line so it is just a check the passports and issue the cruise cards.

 

 

NOTE: Gatwick flight, Shorter and quicker to Harwich by car than the Heathrow one.

[Globaliser]

We are travelling 1st class and have been assured that our luggage should be 1st off of the carousel.

When you are given the landing cards to clear immigration at Heathrow, you may be offered a Fast Track pass. This allows you access to the special immigration lane for premium cabin passengers. It can save you a little bit of time if the normal queue for non-European passengers is long. If you're not offered one, ask for one. However, Fast Track normally only operates during peak hours, so it may not be open - and even if it is open it may not save you much time if Terminal 2 is quiet, which it might well be at that time on a Saturday - particularly as T2 has already had many of its airlines decanted to other terminals (it's shortly to be closed and demolished).

 

The airlines flying from Heathrow to Amsterdam are bmi (from T1), British Airways (from T5) and KLM (from T4). If you know you are not going to make it from Heathrow to Harwich in time, your first step should be to try to fly from Heathrow if that can be done for a reasonable price - it's least hassle for you if you don't have to change airports as well as sort out the other stuff that you will need to sort out (like overnight accommodation).

 

Moreover, don't forget to look at the option of staying overnight near Heathow and flying the next morning. As London to Amsterdam is such a short flight, you would have no real risk doing this and then boarding in Amsterdam. And for minimum baggage worries, fly BA because baggage performance at T5 is really very good now.

I also looked at Eurostar (London, St Pancras, to Amsterdam) but that was no good - one train (departs at 14:34 and arrives at 21:12) each day and appears to be already fully booked on both 22nd and 23rd August.

There should be plenty of Eurostar connections via Brussels, most of them single-change. The overall journey time will be between 5 and 6 hours. There are some double-change trips via Lille Europe as well, which should be reasonably easy.

[kalokincanadian1]

Thank you for the information it has helped me a great deal.

At this point we have looked at booking LinkAirport.co.uk or Skyportcars.com to pick us up at the airport and take us to the ship.

 

Any views on either of these transfer services would be appreciated. It is very difficult picking a reliable service to get you to the port reliably.

 

Some other services charge a great deal more.

 

 

Looking forward to some more information

 

 

Thank you

[scottbee]

Thank you for the information it has helped me a great deal.

At this point we have looked at booking LinkAirport.co.uk or Skyportcars.com to pick us up at the airport and take us to the ship.

 

Any views on either of these transfer services would be appreciated. It is very difficult picking a reliable service to get you to the port reliably.

 

What did Air Transat say when you suggested the LGW flight instead?

[negc]

Our last two experiences arriving in Heathrow around 8pm have been horrendous with two plus hours required to get through immigration and to pick up our luggage. (on one occasion, our luggage had already been removed from the carousels and set aside by the time we reached the baggage area). Fortunately on both occasions we were arriving a number days in advance of the cruise. I don't know if you will run into a similar situation at mid-day, but if you do, your chances of making the ship are very slim indeed. Anything that you can do that will get you on an earlier flight would be helpful and well worth any added cost that you might incur. The cost will almost certainly be less than it will cost you to get yourself to Amsterdam if you miss the sailing. We always try to fly to London more than a day early as the stress of arriving there on the day of the cruise after a long and tiring flight is just too much to contemplate. We know some who have done so but we rarely saw them from the time of the muster drill until sometime on day two of the cruise. Good luck.

[celle]

Thank you for the information it has helped me a great deal.

At this point we have looked at booking LinkAirport.co.uk or Skyportcars.com to pick us up at the airport and take us to the ship.

 

Any views on either of these transfer services would be appreciated. It is very difficult picking a reliable service to get you to the port reliably.

 

Some other services charge a great deal more.

 

 

Looking forward to some more information

 

 

Thank you

 

Hi again, Kate,

 

You are running out of time!

 

You need to do 2 things, as quickly as you can:

1. Try to change your flight. If you can't do that, then immediately

2. Book your transfer by car from LHR to Harwich.

At this late stage, any car transfer service that thinks they have a chance of getting you and your party to Harwich will have to do. Cost should not now be a factor, because missing the sailing from Harwich will cost you far more than any car!

 

Please, get on with doing this and don't wait around for advice on car services.

[kalokincanadian1]

Air Transat refused saying that this is a change in routing, which it is not it is only a change in airport. I work in the travel industry as a cruise specialist not that I have anything to do with booking air GOOD THING and my boss is fuming that they would not alow this change. Change in routing would have been ex Toronto,Paris, London not simply Toronto-Heathrow, to Toronto Gatwick.

 

A couple of +'s are 1) flight usually arrives 45 minutes early.

2) we have booked a private car pick-up to get us to the ship and it is a Saturday

3) we are arriving terminal 2 in Heathrow which has been clearing out many of the carriers to ready for the renovations

4) I have gotten clearance to be able to arrive on the ship as late as 4:30pm

5) we also will be asking for a fast track through immigration.

 

Everyones suggestions has really help me pull this together and I will let everyone know how we make out.

 

 

Just pray there are no major delays leaving Toronto.

 

 

Good thing this is my trip and not a customers trip.

 

 

 

Thank you again

 

 

 

 

Kate

[Twickenham]

Air Transat refused saying that this is a change in routing, which it is not it is only a change in airport.

 

That really sucks. Makes me so not want to take Air Transat, which I was toying with as I'm thinking of taking a QM2 crossing next year, but me thinks I can work something out on another airline... And if I'm so inspired, I just might drop them a line to tell them as much... ;)

A couple of +'s are 1) flight usually arrives 45 minutes early.

2) we have booked a private car pick-up to get us to the ship and it is a Saturday

3) we are arriving terminal 2 in Heathrow which has been clearing out many of the carriers to ready for the renovations

4) I have gotten clearance to be able to arrive on the ship as late as 4:30pm

5) we also will be asking for a fast track through immigration.

 

This info, especially the bolded part, makes me optimistic you'll pull this off. I hope you do! Don't forget to report back!

[celle]

Air Transat refused saying that this is a change in routing, which it is not it is only a change in airport. I work in the travel industry as a cruise specialist not that I have anything to do with booking air GOOD THING and my boss is fuming that they would not alow this change. Change in routing would have been ex Toronto,Paris, London not simply Toronto-Heathrow, to Toronto Gatwick.

 

A couple of +'s are 1) flight usually arrives 45 minutes early.

2) we have booked a private car pick-up to get us to the ship and it is a Saturday

3) we are arriving terminal 2 in Heathrow which has been clearing out many of the carriers to ready for the renovations

4) I have gotten clearance to be able to arrive on the ship as late as 4:30pm

5) we also will be asking for a fast track through immigration.

 

Everyones suggestions has really help me pull this together and I will let everyone know how we make out.

 

 

Just pray there are no major delays leaving Toronto.

 

 

Good thing this is my trip and not a customers trip.

 

 

 

Thank you again

 

 

 

 

Kate

 

Good luck, Kate! :)

 

I hope it all works for you.

 

Celle

[Globaliser]

Air Transat refused saying that this is a change in routing, which it is not it is only a change in airport.

Not that this really matters now, but I think that it could well genuinely count as a voluntary reroute. I think it requires a ticket reissue because the TFC have to be recalculated - some are different for LHR and LGW. And sometimes some airlines' fares are valid for one airport and not the other, so in some cases it might have to be re-fared as well.

[celle]

 

Everyones suggestions has really help me pull this together and I will let everyone know how we make out.

 

Kate

 

Hi kate,

 

I think your cruise is over by now.

 

How did you get on?

 

Celle