Post-cruise plans Southampton-London-LHR; Solid?

We are disembarking the Caribbean Princess' British Isles cruise in Southampton on August 17th and returning to the US on August 19th. We plan on taking the train from Southampton to Reading then Reading to London Paddington (two tickets save 11 GBP over a through ticket). We've booked the Hilton London Paddington for the 17th and 18th. We purchased tickets on the Heathrow Express ($11.20 USD) for the morning of the 19th to catch our Delta flight back to the US. We will catch a cab from Southampton terminal to the train station. We plan on using the tube during our stay in London to catch the local sites. Does this sound doable?

It sounds like you have everything figured out. I like the connection at Reading so as to get you to Paddington - probably a lot easier than taking the tube from Waterloo.

Sounds like a plan. Enjoy!

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Looks good to me. How will you pay for travel in London?

Thats the way to do it! I think what Bob is intimating is do you know about Oyster cards for the tube? (Since you have done a good job of research on your route, I would imagine you are up to speed with Oyster cards).

Simon

Your hotel selection is in a good location; it's very close to the Paddington Rail exit. When we are in London, we stay in this area as it provides us with easy access to sites of interest and many excellent dining choices nearby. We were there in June and found it easier and much cheaper to use Uber than the Tube for any places beyond a reasonable walking distance. We used Uber to get to Kew as it was less costly and faster than the tube. Our return trip was on a river boat to Westminster Pier.

There are ample bank ATM's in the area.

After we arrived in London, we checked into our hotel near Queen's Garden and then headed to Kensington Palace for a pre-purchased tour. We enjoy walking around Hyde Park and exploring the ethnic flavors of the local neighborhoods. First night, we dined at an excellent Brazilian restaurant and the second night, at an Italian place near your hotel.

Darcy

Well-researched :)

Yes, even though it involves a change at Reading taking the train from Southampton to Paddington is easier than train to Waterloo then tube, and cheaper than train to Waterloo then taxi.

"Split-ticketing" demonstrates the nonsense of ticket pricing on the UK's rail network :rolleyes:

It can even work out on journeys which involve just the one train - there are several websites dedicated to helping you save money with split-ticketing, here's one

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/split-cheap-train-tickets/

(but don't bother trying it for trains between Southampton & Waterloo, no split-ticket options for that journey)

The Heathrow Express from Paddington station is certainly the quickest & easiest route to Heathrow from that part of central London.

But others considering this option need to buy tickets as far in advance as they can. Months out it's only about £5 then rises closer to the date & costs over £20 for a walk-up ticket on the day - and that's possibly a shade more expensive than a taxi for two.

Heathrow Connect is a local rail service which is about half the cost of full-price Heathrow Express tickets - it uses the same route as the Express but with one or two stops on the way so it takes five minutes longer. It uses regular carriages, with luggage it's not as easy as the Express.

JB :)

We were there in June and found it easier and much cheaper to use Uber than the Tube for any places beyond a reasonable walking distance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Darcy

That statement had me thinking. I understand the point about convenience, but as for cost, I can't see it being consistently true for anything than a small number of journeys using the cash single fare on the tube.

The Zone 1&2 daily cap is £6-60 for unlimited tube and bus rides, which won't cover many Uber fares. Depends on how many people as well, of course, but I am surprised at your assessment "much cheaper".

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If you have a contactless debit or credit card, you can use that on the tube for the same fare as an Oyster cashless card.

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Looks good to me. How will you pay for travel in London?

We had been considering the Oyster card, but our only firm plans thus far are the Buckingham Palace Rooms on Friday morning, then 42nd Street in the West End on Friday evening. I don't imagine we will venture much beyond Zones 1 & 2 during our time in London.

Heathrow Express tickets are already purchased at the discounted rate. :D

We had been considering the Oyster card, but our only firm plans thus far are the Buckingham Palace Rooms on Friday morning, then 42nd Street in the West End on Friday evening. I don't imagine we will venture much beyond Zones 1 & 2 during our time in London.

Which makes you a perfect candidate for an Oyster card, as you can refund any remaining money on the card before you leave for LHR at Paddington. I like to call an Oyster card the 'no thought necessary' option, as it always figures out the cheapest option for you.