London Hotel Choices

[handfordr]

I think we will take your advice and use public transportation. What type of money do I need or do I buy a pass?.

You undountedly will have to purchase a pass' date=' (its very expensive to pay cash each time for individual tickets) either Oyster or Travelcard. Which is best for you depends ...

Oyster v Travelcard - Purchasing The Right Pass

 

This also expands my search for a hotel. Do you have any that you can recommend?

I would love to see The Mousetrap; where do I get tickets? Thanks for all the help.

The right hotel for you personally really depends on what you want out of a hotel. Personally I never make use of room service, hotel restaurants, health clubs or the fancy toiletries you get at a 4 star, so a no frills and cheaper hotel is about right for me (something like an Express Holiday Inn in the US)

Some people like a big chain hotel, others something more intimate or a B&B where you get more personal attention.

Price is also crucial - you can get cheap accommodation in London in simple places, but there may well be no lifts, air conditioning or even ensuite bathrooms.

If you expand on what you want I'll be glad to put forward some hotels you can benchmark against.

 

Because of the excellent public transport where location isn't a big factor, bidding on Priceline can be very good value in London.

 

You can also get good value theatre/hotel packages - try Superbreak and HolidayExtras (both UK sites) for quotes.

Cheapest place to purchase theatre tickets is direct from the theatre, but you normally have to physically visit that theatre. There are plenty of sites which will sell you individual tickets with an agency fee added on top.

The Mousetrap normally has seats available, so you could check out the last minute discounters in Leicester Square on the day before getting tickets from the theatre, but you off course run the small risk of the theatre being full the night you require it.

[tillys mom]

I finally decided on a hotel today. I booked 2 nights at the Hilton Hyde Park because Hilton is running a Jan. sale. Weekends are 1/2 price and breakfast is included. I thought the 72GBP price was very good compaired to what I was seeing for other hotels. I know nothing about location, but it is close to 2 tube stations so I should be OK. What do you think?

[handfordr]

I finally decided on a hotel today. I booked 2 nights at the Hilton Hyde Park because Hilton is running a Jan. sale. Weekends are 1/2 price and breakfast is included. I thought the 72GBP price was very good compaired to what I was seeing for other hotels. I know nothing about location' date=' but it is close to 2 tube stations so I should be OK. What do you think?[/quote']

 

You've got a great deal there ...

The Hilton Hyde Park is next door to Queensway Underground and about 50 yards from Bayswater. The hotel overlooks Kensington Gardens and Queensway, the road on which it is on the corner off is a great place for restaurants in the evening.

Have a look at this page which includes a hotel map with Hilton Hyde Park marked (number 1 on the map)

Bayswater, What To Expect

 

As you are going at the weekend, be sure to walk over to Portobello Market on Saturday morning as early as possible, its only a 10 minute walk.

You're in Princess Diana country. Kensington Palace where she lived is in Kensington Gardens opposite you and the Princess Diana Playground is on the other side of the road from your hotel. If you walk about 400 yards down Bayswater Road towards Notting Hill you will come across the Dianna Cafe, go inside if you're half interested in Diana for a coffee and you'll find it well worth your while.

 

The Big Bus hop on hop off bus picks up about 50 yards from your hotel, don't use the Original London Tour - for your hotel the Big Bus has much higher frequencies.

 

On Sunday, the railings of the park opposite your hotel is full of paintings as far down as Lancsater Gate. Another 10 minutes walk along Hyde Park you come to Speakers Corner, where anyone can say anything they want without fear of arrest. If you're American, a lot of speakers are Arab / religeous and US is a target of their outpourings, if you're brave can you banter with them.

 

Have a great time

[tillys mom]

Is the London tool kit a good company to book this transfer with? I know you are familiar with the different companies and I have to depend on your advice. Are there other companies that I should also look at? Thanks for all your help.

[tillys mom]

Thanks, that's what I needed to know. The company that has given me the best price is FCMBS. If they are OK, I will go with them.

All the information about the Hyde Park area is really appreciated. We have too little time in London, so have to plan carefully. You said there are some good places to eat in the area. I would like something good, not fancy. Any suggestions?

Thanks again.

[WendyG]

TD,

 

Can you pleae let me know how you worked out your return flight? I am going in June, decided on flying Friday night (via BA or Virgin) out of MIA and getting to Heathrow Sat am (day of cruise)

The return flight concerend me (the 10:35 and even the 1:30) so I elected to stay one night POST cruise - see London Saturday, fly home Sunday, and back to work Monday!

 

Normally I would prefer to fly in a day ealry (get my bearings) and fly home immediately after the cruise but was worried about the return flight even at 1:30 - when disembarking in Ft. Laud or Miami it's easy as the ports are close to the airports but over there the 2hr rides to Heathrow are a bit stressful! I'd love to hear how you easily made it for your 1:30 flight! :)

[TMLAalum]

TD,

 

Can you pleae let me know how you worked out your return flight? I am going in June, decided on flying Friday night (via BA or Virgin) out of MIA and getting to Heathrow Sat am (day of cruise)

The return flight concerend me (the 10:35 and even the 1:30) so I elected to stay one night POST cruise - see London Saturday, fly home Sunday, and back to work Monday!

 

Normally I would prefer to fly in a day ealry (get my bearings) and fly home immediately after the cruise but was worried about the return flight even at 1:30 - when disembarking in Ft. Laud or Miami it's easy as the ports are close to the airports but over there the 2hr rides to Heathrow are a bit stressful! I'd love to hear how you easily made it for your 1:30 flight! :)

 

Wendy, please rethink your flying out Friday! IMHO that is way too risky with all the possible events that could delay your flight and cause you to miss your cruise. For example, our airport here in Cleveland was shut down yesterday due to a power outage and about 20 cruisers headed to San Juan missed the ship and will have to catch up at the next port.

 

As for flying home, we have a 2:05 flight out of Heathrow with a private transfer arranged from Southampton with a 9:00 am pickup, and I think your 1:30 flight should be okay provided you get to Heathrow around 11.

[Twickenham]

TD,

 

Can you pleae let me know how you worked out your return flight? I am going in June, decided on flying Friday night (via BA or Virgin) out of MIA and getting to Heathrow Sat am (day of cruise)

The return flight concerend me (the 10:35 and even the 1:30) so I elected to stay one night POST cruise - see London Saturday, fly home Sunday, and back to work Monday!

 

Normally I would prefer to fly in a day ealry (get my bearings) and fly home immediately after the cruise but was worried about the return flight even at 1:30 - when disembarking in Ft. Laud or Miami it's easy as the ports are close to the airports but over there the 2hr rides to Heathrow are a bit stressful! I'd love to hear how you easily made it for your 1:30 flight! :)

 

What port are you sailing from?

Would tend to agree with the flying in a day early, you really need that first day to sleep off the jetlag (well, I do at least!)

[Bennett'sCruise]

Just a note .... we found the B+B Belgravia http://www.bb-belgravia.com/ to be a wonderful little B&B centrally located between the Victoria Rail and Victoria Coach stations ... easily doable with luggage in tow. We stayed there in 08 prior to our Baltics cruise and will stay there again next Fall prior to another cruise out of Dover.

One question I have, tho ... last time we took a train with NO changes from Victoria Stn to Dover Priory. I'm not finding that option this time around. For those of you who know the rail systems ... is this not possible any longer? :o

Thanks for your help!

~dianne

[Twickenham]

One question I have' date=' tho ... last time we took a train with NO changes from Victoria Stn to Dover Priory. I'm not finding that option this time around. For those of you who know the rail systems ... is this not possible any longer?[/font']

 

I'm seeing direct trains from Victoria to Dover; when are you looking?

[Bennett'sCruise]

I'm seeing direct trains from Victoria to Dover; when are you looking?

 

Sunday, September 19, 2010. Maybe the Sunday makes a difference?

[handfordr]

Sunday' date=' September 19, 2010. Maybe the Sunday makes a difference?[/quote']

 

Trains are only confirmed 3 months ahead

[Twickenham]

Sunday' date=' September 19, 2010. Maybe the Sunday makes a difference?[/quote']

 

It apparently does. I picked a random Sunday this month, and they're saying to take the Underground to St. Pancras.

[handfordr]

Dover - London Train Timetable (Until May)

[Bennett'sCruise]

Dover - London Train Timetable (Until May)

 

Thanks, handfordr!

Okay, so I see on Page 24 there seems to be a direct train (no changes) on Sundays (at least thru May) at 8:05 am, 9:05 am, 10:05 am, etc.

Am I reading that correctly?

Thanks!

~dianne

[phabric]

We will be staying at the Thistle Westminster (Victoria area) for 5 days before our cruise out of Dover. I was thinking on taking the National Express Coach 9:30am and arriving about 11:50am in Dover. Right now the one way ticket price for the coach is about 14 GBP, hoping to get a funfare price closer to the date, and the train cheapest is 28 GBP Since we are close to both the Coach and Railway, is one better than the other.

[WendyG]

I figured with my first two days being at "sea" I'll be able to catch up on sleep if I don't sleep on the plane. I really don't want to fly in a day early, I need to do payroll transfers on that Friday I leave!

Thanks for the info on the return flight, I'll book the 1:30 and hire a private car! We're sailing out of Southampton, sounds like I'll be fine with the early afternoon flight.

Power outage? WOW -that would totally suck! Hopefully Miami will keep theirs!

Thanks everyone!

[handfordr]

[quote name='phabric'] Since we are close to both the Coach and Railway, is one better than the other.[/quote]

The Thistle Westminster is about 100 yards from the rail station and about 800 yards from the coach station at Victoria.

The coaches formal luggage allowance is two cases each, neither of which should be heavier than 20kg (44lbs) which may well be lower than your flight allowance. However they don't weight the luggage or anything and most drivers are quite flexible and turn a blind eye.

The railway is only limited by the amount of luggage you can physically carry on board with you.

There is always taxi's at the rail station at Dover for the cruise terminal. There is usually no taxi around at the bus stop in the town, so on the bus I'd get off at the ferry terminal where there is a taxi rank.

[LAH718]

A week ago I corresponded with the staff at Luna Simone and they were extremely prompt with several replies and helpful as well. However, we were not able to book this hotel because there is no lift. Every e-mail response from the staff at Luna Simone was received in less than 24 hours.

We received a quick response that there were ground room floors available. When we requested a reservation, the staff alertly sent an e-mail to let us know accessing the breakfast room would require climbing a 14-step flight of stairs, and asked if we still wanted to make a reservation.

The reservation information also stated there would be a pp penalty for canceling the reservation at any time after making the reservation. So, we chose not to take the chance that DH would not be up to climbing the stairs by October.

Good luck with your hotel selection.

Linda

[tdtanc]

Wendy, I too would like to discourage you from flying in on friday before the cruise. It is risky. You need a day to rest up. You will be stressed. Get someone else to do the payroll. Sounds like we are on the same cruise. Celebrity eclipse, 26th out of southampton. We have not booked airfare yet but looking at the same dates as you returning. Will most likely book the 130 back to Miami on BA. Other wise VA for the following AM. We have reservations at the Luna Simone. Read really good reviews for it. We don't mind climbing stairs.

TD

[TMLAalum]

Has anyone checked out MIA (or other US departure airport) to SOU flights? Air France flies into Southampton and might be a possibility for those who can't take depart with a day to spare.

I did a spot check via one of the travel search engines. Sadly, the only itinerary for 25 June that came up was on AirFrance routed thru Haiti.

[paws10]

Wendy,

I would highly suggest you fly in at least a day early. Let me tell you that endless possibilites can happen that may delay your arrival. I flew from SFO to Montreal in October for a cruise. Here's what happened to me:

1. Air Canada didn't tell me they changed my flight from a non stop to one that stopped in Quebec.

2. The Oakland/SF Bay Bridge closed indefinitely causing horrific problems on how to get to SFO. Fortunately, BART extended their hours of operation and I ended up taking BART, but had to deal with my luggage myself. Ended up pulling muscle in shoulder/back.

I had planned to fly in a day early and was so happy I did!

I have also flown on British Airways from SFO/LHR to catch a cruise in Barcelona. BA went on strike after we arrived! Many people had a difficult time crossing the pond and getting to the ship.

What I'm trying to say is that you can never foresee any problems. You should also consider any weather delays as well as mechanical problems with the aircraft which may cause you to miss your flight/connection.

Someone else can do your work. Who's doing it while you're gone?

[Globaliser]

[quote name='TMLAalum']Has anyone checked out MIA (or other US departure airport) to SOU flights? Air France flies into Southampton and might be a possibility for those who can't take depart with a day to spare.[/QUOTE]That, unfortunately, isn't a solution.

AF flies to Southampton from Orly, ie useless for connections from trans-Atlantic flights.

BE (flybe) flies to Southampton from CDG, but only at odd times of the day.

There's much less risk, anyway, flying to Heathrow and doing the last bit by road. It's fast, flexible and frequent. Trying to connect in Paris and fly on to Southampton just adds to the risk rather than subtract from it, given the paucity of flights.

[Giantfan13]

[quote name='WendyG']I figured with my first two days being at "sea" I'll be able to catch up on sleep if I don't sleep on the plane. I really don't want to fly in a day early, I need to do payroll transfers on that Friday I leave!

Thanks for the info on the return flight, I'll book the 1:30 and hire a private car! We're sailing out of Southampton, sounds like I'll be fine with the early afternoon flight.

Power outage? WOW -that would totally suck! Hopefully Miami will keep theirs!

Thanks everyone![/QUOTE]

Wendy

If you like worrying, then do it your way. Most everyone here has suggested you fly in a day early, and believe me, or any one else, THAT IS THE WAY TO GO. I don't know if you are an experienced cruiser or not, but if ANYTHING happens and you do miss your ships departure, as you said, the first two days are at sea, so you will not be able to join up with that cruise until your first port of call. (at your expense)
there are just so many unforeseen things that can go wrong at airports these day, that can really put a dent in your plans. I'm from the NY area, and last week they had to close, yes CLOSE the entire Newark airport because some one had to sneak back in to give his girlfriend another goodbye kiss. They saw on camera that some one had entered a restricted area by not going thru normal procedures and WHAM, they closed the entire thing down to find this guy. EVERYONE missed their flights. the darn thing was closed almost 5 hours.
If you think some payroll is more important, do your thing, but you are going on a vacation, damn the payroll. Believe me, you will be as nervous as anyone until your plane really is in the air, and that is not the way to look forward to a vacation.
In this day and age, anything can derail the best laid plans, why take that chance.

Anyway, we are just looking out for your best interests.

Len

[scottbee]

[quote name='Globaliser']That, unfortunately, isn't a solution.

AF flies to Southampton from Orly, ie useless for connections from trans-Atlantic flights.

BE (flybe) flies to Southampton from CDG, but only at odd times of the day.

There's much less risk, anyway, flying to Heathrow and doing the last bit by road. It's fast, flexible and frequent. Trying to connect in Paris and fly on to Southampton just adds to the risk rather than subtract from it, given the paucity of flights.[/quote]

It might be more practical to route via AMS, FRA or DUB if you really did want to fly into SOU.

Other options that are exellent, primarily due to great rail connections; are LGW/London Gatwick (2hrs by train straight from the airport), and BHX/Birmingham (2¼hrs by train straight from the airport).