Help an ignorant Yankee!

[mgg42]

Okay, so here's the deal. I'm flying from Boston to Heathrow to join some friends for a westbound transatlantic on QM2. And while I am not some (totally) ignorant yankee, when it comes to the UK, I am!

 

I have done a lot of travel in my life, but never to The UK. So here's my dilemma.

 

I fly from Boston to Heathrow, on an overnight flight, arriving at about 7:30 am on Thursday, September 30th. We sail out of Southampton (duh) the next day. I will not catch up with my friends until we board.

 

So the question is this: What does an ignorant Yankee do with a little over a day?

 

Tour London? If so, what are the must see and do's?

 

Head down to Southmapton? I know NOTHING about Southampton. Is there anything worthwhile there?

 

I figure I'm going to be a little tired, after all, it's only about a five hour flight. And since we leave Boston at 7pm, I'm not sure I'll sleep for much of it. So, while doing some sightseeing might be fun, I don't want to have too ambitious of an agenda.

 

I have no reservations about being on my own- I travel solo all the time. So, if it's the best idea, I'll stay in London, sightsee, grab a room and get a nice dinner.

 

Tell me what to do? Would you stay in London? How would you spend one day there if you had never been?

 

And then, how would you get to the ship? Train? If so, from where? Bus?

 

Thanks for helping this ignorant Yankee!:o

[cunarder]

Hi mgg42,

 

I hope you have a great trip.

 

Transportation - My wife and I have gone from London to Southampton twice. One time was by train and the other time by having a car firm drive us to Southampton. Each was a nice way to get to Southampton.

 

We have also spent time in both London and Southampton. We had 3 days to check things

out.

 

You can ride the buses around London and see alot for the short term there.

 

You can walk or ride a cab around Southampton and see alot of sights that contain statues and such about Titanic (including the Maritime Museum). You can also see the history behind Southampton numerous ways.

 

Either city is great to see. London more overall history, and Southampton has Titanic and

other nice places to see.

 

Hope you make a great choice.

 

Oh, by the way, the Yankees won the World Series last year so if you go Yankee style, you will have a great time (haha).

 

Have fun,

 

Ed

[Terrence Richards]

Hi mgg42,

 

You are not an ignorant Yankee! You are only a person who has never been to London and asking for some advice.

 

You will most likely receive the information you need here.

 

I can only offer you the following. Being that you have booked a crossing on the Queen Mary 2, Cunard offers some pre crossing packages that will book you in London at a hotel and provide transportation to Southampton. Of course, I doubt you will get a bargain by doing this, but will a least give you some comfort to know that everything is set for your arrival to London and then your journey to Southampton.

 

Good luck!

 

Terrence from the State of New York

[mokabear78]

Mgg42,

 

If I only had one day in the UK I would tour London on the Sightseeing tour bus (hop-on, hop-off) and then head to Souhampton early the next day to quickly check the city and then board the QM2.

 

You cannot come to the UK without quickly visiting its capital city!

 

From a Canadian living in the UK but moving to Houston next year... and we will be traveling on the QM2 with our 2 dogs :)

[Bigmike911]

Okay, so here's the deal. I'm flying from Boston to Heathrow to join some friends for a westbound transatlantic on QM2. And while I am not some (totally) ignorant yankee, when it comes to the UK, I am!

 

I have done a lot of travel in my life, but never to The UK. So here's my dilemma.

 

I fly from Boston to Heathrow, on an overnight flight, arriving at about 7:30 am on Thursday, September 30th. We sail out of Southampton (duh) the next day. I will not catch up with my friends until we board.

 

So the question is this: What does an ignorant Yankee do with a little over a day?

 

Tour London? If so, what are the must see and do's?

 

Head down to Southmapton? I know NOTHING about Southampton. Is there anything worthwhile there?

 

I figure I'm going to be a little tired, after all, it's only about a five hour flight. And since we leave Boston at 7pm, I'm not sure I'll sleep for much of it. So, while doing some sightseeing might be fun, I don't want to have too ambitious of an agenda.

 

I have no reservations about being on my own- I travel solo all the time. So, if it's the best idea, I'll stay in London, sightsee, grab a room and get a nice dinner.

 

Tell me what to do? Would you stay in London? How would you spend one day there if you had never been?

 

And then, how would you get to the ship? Train? If so, from where? Bus?

 

Thanks for helping this ignorant Yankee!:o

Yank, by all means spend your first day in London. From Heathrow, take the Heathrow Express to Paddington Station and then taxi to your hotel. You can also take the Piccadilly Tube line in, Cheaper and slower. If you have a lot of baggage, a black taxi would be best, also the most expensive.

 

Speaking of money, There are ATMs in the arrivals halls at Heathrow to get GB Pounds. I would get a couple hundred to get around, you can sell the left overs back to the Purser on board the QM2.

 

As to where to stay in London, There are many options, depending on your means. Perhaps you could tell us what you would like to pay and the folks here can give you some suggestions.

 

The Hop on/Hop off bus tour ( catch it at the Green Park Tube Station ) is an excellent way to get a fast tour of London, and you can hop off when you get to a place you would like to visit. You might want to get a one day zone 1-2 fare card for the London Underground (tube) It will allow you to use the tube for the day and the surface buses as well.

 

There are many wonderful things to see in London. With one day, I would suggest Buckingham Palace and St. James Park, The Tower of London, St. Pauls Cathedral, The Palace of Westminster (Parliment) and Westminster Abbey across the way. Any of these could take a day, but you might just want to sample one or two.

 

Getting to Southampton is a breeze. Go to Waterloo Station and grab a train to Southampton Central There are usually about 4 per hour. It takes about 1hour 20 minutes to get to Southampton Central, and take a taxi to the Ship. Your documents from Cunard will tell you which dock is being used that day, and the Taxi drivers all know where the ships are. The only warning I would have here is that Southampton Central is not usually the final train destination so make sure that your on a train calling at Southampton Central.

 

Enjoy your day in London, and your crossing back to NYC.

Cheers Mike

[leagle]

With no disrespect to Southampton, if I hadn't been to London before, I certainly would spend as much time in London as I could. In fact I think I would try to fly in a couple of days earlier to be able to get a real taste of a city that has been around for over 2,000 years. However, in a day you should be able to get a taste.

Staying on a hop on hop off bus around the whole route (it includes a river trip as well) is a good idea and should give you an over view of the main tourist sights. After that, it is a question of following your own interests.

Running a search on the Trip Advisor London Forum might turn up some interesting ideas.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g186338-i17-London_England.html

The TA Forum is a good place to explore the options for getting from Heathrow to London as well.

The trains to Southampton run frequently on weekdays and, usually, on weekends and I am assured that the taxis are abundant at the Southampton Central Station. The trains leave from Waterloo Station, which is on several London Underground lines as well as accessible by the easily caught black taxis, which are a "London" experience in their own right.

This is the travel planner for the UK trains:

http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/en/s/planjourney/query

A train leaving at 10.35 gets you to Southhampton at 11.49 am. I am told the dock is about 15 minutes away by taxi. The planner lets you look for times to arrive at your destination as well as times to leave.

You would have time for a full English Breakfast before you caught the train to Southampton.

I asked a question a few days ago about getting to the dock at Southhampton and you might find the answers useful.

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1129069

Unless you have tons of luggage or you depart on a weekend when they are doing maintenance, the coach down sounds like an expensive and not very comfortable option.

[Aubreysshipmate]

Yank we are only too glad to help. I agree with those who state that seeing London for the day is the best course. Here are my suggestions for London, quick-and-dirty in a day. London has some amazing museums but seeing just one of the good ones will eat your day and then some, stick to the sights. :eek:

 

Stay for a night in a central London hotel and take in some of the major sites. If you start with the Westminster area you can see the abbey and Parliment/Big Ben in the same area. Wander the short distance across the Westminster bridge to the London Eye wheel which provides a unique view of London. I was dubious about the thing but my nephew dragged me on it this past June and I really enjoyed it. :cool: From there you wander back across the Westminster bridge to the Thames river cruise dock and enjoy seeing London from the river down to Tower Bridge. The Tower of London is right there should you wish to step inside and look around.

 

Here is a good spot to rest on the HoHo bus at the stop near the tower which will take you to St Paul's, Trafalgar Square and Buckingham Palace.

 

This would be a complete day hitting several major attractions/sights and you'd sleep like baby overnight. :D

 

In the morning a quick taxi ride to Waterloo (take ONLY the black London cabs) for the fast train to Southampton. :)

 

Enjoy QM2 the westbound TA is great.

[hcrane]

Welcome to the board! -

 

I did the same thing myself last year but having spent time in London in the past, I went directly to Southampton.

 

Had Smiths for Airports pick me up at Heathrow and take me to the White Star Inn in Southampton. Since my room was not ready I hopped on a catamaran ferry to the Isle of Wight just for the ride - came back and went to the Mariners Museum and then went to the Solent Sky Museum (airplanes).

 

Had a wonderful lunch and dinner at the White Star, then off for a good nights sleep. Great Breakfast (full English of course with fantastic blood pudding) then got a cab for the short ride to QM2.

 

The flight to London from Boston is an absolute killer - last year, flew Boston - Chicago - London - just to get a good sleep on the plane.

 

Years ago, had to do a business trip to London - made the mistake of doing the sights after getting there -took me days to recover. In subsequent trips, I would check into the hotel, set the alarm for 5pm and nap - have dinner then go back to bed later in the evening - next day, no jet lag.

 

If you can spend a few days in London, you should most certainly do it but don't get yourself all tired out in London and get on QM2 all wiped out!

 

Of course, you have those wonderful 25 hour days on the westbound crossing to catch up on you sleep.

 

Have a voyage!

 

Crane

[rafinmd]

Hcrane, you captured my thoughts exactly. The only thing I might change is to suggest you try to get a hotel booking you'll be able to occupy as soon as you get to Southampton. If you have to give up a couple of stars on the hotel to pay for an extra night, I'd do it because the overnight flight is pretty gruesome. I'm betting you'll want to go back to the UK again and see London right.

[mgg42]

Wow! Thanks for all the great replies.

 

I was leaning towards spending the day in London, but I might be changning my mind. Here's my thoughts.

 

It's not that I don't travel. It's one of my absolute favorite things to do. But happenstance just means I haven't made it to The UK yet. I certainly want to, and while coming in a few days early would be great, work commitments simply won't permit.

 

So, I'm thinking that no matter what I do, I'm certainly going to want to get back to London. But, outside of another cruise, I am probably less likely to get back to Southampton.

 

Couple that with the serious concern of trying to be ambitious and touring after the overnight flight. I mean, the thought of it makes me feel tired! And maybe I could lay low and just see a few things. But that might feel like even more of an injustice.

 

So maybe hcrane is on the right track. Southampton seems like a really appealing option. Arrive in London, make my way down there, check in and get settled/ washed up. See a few sites, have a nice dinner, and then a good nights sleep. Wake up, and I'm already where I need to go!

 

Fortunately, I've got a lot of time to go back and forth on this, and I'm all for hearing more peoples opinions!

 

Thanks again and keep the great suggestions coming!:)

 

EDIT: Of course, I'm not certain about this strategy, so keep giving me your input!!!

[KingoftheQueens]

Wow! Thanks for all the great replies.

 

I was leaning towards spending the day in London, but I might be changning my mind. Here's my thoughts.

 

It's not that I don't travel. It's one of my absolute favorite things to do. But happenstance just means I haven't made it to The UK yet. I certainly want to, and while coming in a few days early would be great, work commitments simply won't permit.

 

So, I'm thinking that no matter what I do, I'm certainly going to want to get back to London. But, outside of another cruise, I am probably less likely to get back to Southampton.

 

Couple that with the serious concern of trying to be ambitious and touring after the overnight flight. I mean, the thought of it makes me feel tired! And maybe I could lay low and just see a few things. But that might feel like even more of an injustice.

 

So maybe hcrane is on the right track. Southampton seems like a really appealing option. Arrive in London, make my way down there, check in and get settled/ washed up. See a few sites, have a nice dinner, and then a good nights sleep. Wake up, and I'm already where I need to go!

 

Fortunately, I've got a lot of time to go back and forth on this, and I'm all for hearing more peoples opinions!

 

Thanks again and keep the great suggestions coming!:)

 

EDIT: Of course, I'm not certain about this strategy, so keep giving me your input!!!

 

I would humbly suggest you are making a good choice there, old bean.

 

Whilst London is our capital city and I, for one, am very proud of what we have and would be delighted to show you round, one short post red-eye day would be a total waste of time. You would be much better off giving London a couple of full days, PLUS rest time!

 

So, Southampton. Well, It's also some 2,000 years old...

 

Here's a single page potted history, if you are interested!

 

http://www.localhistories.org/southampton.html

 

What to do? Depends what you like to do!

 

Southampton being our "seafaring" port I would suggest:

 

http://www.visit-southampton.co.uk/

(for general info page about the town)

 

http://www.southampton.gov.uk/s-leisure/artsheritage/museums-galleries/maritimemuseum.aspx

(maritime museum, with Titanic exhibit)

 

http://www.spitfireonline.co.uk/

(aviation museum)

 

I've suggested the aviation museum 'cos that's what I'm into, and the maritime museum 'cos it's there, really! I have not visited either attraction myself so cannot vouch for them! I'm really just trying to give you some food for thought! There are plenty of other things to see and do!

 

Enjoy your trip to the UK, and, of course, your TA!

 

Pip-Pip!

[cclarke12]

Use this link for a cheap ticket to Southampton. We travelled from London to Southampton Central for £1 each, compared with the normal fare of about £30+ each. You do need to book in advance (about 8 weeks I think) and I think it is only one train per hour on this service. It is the same train company that do normal trains to Southampton, but they sell some cheap seats on one train per hour. Again, the train goes from Waterloo.

http://www.megatrain.com/uk/index.php

[2irisheyes]

Flight time is closer to 7 hours. If staying in London don't plan to do too much or it will end up a blur. The London Eye, river cruise and top deck of buses give good views. If you decide to go direct to Southampton, you can take a National Express bus. The journey takes about two hours. They will load and unload your luggage for you. (www.nationalexpress.co.uk) I think. Have a great trip.

[Cruachan]

Enjoy your trip to the UK, and, of course, your TA!

 

Very sound advice there from KofQ.

 

For my own part, I have little to add regarding what to see or what to do but, given the limited time available between your flight arriving and the ship sailing, all my instincts tell me that the best plan is to get to Soton as early as possible after arrival in the UK to avoid potential transport related nightmares.

 

Once you've reached Soton and rested up for a while, there are enough attractions to keep you occupied until departure, and you will have the added security of knowing that you are only a short cab ride from the ship.

 

J

[Terrence Richards]

Wow! Thanks for all the great replies.

 

See, I knew that you would get great advice from this Cunard Board.

 

Now with all the intelligent advice you received from some of the Brits on this Board, you are no longer an ignorant Yankee, but a very wise American.

 

Enjoy your time in London and on the Queen Mary 2.

 

Terrence

 

P.S. HI CRANE !

[ILUVMTL]

I recently had one day in Southampton before boarding the Queen Victoria. I spent the better part of the day going by slow ferry (1 hr.) to East Cowes on the Isle of Wight where I toured Osborne House, Queen Victoria's private residence. Osborne House was fascinating and the tour was excellent. Then I took the ferry back to Soton. (There is also a fast ferry alternative - 20 min, I think). If this interests you, Google Osborne House and find the details relevant to a visit. I found it a good choice for how to spend my one day before boarding!