London Hotel Dilemna

[mev]

Need help with a small dilemna. We are arriving in London on 8/10/13 for 6 nights. My BIL is arriving on 8/13/2013 and using Princess' transfers and hotel. He is staying at the Grosevor Hotel and the coach will pick him up there. We too can stay there - but not through Princess- they only offer 3 nights. Yes, our prices will be cheaper for the room - but Princess will not allow us to board the bus at the hotel, we must board at Victoria Station.

 

So, with that, we thought maybe we could stay in a hotel with a "larger room/jr suite", comparably priced to the Grosvenor, but within easy distance to Victoria Station.

 

We've never been to London, so we want to experience as much as possible with our limited time.

 

Thanks for your time,

Mary

[Cotswold Eagle]

Need help with a small dilemna. We are arriving in London on 8/10/13 for 6 nights. My BIL is arriving on 8/13/2013 and using Princess' transfers and hotel. He is staying at the Grosevor Hotel and the coach will pick him up there. We too can stay there - but not through Princess- they only offer 3 nights. Yes, our prices will be cheaper for the room - but Princess will not allow us to board the bus at the hotel, we must board at Victoria Station.

 

So, with that, we thought maybe we could stay in a hotel with a "larger room/jr suite", comparably priced to the Grosvenor, but within easy distance to Victoria Station.

 

We've never been to London, so we want to experience as much as possible with our limited time.

 

Thanks for your time,

Mary

 

I don't quite follow, but the Grosvenor Hotel is attached to Victoria Station :)

[Cotswold Eagle]

Or do you perhaps mean the Grosvenor House? Either way, could you maybe book the three day stay through Princess with transfer, and add the preceding three days on direct with the hotel yourself?

[Twickenham]

From looking at the Princess website, it does appear that the hotel they offer is the Grosvenor House, a JW Marriott Hotel (to use its full name), which is an entirely different establishment than the Grosvenor Hotel - or, for that matter, the Marriott Grosvenor Square. Confused yet??:D;) In any case, it isn't particularly close to Victoria station, so you would have to take a taxi to catch the transfer bus, which seems to be a tad over-complicated for something that is supposed to be convenient.

 

Of course, if I were you, I'd have BIL cancel the hotel and transfers thru Princess, book privately (which you've already said will be cheaper), then all of you take a taxi to Waterloo and train to Southampton.

[Cotswold Eagle]

Oh, heck, this thread is going to get complicated :)

 

It's not that far from the Grosvenor House to Victoria - down Park Lane, round Hyde Park Corner, past the back of Buck House on (of course) Grosvenor Place and you're there.

 

So if you are not going to do that short taxi ride, you might as well look for a hotel within walking distance. And the nearest equivalent to the Grosvenor House in walking distance to Victoria Station will be the Grosvenor Hotel, although it is 'only' a 4*.

 

Or I guess the Goring (which is 5*) maybe would also fit the bill - I can't quite picture the walk from Beeston Place at the moment, but definitely the Grosvenor Hotel is most convenient - as I said before, it is physically attached to Victoria Station!

[Eboracum_d]

I'd bevinclined to pick up the phone to Princess and tell them to get their act together and pick you up with other from Grosvenor House.

 

But if they won't the journey will be easy by taxi.

[eandj]

That IS the trouble with booking ship hotels and transfers. No matter where. They are very inflexible and usually run close to twice the cost of booking a room and transportation privately. :rolleyes: Some cruisers enjoy the "service" provided and are happy to have someone else do the "work". I personally think it is a waste of money, time and personal schedules. I learn so much ahead of time by researching areas,points of interest and different local transportation options. I feel empowered!:D Well...that's me. And that's with help from the locals here and on tripadvisor.