Tranportatio options sent by hotel....

[LiseD]

Have a very nice contact at hotel that sent me these options for getting to their place and then getting to Southampton....is this accurate? Seems I am reading about a few different options on this site! Would you recommend any of these?

 

Transfers from Heathrow to Arosfa confirmed (with a driver) at £43.

 

Alternatively, you can take the Piccadilly Underground Line which will take you directly to the City Centre. A single fare from the Airport (zone 6) to the centre (zone 1) is approximately £6.50 pounds.

You can take the stop on Russell Square and from here walk the 9 minutes to the hotel or perhaps take a taxi. You can also take the stop at Leicester Square and then transfer to the Northern Underground Line which will take you two stops further to Goodge Street. From here the hotel is only a 3minute walk.

 

Transfers from Arosfa to Southampton Port:

Private car transfer (1 hr) not confirmed with company as trains showing up cheaper.

 

Eurolines (going from Victoria station) £91 - These are cheap seats for advanced booking. The price will increase substantially as time goes on. You will need to add extra to go from the Hotel to Victoria station by bus or Train. This would be an extra cost of £10 (by bus) or more if using the tube. £20 if taking a taxi. Journey time approximately 1 1/2 hours (1/2 hr to get from Hotel to station). Drop off at Port.

 

Rail no availability for advanced purchases over 2 months (leaving from Victoria Station) £32.00. Add extra expenses to transfer to Victoria Station as per the above. Group price (will change as time goes on) due to period of advance purchase restricted so these changes will be different closer to purchase time. Total travel time 2 hrs and 27 mins with changes.

Edited January 21, 2014 by LiseD

[southstaffs3]

Have a very nice contact at hotel that sent me these options for getting to their place and then getting to Southampton....is this accurate? Seems I am reading about a few different options on this site! Would you recommend any of these?

 

Transfers from Heathrow to Arosfa confirmed (with a driver) at £43.

 

Alternatively, you can take the Piccadilly Underground Line which will take you directly to the City Centre. A single fare from the Airport (zone 6) to the centre (zone 1) is approximately £6.50 pounds.

You can take the stop on Russell Square and from here walk the 9 minutes to the hotel or perhaps take a taxi. You can also take the stop at Leicester Square and then transfer to the Northern Underground Line which will take you two stops further to Goodge Street. From here the hotel is only a 3minute walk.

 

Transfers from Arosfa to Southampton Port:

Private car transfer (1 hr) not confirmed with company as trains showing up cheaper.

 

Eurolines (going from Victoria station) £91 - These are cheap seats for advanced booking. The price will increase substantially as time goes on. You will need to add extra to go from the Hotel to Victoria station by bus or Train. This would be an extra cost of £10 (by bus) or more if using the tube. £20 if taking a taxi. Journey time approximately 1 1/2 hours (1/2 hr to get from Hotel to station). Drop off at Port.

 

Rail no availability for advanced purchases over 2 months (leaving from Victoria Station) £32.00. Add extra expenses to transfer to Victoria Station as per the above. Group price (will change as time goes on) due to period of advance purchase restricted so these changes will be different closer to purchase time. Total travel time 2 hrs and 27 mins with changes.

go with the driver london is a nightmare at the best of times :)

[John Bull]

Heathrow to hotel

 

Private transfer at £43.

Presumably for the car & not per person, but worth double-checking.

A fair price. You could probably shave a little off that by hunting, but with the hotel behind that booking I'd be very inclined to accept it. Journey time a very variable 40 minutes.

Or by tube at £6.50 pp.

Obviously the cheapest option & not as difficult with luggage as many tube journeys. Trains every 5 or 10 minutes depending on your terminal, journey time around 35 minutes, no changes if you alight at Russell Square. You board at the start of the route so no difficulty getting seats & setting your luggage around you. Trains do fill later in the journey.

Main krunch is that with luggage I don't know how easy from train to street at Russell Square, perhaps a Londoner can advise. Yes, a nine minute level walk to your hotel.

Goodge Street may be a shorter walk - but changing tube lines at Leicester Square, with luggage ? I certainly wouldn't choose that option.

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/standard-tube-map.pdf

 

There are a number of other ways to travel Heathrow to central London. IMHO none of them suit.

So choose between private transfer & tube.

 

 

 

Hotel to Southampton.

 

By bus

"Eurolines (going from Victoria station) £91" etc etc.:confused:

The whole piece makes no sense at all.

A major typo?

Or that's the fare to Barcelona, and the journey time to Tilbuy dock. :D

 

Eurolines operate international routes, coaches from Victoria coach station to Southampton are run by

http://www.nationalexpress.com/home.aspx

and the fare is typically £16 which does not vary - other than that there often silly-cheap "fun-fares".

No direct tube from near your hotel to Victoria - with luggage take a cab. A "private hire" cab called by your hotel may be cheaper than hailing a black cab in the street.

Your destination is Southampton coach station - don't click on cruise ship terminal, it only applies to Fred Olsen cruises & will lead you up a blind alley. Journey time about 2.5 hours.

Taxi rank at Southampton coach station, fare £5 to £8 to any cruise terminal.

 

Or by train.

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

Your destination is Southampton Central, taxis from the rank there about £5 to £8 for any cruise terminal.

Most Southampton trains run from London Waterloo & are direct. Two or three per hour, journey time around 90 minutes. Direct trains from Victoria are only hourly, more importantly they take a different route - journey time 2.5 hours or longer.

(A further option of train from Victoria to Clapham Junction & change there to a train which started from Waterloo is irrelevant to you & I wouldn't advise it to anyone with luggage even if their hotel were right next-door to Victoria station.)

Fares from Victoria vary according to time of day, generally cheaper than from Waterloo which is around £36 per person.

 

But you can pre-purchase Waterloo to Southampton tickets from

http://uk.megabus.com/megatrain.aspx

for as little as £4, depending on time of day.

Must be pre-booked, and you must select a train time (un-amendable) from a very limited choice. But you'll find a time to suit, and they're the same trains as those paying full-price. A bargain. Even if your circumstances change between buying & travelling, or you miss the booked train, and you can't use the tickets it's not a lot of money to waste compared to the saving.

There are direct tube trains to Waterloo from Goodge Street, again I don't know how easy with luggage but you can check it out while you're in London. Waterloo is a little closer to your hotel than Victoria, so by cab it's a little cheaper

 

Train or National Express coach?

Depends on you - both are used by lots of cruisers.

 

JB :)

Edited January 21, 2014 by John Bull

[LiseD]

Such great info!! Looks like Megabus will only let you book a few months out?

 

Some great options and all seem doable but with luggage I think we would go for a taxi to station? Seems worth the extra to not have to fight with luggage ....even an 8 min walk with luggage can be long!!

[Twickenham]

Such great info!! Looks like Megabus will only let you book a few months out?

 

In general you can only book trains 2-3 months out - so not necessarily specific to Megabus/train.

 

Some great options and all seem doable but with luggage I think we would go for a taxi to station? Seems worth the extra to not have to fight with luggage ....even an 8 min walk with luggage can be long!!

 

Well, the key is to only bring as much luggage as you can comfortably handle yourself - rolling bags and backpacks are your friends here. I actually think the tube/taxi combination is a good one for you - keeps costs down but gives you a bit of a "I'm in London pinch me!" experience.:) I would probably stop at Leicester Square or Holborn if doing this, as there is more likelihood of finding a taxi at those stations.

[John Bull]

Such great info!! Looks like Megabus will only let you book a few months out?

 

Some great options and all seem doable but with luggage I think we would go for a taxi to station? Seems worth the extra to not have to fight with luggage ....even an 8 min walk with luggage can be long!!

 

Yep. For an idea of times & prices choose a date closer in.

 

BTW the website is combined Megabus & Megatrain.

But they don't operate a bus route to Southampton, so no risk of accidentally booking bus instead of train.:p

It's run by a consortium which actually includes the train operator, South-west Trains. Their way of encouraging folk to travel at off-peak times & in off-peak directions. So for instance there are no morning Megatrain tickets in the Southampton to London direction because they know folk HAVE to travel then for business meetings etc. in London.

 

Me? I'd take the tube from hotel to Waterloo.:)

But I'm a cheapskate :D

 

JB :)

[LiseD]

I have already told the family that each person MUST carry own bags....on cruises we usually each have a bag plus one garment/hanging type bag for the formal stuff....but this trip we are skipping the 5th bag!! It is not only having to carry the bag BUT the space in small hotel rooms! Ship is no problem...great storage under the bed for bags but know the rooms in London and Southampton will be small!!

[sddsddean]

Such great info!! Looks like Megabus will only let you book a few months out?

 

Some great options and all seem doable but with luggage I think we would go for a taxi to station? Seems worth the extra to not have to fight with luggage ....even an 8 min walk with luggage can be long!!

 

If I remember correctly, you can book Megatrain 44 days out.

 

Which terminal are you cruising from? If you are on RCI, Celeb or NCL, you are probably going from the City Cruise terminal which is a 10 minute walk on the level from Southampton Central station...all other terminals need a cab.

 

Simon

[Post Captain]

<b><font color="Blue">Heathrow to hotel</font></b><br />

<br />

<b>Or by tube at £6.50 pp.</b><br />

Obviously the cheapest option & not as difficult with luggage as many tube journeys. Trains every 5 or 10 minutes depending on your terminal, journey time around 35 minutes, no changes if you alight at Russell Square. You board at the start of the route so no difficulty getting seats & setting your luggage around you. Trains do fill later in the journey.<br />

Main krunch is that with luggage I don't know how easy from train to street at Russell Square, perhaps a Londoner can advise. Yes, a nine minute level walk to your hotel.<br />

Goodge Street may be a shorter walk - but changing tube lines at Leicester Square, with luggage ? I certainly wouldn't choose that option.<br />

 

My preferred route when travelling by Underground from Heathrow to Bloomsbury with luggage is to take the Piccadilly Line all the way to King's Cross/St Pancras. Yes, the Russell Square stop is closer to the Arofsa hotel, but the station itself is a nightmare with luggage. King's Cross/St. Pancras is a "step-free" Underground station, meaning that you can make your way from the train to the surface (street level) with having to negotiate a single stair--there are modern lifts (elevators) throughout the station, making it much, much easier to get out of the station when you are carrying luggage.

 

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/avoiding-stairs-tube-guide.pdf

 

It's then just under a mile's walk to the Arofsa.

[John Bull]

 

My preferred route when travelling by Underground from Heathrow to Bloomsbury with luggage is to take the Piccadilly Line all the way to King's Cross/St Pancras. Yes, the Russell Square stop is closer to the Arofsa hotel, but the station itself is a nightmare with luggage. King's Cross/St. Pancras is a "step-free" Underground station, meaning that you can make your way from the train to the surface (street level) with having to negotiate a single stair--there are modern lifts (elevators) throughout the station, making it much, much easier to get out of the station when you are carrying luggage.

 

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/avoiding-stairs-tube-guide.pdf

 

It's then just under a mile's walk to the Arofsa.

 

That's the sort of access detail that's needed. :)

 

But a one mile walk from Kings X to the hotel?

You might walk it.

I might walk it.

But I betcha the OP takes a cab :p:D

Am I right, LiseD?

 

JB :)

[Post Captain]

That's the sort of access detail that's needed. :)

 

But a one mile walk from Kings X to the hotel?

You might walk it.

I might walk it.

But I betcha the OP takes a cab :p:D

Am I right, LiseD?

 

JB :)

 

Yup... I assumed that too, but didn't want to suggest it, as I was giving her the most frugal (er, cheapest:D) option.

(I can walk a mile in under 20 minutes, even in my advanced state of very-late-middle-aged decrepitude and trailing a 26-inch piece of rolling luggage behind me. It's good for the soul, if not the soles. I always forget that others may not care, or not be able, to attempt such perambulatory penance.;))

[Alaskanb]

<b><font color="Blue">Heathrow to hotel</font></b><br />

<br />

<b>Or by tube at £6.50 pp.</b><br />

Obviously the cheapest option & not as difficult with luggage as many tube journeys. Trains every 5 or 10 minutes depending on your terminal, journey time around 35 minutes, no changes if you alight at Russell Square. You board at the start of the route so no difficulty getting seats & setting your luggage around you. Trains do fill later in the journey.<br />

Main krunch is that with luggage I don't know how easy from train to street at Russell Square, perhaps a Londoner can advise. Yes, a nine minute level walk to your hotel.<br />

Goodge Street may be a shorter walk - but changing tube lines at Leicester Square, with luggage ? I certainly wouldn't choose that option.<br />

 

My preferred route when travelling by Underground from Heathrow to Bloomsbury with luggage is to take the Piccadilly Line all the way to King's Cross/St Pancras. Yes, the Russell Square stop is closer to the Arofsa hotel, but the station itself is a nightmare with luggage. King's Cross/St. Pancras is a "step-free" Underground station, meaning that you can make your way from the train to the surface (street level) with having to negotiate a single stair--there are modern lifts (elevators) throughout the station, making it much, much easier to get out of the station when you are carrying luggage.

 

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/avoiding-stairs-tube-guide.pdf

 

It's then just under a mile's walk to the Arofsa.

Would you use the same route returning to Heathrow?

[Post Captain]

Would you use the same route returning to Heathrow?

No reason why not.

 

Although... I prefer to just head to Southampton and board a Cunard liner to New York. Much slower, of course, but a rather more elegant way to travel. :);)

[LiseD]

I walk almost 3 miles everyday with my dog and just ran a 5K with one of my girls.....BUT not sure I want to walk a mile with my luggage!! We would be a site...the 4 of us walking through London with our luggage! :)

 

Someone else asked about which cruise line....we will be on Royal Caribbean.

[John Bull]

.....BUT not sure I want to walk a mile with my luggage!!

 

John Bull 1, Post Captain :D

 

BTW, RCI normally sail out of City Cruise Terminal.

0.6 miles from central rail station.

D'you want to try for an equaliser, Post Captain? ;)

 

JB :)

[Alaskanb]

That's the sort of access detail that's needed. :)

 

But a one mile walk from Kings X to the hotel?

You might walk it.

I might walk it.

But I betcha the OP takes a cab :p:D

Am I right, LiseD?

 

JB :)

Hmm --maybe need 2 cabs with all that luggage ;)

[LiseD]

I have given strict orders to family....one piece of luggage each....BUT bet they won't be carry on size.....hey....I have twin 20 year old girls.....their make up/hair stuff bags could take up one suite case alone!! ha ha ha AND I must be fair to them.....I am also known to over pack.....but am going to be "reformed" on this trip!!! I can wear the same outfit for 3 weeks!! :)

Edited January 22, 2014 by LiseD

[Alaskanb]

Perhaps one of the "locals" can advise about luggage and cabs -- I know that some have limits on how much they can accommodate.

[sddsddean]

Someone else asked about which cruise line....we will be on Royal Caribbean.

 

As JB says, almost certainly out of City Cruise terminal then. If its a nice day its a 10-15 min easy walk (0.7 of a mile according to google). This map shows the route, (station at A, terminal at B)though you don't have to do the dogleg at the start...you can walk straight up on to the crossroads.

https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?saddr=Unknown+road&daddr=Herbert+Walker+Ave&hl=en&sll=50.903791,-1.412451&sspn=0.008065,0.018861&geocode=FfbHCAMd1Wzq_w%3BFbyuCAMdkmrq_w&t=h&dirflg=w&mra=me&mrsp=1&sz=16&z=16

 

Simon

[DragonOfTheSeas]

Great information. I am just beginning to research these options. Is there a bus train to Harwich?

[Post Captain]

 

But a one mile walk from Kings X to the hotel?

You might walk it.

I might walk it.

But I betcha the OP takes a cab :p:D

Am I right, LiseD?

 

JB :)

 

I think it's a safe bet to say that they'll take a cab if it's raining.;)

 

In other words... there's a 98 percent chance that they'll take a cab!:D

Edited January 22, 2014 by Post Captain

[Twickenham]

Great information. I am just beginning to research these options. Is there a bus train to Harwich?

 

I'm not sure what you mean by a 'bus train'. There certainly is a train to Harwich, from Liverpool Street station.

[sddsddean]

Great information. I am just beginning to research these options. Is there a bus train to Harwich?

 

There is a frequent train service from Liverpool Street station (London) to Harwich International (its code is HPQ as it used to be Parkeston Quay) where the station is right beside the ship. Main bugbear is that you nearly always have to change at Manningtree (down 13 steps, through the subway and up 13 steps), but coming back you just walk from one side of the platform to the other. There is often a 'cruise train' which goes direct...and they charge you nearly twice as much! Loads of info about the Harwich train if you search on this board.

 

Simon

[DragonOfTheSeas]

I'm not sure what you mean by a 'bus train'. There certainly is a train to Harwich, from Liverpool Street station.

 

sorry--I meant to say bus or train

 

There is a frequent train service from Liverpool Street station (London) to Harwich International (its code is HPQ as it used to be Parkeston Quay) where the station is right beside the ship. Main bugbear is that you nearly always have to change at Manningtree (down 13 steps, through the subway and up 13 steps), but coming back you just walk from one side of the platform to the other. There is often a 'cruise train' which goes direct...and they charge you nearly twice as much! Loads of info about the Harwich train if you search on this board.

 

Simon

 

I read that the cruise train is only on embarkation day. We have considered going to Harwich a day early. I have read there is little to see on the way between London and Harwich. [or so I have read a couple of times] But, surely there are sites in the city itself. Also, we would be on a TA--so, only travel to Harwich, not a return trip.

Edited January 22, 2014 by DragonOfTheSeas

[Maxy Mouse]

I have given strict orders to family....one piece of luggage each....BUT bet they won't be carry on size.....hey....I have twin 20 year old girls.....their make up/hair stuff bags could take up one suite case alone!! ha ha ha AND I must be fair to them.....I am also known to over pack.....but am going to be "reformed" on this trip!!! I can wear the same outfit for 3 weeks!! :)

 

We have agreed to the same things for the same reasons but I have no idea how it will work. Perhaps the promise of a trip on the subway/ tube with our own luggage may be the incentive needed to keep the load light.