Help with pre-cruise stay in London

[Globaliser]

7 hours ago, markeb said:

If you pull up the actual London Tube map, https://content.tfl.gov.uk/standard-tube-map.pdf, there's a legend in the lower left. The white circles are a direct interchange (in some cases I'm pretty sure there are level changes). The white circles with connected to another white circle are internal interchanges; you don't leave the Tube to transfer, but you'll probably walk. From the Tube to National Rail (or the Thames boats), you'll leave the Tube.

 

The only thing that I would add to this great explanation is that on the Tube map you will sometimes see a dotted line connecting two separate stations (eg Tower Hill <--> Tower Gateway, or Euston <--> Euston Square). The legend indicates that this means that it's less than 10 minutes to walk between the stations.

 

However, in all (or almost all) cases, it also means that if you exit at one station and immediately enter the other, this will count as an interchange in the same way as if you had changed trains entirely inside a single station. Although you have to touch out and then touch in again, the system will charge you for the through journey, not as two separate journeys. This is known as an "Out of Station Interchange" or OSI. This part of the fares system also applies if you use a TfL payment method (Oyster or contactless) and change between TfL services and National Rail services on a journey to which a TfL fare applies (journeys entirely within the TfL area, plus a handful of others), requiring you to touch out and touch in (as is usual).

 

Occasionally, you will find that an interchange inside a station will also require you to touch out through a ticket gate and then touch in again at another ticket gate. Some of the signed routes inside Bank/Monument station to get to/from the Waterloo and City Line require this. The same OSI logic applies.

 

Like many other things to do with transport in London, it sounds more complicated than it is. As a user, you will normally be able to just use the available transport, and let the fares system do its work by itself.

 

Unfortunately, I think that Windsor is outside the TfL fares area so this doesn't apply.

 

3 hours ago, T-2 said:

I was wishing they had 3D renderings of the stations ... 

 

There are some on the Internet, but I would recommend only looking at them for interest rather than for navigation purposes. (Relying on internal official signage is best for occasional users. I think you'd only want to have a 3D model of any particular station in your own head if you're a frequent user of it and need to get the best out of it.)

 

There is a collection of axonometric diagrams here:

https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/3d-maps-of-every-underground-station-ab-14630/

https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/3d-maps-of-every-underground-station-cdefg-14651/

https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/3d-maps-of-every-underground-station-hijklm-14683/

https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/3d-maps-of-every-underground-station-nopqrs-14715/

https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/3d-maps-of-every-underground-station-tuvw-14744/

 

In addition, there's a selection of interactive 3D diagrams here: https://stations.aeracode.org/

 

However, please note that some of these are now out of date because a number of stations (particularly Bank/Monument) have had major upgrades and alterations.

[Globaliser]

27 minutes ago, T-2 said:

I have already paid for them but had based the choice on reading that the Windsor & Eton Riverside should be avoided because it was then a steep hill up to Windsor Castle.

 

There is indeed a significant hill up from Riverside to the Castle - so if it's important to avoid it, then you haven't done the wrong thing. But I think that the last time I posted about that, it was for the benefit of someone who was planning to have all their luggage with them, rather than someone just visiting Windsor for the day.

[T-2]

I really enjoyed those renderings, they're amazing. Not to print out and carry around, but being able to envision the layout is really pretty cool. I have a new appreciation for the genius it takes in setting up a station, just blows the mind. I spent some time enjoying some of the interchanges we will use the most over the 8 days we will be there. I know there have been some changes, doesn't matter, they're great to see for someone who struggles with a sense of direction. I know google maps is not going to be of any help below the surface 😄 but I believe I now remember that even stairwells had a signage lists on them indicating the platform belows destinations, and a good flashback image of stairs, sometimes a lot of stairs. It's going to be awesome. And if we get turned around at times, sometimes we've had our best accidental discoveries that way. Thanks Always for all the help you give!