Gatwick vs Heathrow???

[FamilyDoc]

Hi everyone! My family of 4 will be on the Grand Princess from Southampton for the British Isles cruise on July 1, 2008 and we are flying in from the US. There seem to be no price differences between the two airports but are the other reasons to choose one over the other?

 

We don't yet have a hotel picked out (eek!) as there are so many choices, but I'm hoping that public travel will make which hotel we pick not an issue with regard to which airport we come in on. If I'm incorrect on that someone please correct me. :)

 

We do plan to order the rail card ahead of time as we've heard its less expensive that way. Any other wonderful bits of advice for an absolute NEWBIE in London?

 

Thanks

Tracy

[ab0si]

Hi everyone! My family of 4 will be on the Grand Princess from Southampton for the British Isles cruise on July 1, 2008 and we are flying in from the US. There seem to be no price differences between the two airports but are the other reasons to choose one over the other?

 

We don't yet have a hotel picked out (eek!) as there are so many choices, but I'm hoping that public travel will make which hotel we pick not an issue with regard to which airport we come in on. If I'm incorrect on that someone please correct me. :)

 

We do plan to order the rail card ahead of time as we've heard its less expensive that way. Any other wonderful bits of advice for an absolute NEWBIE in London?

 

Thanks

Tracy

 

I am not clear on your plans. Are you going to spend some time in London pre-cruise or are you staying at a hotel in/near Southampton?

 

Heathrow is closer to Central London than is Gatwick but with direct train connection, it really does not matter all that much (BUT the trains go to different stations in different parts of the city).

 

There is a difference between the two airports:

Gatwick is a zoo

Heathrow is a bigger zoo.

 

Paul

[camNaud]

Gatwick is the worst airport in the UK. Longest queues ever....:mad:

[ab0si]

Cam:

 

I am not sure that is true. Remember, the question was only for arrival. The only lines are going to be immigration/passport control and customs. Certainly not wonderful at Gatwick, but Heathrow is not exactly great for this either. My preferred route from U.S. to England is via Brussels with EuroStar or VLM to City. Sad, but true.

 

Paul

[FamilyDoc]

We are coming into London on Sunday morning and then will stay somewhere (perhaps one of the Marriott hotels) until Tuesday morning when we will take some sort of public transportation to Southampton for the cruise.

 

We understand that the public transportation system is great and so shouldn't represent too much hassle or expense. :)

 

Am I reading from the last posts that Gatwick is ok to come into but not great for leaving from? The timing would really work better from Gatwick but I haven't booked anything yet (except the cruise!)

[ab0si]

Between the two, I prefer Gatwick, It is, though, a longer train ride into London. Both airports are seriously overcrowded and understaffed. If you are going to take the train into town (rather than a bus, taxi or limo) and then taxi from the station to the hotel, remember, that the stations are in different parts of the city. In some cases there will be a major difference in cost A taxi or cr service from Gatwick is hugely expensive while being on expensive from Heathrow.

 

The Subway system is not designed form schlepping luggage.. There are some long walks with stairs.

Paul

[DALSAL]

I flew into Gatwick last July before flying on to Venice. We loved it. We went into London for the day via train,and on the way back we stayed at a hotel not too far from Gatwick and then got up the next morning,went to the airport and then back to Houston. We had been warned about not flying into Heathrow..I think the Zoo analogy is probably what its all about. We had checked out the airport online before ever going,so we felt that we knew it pretty well and what to expect. Dot

[uktraveller]

I don't think there's much to choose between the 2 airports - you could be lucky or unlucky with queues at either one! I'm always reading to stay away from Heathrow but we have flown in and out of there many times and have never had any problem, just been lucky so far I guess!

I would take the Heathrow Express train that takes you to Paddington station (heathrowexpress.com) or the Gatwick Express that takes you to Victoria station (gatwickexpress.com)and then choose a hotel which is easily accessible from there.

Whilst you are in London the best way to get around is on the underground. Once you have understood the system it's really easy but you must buy an Oyster card (from the tube station ticket window). It costs £3.00, I think, then you load it up with as many £ as you like and touch the card reader at the tube station barriers with it and you get charged about a third of the price of buying an individual ticket (something like £1.50 instead of £4.00).Then at the end of your stay you take it back to the/any ticket window and get a refund of any unused credit plus the £3.00 cost back!

Good luck with your plans!

[camNaud]

Cam:

 

I am not sure that is true. Remember, the question was only for arrival. The only lines are going to be immigration/passport control and customs. Certainly not wonderful at Gatwick, but Heathrow is not exactly great for this either. My preferred route from U.S. to England is via Brussels with EuroStar or VLM to City. Sad, but true.

 

Paul

 

Fair points there Paul, but generally if you fly into a particualar airport most of the time you tend to fly back via the same one. So the immigration / passport control and customs queues may apply.

 

For the record my favourite UK airport is Edinburgh. easy check-in and queues are fairly short.

[FamilyDoc]

Thanks for all the replies. I guess what it boils down to is either one could be good or bad. :)

 

I'll have to figure out which Marriott we will use as that may help determine which would be better.

 

Any additional thoughts are always appreciated!

[MrandMrsBeee]

I personally prefer Heathrow but as I am British I have not had to deal with our immigration as a foriegn national so I can't comment on the wait. If you arrive at Heathrow you will travel by underground into London, from Gatwick it will be by train.

 

The Marriot at County Hall is wonderful and close to Waterloo (train to Southampton) and the London Eye etc.

 

If you are planning to stay in a Marriot near to Southampton then the Meon Valley in Hampshire is very nice but it is about 16 miles outside Southampton a taxi would be around £20 to the dock and 30 minutes, it is too rural for public transport. If you play golf then the Meon Valley would be ideal.

[SelectSys]

I'll have to figure out which Marriott we will use as that may help determine which would be better.

 

If you are staying as a family of 4 and trying to use points, I would recommend the Marriott Marble Arch. It is easier to get in at a lower points level than other Marriotts in central London, is kid friendly, has a pool & fitness center, and on-site self-serve laundry. Hopefully you'll have access to the concierge lounge as this is a big money saver for a travelling family in London. We have used this hotel twice on family visits to London - also 4.

[2theship]

We flew in to and out of Gatwick this past summer. On arrival, the passport control line seemed to last forever but it moved with reasonable speed and we were so caught up in the excitement of the moment that we didn't care. Going home through Gatwick could not have been easier. They have people at every point to make sure you have all of the necessary materials ready and can move through quickly. The only thing that slowed the line down was that some travelers refused to accept the British policy of only one carry-on. The staff kept politely pulling some people aside before they got to security so that those of us who were prepared could keep moving.

 

It's all a matter of the luck of the draw, no matter where you go. Be prepared to follow the rules and allow plenty of time. Have a great trip.

[Flick]

If I'm not mistaken (and I easily could be!) I think Gatwick is closer to Southampton than Heathrow. While coming to the UK that isn't as much a big deal as it might be if you are returning straight to the airport from the ship in Southampton. Afterall there is time lost just unloading baggage and people from the ship when it returns at the end of a cruise.

[BrianI]

If I'm not mistaken (and I easily could be!) I think Gatwick is closer to Southampton than Heathrow.

Actually its the other way round but not too much in it. Gatwick is 91 miles, Heathrow is 69miles.

There is actually a dedicated coach link service from central London and Heathrow, for Princess and P&O, which takes you directly to the ship. Once your luggage is on the coach, you dont see it again until you get to your cabin on board. Saves messing around with trains/taxis.

The service is run by Eavesway Travel. Leaves London Victoria coach station at 12:30 and Heathrow at 13:30, arriving at Southampton 14:30.

Also operates in reverse picking up from the ship

See link

http://www.eaveswaytravel.com/home.htm

 

Brian

[BrianI]

Cunard also operate a similar coach link sevice to that above. I think they use the same company.

http://www.cunard.co.uk/Planner/Default.asp?plan_active=Joining

 

If you are flying into Gatwick, you can take the Gatwick Express rail from the airport direct to London Victoria. The coach station is adjacent to the rail station

 

Brian

[BlueVinney]

I find the direct train from Gatwick to Southampton Central (via Havant) more convenient and the least expensive. Trains run every hour (Monday-Saturday), take 2 hours and the cost is GBP 25.70 for a return (round trip) ticket.

 

OK you will need to take a taxi from Southampton station to the cruise terminal, but the journey will only take between 5 and 10 minutes, depending on which one is being used. Luggage is normally taken directly from the taxi at curbside and delivered straight to your cabin while you are checking in.

 

So 1 train ride and 1 short taxi ride takes you to your cruise ship.

[FamilyDoc]

Thanks for all the great advice!

 

I'll look in to the transfer options, it would be nice to hand off the luggage.

 

:)

[rsquare]

One other point as between Heathrow and Gatwick. Gatwick is smaller, with just two terminals (South and North) connected by a shuttle train. Heathrow has four terminals, and (at least the last time I was there), if you fly BA to the States, your plane could leave from one of two different terminals, depending on the city. Heathrow also has chronic delays, being one of the busiest airports in the world. Lines for immigration are what they are, but for me, smaller is better as far as airports go.

 

Incidentally, the Gatwick Express takes a half-hour to Victoria, and the Heathrow Express takes abut 15-20 minutes to Paddington, so you're not dealing with really significant travel time differences.

[FamilyDoc]

Actually its the other way round but not too much in it. Gatwick is 91 miles, Heathrow is 69miles.

There is actually a dedicated coach link service from central London and Heathrow, for Princess and P&O, which takes you directly to the ship. Once your luggage is on the coach, you dont see it again until you get to your cabin on board. Saves messing around with trains/taxis.

The service is run by Eavesway Travel. Leaves London Victoria coach station at 12:30 and Heathrow at 13:30, arriving at Southampton 14:30.

Also operates in reverse picking up from the ship

See link

http://www.eaveswaytravel.com/home.htm

 

Brian

Thanks for the info! I contacted them and they only do a few of the Grand Cruises and mine doesn't happen to be one of them. I does seem like it would be very handy otherwise. :)

[Flick]

Actually its the other way round but not too much in it. Gatwick is 91 miles, Heathrow is 69miles.

There is actually a dedicated coach link service from central London and Heathrow, for Princess and P&O, which takes you directly to the ship. Once your luggage is on the coach, you dont see it again until you get to your cabin on board. Saves messing around with trains/taxis.

The service is run by Eavesway Travel. Leaves London Victoria coach station at 12:30 and Heathrow at 13:30, arriving at Southampton 14:30.

Also operates in reverse picking up from the ship

See link

http://www.eaveswaytravel.com/home.htm

 

Brian

 

Thank you for the clarification. I have never flown into Gatwick and I confess my statement was more of a "general idea" that hard fact. I'm going to have to "fix" that map in my subconscious!!