Post Cruise - Advice on 1-night hotel and Tour

What time does your cruise dock on the 8th? Once you’ve disembarked it will be over an hour and a bit by train to a London.

What time is your flight in the 9th? You have to be at the airport a couple of hours ahead if you are flying back to North America. If you are flying out of Heathrow, I would allow an hour or more to get there if staying near the Tower.

If your flight is at noon or earlier, I would stay in Kensington or somewhere closer to Heathrow than the Tower.

Stonehenge, you won’t have time on the 9th. You might be able to on the 8th, but would likely have to arrange privately rather than as a group tour.

Windsor Castle is a maybe. if you don’t go into London. It isn’t too far from Heathrow so you could stay in Windsor or Eton. It depends on what time your cruise docks and what time your flight is and the castle opening times work.

Have you checked with your cruise line to see if they offer a tour to Stonehenge that ends in London for disembarking passengers? Many offer a Stonehenge & Salisbury tour.

l have no suggestions for a hotel near the Tower of London. That is not an area that I find appealing after hours. I'm sure others may have some ideas for you.

We haven't been there yet but have reservations for the Canopy by Hilton London City on Minories St. It is 4 star and just a few blocks from the Tower. This is a pre-cruise stay arranged by the travel company but we're going a day early. The price of the room is quite a bit under $500, especially if you are a member of the Hilton "frequent flyer" group. The cost of the room has decreased since we made our reservation months ago and Hilton has agreed to give us the reduced price.

Often cruise lines will offer a transfer to London including a diversion to Stonehenge. These will usually end up at Heathrow rather than central London though. Otherwise there is no real practical way to fit Stonehenge in without paying a fortune for a private tour.

Where are you flying home from - Heathrow or Gatwick? Both airports recommend arriving three hours before your flight time for long haul flights and you will need a good hour to get to either, so unless the flight is late in the day there will be little or no time to see anything.

Is there a particular reason for wanting to stay near the Tower of London? I find it a perfectly fine area to stay in and much better than the often recommended Kensington or Paddington areas, but it's on the wrong side of London for Heathrow and not especially convenient for Gatwick either. If you are set on the Tower then there is also a Doubletree Hilton close by which will be bang on budget. There are plenty of other options too.

I think the most important factor is what time is your flight on July 9? I am assuming on that day, you will not be able to do much. I think you need to make of choice of Stonehenge/Salisbury/ and or Windsor with a private driver after the cruise and have them drop you off at a Heathrow hotel at the end of the day, if you have a morning flight on the 9th.

Since you have never been to London, I would vote to go straight to London and enjoy some sights there. Especially if your flight on the 9th is later in the day, you could enjoy one more experience that morning. I would definitely stay very near a train line that would take you directly to Heathrow, a taxi or private driver could get backed up on a weekday. Enjoy!

Thanks to all the replies and questions!

We'll likely hire a private car for the journey to London via Stonehenge. It's a bit of a guess as to rendezvous time with the driver owing to Customs. Late morning may be the way to go?

Once at the hotel we'll probably limit walking to the immediate vicinity. It might be more safe to get a hotel in a different area than TOL? Suggestions?

On the 9th we're thinking about hiring a car/guide to include a tour of London on our way to Heathrow. Our flight departs at 4:30pm so we are reconciled to being at Heathrow by 1:30pm at the latest.

Is there any chance of adding an additional night to your London stay or are the airline tickets set beyond change?

Is Stonehenge somewhere that really interests you? For some it is something they have dreamed about for lifetime but for many, many more it's just a pile of stones in a field. Unless you are in the first category I would forget spending a fortune on a private driver and just get yourselves into London so that you can enjoy some sights there. The quickest way into Central London will be the train - any car service will get stuck in traffic.

You can stay near the Tower of London if that's important - although it's to the east a bit you can easily take the tube or Elizabeth Line to the airport. I would spend your second day on your feet enjoying central London near the river before heading off to the airport at about 12.30.