Pre and post British Isles Cruise

Well, I suppose it really is dependent on where the cruise takes you to (which sounds exciting!).

If flying into Heathrow I would think staying in central London for the first couple of days is a good idea - hotel rooms better booked sooner rather than later on that front! Travel to Southampton by rail to join your cruise. Dependent on when you actually sail, a night in Southampton might be advisable - I'd look for a one night deal in a Travelodge or Premier Inn - basic but fine for an overnight stop.

On return I would think about staying on the south coast - Brighton area? - as this will have handy links to London and Heathrow by train. Also handy for Beachy Head, South Downs etc., - see Rick Steve's South of England Tour for specific sites to cherry pick. If you are interested in the UK's naval heritage, Portsmouth is a good spot too - HMS Victory, HMS Warrior and the Mary Rose all there.

Have a great trip!

Ian

Thank you Ian!

You're welcome.

It's not my part of the world - I'm much further north - but a wee bit of investigation shows there's a direct rail link between London and Southampton. Another thread on this site suggests National Express coach from London to Southampton, I expect this is a cheaper way to make the connection (personally I prefer railway links).

From Brighton to Heathrow, you have to go into London to Victoria, tube to Paddington to pick up the Heathrow Express - quick but pricey - or tube from Victoria to Green Park to pick up the Piccadilly tube line to Heathrow (longer but more economic). Entering Brighton to Heathrow on www.nationalrail.co.uk sends you to Paddington to pick up the Heathrow Express. If you wanted to tube all the way, book only as far as London Victoria from Brighton and pay the tube fare via Oyster or walk up ticket.

Both journeys - London to Southampton and Brighton to Heathrow - are approximately 2.5 - 3 hours dependent on whether you go Heathrow Express or Piccadilly tube line to the airport.

Hope this might be of some use.

Ian

It would help to know what ports or. Itis your cruise will. Isit and whether you have spent much time in London before.

But without that information, I would suggest one 3-night stay in London and one north of London like York. It is an easy transfer from York to Heathrow, via Kings Cross Station and short tube ride to Paddington for the Heathrow Express, although I would not advise doing it the same day you fly, in case the trains get delayed. So this means another night in London ( which we always are happy to do).

For the nights of June 3, 4, and 5, I would make a reservation at a London hotel.
Take the Heathrow Express, Heathrow Connect or the tube into London.
See some sights in London, especially if you have not been there before.

Be sure and leave London in plenty of time on the morning of the 6th in order
to get to Southampton cruise terminal to board your ship.

To spend a couple of days after your cruise, I would look at some destinations not far from Southampton.
Salisbury can be reached by train from Southampton.
Salisbury Cathedral is amazing, and nearby is Stonehenge, in case you have an interest in seeing that.
Not far from Salisbury is Bath, which can be reached by train.
Then you will be out of time and need to get to Heathrow.

If your flight out of Heathrow to fly home is an early one, I'd consider staying at one of the hotels at or near Heathrow for your last night.

An alternative place to visit after your cruise is Windsor. You could make a hotel reservation to spend all three nights
in Windsor. You could see Windsor Castle and walk around Windsor one day. Second day you could take a taxi (expensive but worth it) to Hampton Court Palace, tour that and the gardens. Windsor is very close to Heathrow, so for your flight out, you could either take the bus from Windsor to Heathrow (short ride, costs about 6 pounds per person) or a taxi (more expensive but convenient).

Yet another alternative is to return to London after your cruise and stay 3 more nights before your flight departs. There's always more to do in London no matter how many times you return.

You mentioned this...."London pass or not"

Do not get the London Pass.
Do not buy the Visitor Oyster card that is often sold in connection with this.

You will have a limited amount of time to see tourist sights, and the London Pass (expensive) covers
many sights you may not have the time or the interest in seeing.
Make a list of the sights you want to see (and their prices), then compare that to the list the London Pass covers.
I think you will come out ahead just buying admission to one sight at a time without the pass.

You will be able to just walk up and buy tickets to anything you wish to see. For example, the Tower of London. Approach the gatehouse, pay by cash or credit card, and enter. Simple.

Most of the museums in London are free.
You will find yourself doing a lot of things that are free.
Museums, going for walks just to see sights, walks in the parks.
All free.

If you want to take a hop-on-hop-off bus ride, just approach the bus at a stop, pay, and get on.
You don't need any kind of "Pass" ahead of time to do this.

You will want to buy an Oyster card after you get to London. (Not before.)
Very simple. You insert a credit card or cash into the Oyster card machine, select an amount you want to put on the Oyster card,
and it spits out your Oyster card. Not that different from using an ATM machine here in the U.S.
Oyster card machines are everywhere in London, plus they are sold at convenience stores in London.

"what transportation to take"

Once you have your Oyster card, you will take the tube (subway, underground) or bus (London city buses) around London.
You will tap your Oyster card to get onto either one. Then tap out the Oyster card when you get off the tube. Do not tap out the Oyster card when getting off the bus.

These two forms of transportation will take you all over London. Between those, walking, and an occasional taxi, you will be able to get everywhere you wish to go.

Tube map. You will find most all the tourist sights you want to see within the yellow line--Circle Line:
http://content.tfl.gov.uk/standard-tube-map.pdf
You can pick up a printed tube map at any tube station in London.

Bus map. Which I find very useful in linking the tourist sights around London:
http://content.tfl.gov.uk/bus-route-maps/key-bus-routes-in-central-london.pdf

Thank you so much!
I am taking down notes of all your advises. I am getting more confident to start looking for hotels and places to visit.

You may wish to buy one of Rick Steves' guidebooks to help you plan your trip.
You still have plenty of time to read one of these.

Best of England:
https://store.ricksteves.com/shop/p/best-england-guidebook

London guidebook, full size:
https://store.ricksteves.com/shop/p/london-guidebook

London guidebook, pocket size--possibly the best one for you:
https://store.ricksteves.com/shop/p/pocket-london

Make sure you take a good walking map of London with you.

You can catch a coach from the Victoria Coach station to Southampton. Last Sept it cost 50 GBP per person. Your cruise line should even be able to book it for you. Ours did.

Thank you Rebecca!

I am VERY interested in hearing about your cruise experience. Please post comments when you get home.

Thank you all!
I will surely post our experiences here.