London in day after cruising

Thank you so much for the information Keith! All I see is that the ship sails and returns to Southampton. After talking with my dad more, we may stay a couple nights to see more of London. It really helps me just understanding the distances between the airport, dock and central London. I think we'll try to plan to get an airfare that doesn't leave terribly early so we can stay in the area you suggested and then have a bit longer ride to the airport in the morning. I have to do some research to figure it all out. Thanks!

Southampton is not "London" at all. The cruise lines also do this when they call Civitavecchia "Rome" and call Livorno "Florence." Southampton is quite a distance from London, and you will need to take a train or an arranged car service to get between the two. I'm glad you've decided to spend a few days in London after the cruise, as you'll not only need time to get there from Southampton, but you'll need time to get around the city itself. You've implied that your father is somewhat infirm, and so you may not be able to use the Tube; using surface transit will take longer. If you don't get sufficient information on the topic of transfers on this Helpline, go to http://www.Cruisecritic.com for more information. Here's a link to their page about Southampton's port. Their message boards will also have a "roll call" of your sailing, so you can join up with other passengers to do excursions or port transfers.

Great information Harold. I've been looking on cruise critic but wasn't aware of the "roll call" to look into. My dad is actually in great shape, but he will be almost 88 by then! I am aware that we will have to deal with our lugage and I won't be able to handle his and mine. I offered to plan a land trip since he main goal looks is really Normandy and London but he likes the ease of cruising.

To follow up on what Susan just said, wheelchairs are available free of charge at the British Museum, should your dad need one. Contact them before your visit if you would like to ensure that a wheelchair will be available. Contact information@britishmuseum.org the day before your visit, or at least several hours ahead of your visit, to reserve a wheelchair. Even if he does not normally use one, this would be a good way for you to get him around the museum without exhausting him.

Southampton isn't exactly London, by any stretch. Figure an hour and a half for the fastest train from Southampton Central to Waterloo, an hour more for Victoria (but cheaper), and it is possible to connect into Paddington with one change. If on a cruise will you have too much luggage? If so, a car service may be easier on your dad and make carrying your luggage easier... London it ain't... I hope you and your dad really enjoy the cruise and your time in London...

I think 2 or even 3 nights in London would be best. The Tower and the British Museum can both take lots of time to see. I've been to both, and the idea of tackling them both on the same day is daunting. (Of course, I could be the World's Worst Wimp, and if you really only have one day in which to visit both, then you just have to go for it. But I have the idea that you can plan at least one additional day for sightseeing in London.) The only specific tip I'd offer, is to get to the Tower as early in the morning as possible, ideally being there when they open the gates to visitors. We did that, and I thought it was well worth the effort because although we certainly didn't have the place to ourselves, it was comfortably un-crowded for most of the time we were there. Attendance increased as time went on, and by the time we left, I was just glad we were leaving and not arriving! I feel that despite my preparatory research before my visit, I barely scratched the surface of the British Museum. So I'm going to keep reading this thread to see if anyone posts helpful tips I can use on my next visit. I suspect that it may be another of those "get there as early as possible" venues.

I figured the port was far away, but it seems further than I was thinking originally. I'd imagine it would be very expensive to take a car to central London. I'll have to figure that all out. Good advice to get to the Tower early. and the BM also. My dad said yesterday that we may need to stay two nights, "or more". It is his dime so I don't want to be too pushy. But if those are his big sites than maybe we can start each day with those so we have plenty of time to do them well. What neighborhood would be best to stay in? Thanks for the advice!

Normally, the ship hits port early - so they can get everyone off (and handle any baggage issues), get the rooms cleaned, check people in, and ship out that evening. As was said, "London", in cruise-port terminology, is similar to Rome or Berlin. You have a good travel leg from the port to the city. Light packing will help. I've done sixteen days, including a ten-day Baltic cruise, with a carry-on (including my "formal" suit with two ties and a dress shirt). My wife went carry-on only, including two cocktail-length dresses and heels in her one bag - so it is possible and allows you to catch a train downtown easily. I like to be at the Tower first thing (before opening time) so the crowds are behind you. I'm not sure you can make it that early; you might want to plan that for the next morning. The British Museum will work anytime. It will be crowded but not like trying to see the Vatican Museum, David, or the Mona Lisa. We prefer tubing around London. If you have extra time, check out the British Library. The "Treasure's" include some pretty amazing stuff and I don't think it's ever crowded.

It has been more than ten years since I visited the British Museum and things may have changed but I remember places to sit down were scarce/nonexistent. I don't recall any long benches such as those in many art museums. We spent at least four hours there-could be tiring for your dad.

Susan and Monte, to address the question you asked, "What neighborhood would be best to stay in?" Since one of your father's must see sights is the British Museum, I would suggest you may want to stay in Bloomsbury, the neighborhood that the BM is in. There are some great hotels and B&B's in this area. It is also not far from here to the Tower of London and many other sights. The Arosfa Hotel and The Thanet Hotel are both nice; I've stayed at both. If you are concerned about getting to Heathrow quickly on the day of your departure, I would suggest staying in London here at the Hilton Paddington Station (it's not in Bloomsbury; it's on the West side of London): http://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/united-kingdom/hilton-london-paddington-hotel-LONPDHI/index.html Hilton London Paddington is under an hour to Heathrow by train, and connected to Paddington Station by footbridge.(You would board the train at Paddington Station on your day of departure to go to Heathrow Airport.) It is a few blocks north of Hyde Park, and is also in a good location for sightseeing. Just not as close to Tower of London or British Museum as is Bloomsbury.

I looked up the Hilton at Paddington so we would be close to the airport...OMG it is $500 per night! I don't know about that. I've heard London is so expensive, that is why I have never gone before, but WOW! I haven't done research yet, but I was sure hoping for it to be cheaper than that. And, honestly, I have not even found a good map to see the location of sites, airport and port. I'm hoping we can stay near BM or other sites cheaper than $500 a night. Then should we move closer to airport for the night before, and anything cheaper than that and still fairly close? I was thinking maybe two nights or maybe three. Or, I guess if we can get a later flight then maybe we can stay further from airport cheaper, and just take a longer time getting to airport in the morning. What would all of you do?

On the Hilton London Paddington website, click on "Special Offers" and they have a 40% off special. Explore the other special offers to see if you can get the price down. I stayed there and paid half of the price you were quoted. Let me be clear, this hotel is in London, not far from Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey. To get to Heathrow airport, you take the Heathrow Connect train or Heathrow Express from Paddington Station. If you want to stay AT HEATHROW AIRPORT which is some distance out of town, do a Google search for "Hilton Heathrow" or "hotels near Heathrow". In Bloomsbury, check out the Arosfa Hotel. They are currently showing $143. per night. It is walking distance to the British Museum. I would stay here for you whole visit, and just take a longer time getting to airport on the morning of departure. (Depends upon just how early your departure time will be; if it's at the crack of dawn, you may want to stay the last night at one of the Heathrow Airport hotels.) http://www.arosfalondon.com/

Thanks for all the help Rebecca, and everyone else. I did look at the Arosfa Hotel- perfect! Except they have no rooms! I guess I better get going on it now! Any other ideas?

Monte & Susan, Try this hotel at Russell Square, also within walking distance to the British Museum: http://www.imperialhotels.co.uk/imperial also check Thanet Hotel on Bedford Place: http://www.thanethotel.co.uk/

Thank you so much! Funny, even with the maps I can't make heads or tails out of it yet! Can you guess how far to walk to the British M and how long to get to the Tower of London from the Thanet Hotel? And then is it easy to get back to Heathrow?
I feel like I should be doing my own research and finding it all out for myself, but I haven't had a chance yet. Plus, you guys are so helpful! I appreciate it. Do you think I should book right away for next July?

For getting around London, taxis are great, and for three people not expensive.

Ok, now that I have actually picked up my RS book for Great Britain, I understand the locations better. I don't seem to find the tower of London, but it sounds like transportation is do-able all over. Is $300 per night including breakfast reasonable for three people in London?

To walk from the Thanet to the British Museum...about 5 to 10 minutes. It's one block from your hotel; you walk around the block going west, and will be looking at the British Museum. To get from the Thanet to Tower of London, too far to walk; you may want to take a taxi. Your hotel is close to Holborn Tube Station, if you wish to go by tube to the Tower of London. Yes, $300. for 3 people to stay at a hotel is O.K. Not what I would call a bargain, but you are going to run out of options because the hotels in London are filling up fast for next spring and summer. (I've been checking for my husband and me.) And yes, you should book it if you are satisfied with the looks of the hotel and the reviews you've read.

Thanks, good advice! So appreciate all the help!

Try searching tripadvisor.com for rooms. You can click the budget option or just check every hotel (they also have a B&B option). You can book from there. Normally it pulls up a handful of sites you can book through. The only one I'd avoid is booking.com. I've probably used everyone tripadvisor brings up - booking.com is the only one I've ever had an issue with when I got to the hotel (and it's happened twice now, so no more booking.com). My big location question is whether it's a short walk to a tube station. If it is, you can get anywhere in London easily. Even if the Tube is crowded, it's normal in London for people to give up their seat to an older person.

So, I did get a reservation up the street from the British Museum. It is £170 per night for three people. Says it is a 5-7 min walk to a tube station. My dad would like to stay two nights, so we will drop our bags after the cruise, walk to the BM and the following day go to the Tower of London. Does all that seems reasonable to those that have been there?

one thing that all of you may enjoy if you have time is the Cabinet War Museum. our whole family enjoyed it and thought it was a highlight. have a great trip!!