England before Transatlantic Cruise

[tigger2002]

We will be flying into Gatwick three days before our Disney Transatlantic cruise September 14th 2026. We would like to do a little sightseeing in downtown London but realize we don't have much time.
We also need to get to the port in Southampton.

Option 1: Stay at the Hilton London Gatwick Airport. Easy - it's basically in the Gatwick Airport. Cheaper. $800 for three nights. Catch the train into London or other areas. 89 miles from the Southampton port terminal.
Option 2: Stay at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House London. Requires transportation to downtown London. Expensive $1900 for three nights. A lot of attractions are within walking distance. 80 miles from the Southampton port terminal. Has Disney transportation to the port.
Option 3: ????

 

[EllinK]

Don't stay at the airport if you want to see London. There are plenty of alternatives between this option and the $$$ JW Marriott. Do some research. Many people like the Premier Inns. They are all over London and cost-effective.

 

[tidefan]

We stayed at the Hampton Inn Waterloo and it was fairly decent the last time we went out of Southampton (on Princess). It is convenient for the Tube to get around London and also easy to catch a train to Southampton (BOO!!! Play up Pompey!!! IYKYK!!!). Once at the station in Southampton (about an hour and 15 minute ride) it was a quick 10 minute cab to the port.

 

[KDG]

We have stayed at 2 or 3 Premier Inns around London and they have been a good value. Last fall, we stayed at the Premier Inn Piccadilly to see the sights around Trafalgar for 2 nights and then moved to the Marriott Grosvenor House for 2 nights to see the area around Hyde Park and Oxford Street. My husband had Marriott points to use at the Grosvenor which helped with the cost. We were then able to use the Disney bus to get to Southampton.

We felt time is money for choosing those locations because we could walk so many places and take the tube and trains to where we wanted to go.

 

[bbn1122]

My family stayed in March 2019, not for a cruise but for visiting my son who was studying abroad in Germany at The Park Plaza Westminster Bridge. The current rates for 9/14/26 begin in the high $200s to low $300.

This hotel is located steps from the Thames. It’s a couple minute walk to the bridge that takes you right to Big Ben and Westminster.

It was a 10-15 walk to Buckingham palace and Churchill War Room.

We took a boat down the Thames from the Tower London to right by our hotel.

It’s on the other side of Thames from central London so I think that is what makes the prices descent.

We got breakfast included.

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

We will be flying into Gatwick three days before our Disney Transatlantic cruise September 14th 2026. We would like to do a little sightseeing in downtown London but realize we don't have much time.

I lived in London for 4 years and visit regularly, my last visit was August 2025.

There is no "downtown London" London has various areas, basically villages which have all joined up to make the Grater London area. Each area has a high street section where the retail, commercial and restaurants are located.

Zone 1, the main part which people recognize as London, is called Central London.

We also need to get to the port in Southampton.

The direct train to Southampton is from Waterloo. Book tickets in advance direct through the train operator https://www.southwesternrailway.com/

Option 1: Stay at the Hilton London Gatwick Airport. Easy - it's basically in the Gatwick Airport. Cheaper. $800 for three nights. Catch the train into London or other areas. 89 miles from the Southampton port terminal.

No do not do this, Gatwick is not convenient for sightseeing in London OR for getting the train to Southampton. The miles from Southampton make no different. You will still have to go to London Waterloo to get the train to Southampton.

Option 2: Stay at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House London. Requires transportation to downtown London. Expensive $1900 for three nights. A lot of attractions are within walking distance. 80 miles from the Southampton port terminal. Has Disney transportation to the port.
Option 3: ????

This option.
Get the Gatwick Express Train from Gatwick Airport. Buy tickets online direct https://www.gatwickexpress.com/

The Gatwick Express is a non stop 30 minute train journey from Gatwick Airport to London Victoria Station. It is the fastest and most direct train from the airport to Central London.

Once at Victoria Station you can then take the Tube or bus or taxi to your hotel.

When I stay in London I choose my hotel for budget. I have 3 UK / European chains which I check for price and then I book the cheapest. Most have an optional extra charge breakfast.

1. Premier Inn
2. Travelodge
3. Ibis

When choosing a hotel it does not matter about location to tourist attractions, as everywhere in Zone 1 Central London can be accessed by public transport. The bus and underground network can get you almost anywhere you need to go. You just need to look at Google Maps and check that the hotel you choose is within 10 beside a tube station or bus stop. Do not rely on the information on the hotel website.

 

[tonymoo]

We used the train from Waterloo to Southampton.

We bought tickets from some third party site for literally half the price. Note, it is difficult but doable to deal with full size luggage.

We got very unlucky as our train was cut in half due to equipment problems (5 cars instead of 10) and by the 2nd station they had "Declassified the train" meaning anybody could be in the first class cars. The whole train was a crush like the NYC subway at rush hour. With a bit of effort on the company website, we got back the fare difference between first and coach eventually. Had this not happened, I think the train would have been a good way to go.

 

[dllocals]

We used “UK Empire chauffeur” to get to Southampton. Stress free! Saved a lot it time considering hotel to tube to train station and waiting, not to mention carrying our luggage.

We used Google Maps to plan almost everything in London. I highly recommend!

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

When we visited London a few years ago and didn't have a lot of time, (3 nights) we stayed at the Marriott County Hall Hotel. It's on the Thames right next to Westminster Bridge, next to the London Eye. We had a Big Ben view. No regrets.
I downloaded the Marriott app a day before we flew there. Through the app they offered us a last minute upgrade to club level and the Big Ben view for not a lot extra, maybe 60 GBP/night. Our sons were with us, then 17 and 20. I felt like it was going to be our last big trip as a family, just the 4 of us, so I didn't mind splurging. I wanted it to be memorable. I would stay there again but the DCL hotel sounds nice too.

On a more recent trip, we took a British Isles cruise this past September on Princess (never again, but that's another story). We used Princess's hotel and their transfers to Southampton but we used a private transfer to return to LHR because we needed to fly home the same day we disembarked. That was Paragon Taxis. Adrian is from Southampton and his company is based there. He was there waiting for us as we got off the ship. We thoroughly enjoyed our conversation with him. I would use him again. https://paragontaxis.co.uk/ We paid 165 GBP total, not including tip, from Port of Southampton to Heathrow.

 

[tidefan]

When we visited London a few years ago and didn't have a lot of time, (3 nights) we stayed at the Marriott County Hall Hotel. It's on the Thames right next to Westminster Bridge, next to the London Eye. We had a Big Ben view. No regrets.
I downloaded the Marriott app a day before we flew there. Through the app they offered us a last minute upgrade to club level and the Big Ben view for not a lot extra, maybe 60 GBP/night. Our sons were with us, then 17 and 20. I felt like it was going to be our last big trip as a family, just the 4 of us, so I didn't mind splurging. I wanted it to be memorable. I would stay there again but the DCL hotel sounds nice too.

On a more recent trip, we took a British Isles cruise this past September on Princess (never again, but that's another story). We used Princess's hotel and their transfers to Southampton but we used a private transfer to return to LHR because we needed to fly home the same day we disembarked. That was Paragon Taxis. Adrian is from Southampton and his company is based there. He was there waiting for us as we got off the ship. We thoroughly enjoyed our conversation with him. I would use him again. https://paragontaxis.co.uk/ We paid 165 GBP total, not including tip, from Port of Southampton to Heathrow.

Really? Our 2023 British Isles cruise on Regal Princess was one of the best we’ve done.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Really? Our 2023 British Isles cruise on Regal Princess was one of the best we’ve done.

The itinerary was superb, and it was why we chose Princess over DCL. It was 12 nights stopping at Cork, Dun Laoghaire (Dublin), Belfast, Greenock/Glasgow, Kirkwall, Inverness, Edinburg and LeHavre, France. That was the amazing part. The cruise itself was meh. I'm in my late 50s and there were a handful of people younger than me. I'd guess the average age was 75. The food was meh. Some of the entertainment took all my strength to not get up and leave, it was so bad. I did like how the Medallion automatically unlocks your door as you approach it. The gelato was good. For us the cruise was all about the itinerary.

 

[hardcorestitch]

We will be flying into Gatwick three days before our Disney Transatlantic cruise September 14th 2026. We would like to do a little sightseeing in downtown London but realize we don't have much time.
We also need to get to the port in Southampton.

Option 1: Stay at the Hilton London Gatwick Airport. Easy - it's basically in the Gatwick Airport. Cheaper. $800 for three nights. Catch the train into London or other areas. 89 miles from the Southampton port terminal.
Option 2: Stay at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House London. Requires transportation to downtown London. Expensive $1900 for three nights. A lot of attractions are within walking distance. 80 miles from the Southampton port terminal. Has Disney transportation to the port.
Option 3: ????

Go big or go home. I’d go for option 2!