Help Please! Wrong Hotel Booked for Cruise!

[grammie12]

We are booked on the June 5, 2016 Magic British Isles cruise. Super excited!! We leave Thursday for London, and JUST realized we booked the wrong Marriott hotel for the Disney transfers we purchased. There are apparently two hotels with the name "Grosvenor" in it and we made a huge mistake! Our hotel rooms are non-refundable.

Now we need transportation from our hotel in London to Dover. I don't know where to begin! Please help!! TIA!!

 

[IBelieveInTheMagic]

I'm sure others will chime in and help and you can go with your best option that suits you. We used Folkestone Premier Taxis (pre-arranged) and they picked up from Dover and took us to our hotel near St. Pancras, in London. I felt the price was very reasonable for the three of us. I'm assuming they can do the reverse if you wanted to reach out to them and ask. They came recommended by a friend that lives in the area and she had heard similar feedback (they did a great job) from others she had referred to them.

The other not as easy way to do this - you could still take the DCL transfers to the "wrong hotel" and at least get to London, then take a taxi from there to your "real hotel". Initially we were going to use the DCL transfer to get us into London, to the Marriott Grosvenor but it ended up saving money to use the company I referenced above and it was easier.

Heather

 

[grammie12]

Thank you so much, Heather. I will look into that company now!!

 

[janiebubble]

Last year we got the train from London to Dover. It was very straightforward and a short taxi ride from Dover station to the port. Train leaves from St Pancras station.

 

[ldo]

It looks like the hotels area only a few blocks apart? Can't you just walk over or take a cab? If not, I have taken the train from Victoria to Dover and then a cab to the port. Easy. But, it will be more trouble to get to Victoria than a few blocks to the other Marriott. FYI- at least the train from Victoria had a 2-1 ticket deal--you have to ask for it. I think they run it all the time.

 

[dcassetta]

We are booked on the June 5, 2016 Magic British Isles cruise. Super excited!! We leave Thursday for London, and JUST realized we booked the wrong Marriott hotel for the Disney transfers we purchased. There are apparently two hotels with the name "Grosvenor" in it and we made a huge mistake! Our hotel rooms are non-refundable.

Now we need transportation from our hotel in London to Dover. I don't know where to begin! Please help!! TIA!!

Is Disney requiring you to stay at "their" hotel to use the transfers? If not, I think the easiest solution would be to use their transfers and then a cab to/from your hotel.

 

[CherylABQ]

We signed up to stay at the Marriott Grosvenor House for the June 17th cruise out of Dover but didn't go through Disney for the hotel. Our travel agent went back and forth trying to get Disney transfers for us because some (mistakenly) thought that you could only take the Disney transfer IF YOU got your hotel via Disney. This all said, we decided to head to Dover the night before and canceled our Disney transfer. We have booked a car for the three of us through Blackberry. Others have said they are good. It was going to cost us around $180 to use the Disney shuttle and we got our car through Blackberry.com for $162.56 USD.

 

[grammie12]

We signed up to stay at the Marriott Grosvenor House for the June 17th cruise out of Dover but didn't go through Disney for the hotel. Our travel agent went back and forth trying to get Disney transfers for us because some (mistakenly) thought that you could only take the Disney transfer IF YOU got your hotel via Disney. This all said, we decided to head to Dover the night before and canceled our Disney transfer. We have booked a car for the three of us through Blackberry. Others have said they are good. It was going to cost us around $180 to use the Disney shuttle and we got our car through Blackberry.com for $162.56 USD.

I was told you could only get DCL transfers from the airport to your hotel if you went through Disney to book your hotel. But because we booked our hotel ourselves, we could only get transfers from the hotel to the port.

Thank you for this other recommendation!

 

[grammie12]

It looks like the hotels area only a few blocks apart? Can't you just walk over or take a cab? If not, I have taken the train from Victoria to Dover and then a cab to the port. Easy. But, it will be more trouble to get to Victoria than a few blocks to the other Marriott. FYI- at least the train from Victoria had a 2-1 ticket deal--you have to ask for it. I think they run it all the time.

Yes, they are close. But my TA said we HAD to stay at the correct hotel to be able to use the DCL transfer.
Can anyone confirm this?

 

[IBelieveInTheMagic]

Yes, they are close. But my TA said we HAD to stay at the correct hotel to be able to use the DCL transfer.
Can anyone confirm this?

I think this can get tricky. I mentioned above we were going to do this, however we were *not* staying at the DCL hotel. I had no problems initially booking the transfers for the three of us from Dover to the hotel in London. I was going to just take a taxi from the Marriott to our Premier Inn hotel but then a friend suggested the Folkestone Premier Taxi's and since it was cheaper and easier, that's what we did.

I do know for the NYC/Canada cruise this October, DCL will only let you book their transfers from the hotel to the port (which isn't that far) if you stay at their hotel *and* book with them. It's well over $500 a night with DCL so most are not using that option. It seems to be the times I've heard of the issue is when you are going from hotel to the port but I could be wrong. I know you used a TA so either ask him/her to ask again or honestly you should be able to ask a general question to DCL for this. If they add the transfers, the TA would need to do this.

Hope this helps,
Heather

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

Last year we got the train from London to Dover. It was very straightforward and a short taxi ride from Dover station to the port. Train leaves from St Pancras station.

Whilst it is correct that it is normally straightforward from St Pancrus, currently there are no trains between Folkstone and Dover. So high speed trains terminate at Folkstone and you can book a taxi there. Suburban services from Victoria still go from Dover Priory but on a different part of the rail loop then the St Pancrus services.

High speed trains to Folkstone leave from the top right of StP, platforms 11 and above.

Other advice, if anyone is considering using London bridge station, do not, it's currently undergoing a massive refurbishment and best to avoid and many trains do not currently stop there.

Dover priory to port is a short taxi ride with taxis outside the station. Folkstone isn't that much further, just over the cliffs to the next town and a slightly longer cab journey.

As OP is staying in the Park Lane / Mayfair area, I suggest use of the Train via Victoria, get a cab to Victoria then the train to Dover, cutting out the rail works at Folkstone.
Care some trains if say 8/12 carriages split around Faversham, Kent, so ensure your in the correct part of the train. Front/ Back.



Note the line indicated in Black, doesn't go to Dover this summer, and past Ashford, terminates at Folkstone.

https://www.londontoolkit.com/travel/dover_train.htm

Current Dover forecast-



Not looking great for Saturday, we had storms come in today, very cold and windy, and looks like it may take until Sunday to recover to having some sunshine. - sorry.

 

[Ofinn]

I was told you could only get DCL transfers from the airport to your hotel if you went through Disney to book your hotel. But because we booked our hotel ourselves, we could only get transfers from the hotel to the port.

Thank you for this other recommendation!

I was told by dcl that I could use transportation from their hotels if I could get myself to the hotel. I would call dcl or have your ta call dcl to confirm this.

 

[grammie12]

Thank y'all so much for your help! Since we already have a car picking us up from Heathrow to take us to our hotel, it occurred to me they might also go to Dover. I checked with them and they do, so I just added that booking with them (Heathrow Airport Tranfers.) For 4 adults, a 6 seater car (and driver) is £130 - I thought that seemed reasonable.

I feel much better now! I just think DCL needs to stress the fact that there are TWO Marriotts with Grosvenor in their names in London. Very confusing!!

Thanks again!!

 

[Bee2u]

Later this month we're staying in the London Marriott Twickenham, I think we'll be closest to the Victoria station?

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

Later this month we're staying in the London Marriott Twickenham, I think we'll be closest to the Victoria station?

Twickenham is out to SouthWest London a bit out of the centre, about forty minutes by train to London Waterloo. There are fast and slow train services there, the ones from Reading will stop only at Richmond and Clapham, the suburban services will stop at all stations and will be slower.

Care:- at station ensure you walk across the bridge to the correct platform as two go to Waterloo and you want the fast ones.

So yes Victoria is closest to you, you can also get Dover trains from Waterloo East, connected by a bridge from Waterloo, - check train times, maybe hourly from Charring cross.

For Victoria from Twickenham either:-
Change at Clapham junction- care a big station look for Victoria services.
Or
Change at Vauxhall for the Victoria tube line. Simpler to understand but down stairs then escalators to tube.

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

current UK weather is " terrible" windy, cold, rain, and not getting better till next week. Currently 12c in London, but will be 28c by a weeks time.

 

[Bee2u]

Thank you Disney Fantasy - this info helps a lot!

 

[RACHEL_GB]

current UK weather is " terrible" windy, cold, rain, and not getting better till next week. Currently 12c in London, but will be 28c by a weeks time.

For those reading this thread that are arriving in to Liverpool soon (believe it is 12th that the Magic is in) just to reassure it is a very pleasant sunny 19c up here! Praying it will continue...

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

For those reading this thread that are arriving in to Liverpool soon (believe it is 12th that the Magic is in) just to reassure it is a very pleasant sunny 19c up here! Praying it will continue...

Your the lucky ones, it's freezing here! Cold, wet, windy....... It's coming right down the North Sea and should now be summer!

 

[BadPinkTink]

today is blue skies and around 20c here in Dublin. The West of British Isles Republic of Ireland and west coast of UK are getting all the sun this week. The midlands and east coast of UK, London etc are colder and covered with clouds.