Grantham to London (Kings Cross?)

[ivrytwr3]

OK, we are looking at a last minute trip to London - tomorrow! Any help with sorting this would be very much appreciated (you all helped me with another train ticket query i had last year!)

2 x adults and 2 x children (6 and 5).

Travel Grantham (or best station near LN4 4NG) to Kings Cross

Looking to depart Grantham (or best station near LN4 4NG) between 8am and 9am

Would like a return from Kings Cross open (if not, between 8 and 9pm?)

And we have a Friends and Family Railcard.

Activities:

We would like to see:

Thames
Houses of Parliment
Buckingham Palace
Big Ben
National History Museum

We have no idea where these places are - do wee need the tube/taxi to get to them?

Lastly, if at all possible we would like to see the matinee of Lion King show. Tickets are crazy prices on web - can anyone recommend the best place to get them? (looking for stall seats)

If you are only able to help with the train tickets, then that's fine, but if you have any knowledge of London and its sights, that's even better!!

Any questions, please ask!

Thanks!

 

[animationmilo]

Best fares to get, for 2 adults, 2 kids with the railcard totals £65.30

That also gives you a london travelcard

2 x Adult - Off-peak Day Travelcard
(Family & Friends Railcard)
Saving £26.10
£50.70

2 x Child - Off-peak Day Travelcard
(Family & Friends Railcard)
Saving £23.80
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Thames - Westminster Again

Houses of Parliment - Westminster again

Buckingham Palace - Victoria or Green Park are the nearest. Green Park is on Piccadilly which goes from Kings Cross

Big Ben - Nearest station is Westminster on District, Circle and Jubilee line. You can get Circle from kings cross


National History Museum - http://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit-us/getting-here/ - Nearest Tube South Kensington station on the District, Circle and Piccadilly lines which go from Kings Cross

 

[LexyBoy]

Buckingham palace is only a short walk through St James' Park from Westminster, much nicer way to get to it - and you can see the famous pigeon-eating pelicans!

 

[YorkshireRider]

Yeah the off peak travelcard option is defo the best option, £65.30 for all of you return with f&f railcard, and travel on london buses and underground zone 1-6, i would go to East Coasts website and book it before 6pm tonight if possiable, that way you can reserve seats together, as the trains get busy at that time on a saturday morning. You can then pick your tickets up at Grantham in the am. This is an open ticket but you can still pick a return train to reserve seats on but no big deal if you cant catch it.

 

[ivrytwr3]

thanks for that!

Another question - if we wanted to see Trafalgar Square and the Millenium Eye - where abouts are these?

 

[SS4]

thanks for that!

Another question - if we wanted to see Trafalgar Square and the Millenium Eye - where abouts are these?

Trafalgar Square is Charing Cross tube station. Millennium Eye is Westminster (again )

These two are only about half a mile apart so you could probably walk between them quicker than it would take to tube it. Plus you'd be crossing a footbridge over the Thames which is beautiful


In case you're wondering the exits at Westminster are well signed.

 

[ivrytwr3]

It says i cannot book a seat for the return journey - what am i missing?! (i clicked "open return")

(i'm a train noob!)

Also - what are "off-peak" times? Am i ok to travel at 8am and return between 6pm and 8pm?

 

[SS4]

It says i cannot book a seat for the return journey - what am i missing?! (i clicked "open return")

(i'm a train noob!)

Also - what are "off-peak" times? Am i ok to travel at 8am and return between 6pm and 8pm?

As it's Saturday it will be off-peak all day.

Chances are if you can't reserve a seat then there are no seats left to reserve? For the sake of reproducibility what time do you want to come back at?

 

[lemonic]

I think that you won't be able to reserve seats coming back if you select 'open return', you need to input specific times. Remember, even if you reserve seats on specific services, with this ticket you don't have to stick to the services you have reserved seats on.

 

[ivrytwr3]

the option to reserve on a return is greyed out. I THINK we would be looking at returning between 6pm and 8pm - depends on whether the kids want to stay or go (tiredness etc)

We've never taken the kids to London and so don;t know how they'll cope!!
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I think that you won't be able to reserve seats coming back if you select 'open return', you need to input specific times. Remember, even if you reserve seats on specific services, with this ticket you don't have to stick to the services you have reserved seats on.

Really?! So if i book a departure at 8am and a return at 6pm, then i can go depart at anytime and return at anytime?

 

[SS4]

Really?! So if i book a departure at 8am and a return at 6pm, then i can go depart at anytime and return at anytime?

Yes. You'll just have to take your chances with finding unreserved seats (I've never travelled EC so cannot bet on your chances of success)

 

[ivrytwr3]

OK Natural History Musuem off the table as the dinosaur exhibition is closed!

Any recommendations for places to visit? bearing in mind it is the touristy things we want to do as the kids have never been to London!

 

[transportphoto]

Science Museum?

 

[ivrytwr3]

Is there an option to search for seats together? It will now reserve both parts of the journey, but is reserving seats all over the place (including different carriages )
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aaah! Gone through the virtual seating plan and yes, there are no "together" seats at the times required - i'm now going through trying to find a seat together!

 

[SS4]

Science Museum?

I can vouch for the science museum but remember it shuts at 6 and I recommend if you go to any museum to give it at least four hours but naturally it depends on how your kids feel.

 

[YorkshireRider]

On East Coasts website put all your details into the search engine, including you have a f&f railcard at the bottom and then click the £65.30 option, then if you choose the 0817 southbound and 1930 rtn it seems to allow seats to be booked together, but it will let you move your seats if you want later in the booking process

 

[ivrytwr3]

Right!! Just about to click buy when i get this message:

"There are no delivery options available for the combination of tickets selected. Please purchase a ticket from the station".

So i have to turn up and buy a ticket at the station? How do i get reserved seats or can i not now?

 

[YorkshireRider]

Sorry, doesnt look like u can then, no idea why it is saying that. But i reckon the 0817 seems to have more spare seats than other services going on the seat finder

 

[ivrytwr3]

An hour wasted then!

Can you tell me if i turn up at the station tomorrow can i get the offer with the railcard of £65.30 for all the travel? (train and tube)

 

[yorkie]

Don't bother to reserve seats. Make a note of the times back from [stn]KGX[/stn] to [stn]GRA[/stn] and then, when you are ready to leave London, try to get to [stn]KGX[/stn] 20 mins before scheduled departure. When the train is announced, go and sit in the buffet car - the seating area in that coach is always completely unreserved. Providing there are not delays, then 20 mins is about typical before platforms are revealed. Arriving that far in advance you should get a table for 4.

 

[YorkshireRider]

An hour wasted then!

Can you tell me if i turn up at the station tomorrow can i get the offer with the railcard of £65.30 for all the travel? (train and tube)

Yes the price is still the same, it is a walk up fare, sorry again for giving advice which has been a waste of time for you, cant think of a reason why it would not allow you to do this. Yorkies advice is good for the rtn journey. Going down if you stand at the north end of the platform for coaches B and C, i reckon you will find the most spare seats there and again might be best to go on 0817 for more spare seats.

 

[ivrytwr3]

no, i didn't mean that YOU wasted an hour for me with your advice - i'm very grateful.

Thanks for all your help and i'll let you know how we got on.
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Can i just ask one more question? What do i ask for when i get to the ticket booth? (seriously, it has been many, many years since i last used a train!)

 

[John @ home]

Can i just ask one more question? What do i ask for when i get to the ticket booth?

I would say "With a Family Railcard, 2 Adult and 2 Child One-Day Travelcards, please." Be prepared to show your Railcard to the ticket clerk.

Your One-Day Travelcards are return tickets from Grantham to London, and also include unlimited rail, tube, bus, tram and Docklands Light Railway travel within the area shown on this map (roughly, Greater London) and one-third off boat trips on the Thames - perhaps an idea for the kids.

 

[ivrytwr3]

Thank you thank you thank you! It worked a treat as did the mini-guide to our visit!

(next time can you sort the weather for us too )