My husband and I are taking a Northern European cruise in May leaving from Dover. What is the best way to get there (to Dover) from Gatwick??? Also, any good ideas for reasonable hotels in Dover near the cruise docks?????

I've been researching this myself for my family's trip in June. We'll be going from Heathrow to Dover. In my case, it will be easiest (and cheapest) to hire a private car to drive us to the dock. This all depends on whether we'll be able to find cheaper airfare on our own from JFK.

I also checked out trains and buses to Dover, they take about 2+ hours from Heathrow. The best site to begin researching is http://www.doverport.co.uk/cruise/index.htm
They'll have links to the buses and trains. I do know that from the train station, it's best to take a taxi to the dock since it is a considerable walk with luggage.

I haven't looked at hotels in earnest yet so sorry I can't help there yet.

Have fun planning.

Suggest you travel from Heathrow to Canterbury and spend an overnight there. Next day (day of cruise departure) catch a taxi from Canterbury direct to your dock in Dover from where your cruise leaves. Very relaxing and you will feel no stress from departing Heathrow. Also, Canterbury is an interesting town in which to spend a morning prior to your cruise departure.

All this talk about LHR has no relevance -- the OP is flying into Gatwick.

spedersen: You have a lot of options. What time does the ship sail? sounds like you are not sailing on the day you arrive since you asked about hotels.

If you board the ship in the afternoon you don't even have to stay in Dover. You could take the train from LGW to Dover. Or you can take it to Brighton to see the Pavillion and the pier and stay overnight, then take a train to Dover. Or you could even go to London for a day/night of sightseeing, and then take the train to Dover.

But Dover Castle is a major site and can take most of a day to see - so I'd probably just take the train to Dover and tour the castle and tunnels. I would not worry about a hotel being near the docks - anyplace in Dover will be a reasonable taxi or bust ride from the docks. I'd pick a nice place and not worry about the location.

I can't help you w/ a hotel in Dover since I always self-catered for a few days to a week when I visit kent

Hi JanisJ, I'm aware the OP is traveling from Gatwick, and while I didn't reference it specifically, provided a site for the OP to look at for her travels from Gatwick. My apologies for not being clear, but it was past my bedtime...next time, I'll sleep instead

Thank you lomajay and janisj for your suggestions on Cantebury and Dover respectively. Will be checking out my options as well.

spedersen:

not sure what you mean by "best" way, but I'll relate how my wife and I addressed the same issue last May, when we had a Saturday sailing out of Dover on Celebrity Constellation.

We flew into Gatwick on Thursday AM, rented a car for one way drop off in Dover, and spent 2 nights in a B&B prior to the cruise, located about midway between Gatwick and Dover. We used the time to unwind and get past the jetlag but we did see Sissinghurst gardens(a riot of color in May), Leeds Castle, and spent some time exploring the town of Rye.

By the way, although we did not stay in Dover, you can find a lot of information on pre-cruise hotels on the cruisecritic boards.

You might check with the cruise line, as most offer transfers. This might not be the cheapest way, but it's certainly reliable and would save you the hassle of having to rent a car and drive.

mcnyc: Don't worry - I understood what you were talking about. You made it clear your case was different than spedersen's. My comment was really because it seems lomajay didn't understand the OP and was telling them about travel from LHR.

Janisj, that would be my bad, as looking back, I obviously started the Heathrow point of view. I don't think many, if any, airlines fly into Gatwick from JFK.

I've been debating renting a car o/w from Heathrow to Dover...I think I'll still stick to the private car, unless I see comparable rental car rates.

Spedersen, hope I haven't hijacked your thread, and that you're getting the info you require!

To spedersen: I am new to this list and just saw your question about Dover. My wife and I are taking the Norwegian Dream Northern European cruise on May 11. Is that the one you will be on? If so, we need to meet. We are flying from Dallas, and I see that a train runs from Gatwick to Dover--slightly over two hours. We will be looking for a reasonable hotel there on May 10 also.
Donsuz

We are taking Celebrity's Constellation out of Dover on 5/06/06 and are flying into Gatwick and would like to take the train to Dover if that's a realistic feat with luggage. We are staying at the Ramada Inn in Dover and found that many other cruise passengers are staying there too. We were quoted 74 (Pounds Sterling) a night for a room with a kingsize bed. Many passengers are staying there because they are parking their car at the hotel for 3 (Pounds) a night which is quite a bit less than the dock's parking. Anyone ever take the train from Gatwick to Dover?