Thank you all for your tremendous help/suggestions.

We're arriving April 12 which is a Friday so some of these night line train options might work, however do really like the idea of keeping things simple and the Airline coach seem to be the most affordable direct route ( if we can make the 22:55 departure) or possibly an Uber for 58-70 GBP at that time of day. Does anyone know if Gatwick has free wifi that i can connect to, to order an uber?

Was not familiar with the e-gates but seems we will qualify for that as we are all Canadian Citizens and will significantly reduce the times to get out of the airport. No baggage either so should be fairly painless.

Found a hotel on Bath Rd which suits our needs for a fraction of the price of hotels at the airport and includes a continental breaky. There are some added cost after taking the Coach, it's only a 7-10 GBP ride, how will a cabbie feel about travelling such a short distance?

Here is the pricing for hotels that night at the airport (so you know I'm not making this up). Maybe the price is up because it's Friday, but I can also tell you the price also changes when you add a 3rd person even if it's just a kid. The prices are for one room to accommodate all 3 of us.



Thank you again all for your comments and assistance. I've got a pretty good plan on how to get around that night. Definitely want to get to LHR so we can rest up in the AM..