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We are staying at the GH (with a 5 and 1 yr old) and will be flying into NRT from SYD 2 days earlier. On a weekday I realise the airport bus out to NRT may take some time but I assume not 2 hours more. On that basis I'm leaning towards NRT so that we should be able to wake at a reasonable hour rather than the middle of the night.

What sort of times do you think we have to leave the GH for each airport?

Cheers

DWFI

Depending on where you are staying and how much money you are willing to pay up to go from Narita, it can easily be 1 hr extra from NRT.
I'd definitely go on the HND flight if it meant that I had to wake up at 5am. Not so much if it meant I had to wake up at 3am.

But you have to run the calculation for your kids. Would it be easier to have them wake up early or use whatever extra transit you will need to use? (And from NRT to central Tokyo it can be up to £100)

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Thanks. Staying at the Grand Hyatt (Roppongi Hills) and will be taking the airport bus there and back. as we're coming from SYD there will be a 1 hour time difference so probably can do a 5am wake up at a stretch and leave the hotel at 6. Is that enough time to get to HND?

NRGsaver

Had you looked into taking the Narita Express? Quick and easy (irrespective of traffic) and gives you some extra time in the morning to get the children up and dressed.

LTN Phobia

0850 departure from HND will not require you to get up in the middle of the night. If you want to push your luck a bit, even 0630 should suffice, as long as you can get ready quickly.

Limousine Buses (the airport buses that serve the hotels) are not very frequent and they tend to stop at various other hotels. For BA 006 NRT-LHR you really need to leave on the 0700 Limousine Bus (it is scheduled to arrive at 0855).

There is no Limousine Bus to HND that will get you to HND in time for BA 008 HND-LHR. The first one leaves the hotel at 0845 - too late, of course.

For HND I'd be inclined to take a taxi or take the monorail to Hamamatsucho and catch a taxi.

By taxi, it will be approx 40 min to HND and 90 min to NRT, subject to traffic.

All of the information is available on Grand Hyatt website: http://tokyo.grand.hyatt.jp/en/hotel...pMapDirections

It actually does not save much time if at all, compared to other means of transport, including the cheap bus from Tokyo station etc. In fact I find that the buses are sometimes quicker between Tokyo station and NRT.

If I were in the OP's position I'd catch the Limousine Bus to NRT or a taxi to HND.

Tafflyer

I much prefer NRT to HND. Yes, HND is closer to town in theory, but just as expensive to get to since you need an expensive taxi really for the early departure time. NRT also has better (although not amazing) lounge and facilities.

I usually arrive into NRT and get a JR Suica ticket which includes return Narita Express travel and a Suica card (like Oyster) preloaded with 2000 Yen for the subway. Only for non-Japanese passport holders and cheaper than the Narita Express ticket alone.
http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/suica-nex/

Personally, I find the limosine bus, subject to heavy Tokyo traffic, quite unpredictable, meaning you need to leave extra time, especially on a weekday morning or late afternoon.

LTN Phobia

BA is re-timing HND. There will be no need for a taxi at all for 0850 departure.

It's actually preloaded with 1500 yen, not 2000 yen. 500 yen is a deposit on the card, which you can get back on request.



Door-to-door transport like the Limousine Bus, despite stopping at various places and subject to traffic conditions, is easier for a family with young children though, as they don't need to worry about finding the NEX platform at the station etc and do not need to lug their bags around the station.

jib71

I'd take a taxi to HND. It requires an early start - but not much earlier than you'd need to start if you were to take the Limo Bus to NRT - and the cost is in the same ballpark as limo bus tickets to NRT.

Roads will be pretty clear at that time. Journey time from Roppongi to Haneda should be less than 30 minutes. Cost should be about 8,000 yen.

MK Taxi might be able to offer you a fixed rate if you call:
http://www.tokyomk.com/eng/

Tafflyer

Oh yes, so they are. That does change things a little, although I do still prefer NRT for some reason.

Yes, you're right about that too, my mistake, but it's still a great deal.

I only took this bus once, and while I agree that door-to-door with luggage and youngsters in tow may be preferable, I found the bus quite cramped and something about it may me fell nauseous. It also seemed to take forever going from hotel to hotel, traffic jam to traffic jam, before hitting the motorway out to NRT. As a kid I always loved the train rides more too. And, Tokyo station is always an adventure!

yellow_peril

JR have also had to climb down on the Narita Express pricing and they have reduced a one-way from the airport to town to just JPY1,500 for the foreseeable future (sourch here). This is due to the (actually faster) Keisei trains.

This one-way promo ticket would only really work if you already have a Suica card and just need a one-way into town and will come back another way.
If you don't have a Suica already or need a return ticket, you should just buy the NEX Suica Combo JR details here