First time cruising from Southhampton Port...need help with transportation.

I'll be cruising out of Southampton on May. I need transportation recommendations from after the cruise to Heathrow airport.:confused: Any advise?

I'll be cruising out of Southampton on May. I need transportation recommendations from after the cruise to Heathrow airport.:confused: Any advise?

You can either take the safe route and use the cruise line transfer for about $100 or if you are more adventurist, you can take a coach from Southampton coach station (5 minutes from cruise terminal) for about $22 (15BPDS). It's not hard, really. We did it a few years ago and will be doing it again next fall. We'll save over $300 in total for return fares. Well worth the effort. It takes about 2.5hrs to get to Heathrow, so just make sure to take the earliest coach possible and make sure you have 3hrs at the airport prior to departure.

http://www.nationalexpress.com/home.aspx

Good luck!

Alternatively you can book a private taxi. Try one of these:

http://www.westquaycars.com/

http://www.smithsforairports.com/

http://www.advancedairportcars.co.uk/

All have been recommended by people on this forum. Price should be around 80GBP for the car.

Another choice would be a ship's tour to Windsor Castle that will deliver you to your chosen terminal at Heathrow. We did this excursion and it was a good way to combine some sightseeing and transportation. Other excursions will feature Stonehenge and then Heathrow. You can also book private taxi/tours with the same itinerary. We felt that the ship's tour was relatively cost effective and made for an easy departure day.

We have used both National Express and Smiths. Would recommend both.

Another choice would be a ship's tour to Windsor Castle that will deliver you to your chosen terminal at Heathrow. We did this excursion and it was a good way to combine some sightseeing and transportation. Other excursions will feature Stonehenge and then Heathrow. You can also book private taxi/tours with the same itinerary. We felt that the ship's tour was relatively cost effective and made for an easy departure day.

PNW Traveler: Do you remember what time you got to the airport and what time you left the ship? We have a flight that leaves at 4:20pm and the Princess excursion states you must have a flight after 4:00pm. I am guessing that you have to reserve the transfer/tour while onboard since it is not showing up on the shore excursions to book. We wanted to do the one to Stonehenge but don't know if we will have time.

Thank you.

I'll be cruising out of Southampton on May. I need transportation recommendations from after the cruise to Heathrow airport.:confused: Any advise?

When you fly into Heathrow and are ready to go just ask for directions to get to the trains. If going a day ahead of cruise they will tell you how to take the Express to London, you would want one way if you go to Southampton by train from London. At all stations there is great help, just find a person who works there, they are everywhere in uniform and they will help you. You can also purchase your ticket to return to airport from Southampton at this time.

Think that the private hire companies mentioned are the easiest, if not the cheapest, if you are not too confident. They'll take you to the correct terminal at LHR and you won't have to manage you luggage.

How many people in your party? Could make the car more cost effective.

When you fly into Heathrow and are ready to go just ask for directions to get to the trains. If going a day ahead of cruise they will tell you how to take the Express to London, you would want one way if you go to Southampton by train from London. At all stations there is great help, just find a person who works there, they are everywhere in uniform and they will help you. You can also purchase your ticket to return to airport from Southampton at this time.

Ouch.

The Asheville sailors usually give good advice on CC - but not on this occasion.

If travelling from Heathrow to Southampton or vice-versa by train the simplest & cheapest & quickest way is to buy a rail ticket which gets you onto a shuttlebus from Heathrow to a mainline station (usually Woking, sometimes Reading, depending on the time) about 30 mins from Heathrow, where you board a direct train to Southampton.

This avoids going into central London's Paddington station then either out again to Reading & change trains, or cross central London by taxi or by tube (with luggage :eek:) to London Waterloo for a direct train to Southampton (which passes quite close to Heathrow and includes a stop at the afore-mentioned Woking station).

But all that's by-the-by.

Because of the rail's shuttlebus & then hauling bags from bus stand to train platform at Woking or Reading, or Asheville sailors' difficult & time-consuming central London route, it's way easier (and half the cost or less) to take the Nat Express coach direct from Heathrow to Southampton or vice-versa.

Alternatively the private transfer operators quoted earlier in this thread.

Or ships' coach transfers if travelling on departure/arrival day, though the value-for-money is rather questionable.

Or the privately-operated cruisetourbus, especially good for transfer from ship, via sights, to hotel at Heathrow or in central London.

http://www.londontoolkit.com/travel/heathrow_southampton.htm

Not so good the other way round because of the hard-and-fast mid-afternoon ship registration time. Also on that page a précis of the other options (the car services advertised on there are quite expensive), and on other pages of that valuable website lots of excellent logistical info about London, Southampton, and other SE ports.

Going back to that shuttle-plus-train option from Heathrow to Southampton. It does have a couple of advantages - no need to pre-book, and excellent frequency at two trains per hour. So although it comes low on a list of preferences, its a very useful last-minute Plan B to get to the ship in good time if other arrangements go belly-up.

JB :)

Ouch.

The Asheville sailors usually give good advice on CC - but not on this occasion.

If travelling from Heathrow to Southampton or vice-versa by train the simplest & cheapest & quickest way is to buy a rail ticket which gets you onto a shuttlebus from Heathrow to a mainline station (usually Woking, sometimes Reading, depending on the time) about 30 mins from Heathrow, where you board a direct train to Southampton.

This avoids going into central London's Paddington station then either out again to Reading & change trains, or cross central London by taxi or by tube (with luggage :eek:) to London Waterloo for a direct train to Southampton (which passes quite close to Heathrow and includes a stop at the afore-mentioned Woking station).

 

But all that's by-the-by.

Because of the rail's shuttlebus & then hauling bags from bus stand to train platform at Woking or Reading, or Asheville sailors' difficult & time-consuming central London route, it's way easier (and half the cost or less) to take the Nat Express coach direct from Heathrow to Southampton or vice-versa.

 

Alternatively the private transfer operators quoted earlier in this thread.

 

Or ships' coach transfers if travelling on departure/arrival day, though the value-for-money is rather questionable.

 

Or the privately-operated cruisetourbus, especially good for transfer from ship, via sights, to hotel at Heathrow or in central London.

http://www.londontoolkit.com/travel/heathrow_southampton.htm

Not so good the other way round because of the hard-and-fast mid-afternoon ship registration time. Also on that page a précis of the other options (the car services advertised on there are quite expensive), and on other pages of that valuable website lots of excellent logistical info about London, Southampton, and other SE ports.

 

Going back to that shuttle-plus-train option from Heathrow to Southampton. It does have a couple of advantages - no need to pre-book, and excellent frequency at two trains per hour. So although it comes low on a list of preferences, its a very useful last-minute Plan B to get to the ship in good time if other arrangements go belly-up.

 

JB :)

Thank you so much for this complete info! We need to get from Heathrow to Southampton and the choices you offer are so complete! I have an additional question...when we disembark in Southampton we need to get to Edinburgh. It appears the only airline out of the airport in Southampton is FlyBe?? I'm not familiar with that at all....is it best to go that route or take a transfer to Heathrow and then fly from there? Do you have any suggestions? The train seems like a long haul!!! Any help is welcomed!! LuAnn (LOVE your quote at the bottom...I look dead in my photo!!)

Thank you so much for this complete info! We need to get from Heathrow to Southampton and the choices you offer are so complete! I have an additional question...when we disembark in Southampton we need to get to Edinburgh. It appears the only airline out of the airport in Southampton is FlyBe?? I'm not familiar with that at all....is it best to go that route or take a transfer to Heathrow and then fly from there? Do you have any suggestions? The train seems like a long haul!!! Any help is welcomed!! LuAnn (LOVE your quote at the bottom...I look dead in my photo!!)

Flights from Southampton to Edinburgh by http://www.flybe.com/

To get a total fare you do need to go through a dummy booking for your date & flight time - like most other budget airlines, Flybe's fares are flexible depending on booking levels, generally more expensive closer to the date. And the base fare doesn't include luggage, you'll find those rates during a dummy booking, plus possibly other add-ons.

Add about £15 for a pre-booked private transfer from ship to airport, and £? for transfer from airport into Edinburgh

Can't help with flights from London Heathrow or London Gatwick, other than that the Nat Express bus is best to Heathrow as per previous post, and that (other than sundays) the train is best for Gatwick - direct hourly service, journey time 2 hours, station is in Gatwick south terminal, advance fares from £15

http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/service/planjourney/search

For trains all the way to Edinburgh, avoid options which involve a change of train in London - you then have to cross central London to another station for the Edinburgh train. Much easier using a cross-country route with a change at Birmingham or York.

Best for value & convenience on a random weekday date seems to be 9.46am from Southampton, change trains at York, arrive Edinburgh 5.22pm, costing £50.90 pp for an advance non-amendable ticket. Buying tickets on-the-day will cost a great deal more.

One other factor.

On random dates Flybe include Edinburgh flights at 8.45am and 12.35 or 1pm.

Latest check-in is 30 minutes out and you need to allow up to 40 minutes to the airport in weekday commuter traffic.

So the 8.45 flight involves unassisted disembarkation and a small level of risk.

The later flight would mean you getting to central Edinburgh mebbe two hours before the train.

I'll leave you to do the maths ;)

Which will probably change between calculation & booking. :p

JB :)

Alternatively you can book a private taxi. Try one of these:

http://www.westquaycars.com/

http://www.smithsforairports.com/

http://www.advancedairportcars.co.uk/

 

All have been recommended by people on this forum. Price should be around 80GBP for the car.

Based on my personal experience with Advanced Airport Cars, I cannot recommend them. A couple of years ago, several of us on our Roll Call booked them well in advance to be picked up upon disembarkation in Southampton and be dropped off at our London hotels. Along the way, we had stops at Salisbury and Stonehenge.

To make a long story short, the driver did not show up to meet us at the terminal on time, he did not know where he was to take us in London, he could not find his way around Salisbury, and he was utterly lost in London and nearly had a meltdown. It was exceedingly unpleasant and stressful, for the driver and for us.

I have an additional question...when we disembark in Southampton we need to get to Edinburgh. It appears the only airline out of the airport in Southampton is FlyBe?? I'm not familiar with that at all....is it best to go that route or take a transfer to Heathrow and then fly from there?

Flights from Southampton to Edinburgh by http://www.flybe.com/

To get a total fare you do need to go through a dummy booking for your date & flight time - like most other budget airlines, Flybe's fares are flexible depending on booking levels, generally more expensive closer to the date. And the base fare doesn't include luggage, you'll find those rates during a dummy booking, plus possibly other add-ons.

Add about £15 for a pre-booked private transfer from ship to airport, and £? for transfer from airport into Edinburgh

 

Can't help with flights from London Heathrow or London Gatwick, other than that the Nat Express bus is best to Heathrow as per previous post, and that (other than sundays) the train is best for Gatwick - direct hourly service, journey time 2 hours, station is in Gatwick south terminal, advance fares from £15

http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/service/planjourney/search

 

For trains all the way to Edinburgh, avoid options which involve a change of train in London - you then have to cross central London to another station for the Edinburgh train. Much easier using a cross-country route with a change at Birmingham or York.

Best for value & convenience on a random weekday date seems to be 9.46am from Southampton, change trains at York, arrive Edinburgh 5.22pm, costing £50.90 pp for an advance non-amendable ticket. Buying tickets on-the-day will cost a great deal more.

 

One other factor.

On random dates Flybe include Edinburgh flights at 8.45am and 12.35 or 1pm.

Latest check-in is 30 minutes out and you need to allow up to 40 minutes to the airport in weekday commuter traffic.

So the 8.45 flight involves unassisted disembarkation and a small level of risk.

The later flight would mean you getting to central Edinburgh mebbe two hours before the train.

 

I'll leave you to do the maths ;)

Which will probably change between calculation & booking. :p

 

JB :)

Thank you so much!!! Re the train...if we did that do you know what the route is like re "sightseeing"??? Would the transfer at York involve a great distance re terminals...since we would have our luggage? (just 1 large suitcase each) My friend in Scotland discouraged me from FlyBe...have you flown them? I realize they are a "low cost airline" and EVERYTHING appears to be extra!! Do you know how long the Nat Express bus takes to get from Southampton to Heathrow?

Thanks again...I promise if you come to California you can ask me anything and I will help!!!! :p LuAnn

If you're thinking of flying to Edinburgh and Flybe have a flight from Southampton that works for timing, it would really make no sense to haul yourself off to either Heathrow or Gatwick to fly from there. That would be a bit like disembarking in Tampa and then transferring to Miami simply in order to fly to Atlanta.

I understand what you are saying...but I have been discouraged from flying FlyBe...have you flown them? And we are travelling with a couple and there is only 1 flight that day that has 4 seats still...and I am concerned that we all won't get on the same flight...with each of us booking separately...I guess I could book all 4!! We have flown "low cost" before...think flying to Prague...and it worked out ok...LuAnn

Thank you so much!!! Re the train...if we did that do you know what the route is like re "sightseeing"??? Would the transfer at York involve a great distance re terminals...since we would have our luggage? (just 1 large suitcase each) My friend in Scotland discouraged me from FlyBe...have you flown them? I realize they are a "low cost airline" and EVERYTHING appears to be extra!! Do you know how long the Nat Express bus takes to get from Southampton to Heathrow?

 

Thanks again...I promise if you come to California you can ask me anything and I will help!!!! :p LuAnn

I don't know York station, but the rail website says you arrive at platform 10, & fifteen minutes later your onward train departs from platform 9 - so its not going to be a million miles.:)

I don't recall ever having taken the train on that route, but I'm guessing it'll be mainly pleasant countryside and a "different" take in towns - folks' back yards & such.

Haven't flown Flybe, they're a comparatively small airline but well-established.

The bus to Heathrow takes about 2 hours, but like Globaliser I don't see the point of flying from there instead of Southampton.

JB :)

I understand what you are saying...but I have been discouraged from flying FlyBe...have you flown them? And we are travelling with a couple and there is only 1 flight that day that has 4 seats still...and I am concerned that we all won't get on the same flight...with each of us booking separately...I guess I could book all 4!! We have flown "low cost" before...think flying to Prague...and it worked out ok...LuAnn

Are you sure there are only 4 seats left?.

Airline websites often state this but what they actually mean is 4 seats left at this fare.

Flybe do have a sale on at the moment so your flight may be included.

Just don't buy extras you don't need although if you wanted to sit together and all booked separately you might need to book seats.

I fly several times a month with Flybe and have had very few problems with them over the years

Thank you so much!!! Re the train...if we did that do you know what the route is like re "sightseeing"??? Would the transfer at York involve a great distance re terminals...since we would have our luggage? (just 1 large suitcase each) My friend in Scotland discouraged me from FlyBe...have you flown them? I realize they are a "low cost airline" and EVERYTHING appears to be extra!! Do you know how long the Nat Express bus takes to get from Southampton to Heathrow?

 

Thanks again...I promise if you come to California you can ask me anything and I will help!!!! :p LuAnn

The Pest!!! :D JB...when I go on the National Rail site the calendar only goes up to the end of April...does that sound right???? Would the schedules change much in the summer (we will be travelling on a Saturday July 11th)?? Can I just "project" that the schedule/prices would be similar...and which station would I want in Southampton?? Southampton Central SOU or Southampton 151??? HELP!!!! LuAnn

The Pest!!! :D JB...when I go on the National Rail site the calendar only goes up to the end of April...does that sound right???? Would the schedules change much in the summer (we will be travelling on a Saturday July 11th)?? Can I just "project" that the schedule/prices would be similar...and which station would I want in Southampton?? Southampton Central SOU or Southampton 151??? HELP!!!! LuAnn

The train timetable only goes out 12 weeks - but it'll almost-certainly be the same.:)

Yes, SOU, Southampton central.

I think 151 is a code for "all stations" in the city. More useful for London, where folk don't know which station serves which routes.

JB :)

I understand what you are saying...but I have been discouraged from flying FlyBe...have you flown them?

It would be interesting to know how often your discouraging friends in Scotland (a) fly anywhere; and (b) have flown Flybe.

how long would take to get to LHR from H10 Hotel on waterloo road. we will be travelling by taxi and leaving on a Wednesday, thanks

how long would take to get to LHR from H10 Hotel on waterloo road. we will be travelling by taxi and leaving on a Wednesday, thanks

Takes at least an hour by road. I would add 30 minutes or so for wiggle room. Don't forget you need to be at Heathrow a couple of hours before your flight time.

Takes at least an hour by road. I would add 30 minutes or so for wiggle room. Don't forget you need to be at Heathrow a couple of hours before your flight time.

Thanks for the info.My flight is at 9:45 and i have a pick up at 7:30. i'm going from LHR to Paris

Takes at least an hour by road. I would add 30 minutes or so for wiggle room. Don't forget you need to be at Heathrow a couple of hours before your flight time.

Thanks for the info.My flight is at 9:45 and i have a pick up at 7:30. i'm going from LHR to Paris

Oooh that seems a bit close. You don't want to be stuck in security:eek:

Perhaps an hour earlier pick up.

Bob++ should be along to give you advice:)

My flight is at 9:45 and i have a pick up at 7:30. i'm going from LHR to Paris

If you're going into central Paris, then it makes no sense to start from that hotel and fly. (Actually, some would say that it's close to madness to do that.) Your better bet is a 20-minute taxi trip to St Pancras International, a 30-minute check-in for Eurostar, and a 2¼-hour trip on the train directly to central Paris. If you did that, from the same start time from your hotel you could already be in central Paris by the time your flight would actually leave the ground at Heathrow.

Even if for some reason you have to fly to Paris, you'd do a lot better to try to get a flight (if you can) from London City Airport than from Heathrow.

I would echo the chorus who say that a 7.30 am pick-up is too late for a 9.45 am flight on a weekday.