Paris after Cruise

Just booked cruise from Southampton for next spring. Will fly into London and spend one night there and then one night in Southampton. After cruise, going to Paris. Can we do this via Eurostar on the same day the cruise ends or do we need to allow a night in London? Thank you!

Pather

It's not clear what you think the constraint might be? Eurostar runs to Paris roughly once an hour throughout the day up to about 8 pm, so plenty of time to get up to London and catch a train. It takes up to two and a half hours, but don't forget to "add on" an hour to take account of the time difference - leaving London at say 2 pm you will arrive in Paris shortly before 5.30 pm local time.

If you are interested in alternatives, there may be possibilities to fly from Southampton.

Yes, you can easily take the train the day you disembark.

Keith

Just booked cruise from Southampton for next spring. Will fly into London and spend one night there and then one night in Southampton. After cruise, going to Paris. Can we do this via Eurostar on the same day the cruise ends or do we need to allow a night in London? Thank you!

Pather

When my husband and I took Eurostar in the opposite direction, we went through two passport control checkpoints, one French and the other British. Due to problems other people were having in line ahead of us, l estimate those administrative procedures took at least 20 minutes. If you'll face the same passport checks in your direction, choose your train time accordingly.

You probably spotted my use of the word "if". I have a vague recollection that one of our British board regulars once wrote that the procedures were not the same in both directions, although the difference may have been driven more by car VS train than east VS west. At any rate, just find out a few more details before you choose your train time. But, bottom line, definitely do - able on the same day.

Thanks everyone. I didn't realize that there were hourly trains until 8 PM. Assuming we will be off the ship by 9 AM or so, should we allow three or four hours to get to London and book a 1 PM Eurostar? Or, do we even need to pre-book the Eurostar? Will be traveling on a Wednesday. Thanks again!

You definitely should book in advance, and the sooner the better. This from their website: Tickets go on sale between 138 and 190 days before departure. We price the tickets on our trains based on demand and availability, with cheaper tickets often selling out quickest.

You have to check-in 30 minutes before departure, perhaps give yourself at least 45 minutes, even though Wednesday afternoon should not be a particularly busy time.

Thanks. Will definitely buy a ticket as soon as available. Next question is getting from Southampton to the Eurostar station. Assume I would take a train to Waterloo station and then go from there. Is that correct or would the express bus be a better choice? I am thinking that I should be able to make the 13:30 Eurostar to Paris which means getting there by 12:30. Assuming I leave the ship by 9 AM, that would give me 3 1/2 hours to get to the Eurostar station. Is that allowing enough time or should I shoot for a later Eurostar?

Make sure you buy tix at the official site. It's the only one that lets pax select their seats. There are tix agent/broker sites that appear "official", and they've oversold departures to unfortunate travellers in the past.

Once at Gare du Nord, if taking the Metro to wherever you're staying, I suggest buying a round trip fare for your return. Buying train tix at some of the outlying/smaller stations, where there's no tix agent, can be a challenge. Ask me how I know.

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Thanks pseudoware. Will be certain to buy from the official site. We are flying out of Paris so will not be returning to London on Eurostar.

Next question is getting from Southampton to the Eurostar station. Assume I would take a train to Waterloo station and then go from there. Is that correct or would the express bus be a better choice? I am thinking that I should be able to make the 13:30 Eurostar to Paris which means getting there by 12:30. Assuming I leave the ship by 9 AM, that would give me 3 1/2 hours to get to the Eurostar station. Is that allowing enough time or should I shoot for a later Eurostar?

If you're confident of being able to disembark by 9 am, then a 1.30 pm Eurostar ought to be OK. Assume that it takes you 45 minutes to get a taxi to Southampton Central and buy a ticket, plus 30 minutes wait for the next fast train, plus 1¼ hours on the train, plus 30 minutes to get a taxi and get across London. That's three hours, and you'd still have a whole hour of margin before the stated latest check-in time (which is not the deadline actually enforced by Eurostar).

I was wondering if you could buy tickets at the Palace itself or only on line. thanks

Thanks everyone. Suggestions greatly appreciated and will be followed! Pather

There is a mid afternoon direct flight from Southampton to CDG which gets you there at 6:30 or so. This might be an alternative to schlepping up to London and changing.

If you look at prices, be aware that FlyBE charge extra for all checked luggage.

Thanks Bob++. May well decide to do that.

Depending on airline you may be able to add the paris leg on for low cost and still get baggage.

If on a round britain that stops at Le Havre before southampton jump ship and go to paris from there.

Depending on airline you may be able to add the paris leg on for low cost and still get baggage.

 

If on a round britain that stops at Le Havre before southampton jump ship and go to paris from there.

That's my plan -- extra day in Paris :D

Thanks insidecabin. I was wondering about that. I'll be on a Princess ship. Would they allow me to leave at Le Havre? It's the last day of the cruise. Planning to go on a Normandy excursion. Could we then return to the ship, get our bags, and disembark? Or possibly get off with our bags in the morning, drop them at a hotel then go to Normandy on our own?

Thanks insidecabin. I was wondering about that. I'll be on a Princess ship. Would they allow me to leave at Le Havre? It's the last day of the cruise. Planning to go on a Normandy excursion. Could we then return to the ship, get our bags, and disembark? Or possibly get off with our bags in the morning, drop them at a hotel then go to Normandy on our own?

Standard practice on the round Britains with Princess.

Check princess boards/roll calls for the details practicalities.

The loss of one night on the ship saves loads of time.

Will do. Thanks!

From memory, the only stipulation is that you give them advanced notice. Probably before sailing.

I have started process to disembark at Le Havre. Ideally, I would like to take Princess excursion to Normandy during the day and disembark upon return. Not sure if Princess will allow that. If they do, might need to stay in Le Havre disembarkation night and go to Paris the next day. Any suggestions about getting to Paris from Le Havre? Thanks!

I have started process to disembark at Le Havre. Ideally, I would like to take Princess excursion to Normandy during the day and disembark upon return. Not sure if Princess will allow that. If they do, might need to stay in Le Havre disembarkation night and go to Paris the next day. Any suggestions about getting to Paris from Le Havre? Thanks!

Cruisers "do" Normandy in one day all the time. However, if you have anything more than the most minimal interest, touring the beaches and inland towns recaptured during of the first day of the campaign will take at least two days. I suggest you look at a map of Normandy. You'll see that the two American beaches are the farthest distance possible from Le Havre. If you follow through with your current plan to take an excursion from Le Havre and return to the ship, I think you'll end up feeling short-changed.

We visited Normandy as part of an independent land trip and, in two days, we saw the two American beaches (including Point du Hoc and Memorial Museum of Omaha Beach), the American cemetery, the German cemetery, Ste. Mere Eglise (including the Airborne Museum), and the some of the hedgerow countryside. We really had wanted to tour Arromanches to see the museum and the artificial harbor, but that got cut since there is so much to see and we never had plans to visit Sword or Juno or Gold. The two museums we visited are a tiny, tiny fraction of the many museums that a person might visit. I'll also point out that we started each day from our hotel in Bayeux which is much, much, much closer to the beaches than is Le Havre.

I recommend you disembark the ship in Le Havre, and head for a hotel in Bayeux or Caen. Store your luggage at the hotel and spend the remainder of the day on a private tour. Stay overnight in your Normandy hotel. Spend most of second day touring, and catch an evening train to Paris (or depart the next morning.)

If you stay at a hotel in Bayeux, make plans for a delicious splurge meal at Le Rapier.

Thanks Pet Nit Noy. We only have 4 nights post-cruise and want to spend as much time as possible in Paris. We plan on taking a river cruise the next year which would also include Normandy. Between those two visits, we can hopefully cover Normandy adequately.

Hi again. Just found out that to disembark at Le Havre, you have to leave the ship in the morning. I had hoped to take the Normandy excursion and disembark after that but not allowed. Want to spend a day at Normandy. Could we check our bags at a hotel in Le Havre and find a trip to Normandy for the day, staying back in Le Havre that night? Or should we head to Paris and take a trip to Normandy from there the next day?

Thanks!

I would get off in the morning do the tour head to paris same day after the tour.

If you overnight in LeHavre you lose the following moring in Paris.

Get dropped of in Caen train 2hrs.