Taking cruise from Southampton - Questions!

We're planning a Princess Cruise from Southampton, UK on Tuesday, 10 August. However, we plan to fly into London at least 2-3 days earlier and see the sights. Our ship will return to Southampton early the morning of Saturday, 21 August. We plan to fly home later that afternoon if a flight is available, otherwise the following day (Sunday).

 

I'm hoping someone has recently had such an adventure and would be kind enough to share what they learned...............

 

1. Recommendations where to stay for the 2-3 night before the cruise? Our budget is fairly modest and I know already prices will be a shock.....We don't need anything fancy, just clean and safe.

 

2. Recommendations into which airport to fly: Heathrow or Gatwick. And why, please.

 

3. Assuming we are at the hotel recommended in #1 above, what's a good way to get transported to the Southampton cruise ship terminal (Princess). By good I mean economical.....we do not need door to door limo service, but a shuttle bus or similar would be nice.

 

4. I have looked at Orbitz and a few other airline sights.......the prices all seem within $200 of each other. Any recommendations of what online sights I might try?

 

Thanks for any help ya'll can give me.

1. Recommendations where to stay for the 2-3 night before the cruise? Our budget is fairly modest and I know already prices will be a shock.....We don't need anything fancy, just clean and safe.

 

There are a plethora of small B&B-style hotels in London of various levels of acceptability. You could also look at the budget chain Travelodge, which have some quite cheap rates and several Central London locations. Also, look into self-catering holiday rentals on sites like VRBO - larger than just a room and having kitchen facilities helps keep food costs down.

 

2. Recommendations into which airport to fly: Heathrow or Gatwick. And why, please.

 

Even-steven really. LGW has the advantage of direct train service to Southampton, but as you are going to London before this is immaterial. I would go with price and times as driving forces for deciding on air rather than LHR or LGW.

 

3. Assuming we are at the hotel recommended in #1 above, what's a good way to get transported to the Southampton cruise ship terminal (Princess). By good I mean economical.....we do not need door to door limo service, but a shuttle bus or similar would be nice.

 

Train from Waterloo station or bus from Victoria seem to be the top choices. I'm a train gal myself, but I believe the bus is cheaper.

 

 

4. I have looked at Orbitz and a few other airline sights.......the prices all seem within $200 of each other. Any recommendations of what online sights I might try?

 

Always go here to check on airfares (got link from the Air board): http://matrix.itasoftware.com/ . You can't book there, but it gives you an idea what's out there.

2. Recommendations into which airport to fly: Heathrow or Gatwick. And why, please.

It matters relatively little, for the reasons that Twickenham rightly gives. The main constraint, I think, is whether you'll be able to find a flight back to the US at a price and time to suit you, as you're planning to fly straight back when you disembark.

 

There's lots of help on this forum about hotels in London. You just need to do some searching and some (hours) of reading to absorb the accumulated wisdom.

We did this last year and in 2007.

Last year we stayed near Paddington Station - the Heathrow Connect takes you right there from the airport. Because we were taking a couple nights in Canterbury, we left our cruise bags at the Left Baggage at Heathrow. It was about $100 (64 GBP) for the two bags at 8 GBP/day/bag. We dropped off the bags, got the Connect and were at Paddington Station before midnight, having arrived before 9:00 pm. We prefer the daytime flight since it is less disorienting. The next day we took the Underground to Victoria Station where we got the train to Canterbury. Two days later we did the reverse, staying again at the hotel near Paddington.

 

1. Recommendations where to stay for the 2-3 night before the cruise? Our budget is fairly modest and I know already prices will be a shock.....We don't need anything fancy, just clean and safe.

?? don't know. We stayed at a Comfort Inn I think, but I didn't pay so don't remember the prices. My niece uses Priceline, but we never have.

 

2. Recommendations into which airport to fly: Heathrow or Gatwick. And why, please.

We fly into Heathrow because they have daytime flights.

3. Assuming we are at the hotel recommended in #1 above, what's a good way to get transported to the Southampton cruise ship terminal (Princess). By good I mean economical.....we do not need door to door limo service, but a shuttle bus or similar would be nice.

 

We did the Princess transfers from Heathrow. Just gave them a flight that was scheduled to arrive at the time we wanted to be there, got the Heathrow Connect from Paddington and found the Princess person and checked in after getting our bags.

However, it seems you could get a train/bus to Gatwick and then to Southampton if you are able to drag your bags OK. We always have entirely too much luggage to take a lot of public transport. You also might find someone on your roll call who wants to share a car service. We did it once with Woodford Chauffeurs and were very happy with the results. Since we were sharing with another couple, it wasn't much or any more than the transfers.

 

4. I have looked at Orbitz and a few other airline sights.......the prices all seem within $200 of each other. Any recommendations of what online sights I might try? Someone on this site recommended itasoftware.com.

I've also used Sidestep to gather information. I usually book directly with the airline website though because my son-in-law booked with Orbitz and daughter booked directly with Virgin. When they had to change the flight, she had no trouble, he had nightmares of problems, costing him a lot.

 

Thanks for any help ya'll can give me.

Regarding London - Southampton, the economical ways are train or coach.

 

Train - London Waterloo to Soton (short for Southampton) trains run at least every hour and trip is about 90 mins. Usual fare is around £30, but if you go on www.megatrain.co.uk about 4 weeks before your trip, you can usually get it for £1 (yes, £1!).

London Victoria to Soton takes around 2 1/2 hrs. Same basic price, but again booking several weeks early on www.southernrailways.co.uk you can get it for around £3.50

 

Coach - Greyhound started a service to Soton at the end of last year. It leaves from beside Victoria station and was £1 each (not sure if it still is).

National Express coaches leave from Victoria Coach station and funfares can be around £5, but I have seen it at 99p one way. The trip takes just under 2hrs.

 

Taxis from train or bus station to the cruise terminal will be around £5 -£7

 

Simon

We are booked on the August 22 Crown cruise and are using the Princess transfer package($98) for coach transfers from Victoria Station to Southampton, and return from Southampton to a London airport. We found a hotel at Victoria Station for two nights before our cruise(The Grosvenor Hotel,101 Buckingham Palace Road)

some thoughts-

Hotel recommendation is the Luna-Simone on Belgrave near Victoria Station 100 GBP/nite.

Airport- as others have said- price and timing of flights would be the critical consideration.

Transfers might be less $$ if you use a private service. We are 8 using Adelphi Executive Car Hire for 300 GBP r/t from the our hotel to Southampton and return which is around 38 GBP pp. If the dollar is valued at 50 cents to the pound we are at $76 for the transfer (hopefully the exchange rate will be better than this estimate!).

We landed in Heathrow and reserved http://www.justairports.com (private car service) for 30-34 GBP per car (depending on size of car) to take us to our hotel in the Victoria area. It takes about 45 mins-1 hour ride with no struggling with luggage and not knowing where to go.

 

Booked Thistle Westminster through http://www.bhrc.co.uk - cheaper than going through the hotel. Across the street from Buckingham Palace, and the Royal Mews.

 

Walked a few blocks to National Express Coach Victoria http://www.nationalexpress.com to catch the bus to Southampton. A few months in advance of our cruise was able to get the 5 GBP/pp funfare price. The bus was a couple of hours, very comfortable with a bathroom on board. Taxi to Princess pier was 5-7 GBP. The bus on the return stopped at Heathrow.

 

Victoria area was 2 Hop On/Hop Off bus companies, regular bus, stores, pubs, restaurants, Buckingham Palace, Royal Mews, Royal Gallery, National Express Coach and Rail within walking distance.

 

The Luna-Simone B&B has no elevator if taking the stairs are a problem and taking the luggage up.

 

If you check out the different website for the tourist attractions, sometimes you can save GBP. Here are a few; http://www.londoneye.com, http://www.theoriginaltours.com, http://www.bigbustours.com, http://www.londonpass.com.

 

The time you are in London you can visit The State Rooms of Buckingham Palace and Gardens. They are open July 27 - Sept 29, 2010 and the price is 17 GBP/pp or 30.50 for the Palace, Royal Mews, and Royal Gallery. http://www.royalcollection.org.uk.

I really like http://www.alhambrahotel.com/ It's a great location, and extremely convenient if using the Gatwick trains into London. I then took Express Bus, to Southampton. Got to the bus station via tube and a couple blocks walk.

If the dollar is valued at 50 cents to the pound we are at $76 for the transfer (hopefully the exchange rate will be better than this estimate!).

 

Huh?? It's currently $1.62 for 1 pound. 2008 it was $2 for 1 pound.

We are booked on the August 22 Crown cruise and are using the Princess transfer package($98) for coach transfers from Victoria Station to Southampton, and return from Southampton to a London airport. We found a hotel at Victoria Station for two nights before our cruise(The Grosvenor Hotel,101 Buckingham Palace Road)

 

What are the details of this "transfer" package for comparism? This is a good deal for 2 round trip.

National Express bus, is about $35 round trip pp, sometimes discounts available. Plus $10+ cab ride to the cruise terminal from the bus station.

...

There's lots of help on this forum about hotels in London. You just need to do some searching and some (hours) of reading to absorb the accumulated wisdom.

 

That's the truth! :D

 

I started doing that yesterday and there is a TON of info! It quickly became apparent to me my wife and I need to first decide what we want to see in the days we have prior to sailing, then find an appropriate hotel.

 

I ordered Rick Steve's guidebook to help us decide what we want to see. I'd forgotten just how much area London is.

"...the Heathrow Connect takes you right there from the airport...."

"....We did the Princess transfers from Heathrow....."

 

Are these the same thing, the transfer that Pricess offers? The cost seemed very high, but the convenience might justify that.

 

I am planning on joining the Roll Call for our cruise today and start checking around for fellow travelers who want to share transportation, etc. We did that on our CCL cruise from "Rome" and it saved us a TON of money! We did the same thing on that cruise, we fly into Rome and spend 4-5 days and had a wonderful time.

 

Thanks for the advice!

Thanks for that great information on the transportation, Simon. That's gonna be very helpful.

We are booked on the August 22 Crown cruise and are using the Princess transfer package($98) for coach transfers from Victoria Station to Southampton, and return from Southampton to a London airport. We found a hotel at Victoria Station for two nights before our cruise(The Grosvenor Hotel,101 Buckingham Palace Road)

 

The Princess transfer does make it much more convenient. But that $98 is per person, and per transfer? That is, for a couple 4 * $98 = $392?

 

Thanks for the hotel info also!

some thoughts-

Hotel recommendation is the Luna-Simone on Belgrave near Victoria Station 100 GBP/nite.

Airport- as others have said- price and timing of flights would be the critical consideration.

Transfers might be less $$ if you use a private service. We are 8 using Adelphi Executive Car Hire for 300 GBP r/t from the our hotel to Southampton and return which is around 38 GBP pp........... .

 

Thanks, I'll check out that hotel and your suggestion for transportation. I need to join the Roll Call for this cruise to see if I can find others to share the transportation cost.

Thanks for all that great info. This is the 3rd or 4th time I've seen the Thistle Westminster hotel suggested on CC.

Huh?? It's currently $1.62 for 1 pound. 2008 it was $2 for 1 pound.

 

I think the other poster said it backwards.......about .5 English pound to one USD. Yes, the exchange rate is a little better than in was, which is partly the reason we're going now! Maybe it will be even better in August!:cool:

What are the details of this "transfer" package for comparism? This is a good deal for 2 round trip.

National Express bus, is about $35 round trip pp, sometimes discounts available. Plus $10+ cab ride to the cruise terminal from the bus station.

 

I am not positive, but I think that price is per person, per trip. In other words, round trip for 2 persons would be 4 * $98.

It quickly became apparent to me my wife and I need to first decide what we want to see in the days we have prior to sailing, then find an appropriate hotel.

 

A very good strategy. What is best for one person isn't necessarily best for another - you need to chose what's best for you.

 

"...the Heathrow Connect takes you right there from the airport...."

"....We did the Princess transfers from Heathrow....."

 

Are these the same thing, the transfer that Pricess offers? The cost seemed very high, but the convenience might justify that.

 

Heathrow Connect is a train service that goes from LHR to Paddington station. It uses the same tracks as the Heathrow Express, but stops along the way, which makes it both slower (25 min. vs. 15 min.) and cheaper.

There are too many good, easy transportation options from London for the Princess transfer from Victoria to Southampton to be anywhere near a good deal. You're essentially paying $80 bucks to save a taxi ride.

Princess has charged us $196 for coach transfers from Victoria Station to Southampton , and return from Southampton to a London airport. The price is for both my wife and myself.

"...the Heathrow Connect takes you right there from the airport...."

"....We did the Princess transfers from Heathrow....."

 

Are these the same thing, the transfer that Pricess offers? The cost seemed very high, but the convenience might justify that.

The way I read it, that poster stayed near Paddington pre-cruise, went from the hotel to Paddington station, took the train to Heathrow, then took the Princess transfer from Heathrow to the ship.

 

Now, I can think of some circumstances in which this might be a good idea for someone. But if you're intending to see London during your pre-cruise stay, I would strongly advise against this. It's not a good idea for many reasons, including:-

• Paddington is quite a long way away from most London sights, so it's a pain to get between your hotel and what you want to see.
• Taking the Heathrow Connect still leaves you with a significant walk from the train station at Heathrow to wherever the transfer departs from.
• The Heathrow Connect a relatively slow way of getting to Heathrow, even if you're starting from Paddington.

Even if you were staying at Paddington, I would recommend a taxi to Waterloo station, a fast train to Southampton Central and then another taxi to the ship.

I suggest you recheck your schedule. We will be on the same cruise and our itenary shows the Crown Priness docking in Southampton on Sunday August 22 at 5:00 am.

 

We have the same questions on the best way to get from London to Southampton for the start of the cruise on Tuesday Aug 10 and then to Heathrow airport in time for a 12:15 flight on Sunday August 22. In reading other postings several options have been suggested, National Express, Grayhound, Priness transfers and private transfers.

 

I will keep following the postings on the best transfers.

Even if you were staying at Paddington, I would recommend a taxi to Waterloo station, a fast train to Southampton Central and then another taxi to the ship.

 

No, I wouldn't

Train Paddington to Reading;

Train Reading to Southampton

 

It's about the same speed at the regular Waterloo-Southampton run at 1h26m

 

dep 11:15 London Paddington [PAD] Plat.8

arr 11:39 Reading [RDG] Plat.4

 

dep 11:46 Reading [RDG] Plat.8

arr 12:41 Southampton Central [sOU] Plat.4

Simon,

Thankyou for the great information about the inexpensive prices.Are they always available as long as you get them in the time frame of several weeks ahead?

Thanks again,

June