Help! Southampton to Airport?

Hello! Looking at a last minute transatlantic cruise on the Independence of the Seas to Southampton!

I have never cruised into or out of Southampton before! As this is last minute, I need some help.

How would I get from the port to Gatwick? Would it be best to stay overnight? If so, where, and how would I get there (easily... With my luggage). Approximate transportation cost?

Thanks in advance!

Here is a website I find most helpful:

http://www.londontoolkit.com

It has a great deal of in depth info.

Also, don't disregard a cruise line transfer offer completely.

We're sailing out of Southampton in April, & found the Princess transfer to be the best option for our needs.

It cost $54 USD per person, one way from LHR to the pier. So we don't have to hump our own bags, or deal with taxi to get us from train/bus station to the pier.

Hope this helps.:)

You'll get lots of information about transport from Southampton to the airports on the British Isles Ports of Call page here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=233

Very easy by train (except on sundays).

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

Hourly direct service from Southampton Central station to the South Terminal at Gatwick airport. Journey time about 2 hrs,, fare about £15.

A 15 minute walk or about £6 for a taxi from Indy's berth at City cruise terminal to the station. Driverless shuttle between Gatwick's South & North Terminals.

No direct trains on a sunday, and sometimes train journeys on sundays involve shuttle buses here & there due to track maintenance work.

So book the journey by coach (bus) if it's a sunday (or any day of the week if it's your preferred transportation).

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

About the same cost as the train but a longer journey time at about 2.5 hrs, poorer frequency, and you do need to pre-book to be sure of your seats.

A private transfer will cost around £100 to £130, journey time something under two hours but very dependent on traffic, which in turn usually depends which day-of-the-week.

I believe cruise lines suggest flight times no earlier than 1pm for their ship's transfer coaches. RCI's transfers have tended to be a lot more expensive than Princess for exactly the same service using exactly the same coach operators - I used to drive them, and Cunard & RCI were always more expensive than the others.

That 1pm flight time holds good for train travel too.

For National Express the earliest coach you could get would be the 9.35am so a flight time of no earlier than 2.30pm.

For a private transfer if you disembarked carrying your own luggage (about 7am) I'd suggest a flight time of no earlier than 11am at a weekend, noon on a weekday.

For flights before those times, a hotel at Gatwick & fly next day.

JB :)

We used national express, very nice buses, a short walk from the ship.

Thank you so much for the replies! So it sounds like it would be easy to fly out after all. And the flight I'm looking at is at 1:15pm from Gatwick.

Thank you so much for the replies! So it sounds like it would be easy to fly out after all. And the flight I'm looking at is at 1:15pm from Gatwick.

On current timetable, you won't make the 7.10am Nat Express bus, and the next one (9.35am) gets to Gatwick at noon & that's way too close.

Other avenues look fine. :)

Including the train, assuming its not a sunday. On current timetable the 9.13am gets to Gatwick at 11.06am, which is OK - but since it's a long swim to Canada I think I'd play safe & catch the 8.10 (arrives 10.06) even though to be sure to be at the station in time that means unassisted disembarkation, around 7am - 7.15

Happy landings

JB :)

Do I have to pre-select a train time? Do they ever fill up? How far is the team from the pier and how would I get there?

Also any idea how much the RCI transfer is to Gatwick, and what time it would get me there?

Thanks so much!

Do I have to pre-select a train time? Do they ever fill up? How far is the team from the pier and how would I get there?

 

Also any idea how much the RCI transfer is to Gatwick, and what time it would get me there?

 

Thanks so much!

For the train I think you get a bit of a discount by pre-purchase, don't know if that involves committing to a time. Run a dummy booking to check. But you don't have to pre-purchase, you can buy at the station, cash or card - no worries about availability.

City Cruise Terminal to rail station three minutes or less in a cab, about 15 on foot, very close.

First ship's transfer coach will leave about 8am, which puts it at Gatwick around 10.30 depending on traffic. Can't help re cost - but a couple of years back they were charging $101 to Heathrow airport, which is closer than Gatwick. Ask RCI.

If the choice is between RCI & train, no urgency to choose.

JB :)

Would it be best to stay overnight? If so, where, and how would I get there (easily... With my luggage).

If you overnight at LGW, I recommend the Hilton London Gatwick Hotel.

We stayed there a few years ago, & it was comfortable enough.

The hotel is attached to the airport, so you will walk to the terminal, easily & all indoors. No hassle with catching a taxi, or those inconvenient overcrowded buses that pick up at airport hotels & drop off at the terminals.

Thank you for all of your replies! I booked the cruise today and booked my flight for the same day as I will need to be back at work. Royal Caribbean advised that any flight after 12:30 out of Gatwick would be fine.

They quoted me $124CAD for 1 person on their shuttle to the airport. It's quite expensive, but given the fact that I will be traveling solo and have a short timeline to get to the airport, I will likely book their transfer to make life easier.

Does anybody know what time their transfers typically start? For instance if I did express walk-off first thing in the morning, would the buses be running yet?

Thanks once again!!!

.....Does anybody know what time their transfers typically start? For instance if I did express walk-off first thing in the morning, would the buses be running yet?

 

Thanks once again!!!

I don't know how this line does it, but one of the complaints I have heard with Celebrity bus transfers is that it can take quite a while for the bus to fill up...and they won't leave until full.

That is why many won't book ship transfers.

We are currently investigating for our sept MSC cruise in September from Southampton.

Many great threads about transport.

I think we are going to rent a car to go back to London since we decided to stay over one night before heading home. But if we were not renting, I think I would have decided to take the train that goes to gatwick without any switching.

Have a great trip.

Thank you for all of your replies! I booked the cruise today and booked my flight for the same day as I will need to be back at work. Royal Caribbean advised that any flight after 12:30 out of Gatwick would be fine.

 

They quoted me $124CAD for 1 person on their shuttle to the airport. It's quite expensive, but given the fact that I will be traveling solo and have a short timeline to get to the airport, I will likely book their transfer to make life easier.

 

Does anybody know what time their transfers typically start? For instance if I did express walk-off first thing in the morning, would the buses be running yet?

 

Thanks once again!!!

RCI (and Cunard) do seem to charge more for transfers than other cruise lines.

I used to drive transfers for all cruise lines, the routine is very similar for all of them.

Unassisted disembarkation is usually from 7am. That would certainly guarantee that you'd get a seat on the first Gatwick coach (always used to be a free-for-all with folk not allocated to a particular Gatwick coach), but the first coach to Gatwick won't fill & leave until about 8am. The last to leave won't be til gone 9am - that coach mops up the tail, including folk spending the night at Gatwick hotels.

I don't know how this line does it, but one of the complaints I have heard with Celebrity bus transfers is that it can take quite a while for the bus to fill up...and they won't leave until full.

That is why many won't book ship transfers. //

// I think I would have decided to take the train that goes to gatwick without any switching.

 

Have a great trip.

As a driver I've never noticed any difference between Celebrity & the others.

"Full" is about 35 passengers - although most have about 48 seats, the luggage lockers can only cope with about 35. It takes a while to load luggage, but the driver keeps an eye on the line of passengers & their luggage, can gauge where the cut-off will be, and direct the back of the line to the next coach. Passengers sat on one side of the coach may be unaware that the driver is still loading luggage. There's usually 3 or 4 coaches for Gatwick. As soon as he's loaded, he double-checks that all on his coach are bound for his destination, gets an OK from the marshal, and sets off.

Normally there should be no delay after the luggage is loaded - except for the last coach, because of course it's bad form to leave anyone behind ;)

I agree with you about the train.

Much cheaper, and an unassisted disembarkation not only gets you off to an early start, it avoids the hunt for your luggage and avoids any potential lines for immigration or for taxis.

So assuming its not a sunday there should be no difficulty making the 08.10 direct train, with the back-up of the 8.32 (one simple change at Havant) or the 9.13 (direct). Other interim trains (change at Clapham Junction) are a different operator & twice the cost.

No worries :cool:

JB :)