Princess transfer vs. private car

We're going on a cruise from Southampton in July and I was wondering if anyone has purchased the Princess transfers. If you did, please share any info; I know that private cars are a bit pricy in the UK, but the thought of being stuck in a bus for hours doesn't appeal to me. I was told that the bus ride is two and a half hours.

Can anyone recommend a reliable car service? Thanks for your input.

West Quay Cars are a Southampton based company that are a good benchmark to beat, expect about 140 GBP for a car door to door. Should take anywhere from 90 to 120 minutes depending on where your accommodation is in London time and time of day/traffic conditions.

National Express coaches from Victoria are scheduled to do the trip in just over 2 hours. The 12 GBP fare is routinely discounted by about 50% if you book on-line in advance.

The South West Trains from Waterloo are the fastest and most roomy option taking 75-90 minutes. Standard fare is around 35 GBP but you can get tickets as low as 1 GBP on Megatrain web site for off-peak times of the day.

Frequencies are such that it might be as fast but cheaper and more comfortable to get taxi's either end of the train than a private car all the way.

London is quite spread out, so where your accommodation is in London may be key to your eventual decision.

Thanks for the info.

Not mentioned on this thread, but RaMar's question & Handfordr's response refer to travel to Southampton from central London.

For travel from Heathrow airport, National Express coach is under 2 hrs, about £18, direct service, no discounted fares. Private transfer about £90.

For travel from Gatwick airport, train is under 2 hrs, direct service, fares from £7.50 upwards, no "megatrain" option. Private transfer about £120

JB :)

We're going on a cruise from Southampton in July and I was wondering if anyone has purchased the Princess transfers. If you did, please share any info; I know that private cars are a bit pricy in the UK, but the thought of being stuck in a bus for hours doesn't appeal to me. I was told that the bus ride is two and a half hours.

 

Can anyone recommend a reliable car service? Thanks for your input.

What makes you think a car will be significantly faster? Southampton is not London, they're about 80 miles apart.

We used the Princess transfer 2 years ago. Stress free and a pleasant enough ride with new travel companions. After long flight and a day of sightseeing in London, we considered it quite convenient without having to worry about any private arrangements going awry.

I also toyed with the idea of hiring a car or taking the train or Natl Express coach down.

In the end, we purchased the Princess transfers. Yes, it's cheaper if you book the Natl Express coach on your own, but we figured we'd be so frazzled and jet-lagged from the flight from L.A. that I'd rather get on a bus full of cruisers that goes straight to the port rather than to worry about train/coach that takes you to the station, then to rent another cab to go to the port. A car was crazy expensive for the 2 of us.

It's been said that the coaches they use for Princess are really nice. Mapquest shows Heathrow to Southampton being 75 miles, or a 1 hr. 10 minute ride with no traffic on a weekend, but most folks say its about 90 minutes.

If you have the money to spend on a private car and want a tour of what you're driving by -- that would work perfectly. But if you just want to get there in a comfy coach, the Princess transfers might work for you.

I can't answer about Southampton, but with regard to our transfer between Heathrow and Dover, we have opted for a private transfer to Dover and the Princess transfer back to Heathrow. We are flying in a day early and going directly to Dover, and worked some time in for the driver to stop at Leeds Castle on the way. Since we are heading directly to the airport after disembarking, we decided to use the convenience of the Princess shuttle.:)

I also toyed with the idea of hiring a car or taking the train or Natl Express coach down.

 

In the end, we purchased the Princess transfers. Yes, it's cheaper if you book the Natl Express coach on your own, but we figured we'd be so frazzled and jet-lagged from the flight from L.A. that I'd rather get on a bus full of cruisers that goes straight to the port rather than to worry about train/coach that takes you to the station, then to rent another cab to go to the port. A car was crazy expensive for the 2 of us.

 

It's been said that the coaches they use for Princess are really nice. Mapquest shows Heathrow to Southampton being 75 miles, or a 1 hr. 10 minute ride with no traffic on a weekend, but most folks say its about 90 minutes.

 

If you have the money to spend on a private car and want a tour of what you're driving by -- that would work perfectly. But if you just want to get there in a comfy coach, the Princess transfers might work for you.

Cruise lines charter coaches from a number of operators - the quality varies so it's pot-luck, but all cruise-lines require very respectable minimum standards.

If you get a Princess-liveried coach, that's just a co-incidence cos there's a Southampton coach firm with that name

On a glorious summer saturday the traffic can get a bit clogged in places - you'll be mixing it with Londoners heading for a weekend at the beaches.

60 mins is the bare minimum by car from Heathrow.

90 mins is about right for a coach - but if you're first to board you'll get a sight-seeing tour of Heathrow's terminals as the coach sweeps up passengers :p

JB :)

I can't answer about Southampton, but with regard to our transfer between Heathrow and Dover, we have opted for a private transfer to Dover and the Princess transfer back to Heathrow. We are flying in a day early and going directly to Dover, and worked some time in for the driver to stop at Leeds Castle on the way. Since we are heading directly to the airport after disembarking, we decided to use the convenience of the Princess shuttle.:)

Public transport between Dover and Heathrow or Gatwick is a real chore, involves going into central London & out again.:eek:

For these journeys I always advise either private transfer or ship's transfer.

It appears that you're doing both.;)

With a very pleasant stop on the way down.

Good decisions :)

JB :)

Public transport between Dover and Heathrow or Gatwick is a real chore, involves going into central London & out again.:eek:

 

For these journeys I always advise either private transfer or ship's transfer.

It appears that you're doing both.;)

With a very pleasant stop on the way down.

Good decisions :)

 

JB :)

Especially good since we are arriving in London when the Olympics are under way, and I couldn't imagine schlepping around all that luggage to catch public transportation.:eek: I booked my air, transfers and hotel night in Dover right after I booked the cruise, as I have an inkling that the prices will be higher and the availability reduced the longer we waited.:)

We used the Princess transfers last year and we are doing the same again this year.

Since our flight arrived at Heathrow at 6am, there was a small van waiting for us and another 2 couples. We were at our hotel, checked into our room and taking a nap at 8am.

2 days later our luggage was collected and loaded on a bus. After a short wait, we were on our way to the ship around 11:00am. It was a pleasant drive to Southampton on a clean and comfortable bus with some commentary from the driver.

Yes, it would have been less expensive to use public transport but I am lazy when on vacation !

What makes you think a car will be significantly faster? Southampton is not London, they're about 80 miles apart.

It's not a question about speed. It's more convenience and comfort rather than the amount of time on the road. Does the Princess transfer make several stops along the way to pick up other passengers?

On the way from London to Southampton, we are using Smiths for Airports and have a rate of 155 GBP (will be 10 more because we have a stop on the way to pick up two people staying at another hotel). We have six people. It takes eight. The price for six works out to be about $41 per person, which is $8 less per person than the Princess shuttle at $49. The Princess shuttle also requires paying for a taxi to get to the bus station and then lugging your bags to the Princess bus. But, for the way back, we are using the Princess shuttle to Heathrow since it goes from the ship right to the airport. I am hoping that they just collect your bags overnight and you get them when you get off the bus. Seems easy enough at $49.

On the way from London to Southampton, we are using Smiths for Airports and have a rate of 155 GBP (will be 10 more because we have a stop on the way to pick up two people staying at another hotel). We have six people. It takes eight. The price for six works out to be about $41 per person, which is $8 less per person than the Princess shuttle at $49. The Princess shuttle also requires paying for a taxi to get to the bus station and then lugging your bags to the Princess bus. But, for the way back, we are using the Princess shuttle to Heathrow since it goes from the ship right to the airport. I am hoping that they just collect your bags overnight and you get them when you get off the bus. Seems easy enough at $49.

No big deal, but when you disembark at Southampton you will have to find your bags in the terminal & take them to the bus.

100 yards or less, & there are porters available. The driver will load them.

There will be about 6 to 10 buses for Heathrow, each serving one or mebbe two terminals & you're not allocated a specific bus in advance.

Same applies to all cruise lines.

For Heathrow its cheaper (and much much easier) than the train, & only marginally more expensive than a scheduled National Express coach after allowing for a taxi fare to Southampton coach station.

JB :)

No big deal, but when you disembark at Southampton you will have to find your bags in the terminal & take them to the bus.

100 yards or less, & there are porters available. The driver will load them.

There will be about 6 to 10 buses for Heathrow, each serving one or mebbe two terminals & you're not allocated a specific bus in advance.

Same applies to all cruise lines.

For Heathrow its cheaper (and much much easier) than the train, & only marginally more expensive than a scheduled National Express coach after allowing for a taxi fare to Southampton coach station.

 

JB :)

Thanks for that update. I will try to avoid the porters at disembarkation if it's only 100 yards. My choice for the return was either Smiths or Princess. But since it's ship to airport direct, Princess shuttle makes more sense. For London to Southampton originating port, Smiths makes more sense with six of us as well as avoiding taking the taxi to Victoria Coach Station.

We've used: http://www.london-transfers.com/ and thought he was very reasonable compared to others. When you have more than 3 people, it's better to go with a private transfer.

If there's just 2 of you, it's usually cheaper to go with the Princess transfers. I've used the Cunard ones (same basic company as Princess) and although I usually despise cruise line transfers of any type, I was pleasantly surprised at:

1. how well it was organized

2. how easy the drive was (although the driver complained about the traffic - had to laugh at that - clearly he had never seen LA traffic!)

3. how comfortable the bus was

4. how easy it was once you arrived at the airport

5. how stress-free the whole thing was

Hardest part of the whole trip was waiting for your luggage to be unloaded, then wheeling around all the others that were waiting for theirs still. There's even a half-way decent restroom (or rest "cubby") onboard the bus. All in all, a surprisingly good experience!

I've used the Cunard ones (same basic company as Princess) and although I usually despise cruise line transfers of any type, I was pleasantly surprised at:

 

1. how well it was organized

2. how easy the drive was (although the driver complained about the traffic - had to laugh at that - clearly he had never seen LA traffic!)

3. how comfortable the bus was

4. how easy it was once you arrived at the airport

5. how stress-free the whole thing was

 

Hardest part of the whole trip was waiting for your luggage to be unloaded, then wheeling around all the others that were waiting for theirs still. There's even a half-way decent restroom (or rest "cubby") onboard the bus. All in all, a surprisingly good experience!

Super helpful info! We're taking the Princess transfer for these reasons exactly. And I would bust out laughing at the traffic comment too -- being from L.A. myself.

Yes! You definitely know traffic then! ;) The poor bus driver thought the weekday morning was really bad - "Worse than usual," he said. Pretty funny! We were doing about 35-45 MPH! :D Heck, that's a GOOD day on some of our freeways!

Believe me, I hate cruise line transfers normally, but this was the easiest thing to do and required no brain power at all - perfect for me after a long flight or at the end of a great cruise! ;)

So glad to hear that! We had a so-so experience taking it once and swore we'd never do it again, but based on your description, this is exactly why we're taking it down to the port after the flight/jet-lag/hunger/exhaustion. :)

So glad to hear that! We had a so-so experience taking it once and swore we'd never do it again, but based on your description, this is exactly why we're taking it down to the port after the flight/jet-lag/hunger/exhaustion. :)

The cruise line transfers can be a nightmare sometimes - like if you have to wait for hours while other flights come in (we had to do this in Vancouver - miserable!) or if there are too many people and not enough buses (we had that in Honolulu).

The good thing about taking the bus from the ship to the airport at the end is that it fills up REALLY quickly. Not sure how it is going down to the ship though; I suppose it depends on when your flight comes in and if there are other flights arriving about the same time or not.

Hi, a bunch of people have mentioned Princess transfers. Are you able to book these in advance? How do you find info about these? I seem to be missing something haha Help!!

Yes - call your TA. You can also book the return transfer while you're onboard about the 2nd or 3rd day of the cruise at the shore excursions desk.

The cruise line transfers can be a nightmare sometimes - like if you have to wait for hours while other flights come in (we had to do this in Vancouver - miserable!) or if there are too many people and not enough buses (we had that in Honolulu).

 

The good thing about taking the bus from the ship to the airport at the end is that it fills up REALLY quickly. Not sure how it is going down to the ship though; I suppose it depends on when your flight comes in and if there are other flights arriving about the same time or not.

Works very well Heathrow - Southampton.

At least half-a-dozen coaches, though that's fewer than at the end of the cruise due to pre-cruise stop-overs. They're spread across the morning & called up from the airport's coach park as required. So you're unlikely to wait more than half-an-hour :)

Though, as an earlier post, if you're first on the coach you may get a tour of the terminals before heading for the port.

JB :)

Works very well Heathrow - Southampton.

At least half-a-dozen coaches, though that's fewer than at the end of the cruise due to pre-cruise stop-overs. They're spread across the morning & called up from the airport's coach park as required. So you're unlikely to wait more than half-an-hour :)

Though, as an earlier post, if you're first on the coach you may get a tour of the terminals before heading for the port.

 

JB :)

Thanks for the info. It's good to know they have a lot of buses available on the LHR end. ;)