Southampton to Heathrow

We are doing a Norwegian Fjord cruise next June. The ship docks at 7:00am in Southampton. We are looking at a 12:35pm flight out of Heathrow back home. Per Google maps, it looks to be about a 1 hr 15 minute drive. Princess recommends no flights before 2:00pm which will pretty much push us into the next day. We will be doing London on the front end of our cruise and really need to get back home the day the cruise ends. For those of you who have sailed out of Southampton before, will we make a 12:35pm flight, or are we pushing it towards the may not make it side?

Well if you like to live dangerously - take that flight; however I wouldn't even think of doing it. Even if the ship docks at 7:00 doesn't mean you will be off right away, Heathrow has more security than any airport I've ever been through you need a good 1.5 hours just to get through the mass of humanity there. There is a reason why Princess no flights before 2:00 p.m., do yourself a favour and spend a night at a hotel close to the airport then fly home the next day.

Well if you like to live dangerously - take that flight; however I wouldn't even think of doing it. Even if the ship docks at 7:00 doesn't mean you will be off right away, Heathrow has more security than any airport I've ever been through you need a good 1.5 hours just to get through the mass of humanity there. There is a reason why Princess no flights before 2:00 p.m., do yourself a favour and spend a night at a hotel close to the airport then fly home the next day.

Total agreement.

There's a Hilton hotel at Heathrow's terminal 4. You can walk from luggage carousels thru a tunnel to the hotel.

http://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/united-kingdom/hilton-london-heathrow-airport-LHRAPTW/index.html?WT.srch=1

I'll give you another opinion. ;)

We were in exactly the same situation as you last year, except out flight was at 12:00. I booked it too early without thinking and used miles so I was hesitant about changing the flight.

We did self walk off (carrying our luggage) and had arranged for a car service to pick us up at 7:30. We used Smith for Airports (£67). I highly recommend them and they get good reviews on Cruise Critic and Trip Advisor.

Our driver was waiting for us and off we went. It was mid week and the traffic was very heavy. I would say it took about 2 hours (perhaps a bit more), however we made it to Heathrow with plenty of time to spare and yes, security took a while.

Personally I think if you do self walk off and arrange for private transportation you will likely not have a problem. Our friends did the same thing a month earlier than us and their flight was 11:30. They also had no problems. but they disembarked on a Sunday and there was much less traffic. If you are arriving in Southampton on a weekend you will be under even less pressure.

Having said all that, as stated above there are always risks involved. Of course even making a 2:00 flight could be a problem if the stars don't align correctly. ;)

Whatever you decide, have a Great cruise. You are going to love the fjords. They are spectacular!!

http://www.smithsforairports.com/index.html

I can second the recommendation of Smithsforairports. We used them last summer for midweek transfers to/from Heathrow. Very professional and responsive to emails.

I should have noted that we are arriving in port on a Saturday morning. I have noticed in Terminal 5 (BA), the security moves quite rapidly. Both times I have been there, it has been 20 minutes or less. I have not been to any other terminals. So, with a Saturday departure at 12:35, I will ask the same question. Make it, or too close to call?

This question and variants of it, crop up quite regularly on the 'Britain' forum in the 'Ports of Call' section.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to condense all the information contained in that forum into a single answer here, so can I recommend that you take a look over their and you will find lots of well informed responses from people who both use Heathrow regularly and others who live near to Southampton and fly out of Heathrow to join cruises starting elsewhere.

Must admit, seems tight to me, but it can be done if you, and your luggage, get off promptly

Good Luck.

We are doing a Norwegian Fjord cruise next June. The ship docks at 7:00am in Southampton. We are looking at a 12:35pm flight out of Heathrow back home. Per Google maps, it looks to be about a 1 hr 15 minute drive. Princess recommends no flights before 2:00pm which will pretty much push us into the next day. We will be doing London on the front end of our cruise and really need to get back home the day the cruise ends. For those of you who have sailed out of Southampton before, will we make a 12:35pm flight, or are we pushing it towards the may not make it side?

How are you getting there?

I suggest getting off in the first available walk off group with your luggage.

Here is a good company to use for transfers...

http://www.woodfordchauffeurcars.co.uk/

I should have noted that we are arriving in port on a Saturday morning. I have noticed in Terminal 5 (BA), the security moves quite rapidly. Both times I have been there, it has been 20 minutes or less. I have not been to any other terminals. So, with a Saturday departure at 12:35, I will ask the same question. Make it, or too close to call?

There's always a chance you won't make it and of course nobody can give you any guarantees. Having said that and given you will be in Southampton on a Saturday I would say the odds are significantly in your favor assuming self walk off and a car service.

We highly recommend Smith's for Airports. We have used them several times and have them booked for our October cruise out of Southampton. We believe they are the best method of transfer to/from Southampton and for 2 or more people equal or better in cost than cruise line transfers.

Smith's provides on time pick up, great English drivers who always provide interesting conversation, and safe quick transfers.

There are several ifs. If, repeat IF the ship docks on time and if you can get an early walk off nlt 0700, you should be able to get to Heathrow by 0900. The last if is traffic problems along the route of travel

If there is traffic congestion or are accidents along the route of travel it could ruin your best laid plans.

You can get horrific hold-ups on the M3 motorway (we use it a lot) but you should be okay on a Saturday. However, I would take a later flight if possible.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

I drive the M3 every day and have also travelled many times from Heathrow. Whilst I agree there are no guarantees as motorway accidents do happen, you should have plenty of time to get from Southampton to Heathrow. As long as you are off the ship by 8am (and it tends to be very quick at Southampton) and have a taxi waiting, you should be fine.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Very interesting that they told you no flight earlier than 2. They told me no flight earlier than 12:15 and I used their transportation.

I have a similar question regarding a cruise next May. The ship docks at 5:00 a.m. in Southampton and I have a 12:35 p.m. flight out of Heathrow. We met the Princess guidelines for a 5:00 a.m. arrival and no flights out before 12:00 p.m., so was able to book a Princess Transfer and they added our flight info to our reservation. How does Princess guarantee we get out of the port and on to Heathrow in time? I've heard the busses wait at the Port to fill up. But if they have passengers with these early flights that they've approved, do they leave at a reasonable time whether or not the bus is full, with a cushion to allow for possible heavy traffic or other issues? I assume they would put us in an early disembarkation group, so no self walk off would be necessary? I'd like to hear from cruisers who have experienced this with Princess Transfers.

I have a similar question regarding a cruise next May. The ship docks at 5:00 a.m. in Southampton and I have a 12:35 p.m. flight out of Heathrow. We met the Princess guidelines for a 5:00 a.m. arrival and no flights out before 12:00 p.m., so was able to book a Princess Transfer and they added our flight info to our reservation. How does Princess guarantee we get out of the port and on to Heathrow in time? I've heard the busses wait at the Port to fill up. But if they have passengers with these early flights that they've approved, do they leave at a reasonable time whether or not the bus is full, with a cushion to allow for possible heavy traffic or other issues? I assume they would put us in an early disembarkation group, so no self walk off would be necessary? I'd like to hear from cruisers who have experienced this with Princess Transfers.

Thats exactly why if you are pressed for time and don't want to be late for your flight its best to walk off in the first early group and arrange your own car service.

I would not take the chance of a Princess bus transfer.

Knowing the route well I would say you would be ok but you cannot say what security at Heathrow will be like on the day. Alert states are pretty high in the UK at the moment but they could be higher.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

I should have noted that we are arriving in port on a Saturday morning. I have noticed in Terminal 5 (BA), the security moves quite rapidly. Both times I have been there, it has been 20 minutes or less. I have not been to any other terminals. So, with a Saturday departure at 12:35, I will ask the same question. Make it, or too close to call?

My daughter and I ended a cruise in Southampton at the end of June (on a Saturday) and flew out of Heathrow Terminal 5. We used Princess transfers and were off early, encountered little traffic and arrived at the airport before 11:00 AM. We were fortunate because we were flying in First Class. Inside T-5 there was absolute CHAOS! The day before there had been some kind of Europe wide baggage handling computer glitch and then the conveyor belts at Heathrow broke down. There were lines extending across the length of the terminal! The line for people who had checked in online but needed to check baggage was enormous. We didn't have a problem because we had a dedicated 1st class check-in line, but even that was slow. We had no problems making our flights at 2:30 and 4:30, but I'm not sure we would have made a 12:30 flight particularly in coach or business class. Clearly conveyor belt problems or computer glitches such as occurred that weekend are not the norm, but I sure would like a little cushion built in for myself. BTW, if you are flying from T-5 there is a lovely hotel (Sofitel Heathrow) literally attached to the terminal. We stayed there a number of times and the rooms are very comfortable and they have a nice restaurant.

I think we are on the same cruise as you. We will dock in Southampton June 27th after our Norwegian Fjord cruise.I booked Princess air and our flight is at 3:20 on United.When I made my reservations on Princess EZ Air it said there to make sure your flight departs Heathrow after 2 PM and they didn't even show any flights that left earlier.If you have not checked Princess air do so as the fares were much lower than I could find anywhere else.

We docked at Southampton this year after our British Isles cruise and we did dock on time and might have been able to make a 12;30 flight.We had a late afternoon flight then too.I don't think I would enjoy stressing about my flights the whole time I am on a cruise.So the fact is you have a good chance to make your flight but there must be some reason why Princess is saying no flights before 2:00 PM. Only you know if it is worth the angst to you.I would not do it.