jbmom2120

Our Capital One Mastercards have the touch & pay capability and worked on the Oyster Card machine at Heathrow Airport, in restaurants all over England, in Taxi cabs in Southampton and everywhere we wanted to use them in Norway.  Some machines that did not have the touch & pay capability, so they had us sign a receipt.  No issues.  We are thrilled with Capital One's customer service as well.

We had a couple of cab drivers in Southampton that didn't want to accept credit cards, even though they had machines.  Our fare must not have been large enough for it to be worthwhile to them.  

6 hours ago, Balticdream said:

 

It's only 13 pence per minute, not £13.

 

Additional phone numbers for amending bookings:

 

+44333 003 8101.

+44333 003 0025

 

 

Thank you so much!  That makes much more sense!

6 minutes ago, John Bull said:

 

I don't think they publicise e-mail addresses for any of their hotels.

 

To contact the chain over the web you need to use their contact form

https://secure2.premierinn.com/gb/en/feedback-form/feedback.html

(click on "I have a question" and you have the opportunity to ask them about your booking)

 

Or here's a different form

https://secure.premierinn.com/en/contactUs.action

 

I hate those forms, used by a lot of organisations - you don't have a record of what you sent, altho the screen usually says it's been sent successfully, often followed by an automated e-mail acknowledgement.

I usually copy what I've put on the form, and e-mail that to myself.

 

If you have a booking reference you should be able to trace your booking here

https://secure.premierinn.com/en/searchForBooking.action

 

You can also try by their facebook page.

 

The phone number for PI West Quay from the USA is +44871 527 9298

But that's a premium rate number, even phoning from Southampton 

 

JB 

ps - you're not my mom  

You are the best, even though I’m not your mom 😂. 

I had created a login on their website several months ago. When I tried to sign in the other day, the message said I had been locked out and would need to call, not at £13 per minute YIKES! Plus my rates from here.  

I was able to see my booking & it said I can check in online a couple of days before arriving. I feel better now. 

I had received an email, this morning, from Hilton regarding our stay in London & it had the wrong arrival date. I about had a heart attack 😳. All is well there now. 

I appreciate all the help you & the others have provided. Thank you very much!

Hello,

I am trying to find the email address for the Premier Inn West Quay hotel in Southampton to confirm our reservation.  

Would any of you be able to point me in the right direction?

Kind regards, K

4 hours ago, John Bull said:

 

 

I've not had that problem, and I've not heard of others in the US having error problems on that website.

Mebbe a temporary glitch somewhere in the ether?

I set my search....

FROM London Waterloo

TO Southampton Central

DATE a random date within the next 90 days.

 

If selecting Heathrow as your start point, you'll be sent by train to London Paddington, then tube across central London to London Waterloo for those trains to Southampton - that's expensive, time-consuming, and fraught.

The tube isn't a great way to travel when you have luggage, especially Heathrow to Waterloo because it involves a change of tube train.

 

If your hotel is a mile south (or vaguely south) of Heathrow it's possible to take a bus or taxi to whichever is most-convenient of Staines or Feltham or Ashford (Surrey) or Hounslow or Upper Halliford or Hampton or Fulwell or Kempton Park for a direct train to Clapham Junction, where you change to a direct train to Southampton. Those are commuter trains, excellent frequency & not over-crowded if you avoid commuter time. This would avoid the grief of crossing central London with luggage, it's a lot quicker, and at around £10 to £20 (advance ticket, only good for the train time that you specify) is massively cheaper than going via central London - it might even make sense if your hotel is north of Heathrow.  Journey time around 2 hours, plus travel to station.

 

A further option is a RailAir bus from Heathrow to a mainline station (usually Woking, sometimes Reading) for a direct train to Southampton, but that's more expensive and no quicker.  

 

But of course all of that is a little complicated, and even more complicated if your travel is on a sunday (above info is for mon-sat), and such complications are part of the reason why I - and everyone else - suggest travelling from Heathrow to Southampton by bus.

https://www.nationalexpress.com/en

Frequency isn't great, but that's not a concern if you're not flying in that day. Fare about  £12 to £24 depending how far out you pre-book and your time of travel. It's a direct service to Southampton from Heathrow central bus station or Ts 4 or 5, journey time about 2 hrs 15 mins.

Southampton central rail station and coach station are equi-distant from the cruise terminals - a taxi hop costing £7 to £10 from either. 

 

BTW, Mic's link to London Toolkit takes you to its central London-to-Southampton page, the Heathrow-to-London page is

https://www.londontoolkit.com/travel/heathrow_southampton.htm

(surprise, surprise, that also recommends the bus)

Apart from perhaps the tour-transfer via Stonehenge if that appeals, the other options on their website aren't good value.

 

Hope this helps

 

JB 

Thank you.  The bus it is.  

On 5/14/2019 at 1:43 PM, John Bull said:

 

Right, Brian.

Important not to get confused 

 

But yes, Victoria is a good area to search.........

- Handy for Nat Express coaches to Southampton. There are also direct hourly trains to Southampton, but they take a circuitous route - about 2.5 hours..

- Handy for the tube from LHR. Only one tube line (Piccadilly line) so you can't get on a wrong train. And you join the tube at it's start point, so no problem getting seats together and your luggage around you (don't let it out of your sight, or preferably your grasp).

The change at Barons Court is simple, but now you're entering a busy part of the system so don't expect seats for everyone (but even Londoners give up their seats for the elderly or infirm). Victoria is just three short stops away (route is shown at eye-level along the length of the carriage).

- If taking your luggage on the tube doesn't appeal, there are direct Nat Express coaches from LHR.

- Two direct tube lines to a number of London sights.

- Ho-ho buses pass by on their main routes. 

- A number of sights in walking distance.

- A wide range of hotels in Victoria, from big chains to small family-run hotels.

- not the cheapest area in central London, but very reasonable by London averages.

 

Or Paddington.

- direct HEX trains from LHR (journey time just 15 minutes). But if you decide on this location, buy your HEX tickets literally months in advance - a quarter of the cost of walk-up tickets.

- Five tube lines from Paddington..

- Nearest main-route ho-h0 stop is Marble Arch, a 20-minute walk or local bus or ho-ho feeder route.

- Near Hyde Park, and on the other side of the park is the "museum district" of South Kensington

- Again a wide range of hotels.

- Direct tube to Victoria for Southampton coaches or direct tube to Waterloo for Southampton trains. But awkward and expensive for either if you take a taxi instead of the tube - which you might choose to do with luggage.

- Not as good a location as Victoria or Waterloo, but probably the cheapest area for tourists

 

Or Waterloo.

- awkward from LHR - worth either a private transfer from LHR (worth considering at about £50) or tube to a  convenient stop on the Piccadilly line, then hail a black cab.

- Two tube lines

- On the main ho-ho routes.

- Extremely good location in walking distance of major sights like London Eye, river cruises, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Whitehall,  Churchill War Rooms, 10 Downing St, Trafalgar Square, Shakespeare's Globe, Tate Modern, etc. And waterside bars & eateries. I rate this location highly. 

- Hotels are mainly big chains. More expensive than Victoria or Paddington, but still manageable and good value for the location

- Handy for direct trains to Southampton, three trains per hour, journey time 90 minutes. Walk-up fare is over £40, but if you buy from about 6 weeks out it's less than half the cost - those bucket-price tickets are only good for the train time that you book, so if you miss it you'll have to spend another £40 each for walk-up tickets. 

 

http://content.tfl.gov.uk/standard-tube-map.pdf (but don't bother to print-off, they're displayed everywhere & inset on all tourist maps)

https://www.nationalexpress.com/en

https://www.heathrowexpress.com/

https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

https://www.theoriginaltour.com/

https://www.bigbustours.com/en/london/

 

JB 

HELP PLEASE!

We are staying at a hotel a mile from Heathrow.  We want to take the train to Southampton.  It is my understanding that we can take the tube to the Waterloo station and get on the train there.  When I clicked on your link for National Rail, I receive an error message.  When I try to search for it on Google, I find a link and get the same error message.  Has the train company recently changed names?  Or is the link just not good from the US?  Do you know?

Thanks so much.

On 4/29/2019 at 1:06 PM, Thrak said:

 

Okay. I just now Googled "chip and pin credit cards usa 2019".  This is one of the resulting links:

 

https://www.cardrates.com/advice/chip-and-pin-credit-cards/

 

My Capital One Venture is listed there along with a few of others. I called and got a PIN and, while I haven't used it overseas yet, they assured me it would work as Chip and Pin. Hopefully they aren't full of baloney.

I called Capital One today, I have the World Card.  The gentleman that I spoke with said they do not have the Chip & Pin card that others seem to have.  If I were to use my PIN on my card, it would be treated as a CASH ADVANCE, making it become much more expensive to use in the Kiosks. 😯 

I hope yours worked out ok for you.

On 11/6/2018 at 2:52 PM, capriccio said:

On October 19th we made a spur of the moment decision to take a 10 day Christmas cruise on the Crown Princess and I booked a balcony (we prefer a mini but I was feeling guilty about the last minute decision to spend so much money) on-line (usually I book cruises up to a year and a half in advance with my TA).  We got the last balcony cabin available on Caribe deck (C104), category BE for $1229 p/p.  This past Friday at 6:15 pm (EDT) I received an upsell offer to a mini-suite for $129 p/p.  I left a message and was called back on Monday morning at almost noon.  We accepted D523, category MB, that was being advertised on the website for $2,449.

Wow, enjoy!

On 11/8/2018 at 4:59 AM, TracieABD said:

Royal- 11/24- Caribbean

Booked an IF- upgraded to an IB (sideways interior).

Upsell offer for DB (Deluxe balcony- midship/ mid deck) for $99 pp.

 

Totally took the deal!

That’s great. Have a wonderful time!

On 11/12/2018 at 9:14 AM, as400guy said:

 

Great deal!

We'll see you on board.   We just booked this cruise Friday.

On 11/12/2018 at 3:16 PM, panoramaofthepast said:

Sailing on Royal Princess 12/22

Mini suite --> Club Class mini - $99/person

On 11/12/2018 at 3:16 PM, panoramaofthepast said:

Sailing on Royal Princess 12/22

Mini suite --> Club Class mini - $99/person

Nice!

We traded in the entire mini bar for all Perrier sparking water. (18 bottles) on our recent cruise.

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We took the ferry from Fort De France to Anse a L'Ane yesterday. Anse a L'Ane was the first stop. We had a fun, relaxing day there.

We had about 20 locals converge at the last minute, cutting the line & boarding before us! Not appreciated as we waited in line like everyone else. When the same bunch tried to but in front of us on the way back, I got back in front of them and told them NO! HOW STINKIN RUDE!!!

The ferry is a great option for getting to the beach.

We did not see the guy at the pier giving directions, but thanks to this forum we managed very well! THANKS TO ALL who have generously shared!

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Up sell offer on a seven day cruise on the Royal- cruise date is April 9th. Great offer to go from an inside to balcony for $79. I took the offer- we are midship aft.

That's great!! I'm glad you are happy with it. Have a great time on your cruise. :D

Royal, 30 March, 10 days, balcony to mini-suite, $129 pp.

You got a sweet deal!

I took an upsell from an inside to a balcony yesterday, and received an email today upgrading us to a deluxe balcony. I'm a happy camper. THANK YOU PRINCESS!!! :cool::cool::cool:

I had a basic balcony on CB. Received a complimentary upgrade to center of ship.

 

Then I notice the mini-suite is over $500 less - before final payment. Score!

 

Upsell email to a suite arrives. No hesitation, after all - if I’d willingly have paid the difference for a basic balcony, the suite was now a bargain. Our first on Princess and really looking forward to it.

 

Very happy customer. I do believe the representative knew that and was as happy as her customer.

Judy

WOWZA, that is awesome!!! Congratulations!

Hello,

Has anyone ever received an upsell offer, turned it down, then received a better offer or a free upgrade for the same cruise?

Thanks in advance.

I am so sorry to hear that. If you do have pictures can you please send them as soon as you can to Mrs P Maher, CEO, Grenada Tourism Authority info@puregrenada.com with a copy of your transcript. We work hard on our island to ensure tourists and locals don't have to worry about things like this so thank you for your comment and we hope to deal with it asap.

So good to know that you folks appreciate tourism. Thank you for posting this!

We were there in December as well and didn't appreciate being told by the water taxi staff at the ship dock that we could come back whenever we wanted to, only to be held up on the beach until there was enough people to fill the boat.

We have not been to Coki yet. When we went to Sapphire in November 2015 it cost $12pp each way. They were working at refurbishing the area. There was a dive shop there. If you snorkel there stay to the right side, as the left side was full of large jellyfish. While they didn't bother us, it was very intimidating swimming with them [emoji15]

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What sink?

Most newer ships have a sink at the entrance to the buffet [emoji2]

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A little suggestion: How about filling your plate, dashing over to the sink, wash your hands and enjoy your meal.

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When you log into your cruise personalizer . The is a link to

Medical and Dietary restrictions. We you open this link , at the bottem there is an online form to request any medical/dietary requirements.

They will confirm with an email , tag your booking and leave a card in cabin when you board.

Thank you!

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Additionally, be sure to verify with the maitre d on the first day. You can meet in the dining room and make sure everything is in order.

Thank you!

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Hello to all who have cruised with Princess that need gluten free meals! Is there anyone at Princess that I need to contact for our upcoming cruise, other than listing it on the "special request" section on the cruise personalizer? We have two in our party that need to eat gluten free! One is new to cruising and I want her to have a great experience!

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Does anyone know an approximate cost to take a taxi from the ship port to Antigua Rainforest Canopy Tour? There are four of us.

This is also our plan for a December cruise out of Houston, I'm interested to know what hotel you used and how it all worked out!

We used the DoubleTree IAH Airport Hotel. We called them, for the shuttle, after we got our luggage. If I did it again, I would call before getting the luggage as their shuttle leaves the hotel every 30 minutes. We waited for 45 minutes for the shuttle to come & pick us up. We saw several other hotel shuttles coming around much more frequently. The hotel was ok. There are a couple of fast food places next door. We didn't try their restaurant, but they have a breakfast option on their room reservation selection. We went down to the lobby & caught the shuttle at 9:30am. Princess had told me terminal C and we were able to make it on the next bus down to the ship, approx 15 minute wait.