Southampton to london?

Hi fellow cruisers, I will be debarking P&O in Southampton on May 27, 2019. We have a 4 night layover before boarding Cunard on May 31, 2019. I don't fly. Could someone tell me if it would be better to get a hotel in Southampton for those 4 nights or head to London. I'm thinking for sight seeing it would be better to head to London. Does the train let you take your luggage and do they have a place to put it for you? If not London by train, what would you suggest for getting to London. Does P&O offer a shuttle to London? If so, do you know if Cunard has a shuttle from London? I would really appreciate any advice. Thank You.

We got a taxi cost us £100 expensive but no hassle

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Hi fellow cruisers, I will be debarking P&O in Southampton on May 27, 2019. We have a 4 night layover before boarding Cunard on May 31, 2019. I don't fly. Could someone tell me if it would be better to get a hotel in Southampton for those 4 nights or head to London. I'm thinking for sight seeing it would be better to head to London. Does the train let you take your luggage and do they have a place to put it for you? If not London by train, what would you suggest for getting to London. Does P&O offer a shuttle to London? If so, do you know if Cunard has a shuttle from London? I would really appreciate any advice. Thank You.

There’s not enough to keep you occupied in Southampton for 4 days and, assuming that you are from overseas, you would be much better off going to London. There are no shuttles that I know of. It’s an easy direct train ride - about 75 minutes each way I think. UK trains don’t have masses of luggage space, but if you travel out of peak times (which you would be doing) then you will have no problems at all. The Railway Station is a 10 minute cab ride from the cruise terminals. The only negative aspect is that hotels in London will cost you around double the price of Southampton hotels. But you can offset that against the fact that you will be on the doorstep of all the major sights.

I agree that there is probably not enough in southampton to do for 4 nights but you could use it as a base and do day trips on the train from there e.g London(75 minutes away), Winchester and Oxford .It would mean you could get a taxi from the port to your hotel and wouldn t have to think about luggage again until getting a taxi to your Cunard cruise

We got a taxi cost us £100 expensive but no hassle

 

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Thanks for the reply. There will be 4 adults with 8 pieces of luggage. We would need a van I think. Something I will check into. Thanks again.

:)I would book a nice Hotel in Southampton you can easily go to London once or twice train to Waterloo an hour and a quarter . Portsmouth with its historic dockyard and the Mary Rose Museum is about an hour to Portsmouth Harbour you are right there a lovely day out old ships and museums and Gunwharf shops.

There is a bus every fifteen minutes to Winchester a very interesting historic place. There is the New Forest .Lovely shops and restaurants in west Key Southampton and Tudor House is interesting.

There is so much in the area and you will be nice and relaxed ready for your next cruise.Let us know what you decide.

There’s not enough to keep you occupied in Southampton for 4 days and, assuming that you are from overseas, you would be much better off going to London. There are no shuttles that I know of. It’s an easy direct train ride - about 75 minutes each way I think. UK trains don’t have masses of luggage space, but if you travel out of peak times (which you would be doing) then you will have no problems at all. The Railway Station is a 10 minute cab ride from the cruise terminals. The only negative aspect is that hotels in London will cost you around double the price of Southampton hotels. But you can offset that against the fact that you will be on the doorstep of all the major sights.

Thank you Selbourne for the reply. That's the reply I was hoping for. There will be 4 adults traveling together from the U.S. I'm sure we will all have at least 2 pieces of luggage each. We will be doing 3 cruises. Celebrity to get us to Southampton from Ft. Lauderdale, FL. We get off the Celebrity on May 13, and get right onto the Aurora. When we get back to Southampton we have the 4 day layover before we board Cunard to New York. One of the folks traveling with us has some breathing problems and can't walk very far so we will be depending on cabs, shuttles and trains. None of us have ever been across the pond so lots of research to do. Your help is much appreciated. Thank You.

I agree that there is probably not enough in southampton to do for 4 nights but you could use it as a base and do day trips on the train from there e.g London(75 minutes away), Winchester and Oxford .It would mean you could get a taxi from the port to your hotel and wouldn t have to think about luggage again until getting a taxi to your Cunard cruise

Thank you ann141, we are considering that as an option. I have got to figure out the train system. Lots of research to do. Thanks again for the suggestion.

:)I would book a nice Hotel in Southampton you can easily go to London once or twice train to Waterloo an hour and a quarter . Portsmouth with its historic dockyard and the Mary Rose Museum is about an hour to Portsmouth Harbour you are right there a lovely day out old ships and museums and Gunwharf shops.

There is a bus every fifteen minutes to Winchester a very interesting historic place. There is the New Forest .Lovely shops and restaurants in west Key Southampton and Tudor House is interesting.

There is so much in the area and you will be nice and relaxed ready for your next cruise.Let us know what you decide.

Thank you P&Oflower for all the suggestions. New adventures for us. Lots of research to do. Sounds like some great suggestions. Could you tell me about what a round trip ticket on the train would be to London from Southampton? London is a must see for us. If we don't stay there we would want to do a day trip. Maybe leave on an early train so we could get a lot in. Thanks again for your help and suggestions.

Early trains before ten o'clock are expensive but from ten a day return would be approx twenty seven pounds you can get a group saver if four people are travelling together they will advise you at the station.London is great but tiring as are most major cities.Dont forget to get the tube trains included if you intend to use them though with four of you a taxi might be better there are plenty at Waterloo.Not sure how up to date my prices are but will give you an idea.

Another suggestion is the Isle of Wight ferry from Southampton then a taxi or bus to Osbourne House where Queen Victoria stayed another lovely day out.

Thank you Selbourne for the reply. That's the reply I was hoping for. There will be 4 adults traveling together from the U.S. I'm sure we will all have at least 2 pieces of luggage each. We will be doing 3 cruises. Celebrity to get us to Southampton from Ft. Lauderdale, FL. We get off the Celebrity on May 13, and get right onto the Aurora. When we get back to Southampton we have the 4 day layover before we board Cunard to New York. One of the folks traveling with us has some breathing problems and can't walk very far so we will be depending on cabs, shuttles and trains. None of us have ever been across the pond so lots of research to do. Your help is much appreciated. Thank You.

You are welcome. You can, as others have said, do ‘Day trips’ to London from Southampton, but there are several negatives to be considered with this option. Unless you are happy not to arrive in London until mid-late morning (too late for a proper day out in London, I would suggest) you will be travelling in peak (cost £84.60 standard class per person). UK trains, especially those heading to London during peak times, are overcrowded. You will get seats no problem, but it won’t be a pleasant start or end to the day. The train fare will cost you more than the additional cost of hotels in London (assuming that you are 2 to a room), so you might as well stay there and not have the hassle of the travel. At the start and end of your 4 day layover you will be travellling off peak, so your one return to London will cost you far less and you will be travelling on lightly loaded trains both ways, making it an altogether more pleasant experience.

Yes, there are some nice places to visit in that part of the UK (Winchester, Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, Isle of Wight), but if you are from the US and it’s your first visit to the UK, you would be daft not to focus your time in London. I am not a Londoner so I am not biased, but you can fill your entire time visiting World Class tourist attractions, so why wouldn’t you? If I was advising a US tourist on the ‘must see’s’ in London and how best to spend your time, here are some tips (others may have more);

Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament). Long queues for internal visits but well worth it - may be able to book in advance

Westminster Abbey - 2 minute walk from Houses of Parliament.

Downing Street - 5 min walk from Houses of Parliament. You can only see down the street through security gates, but as it’s so close to other places you will be visiting it’s worth a quick visit.

Thames River Tour (many of the major sights are clearly visible from the water and you are sitting down with an English commentary - you will also pass under all the spectacular bridges, such as Tower Bridge). Tours go from several places, including alongside the London Eye.

London Eye (big wheel with panoramic views from glass pods across London - weather essential to good visibility). Note - the London Eye is on the South Bank, opposite side of the river to the Houses of Parliament (5- 10 minute walk from there and visible from it) and, as well as the Thames River boats, there are several other attractions adjacent, including London Aquarium and a Salvador Dali Museum).

Buckingham Palace - partial internal visits possible at certain times of year.

St James’ Park - walk through to get to or from Buckingham Palace. Approx 20 minute pleasant walk through this park links Buckingham Palace with Westminster Abbey.

You will have noted that ALL of the above attractions are within a very short, and very pleasant, walk from each other.

Tower of London (inc Crown Jewels)

St Paul’s Cathedral

Trafalgar Square

Covent Garden

Natural History Museum

Science Museum

Countless World Class Art Galleries (take your pick)

Oxford Street (major shopping street)

Harrods (Kensington)

Piccadilly Circus (not much there, but Fortnum and Mason and Burlington Arcade nearby and well worth a visit. You can also have tea at The Ritz!)

Madame Tussaud’s Waxworks & London Planetarium (horrendous queues so only go if you have pre-booked and it really appeals as it will eat up a lot of time).

Staying overnight in London also gives you the opportunity to see a West End show or two.

As London is one of the most popular tourist cities in the world, all major attractions have long queues, so it’s well worth researching online and booking tickets in advance where you can in order that you can gain fast track access.

One thing I like about London is that the vast majority of attractions are all within walking distance of each other. I tend to walk everywhere as you see interesting things at every turn. You can also walk considerable distances getting to and from London Underground platforms, so I would rather save that for the more outlying places such as Tower of London & Tower Bridge, Kensington etc).

Hope that’s all of some use.

I would agree that there are some good places to visit in a day from Southampton (including London). If I was a regular visitor to the United Kingdom, who had visited London before, I would consider that as an option. If it was my first visit then I personally would want to stay in London. I would stay as near the Centre as possible to make as much of the city as I could. Ideally somewhere close to a London Underground station in Zone 1. After a tiring day sightseeing or perhaps a theatre show I would want a nice easy quick journey (walk, London Underground, bus or black cab) back to my hotel. That would be my choice.

There is a recent long thread on the Royal Caribbean forum about hotels in London. Unfortunately London hotel are expensive on a par with Paris or New York. These are all world class cities and you pay to stay there. I would guess very few who visit these cities say wish I had stayed somewhere else.

Best wishes, Stephen.

PS. If you are interested in OceanLiners the Victoria and Albert museum has a major exhibition on Ocean Liners in 2018. I think it has transferred from New York.

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If you book early enough, Premier Inn, County Hall, is reasonable. Very central

https://www.premierinn.com/gb/en/hotels/england/greater-london/london/london-county-hall.html?cid=GLBC_LONCOU

One thing I would consider is to put part of your luggage into storage then take the train/coach taxi to London. With a bit of research you don't have to pay exorbitant prices even though any capital city is expensive. I warn you now that traipsing round London with or without an itinerary is very tiring so best advice is to pace yourself

Here’s the link for National Express coaches. Considerably cheaper than the train and you are guaranteed a seat

http://www.nationalexpress.com/routes/southampton-to-london.aspx

The driver will load your cases on and off. It’s quite a comfortable way to travel, you’ll see a bit of London as you drive in.

London Victoria coach station can be a bit of a trial, and the walk to the tube is inconvenient. However, with your luggage and with folk who are maybe not so good on their feet, I think the savings you might make on the Southampton - London part of your journey could fund taxis to your hotel direct from the coach station. I wouldn’t advise trying to cope with luggage on the tube at any time of day

I would urge caution about 8 of you + lots of luggage getting the train to London. I live 8 miles from Southampton and the trains in this area (apart from those going to the North) are designed as mainly commuter trains with very little space for luggage. Think slightly larger than overhead storage on a plane and you have to lift them up there. They do not have specific areas for cases. You do see some folk putting cases on spare seats or tables but you could be asked to move them if the train gets crowded down the line. If you do decide to stay in London then my suggestion would be National Express Coach from Southampton then taxis from London Victoria to your hotel. Do book in advance .... you can get some very good prices. It's obviously slower than train but it is comfortable enough and the luggage issue is sorted.

You are welcome. You can, as others have said, do ‘Day trips’ to London from Southampton, but there are several negatives to be considered with this option. Unless you are happy not to arrive in London until mid-late morning (too late for a proper day out in London, I would suggest) you will be travelling in peak (cost £84.60 standard class per person). UK trains, especially those heading to London during peak times, are overcrowded. You will get seats no problem, but it won’t be a pleasant start or end to the day. The train fare will cost you more than the additional cost of hotels in London (assuming that you are 2 to a room), so you might as well stay there and not have the hassle of the travel. At the start and end of your 4 day layover you will be travellling off peak, so your one return to London will cost you far less and you will be travelling on lightly loaded trains both ways, making it an altogether more pleasant experience.

 

Yes, there are some nice places to visit in that part of the UK (Winchester, Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, Isle of Wight), but if you are from the US and it’s your first visit to the UK, you would be daft not to focus your time in London. I am not a Londoner so I am not biased, but you can fill your entire time visiting World Class tourist attractions, so why wouldn’t you? If I was advising a US tourist on the ‘must see’s’ in London and how best to spend your time, here are some tips (others may have more);

 

Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament). Long queues for internal visits but well worth it - may be able to book in advance

 

Westminster Abbey - 2 minute walk from Houses of Parliament.

 

Downing Street - 5 min walk from Houses of Parliament. You can only see down the street through security gates, but as it’s so close to other places you will be visiting it’s worth a quick visit.

 

Thames River Tour (many of the major sights are clearly visible from the water and you are sitting down with an English commentary - you will also pass under all the spectacular bridges, such as Tower Bridge). Tours go from several places, including alongside the London Eye.

 

London Eye (big wheel with panoramic views from glass pods across London - weather essential to good visibility). Note - the London Eye is on the South Bank, opposite side of the river to the Houses of Parliament (5- 10 minute walk from there and visible from it) and, as well as the Thames River boats, there are several other attractions adjacent, including London Aquarium and a Salvador Dali Museum).

 

Buckingham Palace - partial internal visits possible at certain times of year.

 

St James’ Park - walk through to get to or from Buckingham Palace. Approx 20 minute pleasant walk through this park links Buckingham Palace with Westminster Abbey.

 

You will have noted that ALL of the above attractions are within a very short, and very pleasant, walk from each other.

 

Tower of London (inc Crown Jewels)

 

St Paul’s Cathedral

 

Trafalgar Square

 

Covent Garden

 

 

Natural History Museum

 

 

Science Museum

 

 

Countless World Class Art Galleries (take your pick)

 

 

Oxford Street (major shopping street)

 

 

Harrods (Kensington)

 

 

Piccadilly Circus (not much there, but Fortnum and Mason and Burlington Arcade nearby and well worth a visit. You can also have tea at The Ritz!)

 

 

Madame Tussaud’s Waxworks & London Planetarium (horrendous queues so only go if you have pre-booked and it really appeals as it will eat up a lot of time).

 

 

Staying overnight in London also gives you the opportunity to see a West End show or two.

 

 

As London is one of the most popular tourist cities in the world, all major attractions have long queues, so it’s well worth researching online and booking tickets in advance where you can in order that you can gain fast track access.

 

 

One thing I like about London is that the vast majority of attractions are all within walking distance of each other. I tend to walk everywhere as you see interesting things at every turn. You can also walk considerable distances getting to and from London Underground platforms, so I would rather save that for the more outlying places such as Tower of London & Tower Bridge, Kensington etc).

 

 

Hope that’s all of some use.

Selbourne, thank you for your time and all the great suggestions. I will try to reserve everything I can. You have shared a wealth of information with me and I'm truly grateful. I do believe we will be staying in London. Thank you again.

I would agree that there are some good places to visit in a day from Southampton (including London). If I was a regular visitor to the United Kingdom, who had visited London before, I would consider that as an option. If it was my first visit then I personally would want to stay in London. I would stay as near the Centre as possible to make as much of the city as I could. Ideally somewhere close to a London Underground station in Zone 1. After a tiring day sightseeing or perhaps a theatre show I would want a nice easy quick journey (walk, London Underground, bus or black cab) back to my hotel. That would be my choice.

 

There is a recent long thread on the Royal Caribbean forum about hotels in London. Unfortunately London hotel are expensive on a par with Paris or New York. These are all world class cities and you pay to stay there. I would guess very few who visit these cities say wish I had stayed somewhere else.

 

Best wishes, Stephen.

 

PS. If you are interested in OceanLiners the Victoria and Albert museum has a major exhibition on Ocean Liners in 2018. I think it has transferred from New York.

 

 

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Thank you for the suggestions. I believe we will be staying in London after all the great suggestions. I will go check out the review on hotels on the Royal page. Thanks again for your time and great suggestions.

One thing I would consider is to put part of your luggage into storage then take the train/coach taxi to London. With a bit of research you don't have to pay exorbitant prices even though any capital city is expensive. I warn you now that traipsing round London with or without an itinerary is very tiring so best advice is to pace yourself

Thank you seadog for a great suggestion. Could you suggest a place to store our luggage. I really like that idea. I'm thinking if we decided to go on to London we would stay 3 nights and then go back to Southampton for the 4th night so we can be there to catch our ship out. I would love to leave the cruising clothes in storage. Thanks again for your time and reply.

Here’s the link for National Express coaches. Considerably cheaper than the train and you are guaranteed a seat

 

http://www.nationalexpress.com/routes/southampton-to-london.aspx

 

The driver will load your cases on and off. It’s quite a comfortable way to travel, you’ll see a bit of London as you drive in.

London Victoria coach station can be a bit of a trial, and the walk to the tube is inconvenient. However, with your luggage and with folk who are maybe not so good on their feet, I think the savings you might make on the Southampton - London part of your journey could fund taxis to your hotel direct from the coach station. I wouldn’t advise trying to cope with luggage on the tube at any time of day

Thank You eddie11 for the suggestions and the link. Good information. Thanks again.

I would urge caution about 8 of you + lots of luggage getting the train to London. I live 8 miles from Southampton and the trains in this area (apart from those going to the North) are designed as mainly commuter trains with very little space for luggage. Think slightly larger than overhead storage on a plane and you have to lift them up there. They do not have specific areas for cases. You do see some folk putting cases on spare seats or tables but you could be asked to move them if the train gets crowded down the line. If you do decide to stay in London then my suggestion would be National Express Coach from Southampton then taxis from London Victoria to your hotel. Do book in advance .... you can get some very good prices. It's obviously slower than train but it is comfortable enough and the luggage issue is sorted.

Thank You chrisg1uk for the suggestions and for your time to respond. There will be only 4 of us traveling together with approximately 8 pieces of luggage or 2 each. I will check out National Express Coach. That sounds good. Thanks again.

If you book your final pre-cruise night at a Southampton hotel, perhaps that hotel might store luggage you don’t want for your three night stay in London? You would need to make contact to check whether that is possible.

Otherwise there are these links

http://www.discoversouthampton.co.uk/visit/visitor-info/luggage-storage

http://www.cruisesouthampton.com/places/pack-and-send

http://www.thebaggagehandlingcompany.com/

which are probably worth investigating. I have not used any of them but have read good reports of the baggage handling company. I think they might be able to collect your bags from your arrival ship and return them to your return one BUT that might be complicated by customs as you are not UK citizens. Worth checking out ... it would make life much simpler for you.

The week you will be in Southampton/London will be a busy holiday week, with the Monday of your arrival being a Bank (i.e. public) Holiday and schools being on holiday too. Tourist facilities ought to be open in Southampton; London will certainly be open for business, but you should make double sure that whatever arrangements you make are watertight

Happy New Year

As a Southampton person born and bred I would say the best way to do it would be to book four nights in a good Southampton hotel and travel to London on day visits on National express coaches. Most of the attractions in London are all within a mile and a half of each other and well worth seeing but you would miss so much not being in Southampton. For instance a short ferry trip to the Isle of Wight would see you at Osbourne House the home of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and where Queen Victoria spent most of her time after Albert died. It's open to the public and and well worth seeing. Other attractions are Portsmouth historic dockyard and Winchester which are both very interesting and very 'English' if that's what you are looking for.

Whatever you do you should stay in Southampton the night before you embark on Cunard as the traffic in Southampton on cruise days can be horrendous and just one accident on the M3 can cause serious hold ups getting from London to Southampton docks. Above all whatever you do enjoy yourselves and welcome to the U.K.

I’m sure you would really enjoy a visit to the historic dockyard at Portsmouth - I know I did and the tour of The Victory (Nelson’s flagship) was the highlight for me. If you can fit it in then you won’t be disappointed.

I’m from London and I would recommend:

The Houses of Parliament and Big Ben - I think you need to pre book a tour. (1/2 day)

St Pauls Cathedral and its Whispering Gallery, but only if the you have a good head for heights and are fully mobile. (1/2 day)

The Shard - make sure you spend a penny (= visit the restroom). Possibly combine with a visit to Borough Market and a walk along the south bank/visit or walk past the Cutty Sark (nice little pub right next door) (1/2 day)

The Tower of London

And for shops Oxford Street - Selfridges or John Lewis maybe. Or somewhere like Stratford with Olympic stadium nearby.

You would probably also want to visit Buckingham Palace for either a tour or to watch the changing of the guard (check timings)

Lower down my list would be Covent Garden, the London Dungeon (Black Death & Jack the Ripper story), Leicester Square, The London Eye and Trafalgar Square in that order.

And of course parks, theatres, art galleries & museums.

I would stay in Southampton with a day (or two) trips to London - much easier. The Historic Dockyard at Portsmouth is superb and not to be missed. Southampton is a very pleasant base with hotel prices much cheaper than London. Recommend The Pig in the Wall, Premier Inn Westquay or the Holiday Inn. (I think I am correct in saying that P Inn have offers at the moment.)