Flight at 11:50 am at Gatwick, do I have enough time?

We are booked on the Sapphire Princess in July 2019 and the ship is supposed to arrive in Southampton on a Saturday in July at 7:00am.

We are considering a return flight from Gatwick at 11:50 am with Air Transat.

Will I have enough time if we do the self debark and get off as soon as the ship is cleared?

We are flying back to Montreal. Ususally we always plan for at elast 3 hours before but am I cutting this too close? Is Gatwick as busy as Heathrow or smaller?

Since it is a Saturday morning, how bad is traffic?

The next return flight is only Monday, at the same time.

Please advise before I buy my tickets.

Thanks

Will it be faster if I prebook Gatwick Premium Passport Control and Security Control?

It's only 12 pounds /person. Will this allow me more leeway to get there around 9:00-9:30am?

By road the saving grace is that it's a Saturday. :)

Drive time is something under 2 hours, and if your driver takes one of the cross-country routes he has a number of options if there's a road closure or such. The motorway loop is further but quicker and shouldn't be a problem on a Saturday, but the small risk of being trapped behind a major accident.

So unassisted early disembarkation around 7am and a car booked for 7.15 should get you to Gatwick by 9.15. a very comfortable 2hrs 35 mins before your flight time.

That depends on your ship not being late but Southampton is a very reliable port and cruise ships sail past my window, about 30 mins before berthing, around 4 to 5am.

Gatwick is quite a large 2-terminal airport, but nothing like the zoo at Heathrow. I'd be biting my finger-nails if I arrived at Gatwick an hour before flight time, so you have a good 90 mins of wiggle-time for any delays getting to the airport.

It's also possible to travel by train within your time-scale. The current timetable shows a direct train at 8.10am which arrives at Gatwick (station is inside South Terminal) at 10.08, current advance-purchase ticket price £28.20.

Needs some thought about the wisdom of relying on one train, and that might depend on whether the current long-term industrial action by rail drivers and guards is still on-going next year.

But no need to make a decision now on choosing car or train to Gatwick, I'm confident enough to suggest you go ahead and buy your flight tickets.

No guarantees of course, but that's what I would do - especially since the next convenient flight isn't til the Monday.

JB :)

Edited to add. Sorry, don't know anything about the Premium passport/security system.

I do know that premium-pay line-cutting (and therefore lengthening the wait for us impecunious souls) for a government service gets me riled. So if you do it, don't post on here that you've done so. LOL.

Dear John;

As usual, you are a fountain of wisdom. I was hoping to get your approval so now I guess I just have to convince DH to go for it.

On their website, Princess shows a time of 7:00am. is it the arrival time or the time that we are allowed to get off the ship?

Should I get the Premium Security and Passport check at 12 pounds/person?

Dear John;

 

As usual, you are a fountain of wisdom. I was hoping to get your approval so now I guess I just have to convince DH to go for it.

 

On their website, Princess shows a time of 7:00am. is it the arrival time or the time that we are allowed to get off the ship?

Should I get the Premium Security and Passport check at 12 pounds/person?

Ships - including Princess ships - normally berth around 5 - 5.30am while you are still in the land of nod, with unassisted disembarkation around 7am & the first tranche of regular disembarkation around 7.30. Play safe & use unassisted even if you're allocated to the first assisted tranche - it's not just the extra half-hour, it's the avoidance of lines & you'll almost-certainly get from cabin to terminal exit in ten minutes or so.

Re the Premium security/passport check, see the ps on my first post.

Decide for yourself.

Just don't tell me if you go for it :D

JB :)

Thanks John, I won't :-)))

I got off the Sapphire July 28 in Southampton. The first walk off started at 7:15am, there is no custom/immigration to go through.

I got off the Sapphire July 28 in Southampton. The first walk off started at 7:15am, there is no custom/immigration to go through.

Could be different by July 2019 unless previous port was also in UK.

I just contacted Westquay and Smith cars and they are very cautious

There will be major construction on the main road going from Southampton port to Gatwick and it will be completed by 2021

One of their drivers got stuck for 5 hours this week and it’s only the beginning of the construction

The main reason I was flying to/from Gatwick was the flights were $1000 cdn cheaper per person

And we are 3. The same flights out from LHR may be more convenient but pricier

Now, I have to decide: pay more and have my peace of mind or maybe just take the cheaper flight, but the next day

The flight I was considering was a direct flight. There is a non direct with the same airline the next day for approximately the same low price

The question is: what to do in Gatwick for one day?

We would have visited Stonehenge already since we are planning to arrive 2 days pre-cruise ( also due to the fact that there are direct flights only on certain dates with Air Transat)

Please help with suggestions for hotels and things to do post cruise

I just contacted Westquay and Smith cars and they are very cautious

There will be major construction on the main road going from Southampton port to Gatwick and it will be completed by 2021��

One of their drivers got stuck for 5 hours this week and it’s only the beginning of the construction

 

The main reason I was flying to/from Gatwick was the flights were $1000 cdn cheaper per person

And we are 3. The same flights out from LHR may be more convenient but pricier

Now, I have to decide: pay more and have my peace of mind or maybe just take the cheaper flight, but the next day

 

The flight I was considering was a direct flight. There is a non direct with the same airline the next day for approximately the same low price

The question is: what to do in Gatwick for one day?

We would have visited Stonehenge already since we are planning to arrive 2 days pre-cruise ( also due to the fact that there are direct flights only on certain dates with Air Transat)

 

Please help with suggestions for hotels and things to do post cruise

There are no road improvements planned that will affect "the main road from Southampton to Gatwick".

The main route is the motorway loop via M3, M25 and M23. We recently endured literally years of lane closures on the M3 (which also serves Southampton to Heathrow and central London) for up-grading but that all finished over a year ago, and the M25 was upgraded in the same way many years ago. Which just leaves about 7 miles of M23 which will be upgraded in the same way at some point in the next couple of years.

Of more concern is the programme for the M27 between Southampton and Portsmouth. Preliminary works have started, though a 5 hour delay would surprise me enormously. Upgrading isn't scheduled to finish until 2020 or 2021 (experience of Highways Authority estimates tells us it won't be 2020 :rolleyes: ).

(the timescales are so ridiculously long because the govt won't pay unsocial rates for overnight & weekend working, but that's just a personal rant)

That's going to have minimal effect on Southampton traffic taking the M3 but will be a royal pain in the ass for those who commute daily between So'ton and Portsmouth, and for the unfortunates who live between the two in places like Lee-on-the-Solent :eek:.

But for those travelling longer distances such as to Gatwick there are just so many alternate routes that only the unwary will get stuffed, and of course transfer operators tend to be on-the-ball.

Bear in mind that if you choose to fly out on the sunday or monday you'll not be constrained by ship arrival time so you can consider the train

If you choose to spend a day near Gatwick there are plenty of comfortable & reasonably-priced hotels especially in the countryside a few miles away, and most will offer an airport service.

But the only place of interest that I can think of tolerably close to Gatwick is Anne Bolyn's Hever Castle. https://www.hevercastle.co.uk/ Unfortunately it's very poorly serviced by public transport and it's about 15 miles from the airport. But it has its own hotel wing and cottages if your pockets are of royal depth, or there are a couple of reasonably-priced hotels in the vicinity.

If travelling by train you might like to consider breaking your journey for an overnite somewhere like Arundel (quaint & pleasant little town with a super castle, tho with luggage you'd need a taxi hop from Arundel station) or Portsmouth.

If you spent that Saturday & night in Southampton there's a wide variety of options for the saturday by train or by ferry. Check out https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2662064

If you choose to travel to Gatwick by train on the sunday, do bear in mind that it'll be a limited sunday timetable

Me?

I'd still stick to a private transfer from ship to Gatwick on the Saturday

JB :)

Dear John;

How about we take a private transfer from the port to our hotel near/at Gatwick airport?

Then jump on the train to go into London for the rest of the day.

We have been to London already but it should be fun and easy, no?

Please suggest:

1/ airport hotel ( close to the train station)

2/ if taking the train to London, where do we leave from? And where are we getting off?

We are familiar with the Tube but have never taken the train system.

Thanks

Dear John;

 

How about we take a private transfer from the port to our hotel near/at Gatwick airport?

Then jump on the train to go into London for the rest of the day.

We have been to London already but it should be fun and easy, no?

 

Please suggest:

1/ airport hotel ( close to the train station)

2/ if taking the train to London, where do we leave from? And where are we getting off?

We are familiar with the Tube but have never taken the train system.

 

Thanks

You're now way out of my little corner of England, but I'll do my best.....

Can't suggest a hotel near Gatwick, but since you'll be taking the London train from & back to the station in the airport's South Terminal, and you'll be flying out of Gatwick next day, it makes sense to book a hotel close to the airport.

As above, trains go from Gatwick airport's South Terminal.

You have a choice of trains to London.......

To London Victoria (the Gatwick Express), runs every 5 to 10 minutes, takes about 30 mins, currently £16.30 return.

Or to London St Pancras, usually half-hourly service, takes about 45 mins, currently £9.50 return. The St Pancras train has several stops en-route, the only ones which might be useful to you are London Bridge or Blackfriars.

There are tube stations at all those mainline stations.

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

https://tfl.gov.uk/tfl/syndication/widgets/tubemap/default-search.html

JB :)

Thank you John. You have been very helpful.

Now since we will have plenty of time, do you mind going over the train from Southampton to Gatwick South Terminal?

Is it a direct train? How far is it from the port? Is it easily manageable with suitcases?

Thank you John. You have been very helpful.

 

Now since we will have plenty of time, do you mind going over the train from Southampton to Gatwick South Terminal?

Is it a direct train? How far is it from the port? Is it easily manageable with suitcases?

From either of the cruise terminals used by Princess it's a short £7- £8 taxi ride to Southampton central station. There will be taxis ranked-up at the pier but sometimes there's a line of passengers (it moves quickly, the taxis' journeys are short)

With the exception of sundays, direct trains are hourly and the journey time about 2hrs. It's cheaper to pre-book from about 6 weeks out, but you have to select & stick to a specific train time ("advance" tickets on the train timetable linked in my last post) - so I suggest that either you book for the 9.13am rather than the 8.13, or pay a little more for "anytime" tickets.

Trains aren't like in North America, there are no big steps to access the train - it's level with the platform or up one small step. Carriages do vary but normally luggage space is quite restricted. Overhead shelf for small cases, others between the back-to-back seats or wherever you can stash them close to you. Crime is low, but there are plenty of intermediate stops so best not to stash them away from you in the spaces by the carriage doors.

BTW Sofitel is right alongside South terminal, there might be others.

JB :)

I was just going to recommend Sofitel. Nice hotel and as close as you can get to the airport. See if you can get a deal, as it's not cheap.

Thanks

I was looking for a hotel right inside Terminal South or connected by a walkway. Is there any of those?

Thanks

I was looking for a hotel right inside Terminal South or connected by a walkway. Is there any of those?

This from googlemaps, no personal knowledge, and may be out-of-date......

Bloc and Yotelair are attached to South Terminal, Hilton is a 3 (?) minute walk.

At North Terminal, Sofitel and Premier Inn are a 2 - 3 minute walk, and Hampton Inn about a 5 min walk, from the little automated inter-terminal rail shuttle attached to the mainline station at South Terminal.

JB :)

This from googlemaps, no personal knowledge, and may be out-of-date......

 

Bloc and Yotelair are attached to South Terminal, Hilton is a 3 (?) minute walk.

At North Terminal, Sofitel and Premier Inn are a 2 - 3 minute walk, and Hampton Inn about a 5 min walk, from the little automated inter-terminal rail shuttle attached to the mainline station at South Terminal.

 

JB :)

Getting between terminals is easy and doesn't take very long. Just take the rail shuttle (it's free). Just depends on what sort of hotel you want to have, I guess. Have stayed at the Sofitel and the Hilton (South Terminal) and both are good, although the Sofitel has a brilliant breakfast!