Travel from Heathrow to Southampton

I Chicago and arriving in London tomorrow. Car company had to cancel our reservation. What are options at the airport. Over a barrel thanks

a different car sevice

National express bus

Depending on how much time you have & if you are boarding the ship the same day

Don't leave till Monday. Bus is first come first serve. What about a taxi. Simth and blackberry are all booked

Try West Quay Cars Southampton, I haven't used them but have them marked as a possibility for our cruise next May.

Probably too late for you but there are several buses a day that would get you to Southampton

It is probably quite expensive for a taxi for the 90 min + trip

2 real options as I see it (don't use a taxi!!!)

1. National Express coach. https://www.nationalexpress.com/en Currently showing as available. Don't know which terminal you are coming in to, so used Central Bus station (T1,2,3). Showing as £43 pp plus £1 booking fee. Journey time about 2hrs 15mins.

2. Railair via Woking. https://www.thetrainline.com/?phcode=1011l2274.&utm_campaign=handfordr&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=network&cm=0a1e.1011l2274&dclid=CjkKEQjw_vfcBRDo8oz5wdjoy5sBEiQAix4eW2knwbHQ_3pNuXv9IKLsFI6H7cyVj87PxAsgG0x4V7nw_wcB

(from: Heathrow T?, to: Southampton)

Bus to Woking station, then change to rail to Southampton Central. Showing as £35.90pp, trip time 2hrs 9mins. Pick an option with only one change if you can, then you can stay on the same train all the way to Southampton.

Taxis readily available at Southampton coach and rail stations to get you to cruise terminal...£6.

Hope it all works out.

Taxi from LHR is an absolute last resort!

Simon

By ship's transfer bus. All cruise lines have transfer buses from LHR on sailing day. I used to drive ships' transfers and occasionally I'd be given a note from the cruise line rep at the airport to hand to their colleague at the cruise terminal - the note was to charge the on-board account of a passenger who hadn't booked the transfer, so I know it's possible to use the service un-booked and cruise lines always over-cater :)

Look out for the cruise line rep in the arrivals hall of any LHR terminal.

If the rep doesn't seem to be clued-up & says it can't be done, I know that it can - so ask that they check with their supervisor.

This is the simplest option - transfer fare anywhere from about $60 pp (Princess) to $100 (RCI)

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By direct National Express bus is the cheapest at around £20 per person, but it depends on availability and which LHR terminal.

I am guessing you're already on your way & it's too late to book on-line, but if you can their website is https://www.nationalexpress.com/en

That would guarantee seats.

Your destination is Southampton coach station (do spell Southampton correctly, the website is spelling-sensitive)

LHR bus station is in the T2/T3 complex.

Bus also picks up from the concourses outside T4 & T5 but if you're not booked you might have to go to the bus station to buy tickets (free shuttles between airport terminals).

If you're not booked there's no guarantee of availability.

As I type there's still availability for 8am, 9.45am, 11.30am, 1.15pm. The 1.15pm gets to Southampton at 3.30pm and that's the very latest bus that will do the job for you. Allow about 90 minutes for airport formalities from landing time to bus stop. If you're delayed, you can switch to a later coach subject to availability, but again I think you might have to do that at LHR bus station.

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By train from LHR isn't popular because it's not a direct service.

But it's a very useful Plan B for circumstances like yours, because there's no need to pre-book and it's a frequent service (roughly every half-hour).

From LHR you start with a RailAir bus (often it's in National Express colours) to a mainline station - either Woking or Reading) and from there by direct train to Southampton central station. Total journey time a little over 2 hrs,

If you take the Nat Express bus or train, it's a short taxi ride (£10 max) from coach or train station to any cruise terminal

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Do try to avoid using an un-booked taxi from the rank at the airport. Their metered rates are OK for short journeys, but they're ultra-expensive for the 55 miles to Southampton.

I don't know if this would work, but you could try negotiating a fixed rate - let the driver know you have other options but "I'd like to keep it simple if the fare is reasonable".

But this is very much your last resort, so do try to avoid.

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You have options, so you won't miss your ship.:)

But it's worth naming-and-shaming the car service that let you down.

Good luck

JB :)

As there have been no " we missed the ship" posts, I assume you made it. Just wondering what option you went for in the end?

Simon