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Transport from Gatwick to Southhampton

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Eboracum_d

Eboracum_d

Posted
Posted

There are trains running on Sunday though you have to change at either once (at Guildford) or twice (at Guildford and Woking) .

 

Are you sailing out of Southampton on that Sunday? If not you also have the option of spending the night in London and coming on from there the next day.

 

Another alternative would be to take the train from Gatwick into London Victoria and then a coach from there to Southampton.

 

It might also be worth thinking of a pre booked taxi ( cost about £130) to meet you at Gatwick and take you to the cruise terminal .

 

 

 

 

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Bob++

Bob++

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For rail, you will need to leave it to nearer the date. This is a Southern Rail route and they have a load of problems just now. It will hopefully be resolved by September and it may well be that the schedules will change.

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josumello

josumello

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Great information!! Would u recommend buying tickets ahead of time or would it be better to wait. I am thinking of a delay with plane. [emoji23][emoji35]

 

 

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dogs4fun

dogs4fun

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Generally how far out should one book the National Express buses to get the best fares? I understand that they can be as low as 5 pounds per person but does this mean booking it 6 or 9 months in advance?

 

Personally, I have no experience with these super cheap fares. Hopefully a local will chime-in with more info. I don't think the funfare (£5) is available from Gatwick to Southampton (but I could be mistaken). The funfare involves travel at off peak times, booking early & depends on which day you travel (according to their website).

Here is the website on the £5 fares (put in your date & time of travel to see the fares - fares are usually available a year out):

http://www.nationalexpress.com/cheap-coach-tickets.aspx

Edited by dogs4fun
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dogs4fun

dogs4fun

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Great information!! Would u recommend buying tickets ahead of time or would it be better to wait. I am thinking of a delay with plane. [emoji23][emoji35]

 

 

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Depends on how risk tolerant you are. I bought mine online - ahead of time (this was about 8 years ago & I was not traveling to a cruise port so my situation was entirely different from yours). I don't know if your route/time of day will be sold out (in which case, you would not be able to purchase a ticket on that coach on the day of travel) or whether or not you mind paying the (usually) higher price for purchasing your ticket on your day of travel.

The answer to most questions can be found on the National Express website, FAQ. Here is the info on their website re: delay of plane:

 

What should I do if my flight is delayed?

 

We strongly recommend booking a coach which departs a minimum of 1 hour 30 minutes after you are due to land which will enable you to clear passport control and collect any luggage and make your way to our departure point. If your flight is delayed, you should aim to make contact with our staff before the time of departure on your ticket to request an amendment.

 

Tickets can only be amended before the time of departure and are subject to an amendment fee, excess fare (where applicable) and seat availability.

 

For added flexibility you might consider an open return ticket which will allow you to be booked onto the next available service by our staff, without fees and valid for 3 months from the original date of departure.

 

Alternatively, a flexible add-on is available from the 'add extras' page when making your booking online which means that you can board any available coach 12 hours before or 12 hours after your original departure time

Amend your ticket to a new departure date - free of charge

obtain a refund on your ticket, when cancelled up to 24 hours before departure

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John Bull

John Bull

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Great information!! Would u recommend buying tickets ahead of time or would it be better to wait. I am thinking of a delay with plane. [emoji23][emoji35]

 

 

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Generally how far out should one book the National Express buses to get the best fares? I understand that they can be as low as 5 pounds per person but does this mean booking it 6 or 9 months in advance?

 

Buy tickets in advance - coaches do book out. They!re very aware that flights can be delayed, so for journeys from airports (and ONLY from airports) you can switch your ticket to a later coach, subject to. £5 admin charge.

 

There are no fun-fare rates on transfers to / from airports - fun-fares are to encourage folk to use buses for days out & such, there's no need to encourage folk to use the bus for airports cos they need the transport.

 

JB :)

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sddsddean

sddsddean

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Don't be too worried about the £5 admin fee. Though its in their T&C's, my Mum was late at Gatwick last year and they just put her on the next coach as there was room...no problem. I'm not saying they won't charge, but they might not and in the grand scheme of things, £5 is naff all when you are paying a couple of grand for a cruise! As long as you have a reservation, in my experience the staff will do their best to help you out.

 

Simon

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John Bull

John Bull

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For LHR, they say plan 90 minutes from leaving the plane and through imgration.

 

How long for Gatwick?

 

Broadly the same, though as anywhere it's a matter of luck.

Bus stops at both of Gatwicks terminals so it's easier than LHRs Ts 1, 2, 3.

The train station is in South Terminal.

Private transfer drivers will want your flight number and can figure it themselves.

 

JB :)

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scottbee

scottbee

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A quick look at nationalrail.co.uk and Sunday's easiest trip requires a change of train (same platform) at Ford (a little village on the south coast).

 

It's faster than taking a coach (2h02m vs 2h30m), runs more often than taking a coach (every hour, vs every 2h30), and likely more comfortable. Oh, and it's GBP8.50; seems like a no brainer to me. Buy your ticket in advance, getting to the platform at Gatwick is easy and well marked.

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Cotswold Eagle

Cotswold Eagle

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A quick look at nationalrail.co.uk and Sunday's easiest trip requires a change of train (same platform) at Ford (a little village on the south coast).

 

 

 

It's faster than taking a coach (2h02m vs 2h30m), runs more often than taking a coach (every hour, vs every 2h30), and likely more comfortable. Oh, and it's GBP8.50; seems like a no brainer to me. Buy your ticket in advance, getting to the platform at Gatwick is easy and well marked.

 

 

You are correct on the current timetable, although the change may also be at Barnham. That fare is an Advance and can be cheaper, but not yet possible to book for September - and won't be for about 5 months.

 

As Bob said earlier, need to wait and see what will happen, particularly as these are two Southern services, with all their industrial dispute problems!

 

 

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duesouth

duesouth

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Posted

If my ship docks at 5:30 AM in south hampton and I get early disembarkation, would it be reasonable to think that I could be at the National Coach bus station in south Hampton for 6:50 AM for the bus departure?? Thanks for all the help so far... [emoji173][emoji4]

 

 

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