Windsor Castle

[Knolmom]

We are cruising with Celebrity in June, and will disembark in Southampton on a Sunday. I would like to take a tour on the way home, maybe to Windsor Castle, Stratford on Avon or someplace else that would be interesting and convenient. We will be visiting Stonehenge on our way to the ship, so we would like to skip anything that includes a stop there.

Any ideas or experiences with organized excursions? We prefer a group but we would do an individual transfer if necessary.

[easyboy]

Maybe you can check with Celebrity's disembarkation airport transfer that includes Windsor Castle Tour. We had the tour with Princess and was dropped off at Heathrow airport after. We didn't have to worry about our luggage while doing the tour.

 

 

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[John Bull]

There are shared tour/transfers, or there's public transport (yep, appreciated you'll have luggage ;)) or there's private transfers

 

But we need to know ...........

On your disembarkation day, will you be flying home (if so, what airport & flight time?) or heading to an airport hotel (early flight next morning?) or a central London hotel?

 

JB :)

[Knolmom]

We are not flying home until the following afternoon so we will have the whole day free to make our way back to. London. We will have baggage, lots of baggage.

[bennybear]

Windsor is an easy half hour bus ride from Heathrow. I would go to Heathrow and checkin at your hotel, drop your luggage! The Sofitel is a very nice hotel right in terminal 5 but depends on what airline you are flying. We have also had good luck with premier inn. Last trip we went to Windsor for the afternoon and had a nice dinner in the town before returning to our hotel.

[4774Papa]

Not sure where you are staying, but Windsor is easy to get to from Heathrow and I think London.

 

You don't need a tour, since guides are available at the castle and they are excellent.

 

We were staying at the Sheraton Heathrow and drove our rental car there and back.

 

Other sights you can visit on tours from central London hotel. Sights like Bath, Oxford, Blenheim Palace.

[John Bull]

We will have baggage, lots of baggage.

 

Public transport can work with baggage.

"Lots of baggage" is a different matter ;)

 

Stratford-upon-Avon doesn't really fit, it's well over 2 hours from Southampton, then up to 2 hours to Heathrow.

With baggage none of this is convenient by train or bus. You'd need a private transfer for the whole long day, or separate transfers for the two journeys if you over-nite in Stratford-upon-Avon.

Can be done quite comfortably in your time-scale. but would cost mega-bucks.

 

There are a number of options quite close to Heathrow, which is under 90 minutes from Southampton.

Windsor & its castle - about 8 miles from Heathrow - is the most obvious option, though Hampton Court Palace is about the same distance (but the opposite direction, so the two don't fit together) and there are other options depending on your interests.

Private guides are not permitted in Windsor castle, so look at a simple transfer rather than a guided tour. You can book a castle guide, but it has an excellent hand-held audio-guide.

 

With an afternoon flight you also have plenty of other options on or close to a Southampton to Heathrow route, including Portsmouth, Salisbury+Stonehenge, and Winchester. Google them, see what you think.

 

With a lot of luggage, if your choice is Windsor, the best bet is to book a hotel in the Heathrow / Windsor area. Fix a private transfer from Southampton to the hotel, drop the luggage there, & continue to Windsor. After your day in Windsor, head back to your hotel by train or bus or local taxi (or even shanks's) depending on the location of your hotel.

A hotel in Windsor itself would cut out one leg of the transfer and allow you to soak up the town that evening & next morning, though hotels in the town are much more expensive.

Do check the hotel location on a map before booking - some play on "Windsor" or "Heathrow" even though they're in towns like Slough or even Maidenhead, more than half-an-hour away.

 

Heathrow hotels are typical of airport hotels world-wide - pretty soulless places in a sea of parking lots. Quite inexpensive, but they make up the shortfall with over-priced food & drink. With an early-morning flight an airport hotel makes sense, but not if you want to make use of the morning.

 

Bennybear mentions a half-hour bus ride from Heathrow to Windsor.

But that depends very much on your Heathrow terminal or hotel. I think that works only with T5 and T5 Sofitel (which I think is the only hotel that's actually in the airport, others need transfers) - with other terminals & hotels it can be well over an hour to Windsor & involve a combination of bus & train switches. Much the same with Hampton Court and anywhere else that's not between Heathrow & central London.

A private-hire taxi (not a black cab from the rank) between Heathrow and Windsor or Hampton Court costa around £25 one-way.

 

For any of these options from Southampton. use a private transfer service based in the Southampton area. http://www.smithsforairports.com is the most-frequently recommended on Cruise Critic, but you could also try http://www.westquaycars.com or http://www.aquacars.co.uk But they're not suitable for little local journeys in the Heathrow/Windsor area.

A simple pre-booked Southampton to Heathrow transfer costs something under £100, get quotes for any variations on that.

 

 

JB :)

Edited December 19, 2016 by John Bull

[PNW Traveler]

We did an extended Mediterranean cruise out of Southampton after spending a week in London. After the cruise we did the cruise line excursion to Windsor Castle with dropoff at Terminal 5 for the Sofitel Hotel. The Sofitel is a lovely hotel and was a comfortable and easy final night in England before our flight home to Seattle. This is not the least cost option at the end of a cruise, but it is definitely a positive and easy solution.

[Knolmom]

Thanks for the many suggestions. Although I did not make it clear, we did want to stop in Windsor or somewhere else on our way from Southsmpton to LONDON, as our flight is not until the following evening at 5( meaning we are due at LHR 2PM?) When I say" lots of baggage" I should qualify this by saying we travel with a portable mobility scooter and a rollator( I use one or the other) or sometimes just I use a cane, depending on the surroundings. Point is that we will have them both with us coming off the ship and touring, on the way back, so we would require either a coach that accommodates luggage underneath, or a private transfer, if were going back to stay at a PremierInn in London.

Maybe staying overnight in Southampton or at Heathrow would be a better idea. Or just skipping Windsor Castle completely and seeing more of London on Sunday and early Monday. We have time. I am looking at June 18 for the excursion.

[John Bull]

Thanks for the many suggestions. Although I did not make it clear, we did want to stop in Windsor or somewhere else on our way from Southsmpton to LONDON, as our flight is not until the following evening at 5( meaning we are due at LHR 2PM?) When I say" lots of baggage" I should qualify this by saying we travel with a portable mobility scooter and a rollator( I use one or the other) or sometimes just I use a cane, depending on the surroundings. Point is that we will have them both with us coming off the ship and touring, on the way back, so we would require either a coach that accommodates luggage underneath, or a private transfer, if were going back to stay at a PremierInn in London.

Maybe staying overnight in Southampton or at Heathrow would be a better idea. Or just skipping Windsor Castle completely and seeing more of London on Sunday and early Monday. We have time. I am looking at June 18 for the excursion.

 

 

You need to be at Heathrow around 2pm - 3pm the day after you disembark from your cruise in Southampton.

 

With that narrow time window you most certainly need to make a choice ..............

 

- a tour-transfer to somewhere like Windsor on disembarkation day or somewhere close to Southampton (like the suggestions in my post) and transfer to Heathrow next morning - and leave central London for a future visit.

 

- or head straight from the ship to central London. This will give you about 24 hours in the big city.

London is worth 3 or 4 days of anyone's time, and many like PNW find enough for a week or more.

24 hours is little enough, but you can get an overview, and mebbe an inside visit or two to somewhere like the Tower of London or St Paul's or Westminster Abbey or Churchill's War Rooms.

 

But you simply don't have the time for a tour-transfer and central London.

 

Southampton isn't a tourist city and it's rarely a cruise port-of-call. It's very much a port city, with multiple cruises starting and finishing there, so there are excellent domestic and international travel options.

The city has enough to interest a traveller for a day, and plenty of options for a day-trip by train to places like Salisbury/Stonehenge, Portsmouth, Winchester, even to Bath. And ferries to the Isle of Wight.

So you could enjoy your day in the Southampton area, and head to Heathrow next morning.

 

But you have to travel to Heathrow anyway, and either Windsor or central London will be far more memorable than a day on the south coast.

 

If you've not been to London, and don't anticipate an opportunity in the future, then go for it.

 

If you can put London on the back-burner for a "proper" visit, then somewhere like Windsor makes more sense.

 

No worries with your rollator on public transport.

But your scooter (I'm presuming an electric one?) can be problematic, though you'll presumably only have it with you on your transfers from Southampton and to Heathrow

 

We can help with the logistics once you've made that basic decision........

- somewhere like Windsor or Hampton Court near Heathrow?

- or Southampton & thereabouts?

- or central London?

 

JB :)

[debenson0723]

Not to hijack the tread but I will have a 12 hour layover at Heathrow on May 21st (a Sunday). I was thinking about going to Windsor Castle at that time via National Rail (leaving my luggage at the airport). I know the Chapel will be closed since it is a Sunday but my main concern is a weekend visit by the Royals, when the castle tours will not be available. Is there any way to find out in advance when they might be there? I did read they are there in mid-June for Ascot and the Order of the Garter ceremony. I would hate to take the time/funds to travel there only to not be able to see the Castle. If that was the case, I will go back to my original plan of spending the day in London. Anyone know how often the Royals visit Windsor in the Spring? Thanks for your help.

[gatr_girl]

Debenson, I don't know the answer to your question, but I do know that about 10 years ago we were at Windsor Castle while the Queen was there (her standard was flying over the castle and we actually saw her luggage being loaded up and her flag come down and the national flag go up as she left) and it didn't affect our touring at all.

 

The royal family lives on one side of the massive castle and the tourists are in the other side so just the fact that they are there does not stop your visit, unless things have massively changed in the last few years.

[debenson0723]

Debenson, I don't know the answer to your question, but I do know that about 10 years ago we were at Windsor Castle while the Queen was there (her standard was flying over the castle and we actually saw her luggage being loaded up and her flag come down and the national flag go up as she left) and it didn't affect our touring at all.

 

The royal family lives on one side of the massive castle and the tourists are in the other side so just the fact that they are there does not stop your visit, unless things have massively changed in the last few years.

 

Thank you so much for your response. I was sure I read somewhere that they did not do tours when the Royals are in residence but I have read so much stuff that I could be completely wrong.:) I will take my chances in hope that the situation is the same as when you were there. Thanks again.

[Bob++]

St. George’s Chapel is the most affected.

 

St. George’s Chapel is closed to visitors on Sundays as services are held throughout the day. Worshippers are welcome to attend the services. These occur at the following times:

08:30 – Holy Communion

10:45 – Mattins and Sermon

12:00 – Sung Eucharist

17:15 – Evensong

 

As a working royal palace, the Castle is used frequently by The Queen for State ceremonies and official entertaining, and closures can occasionally occur at short notice.

 

There are also exhibitions held there from time to time. You would need to check nearer the date on https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/visit/windsorcastle/plan-your-visit