Cunard Coach Transfer - Southampton to Heathrow

[Desert Cruisers]

Has anyone recently used the coach transfer service to Heathrow?  I have 3 questions:

• How much did it cost per person?
• What time did the coach leave?
• Could you use your on-board credit to pay for the transfer?

 

Thanks.

[bluemarble]

I haven't used a Cunard transfer recently (haven't sailed Cunard yet since the restart of operations), but I can answer two of your three questions.

 

1) The current cost for the Southampton to Heathrow coach transfer is $90 per person. That's the price quoted on the Cunard website but it does take some detective work to figure that out.

 

3) You may use onboard credit to pay for the transfer if you wait to book on board. That $90 per person cost is if you book the transfer in advance and thus don't use onboard credit. In the past, the cost has been a bit higher to book on board (typically about $9 more per person).

 

Pre-Covid, an indirect answer to your second question is that it was usually around 8:30am for the time you would be called off the ship for the airport coach transfers. A notation on the transfer booking forms back then indicated the coach transfers were "for flights 2:00pm or later".

[D&N]

19 hours ago, bluemarble said:

1) The current cost for the Southampton to Heathrow coach transfer is $90 per person. That's the price quoted on the Cunard website but it does take some detective work to figure that out.

Can confirm that was price on forms in cabin before debarkation Sunday 12th June.

 

Today that equates to about £74. Our taxi to Heathrow was £120 and I tipped £20 because they came 30 mins earlier when we were off quicker than expected. 10% is normal in UK. Cunard transfer is expensive in comparison. We advanced our flight 3 hours on arrival at Heathrow to one at 11:20.

[Desert Cruisers]

2 hours ago, D&N said:

Can confirm that was price on forms in cabin before debarkation Sunday 12th June.

 

Today that equates to about £74. Our taxi to Heathrow was £120 and I tipped £20 because they came 30 mins earlier when we were off quicker than expected. 10% is normal in UK. Cunard transfer is expensive in comparison. We advanced our flight 3 hours on arrival at Heathrow to one at 11:20.

Thanks for the update. We have OBC so have to factor that into the equation.  What car service did you use?

[rsquare]

Another question that is off topic but only by 180 degrees: Does Cunard still run coaches from St. Pancras and Victoria Coach station to the ship on sailing days?  If yes, same cost (£74/$90)?

Edited June 18, 2022 by rsquare

[D&N]

14 hours ago, Desert Cruisers said:

Thanks for the update. We have OBC so have to factor that into the equation.  What car service did you use?

WE used Aero Taxis https://www.aerotaxis-southampton.co.uk/

Based on feedback research carried out 3 years ago. But there are many other local firms. West Quay seem to be one of the biggest and most popular.

Others on the forums have made several other recommendations.

We only had 2 x 80 litre cases and 2 x 40 litre back packs plus a small bag each. That fitted easily into all 5 cars we travelled in during our trip.

If you have lots more make sure the car supplied has enough luggage space.

[D&N]

32 minutes ago, rsquare said:

Another question that is off topic but only by 180 degrees: Does Cunard still run coaches from St. Pancras and Victoria Coach station to the ship on sailing days?  If yes, same cost (£74/$90)?

The form left in cabin certainly offered those trips from the ship.

I kept it as potentially useful information.

I've scanned it, and it can now go in the recycling bin.

 

NB. That £74 fluctuates constantly and depends on the card provider using commercial exchange rates without fees.

Cunard Southampton Transfers June 2022.pdf

[bluemarble]

1 hour ago, rsquare said:

Another question that is off topic but only by 180 degrees: Does Cunard still run coaches from St. Pancras and Victoria Coach station to the ship on sailing days?  If yes, same cost (£74/$90)?

 

Yes, it's also $90 per person for the pre-voyage Cunard coach transfer going from St. Pancras and Victoria coach station to the ship.

[Canuker]

The National Express bus terminal is about a 5 minute cab ride from the ship. It operates direct service to Heathrow for around £25 (US$30) or less, per adult. Buses leave at 7:00, 9:00, 11:00 etc. through the day.

https://www.nationalexpress.com

[lesliedrew]

I’m trying to find information on Cunard Coach service roundtrip from LHR to Southampton Cruise Terminal and can’t locate anything on the Cunard website.  I’ve spoken to Cunard and all they can tell me is that it costs $90.

 

Can anyone tell me where it is on the website?  I’m a solo traveler so a taxi or car is quite expensive and the coach would work fine … if I can find information!  Don’t plan to use OBC - all I need is when and where.

 

Thanks for your help.

[bluemarble]

1 hour ago, lesliedrew said:

I’m trying to find information on Cunard Coach service roundtrip from LHR to Southampton Cruise Terminal and can’t locate anything on the Cunard website.  I’ve spoken to Cunard and all they can tell me is that it costs $90.

 

Can anyone tell me where it is on the website?  I’m a solo traveler so a taxi or car is quite expensive and the coach would work fine … if I can find information!  Don’t plan to use OBC - all I need is when and where.

 

Thanks for your help.

 

On the Cunard US website, the transfers are listed during the booking process. You won't find specifics about the "when or where" portion of your question, but you will find the prices confirming the $90 per person (each way) you were quoted by Cunard. That is, the price for a round trip Cunard coach transfer from/to Heathrow totals $180 per person on the Cunard US website.

 

On the "Your voyage summary" page during the booking process there are sections for "Before your voyage" and "After your voyage" where you can add transfers to a booking. Here are screen shots taken from the US booking process for a round trip transatlantic crossing on QM2 departing from Southampton in 2024.

 

Here is the portion of the "Your voyage summary" page on the US website showing where you can separately book transfers before and after your voyage.

 

 

 

Here is the "Airport to ship" transfer page on the US website showing the $90 price for one person for a one-way coach transfer from Heathrow airport to the port.

 

 

 

Here is the  "Ship to airport" transfer page on the US website showing the $90 price for one person for a one-way coach transfer from the port to Heathrow airport.

 

Edited January 9, 2023 by bluemarble

[lesliedrew]

Thank you bluemarble for your help.  Strangely, my booking confirmation looks nothing like yours.  After much time on the phone with Cunard I learned that I cannot make a transfer booking online, must do it by phone.  

My next problem is that my plane arrives at 7:10 AM and I would have to wait in arrivals until about 10:30 for a Cunard representative and a little later for the coach.  A three hour wait doesn't sound very pleasant so I will look for other possibilities.  

Point of information for other readers:  My booking summary on mycunard shows "invalid date" for all the dates.  That and possibly other pieces of misinformation are because I use Safari as my browser.  So, other Safari users beware.  Life is so complicated!  

[bluemarble]

49 minutes ago, lesliedrew said:

Thank you bluemarble for your help.  Strangely, my booking confirmation looks nothing like yours.  After much time on the phone with Cunard I learned that I cannot make a transfer booking online, must do it by phone.  

My next problem is that my plane arrives at 7:10 AM and I would have to wait in arrivals until about 10:30 for a Cunard representative and a little later for the coach.  A three hour wait doesn't sound very pleasant so I will look for other possibilities.  

Point of information for other readers:  My booking summary on mycunard shows "invalid date" for all the dates.  That and possibly other pieces of misinformation are because I use Safari as my browser.  So, other Safari users beware.  Life is so complicated!  

 

@lesliedrew, for clarification, the screen shots I posted are not from a booking confirmation. They are screen shots from the process of starting a booking for a new cruise on the Cunard US website. I started the process of booking a new round trip transatlantic cruise from Southampton on the Cunard US website and only took it as far as necessary to get those screen shots. That's the only way I know of to find information about available transfer options on the Cunard US website and that's the only time you have the opportunity to add transfers to a booking online. Sorry if that wasn't clear when I mentioned those screen shots were from the "US booking process".

 

As you have found, once you have booked a cruise, there is no online way to add Cunard transfers to your existing booking. That must be done by calling Cunard (if you booked directly with them) or by contacting your travel agent. Unfortunately Cunard's online presence does leave a lot to be desired especially when compared to other lines.

Edited January 10, 2023 by bluemarble

[durante]

It is much cheaper to use the National Express coach service which runs between Heathrow and Southampton Coach station and then a 5-10 minute taxi to the cruise terminal. You have a better choice of departure times and the price includes luggage up to a certain weight. We use it all the time and see many people from the US also use this service to get to and from the airport and Southampton. It’s best to book well in advance on their website to get the best price and choice of times.