Princess post cruise Stonehenge tour, can I make a 430pm flight out of Heathrow?

[Cessna140]

When I booked this excursion the time for flights cut off was 4 pm. We have a 430pm flight so we booked. Now the Princess website has changed it to 5 pm flights and later. Has anyone else done this tour lately? We are thinking of cancelling because we hear how crowded and busy the Heathrow Airport is....and we will be doing this on a Saturday. Any thoughts ? Thanks!

[CruiserBruce]

They will probably be dropping you at the airport by 3pm. So, if you feel comfortable checking in, clearing security and the additional screening for flights to the US, you can make it. Its going to be a bit hectic, but unless you have mobility issues, I think you will make it.

[gumshoe958]

You’ll be fine. Heathrow can get very busy but mornings and lunchtimes are worst. It tends to quieten down in the afternoons.

[Jamietravelstheworld]

4 hours ago, Cessna140 said:

When I booked this excursion the time for flights cut off was 4 pm. We have a 430pm flight so we booked. Now the Princess website has changed it to 5 pm flights and later. Has anyone else done this tour lately? We are thinking of cancelling because we hear how crowded and busy the Heathrow Airport is....and we will be doing this on a Saturday. Any thoughts ? Thanks!

That's one of those things you can wait to decide until you're on the ship and talk to guest services about. I'd ask them specifically what time the expected drop off at the airport is and if there's any padding in the timing for traffic. You will be able to cancel this on-board and switch to transfer to the airport. International flights are now 3 hours for check-in (and some airports and airlines recommend 4 hours) and I believe that you go through US Customs and Immigration at Heathrow so you need time for that; but if you have global entry that will speed you through that (which I believe is accepted at Heathrow). You could check the Heathrow website to verify that information. 

[CruiserBruce]

11 minutes ago, Jamietravelstheworld said:

That's one of those things you can wait to decide until you're on the ship and talk to guest services about. I'd ask them specifically what time the expected drop off at the airport is and if there's any padding in the timing for traffic. You will be able to cancel this on-board and switch to transfer to the airport. International flights are now 3 hours for check-in (and some airports and airlines recommend 4 hours) and I believe that you go through US Customs and Immigration at Heathrow so you need time for that; but if you have global entry that will speed you through that (which I believe is accepted at Heathrow). You could check the Heathrow website to verify that information. 

No, you don't do US Immigration and Customs at Heathrow. But you do have an extra security check for US bound flights. GE is not a factor at Heathrow. 

[Jamietravelstheworld]

13 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

No, you don't do US Immigration and Customs at Heathrow. But you do have an extra security check for US bound flights. GE is not a factor at Heathrow. 

I just went and checked online and you're correct. It's Ireland that has it, not Heathrow. Sorry I gave incorrect information.

[Cessna140]

Thanks for all the input! Much appreciated. 

[padisneyfan]

I am also interested.  We have 4:45pm flight.  It was also posted as 4pm when we booked.   Ours is a Sept 5 departure

[Cessna140]

As of now three of the four of us want to take the chance......I'll post here to let you know how we make out! 

[ontheweb]

2 hours ago, Cessna140 said:

As of now three of the four of us want to take the chance......I'll post here to let you know how we make out! 

Good luck. We were going to take the Princess excursion back to Heathrow by way of Stonehenge in 2020 after a Norwegian fjords cruise, but alas the Covid shutdown got in the way. 😢

[padisneyfan]

Has anyone done this excursion since Princess changed the time from.4pm to 5pm.  Were you able to make a flight that leaves at 4:45pm

[Cessna140]

Just off the Regal Princess yesterday. I'm the original poster of this question.  

We went to the tour desk to ask about the time frame for getting to Heathrow after the cruise. We were told the tours had been getting in to the airport at 2:15pm. Since our flight left Heathrow at 4:30pm we were advised to cancel. Which we did unfortunately. Our travel partners had a later flight back home so they opted to still go on the tour. They got to the airport at 1:45 pm!!!!  Now of course, we wish that we wouldn't have cancelled but my husband is the cautious type and didnt want to take the chance. So we sat at Healthrow for 5 hours before our flight in a sea of humanity.....what a madhouse!

[mskaufman]

Two days ago we used a private transfer and were at LHR by 1030.  With a two hour Stonehenge stop, you can probably be there by 1230.  

[padisneyfan]

Cessna 140.  Thanks for the information.  Our flight is 4:45pm so we should be ok.   Our cruise is 8/24 and  returns 9/5.   Did you enjoy the cruise?

 

MS Kaufman what private transfer did you use?

 

 

[mskaufman]

10 hours ago, padisneyfan said:

Cessna 140.  Thanks for the information.  Our flight is 4:45pm so we should be ok.   Our cruise is 8/24 and  returns 9/5.   Did you enjoy the cruise?

 

MS Kaufman what private transfer did you use?

 

 

Majestic

[Cessna140]

Yes, we enjoyed the cruise! It was cooler than we expected and we ended up not wearing the shorts we brought. The food was good, no problems in the dining room. The International Cafe is great for a quick snack. We didnt make any plans in Greenock or Invergordon and that was a mistake. There is very little to see or do there, altho we did enjoy the free Invergordon Museum. 

Entertainment onboard was very good, had three production shows over the 12 day cruise. 

Hope you enjoy your cruise too!

[padisneyfan]

Cessna140 so glad you enjoyed the cruise.  We have excursions booked at every port.  I haven't packed any shorts as I thought it will be cooler.  Looking forward to enjoying the cruise with our friends.  Thanks for the information about Stonehedge .   We are planning on doing it since our flights are at 4:45

[Cessna140]

Have a great time! It goes by so fast!

[Cessna140]

How was your cruise padisneyfan? were you able to see Stonehenge and get to Heathrow on time??