Southampton-London Transfers - Airport (LHR/LGW) - NEW THREAD!

[wilsonhold]

9 hours ago, herbanrenewal said:

I've  heard some who walked out and got a taxi, and others who said over an hour in queue. My backup plan is to walk - its around a mile, (roughly 1.4km) according to google maps.

 Not sure if you have been following our sailings Primi roll call but on May 12 there will be four ships and potentially 14k passengers in Southampton that day. Consider making your plans early.

[nini]

1 hour ago, wilsonhold said:

 Not sure if you have been following our sailings Primi roll call but on May 12 there will be four ships and potentially 14k passengers in Southampton that day. Consider making your plans early.

 

There were also quite few ships when we boarded and disembarked in Southampton. It is a busy port in the busy season.

[flsun]

Is it really this difficult?  We are arriving to LHR and need transport to and from Southampton. With all the ships porting there, and International Friends only driving one day in the month of March, I need suggestions on a transfer service, train route or bus.  

[nini]

5 hours ago, flsun said:

Is it really this difficult?  We are arriving to LHR and need transport to and from Southampton. With all the ships porting there, and International Friends only driving one day in the month of March, I need suggestions on a transfer service, train route or bus.  

We will probably take the National Express coach from LHR when we arrive the day before the cruise. Then it will be a short cab ride to our hotel. Then we will take the Princess transfer from the port to LHR after disembarkment. 

Last year, we took a private cab transfer from LHR to our hotel and they are VERY expensive!

[flsun]

On 1/11/2024 at 3:20 AM, nini said:

We will probably take the National Express coach from LHR when we arrive the day before the cruise. Then it will be a short cab ride to our hotel. Then we will take the Princess transfer from the port to LHR after disembarkment. 

Last year, we took a private cab transfer from LHR to our hotel and they are VERY expensive!

Thank you.  I’ve been looking at transfers and have been quoted anywhere from $260-$390.  I’m so surprised there aren’t more economical transfers; in Rome, it was always easy to do private or shared rides.

[Bxc53]

Heathrow or Gatwick for Southampton departure?

 

We are planning for a TA from Southampton this coming September.Coming from the US West coast, our flight options are showing both airports at similar fares and possibly available on our airline points. We will arrive a day or two prior to sail away but not looking to visit London- Did that last time, it was lovely, but we want to see some of the rest of GB. Ideally we would like to take a train for most of the transfer , if practical.

 

Suggestions and /or pro/con for each? 

 

Thanks

Edited January 12 by Bxc53

[nini]

3 hours ago, flsun said:

Thank you.  I’ve been looking at transfers and have been quoted anywhere from $260-$390.  I’m so surprised there aren’t more economical transfers; in Rome, it was always easy to do private or shared rides.

 

You are so correct! In Rome, we easily booked our transfer to the port. It was a shared ride and we stopped at two different hotels to pick up some riders- we did not know these other people. It was so economical and a breeze. For some reason, this concept is unknown in London/ Southampton.

 

One time, we were able to arrange sharing a transfer from the ship to LHR. We did this from our Roll Call, but this can be complicated. People can cancel on you, etc and then you are stuck with the entire fee. There were to be 6 of us, but one couple canceled, due to the husband getting covid and the wife deciding to stay with him at the quarantine hotel, instead of flying home. We did not reimburse her; she said not to but I don;t think the other couple would have wanted to anyway.

 

Therefore, in order to share, this needs to be pre-arranged and is possible, making it more affordable. But, it is tough. The National Express is super cheap from the airport. Of course, we will need to get a cab from the bus station to the hotel but they are very reasonable.

[nini]

2 hours ago, Bxc53 said:

Heathrow or Gatwick for Southampton departure?

 

We are planning for a TA from Southampton this coming September.Coming from the US West coast, our flight options are showing both airports at similar fares and possibly available on our airline points. We will arrive a day or two prior to sail away but not looking to visit London- Did that last time, it was lovely, but we want to see some of the rest of GB. Ideally we would like to take a train for most of the transfer , if practical.

 

Suggestions and /or pro/con for each? 

 

Thanks

 

Hello fellow Washingtonian! You may find more detailed airport information on the "Cruise Air" board. You can do a search for "Gatwick".

We have flown into LHR twice when we had departures from Southampton. I really do not know much about Gatwick. If you are using EZAir, does it offer Gatwick?

Have you been in LHR? We basically despise that airport, but it is what it is.

 

Taking the train to Southampton from London is not advised, as it really is a pain. I learned this on this board.

Edited January 12 by nini
added words

[Globaliser]

38 minutes ago, nini said:

Taking the train to Southampton from London is not advised, as it really is a pain.

 

From central London to Southampton, the train is dead easy, and (as so often the case) faster than road.

[nini]

15 minutes ago, Globaliser said:

 

From central London to Southampton, the train is dead easy, and (as so often the case) faster than road.

 

Thank you for your clarification. I seem to remember otherwise, however, that sounds like a great plan. Is it easy to board the train from LHR?

[Cotswold Eagle]

41 minutes ago, nini said:

Is it easy to board the train from LHR?

Not really, which is why Globaliser clearly and carefully said "From central London". 

[nini]

29 minutes ago, Cotswold Eagle said:

Not really, which is why Globaliser clearly and carefully said "From central London". 

That was why I told the other poster that the train was not a great option from LHR- which is what they were referring to.

[Globaliser]

1 hour ago, nini said:

That was why I told the other poster that the train was not a great option from LHR- which is what they were referring to.

 

But what you actually said was "to Southampton from London". It's true that train is a difficult option from Heathrow (which only just counts as London) - but this thread concerns all London transfers and different people planning different journeys will be reading it. Hence the clarification.

[wilsonhold]

On 1/12/2024 at 1:27 PM, nini said:

The National Express is super cheap from the airport.

Besides the price, another reason to  consider  using National express is  baggage. Storing and keeping track of luggage on a busy train is not fun.

 

But it just seems very strange to me that a busy port like Southampton would not have some type of bus transportation to either the Southampton bus station or train station (even if need to pay). With sometimes 14k disembarking passengers, I hope they have hundreds of taxi lined up at the 5 separate port areas. Will consider walking, but if it would rain.. not sure walking would be considered.

[nini]

1 hour ago, wilsonhold said:

Besides the price, another reason to  consider  using National express is  baggage. Storing and keeping track of luggage on a busy train is not fun.

 

But it just seems very strange to me that a busy port like Southampton would not have some type of bus transportation to either the Southampton bus station or train station (even if need to pay). With sometimes 14k disembarking passengers, I hope they have hundreds of taxi lined up at the 5 separate port areas. Will consider walking, but if it would rain.. not sure walking would be considered.

You have excellent points!

[odie1024]

12 hours ago, wilsonhold said:

Besides the price, another reason to  consider  using National express is  baggage. Storing and keeping track of luggage on a busy train is not fun.

I will be doing London to Southhampton so have been following this. I am interested in the bus and don't want to assume but the bus driver must stow your baggage under the bus, correct, as I definitely cannot drag my luggage up any steps.

[gnome12]

3 hours ago, odie1024 said:

I will be doing London to Southhampton so have been following this. I am interested in the bus and don't want to assume but the bus driver must stow your baggage under the bus, correct, as I definitely cannot drag my luggage up any steps.

Yes, the bus driver stows the luggage under the bus.

[Globaliser]

21 hours ago, wilsonhold said:

Storing and keeping track of luggage on a busy train is not fun.

 

Unless you have vast amounts of luggage (in which case you could exceed the baggage limitations for National Express), dealing with luggage on these trains isn't difficult. Millions of people travel on trains with their luggage, all over the country. It may sometimes require a bit of improvisation, but we're all doing that all the time.

[wilsonhold]

32 minutes ago, Globaliser said:

 

Unless you have vast amounts of luggage (in which case you could exceed the baggage limitations for National Express), dealing with luggage on these trains isn't difficult. Millions of people travel on trains with their luggage, all over the country. It may sometimes require a bit of improvisation, but we're all doing that all the time.

 National express luggage allowance seems sufficient for most cruisers (see below). And we have travelled by train in the past with luggage at busy times and just felt the cheapest/easiest transportation wins out for us but i coincide it may not be the quickest and you may have a different opinion.

[Globaliser]

10 hours ago, wilsonhold said:

... and just felt the cheapest/easiest transportation wins out for us ...

 

"Cheapest" is certainly a competition that National Express will often win, and is a big contributor to its passenger mix. So if that is of overriding importance, then it'll often be the winner.

[wilsonhold]

3 hours ago, Globaliser said:

 

"Cheapest" is certainly a competition that National Express will often win, and is a big contributor to its passenger mix. So if that is of overriding importance, then it'll often be the winner.

Full disclosure. We only took them once from LHR airport to Southampton August 2022. To be honest,  I don't remember many details of the trip except it was convenient  and reasonable priced. It left no emotional scars from the trip that we can remember after 2 years. It got us to point a to point b as advertised.

 

Last year we took a train from Civitavecchia to Rome with luggage. While we would do it again, the train was completely full, cramped, and traveling with  luggage was a chore.
 

Of the two experiences, we had no concerns using National Express again. It was 19.00 Usd for the both of us one way to London. 

Edited January 15 by wilsonhold

[jajsmom]

We're thinking of doing National Express in June.  Our airfare is not finalized yet--we're booking through EZ Air.  How far in advance should we book National Express to get the times we want?

[nini]

23 minutes ago, jajsmom said:

We're thinking of doing National Express in June.  Our airfare is not finalized yet--we're booking through EZ Air.  How far in advance should we book National Express to get the times we want?

 

IMHO- the sooner the better. I am sure that you are aware of being able to pay a bit more for flexible tickets if your plane is late.

[wilsonhold]

21 minutes ago, jajsmom said:

We're thinking of doing National Express in June.  Our airfare is not finalized yet--we're booking through EZ Air.  How far in advance should we book National Express to get the times we want?

I would recommend you look at how busy the Southampton port for your planned date? This can be done on sites like cruisetimetables.com.

 

Good luck

[jajsmom]

I checked cruisetime tables.  I thought they had gone out of business during covid, so thanks for refreshing my memory. There will be 3 other large ships in port the day we leave, but they all return sooner than we do. I know the change fee is only 5 pounds per traveler, so I'd be willing to book this far in advance. Our flight currently arrives just before noon.  How much time should we allow to get the bus?  Would a 2PM bus (1400) be an acceptable time to book? And what is the earliest we should book on debarkation day.  We can walk off, but our flight isn't until later in the afternoon.  Thanks!