Coach transfer to Southampton

[ThomasBarrow]

Has anyone travelled from North England or South Scotland to Southampton on the coach with intercruises? What was it like and how long did it take? Do you get stops? Is there plenty of leg room and is it comfortable?

[defbref]

Travelled from Carlisle last year with intercruises, left at 5am arrived about 1230, there was 3 stops on the way of about 30 minutes each. Best bit was upon arrival was ushered straight to check in, did not have to queue outside, was on the Ship about 20 minutes after arrival.

 

Coach was comfortable.

 

Doing it again at the end of this month.

[Jennizor]

53 minutes ago, defbref said:

Travelled from Carlisle last year with intercruises, left at 5am arrived about 1230, there was 3 stops on the way of about 30 minutes each. Best bit was upon arrival was ushered straight to check in, did not have to queue outside, was on the Ship about 20 minutes after arrival.

 

Coach was comfortable.

 

Doing it again at the end of this month.

I can fully support the above response. We have travelled several times with Intercruises from Bolton to Southampton. Only one stop but that’s fine for us. We were slightly held up last time due to a road traffic accident but were in Southampton in good time and very quickly on the ship.

[davecttr]

Some questions

1. Do you have to choose the coach transfer option on booking the cruise

2. There are no coaches from Kent, London appears to be the nearest. Does it start from Victoria coach station

 

I have a cruise in July and the options are:-

Train the whole way, not keen on risking it

Train to Victoria and then coach, easy and multiple routes from home to London

Private transfer taxi, very expensive at £400 return plus hotel bills

[maz48]

We travelled from Wetherby Services 4 times now. The coach always comes from up Newcastle way, can't remember exactly. Usual time of pick up for us is 7am but back at first pick up I think it is 5am. Usually have 1 quick stop and one longer one, but that varies, and sometimes there have been a few other pick ups on the way, but only once in the 4 times we were on the coach. The time we had a few other pick ups we arrived about 2.30/2.45. When no other pick ups, it has been between 1pm and 1.30. Comfort wise okay, other than some of the seats give me a bit of backache. Once at the port it is quite quick to be onboard the ship, and they deal with the baggage from the coach too which is a plus.

[davecttr]

12 minutes ago, davecttr said:

Some questions

1. Do you have to choose the coach transfer option on booking the cruise

2. There are no coaches from Kent, London appears to be the nearest. Does it start from Victoria coach station

 

I have a cruise in July and the options are:-

Train the whole way, not keen on risking it

Train to Victoria and then coach, easy and multiple routes from home to London

Private transfer taxi, very expensive at £400 return plus hotel bills

I found the intercruise site. the price return from London Heathrow is £91 but no availabilty from Victoria. How easy is it to get to heathrow from Victoria?

[FangedRose]

12 minutes ago, davecttr said:

Some questions

1. Do you have to choose the coach transfer option on booking the cruise

2. There are no coaches from Kent, London appears to be the nearest. Does it start from Victoria coach station

 

I have a cruise in July and the options are:-

Train the whole way, not keen on risking it

Train to Victoria and then coach, easy and multiple routes from home to London

Private transfer taxi, very expensive at £400 return plus hotel bills

If you wish to take coach travel instead of obc or free parking you need to say when booking. You can book and pay yourself independently. Intercruise/Cruise Connect are the preferred partners of P&O and that is who is used for the "free" option. Or, there is also Eavesway which provide the same service.

 

Can't help with London transfers.

 

 

[amajaa]

We have used a few times but we catch the coach from Hopwood Services on the M42 and that coach is one of the last scheduled to arrive at the dock so each time we have traveled we haven't arrived till nearly 4 o'clock so didn't get our luggage till well after dinner. It's unfortunate but if we were travelling from elsewhere in the country we would definitely use the coach all the time. 

[AlanCruise]

To Davecttr: If you are coming from Kent and already getting the train to London, I would choose to then get a train to Southampton. There are hourly services from Victoria station and quicker services from Waterloo.
It seems a lot of work to get a train from London to Heathrow and then a coach.
There are a lot of Taxis waiting at Southampton station and it is about £10 to the cruise terminals.

[Megabear2]

29 minutes ago, davecttr said:

I found the intercruise site. the price return from London Heathrow is £91 but no availabilty from Victoria. How easy is it to get to heathrow from Victoria?

It takes around 45 minutes to an hour by tube.  District Line to Earl's Court, change to Piccadilly Line to Heathrow Terminal 2/3 station.  It's about 5 minutes from the underground station to the bus station.  

 

For step free access (ie if you've a lot of luggage) I'd look at Victoria Line to Green Park and then swapping on to the Piccadilly Line there.

 

I'm unsure where in Kent you travel from, but if you can access a train to get to Farringdon or Bond Street you have the Elizabeth Line option too.

 

I regularly travel from Waterloo to Heathrow via Green Park and it is relatively easy so long as the lifts are all working.  There is a fair bit of underground walking.

 

The District Line is less stairs until you make Earl's Court.

 

 

[Megabear2]

6 minutes ago, AlanCruise said:

To Davecttr: If you are coming from Kent and already getting the train to London, I would choose to then get a train to Southampton. There are hourly services from Victoria station and quicker services from Waterloo.
It seems a lot of work to get a train from London to Heathrow and then a coach.
There are a lot of Taxis waiting at Southampton station and it is about £10 to the cruise terminals.

Agree with this unless you hit a problem like today.  Absolutely no trains in and out of Waterloo due to an incident outside Woking.

 

Southampton is a difficult one to find alternatives by train although the Southern service is most direct.  The rail strikes are the other problem.

Edited March 4 by Megabear2

[ThomasBarrow]

Thanks all. Sounds good 🙂

[davecttr]

4 hours ago, Megabear2 said:

Agree with this unless you hit a problem like today.  Absolutely no trains in and out of Waterloo due to an incident outside Woking.

 

Southampton is a difficult one to find alternatives by train although the Southern service is most direct.  The rail strikes are the other problem.

The rail strikes is wht worries me. If i was travelling by train I would travel a day early

[Megabear2]

15 minutes ago, davecttr said:

The rail strikes is wht worries me. If i was travelling by train I would travel a day early

Unfortunately the underground is also subject to strike action.  Currently not many strikes beyond this month apart from Aslef overtime ban..

 

Do you have National Express coaches from your part of the world?  My niece used them from Essex to Southampton for her university as the price was very reasonable. Otherwise you may be able to go direct to Heathrow for the Intercruises coach.

[Red Leicester]

6 hours ago, davecttr said:

Some questions

1. Do you have to choose the coach transfer option on booking the cruise

2. There are no coaches from Kent, London appears to be the nearest. Does it start from Victoria coach station

 

I have a cruise in July and the options are:-

Train the whole way, not keen on risking it

Train to Victoria and then coach, easy and multiple routes from home to London

Private transfer taxi, very expensive at £400 return plus hotel bills

Where in Kent are you coming from?  You can hop along the coast with some changes if near Ashford or into London and back out.  

 

If via London then Waterloo - Southampton is quickest.  Victoria - Southampton is much slower.  Again depending where in Kent you travel from Waterloo East - Waterloo may be convenient and has ramps / lifts to help.

 

If you want to message me offline for further info then feel free to.  

[davecttr]

Medway towns so 3 rail routes into London. Victoria, London Bridge and St Pancras also Maidstone is not to far on the bus. Also national express dover-london service.

 

Cruise is 5 months away so no panic

[Red Leicester]

I'd say try and get a Charing Cross train service, bail at Waterloo East, walk along to Waterloo and catch the SouthWestern service to Southampton Central.

[Red Leicester]

That said depending on the Medway town you may need to change at Dartford or London Bridge for Waterloo East.  Some Medways only have the Thameslink service to Luton. 

[davecttr]

3 hours ago, Red Leicester said:

That said depending on the Medway town you may need to change at Dartford or London Bridge for Waterloo East.  Some Medways only have the Thameslink service to Luton. 

Yes, it appears the best option is a train to Victoria and then a 507 bus to Waterloo to catch the half hourly fast service. It would be prudent to travel the day before departure though.

[Red Leicester]

507 was withdrawn last year.  You need an 11 now been Vic and Waterloo. 

[davecttr]

46 minutes ago, Red Leicester said:

507 was withdrawn last year.  You need an 11 now been Vic and Waterloo. 

Why did they cut the 507? Victoria terminus to Waterloo terminus was an easy route. now you have double deckers, good luck getting a suitcase up the stairs.

[snaefell]

We have travelled down from Cheshire a number of times,coaches were clean & comfy,drivers were excellent & yes there were ample stops.

As for how long,so far our trips down were around 4 hours,last year we arrived early &,like others,were led straight through & on board in double quick time.

Our return journeys have been more mixed(cue jokes about it being uphill!),taking a lot longer,last year we were the first coach away from the ship at 0900hrs but didn't get back to our drop off point until near 1900hrs,,our previous return trip took over 7 hours,every motorway resembled a car park!

Needed a holiday after both!😁,

[Red Leicester]

1 minute ago, davecttr said:

Why did they cut the 507? Victoria terminus to Waterloo terminus was an easy route. now you have double deckers, good luck getting a suitcase up the stairs.

Cost cuts from TfL following the pandemic.  Red Arrow routes (507 and 521) were primarily commuter aimed services to get people to / from t’offices.  Since the pandemic usage dropped and they are not sustainable.  My limited understanding is to get continued funding TfL had to make x amounts of cuts and central London bus routes were reviewed and efficiencies made.  Many route duplicated each other for miles and carrying fresh air.  So cuts and changes made to maintain key links.  The 11 has linked Victoria and Liverpool Street continually for 110+ years according to my records and was diverted to Waterloo in 2023 to replace the 507.  
 

I’m not an expert at politics and we have drifted off topic.  
 

Happy to help with journey enquiries.  Call it a passing interest / occupational hazard. 

[Megabear2]

21 minutes ago, Red Leicester said:

Cost cuts from TfL following the pandemic.  Red Arrow routes (507 and 521) were primarily commuter aimed services to get people to / from t’offices.  Since the pandemic usage dropped and they are not sustainable.  My limited understanding is to get continued funding TfL had to make x amounts of cuts and central London bus routes were reviewed and efficiencies made.  Many route duplicated each other for miles and carrying fresh air.  So cuts and changes made to maintain key links.  The 11 has linked Victoria and Liverpool Street continually for 110+ years according to my records and was diverted to Waterloo in 2023 to replace the 507.  
 

I’m not an expert at politics and we have drifted off topic.  
 

Happy to help with journey enquiries.  Call it a passing interest / occupational hazard. 

Sad to hear the 507 is no more.  As a commuter to Lincoln's Inn from Waterloo for 13 years its big benefit was using the tunnel rather than queuing to get on Aldwych and all the traffic lights.

 

Regarding the trains on Thameslink perhaps alighting at Blackfriars on the south side of the river (ie travel in the rear) might be good for Dave and then it's a quick hop on the bus direct to Waterloo main entrance and up in the lift to the concourse or even a pleasant stroll of around 20 minutes.

[davecttr]

3 hours ago, Megabear2 said:

Sad to hear the 507 is no more.  As a commuter to Lincoln's Inn from Waterloo for 13 years its big benefit was using the tunnel rather than queuing to get on Aldwych and all the traffic lights.

 

Regarding the trains on Thameslink perhaps alighting at Blackfriars on the south side of the river (ie travel in the rear) might be good for Dave and then it's a quick hop on the bus direct to Waterloo main entrance and up in the lift to the concourse or even a pleasant stroll of around 20 minutes.

Not on my old legs dragging a suitcase and carry on. I will probably end up getting a taxi.