Transportation from London to Southampton

Can anyone recommend a transfer service, either group coach or private care service from London to Southampton?

Smiths for airports

I have used them twice to pick me up at LHR to go to Southampton. They also picked me up in Southampton to go to London and then from London to LHR. Very professional, prompt and helpful.

Smiths for airports

 

I have used them twice to pick me up at LHR to go to Southampton. They also picked me up in Southampton to go to London and then from London to LHR. Very professional, prompt and helpful.

Yes, highly recommend them too. Their rates are very competitive (especially compared to what hotels offer in the way of transfers).

Thank you both for responding. We will be arriving in London via Eurostar and need to get to Southampton. I've been watching the rail site for prices but can't book the tickets yet. I've contacted Smiths to see what they would charge.

Cunard has a bus leaving from Victoria coach station. It costs less than Rail or commercial coach, does not require finding a taxi in Southampton. Your luggage will be transferred from the bus to your stateroom. That's hard to beat.:D

Cunard has a bus leaving from Victoria coach station. It costs less than Rail or commercial coach, does not require finding a taxi in Southampton. Your luggage will be transferred from the bus to your stateroom. That's hard to beat.:D

True, except it only works if you have one suitcase. I'd take this option if they permitted more luggage.

Thank you both for responding. We will be arriving in London via Eurostar and need to get to Southampton. I've been watching the rail site for prices but can't book the tickets yet. I've contacted Smiths to see what they would charge.

We've used the train, Waterloo to Soton several times. If you're willing to take a taxi across London to Waterloo, check out the train service offered by MegaBus. If you book early, it's only two pounds (and it goes up from there), and it's the same Southwest Train that costs about 40 pounds.

There's a cheap advance fare for a train from Victoria station, but it's slower and a longer taxi ride from St Pancras.

South West Trains are offering a Summer promotion for a Day Return Ticket for £20 which is a considerable saving on a one way fare. up to 28th August 2015 excluding 1st and 15th August and Sundays.

http://www.southwesttrains.co.uk/summer.aspx

This fare may be booked at The station or in advanced and not subject to any specific timed train outside peak hours.

Use the SWT website to check times

South West Trains are offering a Summer promotion for a Day Return Ticket for £20 which is a considerable saving on a one way fare. up to 28th August 2015 excluding 1st and 15th August and Sundays.

 

http://www.southwesttrains.co.uk/summer.aspx

This fare may be booked at The station or in advanced and not subject to any specific timed train outside peak hours.

 

Use the SWT website to check times

That is a good price. IIRC, South West is one of the lines that doesn't offer low-priced advance fares, which is why I suggested Mega, which does. But Mega is for specific trains only.

True, except it only works if you have one suitcase. I'd take this option if they permitted more luggage.

One 26" suitcase plus carry on personal items, i.e. laptop, briefcase, purse, etc? And is this service available to any Cunard passenger or just those who booked directly with Cunard?

I contacted Smiths For Airports and asked for a quote from St Pancras Station in London to Southampton Hilton. They gave me a price of £112 + £7 service fee ($186 US). This is for 2 people and 4 bags.

Has anyone used this? It is much, much cheaper than Smith's. And, if anyone has used it, are you limited to luggage? We only take one large case, plus personal-type carryon's.

Has anyone used this? It is much, much cheaper than Smith's. And, if anyone has used it, are you limited to luggage? We only take one large case, plus personal-type carryon's.

You should be fine. Website says 2 medium sized suitcases, max 20 KG. More info hopefully will come through here:

http://www.nationalexpress.com/footer-pages/luggage.aspx

I have not used the service from London but have from Heathrow. It is a good bus service. You will need a taxi from their station to the pier.

Roy

Thanks, Roy. That was the assurance that convinced me. Actually, we probably won't need a cab because we are about five minutes walking distance to our flat. Since I can't remember if we have to manage stairs at Victoria Station, I think we will take National Express from Gatwick to Victoria Coach Station, as well.

For anyone who is interested, the fare from LGW to VCS is 21 GBP, for 2 seniors; from VCS to Southampton, it is 27 GBP for 2 people.

One 26" suitcase plus carry on personal items, i.e. laptop, briefcase, purse, etc? And is this service available to any Cunard passenger or just those who booked directly with Cunard?

Pretty sure it has to be booked. I'm going to get the hotel concierge to book a car or I'll call Smiths - they're well priced.

One of the dilemmas here is that there are many choices to get to the ship.

1. The least expensive will be a bus ("coach") from Victoria Coach Station to Southampton. Then a v. short taxi ride to the berth. Book in advance for best price: http://www.nationalexpress.com. The bus will likely travel via Heathrow airport.

2. The quickest is by train. Taxi to Waterloo (tell him you want the platform level, to avoid schlepping bags up steps). Again book in advance for best price - Megatrain can be even cheaper than the bus. Then short taxi to ship.

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk or uk.megabus.com/megatrain.aspx

3. Least hassle: By rented car, door to door - see recommendations already made.

4. Other: There's an hourly train service from Victoria Station to Southampton, too. Use if geography is convenient but be aware the baggage storage on this service is very poor (put bags on seats if available)

Not sure which day you are travelling. Be aware that rail services are often disrupted on Sundays for track maintenance work and summer Saturdays (EVERYWHERE!) can be very busy, roads and rails.

Best,

Canuker

Has anyone used this? It is much, much cheaper than Smith's. And, if anyone has used it, are you limited to luggage? We only take one large case, plus personal-type carryon's.

We used National Express this past May to go from Victoria Coach Station in London to Southampton and we were very pleased with it.. and also with the price. I booked well in advance and I only paid 5 pound each.

You will be fine with your luggage. We each had a large case, plus a carry on bag and there was no problem. Our bus was half empty so lots of room to spread out if you wanted to. We left on a Saturday at 1:30 pm and were in Southampton at 3:45 pm. The motorway got very busy at one point but we still arrived on time. :D

Forgot to say, the luggage is stored in the luggage compartment under the bus so no worries about having cases on or under the seats in the bus. It was very comfortable.

The motorway got very busy at one point but we still arrived on time. :D.

just don't take a short cut through a paddock - you might miss the ship and have to fly to Copenhagen, where the notorious sea faring Danes threaten your safety :)

One of the dilemmas here is that there are many choices to get to the ship.

 

1. The least expensive will be a bus ("coach") from Victoria Coach Station to Southampton. Then a v. short taxi ride to the berth. Book in advance for best price: http://www.nationalexpress.com. The bus will likely travel via Heathrow airport.

 

2. The quickest is by train. Taxi to Waterloo (tell him you want the platform level, to avoid schlepping bags up steps). Again book in advance for best price - Megatrain can be even cheaper than the bus. Then short taxi to ship.

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk or uk.megabus.com/megatrain.aspx

 

3. Least hassle: By rented car, door to door - see recommendations already made.

 

4. Other: There's an hourly train service from Victoria Station to Southampton, too. Use if geography is convenient but be aware the baggage storage on this service is very poor (put bags on seats if available)

 

Not sure which day you are travelling. Be aware that rail services are often disrupted on Sundays for track maintenance work and summer Saturdays (EVERYWHERE!) can be very busy, roads and rails.

 

Best,

Canuker

Excellent summary of options! The National Rail site is a great way to check out rail options.

Just one clarification on option 3. I believe you meant a car service, not a rented (self-drive) car. We've logged a lot of rental miles in the UK over the years, but never in London. :eek: We let Smiths do that for us last time.

One 26" suitcase plus carry on personal items, i.e. laptop, briefcase, purse, etc? And is this service available to any Cunard passenger or just those who booked directly with Cunard?

Available to any Cunard passenger; costs about $50. And there's also a coach which departs from St. Pancras station. I've been taking it for years, and had no idea that there was a baggage limit; in fact, since I typically travel with a suitcase and a garment bag, I'm sure that I've had multiple pieces of luggage. The trip is 2 hours, which may or may not be broken by a stop at highway rest area, and you leave the bus and go straight to check-in while porters handle your luggage.

An earlier poster mentioned coming in on Eurostar. While I know that there are some who take an early Eurostar into St. Pancras and and take the Cunard Coach (they want you to sign in around 11:45a), I would not plan on coming in the day the ship boards, especially with what's going on in Calais.

We have taken the train from Waterloo to Southampton several times--once with an inexpensive Megatrain fare. Has always been a pleasure in every respect.

Thank you, all, for your suggestions. Since we are staying a 5-minute walk from Victoria Station and Victoria Coach Station, I think we will take the bus. The possible luggage problems with the train deter me.