Scheduling Southampton to heathrow

Our cruise arrives at 8:00 a.m. at Southampton port.

I haven't booked our return flight yet.

The flight would leave Heathrow at 12:50 p.m.

Should we take this flight the same day as when our cruise disembarks or should we overnight at the airport and take the flight the next day?

Thank you.

you could probably make it

book a private car maybe share with others on your cruise

or stay over a day or two & enjoy the sights ;)

We arrived in Southampton on 7/25/16. We were three couples originally but one of them had to leave the ship early due to a medical problem, so we were only two. We were going to two different hotels in London.

There was confusion in the driver finding us even though we left the ship early. We reached our hotel at 11:15, rather earlier than we'd been expecting from what a London friend had said. The other couple, who were going towards Southark -- we were staying by Hyde Park -- drove through London for at least another hour. Traffic was fierce.

We haven't driven direct from Southampton to LHR but I THINK drive time is about the same as to central London. But I would question your being able to arrive early enough to make a 12:50 flight given a 2-3 hour check-in time. When we checked into LHR after our London stay, we were vastly delayed with a new check-in process, and then we had to walk about a mile to the gate.

That's why we always plan on staying on in a departure port for at least a day. Despite the sad news from yesterday with the terrorist attack on the Westminster Bridge, it's a great city to visit ... since US flights from LHR tend to leave in the morning, we usually spend 2-3 days in London and then spent the last night at an airport hotel.

Only you can decide what you want to do!

Mura

Sorry, but Southampton is the last place I would stay after a cruise compared to London and I would also not stay at some Heathrow airport hotel, either. Why would you do that?

Our cruise arrives at 8:00 a.m. at Southampton port.

I haven't booked our return flight yet.

The flight would leave Heathrow at 12:50 p.m.

Should we take this flight the same day as when our cruise disembarks or should we overnight at the airport and take the flight the next day?

Thank you.

Impossible to take a 12.50 flight !! you might not get off until 9 am , 3hr check in for international flights,see if you can get somebody to give you a tour on the way to Heathrow (Royal dock yard at Portsmouth or Stonehenge ), a 2 /3 hr drive into London ,personally I would stay at the Airport .

You could have an overnight or two night stay in Windsor or Bray on the way.Windsor is beautiful and Bray has amazing Michelin star pubs and restaurants ((Hinds Head being worth a stay,very English).On the River Thames.

I could talk endlessly about that area,so have a look.It will be a nice to have a quick stopover.

Sorry, but Southampton is the last place I would stay after a cruise compared to London and I would also not stay at some Heathrow airport hotel, either. Why would you do that?

If that question was directed to me, we stay at Heathrow the night before a flight home so that we can be close to the airport. I don't want to have to get up at 5am to drive from London! No, I wouldn't stay there any longer than that!

Mura

We too would stay at the airport, leave your bags and hop on the train to London to sightsee.

And i would agree, with hold ups on Motorways etc it would be really tight to get from Southampton to Heathrow with plenty of time for check in.

You can make the flight, book it. I would arrange a private transfer, don't wait around for a bus to fill or others to join you.

You can make the flight, book it. I would arrange a private transfer, don't wait around for a bus to fill or others to join you.

Do you have much experience of driving the route between Southampton and Heathrow?

We drive this route numerous times a year and I can confirm that this is a road with very frequent traffic jams which can delay you by an hour or more!

No way would I risk it.

you could always book one of the later flights

to give you some wiggle room

AC has a 2:10 or a 3 :45

I drive this route on occasion and I am no slouch buy any stretch of the imagination ( was caught once at 126 !!!! Going past Southampton Airport !) , have done Hamble ( near Southampton to Heathrow in just around an hour but that was very lucky , have taken 3 hours , average 1 1/2 I would say. Don't forget Heathrow is virtually at the end of the M3 , but the final couple of Miles on the M25 and M4 motor ways can be a nightmare.

So don't do it, it will not work. As for were to stay I have no advice other than what's been said.

The tube into central London would be fine on the Piccadilly line, allow an hour each way into the West End , depends on time and the day , although the tube remains busy all day now.

I think driving into central London is ok but I am very much in the minority in this view, and have my own routes avoiding the use of Sat Nav.

Do you have much experience of driving the route between Southampton and Heathrow?

 

We drive this route numerous times a year and I can confirm that this is a road with very frequent traffic jams which can delay you by an hour or more!

 

No way would I risk it.

I'm an American so my experience has been 3-4 trips as a tourist. Traffic jams happen all over the world. Shuttle drivers, Uber, cabbies all monitor traffic tie ups and adjust routes as needed.

We usually book Smiths for airports and we've always gotten off the ship in the first wave at Southampton. We have always been off the ship by 8am. Luggage retrieval is fast, then we look for our driver. Another option is self disembarkation which we sometimes do.

We've had no issues with this particular transfer and a flight leaving at 12:50 seems very doable. I can pretty much guarantee Oceania has passengers booked on this flight and on flights leaving even earlier.

With few exceptions we are ready to fly home the day we disembark. I've never enjoyed killing a day in a hotel room and by the end of a cruise I'm not interested in more touring.

If someone isn't comfortable they can indeed stay over a night.

It was my experience this past summer at Heathrow that we couldn't check in until 2 hours before the flight. We had to wait in the area outside the check in until two hours before our flight. So if you're there by 10:50 you'll be fine.

Two years ago we used Smith's for Airports car service to drive us from Southampton to Heathrow Airport. The driver picked us up around 9:00 a.m. and said that we were after the "rush" driving around London. You might want to contact them to see if that would work for you. As was mentioned before, we got to the airport and had to wait in the lobby area before they would allow us to go through security to board our plane.

It is interesting that all the posters from the UK say 'don't risk it' and all the North American posters say 'it will be fine'! Looks like we are divided by the Atlantic into pessimists and optimists!

Thank you everyone for your input.

I have just booked the flight back home from Gatwick the next day. This way no worries about delays.

We can spend some time walking around Southampton and then catch a train into Gatwick. I am going to book a room at the Yotel which is in the airport. I know London is wonderful, we spent 3 weeks there 2 years ago. We feel we saw everything we wanted to see.

If there is nothing to see in Southampton we will leave right after disembarking. Stil have time to decide that.

We have had the Windsor Castle tour. Perhaps we will go to Bath or Stonehenge.

Glad my flights are booked.

Thank you to all, both sides of the pond.

Thank you everyone for your input.

I have just booked the flight back home from Gatwick the next day. This way no worries about delays.

We can spend some time walking around Southampton and then catch a train into Gatwick. I am going to book a room at the Yotel which is in the airport. I know London is wonderful, we spent 3 weeks there 2 years ago. We feel we saw everything we wanted to see.

If there is nothing to see in Southampton we will leave right after disembarking. Stil have time to decide that.

We have had the Windsor Castle tour. Perhaps we will go to Bath or Stonehenge.

Glad my flights are booked.

Thank you to all, both sides of the pond.

Glad that you have made your decision, we are also from Edmonton and have done the SOU-LHR transfer several times with varying results. Once we were indeed late (traffic) but were re-booked on a direct flight rather than our original 1 - stop which was much better. If you were to change your mind, the best way is a private car, especially since the train is an issue right now with strikes causing disruptions on this route.

Oh yes, Southampton is a great place, wonderful old city walls, Royal Navy museum in Portsmouth, etc etc. Enjoy and relax.:D

Good decision, everyone on this side of the pond can stop worrying about you now :-)

Glad that you have made your decision, we are also from Edmonton and have done the SOU-LHR transfer several times with varying results. Once we were indeed late (traffic) but were re-booked on a direct flight rather than our original 1 - stop which was much better. If you were to change your mind, the best way is a private car, especially since the train is an issue right now with strikes causing disruptions on this route.

Oh yes, Southampton is a great place, wonderful old city walls, Royal Navy museum in Portsmouth, etc etc. Enjoy and relax.:D

Interesting that they would rebook you on a later flight if you missed yours. Anybody booking a flight in the UK would have to pay for another flight in that situation, which is why we were all concerned.

A slightly modified version of the OP's question..

Our cruise on the Marina arrives at 8:00am at Southampton port on Tuesday, August 1.

We have booked our return flight, which leaves Heathrow at 12:20pm.

We have booked a private-car transfer (with AquaCars), and have scheduled a pickup at 7:00am. To do this,we would keep our bags in our cabin and roll them off the ship ourselves as soon as we were allowed.

So, my variant questions:

1) Can we indeed disembark the Marina at 7:00am in Southampton if the a scheduled arrival is 8:00am?

2) If yes, how likely would a Tuesday morning private-car get us to LHR in time for a 12:20pm flight?

3) Ditto #2 if no, and we can't get off until 8:00am.

We can re-book now onto a later flight, but there will be a cost in cash and in time. We'd rather keep our current flight.

--Marne

Marne, we're on the same cruise. Our last Marina cruise ending in Southampton was in June 2016. I don't think anyone got off before 8AM. The delay is going to be the on board customs/immigration procedure held in the Horizons Lounge. The process tries to use your requested departure time, but is subject to getting the officials on board and set up. Called by the debarkation/luggage color code. Lines to pick up passports. Then lines for the question session by UK authorities.

We were off around 8:45AM for our private transfer.

Herb

We were off around 8:45AM for our private transfer. --Herb

Yikes! Thanks, Herb, for the reality check. If we get off that late, we're not going to make a 12:20pm flight.

Debbie-wife and I look for ward to seeing you on the cruise,

--Marne

although most of the time the ships are tied up before the posted time for disembarkation

Sometimes you can be still sailing in to the harbour just before that time

How would you get off early if the ship is not tied up until 7:30 am ?

I would rebook for later or stay overnight

And don't forget, the time provided by all cruise lines is the "scheduled" arrival time. There is always the possibility of delays in arrival time and we all need to consider the consequences if the ship does in fact arrive late and allow enough time to make our flights. Just like many people who always arrive at the departure port at least a day before departure to allow for flight, weather, and other issues, we all need to consider the same thing regarding disembarkation. Things happen that can and sometimes do delay your leaving the ship. Really not fun after a wonderful cruise to stress on the drive to the airport and then get to the gate just as the door closes and no flights available for several days. Much better to avoid the stress and possible problems and take a later flight or wait until the next day for your flight. Good luck,