handfordr

I have the same situation. My hotel is in the Kings Cross area. I need to get to Southampton on October 13th. I am having no luck searching the National Bus website. Are suitcases also an issue on bus travel? I guess for me I want the cheapest and easiest way to get from point a to point b.

Kings Cross / St Pancras is the "wrong" side of Central London for public transport to Southampton, you will probably spend more on a taxi from Kings Cross to Victoria where National Express buses start than on the bus trip to Southampton.

The Underground is the cheap alternative but can be a pain if you have more than one case and Victoria Coach Station is a 10 minute walk from Victoria Underground Station.

When you do the National Express travel planner your departure point should be London Victoria and your destination Southampton Bus Station (not cruise terminal)

Greyhound UK run head to head with National Express on this same route which is part reason why its so cheap.

Luggage limit on National Express before you trigger excess luggage charges is 2 cases neither of which should weigh more than 20kg (44lbs) plus one hand luggage (handbag / laptop size not aircraft hand luggage size)

Your choices are basically

- private car, sedan/saloon car should be about 100 GBP Heathrow - South, 150 GBP London - South

- National Express bus (about 16 GBP person) from Heathrow to Southampton then local taxi to cruise terminal (6 to 10 GBP), (cheaper from London)

- Train, Waterloo to Southampton with taxi's at either end (faster but more expensive than bus option)

- Tour Transfer Coach (50 GBP) London or Heathrow hotel to cruise terminal via Stonehenge or in the opposite direction 3 different itineraries 50-70 GBP visiting Salisbury, Windsor, Bath Stonehenge

The crucial element is where your hotel is in London, especially for the Heathrow - Hotel sector. London has no "downtown" area, hotels are spread over a wide area.

National Express coaches are good for all of the routes. We used it for Southampton and we always use it from Heathrow to Gatwick where we meet the family as it is closer to home for them. And dont forget no matter where you come from you will get a seniors reduced ticket if you are over 55 ;)

National Express discontinued seniors fares last Novenber when the government withdrew the subsidy.

I will need to find our old Underground map so we know exactly where we are going to get to Tower Hill.

By the way the Underground map has changed slightly recently. The Circle Line no longer goes round and round - it has a start and finsih.

It shouldn't affect materially any journeys you make though - you might just have to change trains in a small minority of cases

Hotels very near Fenchurch Street station include the Apex, the Grange and the Novotel - all within a couple of hundred yards of the station..

This area is the financial district of London, The City.

As such hotels, are very expensive during the working week and very good value at the weekend - the opposite of many hotel districts in London.

If you're coming during the week do look elsewhere, the difference may easly pay for your taxi fares.

Just make sure you get to the SOUTH terminal at Gatwick in case your flight comes in to the North terminal.

The free monorail between North Terminal and South Terminal is shutting down at the end of September. Its replacement won't go live until next summer.

There will be a bus replacement service between the 2 terminals so its no big deal, but more hassle than with the monorail.