Grand Princess -Southampton car rental

We are on the Grand Princess leaving on a TA April 9th, ending at Southampton. We want to get a rental car and drive around SW England for a week. Does anyone know if the big name car rental agency offices are near where the ship docks? Any tips on car rental in the UK would be welcome (and yes I know they drive on the left. ) :) Thanks in advance.:D

We are on the Grand Princess leaving on a TA April 9th, ending at Southampton. We want to get a rental car and drive around SW England for a week. Does anyone know if the big name car rental agency offices are near where the ship docks? Any tips on car rental in the UK would be welcome (and yes I know they drive on the left. ) :) Thanks in advance.:D

They are listed at

http://www.visit-southampton.co.uk/site/faqs

We have used both National and Hertz while in the UK. Both are a short taxi ride (1-2 miles) from the where the Grand docks. Taxi Drivers are very friendly and have always taken us directly to the requested company.

It was about this time last year, following the TA on the Grand that we used National. We found an extremely good price on line for the 10 days we had the car.

Enjoy:)

Have a look at www.enterprise.co.uk. They offer a pick you up service which they may be willing to extend to the dock. Good to see someone planning to get out of the "London is England" situation and is planning to see the best part of the country.

Have a look at www.enterprise.co.uk. They offer a pick you up service which they may be willing to extend to the dock. Good to see someone planning to get out of the "London is England" situation and is planning to see the best part of the country.

I agree that Devon and Cornwall are very beautiful, if somewhat sedate, parts of the country :D Ahhh! No flaming!! (Shropshire isn't exactly rockin'!!)

OP - what in particular would you like to know about car rental / driving? I presume you know that, unlike the US, most cars in the UK have manual shift gearboxes? You would be wise to specify in advance if you would prefer an automatic as these are likely to be less readily available, I would imagine.

It will be initially confusing enough for you to negotiate roundabouts etc (which in my experience are much less common in the USA than UK / Europe??) on the other side of the road and I expect you could do without the added complication of being in the right gear and trying to change gear on the "wrong" side of the driver!

I agree that Enterprise (http://www.enterprise.co.uk) are excellent and in my experience offer the best prices for car rental in the UK - I use them regularly.

We are on the Grand Princess leaving on a TA April 9th, ending at Southampton. We want to get a rental car and drive around SW England for a week. Does anyone know if the big name car rental agency offices are near where the ship docks? Any tips on car rental in the UK would be welcome (and yes I know they drive on the left. ) :) Thanks in advance.:D

Plans sounds find. I rented from Europcar, who's office is in the Ibis hotel, across from Southampton Central train station. Got a small small small car, which was fine for two of us, but if there's more in your party.... It was small enough that for our two suitcases we had to fold down the back seat.

But, these things should help.

1) It's called "Car Hire" in the UK, not rental

2) Unless specified explicitly, cars will have a manual transmission.

But, these things should help.

1) It's called "Car Hire" in the UK, not rental

2) Unless specified explicitly, cars will have a manual transmission.

In relation to your point 1, I think that anyone in the UK will know what you are talking about if you use the word "rental" and not "hire", so that is not an issue - we are actually quite good at speaking ENGLISH and can tell when two words are synonyms for each other.

In relation to point 2 - haven't you just repeated the same info (but in less detail) that I wrote just two posts earlier?

In relation to your point 1, I think that anyone in the UK will know what you are talking about if you use the word "rental" and not "hire", so that is not an issue - we are actually quite good at speaking ENGLISH and can tell when two words are synonyms for each other.

It's just like our term "left luggage". It causes no end of confusion to some overseas visitors, even though it seems perfectly clear to us.

I agree that we would understand it if someone said "car rental" to us. But the visitor might be confused by a UK sign that said "car hire", so I don't think it's too pedantic to point out the linguistic difference.

 

It's just like our term "left luggage". It causes no end of confusion to some overseas visitors, even though it seems perfectly clear to us.

Mmm, I can see your point in your first post, but I think a Canadian/US visitor would probably be able to work that out, so we will agree to disagree :D

Left luggage is not a difficult concept to understand, surely everyone knows it is the opposite of "right" luggage :eek:

They are listed at

http://www.visit-southampton.co.uk/site/faqs

Thank you - this was just what I needed.

Penn

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Is there car hire available for post cruise passengers?

From the Mayflower and City Cruise Terminals the distance to the following car hire companies consist of the following:

Avis Rent a Car (Postcode) SO15 1HJ (For Deliveries & Collections Only) Distance Approx 94 metres

Avis Rent a Car Southampton Airport (Postcode) SO18 2NL Distance Approx 5-6 miles

National Car Rental (Postcode) SO15 1GZ Distance Approx 1.9 miles

Hertz (Postcode) SO15 1GZ Distance Approx 1.9 miles

Yello Hire (Postcode) SO15 1RA Distance Approx 2 miles

The Avis Car Rental Company near to the Dock Gate 8 is for collections and deliveries only therefore the other Avis Rent a Car service is at Southampton Airport.

As most of these are quite a way to walk and are not so convenient from the cruise terminal we suggest passengers take a taxi.

We have used both National and Hertz while in the UK. Both are a short taxi ride (1-2 miles) from the where the Grand docks. Taxi Drivers are very friendly and have always taken us directly to the requested company.

It was about this time last year, following the TA on the Grand that we used National. We found an extremely good price on line for the 10 days we had the car.

Enjoy:)

Thank you for the recommendation. This is very helpful.

Left luggage is not a difficult concept to understand, surely everyone knows it is the opposite of "right" luggage :eek:

Mmm, I can see your point in your first post, but I think a Canadian/US visitor would probably be able to work that out, so we will agree to disagree :D

 

Left luggage is not a difficult concept to understand, surely everyone knows it is the opposite of "right" luggage :eek:

However, someone looking on Google for details on Car Hire agencies in the Southampton area will get a lot further looking for "Car Hire" rather than "Car Rental".

As for the transmission, while indeed most cars are a manual transmission in Europe, the poster may be unaware of the fact that if it's not mentioned, it is a manual; the exact opposite to North American care rental.

I agree that Devon and Cornwall are very beautiful, if somewhat sedate, parts of the country :D Ahhh! No flaming!! (Shropshire isn't exactly rockin'!!)

 

It will be initially confusing enough for you to negotiate roundabouts etc (which in my experience are much less common in the USA than UK / Europe??)

I've always wanted to visit Shrewsbury, for the usual reason I guess, I'm hoping I'll make it next visit.

Roundabouts are virtually unheard-of here in N.A. We have a new one outside of Ottawa, where we spend time in the summer. It's completely baffling to most people, not sure why they built it. I guess some engineer knows they are very efficient. Don't think they will ever catch on in urban areas here.

OK I'm baffled. What is the usual reason for visiting Shrewsbury please?

OK I'm baffled. What is the usual reason for visiting Shrewsbury please?

I'm not sure! :eek: I've only lived here 12 years....

Possibly because it is a lovely old town, with many medieval buildings and the scenic River Severn running through it. It is quite historical and is in a lovely rural setting and has had a couple of famous authors such as A E Housemann who wrote "A Shropshire Lad" and a woman whose name I've forgotten :D Also, Charles Darwin was born here and you can go and visit his birthplace.

Having said all that, it is not exactly on a cruising itinerary, being a fair distance from the coast ;)

In relation to roundabouts, they are very common in the UK, so perhaps this link might help our friends from across the pond, if you are not used to them... http://www.2pass.co.uk/roundabout.htm

We are on the Grand Princess leaving on a TA April 9th, ending at Southampton. We want to get a rental car and drive around SW England for a week. Does anyone know if the big name car rental agency offices are near where the ship docks? Any tips on car rental in the UK would be welcome (and yes I know they drive on the left. ) :) Thanks in advance.:D

Hi Florida1947,

Last week I booked a car with Alamo on the North American website. They had a special, 15% off plus free additional driver. Including taxes & the one way drop fee, it works out to about £135 for 3 days (picking up at Southampton and returning at London Gatwick) for an automatic compact. (I can drive manual, but I'm not going to attempt it cuz I'll be too busy trying to stay on the left side of the road). Anyhow, if you're not arriving on Sunday (I am so I have to make my way to the Southampton airport), I believe there's a Alamo just outside the pier, probably within walking distance but I'm not positive. We're going (or hoping to go) to Salisbury, Stonehenge, Glastonbury, Bath, Avebury, Oxford & Windsor, before getting to London and driving gives us more freedom to explore and with 4 of us, it's cheaper (if I did my math correctly). Anyhow, have fun exploring.