TA cruise best way to get from Gatwick Airport to Southampton

[mollyvicto]

Please help - we are taking TA westbound cruise on the Eclipse in October. After landing at Gatwick Airport in London, what's the best way to get to Southampton to board the ship? Do you prefer rail or hiring a car? Thank you much for your advice!

[sddsddean]

As long as its not a Sunday, by far the easiest way is train. Gatwick station is in the south terminal and there are frequent trains to Southampton Central. Should be no more than £15pp (and might be cheaper if you time it right and drop on a cheap deal day) and will take about 90 mins, as the train goes south first, then turns right along the coast. All cruise terminals at Southampton are no more than 10 mins cab ride from the station (about £7). If you are travelling on a Sunday, its a bit more complicated. Let me know if thats the case.

 

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

 

Simon

[2ndsailing]

http://www.southernrailway.com/offers/offers/

 

We were on the Eclipse last July and we flew into Gatwick. We purchased advanced tickets online from southern (4 pounds each) one way and returned tickets at the same price after the cruise.

 

It was very easy!! When we arrived in Southampton we took a taxi to the Holiday Inn and in the morning we walked from the Holiday Inn to the pier.

 

Look under "Super Group Advance Offer". You do have to pick a specific train and some of the routes are not direct so check the schedules first and make sure you're getting a direct route. We did and we would certainly do it again.

 

Hope this helps.

[joanne59]

We've taken the ship's transfer from the airport to the cruise terminal and the bus ride was quite comfortable. They stop at a rest point along the way, so you can grab a quick bite and use the restrooms. We were so tired after the flight, I took a short nap and just enjoyed the fact that someone else was doing the driving. It was a wet dreary day in early November, I don't recall seeing many sights along the way. Nice to not have to touch your bags again until they appear in your cabin later that day.

 

Happy cruising...Joanne