Southampton to London

[cat-tav]

I have not yet booked transportation after my cruise ends in Southampton (June 29). I have a hotel reserved near Heathrow that night and an early-morning flight out in the morning. Does anybody have recommendations for getting from the cruise terminal back into London? I thought I would go directly to Heathrow, check into the hotel and then take the train back into London for the evening. I checked the National Express website for buses after 9 am the morning my ship arrives and it says there are "no journeys available". Has anyone ridden the mega-train? It sounds too cheap to be true! If I took it, what would be the best way to get from the station in London to Heathrow?

Thanks for any ideas/help!

[John Bull]

I have not yet booked transportation after my cruise ends in Southampton (June 29). I have a hotel reserved near Heathrow that night and an early-morning flight out in the morning. Does anybody have recommendations for getting from the cruise terminal back into London? I thought I would go directly to Heathrow, check into the hotel and then take the train back into London for the evening. I checked the National Express website for buses after 9 am the morning my ship arrives and it says there are "no journeys available". Has anyone ridden the mega-train? It sounds too cheap to be true! If I took it, what would be the best way to get from the station in London to Heathrow?

Thanks for any ideas/help!

 

"No journeys available"

Cobblers :D

That's the damn-silly Nat Express website. :rolleyes:

You sought a journey from "Southampton cruise terminal", but apart from the fact that there are four cruise terminals spread over 2 miles of waterfront, the "cruise terminal" option is only available for Fred Olsen cruises. You'd think that a website would automatically give you other options, but not so with Nat Express.

Try again, but use the start-point "Southampton coach station". The service is roughly hourly, takes somewhere around 90 mins, costs around £15 to £20 (no cheapie "fun fares" on airport routes), & your best bet is about 09.30am. The service is good, don't be put off by the poor website.

Important to book ahead, it's a popular option for cruisers.

The coach station is a five-minute £5 to £7 taxi hop from any cruise terminal. Taxis will be lined-up at the terminal, you can share with anyone going to the coach station or rail station.

 

There's no train service to Heathrow. Although you can buy a train ticket from Southampton Central to Heathrow (about £33), you actually take the Southampton - Waterloo service, but only as far as Woking rail station where you switch to a dedicated rail shuttle bus to Heathrow. Not a lot of fun with luggage, journey time is a little longer than Nat Express, and Megatrain tickets aren't available for Heathrow.

Having dropped your luggage at your Heathrow hotel, take the hotel-hoppa bus back to the airport & go into London on the tube, much cheaper, quicker & more convenient than train or bus.

 

If you chose to overnite in central London instead, you could take the Nat Express bus or Greyhound bus from Southampton to Victoria (about 2 -2.5 hours, fun-fares often available with both companies) or the train to Waterloo (about 1 hr 20, Megatrain tickets available on-line).

But Southampton to a Heathrow hotel via Waterloo or Victoria is way too complicated & time-consuming, Heathrow is 14 urban miles from central London.

 

For a one-niter there are pros & cons between a central London hotel & an airport hotel, decide which you'd be most comfortable with

 

John Bull :)

[cat-tav]

Thanks! This is very helpful information.

[cat-tav]

Booked my tickets on National Express. Thanks again for the help--I really appreciate it!

[DeloreanGirl]

Booked my tickets on National Express. Thanks again for the help--I really appreciate it!

I wanted to do the train route too, but ended up with National Express after much reading and consideration (okay, and John Bull :D). It truly is the easiest route!