Heathrow to Southhampton shuttle

[northernsw]

We are booked on the Emerald TA out of Southhampton on 10/25/2014. We are using EZ Air, but have made our own hotel arrangements in the vicinity of Victoria Station. We also currently have Princess transfers from Heathrow to Southhampton. I have a couple of questions.

 

How difficult is it to get back and forth from Heathrow to Victoria Station? If we return to Heathrow on embarkation day, can we use the Princess shuttle? Is this a practical plan?

 

Researching online, there seems to be numerous private shuttle operators who can get us from Victoria Station to Southhampton. Many of these include a stop at Stonehenge. Does the Princess shuttle include a stop at Stonehenge? I find the visit to Stonehenge while on the transfer to be very convenient. The cost seems a little more than the Princess shuttle, but to me it is worth it. Does anyone here have experience with the reliability of the private shuttles?

 

We are only in London for about a day and a half. We plan to maximize it as best we can. Any advice is welcome!

[beg3yrs]

Access to Heathrow from London is most easily accomplished using the Heathrow Express train from Paddington Station, not Victoria. This train is set up for passengers with baggage and works quite well. Service runs every 15 minutes. I often flew to and from Heathrow, used the Express to and from London itself and then took a local cab in the city itself.

 

I've tried the London Underground with baggage and that's no fun at all so I don't recommend getting to Paddington by the Underground. Take a cab to Paddington if you really want to go through Heathrow with a Princess transfer.

 

All that said, it sounds like your options to get your own transfer direct from London with the sightseeing stops sounds much more convenient.

 

London is a great city. If the weather is good, it is nice to walk all over the place. Your location near Victoria Station is pretty central with easy access to Buckingham Palace, Westminster, Picadilly Circus, Oxford and Bond Streets and so on. If you don't want to walk, the Underground (without luggage) is very easy to use too. HOHO tour buses, city double-decker buses and of course cabs are also available.

 

With only a day and a half you won't run out of things to see and there will be lots of things you'll miss because you just don't have time. So, simply get a local map, make a prioritized list and have at it.

Edited December 14, 2013 by beg3yrs

[newport dave]

Wouldn't it be easier to get the Princess transfer from Victoria coach station instead of going back to Heathrow.

[EightFurryPaws]

Just arrived home from this cruise last month from being on the Crown. From Heathrow to our hotel, Crowne Plaza St. James, we book JustAirports which met us at the airport and took us directly to our hotel. No problem.

 

All the main sights in London are very close and walkable if walking is not a problem for you. Bus #11 or #24 travel constantly down the main street if you are unable to walk. The London Tool Kit has many options for you to book your own transportation to Southampton. International friends which shows up on the London Tool Kit website is very dependable. We booked the trip from London to Southampton with a stop at Stonehenge. It was perfect. They pick you up in the morning at any of the hotels listed. Our hotel was one of them. They get you to the ship about 1pm. The entire trip our driver told us so many interesting things about where we were traveling. With Princess I believe you have to go back to the airport to get picked up.

 

It worked out perfectly for us.

Edited December 14, 2013 by EightFurryPaws
spelling

[DrivesLikeMario]

Princess has shuttles from Victoria Station. Why don't you leave from there to SoTon? They'll also return you there too at the end of the cruise if you want.

 

Otherwise, you'd need to take the tube to Paddington Station then the Heathrow Express back to LHR. It's expensive and takes time, so there's no point to do it IMO.

 

The private shuttles to Southampton are nice but expensive. The Princess transfer is really good and it's one of the few places in the world that I'll use a cruise line transfer. I've done it both ways (to & from SoTon). It's hassle-free, cheap and relaxing. There's a bathroom onboard for emergencies.

 

I've also done a tour in combination with the transfer and thoroughly enjoyed it. We saw Windsor Castle, Stonehenge and Salisbury Cathedral. I was so impressed with this company from booking to the actual tour: http://www.internationalfriends.co.uk/cruise-transfer-and-tour-to-london-via-stonehenge-bath-and-windsor.html

[Roses2]

If there are two or more passengers there are private car transfers such as Smiths for Airports that often are less costly and much more comfortable than a Princess bus transfer.

[nonno25]

We were on the Crown out of Southampton last July. I believe that a few of the people that spent some pre cruise time in London took the train from Victoria Station to Southampton. We took the National Express bus round trip, Heathrow to Southampton.

[Babr]

We used International Friends for a post-cruise tour/transfer and were impressed with their service.

 

If you are staying in one of the hotels they service, it would be really easy to let them pick you up at the hotel and take you to Southampton after a stop at Stonehenge. One of the earlier replies gave the link to their website where you can find the list of hotels where they pick up and the cost of the tour/transfer.

 

That certainly seems simpler to me than dragging your luggage around to some other location for a Princess transfer. As far as I know, Princess goes directly to the ship and does not do the tour of Stonehenge.

[northernsw]

Wouldn't it be easier to get the Princess transfer from Victoria coach station instead of going back to Heathrow.

 

My original plan was to use the Princess shuttle from Victoria, as I saw that as an option in the cruise personalizer. When talking to the csr at Princess, she told me that the transfer was only good from the airport, so I am confused by that. Personally, I am leaning towards one of the ones that tours Stonehenge, but DW prefers to stay with the Princess shuttle.

 

I had not actually even thought of the train from Victoria to Southhampton.

[DrivesLikeMario]

My original plan was to use the Princess shuttle from Victoria, as I saw that as an option in the cruise personalizer. When talking to the csr at Princess, she told me that the transfer was only good from the airport, so I am confused by that. Personally, I am leaning towards one of the ones that tours Stonehenge, but DW prefers to stay with the Princess shuttle.

 

I had not actually even thought of the train from Victoria to Southhampton.

 

Many people take the train. It takes awhile because there are stops and you have to lug your suitcases up & down stairs, then take a taxi to the ship. But, it's a cheaper way to get there. The Nat'l Express bus is the cheapest.

 

I was really glad I did the International Friends tour. Someone here at CC on our roll call recommended them and I got to see so much more of England that I would've missed on the cruise line transfer.

[Pennipops]

If I were you I'd use the National Express coach network. The coach station is at Victoria in London, where you are staying and perfect for walking to Buckingham Palace etc. You can walk most of central London. The coach to Southampton takes about 90 minutes and doesn't stop anywhere else, then its a quick taxi to the port (me and my sister walked it its only about 15 minutes to walk and we didn't have much luggage) I would use National Express every time its good and cheap. A transfer from Victoria to Heathrow would be expensive, and anyway its nice to see how foreign services operate I think.

[phabric]

Check out the Port of Call - Britain for some great ideas for London.

 

We have stayed 2x in the Victoria area of London. In the area, there are Buckingham Palace, The Mews, The Mall, Hop On/Hop Off bus (HOHO), regular bus, tube, pubs, restaurants, grocery stores, stores.

 

The HOHO is a great way to see London in a short time. The 2 companies have roughly the same 3 routes. The tickets are good for a 24 hour period and include a Thames river ride. You can get on/off when you want to see something. What we did, we took 1 complete route, switched and did the complete 2nd route and the next morning took the 3rd route.

 

We used http://www.justairports.com from Heathrow to our hotel. To get a quote use your hotel's postal code (ours was SW1). The cost is per car not per person. We have used this company 3x.

 

We have used the National Express Coach http://www.nationalexpress.com from Victoria Coach Station to Southampton Coach Station (there are other stations listed for Southampton but you need the Southampton Coach station). Princess has coaches leaving Victoria Coach Station, you do not need to go all the way back to Heathrow to take the transfer with Princess.

 

The difference between Princess and the National Express Coach. Both companies leave from Victoria Coach Station.

 

Princess - is more expensive. They take you from Victoria Station to the pier and you do not see your luggage until you are onboard.

 

National Express - can get cheap fares a few months in advance of your cruise. Once at Southampton Coach you need to collect your luggage and take a short taxi ride (under 10 GBP) to the pier and hand over your luggage to the porters.

 

Here are some sites to check out -

 

http://www.theoriginaltour.com

http://www.bigbustours.com

http://www.visitlondon.com

http://www.visitbritainshop.com

http://www.londonpass.com

http://www.londoneye.com

Edited December 15, 2013 by phabric

[Solara]

Any hotel recommendations by Victoria Station?

 

Thanks

[phabric]

Check out http://www.booking.com for hotels.

 

A few have stayed at this B&B - http://www.lunasimonehotel.com.

 

Premier Inn Victoria

Comfort Inn Victoria

Rubens at the Palace

[aquilegia]

If you go on Trip Advisor, there are numerous threads about Heathrow to Victoria and London to Southampton. You will also find useful information about the most economical tickets to buy for your transport around London. By the way, OP, there is only one 'h' in Southampton.

[azcruiser64]

Any hotel recommendations by Victoria Station?

 

Thanks

 

We stayed at the Premier Inn a couple of years ago. Great location and only a short 3-4 block walk to Victoria Coach Station passing many shops, restaurants and pubs along the way. The Victoria Train Station is even closer and is like a mall with many shops and restaurants inside. The hotel is very clean, was recently renovated and has a nice buffet breakfast area. Plus at that time it was one of the lowest priced hotels in that area.The rooms are a little small compared to U.S. standards as are most hotels in the UK. Read the reviews in Trip Advisor.

I would highly recommend this hotel.

[Solara]

Check out http://www.booking.com for hotels.

 

A few have stayed at this B&B - http://www.lunasimonehotel.com.

 

Premier Inn Victoria

Comfort Inn Victoria

Rubens at the Palace

 

We stayed at the Premier Inn a couple of years ago. Great location and only a short 3-4 block walk to Victoria Coach Station passing many shops, restaurants and pubs along the way. The Victoria Train Station is even closer and is like a mall with many shops and restaurants inside. The hotel is very clean, was recently renovated and has a nice buffet breakfast area. Plus at that time it was one of the lowest priced hotels in that area.The rooms are a little small compared to U.S. standards as are most hotels in the UK. Read the reviews in Trip Advisor.

I would highly recommend this hotel.

Thanks!

[northernsw]

By the way, OP, there is only one 'h' in Southampton.

 

Oh, that's embarrassing! My apologies!

[aquilegia]

Oh, that's embarrassing! My apologies!

 

It's a very easy mistake to make, particularly as more often than not it's pronounced 'South Hampton'. There are all sorts of weird and wonderful spellings and pronunciations of place names in the UK!

[Jose Tejas]

We did the same cruise 2 years ago. We took the bus from Heathrow to Southampton and it was very smooth and easy. Did the same on the return. You can book on line in advance with the bus company. It takes you about a 5 minute cab ride from the station to the cruise terminal.

Oh, and by the way - for what it is worth - they allowed carry on of booze on this cruise. We have been on 14 cruises and this is the 1st time that ever happened to us.

[dockhl]

Just arrived home from this cruise last month from being on the Crown. From Heathrow to our hotel, Crowne Plaza St. James, we book JustAirports which met us at the airport and took us directly to our hotel. No problem.

 

All the main sights in London are very close and walkable if walking is not a problem for you. Bus #11 or #24 travel constantly down the main street if you are unable to walk. The London Tool Kit has many options for you to book your own transportation to Southampton. International friends which shows up on the London Tool Kit website is very dependable. We booked the trip from London to Southampton with a stop at Stonehenge. It was perfect. They pick you up in the morning at any of the hotels listed. Our hotel was one of them. They get you to the ship about 1pm. The entire trip our driver told us so many interesting things about where we were traveling. With Princess I believe you have to go back to the airport to get picked up.

 

It worked out perfectly for us.

 

Good morning to you:

 

We will be ending our August 16th, 2014 Baltic cruise in Southampton and will spend the next 3+ days in London also at the Crowne Plaza St James. How did you like that hotel and its location for sightseeing? Any other hints would be greatly appreciated.

 

Mike

[melody hounddog]

We stayed at the Premier Inn a couple of years ago. Great location and only a short 3-4 block walk to Victoria Coach Station passing many shops, restaurants and pubs along the way. The Victoria Train Station is even closer and is like a mall with many shops and restaurants inside. The hotel is very clean, was recently renovated and has a nice buffet breakfast area. Plus at that time it was one of the lowest priced hotels in that area.The rooms are a little small compared to U.S. standards as are most hotels in the UK. Read the reviews in Trip Advisor.

I would highly recommend this hotel.

 

Thanks! I will check them out. Sounds like a great location.

[oskidunker]

If you buy a senior card for $16.00. If you go to the bus site and type in seniors it will come up with a link. Senior is anyone over age 60 for their purposes.

[newport dave]

If you buy a senior card for $16.00. If you go to the bus site and type in seniors it will come up with a link. Senior is anyone over age 60 for their purposes.

 

If this is for the National Express coaches, then it's no longer valid, as the Government stopped the subsidy awhile back.

[EightFurryPaws]

Fellow CC members, don't mean to hijack this thread, just giving some information to a fellow traveler. :)

_________________________________________________________

Hi Mike,

 

First let me say you will love your Baltics cruise. We were on the Emerald and did a 28 day Copenhagen - Trans-Atlantic back to Lauderdale in 2012.

 

In London, the Crown Plaza SJ is a perfect hotel. Be sure you ask for a

remodeled room. Half the rooms are updated and half are the old style. I prefer the updated rooms. They are small but that's Europe. If I can remember correctly, we were in 313, it was updated and had a little

balcony, not to sit on but just stick your head out to check the temperature. Walk out of the hotel to the left and in 2 minutes you are at

Buckingham Palace. Walk out to the right and few blocks down is a main street. Make a left and walk a few blocks and you will see the Abby and Big Ben.

 

We purchased the London Pass with Travel. Maybe cost a few dollars more than paying as you go, but the convenience outweighed the cost. On and off the bus whenever, even to go a few blocks, and to get into the attractions didn't have to fumble with pounds. We took the bus to Trafalger Sq. a few times with good eating places there. Take some pounds. Some places won't take a $US or Euros. On a good weather day, do the roundtrip river cruise which was included in our London Pass.

 

Have fun!