Transportation from London to Southampton

[Scoobs9]

Thanks again John for all the Le Havre/Normandy information! I really appreciate it.

 

Looks like we're going to try the car rental idea, as we generally exercise this option most places we travel. This will be our first time in France though and we did learn french in school (Canada). Hopefully, we'll remember enough to navigate the Normandy coast!

 

I have posted this question on the France board as well.

 

Cheers

[Hap]

Has anyone used The London Toolkit from Southampton cruise port to London hotels? There web site looks good and they have tours to Stonehenge and Windsor castle on the way to the hotels. Was wondering how good and reliable they are.

[John Bull]

Has anyone used The London Toolkit from Southampton cruise port to London hotels? There web site looks good and they have tours to Stonehenge and Windsor castle on the way to the hotels. Was wondering how good and reliable they are.

 

Everyone seems to be calling this option the "London Toolkit", cos that's where they've seen/booked it. This tour-transfer is actually operated by a well-established & reputable coach tour operator, International Friends.

 

They only started offering cruise tour-transfer coaches a couple of years back but they've proven very popular, & tour-transfers are now also offered for the ports of Dover & Harwich.

They seem to mainly pick up at London hotels with vans or by combining pick-ups with day trippers, & then transfer cruisers to a dedicated cruise coach - avoids spending half the day trawling hotels picking up passengers. Ditto in reverse for transfers to London.

 

Transfers to ships at Southampton involve only a visit to Stonehenge, in order to be sure of arrival at the ship in good time.

From ships at Southampton to Heathrow hotels or central London hotels the tour is much more comprehensive because time isn't so limited. So they give time at Salisbury cathedral, Stonehenge & Windsor.

Last summer they were also including Bath, but that option seems to have disappeared - possibly too onerous, possibly under-subscribed.

 

For same-day flights into Heathrow it's probably not a wise option in case your flight or airport formalities are delayed. For same-day flights out of Heathrow it's unlikely to suit unless you have a late evening flight.

 

No personal experience but it's a good operator, the price is very competitive against the alternatives (though there's no direct equivalent), the theory is fine, & the few reports I've seen on CC have been full of praise.:)

 

JB :)

Edited February 7, 2014 by John Bull

[floridababa]

Staying after cruise in london for 1 night. Not sure where I should be booking a hotel to be near things. We are not interested in Buckingham Palace as we did this years ago but want to see maybe Tower Bridge, Parks, Tower of London, Madame Trussaud etc.

[timetravler]

I will be using the cruise bus service as listed on the web site Londontoolkit. It costs about $100pp(American money). If your luggage is tagged correctly once you get to Southampton they will transport it directly to the ship. For those that have bad backs or just don't want to lug around luggage this is the way to go. No taxi's needed as they pick you up are your hotel in London. They have a list of hotels from where they pick you up on that web site. Also this bus does stop at Stonehenge along the way, so you get your money's worth.

[FritzG]

I will be using the cruise bus service as listed on the web site Londontoolkit. It costs about $100pp(American money). If your luggage is tagged correctly once you get to Southampton they will transport it directly to the ship. For those that have bad backs or just don't want to lug around luggage this is the way to go. No taxi's needed as they pick you up are your hotel in London. They have a list of hotels from where they pick you up on that web site. Also this bus does stop at Stonehenge along the way, so you get your money's worth.

 

When are you going? Please post a review when you get back. This is a company I am considering for the fall.

[Dorh]

Everyone seems to be calling this option the "London Toolkit", cos that's where they've seen/booked it. This tour-transfer is actually operated by a well-established & reputable coach tour operator, International Friends.

 

They only started offering cruise tour-transfer coaches a couple of years back but they've proven very popular, & tour-transfers are now also offered for the ports of Dover & Harwich.

They seem to mainly pick up at London hotels with vans or by combining pick-ups with day trippers, & then transfer cruisers to a dedicated cruise coach - avoids spending half the day trawling hotels picking up passengers. Ditto in reverse for transfers to London.

 

Transfers to ships at Southampton involve only a visit to Stonehenge, in order to be sure of arrival at the ship in good time.

From ships at Southampton to Heathrow hotels or central London hotels the tour is much more comprehensive because time isn't so limited. So they give time at Salisbury cathedral, Stonehenge & Windsor.

Last summer they were also including Bath, but that option seems to have disappeared - possibly too onerous, possibly under-subscribed.

 

For same-day flights into Heathrow it's probably not a wise option in case your flight or airport formalities are delayed. For same-day flights out of Heathrow it's unlikely to suit unless you have a late evening flight.

 

No personal experience but it's a good operator, the price is very competitive against the alternatives (though there's no direct equivalent), the theory is fine, & the few reports I've seen on CC have been full of praise.:)

 

JB :)

Thanks for all the suggestions. We are cruising in Oct., arriving 2 days before in London but we are flying out the same day that we end the cruise. Any suggestions for transportation back to the airport.

[John Bull]

Thanks for all the suggestions. We are cruising in Oct., arriving 2 days before in London but we are flying out the same day that we end the cruise. Any suggestions for transportation back to the airport.

 

Depends on your airport & your flight time.

You ship is likely to start unassisted (haul your own bags from the cabin) disembarkation about 7am, regular disembarkation from 7.30. Many ships split disembarkation into time slots for different cabins, to reduce the log-jams- if your onward travel warrants it, you can usually get bumped forward to an earlier time-slot if you request.

 

There will be taxis lined-up at the pier if you need to go to the coach or rail stations - either is a 5-10 min hop, about £5 to £8.

 

Best public transport to Heathrow is a scheduled coach.

http://www.nationalexpress.com/home.aspx

Your departure point is Southampton coach station - ignore the cruise terminal option, which applies only to Fred Olsen sailings.

The 07.45 coach is theoretically OK if you self-disembark but it's a little tight. A 12.30 flight is as early as you should contemplate.

The 09.45 coach is OK for a 2pm flight.

Important that you pre-book, and you will need to know your Heathrow terminal.

 

Best public transport to Gatwick is the train

http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/service/planjourney/search

Your departure point is Southampton Central.

The train goes into South Terminal at Gatwick.

Direct hourly service, more frequent trains involve one or even two changes.

No direct rail service on sundays, but the National Express direct coach service to Gatwick operates 7 days.

Pre-booking may save you a few $$ but you can buy tickets at the station.

 

Ships' transfer coaches usually draw the line at flights leaving around 1pm for Heathrow, 1.30pm for Gatwick.

 

A private transfer car will cost you £80 to £95 to Heathrow / £100+ to Gatwick. Journey time to Heathrow 90 mins to 2 hours depending on traffic. 105 mins - 2.5 hrs to Gatwick depending on traffic. Look at the short end of those times for sat or sun, toward the long end on a weekday, especially a summer Monday.

Try http://www.smithsforairports.com or http://www.westquaycars.com

Both based at the Southampton end, both well-regarded by the many CC members who've used them.

 

All timings are necessarily vague.

 

My last post for a month.

Off to Oz.:cool:

 

JB :)

Edited February 10, 2014 by John Bull

[timetravler]

When are you going? Please post a review when you get back. This is a company I am considering for the fall.

I don't post the dates I will be leaving home or cruising because of security. But our cruise will be during the summer.

[MVPinBoynton]

JB,

I just can't thank you enough for all the valuable information your provide on this board. In addition to helping us save money on last year's and this year's cruises out of Southampton, you have saved us from wasting a lot of time in where to go and how to get there. Keep up the great work!

[Dorh]

Depends on your airport & your flight time.

You ship is likely to start unassisted (haul your own bags from the cabin) disembarkation about 7am, regular disembarkation from 7.30. Many ships split disembarkation into time slots for different cabins, to reduce the log-jams- if your onward travel warrants it, you can usually get bumped forward to an earlier time-slot if you request.

 

There will be taxis lined-up at the pier if you need to go to the coach or rail stations - either is a 5-10 min hop, about £5 to £8.

 

Best public transport to Heathrow is a scheduled coach.

http://www.nationalexpress.com/home.aspx

Your departure point is Southampton coach station - ignore the cruise terminal option, which applies only to Fred Olsen sailings.

The 07.45 coach is theoretically OK if you self-disembark but it's a little tight. A 12.30 flight is as early as you should contemplate.

The 09.45 coach is OK for a 2pm flight.

Important that you pre-book, and you will need to know your Heathrow terminal.

 

Best public transport to Gatwick is the train

http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/service/planjourney/search

Your departure point is Southampton Central.

The train goes into South Terminal at Gatwick.

Direct hourly service, more frequent trains involve one or even two changes.

No direct rail service on sundays, but the National Express direct coach service to Gatwick operates 7 days.

Pre-booking may save you a few $$ but you can buy tickets at the station.

 

Ships' transfer coaches usually draw the line at flights leaving around 1pm for Heathrow, 1.30pm for Gatwick.

 

A private transfer car will cost you £80 to £95 to Heathrow / £100+ to Gatwick. Journey time to Heathrow 90 mins to 2 hours depending on traffic. 105 mins - 2.5 hrs to Gatwick depending on traffic. Look at the short end of those times for sat or sun, toward the long end on a weekday, especially a summer Monday.

Try http://www.smithsforairports.com or http://www.westquaycars.com

Both based at the Southampton end, both well-regarded by the many CC members who've used them.

 

All timings are necessarily vague.

 

My last post for a month.

Off to Oz.:cool:

 

JB :)

JB, Thank you so much for all the detailed information. I will research all your suggestions before our Oct. cruise. Enjoy your trip to Oz. :)

[lexmiller]

Thanks again for all your suggestions! For a family of three, I feel we travel quite lightly with two checked bags and one carry-on.

Contacted all the suggested companies and found the following:

 

Parker Car: $179 London to Southampton and $185 Southampton to Heathrow

 

West Quay: $165 and $100

 

Totally Driven: $121 and $115

 

DJC Private Hire: $150 and $85

 

SmithsforAirport: can't quote until 6 months out

 

Will wait for Smith's quote and then decide which one to book. Has anyone used DJC Private Hire before? I found them on an internet search.

 

Hi, Scoobs - I am wondering which car service you ended up choosing - I looked hard, but I couldn't find that you posted about it. I am trying to choose between Smiths and West Quay - I know they are both very reputable and reliable. We need a private car from Heathrow to Southampton for our cruise, then on the return, Southampton back to Heathrow, but also with a quick London day tour as part of the transfer. We are traveling with our daughter who has a physical disability, she has never been to London before, so we'd like for her at least to see some of the sites - we sadly have no extra time, just that one day. Both companies replied quickly and have done day tours routinely in the past. Smiths is less expensive than West Quay, by not an insignificant amount, when converting to dollars from GBP. So, I was just wondering, who in the end you went with and your experience. Thanks!

[cr34102]

Or if using an iPad, just hold down the "$". It will give several options.

 

Or we US Windows luddites with a numerical keypad can hold down the Alt key while simultaneously typing 0163 for £ or 0128 for €.

 

This trick doesn't work with the row of numbers above the qwerty keys. Separate numerical keypad only.

[MVPinBoynton]

Or we US Windows luddites with a numerical keypad can hold down the Alt key while simultaneously typing 0163 for £ or 0128 for €.

 

This trick doesn't work with the row of numbers above the qwerty keys. Separate numerical keypad only.

 

Ah yes, I have used that before; but I always forget the code. So I just copy and paste the symbol from an Excel file I keep with several special characters.