Desperate in need of Help!!

[Ferndale Girl]

We'll be ending a cruise in Southampton next May. I thought we should stay two nights in London before flying home so we can see something while we're there. I have absolutely no idea how to get from the port in Southampton to London with luggage nor how much it would cost. Also, we would have to get to Heathrow in the morning so I was thinking it would be better to stay near there even though it would take time to get to where the sightseeing would be. Any suggestions?????

[LHT28]

Southampton to London

National Express bus, train, private driver

 

A short taxi ride to coach station or train station

 

London it depends on where you are staying there are many options

[Cotswold Eagle]

It almost never makes sense to stay near Heathrow if you are sightseeing in London, in my opinion. Even with a very early flight, I'd get a private hire transfer out to the airport from town. Staying at the airport and travelling in each day eats up hours of your precious time.

 

There are many threads on this board about the Southampton - London transfer with details of the costs for the options m'learned friend outlined above.

Edited September 26, 2014 by Cotswold Eagle

[jmkennett]

We used Eddie manning and they were great! Heathrow is not that far away from the city center, so it's not a bad cab ride to get there in the morning. Plus, you are going against the traffic. I would stay in London and enjoy the evening.

Edited September 27, 2014 by jmkennett

[kbubbles]

I would recommend Smith's for Airports. They are very professional and will give you a quote up front.

[Alaskanb]

What we did was to take a Princess transfer to Heathrow then the Hoppa bus to the Premier Inn M4 (excellent beds and good meals. The next day we took a taxi from the hotel (they will book you one at a very reasonable rate) back to the airport and proceeded by underground into the city. Our goal was to visit the British Museum, Covent Garden, and the river area which we did on-foot.

It was then easy to get our flight the next day. If you do this make sure to have the hotel book your taxis in advance.

[Bob++]

Your mode of transport between Southampton and London will depend on how much luggage you have, and how capable you are of lugging it yourself.

 

A private car is the easiest and the most expensive. Coach or train will require you to change modes several times - taxi to the station; train or coach to London Terminus; taxi or underground to hotel. I know which I would choose. A car is also quicker - you should be able to drop your bags at the hotel and get some sightseeing in before dinner.

Edited September 27, 2014 by Bob++

[cole]

We used Eddie manning and they were great! Heathrow is not that far away from the city center, so it's not a bad cab ride to get there in the morning. Plus, you are going against the traffic. I would stay in London and enjoy the evening.

 

I second the use of Eddie Manning. We had his service meet us at the airport and deliver us to Dover (where we spent the first night) but his service can certainly take you to Southampton. Our flight was 2 hours late but he was there waiting for us when we arrived. We also booked him on our return trip and they were there on the dot. Very professional. We spent the night before our flight home at the Airport Hilton, which is connected to Terminal 4 and that was so convenient. You just walk from the hotel through a covered passage way to the departure ticket counters.

Cole

[John Bull]

AS others' replies the choices are

 

- pre-arranged private transfer at vaguely £130 - £140 the car, http://www.smithsforairports.com or http://www.westquaycars.com are frequently recommended on CC. Journey time 90 minutes absolute minimum, usually longer & especially your time-of-day mon-fri.

 

- National Express coach (£16 pp or a lot less if there's a "fun-fare" promo, plus £5 to £10 taxi fare from ship to coach station plus £?? taxi from Victoria coach station to hotel)). Only a few coaches per day, needs to be pre-booked. NB your departure point is Southampton coach station, the cruise terminal option doesn't apply to your ship & will lead you astray. Journey time about 2 hrs 15.

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

 

- Train from Southampton central station to London's Waterloo station at about £36 pp. No cheap megatrain tickets for this route until about 1pm, which would waste too much of your precious time. 2 to 3 trains per hour, no need to pre-book, journey time about 90 minutes. Train operator is South West Trains. There's also a different route, operated by Southern Trains to London Victoria. Cheaper, but a circuitous route which adds an hour to the journey time. Similar taxi costs at each end.

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

 

- Ship's transfer. Direct from ship to London Victoria. Very simple, but you'll pay through the nose with some cruise lines.

 

- Cruise Tour Bus. A privately-operated service, nothing to do with the cruise line. Takes you from ship to your hotel via a choice of sights on the way. Excellent for getting a taste of England but not if you want to concentrate on the big bad city, you'll arrive early evening. Costs £65 pp.

http://www.londontoolkit.com/travel/southampton_london_transfers.htm

Lots of excellent London logistical info for tourists on other pages of that website.

 

JB :)

Edited September 27, 2014 by John Bull

[Bob++]

Bear in mind that the Weather in England can be pretty unpredictable in May. This year it varied between 12 and 25 degrees in the space of a fortnight. So you need to be prepared for just about anything:)

 

Edit - That's 54 and 77 in your money.

Edited September 27, 2014 by Bob++

[Ferndale Girl]

Bear in mind that the Weather in England can be pretty unpredictable in May. This year it varied between 12 and 25 degrees in the space of a fortnight. So you need to be prepared for just about anything:)

 

Edit - That's 54 and 77 in your money.

 

I hate to be cold so I'll be sure to take warm clothes.....thank you.

[Ferndale Girl]

AS others' replies the choices are

 

- pre-arranged private transfer at vaguely £130 - £140 the car, http://www.smithsforairports.com or http://www.westquaycars.com are frequently recommended on CC. Journey time 90 minutes absolute minimum, usually longer & especially your time-of-day mon-fri.

 

- National Express coach (£16 pp or a lot less if there's a "fun-fare" promo, plus £5 to £10 taxi fare from ship to coach station plus £?? taxi from Victoria coach station to hotel)). Only a few coaches per day, needs to be pre-booked. NB your departure point is Southampton coach station, the cruise terminal option doesn't apply to your ship & will lead you astray. Journey time about 2 hrs 15.

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

 

- Train from Southampton central station to London's Waterloo station at about £36 pp. No cheap megatrain tickets for this route until about 1pm, which would waste too much of your precious time. 2 to 3 trains per hour, no need to pre-book, journey time about 90 minutes. Train operator is South West Trains. There's also a different route, operated by Southern Trains to London Victoria. Cheaper, but a circuitous route which adds an hour to the journey time. Similar taxi costs at each end.

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

 

- Ship's transfer. Direct from ship to London Victoria. Very simple, but you'll pay through the nose with some cruise lines.

 

- Cruise Tour Bus. A privately-operated service, nothing to do with the cruise line. Takes you from ship to your hotel via a choice of sights on the way. Excellent for getting a taste of England but not if you want to concentrate on the big bad city, you'll arrive early evening. Costs £65 pp.

http://www.londontoolkit.com/travel/southampton_london_transfers.htm

Lots of excellent London logistical info for tourists on other pages of that website.JB :)

 

Thank you very much for this website---I'll have to take a good look at it.

[SusieKay]

We'll be ending a cruise in Southampton next May. I thought we should stay two nights in London before flying home so we can see something while we're there. I have absolutely no idea how to get from the port in Southampton to London with luggage nor how much it would cost. Also, we would have to get to Heathrow in the morning so I was thinking it would be better to stay near there even though it would take time to get to where the sightseeing would be. Any suggestions?????

 

You might want to seriously consider the Princess transfer to Victoria Coach Station just for the convenience. I hope I am assuming correctly that it picks up right at the pier after clearing customs and immigration and that luggage assistance will be available. It can be purchased in advance on line for $59.00 pp. which I personally do not think is a bad price.

There seem to be many choices for hotels in the area and you would be well positioned for transportation for sightseeing and to Heathrow.

This is what we have selected for our post cruise stay in London.

 

Sent from my YP-G70 using Forums mobile app

[loma linda ca a & j]

just a suggestion, if you have not booked your flights yet,

try to extend your time to 4 or 5 days - you'll never regret it !!:)

even with 10 days before and 6 days after our cruise last year,

we cannot wait to return in 2016 to spend more time -

there is just so much to see and do :eek:

 

whatever you do have a marvelous time !!;)

[newport dave]

I hate to be cold so I'll be sure to take warm clothes.....thank you.

 

You'd be better off just packing layers, and not warm clothes. They may well end up being wasted luggage. It's a lot easier to start off with a couple of layers on in the morning when it's cool, and as it warms up strip off a layer. If you're just in one warm layer, you're basically knackered for the rest of the day. A lot of UK building don't have aircon, so when we have warm weather these buildings can become unbearable sometimes.

[Ferndale Girl]

AS others' replies the choices are

 

- pre-arranged private transfer at vaguely £130 - £140 the car, http://www.smithsforairports.com or http://www.westquaycars.com are frequently recommended on CC. Journey time 90 minutes absolute minimum, usually longer & especially your time-of-day mon-fri.

 

- National Express coach (£16 pp or a lot less if there's a "fun-fare" promo, plus £5 to £10 taxi fare from ship to coach station plus £?? taxi from Victoria coach station to hotel)). Only a few coaches per day, needs to be pre-booked. NB your departure point is Southampton coach station, the cruise terminal option doesn't apply to your ship & will lead you astray. Journey time about 2 hrs 15.

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

 

- Train from Southampton central station to London's Waterloo station at about £36 pp. No cheap megatrain tickets for this route until about 1pm, which would waste too much of your precious time. 2 to 3 trains per hour, no need to pre-book, journey time about 90 minutes. Train operator is South West Trains. There's also a different route, operated by Southern Trains to London Victoria. Cheaper, but a circuitous route which adds an hour to the journey time. Similar taxi costs at each end.

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

 

- Ship's transfer. Direct from ship to London Victoria. Very simple, but you'll pay through the nose with some cruise lines.

 

- Cruise Tour Bus. A privately-operated service, nothing to do with the cruise line. Takes you from ship to your hotel via a choice of sights on the way. Excellent for getting a taste of England but not if you want to concentrate on the big bad city, you'll arrive early evening. Costs £65 pp.

http://www.londontoolkit.com/travel/southampton_london_transfers.htm

Lots of excellent London logistical info for tourists on other pages of that website.

JB :)

 

This is what I'd like to do but I'm afraid that we won't get off the ship early enough. Has anyone had any experience with this transfer? I know it doesn't get into London until early evening and that is fine - we'd enjoy the places that it stops on the way. I'd just hate to miss the bus and then be stuck besides losing the money that we paid.

[phabric]

We have taken http://www.justairports.com from our London hotel to LHR a few times, it is a private car service. To get a quote use the hotel's postal code (ours was SW1). The price is per car.

 

We have taken the National Express from Southampton to London Victoria Coach Station. Once at the Victoria station you make your own way to your hotel. A short taxi ride (5-10 GBP) from the dock to the Southampton station. No stops along the way.

 

I would do the self disembarkment , this is where you carry your own luggage off the ship. You do not put your luggage out the night before.

Edited December 20, 2014 by phabric

[paddingtonbear]

This is what I'd like to do but I'm afraid that we won't get off the ship early enough. Has anyone had any experience with this transfer? I know it doesn't get into London until early evening and that is fine - we'd enjoy the places that it stops on the way. I'd just hate to miss the bus and then be stuck besides losing the money that we paid.

 

These people have buses waiting for you to disembark. It is their job to transfer you so they wait for you. They take you to Heathrow or the city.

 

http://www.internationalfriends.co.uk/southampton-cruise-bus-from-150-central-london-hotels-via-stonehenge.html

 

You'd only have to stay at Heathrow the night before your flight if you are leaving really early - 7:30-8:30 or so. The tube is a great way to get to the airport if you can handle your own luggage and there won't be crowds in May. We went into the City at peak hour in May with luggage and it was fine. Traffic can really add to the cost a taxi fares.

 

Actually the reason we stayed at Heathrow the night before was that our flight left before 7am and the first train didn't arrive in time for me to feel relaxed about having enough time to get through security. Generally the tube to Heathrow is a good option. Especially if you choose a hotel within walking distance of a tube station.

Edited December 22, 2014 by paddingtonbear