kpkcruiser Posted August 29, 2015 #1 Share Posted August 29, 2015 Hello - after many Caribbean cruises we are jumping over the pond next May/June and taking a British Isles Cruise. We are working on our air right now and wonder if four nights pre-cruise in Southampton is too long? We aren't huge sight-seeing people but we do like to walk around and take in the local people and check out the restaurants and pubs. We are staying in London post-cruise for four nights so we don't want to stay there before. Thinking of booking the West Quay - the price is very reasonable. Thanks for any tips you can offer!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Globaliser Posted August 29, 2015 #2 Share Posted August 29, 2015 We are staying in London post-cruise for four nights so we don't want to stay there before.Why does that rule out staying in London pre-cruise as well? You do know, don't you, that you couldn't see all of London if you had four weeks; and that four months is closer to what you need? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loma linda ca a & j Posted August 29, 2015 #3 Share Posted August 29, 2015 (edited) in 2013 we spent 5 nights in london & 5 in southampton pre cruise stayed at premier inn west quay - great breakfasts & dinners in the restaurant one day in winchester, one day in salisbury, one day in portsmouth, fourth day at the sea city museum & tudor house in southampton delightful stay in both cities !! :D Edited August 29, 2015 by loma linda ca a & j Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mim Lloyd Posted August 30, 2015 #4 Share Posted August 30, 2015 in 2013 we spent 5 nights in london & 5 in southampton pre cruise stayed at premier inn west quay - great breakfasts & dinners in the restaurant one day in winchester, one day in salisbury, one day in portsmouth, fourth day at the sea city museum & tudor house in southampton delightful stay in both cities !! :D This is a good option. You wouldn't want to stay the whole time in Southampton as you'd soon run out of things to do, but it's good as a base to get out and about to other cities and towns Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boca7 Posted August 30, 2015 #5 Share Posted August 30, 2015 This is a good option. You wouldn't want to stay the whole time in Southampton as you'd soon run out of things to do, but it's good as a base to get out and about to other cities and towns Staying at the Novatel in Southampton in 4 days & friends from Kent are coming to visit us. Can you recommend a good pub for drinks & dinner (one is a previous pub owner) & will a light jacket be adequate clothing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Bull Posted August 31, 2015 #6 Share Posted August 31, 2015 Globaliser is of course right that London has more than enough to offer for your entire pre and post-cruise time. But there's a lot more to England than just London, and splitting your time between the big bad city and elsewhere in England makes a great deal of sense. Southampton isn't a tourist city, it's a working port. But, as others have posted, its location and excellent rail links make it an excellent base from which to visit a wide range of southern England's historic cities, towns, villages, countryside, and touristic sights by rail or road. It's a rail hub, and there are frequent, fast, reliable & economical options by rail, including direct trains to Salisbury (half-hourly, £10 day-return, journey time 35 minutes). And from there the Stonehenge ho-ho. http://www.thestonehengetour.info/ Bath (hourly, £17, 90 minutes) Winchester (4 per hour, £7, 15 mins) Oxford (hourly, £32, 80 mins) Portsmouth (2 per hour, £11, 60 mins) Weymouth (half-hourly, £27, 90 mins) Chichester (half-hourly, £13, 1 hour) Plenty of other options involving one simple train change. http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/ All are very walkable from their train stations & require no local transport. Buy tickets at the station (GBP or plastic) and ask for "cheap day-return tickets". No need to specify a return time, you can take any same-day train back to Southampton. For local countryside, take a local Blue Star bus to Lyndhurst, the "capital of the New Forest", where two New Forest ho-ho routes converge. http://www.thenewforesttour.info/ Or consider a hydrofoil or traditional ferry to the Isle of Wight http://www.redfunnel.co.uk/?gclid=CJDhoM760ccCFZUYGwodKjABvA Or a day at http://www.beaulieu.co.uk/ It's the national motor museum, but also includes the Bishop's Palace and the Abbey ruins for non-petrolheads. Get there from Southampton via the little Hythe ferry across Southampton Water, then the "beach bus" when in season or a six-mile taxi ride out-of-season http://www.hytheferry.co.uk/ http://www.thebeachbus.info/ If you rent a car you have much broader options, basically touring the countryside & the more-isolated towns & villages. The New Forest (about 6 miles from Southampton) is seen better by car, or spread your wings to places like Corfe Castle and the Bovington Tank Museum (largest in Europe), Lulworth Cove & Durdle Door & the Jurassic coast, or the towns & villages of the Dorset Downs, or Glastonbury / Wells / Cheddar. So you could spend all your pre & post-cruise time based in Southampton, and ignore London altogether ;) Southampton itself has some little gems, but you'll be able to see them on your part-days when you travel from London or on the morning of your cruise. They include the few old-town sights such as the Tudor House, Medieval Merchant's House, Westgate Hall, God's Tower, the Bargate & the city walls, and the Sea City Museum and Southampton Aviation Museum. Google these places, see what you think. Here's a list of Southampton city centre hotels, together with a thumbnail location map which includes the rail station and cruise terminals. https://www.londontoolkit.com/travel/southampton_accommodation.htm (if you plan to rent a car, check parking availability & cost) Boca7 - evenings are just starting to get a little chilly, but British weather is very fickle. A light jacket (and something waterproof?) should be OK unless you plan to spend a lot of time outside in the evening. In town, consider the Red Lion in the High Street (historic & atmospheric, but food a little variable) or The Standing Order in the High Street ( low prices, rather basic - tell your friends it's a Wetherspoon's pub & they'll know the chain) or the Wool House (aka the Dancing Man) - a historic little stone building recently converted to a real-ale micro-brewery & pub/restaurant - good food but it's deliberately limited to pub-grub (pie & mash, etc). Best combination of character, atmosphere, real ale & food is probably the Duke of Wellington pub in Bugle Street - just a hundred yards from the Wool House. You might consider a drink in the one & a meal in the other. http://southampton-pubs.co.uk/dukeofwellington/ It scores 4.5 / 5 on TripAdvisor There are also a number of restaurants in the same area. If your friends have a car or you're happy to make a short train ride I can suggest places outside the city. JB :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Turtles06 Posted August 31, 2015 #7 Share Posted August 31, 2015 Best combination of character, atmosphere, real ale & food is probably the Duke of Wellington pub in Bugle Street - just a hundred yards from the Wool House. You might consider a drink in the one & a meal in the other.http://southampton-pubs.co.uk/dukeofwellington/ It scores 4.5 / 5 on TripAdvisor Very happy to hear you say this, as a bunch of us on our Roll Call for the Anthem TA will be having our pre-cruise dinner there next month! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpkcruiser Posted September 4, 2015 Author #8 Share Posted September 4, 2015 Thank you all for your responses! Its a great start. Just read/heard about John Bull today - YOU are AMAZING!!! I will be busy planning our time in Southampton now and can't wait to check out the places your recommend. Thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob++ Posted September 4, 2015 #9 Share Posted September 4, 2015 (edited) Just read/heard about John Bull today - YOU are AMAZING!!! He already has enough trouble getting his head through the door..... Grumble grumble Edited September 4, 2015 by Bob++ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HRPro Posted September 4, 2015 #10 Share Posted September 4, 2015 Just spent two days pre-cruise in Salisbury--lovely Town with beautiful cathedral and lots of very nice B&B's. I wasn't impressed with Southampton and can't imagine staying there 4 days especially with all the other beautiful places nearby to spend your time including Salisbury and Winchester; however. If you do as JB suggests and use it as a home base to travel out from, you should be OK. I did the British Isles cruise in July and had a fabulous time. Enjoy!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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