Southampton to London hotels w/ tour

[dondiane]

Am looking for referrals for tour company that will pick up at port , visit Salisbury Cathedral , Windsor Castle and Stonehedge with drop off at London hotels. 8 people, (possibly 2 more)

Did look at Londontoolkit would appreciate a few more suggestions for private transport, with nice sized van, reasonable rates.reputable. Thank you in advance.

[flamomo]

Some people on the cruise we have booked for next Spring have booked with International Friends, which offer pickup at the pier, visits the places you mentioned, and drop-offs at either Heathrow or at a long list of London hotels. We are considering booking this too.

My only concern is if for some unforeseen reason we would need to cancel the booking, what I read on their website indicates that 20% of the fare would be withheld by the company, apparently no matter how far out one would cancel. That could be a deal breaker for me. If it would apply to cancellation less than 3 months out, I could accept that, but that's not the way I read it.

[phabric]

Check out http://www.internationalfriends.co.uk for post cruise tour from Southampton to London.

I booked through Londontoolkit and was a little cheaper than their own site.

[John Bull]

The International Friends itinerary is a good one.

They normally use full-size coaches, but I'm presuming it'd cost £74 x 8 (mebbe 10).

So that gives you a budget of £600+ for a van.

 

Try ...........................

 

http://www.coliseumcoaches.co.uk/

Highly-respected family-run coach operator - they started out generations ago, back in the days of charabancs. I used to drive for them (no, not in the days of charabancs ;)). Mainly full-size coaches, but they did have a couple of mini-coaches. Top quality new vehicles.

They may pass your enquiry through to http://www.lucketts.co.uk/ who incorporated Coliseum a few years back & have a fleet of minibuses / mini-coaches. But make your initial enquiry through Coliseum & mention that "one of your drivers recommended you" - that might make them sit up & pay attention. (the screen-name "John Bull" will mean nothing to them)

 

http://www.princesscoaches.co.uk/our_coaches.php

Near-neighbours of Coliseum, also long-established & reputable. I drove for them occasionally to help them out. They now have a fleet of mini-coaches - click on the mini-coach pdf on their website.

 

http://www.angelacoaches.co.uk/

Most of their business is operating coaches for their sister-company Angela Holidays. Again, a long-established & reputable family concern. I've driven many coach holidays for them in Angela-liveried Coliseum coaches. They too have a modern fleet of mini-coaches.

 

Both Coliseum and Princess provide full-size coaches for ships' transfers, including Angela-liveried coaches.

 

http://www.travel-gemini.co.uk/

Also well-established, I've frequently seen their vehicles on the road and chewed the cud with their drivers in coach parks but no in-depth knowledge.

Vehicles very adequate, mebbe not as good as the others that I've mentioned but should be cheaper.

 

You could also ask International Friends to quote for a private transfer since they also operate smaller vehicles.

--------------------------------------

 

The International Friends itinerary broadly makes sense for a private tour-transfer -

 

Dockside to Salisbury Cathedral. (nominally about 35 minutes)

Enquire whether/how much extra it would cost to take a route via Cadnam & across a corner of the New Forest to Downton and on to Salisbury, rather than the usual main A36 road. Much more attractive, takes about 10 to 15 minutes longer.

Stop at Salisbury cathedral for 30 - 45 minutes. The city itself is worth longer - if you get quotes well within budget, consider extending that stop by 30 to 40 minutes.

Salisbury to Stonehenge. (nominally 20 minutes)

Again, ask for a more interesting route than the main drag. Via Old Sarum & along the Avon valley through the Woodford villages - its an attractive route, the road is comparatively narrow & winding but it's used by International Friends' full-size coaches and the Stonehenge Hop-on double-deck buses, so no problem for a mini-coach. Again, adds about 10 to 15 minutes.

Stop at Stonehenge for a minimum 60 minutes, preferably up to 90 minutes.

If your trip is in season or at a weekend, you're strongly advised to pre-purchase timed admission tickets to avoid a potential delay.

Stonehenge to Windsor (about 75 minutes)

By far the quickest & easiest route is via the A303 & M3 divided highways - local roads are slow & not particularly attractive.

Stop at Windsor for a minimum of an hour, or preferably two hours but that will depend on progress to date.

Windsor to central London hotel takes a minimum of an hour, but can be longer at the wrong time of day. And even at the right time of day. :(

 

In all dealings, use the words mini-bus or mini-coach.

In the UK a "van" is a panel van - not very comfortable for 8 of you ;)

Bear in mind that drivers will know the area and will have visited those places frequently, but they're not guides and their background knowledge of history etc will be patchy-to-poor, especially (hopefully) compared to the guide on Int. Friends' coaches.

And be sure to mention that you will have luggage - many of their jobs are day-trips, theatre trips etc involving no luggage.

 

JB :)

[dondiane]

The International Friends itinerary is a good one.

They normally use full-size coaches, but I'm presuming it'd cost £74 x 8 (mebbe 10).

So that gives you a budget of £600+ for a van.

 

Try ...........................

 

http://www.coliseumcoaches.co.uk/

Highly-respected family-run coach operator - they started out generations ago, back in the days of charabancs. I used to drive for them (no, not in the days of charabancs ;)). Mainly full-size coaches, but they did have a couple of mini-coaches. Top quality new vehicles.

They may pass your enquiry through to http://www.lucketts.co.uk/ who incorporated Coliseum a few years back & have a fleet of minibuses / mini-coaches. But make your initial enquiry through Coliseum & mention that "one of your drivers recommended you" - that might make them sit up & pay attention. (the screen-name "John Bull" will mean nothing to them)

 

http://www.princesscoaches.co.uk/our_coaches.php

Near-neighbours of Coliseum, also long-established & reputable. I drove for them occasionally to help them out. They now have a fleet of mini-coaches - click on the mini-coach pdf on their website.

 

http://www.angelacoaches.co.uk/

Most of their business is operating coaches for their sister-company Angela Holidays. Again, a long-established & reputable family concern. I've driven many coach holidays for them in Angela-liveried Coliseum coaches. They too have a modern fleet of mini-coaches.

 

Both Coliseum and Princess provide full-size coaches for ships' transfers, including Angela-liveried coaches.

 

http://www.travel-gemini.co.uk/

Also well-established, I've frequently seen their vehicles on the road and chewed the cud with their drivers in coach parks but no in-depth knowledge.

Vehicles very adequate, mebbe not as good as the others that I've mentioned but should be cheaper.

 

You could also ask International Friends to quote for a private transfer since they also operate smaller vehicles.

--------------------------------------

 

The International Friends itinerary broadly makes sense for a private tour-transfer -

 

Dockside to Salisbury Cathedral. (nominally about 35 minutes)

Enquire whether/how much extra it would cost to take a route via Cadnam & across a corner of the New Forest to Downton and on to Salisbury, rather than the usual main A36 road. Much more attractive, takes about 10 to 15 minutes longer.

Stop at Salisbury cathedral for 30 - 45 minutes. The city itself is worth longer - if you get quotes well within budget, consider extending that stop by 30 to 40 minutes.

Salisbury to Stonehenge. (nominally 20 minutes)

Again, ask for a more interesting route than the main drag. Via Old Sarum & along the Avon valley through the Woodford villages - its an attractive route, the road is comparatively narrow & winding but it's used by International Friends' full-size coaches and the Stonehenge Hop-on double-deck buses, so no problem for a mini-coach. Again, adds about 10 to 15 minutes.

Stop at Stonehenge for a minimum 60 minutes, preferably up to 90 minutes.

If your trip is in season or at a weekend, you're strongly advised to pre-purchase timed admission tickets to avoid a potential delay.

Stonehenge to Windsor (about 75 minutes)

By far the quickest & easiest route is via the A303 & M3 divided highways - local roads are slow & not particularly attractive.

Stop at Windsor for a minimum of an hour, or preferably two hours but that will depend on progress to date.

Windsor to central London hotel takes a minimum of an hour, but can be longer at the wrong time of day. And even at the right time of day. :(

 

In all dealings, use the words mini-bus or mini-coach.

In the UK a "van" is a panel van - not very comfortable for 8 of you ;)

Bear in mind that drivers will know the area and will have visited those places frequently, but they're not guides and their background knowledge of history etc will be patchy-to-poor, especially (hopefully) compared to the guide on Int. Friends' coaches.

And be sure to mention that you will have luggage - many of their jobs are day-trips, theatre trips etc involving no luggage.

 

JB :)

 

Thank you so very much for such detailed information.

Diane

[rwehvgfnyt]

The International Friends itinerary is a good one.

They normally use full-size coaches, but I'm presuming it'd cost £74 x 8 (mebbe 10).

So that gives you a budget of £600+ for a van.

 

Try ...........................

 

http://www.coliseumcoaches.co.uk/

Highly-respected family-run coach operator - they started out generations ago, back in the days of charabancs. I used to drive for them (no, not in the days of charabancs ;)). Mainly full-size coaches, but they did have a couple of mini-coaches. Top quality new vehicles.

They may pass your enquiry through to http://www.lucketts.co.uk/ who incorporated Coliseum a few years back & have a fleet of minibuses / mini-coaches. But make your initial enquiry through Coliseum & mention that "one of your drivers recommended you" - that might make them sit up & pay attention. (the screen-name "John Bull" will mean nothing to them)

 

http://www.princesscoaches.co.uk/our_coaches.php

Near-neighbours of Coliseum, also long-established & reputable. I drove for them occasionally to help them out. They now have a fleet of mini-coaches - click on the mini-coach pdf on their website.

 

http://www.angelacoaches.co.uk/

Most of their business is operating coaches for their sister-company Angela Holidays. Again, a long-established & reputable family concern. I've driven many coach holidays for them in Angela-liveried Coliseum coaches. They too have a modern fleet of mini-coaches.

 

Both Coliseum and Princess provide full-size coaches for ships' transfers, including Angela-liveried coaches.

 

http://www.travel-gemini.co.uk/

Also well-established, I've frequently seen their vehicles on the road and chewed the cud with their drivers in coach parks but no in-depth knowledge.

Vehicles very adequate, mebbe not as good as the others that I've mentioned but should be cheaper.

 

You could also ask International Friends to quote for a private transfer since they also operate smaller vehicles.

--------------------------------------

 

The International Friends itinerary broadly makes sense for a private tour-transfer -

 

Dockside to Salisbury Cathedral. (nominally about 35 minutes)

Enquire whether/how much extra it would cost to take a route via Cadnam & across a corner of the New Forest to Downton and on to Salisbury, rather than the usual main A36 road. Much more attractive, takes about 10 to 15 minutes longer.

Stop at Salisbury cathedral for 30 - 45 minutes. The city itself is worth longer - if you get quotes well within budget, consider extending that stop by 30 to 40 minutes.

Salisbury to Stonehenge. (nominally 20 minutes)

Again, ask for a more interesting route than the main drag. Via Old Sarum & along the Avon valley through the Woodford villages - its an attractive route, the road is comparatively narrow & winding but it's used by International Friends' full-size coaches and the Stonehenge Hop-on double-deck buses, so no problem for a mini-coach. Again, adds about 10 to 15 minutes.

Stop at Stonehenge for a minimum 60 minutes, preferably up to 90 minutes.

If your trip is in season or at a weekend, you're strongly advised to pre-purchase timed admission tickets to avoid a potential delay.

Stonehenge to Windsor (about 75 minutes)

By far the quickest & easiest route is via the A303 & M3 divided highways - local roads are slow & not particularly attractive.

Stop at Windsor for a minimum of an hour, or preferably two hours but that will depend on progress to date.

Windsor to central London hotel takes a minimum of an hour, but can be longer at the wrong time of day. And even at the right time of day. :(

 

In all dealings, use the words mini-bus or mini-coach.

In the UK a "van" is a panel van - not very comfortable for 8 of you ;)

Bear in mind that drivers will know the area and will have visited those places frequently, but they're not guides and their background knowledge of history etc will be patchy-to-poor, especially (hopefully) compared to the guide on Int. Friends' coaches.

And be sure to mention that you will have luggage - many of their jobs are day-trips, theatre trips etc involving no luggage.

 

JB :)

Hello,

We are traveling from the U.S. and are also looking for a transfer and tour between Heathrow and Southampton, for July. I've been researching and emailing several companies, especially after reading your recommendations, John Bull. I'm going to contact these companies that you mentioned in this thread. We are looking for a smaller, more personal tour for three people. I was originally interested in the International Friends tour, even though it is larger, because they made three stops in places we want to go. However, in their email back to me they said many of the places will not be available to tourists because it will be on a Sunday. So, I'm looking at other options. I got a very friendly, detailed email back from a company called Lionheart Travel. I think it's based in Southampton. I tried to find out about the company and could only find a couple of posts about it. That makes me a little nervous. Can you or anyone else tell me anything about them? We usually do a lot of researching on CC, but don't usually post, so any help for this rookie would be appreciated! (I hope I did this right.) :)

Thanks so much!

Vicki

[John Bull]

Hello,

We are traveling from the U.S. and are also looking for a transfer and tour between Heathrow and Southampton, for July. I've been researching and emailing several companies, especially after reading your recommendations, John Bull. I'm going to contact these companies that you mentioned in this thread. We are looking for a smaller, more personal tour for three people. I was originally interested in the International Friends tour, even though it is larger, because they made three stops in places we want to go. However, in their email back to me they said many of the places will not be available to tourists because it will be on a Sunday. So, I'm looking at other options. I got a very friendly, detailed email back from a company called Lionheart Travel. I think it's based in Southampton. I tried to find out about the company and could only find a couple of posts about it. That makes me a little nervous. Can you or anyone else tell me anything about them? We usually do a lot of researching on CC, but don't usually post, so any help for this rookie would be appreciated! (I hope I did this right.)

Thanks so much!

Vicki

 

Hi Vicki,

 

Bear in mind that the operators I mentioned on this thread were for 8 to 10 people - three of you might feel a bit lost in a van ;)

 

I don't understand Int. Friends' e-mail. :confused:

Sundays are busy days for the places on their itinerary, especially mid-season.

But their tour-transfer to a ship is seriously limited by time, usually includes only Stonehenge. And booking with them same-day as flying in is strongly discouraged - if your flight is late you miss your ride. :eek:

Their tour-transfer from the ship is more comprehensive because of the bigger time window.

 

I've not heard of Lionheart, and like you I can find little about them on the 'net.

That's not necessarily a negative - they're a very small outfit, just two cars, and their address is a purely-residential apartment block so the business is run from home.

The qualifications they quote are pretty ordinary business qualifications, probably on their website to provide a little gravitas and inspire confidence. ;) I've seen operators' VAT-registration numbers, private-hire licence numbers & such on small operators' websites for the same reason.

There are dozens of such little operators, some fly-by-night and some offering excellent personal service at very competitive prices.

A pretty professional website, and they've been around at least a few years so they're not a scam.

 

If you want to book a private transfer with more confidence there are several well-established & reputable operators in the Southampton area using cars & people-movers (small vans).

http://www.smithsforairports.com (the best-known on Cruise Critic)

http://www.aquacars.co.uk

http://www.westquaycars.com

 

West Quay Cars also has a touring arm

http://www.discoverthesouth.co.uk/

Not qualified guides, but they use their most experienced, knowledgeable and customer-orientated drivers for the discoverthesouth jobs.

But drivers for all three, and others, know their stuff - especially if you request a knowledgeable driver.

 

A simple private Heathrow to ship transfer takes about 90 minutes & should cost under £100, but of course with diversions to places of interest it'll cost a lot more. Traffic on sundays is a dream. :)

All those operators can quote for a custom package. Smiths are likely to be cheapest, discoverthesouth are likely to be the most expensive.

 

Because of the mid-afternoon deadline for registering at the cruise terminal - and the importance of not missing your sailing - you will be very limited in what you can achieve. Even with an early start, expect to fit in only Windsor (& perhaps a very brief Stonehenge visit or drive-by), or Stonehenge + Salisbury cathedral.

Are you flying in same-day?

If so, what's your scheduled landing time?

 

Bear in mind that you are advised to pre-book timed (two-hours leeway) tickets for Stonehenge, that Stonehenge has audio-guides, and that Windsor castle doesn't allow guides unless booked thro' them (tho' a guide is by no means essential)

 

JB :)

Edited February 18, 2016 by John Bull

[rwehvgfnyt]

Hi Vicki,

 

Bear in mind that the operators I mentioned on this thread were for 8 to 10 people - three of you might feel a bit lost in a van ;)

 

I don't understand Int. Friends' e-mail. :confused:

Sundays are busy days for the places on their itinerary, especially mid-season.

But their tour-transfer to a ship is seriously limited by time, usually includes only Stonehenge. And booking with them same-day as flying in is strongly discouraged - if your flight is late you miss your ride. :eek:

Their tour-transfer from the ship is more comprehensive because of the bigger time window.

 

I've not heard of Lionheart, and like you I can find little about them on the 'net.

That's not necessarily a negative - they're a very small outfit, just two cars, and their address is a purely-residential apartment block so the business is run from home.

The qualifications they quote are pretty ordinary business qualifications, probably on their website to provide a little gravitas and inspire confidence. ;) I've seen operators' VAT-registration numbers, private-hire licence numbers & such on small operators' websites for the same reason.

There are dozens of such little operators, some fly-by-night and some offering excellent personal service at very competitive prices.

A pretty professional website, and they've been around at least a few years so they're not a scam.

 

If you want to book a private transfer with more confidence there are several well-established & reputable operators in the Southampton area using cars & people-movers (small vans).

http://www.smithsforairports.com (the best-known on Cruise Critic)

http://www.aquacars.co.uk

http://www.westquaycars.com

 

West Quay Cars also has a touring arm

http://www.discoverthesouth.co.uk/

Not qualified guides, but they use their most experienced, knowledgeable and customer-orientated drivers for the discoverthesouth jobs.

But drivers for all three, and others, know their stuff - especially if you request a knowledgeable driver.

 

A simple private Heathrow to ship transfer takes about 90 minutes & should cost under £100, but of course with diversions to places of interest it'll cost a lot more. Traffic on sundays is a dream. :)

All those operators can quote for a custom package. Smiths are likely to be cheapest, discoverthesouth are likely to be the most expensive.

 

Because of the mid-afternoon deadline for registering at the cruise terminal - and the importance of not missing your sailing - you will be very limited in what you can achieve. Even with an early start, expect to fit in only Windsor (& perhaps a very brief Stonehenge visit or drive-by), or Stonehenge + Salisbury cathedral.

Are you flying in same-day?

If so, what's your scheduled landing time?

 

Bear in mind that you are advised to pre-book timed (two-hours leeway) tickets for Stonehenge, that Stonehenge has audio-guides, and that Windsor castle doesn't allow guides unless booked thro' them (tho' a guide is by no means essential)

 

JB :)

Hello John Bull,

After a lot of research and requests from many companies, we did book with Smiths for Airports. They were able to customize our tours in both directions and seem to be very easy to work with. Some of the others only book larger groups. Thank you for your help! We did book stops at Stonehenge and either Salisbury or Winchester. They do want us to make a decision beforehand about which place we want to visit. Recommendations?

 

We are flying in on a Monday, then traveling to Southampton for a night and our cruise leaves Tuesday morning. I do have one more question for you. There are three of us traveling together and have been looking for a hotel or B&B that has triple rooms. That's not been easy to find. I did find three and I'm hoping you can give a recommendation about them - clean, safe, friendly, and hopefully near a pub for dinner.

They are: Elizabeth House, Argyle Lodge, & Languard House. All about the same price.

Thank you so much again. I really appreciate your help!

Vicki

[DJ51]

We have done the International friends tour to Stonehenge Windsor and would be interested going somewhere else. Is there another tour company that leaves out of Southampton?

[John Bull]

Hi Vicki,

I have a personal preference for Salisbury rather than Winchester. I find it more laid-back, I find Winchester rather more crowded.

Salisbury's cathedral is the more spectacular, and houses one of the original four copies of the Magna Carta. It also houses what many believe to be the oldest clock in the world.

On the other hand, Winchester's cathedral is more famous, is much older and has more history, and it houses the tomb of Jane Austen and a memorial to a deep sea diver who at the turn of 19th/20th century saved the cathedral from collapse by spending several years reinforcing its foundations.

Stonehenge to Southampton via Winchester is all divided highway (same as Heathrow to Stonehenge), whereas via Salisbury it's local roads so you'll get to see a little bit more of England - especially if the driver takes you via the Woodford Valley (Stonehenge to Salisbury)& perhaps even across a corner of the New Forest (Salisbury to Southampton), though best to ask him about that at the time ;)

I think you'd find either Salisbury or Winchester equally interesting & enjoyable.

 

The three lodgings that you mention are quite small, more "guest house" rather than "hotel", and are in residential areas rather than the city centre. I think all three (certainly the two in Landguard Road) are run by the proprietors. No personal knowledge, but all three are highly regarded.

If you've not done so already, check them out on http://www.booking.com

That website has stacks of info, photos, reviews etc on all three.

 

Elizabeth House is a walk of under ten minutes from the Cowherds Inn, on Southampton Common. Outside tables if the weather is kind. We regularly eat at a pub in the same small local chain (Beef & Merlot Pie a favourite).

Don't know the pubs in the Landguard Road area, doubtless your hosts could advise.

Or consider the many options in the old town / Town Quay area. A walk of 30 minutes or more, or a 5 to 10 minute taxi ride.

 

BTW, Premier Inns (West Quay and New Road and one planned in Cumberland Place) have rooms for 3 or 4 guests

 

JB :)

[John Bull]

We have done the International friends tour to Stonehenge Windsor and would be interested going somewhere else. Is there another tour company that leaves out of Southampton?

 

Southampton isn't a tourist city, so there's a very limited choice of coach excursions from the city. Those day trips are designed for locals, and the choices available will depend on your date. None will suit for your arrival or departure dates. If you can quote dates when you'll be in Southampton all-day, I can root around the local coach operators.

 

But Southampton is ideally-placed for day-trips by train or by ferry.

 

By train:

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

in most cases the cost of a same-day return is about the same as a one-way fare.

Winchester in 15 minutes (historic city & ancient cathedral),

Portsmouth in 40 minutes (historic dockyard & ships, Solent waterfront, D-Day museum, Spinnaker Tower),

Salisbury in 30 mins (magnificent cathedral, laid-back historic city centre),

Bath in 60 minutes (very popular tourist destination with fine Georgian buildings, Roman baths, etc),

Dorchester (market town) or Weymouth (Victorian sea-side resort) in an hour.

All those places & more by frequent & direct trains.

Or with one simple change of train, Lymington (yachting town) or Chichester (up-market cathedral town) or Arundel (castle & cathedral), or the bohemian kiss-me-quick seaside resort of Brighton, and a stack of other places

 

By ferry

http://www.redfunnel.co.uk/ferry-travel/

To the Isle of Wight 30 to 60 minutes (Queen Victoria's Osborne House, Carisbrooke Castle, ho-ho tours including Godhill, Shanklin, Tennyson Down, The Needles, etc.)

 

Or the little Hythe Ferry 10 minutes across Southampton Water and onward by beach bus or taxi to Beaulieu

http://hytheferry.co.uk/

 

Local bus

Bus to Lyndhurst, self-styled capital of the New Forest, to pick up a New Forest Tour ho-ho.

http://www.thenewforest.co.uk/discover/new-forest-tour.aspx

 

JB :)

[rwehvgfnyt]

Hi Vicki,

I have a personal preference for Salisbury rather than Winchester. I find it more laid-back, I find Winchester rather more crowded.

Salisbury's cathedral is the more spectacular, and houses one of the original four copies of the Magna Carta. It also houses what many believe to be the oldest clock in the world.

On the other hand, Winchester's cathedral is more famous, is much older and has more history, and it houses the tomb of Jane Austen and a memorial to a deep sea diver who at the turn of 19th/20th century saved the cathedral from collapse by spending several years reinforcing its foundations.

Stonehenge to Southampton via Winchester is all divided highway (same as Heathrow to Stonehenge), whereas via Salisbury it's local roads so you'll get to see a little bit more of England - especially if the driver takes you via the Woodford Valley (Stonehenge to Salisbury)& perhaps even across a corner of the New Forest (Salisbury to Southampton), though best to ask him about that at the time ;)

I think you'd find either Salisbury or Winchester equally interesting & enjoyable.

 

The three lodgings that you mention are quite small, more "guest house" rather than "hotel", and are in residential areas rather than the city centre. I think all three (certainly the two in Landguard Road) are run by the proprietors. No personal knowledge, but all three are highly regarded.

If you've not done so already, check them out on http://www.booking.com

That website has stacks of info, photos, reviews etc on all three.

 

Elizabeth House is a walk of under ten minutes from the Cowherds Inn, on Southampton Common. Outside tables if the weather is kind. We regularly eat at a pub in the same small local chain (Beef & Merlot Pie a favourite).

Don't know the pubs in the Landguard Road area, doubtless your hosts could advise.

Or consider the many options in the old town / Town Quay area. A walk of 30 minutes or more, or a 5 to 10 minute taxi ride.

 

BTW, Premier Inns (West Quay and New Road and one planned in Cumberland Place) have rooms for 3 or 4 guests

 

JB :)

 

Hi JB (hope it's ok to call you that),

:0)

I like the idea of traveling along small roads (and maybe finding a good place for lunch too!). Of the two, Salisbury does sound more like what my husband would like. He loves to visit historical sites. After I replied to you earlier I read even more about your area. Portsmouth sounds like someplace my husband would really enjoy too. Unfortunately we only have the one day, returning to London, and are planning to stop at Windsor Castle after Salisbury. Would you recommend Portsmouth over Salisbury?

 

I did check out Booking.com, along with Trip Advisor, and here on CC before I made the choices of those three smaller places to ask about. We enjoy staying at B&Bs here in the U.S. and they did get good reviews. It's always nice to get local opinions though. Plus I did attempt to check on the Premier hotels but none of the websites would let me request 3 in a room unless it was a child.

 

Thanks again for your help!

Vicki

[John Bull]

Hi JB (hope it's ok to call you that),

:0)

I like the idea of traveling along small roads (and maybe finding a good place for lunch too!). Of the two, Salisbury does sound more like what my husband would like. He loves to visit historical sites. After I replied to you earlier I read even more about your area. Portsmouth sounds like someplace my husband would really enjoy too. Unfortunately we only have the one day, returning to London, and are planning to stop at Windsor Castle after Salisbury. Would you recommend Portsmouth over Salisbury?

 

Thanks again for your help!

Vicki

 

Portsmouth warrants more time than you have. Just the dockyard & historic ships are worth a full day, and I'm guessing that after flying in to Heathrow & a transfer to Portsmouth you'll have no more than half a day plus the evening - if you stay awake that long. :p

Transfer next morning (cruise day) from Portsmouth to Southampton is cheap and easy, under an hour by direct train or National Express coach. And the cost of that transfer will be balanced by having had just a simple transfer Heathrow to Portsmouth the previous day.

But even if you book Holiday Inn Express, Gunwharf Quays (the ideal location) you're unlikely to be able to fit in any sight-seeing that cruise-day morning.

 

Your vacation, your choice. And it is do-able

But I think I'd put Portsmouth on the back-burner for some future visit.

 

JB :)

[flamomo]

Our ship will be doing a turnaround day in Southampton in May, and no excursions are being offered for passengers staying on board, following a transatlantic from Ft Lauderdale, for the next leg which is around the British Isles. I was simply amazed that the only excursions being offered were as tours with an airport transfer for disembarking passengers. However, that apparently being the case ......

 

Is there anything within reasonable walking distance from the Ocean terminal for a little shopping for wine and possibly souvenirs, as well as needed items such as toiletries, etc,?

[John Bull]

Our ship will be doing a turnaround day in Southampton in May, and no excursions are being offered for passengers staying on board, following a transatlantic from Ft Lauderdale, for the next leg which is around the British Isles. I was simply amazed that the only excursions being offered were as tours with an airport transfer for disembarking passengers. However, that apparently being the case ......

 

Is there anything within reasonable walking distance from the Ocean terminal for a little shopping for wine and possibly souvenirs, as well as needed items such as toiletries, etc,?

 

That's the sort of itinerary which usually attracts b2b cruisers, I'm surprised at the lack of ship's tours.

 

Caribbean Princess will berth at Ocean Terminal, Cunard Road. (berth 46).

That's convenient to Southampton's few touristic sights in old town, places like the Tudor House & Garden, Medieval Merchant's House, Gods Tower, Westgate Hall & the city walls. Plenty of watering holes along Platform Road / Town Quay. And at the top end of old town, on the opposite side of The Bargate, is the main post-war shopping street (Above Bar) and to the left the big West Quay shopping mall.

Everything is a left turn out of the port gate, here's a vague suggested walking route from ship to Bargate / West Quay Mall - some of it you can walk the city wall.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/Cunard+Rd,+Southampton+SO14+3QN,+UK/50.9031937,-1.4040348/@50.8993096,-1.4072671,17z/data=!4m29!4m28!1m25!1m1!1s0x487476cc83b5247b:0x9abc3934a36fa0fb!2m2!1d-1.4001368!2d50.8943747!3m4!1m2!1d-1.4062525!2d50.8976927!3s0x487476c84c4e1077:0x1d2ef22a861efea1!3m4!1m2!1d-1.4062355!2d50.8987932!3s0x487476c833c9dfe3:0x70d72c92e05b7497!3m4!1m2!1d-1.4058639!2d50.8999153!3s0x487476b62bc21a87:0xd67b5abc2ac415f0!3m4!1m2!1d-1.4063423!2d50.9006827!3s0x487476b7cb442493:0xa29cca812cc9f367!1m0!3e2

 

Or for the Solent Sky aviation museum (Albert Road South), it's a right turn out of the dock gate.

 

What you can achieve beyond the city depends on your back-on-board time eg whether you can board 30 mins before sailing or whether you have to go thro' the registration routine and lifeboat drill.

For instance to the historic cathedral city of Salisbury by train at 9.10am, 40 minute journey, £10.40 day-return ticket, then Stonehenge ho-ho bus from Salisbury station to Stonehenge £27 including Stonehenge admission, an hour or two at Stonehenge, ho-ho back to Salisbury city centre, an hour or two in Salisbury, train back to Southampton, cab to the ship by about 3.30pm.

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

http://www.thestonehengetour.info/about

Other options as per my earlier post.

 

JB :)

[flamomo]

This is excellent info, John. I will be sharing it with our roll call.

Thank you VERY much!