Heathrow to Southampton

[Billy and Charlie's Mum]

Hi everyone,

 

We are arriving from Australia into Heathrow at 6.55am on 19th November (a Saturday).

 

What is the best way to get to Southampton, be it by train, bus, shuttle etc. We are staying right at the port at Ennios Boutique Hotel for the night before getting on the Aurora for a B2B.

 

I don't mind any of the different ways but I would like to know what everyone else does and which is the easiest.

 

Thanks guys..... looking forward to a "white Christmas" after a very, very long summer here this year.

[lucymorgan]

we are going in August and catching the national express bus from heathrow to southampton - seems very cheap and recommended by many http://www.nationalexpress.com/en/airports/heathrow-airport.aspx

Edited April 18, 2016 by jenibor

[Putterdude]

Hi everyone' date='

 

We are arriving from Australia into Heathrow at 6.55am on 19th November (a Saturday).

 

What is the best way to get to Southampton, be it by train, bus, shuttle etc. We are staying right at the port at Ennios Boutique Hotel for the night before getting on the Aurora for a B2B.

 

I don't mind any of the different ways but I would like to know what everyone else does and which is the easiest.

 

Thanks guys..... looking forward to a "white Christmas" after a very, very long summer here this year.[/quote']

 

Hello Eileen,

 

And 'Dudette' says hi as well. We did the BI cruise finally this past fall and your recommendations were a huge help. Having used the NCE several times I whole heartily recommend it.

 

PD

Edited April 18, 2016 by Putterdude

[Billy and Charlie's Mum]

we are going in August and catching the national express bus from heathrow to southampton - seems very cheap and recommended by many http://www.nationalexpress.com/en/airports/heathrow-airport.aspx

 

Thanks for that.... that looks good for the trip to Southampton but not really doable going from Southampton to London. We are staying in London for 4 days after the cruises but they drop off nowhere near our hotel. I might have to look at taking the train from Southampton to Kings X station or Euston Station which is much closer then a taxi.

 

Any other suggestions? :)

[Billy and Charlie's Mum]

Hello Eileen,

 

And 'Dudette' says hi as well. We did the BI cruise finally this past fall and your recommendations were a huge help. Having used the NCE several times I whole heartily recommend it.

 

PD

 

Hi Dude and Dudette!

 

Glad you had a great time on the cruise.

 

We are looking forward to having a cold xmas this year as this summer has been so long and hot we are quite over it!

 

We are staying at the George Hotel in London (inbetween Euston and Kings X stations) and it seems the NCE doesn't go anywhere near there. I was wondering how easy it would be to catch a train from Southampton to get there and how many changes would be involved.

[Putterdude]

I am hardly an expert but I know from experience that the NCE goes to Victoria Station beyond that , I have no idea how far it is to your hotel. In our case we had the option of transferring or taking a cab....we chose a cab.

[Billy and Charlie's Mum]

I am hardly an expert but I know from experience that the NCE goes to Victoria Station beyond that , I have no idea how far it is to your hotel. In our case we had the option of transferring or taking a cab....we chose a cab.

 

I will check out the time it takes to go by train as opposed to going by NCE and go from there.

[lcumpire]

We are using Smithsforairport for the 4 of us from LHR to Southampton and then from Southampton to London - reasonable prices - check them out

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[Hatters cruiser]

Trains from Southampton to London will terminate at Waterloo station, south of the river Thames in London this means that in order to get to the Euston Kingscross area you would need to use the Tube,bus or taxi transfer anyway.

 

At Waterloo you can get on the Tube and use the Northern Line which goes to Euston and get off there. A taxi journey from there would be a little more expensive but would mean crossing the Thames and allow you to see some of the sights from the window as you do, depending on the route the driver takes you might cross Westminister bridge and see the London Eye, The Houses of Parliment and Queen Elizabeth Tower.

 

Although NCE from Southampton to London Victoria and a taxi to the hotel would be quite easy, and reasonably priced. You can also use the Victoria line on the Tube which will get you to Euston .

Edited April 18, 2016 by Hatters cruiser

[John Bull]

Heathrow to Southampton

 

- easiest is a private transfer, eg http://www.smithsforairports.com mentioned by Icumpire & recommended by many on Cruise Critic. Cost about £90 for the car, journey time about 90 minutes.

 

- cheapest is Nat Express coach suggested by several on this thread, at about £18 per person, journey time about 2 hours. You really need to pre-book (allow a min of 90 minutes for airport formalities between landing and arrivals hall). If you are delayed, you can switch to a later coach for a £5 admin fee.

 

- the train isn't a good option from Heathrow, there's no direct service. You take a RailAir shuttle coach to the nearest rail station (Woking or Reading, depending on the time) & transfer to a direct train to Southampton. The shuttle coach (by co-incidence this is often a Nat Express coach) is included in your train fare of £40+ per person, and the total journey time is about 2 hours. There's no need to pre-book, and the trains are every half-hour or thereabouts, much more frequent than Nat Express - so although it's not your best option it's a useful Plan B if other plans go belly-up.

 

A private transfer would of course take you to Ennio's door.

From Southampton coach station Ennio's is walkable in about 15 minutes, from Southampton Central train station it's about 20 minutes, both very simple & on level ground. Or a taxi (taxi ranks at both coach & rail stations) would cost about £6.

................................................................

 

Southampton to London.

 

- a private transfer would cost in the order of £130, journey time about 2 hrs. This of course would be ship to hotel.

 

For train or Nat Express coach, add £6 to £10 (depending which cruise terminal) taxi from ship to station.

- a Nat Express coach costs a maximum of £18 pp, but often promo prices way less. Journey time in the order of 2.5 hours. Again, limited frequency and a strong recommendation to pre-book. Coaches go to London's Victoria coach station.

 

- Central London is ringed by mainline train stations which radiate to all parts of the UK. Southampton being SW of London, the trains use Waterloo & Victoria, not Euston or Kings X.

A train from Southampton to Waterloo costs about £40 pp, about 3 trains per hour, journey time about 90 minutes. (There are no promo prices before 1pm - if you want to travel that late in the day pre-book on https://uk.megabus.com/megatrain.aspx from about 6 weeks out for a big saving, but to most cruisers a lost half-day outweighs the saving)

There is also an hourly service from Southampton to Victoria train station, it's cheaper at around £25 but it uses a circuitous route & takes over 2.5 hours.

(you can also take a Midlands-bound train from Southampton to Reading & change there to a London train, but they terminate at Paddington station - only a little closer to Kings X & not worth the bother).

 

So if you take a train or Nat Express coach you'll have to cross central London to your hotel in the King's Cross area from Waterloo (about 3 miles) or Victoria (something over 4 miles). This would be by tube (London's metro) or taxi - the choice depends on the exact location of your hotel, the day of the week, and your attitude toward hauling luggage on the tube.

Tell us the location of your hotel, your party size & mobility, how much luggage, & your attitude to travelling across London by tube - and a Londoner can advise on the suitability of the tube from Victoria or Waterloo.

 

One possible further option is ship's transfer coach. Although the usual London transfer is to Victoria (making the much higher cost a bit of a waste of money), some ships also provide transfers to St Pancras station. That's basically for those taking the Eurostar train to Europe, but it's very convenient for you.

 

A further possibility is a coach tour-transfer. This is from your ship to your hotel, and takes you to places of interest on the way. A good use of the day, but of course at the expense of one of your days in the big bad city. https://www.londontoolkit.com/travel/southampton_to_london_shared_bus.html

 

 

 

JB :)

Edited April 18, 2016 by John Bull

[Billy and Charlie's Mum]

Heathrow to Southampton

 

- easiest is a private transfer, eg http://www.smithsforairports.com mentioned by Icumpire & recommended by many on Cruise Critic. Cost about £90 for the car, journey time about 90 minutes.

 

- cheapest is Nat Express coach suggested by several on this thread, at about £18 per person, journey time about 2 hours. You really need to pre-book (allow a min of 90 minutes for airport formalities between landing and arrivals hall). If you are delayed, you can switch to a later coach for a £5 admin fee.

 

- the train isn't a good option from Heathrow, there's no direct service. You take a RailAir shuttle coach to the nearest rail station (Woking or Reading, depending on the time) & transfer to a direct train to Southampton. The shuttle coach (by co-incidence this is often a Nat Express coach) is included in your train fare of £40+ per person, and the total journey time is about 2 hours. There's no need to pre-book, and the trains are every half-hour or thereabouts, much more frequent than Nat Express - so although it's not your best option it's a useful Plan B if other plans go belly-up.

 

A private transfer would of course take you to Ennio's door.

From Southampton coach station Ennio's is walkable in about 15 minutes, from Southampton Central train station it's about 20 minutes, both very simple & on level ground. Or a taxi (taxi ranks at both coach & rail stations) would cost about £6.

................................................................

 

Southampton to London.

 

- a private transfer would cost in the order of £130, journey time about 2 hrs. This of course would be ship to hotel.

 

For train or Nat Express coach, add £6 to £10 (depending which cruise terminal) taxi from ship to station.

- a Nat Express coach costs a maximum of £18 pp, but often promo prices way less. Journey time in the order of 2.5 hours. Again, limited frequency and a strong recommendation to pre-book. Coaches go to London's Victoria coach station.

 

- Central London is ringed by mainline train stations which radiate to all parts of the UK. Southampton being SW of London, the trains use Waterloo & Victoria, not Euston or Kings X.

A train from Southampton to Waterloo costs about £40 pp, about 3 trains per hour, journey time about 90 minutes. (There are no promo prices before 1pm - if you want to travel that late in the day pre-book on https://uk.megabus.com/megatrain.aspx from about 6 weeks out for a big saving, but to most cruisers a lost half-day outweighs the saving)

There is also an hourly service from Southampton to Victoria train station, it's cheaper at around £25 but it uses a circuitous route & takes over 2.5 hours.

(you can also take a Midlands-bound train from Southampton to Reading & change there to a London train, but they terminate at Paddington station - only a little closer to Kings X & not worth the bother).

 

So if you take a train or Nat Express coach you'll have to cross central London to your hotel in the King's Cross area from Waterloo (about 3 miles) or Victoria (something over 4 miles). This would be by tube (London's metro) or taxi - the choice depends on the exact location of your hotel, the day of the week, and your attitude toward hauling luggage on the tube.

Tell us the location of your hotel, your party size & mobility, how much luggage, & your attitude to travelling across London by tube - and a Londoner can advise on the suitability of the tube from Victoria or Waterloo.

 

One possible further option is ship's transfer coach. Although the usual London transfer is to Victoria (making the much higher cost a bit of a waste of money), some ships also provide transfers to St Pancras station. That's basically for those taking the Eurostar train to Europe, but it's very convenient for you.

 

A further possibility is a coach tour-transfer. This is from your ship to your hotel, and takes you to places of interest on the way. A good use of the day, but of course at the expense of one of your days in the big bad city. https://www.londontoolkit.com/travel/southampton_to_london_shared_bus.html

 

 

 

JB :)

Wow.....you guys are awesome!

 

We are staying at the George Hotel , Cartwright gardens, Camden. It seems to be in the middle of Euston and Kings x stations.

 

But....after reading all this l think we will book coach tickets and then get a taxi to the hotel. Could someone tell me where the closest stop to our hotel would be using the bus?

 

If we book the coach for 11am do you think that will be time enough to get from the port to the coach? We are meeting friends who are coming down from Newcastle to spend the 4 days with us before we fly to Munich for a week for xmas. We want to spend as much time with them seeing London as possible.

 

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[John Bull]

This is Friday 16th Dec, right?

http://www.southamptonvts.co.uk/live_information/shipping_movements_and_cruise_ship_schedule/cruise_ship_schedule/

 

The National Express website is showing me coaches from Southampton to London Victoria at 8.20 and 9.30 and 10.30 and 11.30 etc.

 

Aurora sails in/out of Ocean Cruise Terminal (aka berth 46) for both of your cruises. It's no more than a five minute taxi ride (about £8) to Southampton coach station. But you do need to allow for a possible line at immigration and at the taxi stand outside the terminal.

 

To be sure of getting the 8.20 coach you'd have to disembark unassisted (usually 7am to 7.30am).

For the 9.30 you might need to ask for your disembarkation slot to be brought forward to 8.15 at the latest

For the 10.30 you can have a lazy breakfast on-board & be amongst the last off the ship around 9.15am

You'll be thrown off the ship by 10am at the latest, so for the 11.30 you'll be kicking your heels for a while.

 

Not sure what you mean by "the closest stop to our hotel using the bus".

But in London the coach only makes one or two stops (west London) & they're no good for your hotel. So stay on the coach to the end of its journey at Victoria coach station.

 

Plenty of taxis at the coach station, your hotel is 3.3 miles away, I'd guess around £15-£20 (A Londoner may be able to give a better guess).

If instead you take the tube, you have to walk to Victoria tube station (5 to 10 mins), take the Victoria line tube to either Euston or Kings Cross (a Londoner can tell you which is easier with luggage) either of which is a ten minute walk to your hotel. A Londoner might even suggest a change at Kings X to the Piccadilly line for a one-station hop to Russell Square tube station which is only a five minute walk from your hotel. Its all a matter of how easy the stations are with luggage & this simple country boy can't help with that sort of detail.

 

Here's a map of the tube system, to confuse you more :p

http://content.tfl.gov.uk/standard-tube-map.pdf

Don't bother to print it off, they're freely available in London & inset on all tourist maps etc.

Within a day or less you'll know how to navigate your way around the system.

 

JB :)

Edited April 18, 2016 by John Bull

[durante]

You can take the National Express coach from Southampton Coach Station to Heathrow Airport terminal 5 (the first airport stop) then take the tube at Heathrow Terminal 5 (it's the Piccadilly line) straight to either Russell Square or Kings Cross, whichever is the closer to your hotel. It's all lifts and level platforms at Heathrow. No stress. No stairs.Iit's a lot physically easier going via Heathrow on the coach and changing to the tube with bags than going via Victoria Coach Station then having to do a walk to Victoria tube station, then down stairs etc with yr bags, such a hassle. Way less crowded at Heathrow compared to Victoria.

The coach to Heathrow is often quicker than to Victoria as it avoids central London traffic. Hope this helps.

[John Bull]

You can take the National Express coach from Southampton Coach Station to Heathrow Airport terminal 5 (the first airport stop) then take the tube at Heathrow Terminal 5 (it's the Piccadilly line) straight to either Russell Square or Kings Cross, whichever is the closer to your hotel. It's all lifts and level platforms at Heathrow. No stress. No stairs.Iit's a lot physically easier going via Heathrow on the coach and changing to the tube with bags than going via Victoria Coach Station then having to do a walk to Victoria tube station, then down stairs etc with yr bags, such a hassle. Way less crowded at Heathrow compared to Victoria.

The coach to Heathrow is often quicker than to Victoria as it avoids central London traffic. Hope this helps.

 

 

Good thinkin', durante,

 

Yes, another option worthy of consideration if you're happy to use the tube with your luggage.

Tube trains from Heathrow Terminal 5 every ten minutes, there's only the one tube line so you can't go wrong. And it's the start point for the route, so no problem getting seats & keeping luggage beside you, though it will get more crowded as you reach central London stops. In this case Russell Square would be the stop for your hotel, a tube journey of about 40 minutes. Check it out on the tube map that I linked (Heathrow is bottom left of the map)

 

Not an option that would suit everywhere in central London, but well worth consideration because of the location of your hotel. :)

 

Although Heathrow is closer to Southampton, the coach fare is actually a couple of pounds higher. No need for cheap fares to encourage folk to travel to airports.

 

JB :)

Edited April 18, 2016 by John Bull

[phillygirl63]

I am using International Friends (booked through Londontoolkit.com) for our direct transfer from our downtown London hotel to our ship in Southampton and then from ship to LHR. They have a list of hotels on the website that they pickup/drop off directly at. They pickup/drop off at LHR also. The total cost is GBP 246.00 for 2 people.

[Bob++]

I am using International Friends (booked through Londontoolkit.com) for our direct transfer from our downtown London hotel to our ship in Southampton and then from ship to LHR. They have a list of hotels on the website that they pickup/drop off directly at. They pickup/drop off at LHR also. The total cost is GBP 246.00 for 2 people.

 

You could get a private car for much the same price.

[Billy and Charlie's Mum]

You can take the National Express coach from Southampton Coach Station to Heathrow Airport terminal 5 (the first airport stop) then take the tube at Heathrow Terminal 5 (it's the Piccadilly line) straight to either Russell Square or Kings Cross, whichever is the closer to your hotel. It's all lifts and level platforms at Heathrow. No stress. No stairs.Iit's a lot physically easier going via Heathrow on the coach and changing to the tube with bags than going via Victoria Coach Station then having to do a walk to Victoria tube station, then down stairs etc with yr bags, such a hassle. Way less crowded at Heathrow compared to Victoria.

The coach to Heathrow is often quicker than to Victoria as it avoids central London traffic. Hope this helps.

 

Thank you to you and John Bull and everyone else..... I think I have it under control now. We will take the coach from LHR to Southampton Coach Station and the same back then take the tube at Heathrow to Russell Square. We hope to keep the luggage to a reasonable amount.:)

Edited April 19, 2016 by Billy and Charlie's Mum

[mek]

Sorry, if this has already been addressed, but where does National Express drop off in Southampton?

[John Bull]

Sorry, if this has already been addressed, but where does National Express drop off in Southampton?

 

Southampton coach station.

http://www.nationalexpress.com/Help-and-advice/coach-stations/stops.aspx?stop=southampton

 

It's a five minute walk in one direction to the central train station & a ten minute walk to the city centre in the other direction.

Walkable in 15 - 20 minutes to City cruise terminal (berth 101) with rolling luggage if you're tolerably fit & the weather's favourable, make that 25 minutes to Mayflower (berth 105/6) or Ocean terminal (berth 46). QE2 terminal (berth 38/39) is deep in the docks & unsuitable for walking, though there's no prohibition.

http://www.southamptonvts.co.uk/live_information/shipping_movements_and_cruise_ship_schedule/cruise_ship_schedule/

 

Or there's a taxi rank at the coach station, & a taxi ride to your ship will cost £5 to £10 depending which terminal.

Much more civilised :)

 

JB :)

Edited April 24, 2016 by John Bull

[mek]

Deleted -double post.

Edited April 24, 2016 by mek

[mek]

Southampton coach station.

http://www.nationalexpress.com/Help-and-advice/coach-stations/stops.aspx?stop=southampton

 

It's a five minute walk in one direction to the central train station & a ten minute walk to the city centre in the other direction.

Walkable in 15 - 20 minutes to City cruise terminal (berth 101) with rolling luggage if you're tolerably fit & the weather's favourable, make that 25 minutes to Mayflower (berth 105/6) or Ocean terminal (berth 46). QE2 terminal (berth 38/39) is deep in the docks & unsuitable for walking, though there's no prohibition.

http://www.southamptonvts.co.uk/live_information/shipping_movements_and_cruise_ship_schedule/cruise_ship_schedule/

 

Or there's a taxi rank at the coach station, & a taxi ride to your ship will cost £5 to £10 depending which terminal.

Much more civilised :)

 

JB :)

 

Thanks - DH is handicapped, so we need easy - guess that would be a cab.

 

I guess my only other question is how easy is it to go through customs and get to where we get on the coach at Heathrow? Are porters available to assist us the entire way? The last time we were in Heathrow was in 1984 - very long ago!

Edited April 24, 2016 by mek

[newport dave]

Thanks - DH is handicapped, so we need easy - guess that would be a cab.

 

I guess my only other question is how easy is it to go through customs and get to where we get on the coach at Heathrow? Are porters available to assist us the entire way? The last time we were in Heathrow was in 1984 - very long ago!

You should request assistance through your airline I think and they will set it up at both airports.

 

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

[lcumpire]

We are using a car service - Smithsforairport - they meet you after customs and drive you straight to your hotel/dock in Southampton

 

 

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[John Bull]

Porters are very expensive at Heathrow, and there can be a considerable distance from aircraft to immigration to baggage reclaim to bus.

So ask your airline to arrange assistance to the bus stop, as Dave's advice.

 

Most Nat Express buses have a no-step access if required.

If DH needs to use a wheelchair on the bus, check availability before you book since there is only one wheelchair space on the buses.

http://www.nationalexpress.com/assets/uploads/pdf/Code%20of%20Practice.pdf

Photo at http://www.openbritain.net/useful-info/travel-by-coach.aspx

 

JB :)

Edited April 25, 2016 by John Bull

[prish]

Such a lot of useful information, bookmarking it for our BI cruise next year:)