Our Pre Cruise Stay in Southampton

[cynbar]

Everyone here was so helpful as we planned our trip that I wanted to come back and leave some feedback. We sailed Caribbean Princess on the May 8th British Isles cruise, and elected to stay 1 night pre cruise in Southampton after our overnight flight to Heathrow ( we have been to London before so skipped that this time, but do include London if you have never been there.) Our choice of hotel was the Grand Harbour Hotel -- we were a little worried due to mixed reviews on Trip Advisor but it was fine. We booked an Executive room, it was clean and comfortable with a nice little balcony with chairs that looked out on the port, so we could see our ship in the morning (we were at the Ocean Terminal.) Breakfast was included in our rate and was quite satisfactory, food was hot and replenished regularly, service was friendly. We also had a drink or two in the bar at night and had no complaints with service. The bad reviews were hard to understand, we saw none of the problems that others reported.

 

For transportation, we used SmithsforAirports and recommend them highly, drivers were waiting for us both at LHR and after our cruise and were friendly and helpful. Money well spent before and after those long overseas flights, in our opinion.

 

During the day Saturday, we walked over to the Duke of Wellington pub for a drink. Very friendly place, we loved the old fashioned British pub ambiance and it's only a short block from the hotel. For dinner, I had made reservations in advance for Ennio's, a lovely Italian restaurant in a renovated warehouse across from the harbor. It was a pleasant 5 minute walk from our hotel (or the Holiday Inn and Premier Inn close by), and both food and service were top notch. a little on the pricy side, but just right to start off our vacation. Trip Advisor reviews are excellent for this restaurant and we agree totally.

 

Please let me know if anyone has any specific questions, we enjoyed our 1 night stay along the waterfront in Southampton, it felt like the authentic British city it is instead of a high tourist area. Next time we would like to stay longer and see a little more of the countryside.

[John Bull]

 

Next time we would like to stay longer and see a little more of the countryside.

 

Thanks for posting - always nice to hear from satisfied customers. :)

 

As you say, Southampton isn't a tourist city.

But yes, because of its rail connections it's a great base for inexpensive day-trips to places like Portsmouth (historic dockyard & ships, etc), Bath, the cathedral cities of Salisbury (+ ho-ho to Stonehenge) & Winchester, and even Brighton or Weymouth - direct train services to those places & more.

Also for ferries to the Isle of Wight, New Forest ho-ho buses, and stax of places by car.

JB :)

Edited June 5, 2016 by John Bull

[lcumpire]

Will be able to walk from the Holiday Inn to the port - we are taking the Navigator of the Seas later this month

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[prish]

Thanks a lot for reporting back cynbar. We plan on getting in a day early for our BI cruise next June and are debating whether to stay in London or go down to Southampton. Ideally I'd like to do the latter and stop at Salisbury and/or Winchester en route, But we're and extended family group of 7 and will have to coordinate our arrival times, etc, so it might be simpler to overnight in London. I need to try and work this out, we still have time...

Edited June 6, 2016 by prish

[Scriv]

Hi cynbar - yes, I can endorse both the Duke of Wellington for a pub lunch in Southampton and also Ennios. :)

[cynbar]

Will be able to walk from the Holiday Inn to the port - we are taking the Navigator of the Seas later this month

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

Probably you can. Princess docks at the Ocean Terminal which would be a long walk from the Holiday Inn. But we saw a Celebrity ship in port right near the HI, and I imagine the Navigator will also dock there since they are owned by the same company. If you do decide on a taxi with your luggage, it should be short money.

[John Bull]

Probably you can. Princess docks at the Ocean Terminal which would be a long walk from the Holiday Inn. But we saw a Celebrity ship in port right near the HI, and I imagine the Navigator will also dock there since they are owned by the same company. If you do decide on a taxi with your luggage, it should be short money.

 

Yes, I can confirm that RCI ships normally berth at City cruise terminal (berth 101), same as Celebrity. And Holiday Inn (make sure it's the one in Herbert Walker Avenue) is right at Port Gate 8, a couple of hundred yards from City cruise terminal. Rooms at the front look down Southampton Water, rooms at the rear look directly onto the ship. That's what makes it so very popular with folk cruising from that terminal.

That H.I. has been pretty sub-standard for a few years, but has recently undergone a major make-over.:)

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

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Holiday+Inn/@50.899334,-1.4114597,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x4874769426b916c3:0x9d5a8f2196a83a4b!8m2!3d50.899334!4d-1.409271

 

JB :)

[lcumpire]

John - thanks for the info - we are staying at the HI on Herbert Walker

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[Flightchik]

How was your cruise ~ please share excursion recommendations - we cruise in August[emoji177]

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Selswick]

John - thanks for the info - we are staying at the HI on Herbert Walker

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

John Bull as usual is right on the mark. VTS Southampton (The shipping control people) show the Navigator berthing at berth101 the City Cruise terminal. We have stayed at the Holiday Inn Herbert Walker Avenue many times before cruises. The hotel is fine for a pre cruise stay. It is a very short walk to the terminal so short that many people wheel their luggage there avoid the taxi wait.

 

We intend doing that this month when on the Independence.

 

Good Sailing

Alan

[Turtles06]

Another thumbs up for the Duke of Wellington. Last October, about a dozen of us from our Roll Call had a pre-cruise dinner there, booked in advance. They gave us their private room upstairs. We'd ordered our dinners ahead of time, and the food and service were just superb.

 

Really great pub atmosphere downstairs too.

[subtchr]

Will be able to walk from the Holiday Inn to the port - we are taking the Navigator of the Seas later this month

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

Just to concur with the others, it is an easy walk to the City Terminal, where Royal ships dock, from the Holiday Inn. We just sailed on Navigator of the Seas May 30, and we walked to the terminal in the morning, as well as around the block to the Hertz car rental office when we returned.

 

Here is a photo from the helicopter pad on the Navigator, showing the hotel:

 

DSC08086 by Sue, on Flickr

 

We also walked to the hotel from the National Express bus station when we arrived the day before our cruise, and back out to nearby shopping the next morning. British Airways had misplaced my husband's luggage, so we hit Marks and Spencer, Boots, and Decathlon sports to restock his holiday necessities, at BA's expense! (If the weather had not cooperated, or if we had too much luggage to handle ourselves, we would have used a taxi for several of those journeys. But with fair weather, the walks were very reasonable, especially to the cruise terminal!)

Edited June 27, 2016 by subtchr

[ansoninc]

Everyone here was so helpful as we planned our trip that I wanted to come back and leave some feedback. We sailed Caribbean Princess on the May 8th British Isles cruise, and elected to stay 1 night pre cruise in Southampton after our overnight flight to Heathrow ( we have been to London before so skipped that this time, but do include London if you have never been there.) Our choice of hotel was the Grand Harbour Hotel -- we were a little worried due to mixed reviews on Trip Advisor but it was fine. We booked an Executive room, it was clean and comfortable with a nice little balcony with chairs that looked out on the port, so we could see our ship in the morning (we were at the Ocean Terminal.) Breakfast was included in our rate and was quite satisfactory, food was hot and replenished regularly, service was friendly. We also had a drink or two in the bar at night and had no complaints with service. The bad reviews were hard to understand, we saw none of the problems that others reported.

 

For transportation, we used SmithsforAirports and recommend them highly, drivers were waiting for us both at LHR and after our cruise and were friendly and helpful. Money well spent before and after those long overseas flights, in our opinion.

 

During the day Saturday, we walked over to the Duke of Wellington pub for a drink. Very friendly place, we loved the old fashioned British pub ambiance and it's only a short block from the hotel. For dinner, I had made reservations in advance for Ennio's, a lovely Italian restaurant in a renovated warehouse across from the harbor. It was a pleasant 5 minute walk from our hotel (or the Holiday Inn and Premier Inn close by), and both food and service were top notch. a little on the pricy side, but just right to start off our vacation. Trip Advisor reviews are excellent for this restaurant and we agree totally.

 

Please let me know if anyone has any specific questions, we enjoyed our 1 night stay along the waterfront in Southampton, it felt like the authentic British city it is instead of a high tourist area. Next time we would like to stay longer and see a little more of the countryside.

I will be doing the Princess British Isle cruise 4/17. It appears to be backwards from most, I start in Florida and end in Southampton. Seem silly to travel all that distance to just get on a plane and head back to the US. I have done London before so no need to go there. It looks like Southampton has some interesting sites near by. I wouldn't mind seeing Stonehenge again. Right now I am looking to stay at least 2 nights and do a couple of tours. I am a lady, senior, solo traveler with a lousy sense of direction so I would like to find a nice hotel in Southampton as a home base. My days of dragging suit cases around has long passed. I would appreciate any suggestions for hotels ,tours transportation etc. Thank you all so much.

Diana

[John Bull]

I will be doing the Princess British Isle cruise 4/17. It appears to be backwards from most, I start in Florida and end in Southampton. Seem silly to travel all that distance to just get on a plane and head back to the US. I have done London before so no need to go there. It looks like Southampton has some interesting sites near by. I wouldn't mind seeing Stonehenge again. Right now I am looking to stay at least 2 nights and do a couple of tours. I am a lady, senior, solo traveler with a lousy sense of direction so I would like to find a nice hotel in Southampton as a home base. My days of dragging suit cases around has long passed. I would appreciate any suggestions for hotels ,tours transportation etc. Thank you all so much.

Diana

 

There aren't any hotels within easy schlepping distance of either of Princess' Southampton terminals.

But you do have a good choice of hotels within a very short (5 minutes, £6 to £8) taxi hop and close to either the rail station or the city centre, or only a 10 - 15 minute walk of both.

 

Opposite the rail station are Novotel, Ibis and Ibis Plus. All are quite bland modern chain hotels. Novotel is the best of the three, & Ibis is usually the cheapest hotel in the city centre - very basic but clean and acceptable.

 

Close to the city centre, the Mercure Dolphin in the High Street is an iconic former coaching inn, but you need to accept the limitations that come with historic buildings - variable room sizes, sloping floors, rabbit-warren corridors etc.

Also the Pig In The Wall, a boutique hotel set into the city wall close to the Grand Harbour Hotel. nb totally inaccurate location on TripAdvisor's map.

Travelodge is Britain's second-string budget chain - they've just opened in a remodelled building in the city centre. Very convenient location. IMHO the outside of the building is a depressing 1970's design, I've not seen the interior but it should be as-new.

Ennio's is a boutique Italian hotel located above its Italian restaurant in a converted warehouse close to the waterfront & city wall.

 

On the rail station edge of the city centre, Premier Inn West Quay, Holiday Inn Herbert Walker Avenue, and Grand Harbour - different price ranges & all very popular with cruisers.

 

Premier Inn City Centre (New Road) and Jury's Inn are less convenient for both city centre and rail station, but still only a 10 to 15 minute walk.

 

For convenience, avoid other Travelodges, both Holiday Inn Express's, and both Hiltons - they're all on the city boundary and a £12 to £15 taxi ride. Ditto a number of "country manor" type hotels.

 

I mentioned the rail station.

Southampton isn't a tourist city, so there are only a few coach excursions from there & most on those excursions are locals. The coach (bus) excursion schedules for 2017 won't be out until the turn of the year - remind me then & I can post links to local coach operators, but be forewarned they'll be quite limited.

But the city has the advantage of being a railway hub, with direct routes in five directions to a lot of tourist destinations, so it makes an excellent base............

In no particular order:

West to the New Forest (15 minutes), the seaside resort of Bournemouth (25 minutes), the harbour of Poole (30 minutes), and beyond to the Victorian seaside resort of Weymouth on the Jurassic coast (60 minutes)

Northwest to the laid-back historic cathedral city of Salisbury (30 minutes from Southampton) (and from there to Stonehenge and Old Sarum by ho-ho) or further to the Roman spa town of Bath, about 90 minutes from Southampton.

Northeast to the historic cathedral city of Winchester. (10 minutes)

East to Portchester (20 minutes) and its Norman castle ruins, the cathedral city of Chichester (30 minutes), and beyond to Arundel (castle) (45 minutes) and the bohemian resort of Brighton (something over an hour).

Southeast to Portsmouth (50 minutes), home of the Royal Navy, with its exceptional historic docks and ships, Although the dockyard & ships alone are worth a full day, the city and its conjoined resort city of Southsea have stacks more of interest including its D-Day museum, small (but free) Tudor castle, ring of Napoleonic forts, waterfront fortifications and walks overlooking the Solent and Isle of Wight. You might want to consider at least one overnight in Portsmouth/Southsea, though its under an hour from Southampton.

 

There are also traditional and hi-speed ferries down Southampton Water to Cowes, on the Isle of Wight (60 minutes or 30 minutes). And from Portsmouth both ferries and hovercraft across to Ryde, on the Isle of Wight. The Island is a tourist area, stuck in the 1950's. The roads, and the pace of life, are slow and whilst there are plenty of places of interest and ho-ho routes you'll only see a fraction on a day-trip.

 

If you rent a car, that opens fresh horizons. Broadly in a semi-circle west to east..... the New Forest, Corfe Castle, the huge Bovingdon tank museum, the Jurassic coast, Portland Bill, the Dorset downs and towns/villages like Sherborne and Shaftesbury, the trio of spooky Glastonbury, Wells (cathedral)and Cheddar Gorge, Avebury Ring plus West Kennett long barrow plus Silbury Hill, Salisbury Plain, Highclere Castle (Downton Abbey), the Hampshire downs and valleys and villages, and the West Sussex South Downs. Plus numerous living museums, castles, gardens, country houses, etc.

 

By train or by car or by excursion coach these are all easy day-trips from a Southampton base.

 

Try googling some of these places & see what you think.

And come back with the sort of things that interest you, we can make further suggestions

 

Although Southampton is a commercial port city, it has a few attractions like the Roman city walls and gatehouses, Tudor House & Gardens, Medieval Merchant's House, Westgate Hall, God's Tower (houses an archaeology museum), an aviation museum centred on aircraft with local associations like spitfire (designed & built in the city), flying boat (short-lived during the pre-war years before mass aircraft travel), and a SeaCity museum which majors on Titanic. All, and other city sights, are walkable from the hotels that I mentioned.

 

The thumbnail map at the bottom of this link might help.

https://www.londontoolkit.com/travel/southampton_accommodation.htm

 

JB :)