Southampton to Gatwick Airport

[darkpelagic]

Hi There,

 

I am disembarking a Princess ship at Southampton in August and I would like to catch an 11.50 am flight at Gatwick - however, knowing that boats can be late and disembarkation can be awful, I would like some advice on whether or not this is a wise flight to go for and if so, how it is best done to ensure the flight is caught.

 

I have looked at booking a transfer to Gatwick with Princess but don't seem to find anything online - can I book a transfer at all?

 

Thanks for your time/expertise,

:)

[John Bull]

Southampton is a very reliable port, only very occasionally (a couple of times a year) does a ship port there late, due to storms or to mechanical gremlins.

A weather delay is very very unlikely to include August.

And if the mechanical gremlins interfere, cruise lines will skip a port-of-call rather than arrive late at the turnaround port.

And although disembarkation usually starts around 7am, ships generally port in Southampton around 4.30 to 5am, so there's in-built wiggle-time of an hour or two.

Unassisted disembarkation (haul your own bags from your cabin) is likely to start around 7am, regular disembarkation from around 7.30. You are extremely unlikely to experience any delay for formalities or a taxi if you're amongst the first to disembark.

 

Theoretically Gatwick is two hours away by coach, a little less by car, and you really want to be there two hours ahead of your flight time. Don't concern yourself with the airport's excessively-cautious recommendation of 3 hours, but also don't rely on the latest check-in time (usually 60 mins before flight time - check your own airline)

So you need to aim for a 10am arrival at Gatwick.

 

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Forget the National Express coach service, you won't make it.

 

Ships recommend their own transfer coaches for flights after 12.30 or 1pm, the first one is unlikely to leave the pier much before 8am. So that'd be really chancing your arm.

 

By train is possible. Southampton central station is a ten-minute taxi ride from either of Princess' cruise terminals.

The 8.10am train arrives LGW at 10.06 and costs only £16. If you miss that one the 8.30 arrives LGW at 10.18 - cutting it fine. The train station is inside South Terminal, very convenient. But allow an extra 10 - 15 minutes if your flight is from North Terminal.

So by train is possible, but without wiggle-time.

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

 

By private transfer will cost about £100 for a sedan. Book one for 7am.

What date / day-of-the-week is your disembarkation?

Please say it's a Saturday or a sunday. ;)

That will dictate both the journey time and the route.

And whether you should consider a later flight.

The operator we use normally take a direct cross-country route - slower than the fast motorway loop, but unlikely to face any massive and unavoidable log-jam that can truly foul-up the motorway.

Most-recommended on Cruise Critic is http://www.smithsforairports.com or also try http://www.westquaycars.com or http://www.aquacars.co.uk All are based at the Southampton end, so no risk of the car being delayed on its way to your pick-up.

 

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Facing an overnight in an airport hotel is a pain, and I can understand the desire to catch that 11.50 airplane if its the only one.

But if there's a later suitable flight that day you'll find it a whole lot less stressful to switch to it.

 

JB :)

Edited January 26, 2017 by John Bull

[darkpelagic]

Wow that is a thorough post. Thanks very much.

 

Yes the cruise ship docks on a Saturday. The plane is the only one for that day from Gatwick. I can catch later planes from Heathrow or Luton, but the Luton flight is quite late and the Heathrow flights are all twice the price.

 

I guess I'll have to weigh up whether it is better to be quick and cheap but stressed, or more expensive and more relaxed.

[SuiteTraveler]

Do self disembark WITH your luggage and have a limo waiting - get with people on your roll call and you can share transportation to keep the cost low. Last time I did this, we had a delay due to a disastrous last night on the cruise (unrelated man overboard (suicide) during a helicopter medical evacuation which led to a multi-hour sea search in the English Channel. (Sadly the man was never found.)) Our ship arrived about an hour and a half late and we didn't self-disembark and our luggage was brought off late due to the disorganization of the employees at the doc who were struggling with the late arrival, but even so, we were able to get our luggage and get to the airport in time for our 11:30am flight.

[John Bull]

 

Yes the cruise ship docks on a Saturday..

 

Joy of joys :)

Even if it's a holiday weekend (26 - 29th August), because holiday traffic will be headed in the opposite direction.

 

That eliminates the big risks of getting fouled-up in commuter traffic.

Which makes a private transfer a safer bet than the train.

 

Still go for unassisted disembarkation, which gives you the biggest time window and avoids potential delays caused by lines or hunting for luggage.

Book a car for 7.15am - both you and the car are likely to be on the pier a few minutes earlier than that. You're likely to arrive at LGW around 9 - 9.30.

 

Quicker and cheaper than your other options - but on a Saturday not stressful. You can rest easy.

No worries :cool:

 

As per ST's post, if you can share a ride via your RollCall even the car will cost you less.

 

JB :)