London to Southampton with Oceania

[tvmovielover]

To get to the next level of perks or something, we did a thing we almost never do and booked Oceania transportation to Southampton. We just got our flight info and we are arriving pretty early in the morning in London. Can anybody who may have done this tell me how long you have to wait to leave for the port or how many people they wait for? We never mind the early arrivals and usually just go touring but that might be a problem this time.

[Paulchili]

Can you "un-book it" and arrange for your own transfer - with sightseeing on the way to Southampton, if you wish.

You could stop at any number of interesting places on your way to Southampton (Stonehenge, Salisbury or even Bath) and probably still pay less than what you are paying for O transfers.

[Harters]

Bath might be a bit out of the way, I think.

 

Salisbury and Winchester are both historic cities and well worth a look. Both pretty much on the direct route from London to Southampton. Winchester, where we are staying the night before our cruise, would be the easiest, as it's on the London side of Southampton

[Paulchili]

In any case, there are many choices with an early arrival at LHR - including places like Windsor Castle, Hampton Court, etc

AFAIK, it is only 82 miles from LHR to Bath. Driving early in AM opposite rush hour traffic it shouldn't take very long on M4; then from Bath to Southampton is a relatively short drive as well, giving one several hours in Bath for sightseeing (if that is of interest).

But yes - driving to Winchester is more direct and faster.

Edited July 8, 2017 by Paulchili

[tvmovielover]

Thanks for the replies which mention places we were thinking about before we took the O transport. We are talking to them now about our air arrangements which may require an adjustment (our previous O air was fine-this one not so much) and the seemingly knowledgeable rep said transport should get us there within an hour or two which would leave us plenty of time to go see stuff and get rid of our luggage too. We have generally had good advice when we talked to O so hope today was no exception.

[ToxM]

Bath is in a completely different direction from Southampton from Heathrow, you do not want to take a chance on a traffic jam on the M4 at any point. Winchester is a much better sightseeing point and closer to Southampton.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

[Paulchili]

Bath is in a completely different direction from Southampton from Heathrow, you do not want to take a chance on a traffic jam on the M4 at any point. Winchester is a much better sightseeing point and closer to Southampton.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

 

That is true, especially if you prefer to see Winchester over Bath (I wouldn't).

With an early arrival at LHR - which OP stated is the case - any one of the sights mentioned above can be visited and still arrive to the ship on time (provided they leave at 6 PM or later).

It all depends on OP's preference of what they want to do and comfort level with driving distances. I would also follow the advice of tour operator (if that route is chosen).

[Pan Am Girl]

You can get a bus to Southhampton, right from the airport's bus station for a mere "fraction" of the cost. What you would do with the luggage if you stopped in Winchester, I don't know. Perhaps ask to leave it at a hotel for a few hours?

 

You can see the schedules online. As I recall the bus went right through Winchester, making a stop. We went direct to Southhampton, and since we stayed overnight we met up with CCrs for dinner, after taking a long walk along the water and across a small footbridge to explore the area. After the cruise, we took the bus back to the airport and from there took train transport into London.