Made a dumb mistake with our flight..should I change it?

[quanmama]

I do not even know where to begin but I basically made a very dumb decision of booking a 1135am flight flying out of Heathrow on our disembarkation day (price was better than the later flight@130pm).  Our ship Anthem of the Seas will dock at 530am on Sunday 8/2.  We will be flying Virgin Atlantic Upper class and based on what I read, they have a curbside service that will help get you checked in and such quickly (not sure how much they could help with going through security).  I am thinking of booking a 7am private transfer with a reputable company from Southampton and using the self disembarkation.  I hope that should give us enough time.

 

I have always taken pride of being prepared and taking extra precautions with all our travel arrangements.  With all the previous cruises we were on, I had never booked a flight before 1pm whether domestic or international.  This was my lapse of judgement.  We have been very fortunate with all our previous cruises that we always got to the airport with more than plenty of time to spare.  Now the more I think about this, the more worried I am.  What if this is the one time that we will hit bad traffic because of a bad accident?  Or what if the ship does not get clearance til much later? 😫

 

Anyone with experience docking in Southampton and heading to Heathrow on a Sunday morning?  I might end up changing the flight to 130pm and pay the change fees (hubby won't be too happy but I guess it is much better than missing the flight!).  I would like to hear others' opinion before making my final decision.

[hallasm]

I do not know when check-in/baggage drop will close for Virgin Atlantic Upper class - I’ll assume 60 to 90 minutes before departure. Normally I would plan for airport arrival three hours before departure which is 8:35am.

Sunday morning it should take no more than 1h 30 min from Southampton- 7am departure is reasonable.

Honestly I do not think that 1:30 pm departure will make any different in case of cruise ship late arrival or an accident on the the highway. 
With 05:30 scheduled arrival you might even be able to disembark at 06:30.

Anyway, I would personnaly not have any problems with an 11:35 departure.

[FlyerTalker]

Having flown VS from LHR in Upper Class, I can tell you that it is a very easy, civilized process.

 

Your car will approach "The Wing" on a dedicated private ramp, where VS staff will assist in getting your luggage from the vehicle to the check-in desk which is completely separate from the main terminal throng.  There, you'll be given your boarding passes and baggage tags.  A short walk down a private hallway and you have a dedicated screening area and process.  Fast and efficient.

 

The worst part of your idea is that you won't have time to enjoy the VS Clubhouse, which is an absolutely wonderful lounge.  Great food, complimentary spa services and a bar with a selection of some unique spirits and bartenders who are craftsmen in their art.  Be sure to try their Bramble cocktail, along with their selection of some interesting English gins.

 

You can learn about the Clubhouse and Wing at this link:

 

https://flywith.virginatlantic.com/gb/en/prepare-to-fly/extras-and-upgrades/upper-class-wing.html

 

 

[fbgd]

Two things going for you in this scenario:

 

1) It's a Sunday. If this were a weekday I'd be a lot more concerned as the M3 leading up to the M25, and the M25 around to Heathrow can be a nightmare during that time of day on a weekday. It's one of the most congested parts of one of Europe's most congested roads. With no traffic you're probably looking at about 90mins door to door. In the case of an accident or similar enroute there are plenty of alternate routes if you have advance notice. The A30 (the predecessor to the M3) runs parallel to it for the most congested parts, and there are other not massively out the way workarounds if your driver has half a brain. I grew up in the area and still have family there so know it very well.

 

2) Upper Class Wing is, perhaps by luck on your part, one of the fastest ways to get airside at LHR. As Flyertalker says there's a dedicated area including its own security check so you can be airside very quickly indeed. In addition to Virgin's own propaganda you can find plenty of pictorial "trip reports" from schmos.

Edited January 7, 2020 by fbgd

[WildBlueYonder64]

The one concern I would have is disembarkation. The ship may dock at 5:30, but it still has to clear customs before passengers can disembark. Should be okay...

[Zach1213]

I'll reflect previous messages - especially on a Sunday, unless there's some unexpected delay, you'll make it...BUT, you will more-or-less miss out on one of the major perks of flying J/F class, which is the lounge. I have not personally been to the Virgin lounge at LHR (haven't flown Virgin in many years, and never out of LHR...only to LHR), but I hear it's quite nice. 

[quanmama]

Thank you for all the responses.  I have to agree that we will be missing out the lounge perks!  I plan to call Virgin Atlantic and check how much they charge for changing the flight.  After all, I don't want to spend my vacation worrying about whether we will make it or not.  

[wowzz]

You could also ask this in the Ports of Call page (for Britain, obviously), but I think you will get similar responses, but also recommendations for car service providers.

As long as you self disembark,  on a Sunday, you should be fine,  especially as your driver should be able to avoid any hold ups. However,  if it is not too much to change to a later flight, I would do so,  in order to take full advantage of the Virgin Clubhouse.

[quanmama]

I just called Virgin Atlantic and was told the change fee is $450 pp plus difference in airfare..no thank you!!

I don't think the lounge is worth that, and I will keep praying that we will make it without problems!

Thank you for all the responses!

[Bo1953]

1 hour ago, quanmama said:

I just called Virgin Atlantic and was told the change fee is $450 pp plus difference in airfare..no thank you!!

I don't think the lounge is worth that, and I will keep praying that we will make it without problems!

Thank you for all the responses!

Did you check to find out if you qualify, distance wise, for VS's Chauffeur Service as you are traveling UC?

 

I do not know if the service applies to port pick-ups or not.

 

That may provide you with an idea if it is doable or not based on their response.

 

bon voyage

Edited January 8, 2020 by Bo1953

[fbgd]

2 hours ago, Bo1953 said:

Did you check to find out if you qualify, distance wise, for VS's Chauffeur Service as you are traveling UC?

 

I think the chauffeur service is only available on fully flexible fares now, so the fact they indicated a $450 change fee suggests they aren't on a fully flexible ticket.

[Bo1953]

46 minutes ago, fbgd said:

 

I think the chauffeur service is only available on fully flexible fares now, so the fact they indicated a $450 change fee suggests they aren't on a fully flexible ticket.

Okay, per the website it says booking class of J, D or C.

 

But, I would call anyways to ask, expecting a possible no...

 

Have a stress free sailing and return flight regardless...

 

bon voyage

[scottbee]

20 hours ago, Bo1953 said:

Did you check to find out if you qualify, distance wise, for VS's Chauffeur Service as you are traveling UC?

 

I do not know if the service applies to port pick-ups or not.

 

That may provide you with an idea if it is doable or not based on their response.

 

bon voyage

 

if Southampton is too far for Chauffeur service, but they do have it available.  Train to Woking, and Upper Class Chauffeur service would be a quick connection.

[fbgd]

1 hour ago, scottbee said:

 

if Southampton is too far for Chauffeur service, but they do have it available.  Train to Woking, and Upper Class Chauffeur service would be a quick connection.

 

Maybe I'm getting Emirates and Virgin mixed up here but I'm almost 100% certain you can pay a supplement for anything beyond the free zone.

[quanmama]

Thank you again for all your response.  I am feeling more at ease at this point about the whole thing.  Now I am working hiring a reputable driver to pick us up at the cruise terminal.  He better be on time! 😂

[kerryincork]

Also I docked on Sunday and they had everyone off the ship ahead of schedule if this helps to calm your nerves.

Very efficient in fact I don't even remember having to show anyone my passport🤔

 

We just walked through the arrival hall and out to the Taxis/Uber.

 

I have also been on many flights to the USA through Heathrow. One memorable time my connecting flight was delayed by more than hour and I only had an hour to get to my flight in terminal 5. I ran all the way and I made, I didn't have priority or anything 😅.

 

With travelling upper with Virgin I think you will have a smooth journey through the airport 😊✈️

 

 

[AF-1]

Have fun with your cruise; and try not to worry about your return flight

[quanmama]

On 1/13/2020 at 10:15 AM, kerryincork said:

Also I docked on Sunday and they had everyone off the ship ahead of schedule if this helps to calm your nerves.

Very efficient in fact I don't even remember having to show anyone my passport🤔

 

We just walked through the arrival hall and out to the Taxis/Uber.

 

I have also been on many flights to the USA through Heathrow. One memorable time my connecting flight was delayed by more than hour and I only had an hour to get to my flight in terminal 5. I ran all the way and I made, I didn't have priority or anything 😅.

 

With travelling upper with Virgin I think you will have a smooth journey through the airport 😊✈️

 

 

Tank you and that is reassuring.  I hope our sailing's disembarkation will be also as smooth! 

Yes, I am glad we will be traveling upper class with Virgin this time! 

Edited January 15, 2020 by quanmama

[quanmama]

3 hours ago, AF-1 said:

Have fun with your cruise; and try not to worry about your return flight

 

Thank you!  I definitely don't want to spend my whole cruise worrying about it. 😅

[Michidoeme]

Make sure you get the direct cell phone nr of your driver and call him half an hour or so before planned pickup to confirm his pickup schedule.  The reputable company we hired for Southhampton pickup had no telephone service early Sunday morning and our driver arrived 40 minutes late without real explanation, luckily we had his direct nr and called him several times.  He kept saying that it would only take another 5 minutes for him to get to the port, but we suspect we called him when he was still in bed.  Luckily we had plenty of time before our flight.