Transfers from South Hampton to Gatwick

[See Norway]

We are flying into Gatwick the day before our June 17th cruise on the Sea Princess, and we are arranging our own hotel near the airport on the day before and after our cruise. I had thought we would take the Princess transfers to/from Gatwick, but upon further consideration I am concerned about the return trip and our luggage. What exactly happens to your luggage when the bus arrives at the airport? Any recommendations?

[bubbadog]

does the hotel have a shuttle service??? to meet you at port?or ride the bus to airport,where you will get your luggage off the bus then shuttle to hotel u pick:)))have fun:)))))))):p

[calikak]

We used Woodford Chauffeurs (http://www.woodfordchauffeurcars.co.uk/) to get from London to Southampton. Very great service, prompt and friendly, I would happily use them again. I think it was 120 GBP for a minivan that held 6 of us. It's probably a little more to Gatwick, since it's further away from Southampton.

[Globaliser]

I had thought we would take the Princess transfers to/from Gatwick, but upon further consideration I am concerned about the return trip and our luggage. What exactly happens to your luggage when the bus arrives at the airport?

Which hotel at Gatwick? If it's either of the onsite hotels, then no shuttle bus is necessary between the airport and the hotel.

 

If you decide to use the Princess transfers, they will have to give you back your baggage at the airport because if you were flying immediately, you'd have to check-in for your flight yourself. So you'd be free to take it to the hotel shuttle to go to your hotel (or walk it there).

 

It will probably be similar when you start the cruise, as the Princess transfer is unlikely to pick you up from the hotel, so you'd probably have to get yourself to the meeting point at the airport.

 

Gatwick is a long away from Southampton so there won't be any hotel shuttle to the port. But your hotel might be another option for arranging transfers - you could ask them how much it would cost if done through them.

 

If you decide to arrange your own transfers (or even if not) you might want to note that the port's name is spelt Southampton - and with only one "h".

[cdfev]

My family did this last summer and rented a car and dropped off each way. This is the cheapest way for 4 people to do this and not that difficult if you aren't intimidated by driving on the left. There are quite a few roundabouts over the nearly 1 hour and 45 minute drive but shifting a manual drive car with the left hand just adds to the fun. I'd do this again in a heartbeat although there were quite a few times where my heartbeats got real rapid. You'll need someone to navigate and look for the right signs on the roundabouts.

[Pam in CA]

does the hotel have a shuttle service??? to meet you at port?or ride the bus to airport,where you will get your luggage off the bus then shuttle to hotel u pick:)))have fun:)))))))):p

This would be a good idea except the airport and port are 75 miles (and over an hour and a half) away from each other. I would seriously doubt that the hotels would provide a shuttle. :)

[Pam in CA]

We used Woodford Chauffeurs (http://www.woodfordchauffeurcars.co.uk/) to get from London to Southampton. Very great service, prompt and friendly, I would happily use them again. I think it was 120 GBP for a minivan that held 6 of us. It's probably a little more to Gatwick, since it's further away from Southampton.

I've booked Woodford for my cruise out of Southampton in July. They're picking us up at the airport, taking us into London where we're staying for several days, then picking us up at the hotel and to Southampton. At the end of the cruise, they're picking us up at the dock and taking us to the airport with a stop at Stonehenge on the way. Can't wait! I've heard good things about them!

[See Norway]

Thanks for the information everyone. I did check with Woodford and a few other chauffeur services. R/T cost is about $450 USD. Princess transfer is $75 R/T per person, so $150 for the 2 of us. On my last cruise (Celebrity) we used their transfer to the airport, as we were flying out that day. The luggage was taken to the airport on a truck, and we saw it several hours later - the whole airport thing was horribly unorganized. No problem getting transportation to and from the Hotel (probably the Marriott), just wondering what the process is at the airport when the Princess bus arrives. I don't want to wait a few hours to claim my luggage like I did with Celebrity. Lauren

[can786]

See Norway -

I would check about those transfers and the price for Princess transfers. I don't know about Gatwick since we are flying into Heathrow, but the Princess transfers are $76pp each way ($152pp roundtrip) between Heathrow and Southampton. Make sure that $75 you are quoting really is roundtrip, not each way.

[See Norway]

Sorry about the mistake, you are right, the Princess transfer is $76 each way. Does any body have any experience with how long it takes to get luggage once you arrive at the airport? On our last cruise we waited for an hour for the truck to arrive with our luggage, then we had to wait for it to be unloaded, then we had to wait for our "color" to be called. People were missing their flights due to the luggage situation.

 

Many thanks for the advice. Lauren

[can786]

I seem to remember when returning to the airport from the ship via Princess' transfers that your luggage goes on the bus with you. We did a post cruise package in London through Princess last year and for that our luggage was most definitely on the bus with us but I also seem to remember our luggage being on the bus with us when we went directly to the airport on our cruise the year before that.

[phillipahain]

Unless 4 or 6 of you can get together and use a Limo/minibus type service Southampton to Gatwick the Princess Transfer is probably your easiest option

 

I have just checked National Express Coach Lines and the journey would take 3.30 hours and go via London or Heathrow with a wait in between and probably a bus change too and the fare while cheaper at £21 each for a single journey which is approx $75 for the 2 of you

 

I doubt the hassle will be worth the saving

 

as others have said Southampton To Gatwick is quite a distance plus its across country and English roads are not like USA ones at all

 

If I can help by looking up Limo/minibus services in Southampton or Gatwick for you let me know

 

It maybe that people are flying in to Gatwick to join the cruise after you get off