Southamptom to Heathrow--how much time to allow?

[KKB]

We are set to dock at 6AM in Southhampton (I realize that doesn't always mean you can walk off at that time)

DH would like to catch a 12:15PM flight from Heathrow home.

Is this possible?

(there is a 2:25 one as well but it gets him in a bit later)

Thanks!

Edited October 1, 2022 by KKB

[Bob++]

Yes it is doable, but you will have to walk off the ship early with your luggage and have a hire car booked.

[John Bull]

Unassisted disembarkation usually from about 7am. scheduled disembarkation in tranches, the first at 7.30.

 

Public transport won't get you to Heathrow in time.

You are advised not to use ships' transfer coaches for that flight time

 

A pre-booked private transfer should cost £120 to £140

Travel time depends which day of the week....

Assuming no unusual major delays 90 minutes is fine for saturdays & sundays

Weekdays are difficult to predict - you're mixing it with commuters heading to London, and the heavy traffic can be problematic with a minor fender-bender or simple broken-down truck costing half an Allow 2 hrs 30, and on mondays add another 15 minutes for the weekly commuters.

So on a weekend unassisted disembarkation and a car booked for 7.15am would get you to Heathrow before 9am. Since weekend traffic will be pretty light even a diversion shouldn't add much more time.

On a weekday unassisted disembarkation and a car booked for 7.15  should get you to Heathrow around 10 am. Good enough, but not  lot of wiggle-time.

 

I'd want to have more wiggle-time - for the only flight of the day I'd run the small risk of cutting it fine. With a plane to the same city a couple of hours later I'd opt to play safe.

But I'm not your hubby 😉

 

JB 🙂 

[Thejuggler]

Its cutting it too fine for me to be comfortable with those plans.

[flossie009]

Personally I would opt for the later flight and avoid some stress.

The later option would allow for the possibility of the ship docking late, mean a more leisurely disembarkation and your transfer could avoid the worst of the rush hour traffic when leaving Southampton.

 

 

[KKB]

OK, we will book the 2:30 flight--would the ship transfer work for this flight time?

 

He can get a room that night in Omaha to sleep before driving home...10PM in Omaha he will have been up about 20 hours...(if my math is right...)

 

Edited October 2, 2022 by KKB

[John Bull]

3 hours ago, KKB said:

OK, we will book the 2:30 flight--would the ship transfer work for this flight time?

 

He can get a room that night in Omaha to sleep before driving home...10PM in Omaha he will have been up about 20 hours...(if my math is right...)

 

 

Yes, it would. 🙂

Very comfortably - some cruise lines recommend not to use their LHR transfers for flights before 12.30pm, others not before 1pm. 

And for a singleton that'd be a big saving compared to a private transfer,

 

Or if you want to save even more,  National Express coaches cost only about £17. 

https://www.nationalexpress.com/en 

The 9am coach from Southampton coach station is scheduled to arrive at Heathrow central bus station by 11am.

Add up to £10 / 10 minutes (depending on the cruise terminal) for a taxi from the ship to Southampton coach station.

To be safe, ask at guest relations for an 8am disembarkation slot, citing your onward transportation. 

Best to pre- book the Nat. Express coach, they do sell out.

You need to know your LHR terminal - the coach stops at T4, and T5, and at Heathrow central bus station (ten-minute covered and well-signed walk to T2 & T3).

 

JB 🙂

[Snow Hill]

On 10/1/2022 at 9:07 PM, KKB said:

We are set to dock at 6AM in Southhampton (I realize that doesn't always mean you can walk off at that time)

DH would like to catch a 12:15PM flight from Heathrow home.

Is this possible?

(there is a 2:25 one as well but it gets him in a bit later)

Thanks!

You need to allow 3 hours before departure to go through check in, security etc

 

https://www.heathrow.com/departures/checking-in

 

 

[John Bull]

4 hours ago, Snow Hill said:

You need to allow 3 hours before departure to go through check in, security etc

 

https://www.heathrow.com/departures/checking-in

 

 

 

That's Heathrow (and other big airports are the same) using belt and braces - allowing for delays en-route, getting lost, time for parking / internal transportation etc., which most folk have already taken into account (and perhaps helping to provide their retailers with more custom). 

Then most folk allow extra time on top of what airports advise, leading to an awful lot of hanging around.

I've had insufficient experience of LHR or LGW post-pandemic so I don't know whether times are longer now. But certainly pre-pandemic two hours was always plenty, and I do know that LHR have been advising three hours for many many years.

 

JB 🙂