Southampton-London Transfers - Airport (LHR/LGW) - NEW THREAD!

[Carlos A.]

3 hours ago, nini said:

 

It would be helpful to know the origin and destination of your transfer. Blackberry Cars is also popular on this forum.

 

 

On 5/6/2024 at 11:20 AM, Carlos A. said:

What private transfers do yo recommend? from Heathrow to Southampton and from Southampton to London

 

I'll be arriving to Heathrow, so Heathrow to Southampton, and after the cruise I'll be staying in London so Southampton to London.
The problem is that we are a party of 6 with big luggages.

[nini]

16 hours ago, Carlos A. said:

 

 

I'll be arriving to Heathrow, so Heathrow to Southampton, and after the cruise I'll be staying in London so Southampton to London.
The problem is that we are a party of 6 with big luggages.

 

I am only familiar with Blackberry Cars and another one that we used and do not recall the name.

[mousefan73]

so our trip has changed and now we are going directly from port to LHR. so cruiseline is offering transfer ( coach) and now I discovered national coach.. the price difference crazy... what are the pros and cons of one or the other? can anyone comment but is is what I am thinking of...

 Pros for Nationa:

1. have to pay for cab to coach statin but still cheaper in the end.

2. Coach station has washrooms and cafe so can do that before boarding. I assume at the port once you pass customs etc.. it's no mans land and limited facitlities. 

3. Saving soo much money.

 

cons:

1,. -are the busy nasty?? and the people like american Greyhound??

2. is the station facility ok or like in the US nasty people ( sorry but my experiences )

 

 

just trying to figure out why national is so much cheaper vs cruiseline transfer  thanks

 

 

Also my mom is a bit mobility challenged cannot walk super long distances. Where do the coaches drop off at LHR? we are flying out of T2.     do they drop off at the departure drop-off?

Edited May 13 by mousefan73

[gumshoe958]

16 minutes ago, mousefan73 said:

so our trip has changed and now we are going directly from port to LHR. so cruiseline is offering transfer ( coach) and now I discovered national coach.. the price difference crazy... what are the pros and cons of one or the other? can anyone comment but is is what I am thinking of...

 Pros for Nationa:

1. have to pay for cab to coach statin but still cheaper in the end.

2. Coach station has washrooms and cafe so can do that before boarding. I assume at the port once you pass customs etc.. it's no mans land and limited facitlities. 

3. Saving soo much money.

 

cons:

1,. -are the busy nasty?? and the people like american Greyhound??

2. is the station facility ok or like in the US nasty people ( sorry but my experiences )

 

 

just trying to figure out why national is so much cheaper vs cruiseline transfer  thanks

 

 

Also my mom is a bit mobility challenged cannot walk super long distances. Where do the coaches drop off at LHR? we are flying out of T2.     do they drop off at the departure drop-off?

No, National Express doesn’t have the reputation Greyhound has! Buses are modern, clean and comfortable and your fellow passengers are likely to be mainly tourists and university students.

 

Southampton coach station is quite small but has a little cafe and bathrooms. Nothing to worry about safety-wise.

 

At Heathrow the coach will drop you at the central bus station from where it’s about a 5 minute walk to T2, underground (but there are elevators and moving walkways to help).

 

Why is the cruise line shuttle so expensive? Well you’re paying for convenience but essentially it’s a captive market that’s there to be exploited!

 

Edited May 13 by gumshoe958

[mousefan73]

1 hour ago, gumshoe958 said:

No, National Express doesn’t have the reputation Greyhound has! Buses are modern, clean and comfortable and your fellow passengers are likely to be mainly tourists and university students.

 

Southampton coach station is quite small but has a little cafe and bathrooms. Nothing to worry about safety-wise.

 

At Heathrow the coach will drop you at the central bus station from where it’s about a 5 minute walk to T2, underground (but there are elevators and moving walkways to help).

 

Why is the cruise line shuttle so expensive? Well you’re paying for convenience but essentially it’s a captive market that’s there to be exploited!

 

do you think the 11:45 coach is ok to make with disembarkation and taxi wait?

 

[gumshoe958]

13 minutes ago, mousefan73 said:

do you think the 11:45 coach is ok to make with disembarkation and taxi wait?

 

Oh, easily. In fact you’d probably be fine with the 9:45 if you’re off the ship reasonably early. It’s only a 5-10 minute cab ride.

[mousefan73]

43 minutes ago, gumshoe958 said:

Oh, easily. In fact you’d probably be fine with the 9:45 if you’re off the ship reasonably early. It’s only a 5-10 minute cab ride.

no too early our flight is at 7pm... we just want to make sure we catch the bus and if we are lucky we see there are some shops nearby ( boots and grocery) so maybe we get some UK shoppingin.... some products I can only get there cheap before we fly home.. so glad I booked also reserved seats... also checked we are the only ship schedule that day so I hope the port is not a hot mess. One time we experience a hot mess. crazy... 

[nini]

5 hours ago, mousefan73 said:

no too early our flight is at 7pm... we just want to make sure we catch the bus and if we are lucky we see there are some shops nearby ( boots and grocery) so maybe we get some UK shoppingin.... some products I can only get there cheap before we fly home.. so glad I booked also reserved seats... also checked we are the only ship schedule that day so I hope the port is not a hot mess. One time we experience a hot mess. crazy... 

 

In our experience with a Princess transfer from Southampton to LHR, it is a National Express coach and you are dropped off right at your terminal. Yes, it may cost more, but it is really convenient.

[John Bull]

Public transport in the UK is used by all folk, especially going to airports and London, so it'll be a mix of people - no worries.

 

A taxi to the coach station (small, clean, modern) won't cost more than £10 from any cruise terminal.

Nat Express coaches are very similar to touring coaches, the same as those chartered by cruise-lines. All Nat Express coaches have a bathroom and free in-seat wifi.

Drivers load your luggage, same as ship-sponsored coaches.

 

At Heathrow they visit T4 & T5, which are remote from the other terminals, then go to the Heathrow Central bus station - from there it's a 10-minute walk to T's 2 & 3  (there's no longer a T 1). Ship-sponsored coaches are allocated to individual terminals - avoiding the scenic tour of airport terminals, and avoiding the walk to T2 or T3.

Nat Express' timetable doesn't suit all flight-times, but probably for two people & certainly for more than two a pre-booked private transfer is cheaper than ship's transfer as well as better.  

 

I kinda understand some folk paying a lot more to be the cruise-line's responsibility to get them from airport to ship in time, but I don't understand it in the opposite direction cos if  their ship-sponsored coach is held up their aircraft won't wait.

 

Your problem in checking out Southampton's shops etc will be your luggage. There are a couple of places which will hold them, but is it worth about £5 - £6 per bag just for a bit of shopping ?

 

With a 7pm flight time you could consider a coach tour-transfer 

https://www.internationalfriends.co.uk/shore-excursions-and-cruise-transfers.html

 

JB 🙂