Southampton to Rome Suggestions

[rdt10]

Have a Celebrity cruise out of Southampton that returns on May 25, 2025 (Sunday), scheduled docking of 6:00am, and want to get to Rome to pick up another cruise departing Civitavecchia the next day. Trying to see how difficult this would be before I book the cruise from Civi. Never sailed out of Southampton before.

 

I  have read that some regional air carriers can be very difficult with baggage. We will be traveling with 2 carryon's and one or two large bags to be checked.

 

Any help would be appreciated.

 

Thanks. Rick

[gumshoe958]

There are no direct flights from Southampton to Rome that I’m aware of, so for a direct flight you’d need to get to a London airport (Heathrow or Gatwick).

 

If you want to fly from Southampton, which is a small regional airport, you’ll have to transfer somewhere like Amsterdam.

 

Airlines’ baggage policies differ but most now charge for checked-in bags unless you’re flying business class or have status, and the low cost carriers often charge extra to put a bag in the overhead locker as well.

 

 

[Thejuggler]

Google flights shows lots of low cost options from the London airports, all of which can be reached by train so it will probably come down to the time of flight and which Rome airport you wish to fly to.

 

Gatwick, Stansted, Luton with Ryanair, Easyjet, Wizzair, Vueling, Jet2.  You do however need to price in luggage costs to find the best deal.

 

There are also options from Heathrow and London City with BA and ITA which may be cheaper once all costs are considered.

 

Southampton departure is via Dublin or Amsterdam

 

 

 

Edited May 28 by Thejuggler

[Globaliser]

6 hours ago, rdt10 said:

Have a Celebrity cruise out of Southampton that returns on May 25, 2025 (Sunday), scheduled docking of 6:00am, and want to get to Rome to pick up another cruise departing Civitavecchia the next day. Trying to see how difficult this would be before I book the cruise from Civi. 

 

It's not. Just go to London Heathrow and fly to Rome Fiumicino. There are probably something like 8 flights on disembarkation day and 7 flights the following day, so even though not all of them are viable for you, you still have a lot to choose from. Given that flexibility, don't bother with the risks of flying from Southampton, from which there will probably only be one flight that would comfortably get you to Rome in time for the second cruise.

[John Bull]

Southampton is a lovely little airport, very different to the big zoos.

But flying from there would involve a change - probably at Paris or at  Amsterdam, one of the biggest zoos in Europe. So travel would be a little tortuous and more expensive

 

London Heathrow has the range of direct flights and is the best option, though you'd need to book a  https://www.nationalexpress.com/en bus from Southampton about £20 per person (no sensible rail option) or pre-book a private transfer, about £140 to £160. Ships offer bus transfers, but for two people it's about the same cost as a private transfer.

Many lo-cost airlines use London Gatwick - that would need a train journey or private transfer or ship's transfer bus.

None of the other London airports are easy from Southampton by rail or bus or private transfer - they're all on the other side of the big bad city.

 

I'm not aware of any airline, especially out of Heathrow, which is "very difficult" with luggage.

But lo-cost airlines charge significantly for baggage or include baggage with a ticket which is more expensive than their headline fare.

You need to run a dummy booking to see the add-ons and compare total costs. That can be time-consuming if you have a wide choice.. 

 

JB 🙂

[FionaMG]

3 hours ago, John Bull said:

But lo-cost airlines charge significantly for baggage or include baggage with a ticket which is more expensive than their headline fare.

You need to run a dummy booking to see the add-ons and compare total costs. That can be time-consuming if you have a wide choice.. 

 

JB 🙂

 

This ^^^ a hundred times over. The marketing buffs at the low-costs are top experts in pulling the wool over your eyes to the extent that lots of people just assume they'll be cheaper than the full service airlines and don't even think to check.

 

Just last week I was pricing flights back to Faro for after my Anthem cruise in September. Guess what? With all the extras added on, British Airways came out cheaper than the low-costs.

[rdt10]

Thanks for the input. Sounds like it will not be as complicated as I thought. I looked at the national express website for times from Southampton Coach Station Harbour Parade (I think that is correct for the cruise port) to Heathrow. Would the 7:45am be too early for getting off the ship and to the bus pickup? There is also a 9:45am bus. Does the bus pick up near the terminal?

 

Since we are flying to Rome and not the U.S., would security/customs be easier and how early before the flight would we need to arrive at the airport?

 

Thanks. Rick

[gumshoe958]

5 hours ago, rdt10 said:

Thanks for the input. Sounds like it will not be as complicated as I thought. I looked at the national express website for times from Southampton Coach Station Harbour Parade (I think that is correct for the cruise port) to Heathrow. Would the 7:45am be too early for getting off the ship and to the bus pickup? There is also a 9:45am bus. Does the bus pick up near the terminal?

 

Since we are flying to Rome and not the U.S., would security/customs be easier and how early before the flight would we need to arrive at the airport?

 

Thanks. Rick

The coach station is only a 5-10 minute cab ride from the cruise terminals so if disembarkation begins on time and you’re off the ship quickly you should make the 7:45 coach. It’s not without risk though, so all things considered I’d go for the 9:45 and enjoy a less frantic start to your day.

 

As flights to Rome are on narrow-body aircraft, boarding typically starts 20-40 minutes before departure rather than 50-60 minutes for long-haul to the US, so you can probably arrive at the airport a bit later.
 

Most airlines close check-in 45-60 minutes before departure but aiming for 2 hours before would seem sensible in case the coach is delayed.

[FionaMG]

Also to piggy back, getting off at 8.30 should give us plenty of time to catch the 9.30 train to Gatwick, right?

 

[gumshoe958]

10 hours ago, FionaMG said:

Also to piggy back, getting off at 8.30 should give us plenty of time to catch the 9.30 train to Gatwick, right?

 

Should be fine, again it’s only a 5-10 minute cab ride to the station. The Southern trains tend to leave from one of the middle platforms though, so allow enough time to use the lifts (x2) if required.

[Globaliser]

22 hours ago, rdt10 said:

Since we are flying to Rome and not the U.S., would security/customs be easier ...?

 

If you're flying from Heathrow to Rome, this makes no difference at all to security. There is no outbound immigration and no outbound customs. 

[John Bull]

14 hours ago, FionaMG said:

Also to piggy back, getting off at 8.30 should give us plenty of time to catch the 9.30 train to Gatwick, right?

 

 

Might depend on the size of your ship,............

Bear in mind that 8.30 is going to be the middle of disembarkation 

 

And which cruise terminal..........

City & Horizon terminals are a 15 - 20 minute walk, easy even with rolling luggage.

Mayflower and Ocean terminals are best by taxi, but walkable in about 25 minutes

But if it's QE11 Terminal and there's a long queue for taxis..............

 

JB 🙂

 

[FionaMG]

7 hours ago, John Bull said:

 

Might depend on the size of your ship,............

Bear in mind that 8.30 is going to be the middle of disembarkation 

 

And which cruise terminal..........

City & Horizon terminals are a 15 - 20 minute walk, easy even with rolling luggage.

Mayflower and Ocean terminals are best by taxi, but walkable in about 25 minutes

But if it's QE11 Terminal and there's a long queue for taxis..............

 

JB 🙂

 

It's Anthem, so it should be City or Horizon, and we're both well capable of the walk. Now, if it's raining that'll be a different story.

 

Our flight isn't until 5 pm, so we could go for the 10.30 instead but that will potentially mean a fair bit of hanging around at Southampton Central since they'll probably eject us from the ship by 9 am.

 

Or we could go and sit in reception at the Holiday Inn for a bit! That might be more comfortable than the train station. 😂

[John Bull]

2 hours ago, FionaMG said:

It's Anthem, so it should be City or Horizon, and we're both well capable of the walk. Now, if it's raining that'll be a different story.

 

Our flight isn't until 5 pm, so we could go for the 10.30 instead but that will potentially mean a fair bit of hanging around at Southampton Central since they'll probably eject us from the ship by 9 am.

 

Or we could go and sit in reception at the Holiday Inn for a bit! That might be more comfortable than the train station. 😂

 

I'd hang around in Hol Inn or the station or MaccyD or the West Quay Mall rather than Heathrow.

Correction - I'd hang around in a cell at So'ton central police station rather than Heathrow 😂

 

JB 🙂

[rdt10]

Thanks for all of the information. Starting to look at flights from Heathrow to Rome for next May 25, a Sunday. Probably way too early, but trying to see what is available.

 

British Airlines has direct flights, but currently about 3 times higher ($600) than KLM ($200) with around an hour layover through Amsterdam. John Bull earlier indicated Amsterdam airport should be avoided.

 

Any thoughts on whether BA prices get more competitive closer to travel date and how KLM with a connection through Amsterdam would be if significantly cheaper?

 

Thanks again for everyone's help.

[Globaliser]

1 hour ago, rdt10 said:

Any thoughts on whether BA prices get more competitive closer to travel date ... ?

 

In this specific instance, if I were a betting person I would put some money on cheaper fares becoming available later.

 

This is the current availability display for the eight scheduled flights that day:

 

BA552 J9 C9 D0 R0 I0 Y9 B9 H9 K0 M0 L0 V0 N0 O0 Q0 S0 G0
BA548 J9 C9 D0 R0 I0 Y9 B9 H9 K0 M0 L0 V0 N0 O0 Q0 S0 G0
BA546 J9 C9 D0 R0 I0 Y9 B9 H9 K0 M0 L0 V0 N0 O0 Q0 S0 G0
BA560 J9 C9 D0 R0 I0 Y9 B9 H9 K0 M0 L0 V0 N0 O0 Q0 S0 G0
BA556 J9 C9 D0 R0 I0 Y9 B9 H9 K0 M0 L0 V0 N0 O0 Q0 S0 G0
BA538 J9 C9 D0 R0 I0 Y9 B9 H9 K0 M0 L0 V0 N0 O0 Q0 S0 G0
BA554 J9 C9 D0 R0 I0 Y9 B9 H9 K0 M0 L0 V0 N0 O0 Q0 S0 G0
BA558 J9 C9 D0 R0 I0 Y9 B9 H9 K0 M0 L0 V0 N0 O0 Q0 S0 G0

 

You see that there is a pattern: there is inventory in the two highest business class booking classes, and the three highest economy class booking classes, but nothing else. To me, that suggests a deliberate decision not to take bookings at present for anything other than the most expensive fares. Inventory will get put into the cheaper booking classes at a later date, when the airline has a better idea of what it will actually operate, and of what it expects the yield mix to look like. (And possibly when some of the lowest-rent end of the market has already been successfully dumped onto other airlines.)

[gumshoe958]

8 hours ago, rdt10 said:

Thanks for all of the information. Starting to look at flights from Heathrow to Rome for next May 25, a Sunday. Probably way too early, but trying to see what is available.

 

British Airlines has direct flights, but currently about 3 times higher ($600) than KLM ($200) with around an hour layover through Amsterdam. John Bull earlier indicated Amsterdam airport should be avoided.

 

Any thoughts on whether BA prices get more competitive closer to travel date and how KLM with a connection through Amsterdam would be if significantly cheaper?

 

Thanks again for everyone's help.

Yes, as @Globaliser says because the flights have only recently opened, BA hasn’t yet loaded the cheaper fare buckets (knowing full well there’s easy money to be made from people who feel they HAVE to book the moment flights go on sale).

 

Looking at BA flights two Sundays before yours, they’re available from £61 ($79). So just give it a couple of weeks or so and you’ll see fares tumble. There’s no reason whatsoever to go via AMS.

[rdt10]

Thanks. Really prefer the direct flights. I'll wait until they get more reasonable.

[9265359]

On 7/18/2024 at 9:00 PM, rdt10 said:

Starting to look at flights from Heathrow to Rome for next May 25, a Sunday. Probably way too early, but trying to see what is available.

 

You might also want to look at flights from Gatwick, as it is fewer changes on the train to get there and the low cost carriers will operate out of there and generally don't out of Heathrow.

 

If looking at the low cost carriers, those that fly that route to Fiumicino from Gatwick are Easyjet, Jet2, Wizz, and Vueling.

 

Easyjet have a habit of overbooking and bumping passengers, Jet 2 have a good reputation, Wizz have a very poor reputation for customer service and reliability, and Vueling is part of IAG that owns BA (you will often see codeshares with BA and Vueling but the individual websites selling at different prices).

 

Ryanair, who have a bit of a reputation and some take a strong dislike to but are pretty damn reliable, don't fly to Fiumicino but to Giovan Battista Pastine in Rome, so that may not be suitable for you.

 

Personally rather than search each company's website, I tend to use Google Flights as a first check before then going to the company website as the filtering tools are far better.

 

If flying with BA, then keep an eye out for their flight sales, and particularly their business class flight sales.

 

Business class on these short hop flights isn't anything out of the ordinary on the aircraft as it is just the normal seats with the middle seat in the group of three kept empty, but it does include luggage, lounge access, food, a shorter check-in, etc, and frequently the price difference between than and economy with all the luggage is pretty low.

 

Lastly, as you are travelling on a Sunday, be aware that is the day that maintenance work tends to done on the railways, so there can be cancelled trains with the dreaded 'rail replacement bus' which is a nightmare if you have luggage and takes a long long time to get anywhere.

 

[edinburgher]

On 7/18/2024 at 9:00 PM, rdt10 said:

Starting to look at flights from Heathrow to Rome for next May 25, a Sunday. Probably way too early, but trying to see what is available.

Be aware that the last weekend in May is a UK BANK HOLIDAY WEEKEND so demand could be higher, also pricing, but probably less so on the Sunday than it would be on the Friday or Monday when travellers are either going away or returning from, the long weekend..

[exlondoner]

20 minutes ago, edinburgher said:

Be aware that the last weekend in May is a UK BANK HOLIDAY WEEKEND so demand could be higher, also pricing, but probably less so on the Sunday than it would be on the Friday or Monday when travellers are either going away or returning from, the long weekend..

And I’m afraid that makes it a peak weekend for strikes (not necessarily in the UK), ATC glitches, and general chaos.

[edinburgher]

1 hour ago, exlondoner said:

And I’m afraid that makes it a peak weekend for strikes (not necessarily in the UK), ATC glitches, and general chaos.

Sadly very true, and have almost come to expect them.

[rdt10]

Thanks for the info. I'll keep watching prices.