National Express to Southampton questions…or alternatives

[Bruin Steve]

We’re headed to Southampton next month for a cruise.  Been several times, but, looking back, most of the time we’ve done extensive land tours prior, so we’ve usually hired a car.  But, this time, we’re only going 4 nights early and spending our time in Southampton (likely doing a day trip by ferry over to the Isle of Wight one of the days).  Hiring a car doesn’t make sense for a short stay due to high one-way drop-off charges.

 

Looking at National Express…which gives rise to lots of questions.

 

1). It looks like you need to book a time.  There’s a bus at 10 am and another at 11:50 am.  Our flight from Los Angeles is scheduled to arrive at 9:00 am.  With luggage retrieval, customs/immigration, etc., 10 am seems tight…and there’s always the possibility of flight delays and such.  Looks like there’s a “flexible” fare that’s about 10 pounds pp higher.  What do you book?  Or do you just wait until arrival to figure it out?

 

2). Looks like there’s a luggage weight restriction of 20 kg.  We’re traveling for a full month. The airline allows 23 kg per checked bag…and even that is hard to do…especially for my wife.  She expects to pack a 23 kg suitcase and a second hard side wheeled carry-on.  As I read the website, we’d have to pay for an extra piece of luggage for the carry-on, but It sounds like they’d weigh all three together for a total weight of 60 kg.  Is that correct?

 

in addition to the cost of the tickets and added luggage, we’d also be paying for a taxi from wherever they drop u# off to the Holiday Inn…so, altogether, we’re, if I got this right, looking at around 70-80 GBP…or maybe a bit more if we wait to book it until we get to LHR.  
 

I suppose a shuttle or car service of some sort would be a little simpler but also come with a significantly higher cost.  Is it worth the trade-offs?  If so, who to use?

 

thanks.

[sddsddean]

1) You need to allow at least 2 hrs from flight arrival time to coach booking time, so that should help with which service to book. Luckily, National Express at Heathrow realise flights get delayed etc, so definately pay the bit extra (used to be £5, but you say its £10 now) so that you can re-arrange your coach time. All terminals at LHR have National Express offices in them to allow you to do this.

T4 and T5, the coach picks up from outside the terminal. T2&3 you will have a 10-15 min walk (all undercover) to the Central Bus station.

 

2) Although there are luggage restrictions, I have never had a problem with them. A 23kg case will be fine. I have never had my luggage weighed on any NE coach, so don't sweat it too much. The driver will load/unload your luggage and they are mainly realists! They go on holiday too!

 

The most you have to pay for a cab would be £10 in Southampton, but to be honest, you could easily walk from Southampton Coach station to the Holiday Inn on Herbert Walker Ave in about 10 mins. Wide pavements (sidewalks) and traffic light controlled crossings. Search for 'Southampton Coach station' Google Earth, then go directly south and the white square building by Mayflower Park is the Holiday Inn. If you are going from City Cruise terminal, you can walk to there from the Holiday Inn too.

 

Simon

Edited June 4 by sddsddean

[rhiannon84]

Yes, book the national Express flexible fare, for the 11.50am and ideally bring it forward to 10am. If you do it the other way round (seat on the 10am) and you're delayed and the 11.50am is full....then you're waiting even longer! 

 

The weight limit is so you don't give the bus driver a hernia - if any of your bags are particularly heavy just let them know before they try and pick it up!

[gumshoe958]

The National Express fares are a bit confusing.

 

As well as the flexible fare @Bruin Steve mentions there’s the “Change & Go” upgrade, which costs £5 and is offered as an extra during the booking process. So you could save a bit of money by buying a standard fare plus “Change & Go”.
 

That lets you change for free to another coach up to 12 hours either side of the one you’ve booked, as long as it’s not full.

 

A private limo transfer would probably cost around £160-180, so considerably more expensive but obviously door-to-door, quicker and more convenient. 
 

Edited June 4 by gumshoe958

[John Bull]

Hi Steve,

 

Very definitely pre-book the coach - the problem of waiting until you arrive isn't the minor extra cost, it's whether coaches are booked-out. 

Altho trans-Atlantic flights often arrive early, an hour between scheduled flight arrival and coach departure is being very very optimistic. Your mention of a 10am coach tells me that you're flying into T2 or T3, so you also need to allow for the 10-minute walk from terminal to Heathrow bus station.

So I suggest you pre-book the 11.50am coach.

 

If you want to spend the extra tenner for flexibility in the hope of making the 10am, still make the 11.50 your prime booking - as @rhiannon84's post you need the certainty of a seat on a coach that you know you'll make. Bear in mind that even if the Travel Gods are on your side and you get to the bus station in time for the 10am bus, it may be fully-booked. So I see a flexible ticket as a waste of two beers each.

 

Luggage allowance used to be two x 20kg bags + hand luggage per person. 

A few years ago that changed to just the one checked case + hand luggage.

If you end up with three checked cases pay for the extra case, it's a lot cheaper than a divorce 😏

 

But don't worry about the 20kg limit. In these modern health-and-safety days, the "limit" is there to protect Nat Express from litigation by their drivers for any weight-related injury.

However the drivers aren't wimps, they don't religiously weigh cases, and if it's there-or-thereabouts (mebbe up to 25 kg) they won't care.

Yes, for what it's worth, the total weight allowance can be shared amongst your party.

A hard-sided carry-on shouldn't be a problem, but the driver may want to put it in the belly-locker so be ready to take out any book, phone or anything else you'll need for the journey.

 

There's a taxi rank at Southampton coach station, but it's a small rank.

If there are a couple of taxis there, one of you should climb over the heads of everyone on the coach to be first out of the door & sprint to the taxi whilst the other waits for your luggage.

to be unloaded 😏. If that doesn't work, roaming taxis do swing by.

Or it's a simple level 10 -15 minute walk to Hol Inn - which might be a much better idea if this is a saturday with a lot of ships in, taxi meters continue to run when the vehicle is stuck in traffic.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/P8SRnL38qazSYKR87

 

A private transfer sedan should cost upwards from £145

 

JB 🙂

 

[Bruin Steve]

Thanks, everyone, for the advice…

Looks like we will just pre-book the 11:50 and add an extra piece of luggage since I am certain my wife will never travel with only one suitcase.