ciera123 Posted July 25 #1 Share Posted July 25 (edited) We are planning to stay in London for 3 nights prior to our cruise out of Southampton next July, then we will take the train to the port the morning of the cruise. Is that doable, or should we spend the night before our cruise in Southampton? Also, we have hotel reservations in the Waterloo area, so hopefully it’s a convenient place to stay!! Edited July 25 by ciera123 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Island2Dweller Posted July 25 #2 Share Posted July 25 The train ride is just short of 90 minutes. Entirely doable. Cheaper tickets (called "advance", which is a particular fare type) will be available about 10/12 weeks before travel date. These can be as low as £15 if you book as soon as the "advance" fares are released. The exact release date for these tickets isn't an exact science, but keep checking around that window. The "advance" ticket is only valid on the train you nominate. Walk up fares on the day are also available, are valid on any train* but will cost more. Between £40 and £55 (varies between weekday rush hour or off-peak. *Off-peak tickets can be used on any train except weekday rush hour) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Harters Posted July 25 #3 Share Posted July 25 13 hours ago, ciera123 said: it’s a convenient place to stay Very doable, not least as trains go from Waterloo. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eno Posted July 25 #4 Share Posted July 25 In April we just did three nights in London, took the train from Waterloo station and spent one night in Southampton. Very nice place to walk around and go to a local pub. Walked to our ship the next morning. Loved London, doing the exact same next year but a different cruise. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarky213 Posted July 25 #5 Share Posted July 25 36 minutes ago, Harters said: Very doable, not least as trains go from Waterloo. Unless they are on strike the day you are sailing. At the moment,they have to give 2 weeks notice, but that may be too late if all the Southampton hotels are booked up. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Harters Posted July 25 #6 Share Posted July 25 6 minutes ago, clarky213 said: if all the Southampton hotels are booked up. Seems to me most unlikely that every hotel room in a major city such as Southampton would be booked up. Theoretically possible but all but inconceivable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare John Bull Posted July 25 #7 Share Posted July 25 7 hours ago, clarky213 said: Unless they are on strike the day you are sailing. At the moment,they have to give 2 weeks notice, but that may be too late if all the Southampton hotels are booked up. As others have said, normally there's no need to travel down from London before cruise morning. Southampton International Boat Show (this year it's 13 - 22 September) puts a big strain on accommodation in Southampton, but there are alternatives a bus ride away. I can think of no other time that there's big pressure on accommodation in Southampton JB 🙂 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ciera123 Posted July 27 Author #8 Share Posted July 27 On 7/25/2024 at 12:47 AM, Island2Dweller said: The train ride is just short of 90 minutes. Entirely doable. Cheaper tickets (called "advance", which is a particular fare type) will be available about 10/12 weeks before travel date. These can be as low as £15 if you book as soon as the "advance" fares are released. The exact release date for these tickets isn't an exact science, but keep checking around that window. The "advance" ticket is only valid on the train you nominate. Walk up fares on the day are also available, are valid on any train* but will cost more. Between £40 and £55 (varies between weekday rush hour or off-peak. *Off-peak tickets can be used on any train except weekday rush hour) Thank you so much, just the info I needed! ❤️ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkster Posted July 27 #9 Share Posted July 27 On 7/24/2024 at 6:11 PM, ciera123 said: We are planning to stay in London for 3 nights prior to our cruise out of Southampton next July, then we will take the train to the port the morning of the cruise. Is that doable, or should we spend the night before our cruise in Southampton? Also, we have hotel reservations in the Waterloo area, so hopefully it’s a convenient place to stay!! Another option is the bus: https://www.nationalexpress.com/en. We did this non-stop from Hammersmith to Southampton the morning of our cruise. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeW Posted July 28 #10 Share Posted July 28 Probably easier to get a cab to the pier from the train/bus station than it is from a hotel. Even with a reservation, our cab from Leonardo Royal Grand was 40 minutes late. Could have walked to the terminal (46) in that amount of time. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare BostonGal35 Posted August 12 #11 Share Posted August 12 On 7/25/2024 at 10:51 AM, Eno said: In April we just did three nights in London, took the train from Waterloo station and spent one night in Southampton. Very nice place to walk around and go to a local pub. Walked to our ship the next morning. Loved London, doing the exact same next year but a different cruise. Eno, where did you stay in Southhampton? Looking for hotel recommendations there! Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eno Posted August 12 #12 Share Posted August 12 We stayed at Room2 in Southampton. Nice place, did not include breakfast but we bought doughnuts at Krispy Kreme at the westquay mall the night before to have in the morning. They do have a coffee shop in the hotel. Small but very nice and we walked over to our cruise - Princess out of Ocean Cruise Terminal Berth 46 about a 10 min walk. Could see the cruise ship from the room. For 2025 booked into the Novotel as cruise is with Celebrity and will probably be out of the Horizon or City Terminal. There is also the Moxy by Marriott in the area of Horizon and City terminal. We walked to the White Star for fish and chips the night before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eno Posted August 12 #13 Share Posted August 12 One thing to note - there could be other hotels but we are limited as need a room for 3 adults Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare John Bull Posted August 13 #14 Share Posted August 13 12 hours ago, BostonGal35 said: Eno, where did you stay in Southhampton? Looking for hotel recommendations there! Thanks! As @Eno has replied, Room2 is just a short walk across the park to the dock gate for Ocean Cruise Terminal (berth 46 on the port's cruise ship schedule) https://www.southamptonvts.co.uk/Live_Information/Shipping_Movements_and_Cruise_Ship_Schedule/Cruise_Ship_Schedule/ ) It's a quiet blind road, surprisingly peaceful for a city centre location. But it's just a little east of the city centre - a ten-minute walk, and other cruise terminals - with luggage you'd want a short taxi hop. A precis of Southampton hotels at https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2966827-southampton-hotel-close-to-port/ JB 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare arxcards Posted August 17 #15 Share Posted August 17 On 8/13/2024 at 8:28 AM, Eno said: We stayed at Room2 in Southampton. Nice place, did not include breakfast but we bought doughnuts at Krispy Kreme at the westquay mall the night before to have in the morning. They do have a coffee shop in the hotel. Small but very nice and we walked over to our cruise - Princess out of Ocean Cruise Terminal Berth 46 about a 10 min walk. Could see the cruise ship from the room. For 2025 booked into the Novotel as cruise is with Celebrity and will probably be out of the Horizon or City Terminal. There is also the Moxy by Marriott in the area of Horizon and City terminal. We walked to the White Star for fish and chips the night before. We have recently made a booking at Room2 for a pre-cruise night next June. The pricing was up/down, depending on the date, but it worked out for us. We had considered the Leonardo & the Holiday Inn, but Room2 looks to be a much nicer location for the Ocean terminal. From your comment, it appears that we chose well, and we can only hope the sun is shining on the day so we can enjoy a nice walk to the terminal. It seems our plans are evolving in similar ways. We are spending 6 nights in London at Waterloo (Marlin) and planning on taking the train to Southampton. Is there plenty of room on the train, or is storing luggage an issue? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare John Bull Posted August 18 #16 Share Posted August 18 46 minutes ago, arxcards said: We have recently made a booking at Room2 for a pre-cruise night next June. The pricing was up/down, depending on the date, but it worked out for us. We had considered the Leonardo & the Holiday Inn, but Room2 looks to be a much nicer location for the Ocean terminal. From your comment, it appears that we chose well, and we can only hope the sun is shining on the day so we can enjoy a nice walk to the terminal. It seems our plans are evolving in similar ways. We are spending 6 nights in London at Waterloo (Marlin) and planning on taking the train to Southampton. Is there plenty of room on the train, or is storing luggage an issue? Bookmark this post - Buy Advance train tickets 10 to 12 weeks ahead of the date for about £10 - £15 pp instead of the walk-up fare of up to £54 pp. The only disadvantage of cheap Advance tickets is that they're only good for the train time that you book - miss that train & your tickets are trash, & you'll have to pay the walk-up fare for the next train. Check out the different prices for a few weeks from now to see the difference https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/ Train carriages between London Waterloo & Southampton Central can be several types, but they're commuter-style with small overhead racks altho with a few family-style tables & limited storage at the ends of the carriages. But outside commuter hours (heading out of London that's about 4pm to about 6.30pm) there are usually empty seats. Or for only about £6 more you can buy more-spacious seats in First Class, mainly at family-style tables. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1T9XX29Y-cU JB 🙂 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eno Posted August 18 #17 Share Posted August 18 We stayed 3 nights in London at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge. Great location. This time we are staying at the Marlin London Bridge. As there are three adults the London Bridge location has two bedroom units and are more comfortable now with the transportation to the Waterloo station. We walked last time from the Park Plaza. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare arxcards Posted August 20 #18 Share Posted August 20 Westminster Bridge Park Plaza was on our shortlist, but the prices for our dates are a bit steep. We have a flexible booking and will keep an eye out for better rates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GloriaF Posted October 2 #19 Share Posted October 2 (edited) We are meeting one of our party in Southampton for an April 18th cruise departure, we will already be onboard (TA). This person has not traveled extensively and will be on her own at Heathrow, so am looking for simplest way to get to Southampton. Ideally she could board train or bus from the airport if that is an option. There is an option to take the Princess shuttle to the port, but it is sometimes difficult to find the check in spot for the shuttle. Any helpful advice is appreciated! Edited October 2 by GloriaF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandancer Posted October 2 #20 Share Posted October 2 7 minutes ago, GloriaF said: We are meeting one of our party in Southampton for an April 18th cruise departure, we will already be onboard (TA). This person has not traveled extensively and will be on her own at Heathrow, so am looking for simplest way to get to Southampton. Ideally she could board train or bus from the airport if that is an option. There is an option to take the Princess shuttle to the port, but it is sometimes difficult to find the check in spot for the shuttle. Any helpful advice is appreciated! National Express from Heathrow. Hand over luggage to the driver and take a seat. No dragging bags on and off trains. Book online making sure you allow for any flight delays. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GloriaF Posted October 2 #21 Share Posted October 2 Thank you, sandancer! Sounds simple enough and she won't have to look for the person holding the Princess sign, probably cheaper than the ship transfer too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d9704011 Posted October 2 #22 Share Posted October 2 3 minutes ago, sandancer said: making sure you allow for any flight delays. I agree with the National Express option but am wondering about this little proviso.... would that delay be 15 minutes or three hours? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandancer Posted October 2 #23 Share Posted October 2 No one can estimate that. Flights are late frequently. When making a reservation for the bus you need to allow for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GloriaF Posted October 2 #24 Share Posted October 2 Can you just wait and purchase a ticket once you arrive? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandancer Posted October 2 #25 Share Posted October 2 Yes. You may have to wait a while for a coach with available seats. I believe there is a ticket office in the terminals. The ticket may cost more. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now