London to Southampton pier: Bus or Train?

[fstuff1]

Cruise is in late Oct.

My hotel is in Kensington area but i can change it.

 

Google maps says Train is about 2hrs to pier and Bus is 3hrs.

It recommends Train.

 

Victoria bus station is within walking distance of hotel (.8 miles/20min walk).

bus is $26 for 2.

Don't know the cost of train.

 

which is better?

why?

[gumshoe958]

2 hours ago, fstuff1 said:

Cruise is in late Oct.

My hotel is in Kensington area but i can change it.

 

Google maps says Train is about 2hrs to pier and Bus is 3hrs.

It recommends Train.

 

Victoria bus station is within walking distance of hotel (.8 miles/20min walk).

bus is $26 for 2.

Don't know the cost of train.

 

which is better?

why?

Trains are faster and more frequent but you’ll have to get yourself to Waterloo station and carry your own luggage on and off the train (which doesn’t have any dedicated space for large cases).

 

Coaches are slower and less frequent but the driver will take care of loading and unloading your luggage and, as you say, Victoria is closer to your hotel.

 

Coach is likely cheaper although train fares can be quite low IF you book well in advance and select a specific service rather than buy an open, flexible ticket.

[exlondoner]

I would probably avoid trains at the weekend. On Saturdays they tend to be expensive and crowded, on Sundays there are sometimes engineering works. On the other hand on a Monday, say, out of the rush hour time, the fare may be very low, and there will be space for your luggage without annoying anyone.

[blloyd78]

Navigating the London Underground with suitcases is a real problem. Finding elevators is not as easy as it should be - and you will often have to queue just to get in. Locals will be very unhelpful if you have a lot of luggage. Oh, and British trains tend to be very expensive.

I would strongly recommend the bus/coach because it is simple and requires much less hassle. This guide should help answer a lot of your questions: https://www.journeyintodarkness.co.uk/national-express-to-southampton-cruise-terminal

[ColoradoMom!!]

What I love about CC is all the info people are so kind to share to help make these types of decisions!  The more info, the easier to make the decision that works best for your particular circumstances!  So here is my input for info purposes for others that may see this in the future too: 

 

I posted this in the thread linked below (great info there) about our advanced tickets for Saturday Aug. 3rd, 2024:

 

"We used LNER and paid £39.60 (for first class) 2 adults total - $50 and change USD  - that's only $25 each for 1st class for hubby and me!"

 

We took the 10:30 am train - and our ticket was time specific. Regular tickets were probably $5 less each?  First class probably wasn't worth it - just a separate small compartment with 8 seats total - tables in between parties of 4 on each side of the train.

 

We thought the train was great and easy. We walked from our hotel near Waterloo pulling one each suitcase approx 48 lbs.  We are 59 and 61 years old. There were no elevators or escalators for us to navigate from our entrance into Waterloo station from Waterloo road southern end, and I don't recall any to our platform. 

 

It's true that there are no dedicated spaces for luggage on the train, so we had to put them near the door and just keep an eye on them at the very few stops before reaching Southampton.

 

You will need to lift your bag onto the train - less than I foot maybe, which I did with no problem.  I didn't know/or remember that before we boarded the train.  Taxi from train station to pier was about $10 USD.

 

Would I do it again? Yes, but a bus/coach may be slightly easier if I was close to Victoria station. And I was worried about the time and traffic on a Saturday in August with the coach option, and chose my hotel (Hampton Inn Waterloo) based on our multiple use of Waterloo station. 

 

[blloyd78]

You got a bargain @ColoradoMom!! - I've never seen any train tickets that cheap, especially for 1st class!

[Cotswold Eagle]

1 hour ago, blloyd78 said:

You got a bargain @ColoradoMom!! - I've never seen any train tickets that cheap, especially for 1st class!

The Advance fares on the Waterloo-Southampton route start at £14 Standard and £19.80 First. I’m surprised you have never seen them, they are widely available. 

[blloyd78]

30 minutes ago, Cotswold Eagle said:

The Advance fares on the Waterloo-Southampton route start at £14 Standard and £19.80 First. I’m surprised you have never seen them, they are widely available. 

I guess it's because the initial Greater Anglia leg of my trip is ridiculously over-priced to start with 🤣
Cost-wise, the train cannot compete with National Express from my corner of the UK.

[exlondoner]

53 minutes ago, Cotswold Eagle said:

The Advance fares on the Waterloo-Southampton route start at £14 Standard and £19.80 First. I’m surprised you have never seen them, they are widely available. 

Interesting. My husband sometimes pays £9+ for Bournemouth to Waterloo. That is with a Crumblycard, so full fare would probably be about the same as from Southampton for 30 miles further. The fare structure is more than somewhat opaque.