Blue and Green

1 hour ago, fruitmachine said:

For ease, I'd maybe suggest that you take a taxi from the Hard Rock Café to the Castle Esplanade.  They all take cards, and I'd guess that the fare will be around £5.00.  The X99 and the city buses can all accommodate wheelchairs, as can taxis, but not normally Uber cars.

Wow, thanks so much! The photos are very helpful. The walk looks doable (we've done more difficult) but it is also nice to have the easy option and save energy for the rest of the day. Again, I appreciate your detailed assistance!

5 hours ago, fruitmachine said:

Take the short steps uphill to Castlehill and then uphill onto the Castle Esplanade.  This will be the only uphill bit and, other than missing the castle end of the Royal Mile, there's no way to avoid it.

I appreciate your detailed response! Similar to @Iamthesea, Mr. Blue has mobility issues but travels with a standard wheelchair. We planned to take the X99 from S Queensferry into Edinburgh then take a cab or Uber to the castle gate, walking back down to Holyrood. From what I've read so far, the Castle is (somewhat) accessible, and I am aware of the access ride from the gates to the top of the hill.

A few questions for you --Am I reading this correctly that it is not possible to take a cab or Uber from the X99 (Hard Rock cafe area) to the castle gate? Can you be more specific about the short steps and uphill bit? Are there 3 or 4 short steps or a flight of stairs? Is the uphill bit quite steep? Mr. Blue can walk up a few stairs, but a flight is too much. And if the uphill bit is quite steep, pushing the chair may be too much for me on my own. We tend to be adventurous and have navigated many a cobblestone path and hill, but I like to make informed decisions in planning as much as possible. 

3 hours ago, Girlloves2cruise said:

I got quotes from Blackberry cars and britishexpresscars and transferfeero and vivator.  Anyone use one of these?  I got suggestions from. FB Group.  Thanks for imput

 

We used Blackberry cars several times...but the most recent was 2019. We never had an issue with them, and plan to use them again for Heathrow to Covent Garden, and probably from Windsor back to Heathrow this next trip. They've been around for quite awhile. I am not familiar with the others you mentioned. 

Traveling to/from Southampton we will use a Southampton based car service like Gunwharf Executive cars or West Quay Cars (there is a third one who's name I always forget).

We really prefer having a car service reserved. Takes the stress out of travel and moving luggage from place to place.

9 hours ago, Mimosa09 said:

We are on Princess Regal for the 12-night British Isle cruise returning to Southampton Sept 13th.

Rose, before you book anything--double check your dates. I think the Regal is back in Southampton on Sept. 12.

I would add we hailed a cab in Dublin to take us back to the dock during our last trip. It turned out to be a wonderful, memorable experience. The driver (looked to be 70ish years old?) shared so much information and told wonderful stories. Mr. Blue and I still talk about that and it brings a smile to our faces every time.

We are considering a taxi for convenience...getting directly to where we want to start the day, not having to deal with spouse's mobility issues in walking through the train station, finding a seat, etc.  I am hoping taxi's will be readily available but may need to do more research on that.

This may be a helpful site:

https://www.whatsinport.com/Dun-Laoghaire.htm

45 minutes ago, BuckeyeMark said:

Do it!  It's amazing, even if you don't hike out onto the rocks.

Agree...we did this with Mr. Blue in a wheelchair...took the shuttle bus both down the hill and back up. 

1 hour ago, John Bull said:

 

Either of the terms that I've highlighted in red is reasonable - but both together???

 

Or to put it another way -- if you have to cancel within 24 hours of the journey time don't go to the bother and expense of phoning them, they're keeping all your money anyway so let their driver hang around in the Arrivals Hall for an hour or two while their car runs up Heathrow's exorbitant parking charges. 🙄😃

 

JB 🙂

I wondered about that too.
One trip, we did have to change the pickup location within 24 hours due to an unexpected hotel change. We called and they were happy to make the change, no issues. 

7 hours ago, SEA DOGY said:

Hello. When you make your reservation. You prepay if so  how about if you need to cancel. TIA 

We have never had to cancel, but this is from the Blackberry Cars website:

Cancellations
5.1       Blackberry Cars Ltd is contracted for the provisions of the Transportation Service and all cancellations must be made directly with Blackberry Cars Ltd.

5.2       Any cancellations made within 24 hours of the journey time must be cancelled by phone by calling 02072543344.

5.3       For cancellations made 24 hours or more before the journey time a full refund will be issued.

5.4       Any cancellations made less than 24 hours before the journey time a cancellation charge of 100% of the full fare will be levied.

5.5       Any claim for a refund must be made within 1 week of the journey date.  A claim will be deemed to have been made when you cancel your reservation.

5.6       If the Passenger does not show up for the Transportation Service the booking will be treated as a “no-show” and 100% of the fare will be charged

5.7       If you cannot locate your driver and seek an alternative method of transport without first contacting the Provider to try and resolve the situation you will be charged the full fare for the booking.

1 hour ago, Globaliser said:

 

Of course. Public transport (whether by air, rail or road) is always going to be more challenging to those who aren't as physically able. That's one of the reasons that train operating companies are required to provide assistance for anyone who needs it. More details are available here: www.nationalrail.co.uk/help-and-assistance/passenger-assist.

 

But to be frank, if a passenger's limitations mean that all of this is too difficult, then the answer will probably be to take private transport instead.

We travel with a manual wheelchair (meaning I push Mr. Blue) and we have used the train for a wonderful day trip from our London hotel to Canterbury (highly recommend). But that was without the pressure of time or the burden of suitcases…it was just a daytime adventure for the two of us. Once inside the train station, we did have someone from the train help see us on and seated. 
However, we always use a private car for transfers to/from the airport and London to Southampton, etc. Whenever we can make travel easier, we do. Direct flights, fewer transfers, fewer steps…it always helps. 
For us, it is not only about the physical limitations of age or ability. Simplifying a trip also helps with the mental load of travel…something I’m not sure one can understand without having traveled under these circumstances. We've had years of practice and intend to keep going 😉
 

From Heathrow, I would get quotes from a few different airport car services before booking. Currently, I am looking at Jewels Airport Transfers, Blackberry Cars, or maybe Eddie Manning transportation for car service to London (Covent Garden) from Heathrow.  We've used Blackberry cars before and they were fine. The others have been mentioned on CC. Look at reviews on Trip Advisor too. 

I've never used Uber in the UK so can't help you there. 

4 hours ago, SEA DOGY said:

 What’s the easiest and fast way to get Heathrow we just don’t miss our flight TIA 

@John Bull always gives thorough, helpful responses. He is the expert and I have learned so much from reading his posts!

The only thing I would add is that for us, the easiest and fastest way is always booking the private car transfer. Mr. Blue has some mobility issues so having a driver handle our luggage, and provide door-to-door service, is worth the additional cost. You also aren't waiting on others or making other stops. Takes the stress out of vacation travel. 

When leaving Southampton we will use one of the car services based in Southampton such as Gunwharf Executive Travel

https://gunwharf-executive-travel.co.uk  or West Quay Cars https://westquaycars.com

Nevermind---all figured out. Since flights have changed and the trip is extended now, we will return to our favorite London hotel pre-cruise and do Windsor post-cruise. Who doesn't love time in London!

I have a tendency to plan too early then go back to the drawing board when changes happen 🤷‍♀️

We used Gatwick once, then took a train into London...but that was a loooong time ago. Now we always fly into LHR simply because that is where we get direct flights (ease of travel for us). 

We use a car service to get us from the airport to the hotel (whether it is London or Southampton). Doesn't get much easier than that. However, if you are interested in trains, buses(coaches), or cruise ship transfers, there is a lot of information about travel to Southampton at the top of this board. 

I don't know about B&B's near the port. Hotels--depends on your budget and your preferences. Premier Inn West Quay was reasonably priced, basic but clean, and easy to get a cab to port. Many on this board also seem to like the Holiday Inn and the Moxie hotel for proximity to the port and to shopping/restaurants. 

Once we used International Friends as a transfer from the cruise port to a London hotel post-cruise and they include stops at Stonehenge, Salisbury Cathedral, Windsor Castle. It was a busy, full day and the stops felt a bit rushed, but it was an efficient way to see 3 great places. Highly recommend all three. I think International Friends also offers transfers and tours to Southampton. https://www.internationalfriends.co.uk

Update: The airline changed the flight time to almost an hour earlier now! Too much stress for me...we decided to add a day on to the trip and fly home the next day. Thankfully, because the airline changed the flight, we are not paying an additional fare. 

We've visited London 5 times now, checked off everything on our London must-do list. We wanted this next trip to be a little more low-key and decided to stay in Windsor for two days pre-cruise (the first day we will probably be moving slowly after an overnight flight from the US). We toured Windsor Castle once with an International Friends transfer/tour, but did not spend any other time in Windsor. 

Now, our flight has been changed and we will have three days. Is that too much time in Windsor? Other than the castle, and walking around the town shops etc., what would you suggest visiting in the Windsor area? Should we go somewhere else for a day? Suggestions? 

If Windsor is more suited to a one-day visit, we could do that after the cruise instead and spend a few days somewhere else pre-cruise...I'm just not sure where to go. We've been to Bath and the Cotswolds, Stonehenge, Salisbury, Oxford, Cambridge, Canterbury and of course Southampton. 

Another consideration--we usually book private car transfers since Mr. Blue travels with a standard wheelchair and I do not like hauling luggage around on trains. 

Decisions, decisions....it's a wonderful problem to have. Thank you in advance for any suggestions.

18 hours ago, ltthib said:

Staying in London after a trans Atlantic in May. Taking the cruise line transfer from Southampton. We're at the St. James Court hotel. Can anyone please recommend our best options for getting to Heathrow after the stay? That's the only part that we don't have planned yet.

We used Blackberry Cars a few times (pre-pandemic) for London/Heathrow transportation and were satisfied. As we are preparing for our next trip I will probably get quotes from Blackberry Cars and 2 other car services--maybe Just Airports and Blacklane, as those names seem to come up in other forums too. 

On 1/7/2024 at 6:48 AM, John Bull said:

The Harbour Hotel Southampton (is this the hotel that you mean?). The city's only major 5-star hotel, a comparatively recent build. Broadly in the shape of a cruise ship, it juts out into Ocean Village Marina  - decades ago it was the cross-channel ferry port, now an area of up-market condos, a limited number of restaurants, cinema, etc., but only a single shop, a convenience store.  A super spot, but again not as convenient as those under the afore-mentioned handkerchief - but if you've got Harbour Hotel money the occasional short taxi hop won't break the bank. We've enjoyed sunday lunch there, and several evenings in its "HarBar on 6th", where prices are surprisingly reasonable. Its address is Ocean Village

https://www.harbourhotels.co.uk/southampton

Yes! Sounds like an interesting hotel, and maybe a little removed from the pre-cruise crowds of the Moxy and Premier Inn. 

On our last UK cruise with Princess, we docked in Dublin. This time the ship will tender to Dun Laoghaire for Dublin. I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced Dublin from this tender port. Did Princess offer a shuttle to Dublin? Or were there cabs readily available? I was making plans (tickets for Book of Kells, etc.) based on our previous experience and just realized this is a tender port now. I'm guessing I will need to add time to our day for transportation, but not sure what to expect.  

On 1/28/2024 at 3:21 PM, karatemom2 said:

We stayed at the Harbour Hotel Southampton just this past September on the night before our cruise. It was lovely - great room, wonderful setting in the harbor and nice breakfast. They are very convenient to the port and offer shuttle service - just be sure to sign up for your time when you check in. We didn’t realize that was necessary and it was quite busy in the morning with many pre cruise guests staying in the hotel. We opted to just Uber over as we didn’t want to wait for the next available shuttle time which was Noon. 
 

I would absolutely stay there again. We are visiting Portsmouth prior to our cruise this summer, but otherwise I would definitely be booking at the Harbour Hotel. 

Thanks for the information. From what I am reading, I think this is the right choice for us. The possible shuttle is a bonus, although we are willing to Uber or take a cab as well. I will report back after our stay!

The Harbour hotel looks quite interesting. Wondering if anyone has stayed at the Harbour Hotel in Southampton pre-cuise? Are there shops, restaurants nearby? Is it a long taxi ride to the port in the morning and will it be difficult to get a taxi then?

In the past we have stayed at the Premier Inn near the shopping mall and found it to be very busy, crowded in the morning, and a little basic. The one thing we liked about the Premier Inn was using the dedicated phone to call a cab and being picked up at the back door. 

We also stayed at the Hilton Ageas Bowl once: interesting property (we had a pitch-view room), quiet, nice restaurant, good breakfast buffet, but it was a longer cab ride in the morning and it took awhile for the cab to show up.

Now debating the Moxy or the Harbour hotel for this trip. The Moxy looks like it might be similar to the Premier Inn. Seems like it is within easy walking distance of shops and restaurants, but will it be a big crush the morning of the cruise? We will still need a cab, and will that be a challenge with the mobs of cruisers? 

Ah--thank you for the clarification!

This time, we booked a mini-suite, not a full suite, for our cruise on the Regal. Is the Concierge Lounge available to us as Platinum level cruisers? On the Princess website it says access to the "Platinum and Elite Lounge" and I am assuming this is the Concierge Lounge. 

In the past, we haven't really used it because it was not near our stateroom, but we will be closer this time.

Thank you--we will definitely book one of the Southampton cars. After I wrote the original post, I remembered we once had a Blackberry car show up a half hour late to take us to the airport. That trip, it was ok because I had plenty of time built in for that type of issue (still a little anxiety-provoking).

This is the tightest timeline we've been on, but there was a significant price difference between a Thursday flight and a Friday or Saturday flight so I couldn't resist.  Thanks for the feedback and fingers crossed we will get home as planned!

On 11/5/2023 at 4:39 PM, Shiba_Lover said:

How much time do you need to pad the car service pick yup time for Heathrow?  Let's say your flight arrives at 10:30 AM (on a Saturday in summer - so I expect it to be busy).  Would a noon pick up time be OK?  We are coming direct from US, so will need to go through passport control.

We usually just give the car service our flight information and let them estimate the time. Usually they watch the flight for delays as well. It's never been a problem with a car service yet.