Cruise out os Southampton - which airport?

Hello everyone.

Yesterday, I booked a Mediterranean cruise round trip from Southampton on Royal Caribbean in May 2018. I need to book flights soon. Can anyone give suggestions on what airport to use, Southampton or London? We are leaving (from Florida) a couple days early. The flights are cheaper into London. Have you flown to London and took a train or something to Southampton? Also, can you give some ideas on where to stay in Southampton? We prefer hotels, but I guess a B & B would be ok...never done that. Thank you. Any suggestions on airport and hotels are most appreciated.

Kim

You will need to fly into London Heathrow or London Gatwick - both have express trains into London - Heathrow probably easier & quicker.

From London you can take a train or coach to Southampton then a quick taxi to your hotel. Most people tend to opt for the Premier Inn West Quay or the Holiday Inn (Herbert Walker Ave.)

You will get lots more info on the British Isles/Northern Europe board......

Hello everyone.

 

Yesterday, I booked a Mediterranean cruise round trip from Southampton on Royal Caribbean in May 2018. I need to book flights soon. Can anyone give suggestions on what airport to use, Southampton or London? We are leaving (from Florida) a couple days early. The flights are cheaper into London. Have you flown to London and took a train or something to Southampton? Also, can you give some ideas on where to stay in Southampton? We prefer hotels, but I guess a B & B would be ok...never done that. Thank you. Any suggestions on airport and hotels are most appreciated.

 

Kim

Southampton is a small airport would be surprised if could get direct flight into there

find the British isles sub forum not other med ports you have posted this on and you will find an active thread discussing how to get from Heathrow to Southampton

Hello everyone.

 

 

 

Yesterday, I booked a Mediterranean cruise round trip from Southampton on Royal Caribbean in May 2018. I need to book flights soon. Can anyone give suggestions on what airport to use, Southampton or London? We are leaving (from Florida) a couple days early. The flights are cheaper into London. Have you flown to London and took a train or something to Southampton? Also, can you give some ideas on where to stay in Southampton? We prefer hotels, but I guess a B & B would be ok...never done that. Thank you. Any suggestions on airport and hotels are most appreciated.

 

 

 

Kim

Definitely fly into either Gatwick or Heathrow rather than into Southampton. There is an option of then going to Southampton by coach or train or by private car transfer.

If you choose the train option I can recommend the Novotel at Southampton. It’s right by the station so no need for a taxi to there.

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Southampton airport is a friendly little regional airport but doesn't offer long-haul flights such as from Florida. Those who fly to Southampton do so by changing planes at a European hub such as Paris or Amsterdam or Dublin, which generally make it far more expensive than flying direct to a London airport & completing the journey by rail or by road.

(Flying in to Southampton airport can be a good choice if you're also taking the opportunity to visit mainland Europe.)

Check out flights from a convenient Florida airport to London's Heathrow (LHR) or Gatwick (LGW). It makes little odds which of those airports you use to get to Southampton (or central London), so choose according to best flight value / convenience / preferred airline rather than arrival airport.

For public transport from LHR to Southampton the cheapest (under £20 pp) & simplest is by direct bus https://www.nationalexpress.com/en & the journey time is something over 2 hours

From LGW you have the choice of direct train (station is in the airport's south terminal) http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/ or direct bus. Again, under £20 pp. Journey time 2 hrs by train, 2.5 hrs by bus. No direct train service on sundays, when the bus is the simpler bet.

If you plan to spend pre or post-cruise time in London you have the choices of direct bus or train travel on routes to Southampton and both LHR & LGW.

I suggest you choose your London hotel & transfers after you've booked flights - central London is a large area and the easiest location for a London hotel will depend on your travel arrangements in and out.

A pre-booked Southampton private transfer from LHR is vaguely about £90, from LGW about £115, from central London about £130.

A précis and map of Southampton city centre hotels at

https://www.londontoolkit.com/travel/southampton_accommodation.htm

Missing from that page are Southampton Harbour Hotel (new 5-star off Platform Road) and Pig-in-the-Wall (a boutique set into the city wall behind Grand Harbour hotel).

RCI use City Cruise Terminal (red A on the map). Easily walkable from there are Holiday Inn ( the one in Herbert Walker Ave, but neither of the H.I. Express's, which are on the city limits), Premier Inn West Quay (Premier Inn City Centre / New Road is less convenient and not so highly-recommended), Grand Harbour, Ennio's and Pig-in-the-Wall.

All the above are popular with cruisers.

Further from City Cruise Terminal but also tolerably walkable include Ibis, Ibis Budget, Novotel,

All other hotels on the map are a short (£7 - £8) taxi ride to the terminal.

B&B's are further out from the city centre, mainly well north of the rail station (black A on the map)

JB :)

Hello everyone.

Thank you for the information. We booked flights to London, and we will most likely take the bus to Southampton.

Kim

Hi Kim

The National Express Coach is extremely handy. We've used it before after spending a couple of days in London and then boarded it at Victoria Coach Station to Southampton. I've booked it again in April from Heathrow to Southampton for £57 return for both of us.

Mary

We used National Express from Heathrow Terminal bus station to Southampton bus station. They run about every 90 minutes and take about 2 hours. We stayed at the Mercure Southampton Dolphin. Great location. Short taxi ride from bus station. You can walk to the cruise terminal area but hotel provided free transportation. I would stay there again.

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