Taxi from Heathrow to Southampton

[AnneS]

Can anyone recommend a reliable, affordable taxi service to take one person to a ship?

[HeinBloed]

Can anyone recommend a reliable, affordable taxi service to take one person to a ship?

 

You can try West Quay Cars:

 

http://www.westquaycars.co.uk/

 

From Southampton to Heathrow it's 85 GBP.

 

Check if they can offer you the same price back to Southampton.

 

With one person I would use the ship's bus transfer which should be cheaper than 85 GBP.

 

Regards

HeinBloed

[John Bull]

You can try West Quay Cars:

 

http://www.westquaycars.co.uk/

 

From Southampton to Heathrow it's 85 GBP.

 

Check if they can offer you the same price back to Southampton.

 

With one person I would use the ship's bus transfer which should be cheaper than 85 GBP.

 

Regards

HeinBloed

 

I agree with HeinBloed, a Southampton taxi firm such as West Quay is likely to be best value for a private transfer (fuel prices rising, mebbe a little more than £85 now or soon) but for one person you'll get airport terminal to quayside cheaper with ship's transfer coach. Or National Express scheduled coach service about £30 but this means making your way the short distance to the Heathrow airport bus station from terms 1, 2, 3 (Nat Express call at T4 & T5), and a £5 to £8 taxi ride from Southampton coach station to your cruise terminal.

John Bull

[AnneS]

Thank you for the advice. I've written to the Southampton taxi company. The main problem with the cruise company's transfer is not the price, but that I'll have to wait at the airport for about six hours for their bus to leave.

[scottbee]

http://nationalexpress.com/ offer coaches roughly hourly to Southampton, much cheaper than a taxi for the 80 miles.

[vvnh16a]

DJC Private Hire quoted us 100 BP for 6 people from heathrow to Southampton (includes luggage) and an additional 50 BP for a 1 hour stop in Stonehenge with final drop off at the hotel. Does this sound reasonable???

[John Bull]

Thank you for the advice. I've written to the Southampton taxi company. The main problem with the cruise company's transfer is not the price, but that I'll have to wait at the airport for about six hours for their bus to leave.

 

I'm intrigued, have you got your times right?

 

The first ship's transfer coach usually starts picking up passengers around 09.30, leaves Heathrow maybe 10.15am, gets to the ship 11.30/11.45.

Last ship's transfer coach usually leaves Heathrow around 13.00, gets to the ship around 14.30

Unless perhaps it's not one of the standard major US cruiselines, & plans to offer a single transfer coach from Heathrow?

 

And bear in mind you won't be able to board the ship until about 11.00

Can you shed a little more light on your arrival time/ship's transfer pick-ups?

JB

[John Bull]

DJC Private Hire quoted us 100 BP for 6 people from heathrow to Southampton (includes luggage) and an additional 50 BP for a 1 hour stop in Stonehenge with final drop off at the hotel. Does this sound reasonable???

 

That sounds very reasonable for the size of vehicle, esp bearing in mind that collecting from an airport involves parking & waiting costs.

The diversion to take in the one hour stop at Stonehenge will also add 40 miles and up to an hour to your travelling time, so again the extra £50 is reasonable.

But from Stonehenge to Southampton you could still try to persuade the driver to take you through Salisbury city centre rather than round its ring road. ;)

 

John Bull

[HeinBloed]

I'm intrigued, have you got your times right?

 

The first ship's transfer coach usually starts picking up passengers around 09.30, leaves Heathrow maybe 10.15am, gets to the ship 11.30/11.45.

Last ship's transfer coach usually leaves Heathrow around 13.00, gets to the ship around 14.30

Unless perhaps it's not one of the standard major US cruiselines, & plans to offer a single transfer coach from Heathrow?

 

And bear in mind you won't be able to board the ship until about 11.00

Can you shed a little more light on your arrival time/ship's transfer pick-ups?

JB

 

I would not be worry about it:

 

1. Even you are "early" with your taxi in Southampton and you cannot check-in, you can already hand over your bags for delivery to the ship.

 

You can use the same taxi as all four terminals in Southampton have drop-off lines for baggage and you can use the same taxi to get in town and browse there around before you get back to the cruise terminal for check-in

 

2. If you book a ship's transfer but have not booked a fly-cruise-arrangement they tell you the time to be latest in Heathrow. All fly-cruise-passenger arrives in the early morning from the US and Canada and they will "kill" the cruise line if they need to wait 6 hours before their bus goes. So they have as John Bull stated earlier departures for such customers who arrive very early and start when the bus is full. If they are "too early" they are doing a little sightseeing to "kill" time until the check-in opens at the cruise terminal in Southampton. So even your ticket shows to be at 12.30 hrs at Heathrow there are buses leaving much more earlier than the indicated time.

 

Regards

HeinBloed

[vvnh16a]

John Bull

 

Thanks for your comments and suggestion about including Salisbury City Center en route to Southampton...we will definitely persue that with DJC.