Heathrow to Southampton

[cruis247g]

Hello all,

 

Once again, after speaking with the cruise line, whose rep assured me that this would "...be just fine," I'm coming to Cruise Critic for advice.

 

Our family would like to take the Saturday, June 23 Celebrity Eclipse sailing. Unfortunately, DH absolutely can not leave work until the afternoon of Friday, June 22. He could catch an evening flight from the East Coast of the US and be at LHR by early morning. The Eclipse is scheduled for a 4:30pm departure.

 

You probably already know where this is going... Do you think he could make it from Heathrow to Southampton in time? (The rest of the family would probably fly in a couple of days earlier.) If it's possible, what is the quickest and most reliable way to get from LHR to Southampton?

 

Another question, does any one know if insurance would cover DH if he "misses the boat" due to a delayed flight, traffic, etc. and has to meet us in Brussels the next day?

 

We are the type that always fly in at least a day early, so this is far from ideal for us, but we really want to take this trip.

 

I'd really appreciate any input. Thanks so very much for all your advice and assistance. (I know I saw a discussion of this some time ago, but it's not coming up when I search. Please forgive me if this is redundant.)

 

All the best to each of you!

[Traveling Library]

We flew in same day Boston to Heathrow in June. Our rules:

travel must be during no-snow season, the flight must be non-stop, and it cannot be the last flight of the day.

We took the ship's transfer and made it to the ship in plenty of time (we booked the air ourselves). Do I like doing this? No, but we too had schedule/work restrictions.

[cruis247g]

We flew in same day Boston to Heathrow in June. Our rules:

travel must be during no-snow season, the flight must be non-stop, and it cannot be the last flight of the day.

We took the ship's transfer and made it to the ship in plenty of time (we booked the air ourselves). Do I like doing this? No, but we too had schedule/work restrictions.

Thanks Traveling Library. Fortunately, there are a few non-stops that he could take. Do you recall how long it took to get from the airport to the pier?

[Traveling Library]

If I recall correctly the travel time on the bus was slightly under 2 hours. It is hard to remember since we waited a while for the bus to arrive at Heathrow and then we detoured to Winchester for several (3?) hours (ship was undergoing a thorough cleaning and no new passengers were allowed on before 2PM). Despite that we were on the ship by 2 or 2:30.

I do know that there were people coming in on the later overnight flight (arrived 9:30 AM) and they made the ship.

[Traveling Library]

A link about transportation from Heathrow to Southampton that says the trip is 135 minutes or 2 hours 15 minutes by bus.

[John Bull]

The big questionmark is flight connections/delays.

But if he arrives at Heathrow vaguely on-time, he should be fine, Eclipse' charter buses will be running that morning

 

Cheapest option is by coach, under £20

http://www.nationalexpress.com/coach/index.cfm

the trip is

from: Heathrow bus station (for T1 & T3) or T4 or T5. The bus station is a ten minute walk from terminal 1 or 3, the bus stops for T4 & T5 are on the terminal concourses

To: Southampton coach station. Ignore the cruise terminal option, it doesn't apply to your cruise.

Journey time about 2 hrs by coach.

You need to book in advance

 

Eclipse usually berths at City Cruise Terminal, walkable even with rolling luggage, or a £5 taxi-fare (rank at the coach station)

 

Or by train, variable but about £30 to £40

http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/service/planjourney/search

From: (same options as Nat Express coach)

To: Southampton Central

Bear in mind that there isn't actually a train route from Heathrow to Southampton. Your train ticket gets you a RailAir shuttle-bus (same routine as Nat Express) to a mainline station (Reading or Woking), where you board a direct train to Southampton.

Although trains are generally much quicker than coaches, the coach link means that the total journey time is similar, about 2 hours.

For this reason, Heathrow to Southampton by train is generally less popular. ............ BUT

the journey to Southampton is on a summer saturday morning, and the motorway can get seriously clogged, esp if there's an accident or roadworks. The train will be much more reliable, and well worth considering because of when he's travelling.

Trains don't normally have to be booked in advance, but I don't know whether its any different cos of the RailAir shuttle-bus.

 

Southampton train station is near the coach station, a slightly longer walk or £5-£7 taxi hop (rank at the station)

 

Because of the possible road congestion, worth considering Celebrity's bus transfer?

Much more expensive than Nat Express, but it's airport terminal to cruise terminal and, much more important, once aboard the bus Celebrity are responsible for getting him to the ship, so a traffic logjam won't be his problem/

 

A private road transfer will be about £90, excluding traffic grief journey time 90 mins or less. Regular drivers will know the state of the roads & all the dodges.

 

Lots of options. :confused:

Brew a coffee & consider the pros & cons. ;)

 

JB :)

[gosport11]

The ships had delayed departure last week because a lot of coaches where stuck on the A34,so for peace of mind i would also take the ships shuttle if arriving same day

[cruis247g]

Thanks so much to everyone. I think we've come to the conclusion that it is possible as long as DH can get a non-stop that isn't the last non-stop out of town and that he needs to take the Celebrity transfer.

 

Again, thanks to everyone!!

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

The ships had delayed departure last week because a lot of coaches where stuck on the A34,so for peace of mind i would also take the ships shuttle if arriving same day

I 2nd that....