Southampton via Gatwick

[FawnRiver]

DH & I are finally taking our first real international trip. (Our three previous cruises have all been out of FLL.) We're flying from YYZ to LGW in advance of our TA cruise out of Southampton in November. I was wondering what to expect when we land at Gatwick, since our collective airport experience is limited to YYZ & FLL. We're planning on taking the train from Gatwick to Southampton and staying there for a couple days, so if anyone has any information about the train service, that would be great, too.

 

Thanking you all in advance,

FawnRiver :)

[NorbertsNiece]

Suggest you pre book your train tickets via http://www.thetrainline.com

This will be the most cost effective way of purchase. You will receive a booking reference which you then use to retrieve the tickets at a machine at the station.

[FlyerTalker]

Or you can go directly to the train line's website - it is the Southern Railway that goes from LGW to Southampton.

 

A couple of caveats. You are responsible for your own luggage. You have to leave the baggage area, down escalator and out to the platform. There are porters that can help move the bags to the platform, but unless you tip well, they will not stay there to then move the bags onto the train. At Southampton, you will have to move your own bags as well off the train and to the street.

 

In addition, LGW has two terminals, so you may need to move your bags between terminals just to get to the one with the train station.

 

As for Gatwick...you will go through immigration, then retrieve bags and go through customs.

[Budget Queen]

I wouldn't spend a "couple" days in Southampton. IF you haven't been to England before, add at least three days and spend two in London.

[FawnRiver]

Of course, I had to forget the one detail that we're coming into the South Terminal, which I understand is the better one for making the connection to the train.

 

Thanks for the tips!:D

[PennyAgain]

With the train you have to open the door yourself, load your luggage and store it on your own. No help at all.

 

I find this too difficult to do and prefer to take the National Express Coach whenever that is an option and the drivers load the luggage into the coach (bus) and will help you up the stairs if you need a hand.

 

That is too much time in Southampton. The most I've ever spent there is 30 hours and I ran out of things to do.

[BridgeMates]

With the train you have to open the door yourself, load your luggage and store it on your own. No help at all.

 

I find this too difficult to do and prefer to take the National Express Coach whenever that is an option and the drivers load the luggage into the coach (bus) and will help you up the stairs if you need a hand.

 

That is too much time in Southampton. The most I've ever spent there is 30 hours and I ran out of things to do.

 

I agree. We took the bus and thoroughly enjoyed the drive down. Very reasonable....manged to get a senior rate. Stopped a couple of times on the way down and one small town seemed very interesting (I think it was Winchester). If you're looking for something to do after seeing Southhampton, you might want to take the bus to Winchester. The bus station was right around the corner from the Holiday Inn where we were staying pre-cruise. Good luck.

[PennyAgain]

Yes, Winchester is very interesting.

 

I learned my lesson about trains in the UK. Very much self service. I do not travel with much luggage. One bag and a small carry on, but I find it difficult to manage that much on the trains.

 

I find the National Express Coach people to be kind and helpful. They have never let me miss my stop which has happened to me on the trains.

 

Yes to the Senior Rate as well.

[FawnRiver]

Thanks for all the pointers about the baggage and assistance, its good to know. Mind you, we're a little younger than the average cruiser and we're getting to be lighter packers (its a learning curve, but we're getting there - just need more practice ;)).

 

Anyway, I'm not expecting to sleep on the flight - I can't sleep sitting up and I'm a nervous flyer to boot. Our first day will be a total write off for jet lag, so we only have two full days in Southampton before heading to port to board the ship.

[cindep]

If you decide to take the train, you can purchase your ticket right there are LGW. It has been several years since we took the train, but we went with no clue and in my case VERY jetlagged (also a nervous flyer). We didn't purchase our tickets ahead of time because we were concerned about any flight delays.

 

Once we got our tickets we first got something to eat and coffee before leaving the airport area. We just asked and were directed down the escalator to where the trains are. There will be a LOT of different trains coming and going. Again tell the attendants on the platform where you're going and ask what to do. When we took the train, only certain cars went all the way to Southampton (some split off). We didn't have any problems missing our stop as we went all the way to the end.

 

We stayed at the Novotel hotel and once we exited the train, again, asked the locals what to do. Everyone we came into contact with was very friendly and helpful. Guess they heard our accents and took pity!

 

We went to lunch/dinner and were in bed by 7 p.m. local time. Small tip: if you are used to showering with a washcloth, you will need to bring your own. For some reason they didn't provide them at the hotel.

 

There is a large shopping mall where you can get all kinds of different foods. We found it interesting, but of course everything is more expensive than in the states.

[FlyerTalker]

Highly suggest that if you are going to take the train, don't wait to buy your tickets at LGW. Advance purchase fares can be significantly less than walk-up.