Megatrain unavailable - national expess an option ??

[downundermatt]

I had planned Megatrain from London to Southhampton 04 September, but as seats are unavailable am looking at National Express for 4 Quid.

The return back into Heathrow Airport on National Express is showing 34 Quid, am thinking we (two of us) may as well return back to LHR via taxi..... Any thoughts ?

[John Bull]

It's a tuesday, & Megatrain tickets are usually available. But bookings for all dates are currently blanked, ditto on some of the other routes & this isn't cos they're booked-out - I'm guessing there's a contract re-vamp being negotiated or somesuch.

 

Nat Express central London-Southampton at their £4 advance bucket price is a bargain, the rate is normally around £16 pp vs the regular train fare of around £35 pp.

 

Check out www.greyhounduk.com/ who offer an almost identical coach service to Nat Express, currently £6.50 advance purchase for your date.

 

Whichever you choose, prices do change & coaches do book-out, so best not delay booking.

Notes:

- on Nat Express, your destination is Southampton Coach Station. Southampton Cruise ship terminal is a red-herring, it doesn't apply to your ship.

- if the site won't accept your booking, you'll need to advise your card company that you want to make a booking on a UK site

 

.............................................................................................

 

As other Nat Express airport routes, Southampton to Heathrow there are no bucket prices (they know airport-bound folk have to travel).

I'm guessing the £34 quote is for two.

Since you'll need to arrive at the airport on time, again early booking is advisable cos early coaches book-out.

(The train to Heathrow is a poor option, about £36 pp & involves a train to Woking mainline rail station then an included shuttle-bus to the airport. Total journey about the same as Nat Express but twice the money & not as simple)

 

Private airport transfer for two about £90, for four mebbe £120.

 

JB :)

[rebeccalouiseagain]

Are you asking about a taxi to the airport from London or all the way from Southampton

[aquilegia]

I very much doubt that National Express price from London to Heathrow is £34 per person. I would check that again

[rebeccalouiseagain]

The National Express offers buses from the cruise port to Heathrow airport. Depending what terminal you are going to I saw really long journeys and shorter journeys but with all of them you are having to connect at London Victoria station. The fare is 36 pounds per person from Southampton to Heathrow.

 

It would be outrageously expensive to taxi there from Southampton (it's a 90 minute journey- probably at least 200 pounds)

 

I would check with the cruise line- personally I'd rather do the cruise bus and go directly to the airport with no stops if that is offered.

[2irisheyes]

I just did a dummy enquiry and the fare quoted Southampton coach station to Heathrow Airport is £16.60 per person.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I didn't check for the coach station, I checked the price from the ship to the airport.

 

You would save time and money by going to the coach station instead of taking a bus from the ship and they are direct.

[John Bull]

I didn't check for the coach station, I checked the price from the ship to the airport.

 

You would save time and money by going to the coach station instead of taking a bus from the ship and they are direct.

 

 

As my first post, an arrival or departure point of Southampton (cruise ship terminal) is a red-herring.

Cruisers should book to/from Southampton (coach station)

 

Southampton has four cruise terminals in different locations & the website doesn't ask which cruise terminal.

This is because the service to/from "Cruise Terminal" only operates for Fred Olsen cruises, and as you've found out it is routed from the appropriate cruise terminal to Victoria coach station for £30, or onward from there to Heathrow for another £6 - a ridiculous routing and price.

Even Fred Olsen passengers would do better to book via the regular service to/from Southampton coach station.

 

Regular prices from Southampton coach station are around £17 to Heathrow, or £12 - £16 (& often deeply discounted) to London Victoria, or £7 upward to Gatwick.

 

I've e-mailed Nat Express a couple of times to tell them that their poor website confuses cruisers & costs them business

- on days when there's a Fred Olsen sailing, other cruisers will book more-competetively-priced cruise ship transfers or the train or private transfers. Those who do book "Cruise Terminal" will find they've paid over-the-odds to be delivered to the wrong cruise terminal.:mad:

- when there's no Fred Olsen sailing (there's only half a doz per year) the website offers no service, & cruisers presume there's no coach from Southampton that day or coaches are fully-booked.

 

The coach station is a £5 to £8 taxi ride from any cruise terminal.

 

Complicated, innit :rolleyes:

 

JB :)

[srpilo]

John, do you think it's possible that Mega-Train has come to an end. I've read on other sites that it's possible the contract won't be renewed.

 

 

 

Any local UK hints or thoughts on whether booking dates will become available again in the future ?

Srpilo

[2irisheyes]

Srpilo - could it be because of the Olympics and Paralympics. I found a small notice on the megatrain website that (some?) tickets would not be available between 20 June and 9 September. By that time everything would be done and dusted. We shall see. I do not know if all routes are unavailable. Could the Southampton journeys be affected by the route to Weymouth which is the location of sailing events.

[John Bull]

John, do you think it's possible that Mega-Train has come to an end. I've read on other sites that it's possible the contract won't be renewed.

 

 

 

Any local UK hints or thoughts on whether booking dates will become available again in the future ?

Srpilo

 

 

I've not heard about Megatrain ceasing operations, and the matter of a contract was pure guesswork on my part. But yes, the demise of Megatrain - or at least some of its routes - is one possibility.

BTW, Megatrain is a sister company of South-West Trains, whch actually operates routes in the area, though Megatrain tix are/were also available in other parts of the country on trains run by other operators.

 

The high demand (thus pretty full trains & no need to discount) for London's Olympics & Paralympics is another theory. Wading through the routes on which Megatrain tix have been available, to see which have been suspended is one way of figuring that out ......... but this from an on-line blog might shed some light:

 

Originally Posted by SWT quote from Miss JJ33

South West Trains are not offering any megatrain services from Monday 23 July - Saturday 8 September 2012. This period covers the Opening Ceremony (on Fri 27 July) to the end of the Paralympics. We are expecting a high demand for our trains over the summer period both to and from London. Megatrain was set up to offer low cost travel on services with available capacity and with the anticipated demand generated by the Olympics, Paralympics and various cultural events; we felt it inappropriate to offer megatrain services during this period.

 

That quote purported to be from South West Trains, but posted by a blogger (Miss JJ33).

On a brief trawl of the 'net I found a couple of word-perfect identical quotes from other bloggers, so although I couldn't find the original it seems the most likely explanation.

 

We're now about 6 weeks out from 8th September, so if this is the case we should see tix for 9th Sept onward being available very shortly.

 

Shame that there's no mention on the Megatrain website, which would clear up the confusion. The only reference I could find was that Olympics conggestion might disrupt rgeir Megabus service

 

BTW, some bloggers were calling the suspension of bucket-seats "exploitation", which is a bit rich. Increasing standard fares would be exploitation, but suspension of special offers designed to fill empty capacity is simple common-sense. Just MHO.

 

JB :)

[srpilo]

Wow John, thanks for your efforts in forming your comprehensive response

 

 

 

 

Very useful information, and logical assumptions

Srpilo

[ahoymatey1]

very complicated indeed....

 

so if the two of us were to take the coach, we would take it straight from heathrow to the coach station in southampton ...all for a cost of $16.50 each, for one way, is there a seniors rate? I could not find that on the web site....

 

on the way back, from southampton station straighaway to heathrow or is there a stop at victoria station and if we have to stop there, is there a further fee to get to heathrow?

 

thank you so much for all your patience with all this....

[rebeccalouiseagain]

The price for the bus is in pounds not dollars- which means for a 17 pound ticket the cost in dollars is $26+ (considering the fees involved in charging or changing dollars for pounds). There was no senior discount.

 

The ones that leave from Southampton Station go to Heathrow with no connections.

 

 

Go to the National Express site for more details.

[John Bull]

very complicated indeed....

 

so if the two of us were to take the coach, we would take it straight from heathrow to the coach station in southampton ...all for a cost of $16.50 each, for one way, is there a seniors rate? I could not find that on the web site....

 

on the way back, from southampton station straighaway to heathrow or is there a stop at victoria station and if we have to stop there, is there a further fee to get to heathrow?

 

thank you so much for all your patience with all this....

 

Heathrow is on London's western outskirts - between Southampton & central London's Victoria coach station, so you won't be going anywhere near Victoria station.:)

Southampton to Heathrow (& vice-versa) is a simple direct single journey, takes about 2 hours. About £16 pp in each direction. As RebeccaLouise's answer, that's £, not $

 

Seniors' fares were subsidised by the British govt, but discontinued that subsidy last year due to the credit crunch.

 

JB :)

[downundermatt]

Thanks JB and all for your advice.

 

I gave up on the Megatrain and got the 4 Pound Ticket London-Southampton thru National Express. (each) 04SEP

 

The return from Southampton to Heathrow Airport is 34.50 (each) for a lesser distance I assume. 14 SEP

 

Am I missing something ? Still want to look into a private car and maybe stop en route from Southampton at the New Forest or Stonehenge .....

[John Bull]

 

The return from Southampton to Heathrow Airport is 34.50 (each) for a lesser distance I assume. 14 SEP

 

Am I missing something ? Still want to look into a private car and maybe stop en route from Southampton at the New Forest or Stonehenge .....

 

Ouch !!

I can only think you've punched into the Nat Express website both the wrong date & the wrong pick-up point, Matt !!:p

 

Your dates suggest you're on QM2.

http://www.southamptonvts.co.uk/Live_Information/Shipping_Movements_and_Cruise_Ship_Schedule/Cruise_Ship_Schedule/

As my earlier posts, your pick-up point is Southampton (coach station), there are a number of coaches - depending on your flight time, you'd make the 07.45 if you had early unassisted disembarkation but ideal would be the 09.45.

The price shown on the Nat Express website is their standard Heathrow price, £17.20 per person, journey time about 2 hours.

 

When there's a Fred Olsen cruise ship sailing, Nat Express provide a service from its cruise terminal.

That's no good for you, for a start it's the wrong cruise terminal.

And it's quite a ridiculous service for Fred Olsen passengers - saves them a £5 taxi fare from ship to Southampton coach station, but takes them to Victoria coach station where they change to a Heathrow coach, total journey time and coach fare roughly doubled. :eek:

 

There's no Fred Olsen sailing on 14 Sept, and punching in that date from Southampton (cruise ship terminal) shows no service available.

But punching in Southampton (cruise ship terminal) when a Fred Olsen's ship is in, offers a coach from its terminal at 09.00, journey time 3hrs 45, fare £34.50 to £36 per person.

 

So go back to the Nat Express website & punch in "from" Southampton (coach station), & your date of 14 Sept.

 

Yes, £17.20 is a chunk more than £4, & for a lesser distance.

But the £17.20 is a fair price for a 60 mile journey, the London Victoria run is a silly-cheap bargain at £4.

For coaches to Heathrow Nat Express has a monopoly, and those are folk who clearly have to travel, doing so by train is more expensive (no megatrain to Heathrow), and driving involves hefty long-term parking costs.

For coaches into London they have good competition from a number of public transport options, and they're all trying to persuade folk to take a trip instead of sitting at home or driving - hence the bargains.

 

If you want a private sight-seeing transfer to Heathrow, try

www.westquaycars.com or www.smithsforairports.com

Their simple direct transfers to Heathrow are around £95 the car.

Via stops at Salisbury & Stonehenge would be around £150 at a guess, & they could probably build in a corner of the New Forest on the way to Salisbury for same money. These are drivers, not guides, but they tend to know their stuff.Entrance to Stonehenge is about £12 pp, though you could do a drive-by if you simply wanted to tick the place off on your list.

This'd be the route including a stretch of the New Forest.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?saddr=Southampton&daddr=50.97055,-1.59075+to:50.93049,-1.75817+to:Salisbury+to:Stonehenge,+Amesbury+to:Heathrow+Airport+London,+London+Borough+of+Hillingdon&hl=en&ll=51.179343,-0.862427&spn=1.074406,5.652466&sll=50.952371,-1.525726&sspn=0.594338,1.413116&geocode=FQTSCAMdQZLq_ykJKRW-V4lzSDHwcdpMalqMpw%3BFba_CQMdIrrn_ylzVryrYotzSDEesN6LwJ9m_Q%3BFTojCQMdJizl_ylNSIz06ZNzSDGMlZup1n3VdA%3BFXE_CwMdWJ7k_ym3mwA2VYxzSDEGql7ygOCjDQ%3BFYLtDAMdWiLk_yFx1I2uJiGawikR9gqFO-ZzSDFx1I2uJiGawg%3BFSljEQMdPhX5_yFnQfZDVVPnjynpbcXNNHJ2SDFnQfZDVVPnjw&oq=Heathrow&mra=dpe&mrsp=1&sz=10&via=1,2&t=m&z=8&layer=c&cbll=51.179413,-1.825426&panoid=8YB00250BDY8BRdZxsmywA&cbp=11,227.2,,0,0

 

But if you want, say, an hour in Salisbury & an hour at Stonehenge, it needs a pick-up from the ship around 8am & flight out of Heathrow after 3pm to be worthwhile.

 

JB :)

[downundermatt]

Thanks again JB for your help - I had the right websight and date - just had the price for two tickets ........ OOOPS :D

Have decided to go with Smiths with a hour Stop in Stonehenge en route.

 

QM2 due in at 0630, and Smith's suggest leaving at 0800 - reckon we will be off in time, was thinking more likely 0900 - will that 3.5 hours be long enough Southampton to Heathrwo with the Stonehenge visit ?

[John Bull]

Thanks again JB for your help - I had the right websight and date - just had the price for two tickets ........ OOOPS :D

Have decided to go with Smiths with a hour Stop in Stonehenge en route.

 

QM2 due in at 0630, and Smith's suggest leaving at 0800 - reckon we will be off in time, was thinking more likely 0900 - will that 3.5 hours be long enough Southampton to Heathrwo with the Stonehenge visit ?

 

Hi Matt,

 

Disembarkation by 08.00 shouldn't be a problem, though if the cruise line employs staggered disembarkation times you may have to ask for an early slot (also no problem).

 

If you left the quayside at 09.00, the drive from Southampton to Heathrow via Stonehenge would take just over 2 hours.

If you left at 08.00 it'd take perhaps 15 mins longer because you'd be mixing it with commuters.

 

You don't quote your check-in or flight time, so I'm not sure whether the 3.5hrs refers to an 8am start or 9am, but 3.5 hrs total would certainly be more than long enough to include a visit to Stonehenge.

 

Stonehenge is worth no more than about an hour for the average tourist.

 

If you wanted to take in a corner of the New Forest (say, Cadnam across to Fordingbridge) that little diversion will cost about 15 mins

Or if you wanted to also drop into Salisbury (it's on your route anyway) it's well worth 30 to 60 mins to see the cathedral (open from 07.15) & mebbe take in a coffee in the city's historic centre.

Either of these would add a little to Smith's price.

 

JB :)