Question for Scottish Cruisers

[raffles]

We have cruised out of Southampton several times but now find the cost of getting there from Edinburgh is becoming too expensive. I have checked various dates from now through to September and the cheapest flights are just under 500 for 2; the train is not much better even with senior rail cards. If you include a hotel the night before it it can add to about 600. It is a bit cheaper if we drive but we still need a hotel and to pay for parking. We are cheaper flying to Barcelona or Venice. Do other Scottish cruisers find the same or am I missing something obvious :o

Edited April 9, 2014 by raffles
typo

[Me 2]

A couple of options for you to look at :)

 

Flybe offer direct flights between Edinburgh and Southampton. Like any other airline the prices are set according to load factor at time of booking but we have used them many times and reckon the average cost has been around £150 per person return.

http://www.flybe.com/

 

BA from Edinburgh to London Gatwick is another option with fares usually working out around £50 to £60 per person each way.

http://www.britishairways.com/travel/home/public/en_gb?countrycode=GB&eId=101001 On top of this you will have the train fare from Gatwick airport to Southampton central usually available for reasonable cost if pre-booked online

http://www.thetrainline.com/train-times/gatwick-airport-to-southampton-central

 

Hope this helps

 

;)

Edited April 10, 2014 by Me 2

[raffles]

Hi and thank you for your reply.

We gave up flying with Flybe as without fail every time we have flown with them we have had delays; the last time we were stuck in Southampton airport until 6pm although our flight was at 10am. 2 afternoon flights to Edinburgh took off before us but no seats were available.

Trains are usually ok but sometimes involve changes in London; occasionally we can change in Wolverhampton which is ok. Unfortunately the cruise company who used to provide a charter train from Edinburgh and Glasgow to Southampton docks no longer offer that service.

 

BA no longer fly to Southampton but I was not aware that we could get a train from Gatwick so this is something I will explore, thanks for that information. It just seems to be a real (and expensive) hassle getting to Southampton and if it were not for the ships we want to sail on we would not bother. At the risk of sounding like a mean Scots person if I am having to spend money on flights and hotels I would rather spend a night in Venice or Barcelona than in Southampton - with sincere apologies to residents of Southampton, I mean no offence, but this would get us to the sunshine sooner;)

Thanks again

[threetowner14]

We are having a cruise from Southampton as well in July ,as was said above you can fly to the continent for what Flybe fares were for the dates we wanted to travel.There are advanced purchase fares on the trains which normally open 12weeks in advance, so might be worthwhile waiting to see in any cheap deals are available then . Re LGW National Express have a service to Southampton as well as has been stated a rail service.As we have relatives in SOU we might be able to save on a hotel the night before

[blackpool belle]

Sometimes it works out cheaper booking your train ticket in 2 stages i.e Edinburgh to London then London to Southampton rather than just booking Edinburgh to Southampton or even cheap deal train to London then coach from there to Southampton.

 

Also M*gabus does overnight journeys from Edinburgh to London thereby eliminating any hotel bill with VERY cheap fares.

[dst87]

My partner and I just drive (from Falkirk).

 

It's an easy drive to do in a day. I might budget £150 for fuel and would always stay at the Premier Inn West Quay which is very good value and an excellent pre-cruise hotel for one night. Parking for our 14 night cruise was £100, so I guess the total cost was £300 for the two of us. Not that bad in the context of a cruise.

 

You could save more by staying in an even cheaper hotel, or by using a service like Park At My House instead of terminal parking.

 

We rather like stopping for lunch and shopping at the Trafford Centre. Next month we're having a pre-cruise trip to visit family in London for 3 nights and seeing a show (Miss Saigon). Last year we visited Bletchley Park on the way back. It made it a very long day, but worth it!

 

You can turn the journey into an extension of your holiday. I'd say it's still cheaper and easier than a fly-cruise.

[gaelsail]

When we've cruised from Southampton & Portsmouth, we've taken the Caledonian Sleeper train south. Booking approx.3 months before travelling, we can sometimes pick up the bargain berths or at least get the best prices.

 

A taxi transfer over to Victoria for the train to the south coast isn't too bad a price usually because the train arrives before London rush-hour really starts.

 

Although we always do stay the pre-cruise night in the departure port, a late sailing would probably allow us to travel without staying and we'd still arrive before the allotted embarkation time.

 

On the way back, rather than sit at Euston station waiting on our night train, we sit/eat in the hotel opposite.

[ged1967]

Use the website of the train company itself, the website generally offer the cheapest fare without adding on booking fees. southerntrain.com. run trains gatwick to southampton.

 

Train companies open tickets 12 week prior so book as soon as you can. The sleeper is an option to save hotel bills. scotrail.co.uk runs the caledonian sleeper. There are sometimes bargain berths at £19,£29,£39. I find booking a sleeper easier at a station as the process appears expensive & complicated online.

 

Eastcoast trains (eastcoast.co.uk) have a good service to London though you would have to cross london to change. There are XC trains Scotlland to Southampton but I think they can work out costly.

 

Beware of splitting tickets. You can spilt tickets if you are changing to a different train, or train company, however if you were to travel edinburgh to london and buy a ticket edinurgh to york, then york to london and stay on the same train that isn't allowed (as far as i know)

 

Gx

[RJHNorthyorks]

Have a look at http://www.seat61.com lots of good advice on how to buy the cheapest rail tickets and also links to a couple of sites that do split tickets.

[ozscotart]

We have also cruised from Dover , east coast to kings cross £48 pp return, then fast train to Dover from St Pancras £36 pp return. Very easy and comfortable journey. And fly cruises often involve a connection in Gatwick which can end up expensive when your flight arrives back after the last flight from Edinburgh. Our next cruise is from Leith with NTS, more expensive but so much easier !

[tartanexile81]

We travel regularly down to Southampton from Scotland and the cheapest way without doubt is by booking the train 12 weeks in advance and on the train operators own website. For example, I've just done a pretend booking for 16th July and on East Coast to London Kings Cross the cost was £48 for 2 without railcards. You then get the tube across town and take the train again from London Victoria on Southern trains. The cost for afternoon trains also on 16th July was £10 for 2 people, again no railcards so total = £58.

 

On our most recent cruise, we wanted to avoid London, so we went Edinburgh to Newcastle on East Coast then Newcastle direct to Southampton on Cross Country. With one railcard, it came to £90 for 2 of us. We check if it's cheaper to book as a through journey but it is often cheaper to book as separate legs on different websites.

 

I don't fly so we travel everywhere by train and I'm really used to searching out bargains now!

[threetowner14]

Ive changed my cruise to Brilliance of the Sea leaving Harwich on 19 june, when I started looking for rail fares, I got a shock , originally i was on a cruise from Southampton in July and the cheapest fare I found was £320.00 rtn, the fare to Harwich £68.00 rtn I think in future ill check the rail fates before I book a cruise.Just shows travelling midweek, saves a lot