Southampton Transportation from Train Station to Cruise Terminal w/ 1 year old!

[berternie]

Just hoping someone can help us. We are flying into Gatwick and travelling by train to Southampton Central on the day of our next cruise. However, we are struggling to find any taxis with car seats who would take us to the Cruise terminal from the train station.

 

I understand that this is a very short drive but both my wife and I would feel more comfortable if our daughter was in a car seat for the journey, but don't want to fly with one for the sake of two very short car journeys.

 

As such, we were wondering is it possible to walk from the train station to the Celebrity Cruise terminal. Google Maps suggests it would take no more than 20/25 mins to walk but my wife thinks that it may not be possible for pedestrians to access the terminals. Can anyone confirm one way or another for us?

 

Many thanks in advance.

[Bob++]

It would be illegal in this country to transport your baby in a car without a proper seat. Have you tried West Quay Cars? http://westquaycars.com/

 

Yes you could walk it and pedestrians can access the terminals; I think it will be City Terminal which is about 500 yards from Dock Gate 10. Southampton Central Railway Station & the coach station are approximately 1 mile from Dock Gate 10.

 

There are a few main roads to cross, so a £10 taxi would be your best option.

[sddsddean]

Its actually a fairly easy walk...about 1/2 mile altogether...as long as its not peeing down! Here is a map

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/50.9073153,-1.4136696/50.9007118,-1.4145923/@50.9041896,-1.4138628,1002m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!4m1!3e2

When you come out of the station, there is a footpath that takes you through the trees to the Mountbatten Way/Southern Rd lights, so you don't have to do that hairpin shown by the blue line. All crossings are light controlled, so quite safe. The only little bit iffy bit is walking from Gate 10 to the City terminal. Often trucks servicing the ship are parked here. Its not a problem...just be aware. If your daughter is in a pushchair, you should walk this easily in 15 mins.

 

Have fun

 

Simon

[Triship]

It is an easy walk and does not take long. But you need to remember that you will have your cases with and they will need to be taken to the dock as well, I did the walk this week but that was on my own. You may want to Google a taxi firm in Southampton who have a child seat.

[John Bull]

There are station exits on both sides. Your train stops at platform 2, & you'll need to use the stairs or elevator to cross to the south exit (Western Esplanade) on Platform 4 (I think it's signed "to the cruise ships").

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/SME/html/NRE_SOU/plan.html?rtnloc=SOU

 

Celebrity ships berth at City Cruise Terminal (aka Berth 101) and the walking route is as on the map linked by Simon.

Two major roads to cross, use the traffic lights. About 15 to 20 minutes.

No restrictions on walking into the port.

 

London-style taxis with a partition (both pre-booked and those at the station taxi stand) are exempt from the child seat requirement. But I still reckon them safer & simpler than walking, especially if it's raining. Cost about £6 to £7.

 

JB :)

Edited April 16, 2016 by John Bull

[tartanexile81]

these people say they have cars with child-seats

 

http://www.southamptontaxis.net/about-us.html

 

 

but it really is a very short distance- you'll only be in the car for a few minutes - so whilst I understand you would want generally need a baby seat, maybe it wouldn't be quite so important for the distance on this occasion

[Bob++]

Learn something new every day...

 

Taxis and minicabs (private hire vehicles)

If the licensed taxi or minicab has a fixed partition that separates the front and rear seats:

 

children under 3 can travel without a child’s car seat or seat belt, but only on a rear seat

 

children aged 3 or older can travel in a front or rear seat without a child’s car seat if they wear an adult seat belt

You must follow the normal rules for using a child car seat or booster seat if the vehicle doesn’t have a fixed partition.

[John Bull]

Learn something new every day...

 

All sorts of exceptions on those laws, Bob.

 

One that seems the most perverse is that adults on a coach have to wear their seat-belts, but under 14's don't. :confused: :confused:

That's because passengers aged 14+ are legally responsible for wearing their seat-belts, but for under-14's it's the responsibility of the car driver.

The law accepts that a coach driver can't be held responsible for dozens of kids wearing their seat-belts.

 

JB :)

[h3rjp]

I've done the walk a times, it's fairly steady and easy. Although dragging your suitcases along does slow your progress, especially if one of the case's wheels decides to fall off (as did happen the last time I did this!)

[Enforcer]

these people say they have cars with child-seats

 

http://www.southamptontaxis.net/about-us.html

 

 

but it really is a very short distance- you'll only be in the car for a few minutes - so whilst I understand you would want generally need a baby seat, maybe it wouldn't be quite so important for the distance on this occasion

 

Hi Tartanexile81,

 

For your information it would be against the law for the child not to be in a car seat, unless in a London style Black Cab. You may not realise that you are counselling an offense by your post.

 

Pete

[sddsddean]

All sorts of exceptions on those laws, Bob.

 

One that seems the most perverse is that adults on a coach have to wear their seat-belts, but under 14's don't. :confused: :confused:

That's because passengers aged 14+ are legally responsible for wearing their seat-belts, but for under-14's it's the responsibility of the car driver.

The law accepts that a coach driver can't be held responsible for dozens of kids wearing their seat-belts.

 

JB :)

 

Aren't the EU law makers wonderful!! The one that always used to get me... when I used to drive my artic to Europe, I had an ADR licence, which meant I could carry various nasty chemicals and other 'dangerous' stuff. Fairly obviously, to drive a petrol tanker you need an ADR licence. If you had a curtainside trailer with standard 5 litre cans full of petrol, you need an ADR licence. If the cans were under 5 litre capacity, you could put 20 tonnes of them on the truck and no need for any ADR regulations, because they are under 5 litre capacity! Is it me?:rolleyes::D

 

Simon

[aquilegia]

It would be illegal in this country to transport your baby in a car without a proper seat.

 

As per John Bull's post, the law on child seats does not apply to some taxis. But if you're not prepared to use a London style taxi, just bring the car seat with you. The inconvenience of flying with it would be outweighed by a 20 minute walk if it happened to be pouring with rain!

Edited April 17, 2016 by aquilegia

[bworks22]

I recently (June, 2019) cruised from Southampton and walked from Central Station to the City Cruise Terminal. We are age 64 and had our son age 29 with us. It was a reasonable walk with rolling bags and small carry-on items, as we are in good physical shape and walk daily for exercise. The route is a pedestrian path through a very large shopping district, partly through the parking areas. The path was completely step-free from the train platform to the ship. The sidewalk begins about 100m from the train station exit and is visible just off to the left with your back to the rail station. and leads past the giant ASDA store, the local IKEA, and a closed Toys 'r' Us.  The route is reliably rendered by Google Maps using the walking route option, and basically follows the road called Harbour Parade to its end at the port entrance, from which the ship will be plainly visible.

 

Note the other cruise piers are NOT walkable. Our ship, though it left from City Terminal, returned to another berth about a mile further away, and we took a taxi.

 

Caveat about the South West Railway service from London Waterloo: 25 inch luggage will not easily fit into the overhead racks in the carriages, and it was very difficult to lift them overhead and shove them onto the racks. There is no other provision for luggage. As such, we will use 22 inch bags the next time we try this transfer, if ever.

 

All told, if you are not a good walker, have bad knees/hips etc, or can't handle your own bags, I think another form of transfer would be advised.  

[jocap]

Perhaps one parent and luggage in a taxi, and parent and baby (suitably dressed against the rain!) walking with the pushchair/stroller?

[picsa]

To set straight the various incorrect assertions in this thread.

 

It IS legal for a child to travel in a taxi OR minicab not sat in a child seat if the driver does not provide a child seat. This does NOT depend on whether it is a 'Black cab' style taxi or has a partition, it applies to ALL taxis and minicabs - read for yourselves - 

https://www.gov.uk/child-car-seats-the-rules/when-a-child-can-travel-without-a-car-seat

 

Now whether parents feel comfortable doing that, then that is a separate matter, but it is NOT illegal for a child to travel in a taxi or minicab without a child seat.

Edited July 29, 2019 by picsa

[John Bull]

1 hour ago, picsa said:

To set straight the various incorrect assertions in this thread.

 

It IS legal for a child to travel in a taxi OR minicab not sat in a child seat if the driver does not provide a child seat. This does NOT depend on whether it is a 'Black cab' style taxi or has a partition, it applies to ALL taxis and minicabs - read for yourselves - 

https://www.gov.uk/child-car-seats-the-rules/when-a-child-can-travel-without-a-car-seat

 

 

 

 

NOT INCORRECT ASSERTIONS AT ALL, PICSA.

But now out-of-date.

One of the problems that arise when an old thread is resurrected. 

 

Those posts were correct over two years ago, when the regulations required an internal division - as three of us independently posted..

This is one of a number of changes over the past 2 years, particularly a raft of them in Feb, 2017.

 

JB 

 

[picsa]

So you would be happy that in a current thread people continue to believe the information you posted was correct, even though it no longer is? Whatever.

[John Bull]

1 hour ago, picsa said:

So you would be happy that in a current thread people continue to believe the information you posted was correct, even though it no longer is? Whatever.

 

 

Unsurprisingly I don't monitor every thread to check whether info that I or anyone else posted goes out-of-date.

It's the reason that several of us gave against having stickies on this page for common questions like travel between Southampton & London - that info goes out-of-date when there's a change of train operator or bus luggage allowances or airport pick-up charges etc  etc.

 

This thread was quietly sleeping about 100 pages down, until bworks' brought it back to the top a week ago..

You opened it & corrected / updated the information.

Fine.

But nobody likes to be accused of being wrong when they' weren't - so please don't just presume that posts are "incorrect", because other factors like the passage of time come into it. 

 

JB