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Coach to Southampton..reassurance please!


theweatherman
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1 hour ago, Lily lady said:

We are also deciding on travel to southampton for world cruise january 22. Would be interested in coach travel,sounds very tempting not having to handle luggage once on coach. Unsure of allowances though.

Could you not send a case or two ahead? Is it The Baggage Forwarding Company, or similar who do this.

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2 hours ago, wowzz said:

Could you not send a case or two ahead? Is it The Baggage Forwarding Company, or similar who do this.

Trying to decide what would be best. Have flown to southampton from manchester as part of package and also train from north west to southampton. Train was a bit awkward  one change and handling cases. Have looked into sending cases ahead, will probably have more to manage as a world cruise. Then again may still be in similar situation but have to be optimistic and plan

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4 hours ago, Lily lady said:

We are also deciding on travel to southampton for world cruise january 22. Would be interested in coach travel,sounds very tempting not having to handle luggage once on coach. Unsure of allowances though.

On a world cruise you are allowed 3 cases each, @ 26kgs. ish.

Check Intercruise website.

 

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I love going down by coach, the ease of giving them the case & not seeing it again until it's at your cabin makes it a stress free transition.   

Last couple of times we've gone by coach we've even had time for a stop off in Winchester en-route because traffic's been that smooth, only ever had one trip where traffic's been bad & then we'd got peace of mind the cruise ship wasn't going to leave without us.

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11 hours ago, Francisdrake said:

I love going down by coach, the ease of giving them the case & not seeing it again until it's at your cabin makes it a stress free transition.   

Last couple of times we've gone by coach we've even had time for a stop off in Winchester en-route because traffic's been that smooth, only ever had one trip where traffic's been bad & then we'd got peace of mind the cruise ship wasn't going to leave without us.

Have looked into coach prices etc but cant find infomation about times of pickups where comfort breaks are. Also how many pickups before ours,which would be liverpool. 

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1 hour ago, Lily lady said:

Have looked into coach prices etc but cant find infomation about times of pickups where comfort breaks are. Also how many pickups before ours,which would be liverpool. 

Try ringing the coach company or when we went we were given the number to ring to book on to the coach so can ask questions then .We went from Tickle Trout Salmsbury Near Preston 

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They won't be able to give you the exact pick up time until a few weeks before the cruise.They work out the route once they know how many are to be picked up from each area etc e'g sometimes when we catch it at Sheffield its come from Scotland, other times Newcastle.It varies but perhaps phone and they should be able to give you a rough idea

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We've travelled by coach only once, from Gatwick to Southampton (re-positioning cruise to Caribbean). No problems, very smooth journey. We met fellow passengers, which meant our holiday started sooner; our luggage was handed to the driver and not seen again until we got into the cabin; toilet facilities on board if caught short; very comfortable seating. I would be reluctant to travel by train due to handling all that luggage (and finding somewhere secure to leave it during your journey); lugging it around the station platforms; locating a taxi with a big enough boot; potential delays that P&O won't necessarily wait for. That, in itself, would cause me too much anxiety. 

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  • 5 weeks later...

Slighty off topic but my mom always gets a coach from plymouth to me in lincoln. No issues what so ever, they help with bags and any issues she has they sort. 

 

With the cruise if booked through p and o if your delayed the cruise will wait. 

 

If train is delayed then possible miss cruise. 

 

Saying that we got a train to Southampton and was no issues and very easy with taxis outside

 

 

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If going to Southampton by train I would always travel the day before and stay over night in Southampton.When we have travelled by cruise connect there is the reassurance that P and O will wait for the coach but I always worry that the taxi taking us to the pick up point may not turn up and the coach wouldnt wait for us!!Sometimes we travel down by train so we are in Southampton the day before but catch the coach back

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Sort of on topic but I have a cruise booked for September from Southampton and would normally travel by train from Kent, however I have doubts about that idea as far too many potential infectious contacts on the way. Would a coach be any better? I do know that P&O don't run one from Kent. Maybe the most COVID secure way is to use a private hire car. Southampton is about 120 miles away so the journey should not take long but will be expensive.

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We always travel up to Southampton by train and travel up the night before as it's about a six hour journey, all being well!  If you book assistance with the train company someone will meet your train and help with the luggage for connections, etc. We don't really have a choice as the nearest pick up point is just a difficult to get to.

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on the cruises we have taken from southampton we have always opted for the coach travel .as others have said in previous posts no hassle no stress no lugging cases through train stations cases go on at the pick up point and not seen again until you get to your cabin happy days !!!! oh and by the way the coaches are very comfortable .you arrive at the terminal stress free and raring to go highly recommend

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We usually drive down the day before and stay somewhere in or near to Southampton but we have used the coach several times and it has been fine.  The coaches have all been of a decent standard.  We do prefer to drive because when we get off the ship we just want to get home. 

The only time that we had a problem with the coach was when the coach was due to leave at 9 am but we ended up leaving at around 10:30 am because 2 ladies had decided to have a very leisurely breakfast and didn't get off the ship at their assigned timed for the coach.  The coach driver was very unhappy but apparently he couldn't ask P&O to put out a call for them or leave without them until the people organising the coaches  give him permission.

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1 hour ago, Josy1953 said:

We usually drive down the day before and stay somewhere in or near to Southampton but we have used the coach several times and it has been fine.  The coaches have all been of a decent standard.  We do prefer to drive because when we get off the ship we just want to get home. 

The only time that we had a problem with the coach was when the coach was due to leave at 9 am but we ended up leaving at around 10:30 am because 2 ladies had decided to have a very leisurely breakfast and didn't get off the ship at their assigned timed for the coach.  The coach driver was very unhappy but apparently he couldn't ask P&O to put out a call for them or leave without them until the people organising the coaches  give him permission.

We had a problem once where the coach didnt leave until 10 30 but that was because a couples luggage had been off loaded in the wrong place so it took ages to locate it.I felt really sorry for them because people onboard the coach were feeling (understandably) irritated but it wasnt the couples fault.Most times we have used the coach it has left Southampton on time but often been late to pick us up to take us to Southampton

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1 hour ago, Bazrat said:

We prefer to drive down stay overnight in a hotel than drop the car off next to the ship, nothing could be more simple.

To be honest my beloved drives us down there she says if I drove we would miss the 2022 cruise

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We only used coach once and never again. On our return to Southampton we waited on the coach for 2 hours waiting for a couple who could not be found. People were arriving to embark the ship for the next cruise and we were still sitting on the coach waiting eventually they found out the couple had decided, without telling anyone, that they would make their own way home and not use the coach. So now drive down day before and stay in hotel Southampton area. Also we do that because one year we got stuck in traffic on M42 and didnt leave M42 until 1-30pm and nearly missed the ship.

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As has been said if it was the P&O partner company you would ot have missed the ship. It would have waited.

 

As for the no show that is hardly the companies fault. They were doing what they are supposed to do. Waiting for their passengers. Imagine if the coach left "on time" without some passengers because luggage had gone astray? That is one reason why I use the coach. I know it will wait.

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20 hours ago, FangedRose said:

As has been said if it was the P&O partner company you would ot have missed the ship. It would have waited.

 

As for the no show that is hardly the companies fault. They were doing what they are supposed to do. Waiting for their passengers. Imagine if the coach left "on time" without some passengers because luggage had gone astray? That is one reason why I use the coach. I know it will wait.

I never said I blamed the coach company I just said that its not for me for various reasons other than what I stated but nothing worse than getting off the ship and loading your cases onto a coach at 9-30am and then sitting waiting until 11-30am with a nearly full coach waiting to find out what happened to the 2 missing people. If I had been in my car I would have been home by 1pm as it was we didnt get to the service station drop off until turned 3 pm and then taxi home meant we didnt get home until 4pm turned. While it might suit others its not for me for many reasons and we will stick to a leisurely drive down day before cruise and stay in hotel for the night pre cruise.

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1 hour ago, majortom10 said:

I never said I blamed the coach company I just said that its not for me for various reasons other than what I stated but nothing worse than getting off the ship and loading your cases onto a coach at 9-30am and then sitting waiting until 11-30am with a nearly full coach waiting to find out what happened to the 2 missing people. If I had been in my car I would have been home by 1pm as it was we didnt get to the service station drop off until turned 3 pm and then taxi home meant we didnt get home until 4pm turned. While it might suit others its not for me for many reasons and we will stick to a leisurely drive down day before cruise and stay in hotel for the night pre cruise.

We only live an hour, or so from Southampton and always drive, often going down a few days early to stay in a nice hotel. Fortunately we don't have time constraints, so prefer a nice leisurely start to our cruise.

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We have always used Eavesway Travel and they are brilliant at making a 6hr coach journey fly by effortlessly - I just hope they are still in business when we come to use them again. 

 

 

 

 

 

  

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13 hours ago, alija1960 said:

We have always used Eavesway Travel and they are brilliant at making a 6hr coach journey fly by effortlessly - I just hope they are still in business when we come to use them again. 

 

 

 

 

 

  

We've used Eavesway since we began cruising 11 years ago, and keep getting regular up-dates from them. The cruiselink side of their business is ready and waiting and taking provisional bookings. Eavesway is large company and cruiselink is only one string to their bow, so fret ye not alija, they will still be there when we need them.

Avril

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