Transfer: Southampton—London (incl. LHR/LGW) train, car, other?

[Host Bonjour]

 

[Host Bonjour]

 

[Host Bonjour]

 

[Host Bonjour]

 

[Host Bonjour]

https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations_destinations/189518.aspx

 

https://www.southwesternrailway.com/

 

https://www.southeasternrailway.co.uk/dover

 

https://www.nationalexpress.com/en/destinations/southampton/london-to-southampton

 

(just a sampling of options....not all-inclusive of options, nor an endorsement of any one option)

 

 

[Host Bonjour]

 

[Host Bonjour]

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2663008-coaches-from-gatwick-to-southhampton/

[Chili Queen]

We used Woodford Chauffeur Cars.  We booked this service well ahead of our trip for a group of 6 adults. My contact was with Cheryl via email and she was wonderful to work with. She was very responsive and worked with us to meet our needs. Alan picked us up at Heathrow promptly in a van, with a tow-behind trailer to accommodate our luggage. We had wanted to see the New Forest area before arriving at our hotel in Southampton so he drove us around, stopping at various spots along the way, always waiting very patiently for us and further recommending other places to visit. At the end of the day, he dropped us off at our hotel and assisted us with our luggage.

We had also pre-booked our post-cruise needs with them. We are from the USA and didn't care to drive around England and deal with driving on the other side of the street, and dealing with traffic. Alan picked us up again in a very timely manner at the port, assisting us with our luggage (this time he had a larger van, that could accommodate all of our luggage, so he didn't need a tow-behind trailer). He drove us to Bath and the Costswolds for the next two days, and then back to Heathrow on the third day. We just loved Alan as he was very efficient, professional, informative and entertaining. The vehicle was spotless, comfortable and even had water. We were able to enjoy the drive and the beautiful countryside with Alan answering all our questions. We had a wonderful time with Alan and Woodford Chauffeur Cars. I highly recommend their service!

Very reasonable too!

[EllieinNJ]

I am going to post this here and in the ask a question portion.

 

We were planning on taking the National Express bus from Victoria Coach Station to Southampton the morning of our cruise, either the 9am or 10am bus for 5GBP each.  Then I read about all the routes from London always congested with traffic and may take quite a bit more time than the 2h 20 min posted.

 

So now I saw that there is a non stop train leaving Victoria Station to Southampton at 9:36am, 2hr 26 min also for 5GBP pp.  Which would you choose and how far in advance to make reservations.  Our cruise is the end of August 2019.

[Twickenham]

1 hour ago, EllieinNJ said:

I am going to post this here and in the ask a question portion.

 

We were planning on taking the National Express bus from Victoria Coach Station to Southampton the morning of our cruise, either the 9am or 10am bus for 5GBP each.  Then I read about all the routes from London always congested with traffic and may take quite a bit more time than the 2h 20 min posted.

 

So now I saw that there is a non stop train leaving Victoria Station to Southampton at 9:36am, 2hr 26 min also for 5GBP pp.  Which would you choose and how far in advance to make reservations.  Our cruise is the end of August 2019.

 

Well, being a train fangirl I would always opt to go by rail over road. While I think you'd probably be OK with the coach in that most morning traffic will be going towards London (thus the opposite direction), I just find the train more comfortable.

 

That said, I would probably be looking at the train from Waterloo instead - it's nearly an hour faster, and operated by South Western Rail, who are generally more reliable than Southern, who operate the Victoria to Southampton trains (they've had some labour disputes of late). This train is only 9GBP, so not a whole lot more expensive.

Edited June 13, 2019 by Twickenham

[Globaliser]

The train isn't non-stop. It is direct, but not non-stop. In fact, there are 15 intermediate stops, which is one reason why the journey will take so long. In comparison, the 0935 from London Waterloo to Southampton Central takes a shorter route, has only three intermediate stops, takes only 1 hour 14 minutes, and costs £9 (if booked today).

 

So the Waterloo train arrives at 1049 and the Victoria train arrives at 1202.

 

The big question really is: Where are you starting from?

[shofer]

Thanks to John Bull for the info on the National Express bus.  We booked online for the Senior special and it worked our very well from Heathrow to London and then London to Southampton.   Very clean and comfortable coaches.  We took a cab for 5 GBP to the pier.   Our hotel was only 0.3 miles from the coach station.

 

[EllieinNJ]

Sorry.  I meant direct not non stop.  Being we are staying at Comfort Inn Buckingham Palace Road I think we will stay with the National Express bus.

[Turtles06]

@Host Bonjour As was feared might happen when you proposed creating this very helpful sticky, it seems that some folks are overlooking the sticky and still starting new threads to ask about transfers between Southampton and London and vice versa.   Do you want to move them into this thread, or should people who have relevant knowledge reply in those new threads?   Thanks for the guidance!

[aheape1979]

On 6/3/2019 at 2:51 PM, Chili Queen said:

We used Woodford Chauffeur Cars.  We booked this service well ahead of our trip for a group of 6 adults. My contact was with Cheryl via email and she was wonderful to work with. She was very responsive and worked with us to meet our needs. Alan picked us up at Heathrow promptly in a van, with a tow-behind trailer to accommodate our luggage. We had wanted to see the New Forest area before arriving at our hotel in Southampton so he drove us around, stopping at various spots along the way, always waiting very patiently for us and further recommending other places to visit. At the end of the day, he dropped us off at our hotel and assisted us with our luggage.

We had also pre-booked our post-cruise needs with them. We are from the USA and didn't care to drive around England and deal with driving on the other side of the street, and dealing with traffic. Alan picked us up again in a very timely manner at the port, assisting us with our luggage (this time he had a larger van, that could accommodate all of our luggage, so he didn't need a tow-behind trailer). He drove us to Bath and the Costswolds for the next two days, and then back to Heathrow on the third day. We just loved Alan as he was very efficient, professional, informative and entertaining. The vehicle was spotless, comfortable and even had water. We were able to enjoy the drive and the beautiful countryside with Alan answering all our questions. We had a wonderful time with Alan and Woodford Chauffeur Cars. I highly recommend their service!

Very reasonable too!

Do you mind telling us approximate costs for these?  We are very interested!

[Alaskanb]

On 6/19/2019 at 11:46 AM, aheape1979 said:

Do you mind telling us approximate costs for these?  We are very interested!

http://www.woodfordchauffeurcars.co.uk/cruise-connection.php

[Host Bonjour]

 

[Host Bonjour]

 

[Tricialy]

I hope I'm putting this in the right spot, as opposed to starting a new thread.

 

We have booked three trips with Blackberry Cars to take us from LHR to our hotel near Victoria Station,  from our hotel to Southampton, then from our hotel back to LHR post cruise.  I've paid for the service online, but what should I tip the driver?  I read to "round-up," but being pre-paid there is no rounding.  We'll have two suitcases. 

 

Thanks!

[Chili Queen]

On 6/19/2019 at 1:46 PM, aheape1979 said:

Do you mind telling us approximate costs for these?  We are very interested!

Hello,  Woodford Cruise Connections was very reasonable, especially since there were 6 adults so we split the cost amongst the 3 couples.  It was so much better than us having to rent a car, drive on the "wrong side" of the road, and deal with traffic and directions.  The cost for the pick up from the airport to Southampton was 160 pounds, plus 40 pounds per hour for touring.  They were more than reasonable when our driver calculated how much we owed him at the end of the day with how many hours they would charge for our "touring". We were picked up at 7 AM, and were dropped off at about 5 PM, and I think the charge was around 280 pounds, plus gratuity. 

Post-cruise we paid 945 pounds for pick up at the port, driving us around for 2 days, and then on the 3rd day, delivering us to Heathrow.  We received a discount for booking early (and received 2018 rates) and also received a discount for allowing our driver to stay with us (we had booked an airbnb that accommodated 7 people, so it was a perfect place for all of us to stay).  A suggested tip of 15 % is recommended, but I think we did more like 20% just because it worked so well for us, and Alan was just so personable and wonderful.  Feel free to email them Cheryl and I am sure she will work with you.  They were wonderful to deal with.  Good luck!  Diane

[Cruisin4US]

The International Friends tour from London, to Stonehenge to Southampton Cruise Port is exactly what we are looking for to get from London to Southampton, except they do not offer this tour on June 30, 2020, the day before we sail.

 

We would like to stay in Southampton the night before embarking on our cruise on July 1, 2020. Does anyone know of any other tours that run any day (not necessarily the day a cruise departs) from London, to Stonehenge, to Southampton Cruise Port?

 

Thank you!

[wendyp247]

Can  anyone who has taken International Friends with a stop at Stonehenge personally  recommend it or say don't take it and why. Trying to decide to  take International Friends or just take National Express to Southampton

, it will be on a Sunday in August. 

[wendyp247]

I read a lot of not so favorable reviews on National Express . We’ll be traveling from Central London, Victoria Station  to Southampton on day of cruise(Sunday).  Looking for advise  if should we take National Express or hire a private car .  What are pros and cons. Planning on taking the 9:00am bus to Southampton Thanks

[Turtles06]

1 hour ago, wendyp247 said:

I read a lot of not so favorable reviews on National Express . We’ll be traveling from Central London, Victoria Station  to Southampton on day of cruise(Sunday).  Looking for advise  if should we take National Express or hire a private car .  What are pros and cons. Planning on taking the 9:00am bus to Southampton Thanks

 

Simple.

Bus: cheaper. Private car: more expensive, door to door, less schlepping.

[John Bull]

1 hour ago, wendyp247 said:

I read a lot of not so favorable reviews on National Express . We’ll be traveling from Central London, Victoria Station  to Southampton on day of cruise(Sunday).  Looking for advise  if should we take National Express or hire a private car .  What are pros and cons. Planning on taking the 9:00am bus to Southampton Thanks

 

If you dig deeper you'll find a lot more good reviews of Nat Express.

For a cheap & simple bus journey there's a tendency for folk not to bother reviewing when the service is good, but it's a way of letting off steam when things don't work out - nonetheless on Trustpilot, 41000 reviews, 4 stars out of five. 

And well-received by Cruise Critic members.

 

No, not as good as a private transfer.

But a private transfer from Victoria area about £120 to £140,

Nat Express usually under £10 per person plus a max. £10 taxi fare from Southampton coach station to any cruise terminal.

The difference is quite a few Margaritas 

 

JB