International Friends Package

[trrn2016]

Hi,

We are looking at a precruise package in London. Has anyone used International Friends for airport pickup, hotel stay, tours, and transfer to Southampton.  If so, would appreciate opinions.

Thanks, Cindy

[John Bull]

Hi Cindy,

 

For quite a few years lots of CC members have been very happy using International Friends for bus tour/transfer between cruise terminals in Southampton and hotels in central London or Heathrow - but I don't know of anyone who's used a package. 

You need to research the costs of the individual elements to decide whether its cheaper or dearer to DIY, and whether you'd find it easier to leave it all to them or more flexible to do your own thing.

Knowing how disappointed some cruisers have been with the inconvenient locations of cruiseline-organised hotels throughout the world, you could use advice on the locations of hotels offered in Int. Friends' packages.

 

Solely on the coach tour/transfers ............................

International Friends is a respected & well-established tour coach (bus) operator, no worries there. 

Your timings might not allow you to choose between pre-cruise & post-cruise, but post-cruise offers better value.

This is because pre-cruise tours are planned to arrive at your Southampton terminal by about 1.30 - 2.00 pm in good time for cruise registration. So you have to choose between Windsor or Stonehenge or Salisbury

Because post-cruise tours aren't tied to a cruise registration time, they offer a very full day - for instance  Salisbury and Stonehenge and Windsor, then get to Heathrow hotels & terminals around 4.30pm & central London hotels around 6pm.

 

They use feeder vans & buses for London / Heathrow pick-ups & drops then transfer to/from the tour coaches, so your day doesn't start or end with a scenic 🙄 tour of London hotels 🙂 

Their prices don't include admissions, so factor those in - and it's particularly important that you buy Stonehenge tickets with your coach tickets because coach-issued tickets allow admission on arrival, whereas for tickets bought on-line from English Heritage you have to quote an arrival time-slot, and tickets at the gate won't be available for busy times.

Int. Friends know that there can be delayed flights and airport formalities, and don't want folk buying expensive tickets and then missing the coach. So they pick up at Heathrow hotels, but not Heathrow terminals 

https://www.londontoolkit.com/travel/southampton-from-london-via-stonehenge.html

 

Hope that helps more than it confuses !

 

JB 🙂

 

 

Edited October 28, 2021 by John Bull