Southampton Cruise Port to Heathrow Options

[FlaMariner]

Advice from those who have gone before me.......

 

Arriving at Southampton on Princess Sky (weekday).  International flight from Heathrow at 2:30pm.  Overhead bag w/wheels.  We enjoy walking. 

 

Option #1. Take the $59 Princess shuttle.  Why?  Easy. 

OR

Option #2.  Take the 10:30am bus from Southampton Coach Station.  Arrive at Heathrow at 12:05pm. Why? Enjoy a tad bit of England. Disembark ship, walk/taxi to coach station, grab some tea and grocery shop, then board bus. $22 bus.

 

Option #1 gets me to the airport with no worries and lots of time....possibly too much time. 

Option #2 if on time, I'll have a little over 2 hours prior to our flight....get an hour or so in Southampton. 

 

What have you done? And what would you choose?

 

 

[tony s]

Take the shuttle,if anything happens,Princess is on the hook

[John Bull]

Cruise-line coach transfers are over-priced, but at $59 pp Princess are very much more reasonable than most - even 5 or 6 years ago  RCI & Cunard were charging over $100 pp

The route to Heathrow is all motorway - very boring, no scenery as such, and no places of interest.

En-route the Nat Express bus has a bus-stop in Winchester but currently that's at a park-and-ride parking lot so you don't even see Winchester.

Whichever option, you choose you won't see "England".

Timing suggests you're flying BA out of Terrminal 5 -  ships' coaches drop you at Departures whereas I think the Nat Express bus stop is at Arrivals, so you go up one floor.  

National Express service buses are broadly the same as those hired-in by cruise lines, except that theirs all have wifi and a rest-room whereas that's a matter of chance with buses hired-in by cruise lines.

(BTW, one of the coach operators hired-in is Princess Coaches - the name is merely a coincidence)

 

As per Tony's post, ship's transfer bus is simplest, and altho two hours at Heathrow is adequate ship's transfer gives you a much wider time window in the event of traffic grief.

IMHO the extra cost of about $70 for two (lminus up to £10 taxi fare) is no big deal in the greater scheme of things.

 

But if you choose Nat Express, Sky Princess' regular berth (106 Mayflower terminal) is a boring but level 25-minute walk to the coach station (you'll def want a taxi if its raining), but for one cruise it's 39/40 QE11 terminal - deep in the docks with  the sidewalk protected from truck traffic by only a painted line, so a taxi hop to the coach station strongly recommended.

There'a a large ASDA  grocery store opposite the coach station - the entrance is in a multi-storey parking lot then elevator up to a walkway over the road into the store. Bear in mind you'll have your luggage. Remember to transfer any bottles of booze etc to your checked luggage

 

https://www.southamptonvts.co.uk/Live_Information/Shipping_Movements_and_Cruise_Ship_Schedule/Cruise_Ship_Schedule/

 

https://goo.gl/maps/YF6ximcTCCgm2Dvs7

 

https://goo.gl/maps/YgMnbAiLErkzoJJMA

Coach station on left, rear entrance to ASDA thro the white-painted pedestrian entrance to mullti-storey parking lot on right then elevator 

 

JB 🙂

 

 

[FlaMariner]

Awesome first hand intel JB!  Thank You....

 

 

[ontheweb]

We took the Princess shuttle that stopped in Canterbury. We truly enjoyed it, and it was almost like we were still on the cruise instead of leaving for the airport. There was a very small number of passengers on the bus, but we knew 4 of them, a couple from our roll call and their 2 teenagers. That also made it seem like more of an extension of the cruise rather than just a trip to the airport.

 

It was more expensive than the shuttle directly to Heathrow, but IMHO well worth it.

[John Bull]

3 hours ago, ontheweb said:

We took the Princess shuttle that stopped in Canterbury. We truly enjoyed it, and it was almost like we were still on the cruise instead of leaving for the airport. There was a very small number of passengers on the bus, but we knew 4 of them, a couple from our roll call and their 2 teenagers. That also made it seem like more of an extension of the cruise rather than just a trip to the airport.

 

It was more expensive than the shuttle directly to Heathrow, but IMHO well worth it.

 

 

Useful recommendation - but only applicable for cruises out of Dover.

 

The well-respected coach operato International Friends also offers post-cruise tour-transfers from Dover to central London or Heathrow, but unsuitable for (most?) (all?) same-day flights

 https://www.internationalfriends.co.uk/dover-to-london-heathrow-hotels-via-canterbury-and-leeds-castle.html

 

JB 🙂

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, John Bull said:

 

 

Useful recommendation - but only applicable for cruises out of Dover.

 

The well-respected coach operato International Friends also offers post-cruise tour-transfers from Dover to central London or Heathrow, but unsuitable for (most?) (all?) same-day flights

 https://www.internationalfriends.co.uk/dover-to-london-heathrow-hotels-via-canterbury-and-leeds-castle.html

 

JB 🙂

🤦‍♂️ You are right that was out of Dover. Actually, we were supposed to do a Norwegian fjords cruise out of Southampton in 2020 that of course never happened. We were going to do a shuttle again with this one stopping at Stonehenge. We were looking forward to that excursion, and again saw it as not only somewhere we wanted to go, but also a way to extend the cruise experience.

[John Bull]

1 hour ago, ontheweb said:

🤦‍♂️ You are right that was out of Dover. Actually, we were supposed to do a Norwegian fjords cruise out of Southampton in 2020 that of course never happened. We were going to do a shuttle again with this one stopping at Stonehenge. We were looking forward to that excursion, and again saw it as not only somewhere we wanted to go, but also a way to extend the cruise experience.

 

 

Yep, if flight time allows I take the same view 🙂.

I did wonder about the possibility of Princess including Stonehenge as a Southampton tour-transfer for the OP's cruise, but decided that it very probably wouldn't suit their flight time.

 

Being trapped in the UK we visited Canterbury for the first time last summer as part of a SE road-trip.

Silly how we visit faraway places but ignore places that are just a couple of hours from home.🙄 

 

JB  🙂

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, John Bull said:

 

 

Yep, if flight time allows I take the same view 🙂.

I did wonder about the possibility of Princess including Stonehenge as a Southampton tour-transfer for the OP's cruise, but decided that it very probably wouldn't suit their flight time.

 

Being trapped in the UK we visited Canterbury for the first time last summer as part of a SE road-trip.

Silly how we visit faraway places but ignore places that are just a couple of hours from home.🙄 

 

JB  🙂

We have also traveled much more locally, stuck in the USA. Our Princess Norwegian fjords cruise from Southampton in 2020 was a no go, and we went nowhere. Last year we did several days in Boston (where we had only previously been while transferring from an airplane to a cruise ship heading to Montreal). We also did an overnight trip driving to Amish country. Nothing yet planned for this year, but we do have a cruise booked for the summer of 2023 starting in Southampton and ending in Reykjavik.

[nini]

Princess does offer transfers from Southampton to Heathrow which may include stopping at Stonehenge, Bombay Sapphire or Royal Windsor. The range of prices is from $139.95 to 149.95 per person. However, your flight needs to be departing after 4:00 pm or later, depending on the transfer.

[ontheweb]

15 hours ago, nini said:

Princess does offer transfers from Southampton to Heathrow which may include stopping at Stonehenge, Bombay Sapphire or Royal Windsor. The range of prices is from $139.95 to 149.95 per person. However, your flight needs to be departing after 4:00 pm or later, depending on the transfer.

And on the cancelled cruise in 2020, we had made sure our flight was late enough that we could do the Stonehenge tour.

 

And for our previous Canterbury tour from Dover, we also made sure we had a flight late enough.

[FlaMariner]

On 1/28/2022 at 8:30 AM, FlaMariner said:

Advice from those who have gone before me.......

 

Arriving at Southampton on Princess Sky (weekday).  International flight from Heathrow at 2:30pm.  Overhead bag w/wheels.  We enjoy walking. 

 

Option #1. Take the $59 Princess shuttle.  Why?  Easy. 

OR

Option #2.  Take the 10:30am bus from Southampton Coach Station.  Arrive at Heathrow at 12:05pm. Why? Enjoy a tad bit of England. Disembark ship, walk/taxi to coach station, grab some tea and grocery shop, then board bus. $22 bus.

 

Option #1 gets me to the airport with no worries and lots of time....possibly too much time. 

Option #2 if on time, I'll have a little over 2 hours prior to our flight....get an hour or so in Southampton. 

 

What have you done? And what would you choose?

 

 

 

Thanks All!

 

We chose Option #1...booked the Princess shuttle. 

[Rick&Jeannie]

On 1/28/2022 at 9:30 AM, FlaMariner said:

Advice from those who have gone before me.......

 

Arriving at Southampton on Princess Sky (weekday).  International flight from Heathrow at 2:30pm.  Overhead bag w/wheels.  We enjoy walking. 

 

Option #1. Take the $59 Princess shuttle.  Why?  Easy. 

OR

Option #2.  Take the 10:30am bus from Southampton Coach Station.  Arrive at Heathrow at 12:05pm. Why? Enjoy a tad bit of England. Disembark ship, walk/taxi to coach station, grab some tea and grocery shop, then board bus. $22 bus.

 

Option #1 gets me to the airport with no worries and lots of time....possibly too much time. 

Option #2 if on time, I'll have a little over 2 hours prior to our flight....get an hour or so in Southampton. 

 

What have you done? And what would you choose?

 

 

I believe you may be on the same TA cruise as we are...

We are using Blackberry Cars to take us to a Heathrow hotel.  We are staying 1 night due to better flight connections available earlier in the morning than the Princess shuttle allows.  Other than that...we usually do the Princess shuttle.  Simple and easy.

[Retirement2016]

Does anyone know the current price for Princess shuttle from Southampton Cruise Port to Heathrow Terminal 3?

[DRS/NC]

I just made my final payment for the Princess TA that Rick & Jeannie mentioned -- the Princess transfer was $59.00 US.

 

I still would rather share a car w/someone from my cruise.  Then I could go directly to my hotel -- rather than to Heathrow to get a taxi.  I too am staying over 1 night so that I can get a better (direct) flight home.

[phabric]

17 hours ago, DRS/NC said:

I just made my final payment for the Princess TA that Rick & Jeannie mentioned -- the Princess transfer was $59.00 US.

 

I still would rather share a car w/someone from my cruise.  Then I could go directly to my hotel -- rather than to Heathrow to get a taxi.  I too am staying over 1 night so that I can get a better (direct) flight home.

You can take www.internationalfriends.co.uk from Southampton dock with stops at Salisbury, Stonehenge and Windsor (purchase Stonehenge and Windsor tickets through them) and be dropped off at your London hotel or LHR hotel.

 

I have taken them from Southampton and Dover to my London hotel, a great way to see other sites before London.

 

Check out your Roll Call to see if anybody is taking a private car service.

[DRS/NC]

6 hours ago, phabric said:

You can take www.internationalfriends.co.uk from Southampton dock with stops at Salisbury, Stonehenge and Windsor (purchase Stonehenge and Windsor tickets through them) and be dropped off at your London hotel or LHR hotel.

 

I have taken them from Southampton and Dover to my London hotel, a great way to see other sites before London.

 

Check out your Roll Call to see if anybody is taking a private car service.

Thanks, but I don't need sight-seeing stops.  I'm somewhat handicapped & just need to get to my hotel.  And, yes, I've posted my wish to share a ride on my Roll Call.

Thanks.

[phabric]

1 hour ago, DRS/NC said:

Thanks, but I don't need sight-seeing stops.  I'm somewhat handicapped & just need to get to my hotel.  And, yes, I've posted my wish to share a ride on my Roll Call.

Thanks.

Depending where your London hotel is, maybe Princess transfer to London Victoria Coach station is better for a taxi to the hotel.

 

International Friends also do private transfer for £80/pp with pickup at Southampton dock and drop off certain London hotels, LHR and LHR hotels.

Edited February 27, 2022 by phabric

[Bob&Sue]

On 2/5/2022 at 4:26 PM, Rick&Jeannie said:

I believe you may be on the same TA cruise as we are...

We are using Blackberry Cars to take us to a Heathrow hotel.  We are staying 1 night due to better flight connections available earlier in the morning than the Princess shuttle allows.  Other than that...we usually do the Princess shuttle.  Simple and easy.

We will be returning on Princess to Southampton and taking a flight from Heathrow to Iceland.  Our two flight options are 1:05 pm and 9:30 pm.  If we reserve a Blackberry Car, do you think we can make the 1:05 departure?  Also, how was the Blackberry Car service.  We usually use the cruise ship transfer, but they say we must have 7 hours prior to flight departure.

[Rick&Jeannie]

Hmmm, you're really putting me on the spot here! There are a lot of things that can go wrong that could foul up your plans. IF absolutely everything were to fall into place then you probably can make a 1:05 flight...but I personally would not like to face that kind of stress. In a perfect world we all like to have perfect connections when traveling...but we don't live in a perfect world! We have all heard the stories of people missing flights due to all kinds of issues. The run from Southampton to Heathrow usually takes about 2 hours by bus, probably less by car. Add in the time to get checked in and get through security... It goes without saying that you would have to be one of the first off the ship using self disembarkation. Plus, ships have been known to port a bit late for various reasons. It's not uncommon for bad traffic or even a wreck to foul things up for a bus that cannot easily maneuver through (in the case of the Princess transfer.)

 

I'm really not trying to scare you into possibly wasting a lot of time...that's a really big time spread between those flights.

 

Personally, I would probably opt for that later flight mainly because I try to avoid stress over connections, but you may find others here on CC that will say "go for it".

 

As far as Blackberry Cars is concerned...we use them almost every time we visit London, but it's usually from Heathrow to wherever we're staying for a day or two pre-cruise.  They're not cheap, but after you deal with them once you just may never go back to anybody else. They have a nice system where you can pre-pay or pay the driver. (We always pre-pay just to minimize the amount of cash that we need to carry.) And they are very good about rescheduling or canceling should your plans change (even if you've already paid.)  We really like them but as I've said, we usually only use them for right around London proper. 

[Bob&Sue]

Thank you for the quick response.  We will be flying to Iceland after the cruise to visit family.  Before flying home to Florida.  Arriving at 3:30 in Iceland is much more preferred than arriving at 11:40.  Early arrival I can stay with family, that late we will have to find a hotel in Keflavik.  I read somewhere that the drive time was 1 hour 10 minutes from Southampton to Heathrow.  But, the shuttle says 2 hours.  I wish I could find another flight option, but sadly have only found these two.

[John Bull]

3 hours ago, Bob&Sue said:

We will be returning on Princess to Southampton and taking a flight from Heathrow to Iceland.  Our two flight options are 1:05 pm and 9:30 pm.  If we reserve a Blackberry Car, do you think we can make the 1:05 departure?  Also, how was the Blackberry Car service.  We usually use the cruise ship transfer, but they say we must have 7 hours prior to flight departure.

 

I have no idea where Princess' 7 hours comes from 🤔

Along with other cruise lines, they usually recommend their transfer coaches for flight departures after 12.30 or 1pm.

 

Yes, barring a massive hold-up a pre-booked car will get you to Heathrow in time - as will ship's transfer coach.

The first coaches leave at about 8am, but if you're prepared to disembark unassisted (from about 7am) a car booked for 7.15 will give you an extra hour of wiggle-room.

If you don't want or can't handle hauling your bags off the ship, you can book a car for 7.45 and whatever time you're allocated for disembarkation you can request at Guest Services the first disembarkation slot, usually 7.30, citing your onward travel arrangements - it just means them giving you bag labels of a different colour.

 

Southampton to Heathrow by car is 1 hr 10 mins only in light traffic. by coach it's closer to 1 1/2 hr.

On a weekday the road to Heathrow/London will be thick with traffic and likely to take 1 3/4 to 2 1/2 hours, again a further 15 to 20 minutes by coach

But if this is a saturday or sunday morning you're in seventh-heaven - no commuters.

 

JB 🙂