Southampton Hotel Precruise

[phabric]

1 minute ago, Ladybug18 said:

Fantastic! Thank you.

 

What is a good time to book the Taxi for pick-up at the Premier Inn West Quay? Our ship departs at 5PM and I believe all aboard is 3PM.

 

How does it work with payment? Do the Taxi's take credit cards in the car and do we tip and if so how much? We have never been to the UK so looking for some tips. 

I booked our taxi for 11am.  They asked where you are staying, ship name, your name, amount of luggage, time you want.

 

I paid cash and rounded the amount up to an even £ amount.  You can ask on the phone, if they take credit card, they probably do as most place take cards.

[wowzz]

9 minutes ago, Ladybug18 said:

Fantastic! Thank you.

 

What is a good time to book the Taxi for pick-up at the Premier Inn West Quay? Our ship departs at 5PM and I believe all aboard is 3PM.

 

How does it work with payment? Do the Taxi's take credit cards in the car and do we tip and if so how much? We have never been to the UK so looking for some tips. 

The taxis take credit cards. The fare is going to be less than £10, so I would either round the fare up to the nearest £ (so £8.20 becomes £9) or just add on £1. However,  if your driver helps you load and unload you cases, I would probably give £2. 

If you use a porter at the terminal a £1 tip is probably enough, £2 if you have a lot of luggage, but tipping would be the exception. 

Edited April 25, 2023 by wowzz

[Ladybug18]

1 hour ago, wowzz said:

The taxis take credit cards. The fare is going to be less than £10, so I would either round the fare up to the nearest £ (so £8.20 becomes £9) or just add on £1. However,  if your driver helps you load and unload you cases, I would probably give £2. 

If you use a porter at the terminal a £1 tip is probably enough, £2 if you have a lot of luggage, but tipping would be the exception. 

Thank you, this is super helpful as I was not sure how tipping works outside of the USA.

[Ladybug18]

1 hour ago, phabric said:

I booked our taxi for 11am.  They asked where you are staying, ship name, your name, amount of luggage, time you want.

 

I paid cash and rounded the amount up to an even £ amount.  You can ask on the phone, if they take credit card, they probably do as most place take cards.

Awesome, thank you for this information. It is extremely helpful. 

[John Bull]

Yes, Premier Inn West Quay would fit the bill, and there will doubtless be other cruisers staying there at the same time. Be sure that t's West Quay, now called "West Quay City Centre" presumably to confuse folk because there's another called "Premier Inn City Centre" in New Road, on the opposite side of the city centre. So be sure that "West Quay" is in the name.

We've stayed at Premier Inns around the country but not locally, never been disappointed. They're all very much the same theme, same super-comfortable beds, tea & coffee makings in-room. Excellent breakfast (possibly cheaper if booked at the same time as the room), decent evening meals, though there are plenty of restaurants - major chains in the West Quay entertainments complex opposite, and rather-more individual independent restaurants & pubs 10 mins away in the old-town area (for instance google  Southampton Duke of Wellington, Dancing Man, Ennios, La Regata.

 

Registration for the ship is usually between 11am at the earliest and closes 90-120mins before scheduled sailing time. Aiming to be on-board for a lazy lunch is probably ideal.

 

JB 🙂

 

[John Bull]

If you go into the docks at Dock Gate 8 (behind Holiday Inn) it's a level 15 minute walk from P.I.West Quay to Horizon terminal.

Cross the main West Quay road using the traffic lights,, cut thro the Holiday Inn carpark, thro the dock gate and Horizon is beyond City Cruise Terminal.

https://goo.gl/maps/e6Y6TevVEwj8n79V7

 

In the past, Dock Gate 8 has only been open when there's a cruise ship at City Cruise Terminal (berth 101). Check the linked schedule, 'tho with the recent opening of Horizon it might be open every day.

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

 

JB 🙂

 

 

[rtdiva]

My question is where to stay a few days between cruises; a place close to public transportation, we would take day trips both in and around Southampton.

I understand there are several museums in this city. Do you recommend other nearby attractions?  A company that gives tours? A train to..?

 

Our interest are music history and contemporary art. Cathedrals, colleges and castles have already been explored.

 

CC is brilliant, much thanks for poster support.

[PORT ROYAL]

41 minutes ago, rtdiva said:

My question is where to stay a few days between cruises; a place close to public transportation, we would take day trips both in and around Southampton.

I understand there are several museums in this city. Do you recommend other nearby attractions?  A company that gives tours? A train to..?

 

Our interest are music history and contemporary art. Cathedrals, colleges and castles have already been explored.

 

CC is brilliant, much thanks for poster support.

This is a must take……. https://maryrose.org
Prepare to be wowed.

Others will add their ideas.

 

Central hotels.. Pig in the Wall or an historic pub/hotel The White Star.

Edited April 26, 2023 by PORT ROYAL
Hotels

[John Bull]

1 hour ago, PORT ROYAL said:

This is a must take……. https://maryrose.org
Prepare to be wowed.

Others will add their ideas.

 

Central hotels.. Pig in the Wall or an historic pub/hotel The White Star.

 

The Mary Rose is in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, about 25 miles away.

But that doesn't mean it's not a good suggestion.

Hourly direct trains from Southampton Central station to Portsmouth Harbour station, 45 minute journey, £13.80 round-trip.

The Historic Dockyard is a couple of hundred yards from Portsmouth Harbour station - and there's much more to it than the Mary Rose, including Nelson's flagship HMS Victory, and the first ironclad, Warrior, plus multiple other attractions

https://historicdockyard.co.uk/

 

JB 🙂

 

[Globaliser]

3 hours ago, rtdiva said:

Our interest are music history and contemporary art.

 

Depending on how much you are in to contemporary art, having a few days makes Hauser & Wirth Somerset feasible. It would take a couple of hours to get there, either by train or by car.

 

Chichester, Salisbury and Winchester have good cathedral choirs. They host what is now known as the Southern Cathedrals Festival. But if you have "explored" the area's cathedrals already, then maybe you have already exhausted the musical offerings of these cities.

[beyondthepalace]

I have gone with the suggestion from @John Bull and staying at Premier Inn West Quay for our December MSC cruise. The more I am reading up on it, the more it makes sense.

[PORT ROYAL]

5 hours ago, beyondthepalace said:

 The more I am reading up on it, the more it makes sense.

Agree, these are identical thoughts one had for Lime Wood.  
Suggest one considers LW and all it has to offer for a pre-cruise stay.

[John Bull]

1 hour ago, PORT ROYAL said:

Agree, these are identical thoughts one had for Lime Wood.  
Suggest one considers LW and all it has to offer for a pre-cruise stay.

 

Limewood is a lovely New Forest country hotel.

But it's 10 miles from the cruise terminals and a mile & a half from the nearest shops & pubs & restaurants. I'll re-phrase that - a mile and a half from anything.

And a night's stay is about £500, with a just a main course for dinner at £38.

 

IMHO for anyone with a decent bank balance and travelling by car, it's well worth considering.

But for most of us it isn't

 

JB 🙂

 

[PORT ROYAL]

5 hours ago, John Bull said:

 

Limewood is a lovely New Forest country hotel.

But it's 10 miles from the cruise terminals and a mile & a half from the nearest shops & pubs & restaurants. I'll re-phrase that - a mile and a half from anything.

And a night's stay is about £500, with a just a main course for dinner at £38.

 

IMHO for anyone with a decent bank balance and travelling by car, it's well worth considering.

But for most of us it isn't

 

JB 🙂

 

The isolation was one of the key elements that attracted us.  Plus LW could deliver all we wanted, from ambience to dining.  Everyone has a free choice as to how they wish to start their Cruise/Voyage.