Princess transfer to port the day BEFORE?

[FirstTeacher]

I just got off the phone with Princess after scheduling my flights with EZ Air. We’re flying into Heathrow the day before our cruise from Southampton. The Princess advisor assured me that Princess would have a shuttle available from Heathrow to the port- even though the ship won’t be there yet! (We’re planning to stay in Southampton overnight.) Has anyone had this experience? I stressed that this would be the day before the cruise, but she said it’s not a problem.

[memoak]

I have only seen a transfer the day before the cruise when it was part of a hotel stay with Princess 

[Ombud]

I love Southampton  ..... get out and see the old city, have tea at the Tudor House Garden, beer & dinner at Dancing Man Brewery!! Then board the next morning. It was a grand total of £5.98 from hotel to pier and that included tip

[cr8tiv1]

IF...you booked a Princess hotel, you will be provided a transfer to Southhampton before your cruise.  Otherwise, you will need to find a hotel near Heathrow and request a Princess Transfer the day of.  

[Rick&Jeannie]

I would make absolutely certain that you are getting what you think you're getting! As others have stated,  I've only seen this in conjunction with a hotel package. 

[SCX22]

Princess has no pre-cruise hotel partners in Southampton (at least from the U.S.).  All pre-cruise hotels Princess offers are all in London proper, so not sure how you would be getting a lift to Southampton the day before your cruise through Princess.

 

If you've made a self stay in Southampton the day prior to your cruise, it's your responsibility to get to your Southampton hotel from Heathrow and from your hotel in Southampton to the cruise terminal.

 

If the agent included a Princess transfer in your booking AND you booked your Southampton hotel on your own, you should have the Princess transfer removed as it will be of no use to you.

 

 

[cristine]

4 hours ago, Ombud said:

I love Southampton  ..... get out and see the old city, have tea at the Tudor House Garden, beer & dinner at Dancing Man Brewery!! Then board the next morning. It was a grand total of £5.98 from hotel to pier and that included tip

Any Hotel recommendations?

[Ombud]

I stayed at Moxy and it was okay. My only issue was that I am used to having a closet and there wasn't one. But it was just 1 night. I think I should have stayed at Leonardo Royal Southampton Grand Harbour.  Better location

[Ombud]

27 minutes ago, Ombud said:

I stayed at Moxy and it was okay. My only issue was that I am used to having a closet and there wasn't one. But it was just 1 night. I think I should have stayed at Leonardo Royal Southampton Grand Harbour.  Better location

Correction: 2 nights .... never stay 1 night if crossing the pond. Too many flights can go wrong

[dlh015]

Is First Teacher even following their topic? When one starts a topic are they automatically following it AND  it doesn't show in the Follow box at the top??

 

Thanks for any clarification on this...

[dlh015]

45 minutes ago, Ombud said:

I think I should have stayed at Leonardo Royal Southampton Grand Harbour. 

I stayed there and it was wonderful. A great breakfast in the morning!!

[Wblotner]

Leonardo Royal grand harbor is a good hotel. Very close to both ports depending which one you leave out of. We took national express from Heathrow to Southampton and then an Uber to the hotel. It was very easy and so much less than Princes. 

[Coral]

No, they don't offer that transfer. You can look at National Express.

 

Or spend the night at an airport hotel and make it back to Heathrow the day of the cruise and catch the transfer. Or spend the night in downtown London and there is a transfer from Victoria Coach Station (though that must be setup in advance.

If you are going to Southampton the day before, arrange for your own transfer.

[Buckeye10640]

7 hours ago, dlh015 said:

Is First Teacher even following their topic? When one starts a topic are they automatically following it AND  it doesn't show in the Follow box at the top??

 

Thanks for any clarification on this...

I have been reading and posting on this board for several years. I dont even know what the 'follow box at the top' is??

[FirstTeacher]

8 hours ago, dlh015 said:

Is First Teacher even following their topic? When one starts a topic are they automatically following it AND  it doesn't show in the Follow box at the top??

 

Thanks for any clarification on this...

Yes, I am following the responses. I’m now looking into booking a private transfer to Southampton and looking for hotel suggestions.

[FirstTeacher]

2 hours ago, Coral said:

No, they don't offer that transfer. You can look at National Express.

 

Or spend the night at an airport hotel and make it back to Heathrow the day of the cruise and catch the transfer. Or spend the night in downtown London and there is a transfer from Victoria Coach Station (though that must be setup in advance.

If you are going to Southampton the day before, arrange for your own transfer.

I looked into National Express. Have you used them before? I noticed some comments suggesting their pickup times were inconsistent. They’re certainly cheap enough.

[skynight]

There is a good selection of hotels. We chose the Holiday Inn near the pier. It is in reasonable walking distance to the downtown area and the hotel was fairly nice. A taxi was needed to take us the short distance to the pier on sailing day. We booked a private car transfer on line from Heathrow to the Holiday Inn. The rate was reasonable and there was no hassle, no waiting for bus schedules or trains, no transfers from the bus station to the hotel. Direct service from the airport exit to the hotel's front door.  The driver met us inside the airport when we exited the Customs security area. We were able to rest (actually sleep) in route after the overnight flight. The drive is around 1 1/2 hours.

[DCThunder]

17 hours ago, Ombud said:

I love Southampton  ..... get out and see the old city, have tea at the Tudor House Garden, beer & dinner at Dancing Man Brewery!! Then board the next morning. It was a grand total of £5.98 from hotel to pier and that included tip

 I have personally seen Ombud out and about in Southampton.  It was a sight to behold!  😁🍻🍻😁

[DCThunder]

2 hours ago, FirstTeacher said:

I looked into National Express. Have you used them before? I noticed some comments suggesting their pickup times were inconsistent. They’re certainly cheap enough.

I've done the National Express and it was fine.  Go on line to their website and take a look and if interested, you can buy the ticket on-line.  The hardest part was finding the pick-up point as it was up a level or two from where I expected it to be and the other end of Heathrow from where I came out from Customs and Immigration.  I have them booked again on the 25th as a matter of fact.

 

I've also stayed at the Moxy.  As Ombud says, it's a "modern" hotel in that it doesn't have carpet on the floor or a closet.  For a night, it's very good and right across the road from the Carnival UK HQ.  Its about two blocks from the NE drop off point.  It's affiliated with Marriott so you get Bonvoy points, unless you book through a 3rd party site.  I've got a reservation there on the 25th before my Norway cruise on Island.

[Jadn13]

Stay at/near Heathrow and head back to the airport the next day to grab a Princess transfer

Edited July 11, 2023 by Jadn13

[Ombud]

@FirstTeacher National Express was really easy. If you have a lot of luggage then uber from their end point to your hotel. I walked but just had a carry on and as DCTHUNDER stated just 2 long blocks

 

The main NE terminal at Heathrow is between T2 -T3 

[Barry H]

We have stayed at Premier Inn West Quay and Premier Inn Cumberland Place in Southampton. West  Quay is closest to port, IKEA (for inexpensive meals) and giant mall across the street with shopping and plenty of restaurants.

Premier Inns are not high end hotels nor are they the bottom. They offer clean comfortable rooms at a reasonable price. We have booked Cumberland Place for our next cruise. It is close to ASDA store (UK version of Walmart), museum and Mayflower Theater.

FYI: Most UK hotels do not provide wash cloths. If you are used to using one, add it to your packing list.

We always order a taxi the day before.

[miataman]

19 hours ago, FirstTeacher said:

I just got off the phone with Princess after scheduling my flights with EZ Air. We’re flying into Heathrow the day before our cruise from Southampton. The Princess advisor assured me that Princess would have a shuttle available from Heathrow to the port- even though the ship won’t be there yet! (We’re planning to stay in Southampton overnight.) Has anyone had this experience? I stressed that this would be the day before the cruise, but she said it’s not a problem.

Last fall I flew into Heathrow from Alaska the day before my cruise landing at 8am. I only had a very stuffed carry on so was able to head straight to National express to catch a bus to Southampton.  I'm an experienced but rather nervous traveler so I  make good use of YouTube videos for instructions on how to ..... 

Because I watched several videos on how to get to the National express station at Heathrow from British airways, I had no trouble finding it, buying a ticket from the kiosk and boarding. I was traveling without my hubby so more nervous than normal but it all went perfectly. 

At the bus depot you can walk as I did to a few close by hotels or use uber. I took uber to the ship the next day for like $10 and he dropped me right at the terminal door.  I was in my cabin in 20 min.

The bus is about $20-25.

[FirstTeacher]

Thank you to everyone for your helpful responses. Although I’ve got plenty of time for the planning (May 2024), it’s never too early to start!