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View Full Version : Connecting to Southampton Cruise Terminal, & Excess Baggage from Geneva


ExXB
8th Feb 2011, 19:49
Hoping for a little advice from PPrune SLFers.

Mdme ExXB and I are joining her family for a 'cruise around the UK' leaving from Southampton in mid-August. I've been looking at the options of getting there (and back) and dealing with the likely excess luggage one of us will need - posh frocks, etc. I've been told I'll have to rent a tux, but I am resisting; not my style.

There are no direct flights to Eastleigh (SOU) from Geneva (Flybe has flights in the winter only) and connecting flights via CDG/ORL, JER, GCI etc - where I can get a quote are very expensive - I'm guessing sum-of-sector pricing.

So it looks like either Gatwick (Squeezy), or Heathrow (BA/LX).

Squeezy's excess baggage rules appear to say that you can pay for an extra piece, but don't get any extra weight above their 20kg. If you have extra weight it's CHF23 per kg. LX gives you 23kg but charges the same as Squeezy per kg. for more. BA, on the other hand, charges (the equivalent) of GBP25 for an extra piece up to 23kg.

All of the above allow pooling of baggage but a conservative guess is that the two of us will have a total of 55~60kg. BA, via LHR, is likely to come out the cheapest here. However, what have I overlooked? Is their a cheaper and better way to get the bags there? FedEx or UPS perhaps?

The choice on getting to the cruise port from Heathrow are by coach (cheap but as long as 5 1/2 hours) or a car transfer (expensive about GBP125 each way). Again, am I missing or overlooking something?

I wouldn't have chosen a cruise myself, but it is the M-I-L's 80th birthday, and this is what she wants to do.

Any and all advice will be rewarded with a virtual beer; or maybe six.

P.S. Can I avoid the Tux? Or will I be out of place?

davidjohnson6
8th Feb 2011, 21:24
If you want to get from Heathrow to Southampton, could I suggest taking either the coach or a minicab from Heathrow to Woking (30 mins by car, 45 mins by coach), and then a train to Southampton (about 1 hour) ? For the two of you, it should cost about 65 pounds each way

Alternatively from Gatwick, the train to Southampton will take about 2 hours, and cost between 30 and 60 pounds each way for the two of you (i.e. 15 to 30 pounds each way per person) depending on the time of day when you travel

If you want to save some more cash, are travelling after 10 am or at the weekend, and are prepared to spend 10 mins on arrival in the UK filling in a form and hand over a passport sized photo of one of you, you might want to spend 25 pounds on a Network railcard - gets you a third off train fares for a year - you pay 25 pounds upfront for the paperwork, but save up to 40 pounds on the overall train fare

berkshire boy
8th Feb 2011, 21:58
Connecting to Southampton Cruise Terminal, & Excess Baggage from Geneva
I would suggest BA into LHR and then the Rail Air connection to Reading [£22 return] and rail Reading - Southampton [£24 off peak return]. Costs are per person.

BA baggage allowance of 23K plus hand baggage allowance will come in at about 60K for you both. My wife and I have been on a number of cruises and would suggest that that should be enough for the average 2 week cruise around the UK.

ExXB
9th Feb 2011, 09:20
David & Berkshire boy ...

Thank you both for your detailed replies. My wife is from Newbury, so we are familiar with Rail Air.

Heading off to check the train times and frequency from both Reading and Woking ... A virtual six-pack is enroute. Cheers!

lexxity
9th Feb 2011, 09:35
Your cruise line may be able to arrange to collect your luggage to and from your home to the ship, which line is it? Or look at something like this. (http://www.firstluggage.com/?gclid=CPus15Lw-qYCFQJO4QodJDtbGw)

Cruises round Britain are great, we've done 2 so far. Bring rainwear. ;)

Again, which line as regards your tux? Try Cruise Cruises offers, discount cruise deals, cheap cruises (http://www.cruise.co.uk) for lots of advice. If it's Cunard you will need a tux as most of the men wear them. :ok:

PleasureFlyer
9th Feb 2011, 10:32
ExXB

I have done the GVA-LHR then Southampton a few times to join cruises, my next at the end of May.

Not saying it's the best route, but I have always taken the train from LHR to Paddington then taxi to Waterloo and jumped on the train there. Train from Waterloo to Southampton is under 1.5 hours (might even be 1.25 hours)

I was checking tickets/timetables for end of May but they do not seem to be published yet, but don't forget the megatrain website, they often have £1 fares but not often on the most convenient trains.

For luggage, my bag has never been over 16KG even for a 14 nighter, but I understand women have different requirements :)

(I never bother with a tux either, infact I've more or less given up on formal nights altogether, just can't be bothered with them and just wear a normal dark suit - but if needed a Tux can be rented onboard (certainly on Princess))

Manchikeri
9th Feb 2011, 12:25
My wife is from Newbury

Say no more, squire. Say no more!

WHBM
9th Feb 2011, 14:33
Firstly it's ridiculous for anyone to say that a bus/coach from Heathrow to Southampton might take up to 5.5 hours; it's about 70 miles/110 km, motorway all the way, and takes just over an hour to drive.

Secondly a number of the major ship operators from Southampton have special trains from Waterloo station in London ("special train" here may be nothing more than a reserved carriage in the regular train), which invariably comes with transfer of you and bags from the Southampton station to shipside.

Every one of the regular express trains (several every hour) from London Waterloo to Southampton stops in the far suburbs of London at Woking, and there is a regular shuttle coach every 30 minutes from the airport terminals at Heathrow to Woking station which obviates both time and expense of going into London and coming out again.

GBP 125 may sound expensive for a car service, but by the time you have paid 3 x coach fares to Woking, plus 3 x train fares to Southampton, and finally a taxi to shipside, it's not going to come to a lot less than GBP 40 each, or 125 overall anyway, and it would be a lot less fatiguing for the 80 year old.

ExXB
9th Feb 2011, 16:21
WHBM, I agree. But searching National Express for 18 August gives me only one choice departing T5 at 08:55 and arriving at Southampton Cruise Terminal at 14:30. 5 hours 35 minutes. Ridiculous? You betcha. But I didn't say it, the bus company said it. It involves travel via T2/3 and Victoria with a 1 1/2 hour wait there.

Travelling from Waterloo doesn't do it for me either as connections to there from Heathrow are less than ideal.

This is why I appealed to more knowledgeable PPRuners for their assistance and advice.

But thank you for your kind input.

Edited to add - I've now searched for Heathrow to Southampton Coach Station (silly me) and found service every 2 hours or so which takes 1h45 minutes. GBP16 per person.

Phileas Fogg
9th Feb 2011, 20:34
ExXB,

It is well known that excess baggage rates are a rip-off, just a thought but as you are planning well in advance have you investigated sending your excess as freight or by courier or similar?

Tolsti
10th Feb 2011, 05:10
I used to chauffeur drive for a Luton based car company with offices at Gatwick, Man, BHX. Most of our work was crew transfers all over the country with major contracts for the likes of Thomson and Easy Jet.

We also did Cruise transport either from Home or Port. The vehicles used were Mercs and Merc vans. It always amazed me how much luggage people took on cruises.

I would suggest using a car service... at least then it is door to door and if your flight is delayed then the driver will wait. Definitely less stress and lugging bags aorund from plane to bus, Bus to train, train to taxi..... why start a holiday with all that?

TightSlot
10th Feb 2011, 07:27
... and an excellent company they were too: Their drivers drove me safely and courteously for thousands of miles over the years and I have used them privately on occasional airport runs ever since. The name is available from me via PM (or presumably also from Tolsti - who must have driven me at some stage)

pulse1
10th Feb 2011, 07:50
A friend of mine runs an airport taxi service and is based near Southampton. PM me if you want details. I am using his services for a cruise in June.

fincastle84
10th Feb 2011, 07:57
Looks like Tighslot & Tolsti have the perfect answer. As you're celebrating your better half's 80th you have no choice but to travel, in comfort, by car. Unless, of course, you want to have a very miserable cruise!

Davidsa
10th Feb 2011, 14:28
How about:

GVA - BOH on EZ

Hurn airport to Bournemouth Station by taxi ... 15 min, say (there is a bus to the travel interchange at the station, too)

Bournemouth to Southampton by train - several an hour, fastest around 30 mins

Taxi to the ship

David

ExXB
10th Feb 2011, 19:57
Davidsa - thanks but Squeezy doesn't appear to operate GVA-BOH in the summer. Last flight appears to be 25 April. It could be that they have yet to load their flights for sale, but given their baggage rules we are going to give them a miss, for this trip.

Fincastle - It's my better-half's Mother's birthday. And she is being driven from Newbury by her better-half! It does look likely that we will opt for travel by car from Heathrow (LX is currently cheaper than Squeezy to LGW for the dates we want)

So my objective is get the suitcases under 46kg, maybe I'll pack a Helium canister ... or two?

Phileas - I did look at shipping the bags - but I doubt that I could ship them to the Cruise company directly - and I don't want to send them to the in-laws. I couldn't find anyone on this side of the 'ditch' who showed any interest though.