I’d appreciate any suggestions! The National Express bus doesn’t work for us due to conflicting schedules. We don’t mind trying the train, but we’ll have luggage to lug, so would be interested in your experience, if you’ve done that. Otherwise, reasonably priced car hires would be great!
Thanks much!
Take a bus or taxi to Cosham, then a direct train to Victoria
or
Take a bus or taxi to Portsmouth and Southsea, then a direct train to Victoria
Both take about 2h 30m so only a little longer than the coach.
Which works best will depend on your exact date and time. The second one is probably a shorter walk from bus to train.
It's about 2h30m by car so there isn't anything reasonably priced really
Local buses leave from Mile End Road, across the road from the Ferry Port/Cruise Port (it's the same building), not from outside the terminal building, so you'll likely find that a taxi or uber is the most sensible option to the railway station.
There used to be a shuttle bus met all ferry arrivals/departures - that went to The Hard (Portsmouth Harbour Station)- the end of the train line but that no longer exists.
We used aquacars.co.uk based in Portsmouth several years ago. We were met at Heathrow and taken to our hotel in Portsmouth for less money than two train tickets, not to mention the door to door service and luggage was a breeze. Check out the website. Our service was excellent.
Have a look at AJS Travel https://m.facebook.com/people/AJS-Travel/100063321524226/
They're based in Portsmouth, Scott is a friend of ours and has taken us to and from airports more times than I can recall. Cheaper than Aqua and more personable.
Why are you focused on National Express in terms of coach? Megabus and Flixbus are much cheaper. Roughly the same time as the train too.
Thanks to all who have replied. I really appreciate your suggestions! I will check out all of them, including the two bus options, which I wasn’t aware of. Hence, the focus on National Express.
Why are you focused on National Express in terms of coach? Megabus and Flixbus are much cheaper. Roughly the same time as the train too.
Flixbus doesn't serve Portsmouth and Megabus doesn't provide a route to London from Portsmouth. National Express is the only bus option.
It is also untrue that Megabus is cheaper than National Express. On shared routes the opposite is often true - that Nat Ex is the cheaper.
Megabus do run out of Portsmouth, but only on a route to Newcastle, not to London.
We took the bus (National Express) into London, we traveled the day of a railway strike, so that was deemed the safe alternative.
It worked well, but with any bus, the wildcard is that you may (and for London I suppose, will) hit traffic. Our arrival was delayed 30-45 minutes as we slowly worked our way through outer London.
There is no way that a taxi ride from Portsmouth to Heathrow is cheaper than a sensibly chosen rail ticket. You might prefer it but it will not be cheaper.
Our issue is the non-stop National Express bus leaves Portsmouth at 7:55, and our disembarkation shows at 8. I realize we might be able to get off sooner, if we walk off with our bags, but….The next non-stop isn’t until the afternoon.
Thanks, CJ, for your Aqua recommendation. I have contacted them and already heard back.
Oops, I meant the AJS service.
If you taxi to The Hard at Portsmouth, as opposed to the Port, Nat Ex leave at 1015, 1115, 1215 and 1340, none of which call at the port.
PS - at Portsmouth there is no bridge from ship to terminal, and no walking "airside" from ship to terminal.
All berths are "remote".
You take a bus from the ship to the terminal.
So you can only disembark when the bus starts running and is full. So if you dock at 6am but the bus starts at 8am, 8am is the time you disembark, then you wait until enough are off to fill the bus.
Also all movements are controlled by the Kings Harbour Master, so if a naval ship needs to move in or out of port it gets priority.
Many thanks, isnc31c, for that very important bit of information!
Just an update. We used John with AJS Services and were very pleased with him and his reasonable fare. We shared the ride into London with another couple from our cruise. Even though our hotels were not close, he took them on to theirs for an additional reasonable charge. Definitely recommend!
I’m glad you found a solution that worked for you, and some fellow passengers.
Great to hear that you received a good service from AJS Travel.
Portsmouth is not a Cruise Port. It is mainly a major Navy port and Commercial Cruise ships are a minor part
You could say the same about almost any cruise port. Cruise ships call there, ergo it is a cruise port, and they are calling in increasing numbers.
You could say the same about Southampton where less than 10% of the berths are used by cruise ships. The rest of the berths are used by ferries and a large number of freight ships- just because the average cruise passenger doesn't see the freight ships doesn't mean they aren't there in parts of the port which are closed off to the public.
Saying that Portsmouth Is a Cruise Port surely suggests that that is all it is.
As this poster knows fine well, or should, there is no port in Western Europe which is cruise and nothing else.
Maybe I'm missing something here - if a cruise ship is using a port then surely that makes it a cruise port. They aren't going to put the cruise ships in with the naval ones are they?
Wasleys is quite right- at Portsmouth the naval and civil (continental ferry/cruise) ports are quite separate from each other- although sailing out of Pompei is always interesting as you pass the berthed naval ships at close quarters- as close as you ever will. The matelots sometimes salute as the merchant ships pass, if they are on deck.
Both active (to port) and retired naval ships (to starboard).
Then there are the two domestic ferry ports in the city centre.
And of course all movements are controlled by the Queen's Harbour master, so the navy always take priority.
Wowzer! What an interesting thread I generated by asking a simple how do I get from there to London question. 😊
