Hi Team,
I'll be taking a cruise to Norway that leaves from Southhampton. Flights there (from Portland, OR) look pricey! Wondering if it's smarter/cheaper to take a flight to London and then bus or train over or something? Also, if any cruisers have a reco on what time I should actually be in Southhampton I'd be all ears. I guess the day before, huh? Never done a cruise before! Is there much to do in Southhampton while we wait to board? Thanks! Cheers, Liz
Flying into London will likely give you many more flight options than flying into Southampton. Other posters will have much more knowledge of the various ways of getting from one place to the other.
You will definitely want to arrive AT LEAST the day before embarkation. The last thing you need is to have a flight delay, or other travel disruption, and miss your sailing.
If you haven't done so already, I'll recommend looking at Cruise Critic.com. You will find a forum devoted specifically to your cruise line, where you can ask questions about the ship. There will also be a Roll Call for your sailing where you can meet some of your fellow cruisers and see what they are planning for excursions, airport transfers and hotels. And finally, there is a Ports of Call forum where you can find info not only about Southampton, but each of the ports you will be visiting.
Happy sailing.
Happened to be on the cruise critic site and saw this. Thought it might be useful. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2654665
There are no trans-Atlantic flights operating in and out of Southampton, any flights from the US will be via connections from elsewhere and this will be why they're expensive. Flying to London will be cheaper and you can take the train or coach down to Southampton.
There's not much to do in Southampton, it's a bland port city.
There isn't much to do in Southampton, but if you arrive the day before the cruise departure you will be too tired to do much anyway. There is a small art museum. You could hire a driver to tour the New Forest, which is what we did. You can probably start the boarding procedure eleven-ish on the Big Day. It always takes ages and once on board you can have lunch.
Norma has a good suggestion. We did this cruise a few years ago after spending a week in England. It was very easy to turn in the car and take taxi to the terminal. Not every cruise terminal is as organized as Southhampton--taxi dropped us right at our ship and baggage handlers were right at the curb to whisk our luggage away. And 11 am is a perfect time to board the ship--they will offer champagne as you board and then you can have lunch and look the ship over. I think ours was Celebrity Eclipse. It was a great cruise.
Southampton is hardly the most exciting place in the world, but I think there is certainly enough there to keep you occupied for half a day or so while you're waiting to board your cruise ship. If you're just looking to get out and walk around to get over your jet lag, here is some information about things to see around the center of town.
Without any doubt at all, plan to arrive in Southampton at least one day before the ship departs. If you plan to go there directly from the airport you can get there by train or bus, but consider this. You will have had a long trip already, you'll be sleepy, jet lagged, on unfamiliar territory, and unfamiliar with the train / bus systems. That being the case, the extra money spent on a private car service transfer will, in my opinion, be money well spent. Yes, it will be somewhat expensive, but compared to the cost of two walk up rail tickets it might not be that much more added to overall cost of the trip. We've found that using a car service based in the destination city works very well as they always seem to know the "best way home". Just google "Private car services Southampton UK" and see what comes up. Then check a few prices before you make a final decision.
I haven't personally done this, but I know some tour services do private car transfers between London and Southampton (or the other way) with sightseeing along the way. I used Spire Tours a couple of years ago for a different purpose and was extremely happy with their service. Here's a link to their From London page - http://www.spiretours.co.uk/tours-from-london.html.
"...... they will offer you champagne as you board ...."
Well, I am very upset. We have never been offered champagne as we boarded. Life is so unfair.
Norma: I guess it depends on the cruise line. I can't remember if Cunard served champagne at embarkation , but none of the other lines we've sailed on have. They did offer sparkling wine or Mimosas, though. Celebrity definitely does. Yes, I'm picky about the distinction. :-p
A good tip for your cruise is to get something to put on your door to
the cabin like a magnet then you can easily find your cabin!
Not "like" a magnet. A magnet period. Or maaaybe one of those Command strip things. Anything else that uses adhesive is forbidden due to the potential for damaging the surface or leaving a residue behind (stickers/tape). We've always found the cabin numbers to be easily readable. Perhaps if one was visually impaired, or frequently overused the adult beverage package, an extra visual cue might be necessary.
Cunard and Princess offered us nothing but a warm welcome at Southampton. Nothing from Holland America, either, but did not board at Southampton. Life is so unfair.
Celebrity, Oceania, Azamara, and Viking all offer champagne upon boarding. The cruise from Southampton to Norway was wonderful--one of my favorites.
We toured around London for a few days before our cruise. Stayed near Victoria Coach Station. Then on the day of our cruise we took the National Express bus from Bictoria Coach Station to Southampton. We took a bus departure around 10:00am. Very easy and inexpensive, but we did also need to take a quick cab ride from the Southampton coach station to the cruise ship.
