Transportation Southhampton to London

There are trains leaving Southhampton Central for London Waterloo constantly, and the trip is 1 1/2 to 2 hours. The fares are usually about 40.50 pounds. I see no reason to purchase tickets ahead of time since they have so many trains. If one happens to be full, wait 15 to 30 minutes for the next train.

See: http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/service/timesandfares/SOU/WAT/tomorrow/0000/dep#outwardJump

megabus offer the cheapest tickets (£7) on this route and have to be bought in advance when they become available

if you want a wider choice of train times then look on the south west website http://www.southwesttrains.co.uk/

inexplicably at weekends a day return ticket works out cheaper (£15) than a single ticket, but it too must be bought in advance

if there are several of you it may be a good idea to see what a private transfer would cost, directly from the ship to your London hotel. As well as the train fares, there will be taxi fares, too, at each end.

The only advantage of purchasing tickets in advance is that the price is sometimes lower. British trains never "sell out" - if all the seats are occupied you can still get on but have to stand. I don't know if reserved seats are still available on that line, but I don't think so.

Thank you all for the information.

Thanks to all for replays. Think I have the train worked out. I was wondering if anyone has experience with timing. Our ship arrives at Southhampton @ 5:30 am. I know there is some time allowed for breakfast, disembarkation and the taxi wait/ride to the train station. Does 11:00 am sound like an acceptable time to plan on purchasing tickets? Know this is not an exact science and many variables involved. Thanks for input.

Since the trains to London are quite frequent why not just wait and buy your ticket at the station. You may find yourselves at the station at 9:30 to it may be 11:00. Less stress it seems to me.

How much luggage will you be bringing with you? Trying manage more than one piece of luggage may be challenging on the train. Keep in mind there is not much space in the rail cars to store luggage. Often you need to place on rack above your seat or store under or between seats....not a deal breaker but you should be aware. I would avoid the Megabus, yes its cheap keep in mind it might be filled with rowdy or shady passengers. If the cruiseline offers transfers to London via coach service, I would do recommend going that route as it will be direct, your luggage stored and faster than the megabus. Also consider a shuttle service or car service, booked in advance. You'll be met and whisked away. Pack Light.

"I would avoid the Megabus, yes its cheap keep in mind it might be filled with rowdy or shady passengers."

er no… they sell train tickets for the regular trains - no shady characters whatsoever; wherever did you get that idea?