I am headed on a cruise out of Southampton in July 2026 with family (some of whom are arriving separately). My senior parents and I are arriving at Heathrow T5 on a British Airways flight form Vancouver that is scheduled to arrive at 14:30 on a Friday afternoon. We plan to take the direct National Express bus to Southampton as we are staying there in advance of our Sunday sailing, with an eye to taking the 16:25 coach. We have done this transfer previously in December 2017 and we purchased tickets at the Heathrow Bus terminal. I was wondering if anyone has more recent experience, whether pre-booking is a good idea and if just under 2 hours is enough time.
Of note, my dad and I are both dual British/Canadian citizens and my mum is solely Canadian. We would all be eligible to use the e-gates at Immigration from what I have seen.