Southampton, Salisbury, Stonehenge and Windsor to Heathrow & London
- Door to Door service
- Full day tour transfer in a luxury, air-conditioned touring coach
- Services of an expert, friendly guide
- If your ship is late, we will wait
Enjoy a full day tour with a friendly driver and expert guide ending with your hotel drop off. In a memorable day you will see three world class attractions; Salisbury Cathedral, Stonehenge and Windsor. This service is available on all dates (April to November) when Royal Caribbean, Oceania, NCL, Celebrity, Azamara & Princess cruise ships are visiting Southampton. Service also available to passengers on other ships not listed when dates and arrival times coincide with ships listed. Please note you will need to make your own way to the ship we are servicing on that date.
New for 2019 - This service will also be available for Cunard customers.
Our first stop is the beautiful town of Salisbury, location of one of Britain’s best examples of Gothic architecture. Home to the tallest Cathedral spire in the whole of England, the world’s oldest clock and one of the four original copies of the Magna Carta, Salisbury Cathedral is most definitely worth a visit.
We plan to spend one hour in Salisbury, enough time for a photo stop and visit to the Cathedral. We recommend purchasing lunch in Salisbury. Please note as Salisbury Cathedral is a working Cathedral it may be subject to last minute closures.
The next stop on this magnificent tour is Stonehenge. We will spend around 90 minutes at Stonehenge. You can visit this world famous monument from 4-5,000 years ago and still have enough time for the gift shop or a quick coffee. Your guide will explain to you the many theories and mysteries behind Stonehenge as you enter the new visitor centre and neolithic village. You will then have the option (entry extra) of visiting Stonehenge and enjoy an audio guided tour (Subject to availability).
After a 75-90 minute drive, we arrive in Windsor. Over 900 years of royal history are waiting for you at Windsor Castle, perched high above the River Thames. Home to British Monarchs for over 1,000 years, and the official residence of Queen Elizabeth II, the Castle remains a working palace to this day. See for yourself the splendour of St. George’s chapel and the sumptuous state apartments. Windsor itself is a pretty town full of traditional shops and historic pubs.
The guide will not enter Windsor Castle with you - you will receive a personal audio guide on admission so you can take in Windsor Castle at your own pace. To avoid long queues and possible disappointment on the day, we strongly advise you include your attraction entry when booking the transfer. Please do note that entry to Windsor castle does involve a walk of aproximately 15 minutes from the coach park. Parts of this walk are up hill and may not be suitable for passengers with mobility issues.
If you don't want to visit the castle there is much else to do in Windsor and Eton. The guide will be available to assist you in having a very enjoyable few hours.
Departure from Cruise Terminal
Nearly all cruises at Southampton arrive between 05:00am and 06:00am in the morning, with disembarkation starting around 07:00am. Your driver will meet you at the terminal building exit from 08:00am. Your driver will be holding a sign reading "International Friends", and will accompany you the coach. We plan to leave Southampton by 08:30am. There are 4 cruise terminals at Southampton, all slightly different but you will have a typical walk of about 75 yards to the vehicle where the driver will load your luggage into the hold. In the unlikely event your ship is delayed into port, we will delay our departure time accordingly (applicable only to the listed ships we service). For all delayed ship arrivals we will aim to leave at the latest one hour after docking (earlier if possible).
Arrival at London & Heathrow
Drop off hotels in London click here Drop off points at Heathrow click here
We depart Windsor at 4:00pm and drop at Heathrow hotels and terminals 4:45pm - 5:30pm subject to traffic, arriving in Central London 6:00pm - 6:30pm. We offer a drop off at any London city centre or Heathrow airport hotel. We also drop at any London city centre train station. If you are flying from Gatwick, Stansted or Luton Airports we can drop you at Victoria Rail or Coach Station around 6:45pm - 7:00pm, where there are frequent trains and airport buses to each airport.
Please note on arrival in London we may use other vehicles to ensure we complete the drop offs as quickly and efficiently as possible. If this does happen our drivers, guides or tour managers will manage this.
We are aware that NCL cruises are advertising a docking time of 08:00am. If this is the case we will adjust our meeting time to 09.00am with a 09.30am departure and our end of day timings above will be one hour later. If the ship does dock earlier, as it has done previously, our meeting and departure time will remain at 08.00am and 08.30am.
What happens if my ship is late?
In the unlikely event your ship is delayed into port, we will delay our departure time accordingly (applicable only to the listed ships we service). For all delayed ship arrivals we will aim to leave at the latest one hour after docking (earlier if possible).
Will you wait for me if I am late in disembarking?
If your cruise ship docks on schedule and disembarkation begins as normal, we cannot be held responsible, in the unlikely event you are unable to disembark in time to meet your transfer. This is a shared transfer and we cannot delay departure from the port for customers who are late in disembarking. It is your responsibility to check the departure time for your transfer, and ensure you are at the meeting point at the appropriate time.
How much luggage can I bring?
Each person is allowed a maximum of 2 items of hold luggage (23kg each) and 2 items of carry on luggage (10kg each).
Should you wish to bring any mobility aids (wheelchairs or walkers) you MUST contact us in advance to let us know. We will require full dimensions and weight. These items must be able to be folded and stored in the luggage hold. Wheelchairs must be counted as 1 item of your hold luggage.
Additional charges will be incurred should you bring additional items of luggage or for items weighing more than the maximum weight stated above.
How much walking will be involved in this tour?
As you exit the cruise terminal you will meet your guide and there will be a typical walk of about 100 yards to the vehicle.
Salisbury - Upon arrival your guide will offer a walking tour to the Cathedral. This is a short walk of approximately 10 – 15 minutes and is on flat ground. You will then have the option of entering the Cathedral or walking further into the town.
Stonehenge - The main visitor areas are all on flat ground and are well pathed. A shuttle bus service will take you from the visitor centre directly up to the Stones.
Windsor - There is a walk of approximately 15 minutes from the coach park up to Windsor Castle. Parts of this walk are uphill and may not be suitable for passengers with mobility issues.
We aim to drop off directly outside your chosen accommodation however sometimes due to traffic conditions or parking restrictions we may drop off nearby. The vehicle will park as close as is safely and legally possible.
How long will my journey take?
Departing Southampton Port at 08:30am the journey to Salisbury will take approximately 45 minutes - 1 hour. From Salisbury to Stonehenge the journey is approximately 30 minutes. The journey from Stonehenge to Windsor will take approximately 1.5 hours. We depart Windsor at 4:00pm and reach Heathrow at 4:45pm and Central London from 6:00pm.
Will I make it to Heathrow Airport in time to catch my flight?
In the UK we advise arriving at the airport at least 3 hours prior to your flight departure time. As a general guide, we would not recommend our shared service for anyone departing Heathrow before 19:00PM.
If your flight departure timings are too near to the shared transfer arrival time we would strongly recommend you book a private transfer. With private transfers you can depart the port at a time of your choice. It is your responsibility to check in advance that our tour itinerary is suitable for your onward travel, particularly if same day flights are involved. Please email [email protected]
My chosen hotel is not on your list of drop off points, can I take this service?
We drop off at any London city centre hotel and Heathrow airport hotel and terminals. Occasionally we are unable to drop off at certain hotels because they are not in London city centre, Heathrow airport or not easily accessible by coach. Please email us at [email protected] and we will advise if we can drop off at your hotel, or direct you to the closest drop off point.
I would like to join this tour but you do not service the ship I am travelling on. What can I do?
How far in advance should I book?
Our tour dates go on sale 12-18 months in advance. We always advise booking early to avoid disappointment as availability cannot always be guaranteed if booking is left until closer to the date of travel. We offer a free cancellation policy up to 42 days prior to travel.
Should we tip our driver or guide?
Tips are entirely at the customer’s discretion and in no way expected. Should you feel inclined to tip, your driver or guide would be grateful, but you should not feel obliged. A 10% tip is considered customary in the UK.
This tour includes optional entry – do I need to book?
If you wish to pre pucrhase entry to either Stonehenge or Windsor Castle you do not need to contact the attraction and book entry. You will not need separate entry tickets to the attraction, the guide will manage your entry on the day. If you know you want to visit an attraction we always advise you add the tickets on at time of booking your transfer. We cannot guarantee entry for passengers to the attractions that have not pre-booked and paid.
My flight departs from Gatwick – can you drop me off there?
Unfortunately Gatwick is not in London and not in our drop off zone. We advise passengers use Victoria Station in central London as their drop off point as there are regular, cost effective transport options available from here directly to Gatwick. You can check out these options at:
- Express trains: www.gatwickexpress.com
- All trains: www.nationalrail.co.uk
- Coach transfer: www.nationalexpress.com