London & Heathrow to Southampton via Winchester
- Shared option unavailable for 2024, you can book this on our Private Transfers page.
- Fully refundable and amendable up until 7 days before travel
- Preview our cruise transfer experience
Make the most out of your time in England, and combine your pre cruise transfer from London to Southampton with a visit to Winchester. This service is available on all dates when Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Oceania, NCL, Celebrity, Princess & Disney (New for 2023) cruise ships are visiting Southampton. This service is also available to passengers on other ships when dates and arrival times coincide with those listed.
- From just £114 per person!
- Shared Door to door service directly to Southampton cruise terminals
- Collection from any London city centre hotel/Airbnb property/selected Heathrow Airport hotels
- Travel by luxury coach
- Entry to Winchester Cathedral included
- Services of a tour manager
- Flexible booking guarantee!
You will be driven in an air conditioned touring bus from London and Heathrow to Southampton via a stop of approximately 1.5 - 2 hours at the historic town of Winchester. We plan to drop you at your cruise terminal between 1:30pm – 2:00pm.
Winchester is the home to one of England's premier medieval cathedrals and much more besides. For many years, Winchester has been associated with royalty as far back as the famous Alfred the Great, King of Wessex. The city even became joint capital of England, alongside London. In Winchester Cathedral (entry included) lies the resting place of many Saxon Kings, the Norman King William Rufus and the novelist Jane Austen. This outstanding building, with the longest nave in Europe, has an original medieval tiled floor and was the venue for the wedding of King Philip of Spain to Queen Mary Tudor in 1554, the infamous 'Bloody Mary'.
In your time in Winchester, you may wish to visit the Great Hall (entry not included) a seat of many English Kings and Queens, and you'll have the chance to view the famous King Arthur's Round Table. The 'Round Table' does actually date much later than the legendary British King, and is just a mere 800 years old!. We then continue the journey to Southampton, which will take approximately 30 - 45 minutes. After your arrival at Southampton Cruise Terminals you will walk straight to the check in desk. Porters will take care of your luggage, ensuring it is delivered to your cabin. Please make sure you use the luggage label in your cruise pack to facilitate this.
We offer a pick up from any London city centre hotel/Airbnb property and selected Heathrow Airport hotels. Below is a list of major hotels in London and Heathrow with our collection times. If your hotel is not on the list or you are staying at an apartment or Airbnb, during the booking process you will need to add the address in the additional information box. We will then contact you after your booking to confirm the pick up time. London city centre pick ups begin at 07:00am and are completed by 08.15am. We will then collect from Heathrow airport hotels between 09:00am - 09:45am. For Heathrow pick ups you must be ready and waiting in the hotel reception area from 09:00am. We are unable to collect from Heathrow airport terminals. If your flight arrives on the day of travel please see the FAQs page (section 3) for details on where to meet the transfer.
Pick up points in central London click here Pick up points at Heathrow click here
We recommend you are ready for collection in the hotel reception area, 10 minutes prior to the stated pick up time on your ticket. On departure from London, you may be collected by the main coach, or one of our smaller vehicles may transfer you to the coach. This is to ensure we complete the pickups as quickly and efficiently as possible. Your driver will meet you inside your hotel lobby and will then assist you with your luggage.
On a small number of occasions, due to road closures or events, we may alter the route/timings to ensure prompt arrival at the cruise terminal. If we do amend the timings we will contact you in advance. We strongly recommend checking your emails prior to your departure in case we have contacted you with a pick up time amendment.
Southampton arrival
There are four cruise terminals at Southampton. In normal circumstances the coach will take around 30 - 45 minutes to travel from Winchester to Southampton, arriving between 1:30pm and 2:00pm. At Southampton step off the coach and walk straight to the check-in desk. Porters will take care of your luggage, ensuring it is delivered directly to your cabin. Make sure you use the luggage label in your cruise pack to facilitate this.
Guaranteed Departure Dates
We guarantee to run this service on all dates listed. Book early to avoid disappointment, this is a very popular cruise transfer service. If your date is not listed above but you are interested in using this service, International Friends will add dates if we have confirmed interest from 10 or more travellers. We find that the Roll Call facility of Cruise Critic is an excellent way of promoting this transfer service.
Or, if you'd prefer the option of a private transfer, available for 1 or more people please click here
How long will my journey take?
Pick ups in Central London begin at 07:00am and are completed by 08.15am. We will then collect from Heathrow airport hotels between 09:00am - 09:45am. The journey to Winchester from London takes approximately 2 hours. The journey from Winchester to Southampton will take approximately 30 - 45 minutes, arriving between 1:30pm and 2:00pm.
How much luggage can I bring?
Each person is allowed a maximum of 2 items of hold luggage (23kg each) and 1 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 is involved in this tour?
Your tour manager will meet you inside the hotel lobby of your chosen pick up and will assist you with your luggage. The vehicle will park as close as is safely and legally possible.
Winchester is historic in nature, and streets can be narrow or uneven, the city is situated on a hill that runs from west to east along a pedestrianised High Street. Some of the routes within the city centre are therefore quite steep, and they are cobbled in places.
Accessibility notes for Winchester Cathedral: Please be aware that the chair lift in the North Transept is currently out of operation. We have a brand new lift on order which will be installed at the earliest possible opportunity. We deeply regret any inconvenience caused by this and wish to reassure our visitors that the replacement of this chair lift is of the highest priority to the Cathedral.
All wheelchair users can access the ground floor of the Cathedral, but access to some areas may be limited. Please ask at the Entrance Desk for help. Partially sighted visitors may like to visit the Touch & Hearing Centre in the south nave aisle.
Once you have arrived in Southampton, there will be a typical walk of about 100 yards from the vehicle to the terminal.
My chosen hotel is not on your list of pick up points, can I take this service?
We collect from all London city centre and selected Heathrow airport hotels. Occasionally we are unable to pick up at certain hotels because they are not in London city centre or Heathrow airport. Please email us at [email protected] and we will advise if we can collect at your hotel, or direct you to the closest pick up point.
My flight arrives at Heathrow in the morning of my transfer, how can I join this service?
This will depend upon the arrival time of your flight. On average it takes around 40-60 minutes to get through passport control and collect your luggage. This can vary depending on how busy the airport is at any given time. Once you have your luggage you will need to make your way to the nearest hotel pick up either by taxi or by using the regular airport Hoppa bus service:
- Arriving at Terminal 1, 2 or 3 - Please go to Radisson Red Heathrow, Bath Road, UB7 0DU.
- Arriving at Terminal 4 - Please go to Hilton Heathrow Terminal 4, Hounslow, TW6 3AF.
- Arriving at Terminal 5 - Please go to Sofitel Heathrow Terminal 5, Heathrow, TW6 2GD
A taxi journey from the terminal to the hotels listed above would take 5-10 mins, the Hoppa Bus will take 15-20 minutes. You will need to ensure you have enough time to get to the meeting point for the earliest pick up time stated on the itinerary. This means if our pick up is 09:00am - 09:45am at a particular hotel, you MUST be at that pick up point 09:00am.
What happens if my flight is delayed and I cannot get to the meeting point on time?
When you book you will be given an emergency contact number on your E-ticket. We advise that you contact us on this number to inform us of your new arrival time so that we can best advise the options available to you. At Heathrow airport our collections take place in a 30-45 minute time period. If you do contact us and are running 10-15 minutes late we would advise you to go to one of the hotels scheduled for a later pick up time. Please note our scheduled Shore Excursions and transfers are shared options and the final departure times cannot be delayed for late arrivals, however we will always assist you in making your way to the ship. As a general guide we would not recommend our shared service for anyone arriving at Heathrow less than 2 hours before the pick up time. In all cases refunds on shared transfers cannot be applied to missed transfers due to late flight arrivals or delays in luggage collection or passport control. In this situation you will need to check if it is possible to make a claim through your airline or your travel insurance. If your flight arrival timings are too near to the shared transfer departure time we would strongly recommend you book a private transfer. With private transfers the departure time can be delayed.
Will I get to my ship on time?
Our Shore Excursions and Transfers are all designed for passengers going to and from the cruise ship. Our itineraries are based on the ships arrival and departure times. We would not offer an itinerary that did not allow passengers to get to their ship in time for its departure. Many ships will give allotted check in times, this is to help stagger passenger arrivals at the terminal and is more an indication of the earliest time they wish you to arrive. All of our tours aim to have passengers at the ship by 2:00pm. In the unlikely event of there being delays out of our control, such as traffic problems, we will liaise directly with the ships ground handling team and keep them updated on our progress and expected arrival time at the port.
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 7 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.
I have sightseeing included in my transfer – do I need to book entry?
Entry to Winchester Cathedral is included in this transfer, 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.
My flight arrives or departs from Gatwick – can you pick me up or drop me off there?
Unfortunately Gatwick is not in London and not in our collection or zone. You will need to make your way in Central London for pick up. If you are arriving into Gatwick please contact us and we will advise on the best transfer options for you.